Digital Commons Network^™

The Transcendental Eigenvalue Problem And Its Application In System Identification, Kumar Vikram Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An accurate mathematical model is needed to solve direct and inverse problems related to engineering analysis and design. Inverse problems of identifying the physical parameters of a non-uniform continuous system based on the spectral data are still unsolved. Traditional methods, for the system identification purpose, describe the continuous structure by a certain discrete model. In dynamic analysis, finite element or finite difference approximation methods are frequently used and they lead to an algebraic eigenvalue problem. The characteristic equation associated with the algebraic eigenvalue problem is a polynomial. Whereas, the spectral characteristic of a continuous system is represented by certain transcendental …

Regimes, Institutions And Foreign Policy Change, David Baker Huxsoll

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effects that different political regime types and institutional arrangements have on the amount of foreign policy change occurring a state. Scholars in International Relations studying the democratic peace have identified a relationship between characteristics of democracy and non-democracy and the behavior of states. Scholars in Comparative Politics have noted that certain institutions more easily facilitate policy change. This dissertation synthesizes these perspectives and develops and tests a number of hypotheses relating regime type, institutional arrangement, and party system to the amount of foreign policy change a state undertakes. Employing a pooled, cross-sectional time series design, the …

Deficit Politics And Democratic Unity: The Saga Of Tip O'Neill, Jim Wright, And The Conservative Democrats In The House Of Representatives During The Reagand Era, Karl Gerard Brandt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Reagan Era featured partisan clashes, controversy over fiscal policy, and a time of trial for the Democratic Party and its claim of diversity. This dissertation examines the efforts of the House Democratic Leadership to build party unity and to enhance its operating methods in battles with the Reagan administration over fiscal policy and the future of the United States. The House Democratic Leadership was challenged by the conservative Democrats. In 1980, the conservatives formed the Conservative Democratic Forum (CDF). Acting as a quasi-third party, the CDF was instrumental in passage of Reagan's economic program in 1981. Afterwards, the CDF …

Leading The District-Mandated Technology Focus At Twin Lakes Elementary Through The Development, Validation, And Implementation Of A Technology Training Program, Kristen E. Bazley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Twin Lakes Elementary will be emphasizing the areas of math and technology beginning in the school year 2003-2004. The school’s infrastructure and curriculum had to be completely revised in order for technology integration to occur. Moreover, most of the teaching faculty possessed few, if any, of the computer skills they needed to function in this new environment and there was a significant degree of skepticism and resistance in adopting this new way of teaching.

The purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to develop and present a training program that would enable faculty members to utilize technology instruction methods in …

Closing The Achievement Gap One School At A Time: Reading Achievement And Hispanic Children, Nereida Inocencia Santa-Cruz

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Research indicates that the importance of learning to read is critical. An inability to read stands as an enormous barrier to one’s potential knowledge and social participation. Florida’s System of School Improvement and Accountability Act (1999, F.S.) also known as Florida’s High-Quality Education System rates schools in terms of performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Reading is the focal point of this accountability system. In Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), 29 elementary schools have been designated grade category F since the inception of the Florida’s High-Quality Education System. James H. Bright Elementary School was one of the originally …

Providing Character Education Towards Resiliency For An Alternative Education High School, Anita L. Herron

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to address the need to improve the educational profile of an urban alternative education high school that failed to meet one or more of the state's standards for achievement, attendance, and school performance. A character education curriculum holistic case management program was developed to address this problem.

The program provided students with a three-focus educational strand instructional program: Case management intervention, academic diagnostic assessment, and an individualized planning and instructional curriculum to achieve school success. The writer presented a comprehensive intervention service that required all participants to attend a mandatory orientation, community-based involvement, consultation, and …

Improving The Reading And Writing Skills Of Retained Eighth Grade Students, Beverley Mckenzie

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to assist eighth grade students who were retained in improving their Reading and Writing skills. These students failed school courses and did not meet the required standards for promotion to high school. The students were previously in large classes with other low-achieving students, were not given individualized attention, were not exposed to the use of technologies, were not given adequate support services, and were not taught by experienced teachers.

The writer designed an after-school program to assist the students with Reading and Writing skills. An experienced Language Arts teacher was asked to work with the …

Evaluation Of The Math Project At Horace Mann High School, Lula Brooks Reeves

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation studied the improvement of student course grades through the math program in 10th grade at Horace Mann High School, Gary, Indiana. In order to improve students' outcomes, strategies using Performance Based Learning, small group instruction and student collaboration were implemented.

The Math Project was implemented with 10th-grade teachers who agreed to participate in this study. The students in the study were a heterogeneously mixed group of students with common scores from the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP+/state competency) test at the 8th-grade level, common socioeconomic status according to the Federal Lunch Program guidelines, and common …

The Development Of Solo Performance Skills Through Participation In Adjudicated Vocal Solo Showcases, Judy P. Shoemaker

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to develop and implement a solo performance contest-festival for adolescent vocal students in grades 7 through 12. The goal of the project was to foster musical excellence through positive performance evaluation and encourage the life-long pursuit of musical growth and achievement. The project addressed several issues; (a) there were few opportunities for such evaluative performance in the target area, (b) there was a need for age and vocal developmental appropriate required music lists, (c) a clear and concise rating and evaluation scale based on accepted music attributes was needed, (d) improved adjudicator consistency through training …

A Personal Leadership Appraisal And Development Plan For A School Superintendent’S Position, Lawrence T. Rainey

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to appraise the personal leadership attributes of educators and to provide a framework to help them prepare a personal development plan toward the attainment of a public school superintendent’s position. A literature review of effective educational leadership characteristics was conducted. The review included a search for available instruments for assessment of leadership characteristics, potential, and style, and preparatory programs available to improve leadership ability. In addition, the search yielded an increased awareness of associated stressors that have been known to affect superintendent leadership and position tenure.

The literature review was comprehensive and yielded relative information. …

Development Of A Service-Learning Program For Scottsdale Community College, Carolyn O’Connor

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to develop a service-learning program for Scottsdale Community College (SCC) which is one of only two Maricopa Colleges that do not have a service-learning program.

Five research questions were addressed in this dissertation. Development and evaluation problem-solving methodologies were employed throughout this study. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs were used to guide the data collection, using a service learning questionnaire, faculty and agency surveys, interviews, and two case studies.

The research revealed that several factors must be in place prior to implementation in order to insure the success of the program. 1) Service-learning must …

Rotary Kiln Incineration Of Hazardous Wastes: Pilot-Scale Studies At Louisiana State University, John Sutherland Earle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies of incineration of surrogates for hazardous wastes are conducted in the pilot-scale rotary kiln incinerator (RKI) at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The purpose of the research is to investigate methods of treating and destroying hazardous wastes in a cost-effective and environmentally sound way. The objective is to provide process data that will contribute to increased knowledge for RKI design and operation. The LSU facility is a College of Engineering Combustion Laboratory that is unique in its large size as a university laboratory. It is equipped with individual instruments for analysis of O₂, CO, …

The Impact Of Louisiana's School And District Accountability System On Students' Performance On The State Mandated Criterion Referenced Test, Linda B. Tolbert

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study is aimed at determining the impact of Louisiana’s School and District Accountability System on students’ performance on the state mandated criterion-referenced test (LEAP 21). The study was designed to determine the extent to which teachers in Title I schools in a large urban district in southwest Louisiana have turned to instructionally unsound practices in response to a high-stakes accountability system. The specific objectives addressed in this study were to: 1) Explore if test scores have changed beyond what would be expected given the cohort design of the accountability model. 2) Explore if test scores have changed and determine …

Fundamental Properties Of Borate-Modified Oriented Strandboard Manufactured From Southern Wood Species, Sunyoung Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States, damages to buildings from termites and decay fungi cost billions of dollars annually. As a result, there is an urgent need for building construction that will withstand the ravages of these biological pathogens. Chemical modification of building products is one of the techniques for developing durable wood-based construction. This study was conducted to examine the effects of powder zinc borate (ZB) and calcium borate (CB) on resin gel time, strength, swelling, leaching, termite, decay, and mold resistance properties of oriented strandboard (OSB). It was found that gel time of phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin decreased with increased …

Reporting The Movement In Black And White: The Emmett Till Lynching And The Montgomery Bus Boycott, John Craig Flournoy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines media coverage of two events in the Civil Rights Movement-the lynching of Emmett Till in 1955 and the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955-56. The study focuses on three publications aimed primarily at white audiences (Life, Look and the New York Times) and two aimed primarily at black audiences (the Birmingham World and Jet). The dissertation seeks to answer several questions. How did mainstream news organizations cover black Americans in the decades prior to the 1950s? In reporting on the Till murder case and the Montgomery bus boycott, did coverage by mainstream news organizations change? If so, in …

The Means Of Ignorance: Genuine Dialogue And A Rhetoric Of Virtue, Daniel Anthony Grano

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Aimed at core problems of contemporary moral rhetoric - pluralistic argument, incommensurable disagreement on ordering terms, and a theoretical move away from essence to relativism - this study is an attempt to restore rhetoric as an art capable of investigating and positing terms of order and being. This restoration relies upon viewing rhetoric as a practice of epistemic mediation between the experiential and language-based knowledge of the local, and the perfected knowledge of the Absolute. I propose characteristically Socratic notions of contingency and ignorance as the bases for this mediated approach. As a recognition of what is unknown and uncertain …

Instructional Technology, Motivation, Attitudes And Behaviors: An Investigation Of At-Risk Learners In The Middle School General Music Classroom, Sharon A. Clark

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In middle schools today, teachers meet many challenges. Students come to school with a wide variety of experiences and economic backgrounds. They come with varying needs and abilities. Middle school is a time of many changes for students. One of the many goals of middle school is to meet the needs of the students in academics as well as the social, physical and emotional needs.

The research question addressed in this dissertation was: What are the effects of instructional technology on motivation, attitudes and behavior of at-risk learners in the middle school general music classroom? The purpose of this study …

Improving Administrators’ Skills And Knowledge Of Personnel Procedures Through The Use Of A Web Site, Frederic E. Conde

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

During the 2001-2002 school year, the writer posted a Web site designed to address the issue of improving knowledge and communicating how-to skills in the area of employee discipline through the use of Web site technology. It was determined that only 25 target administrators or less than 3% were actively logging on. Furthermore, a random review of investigative site disposition reports identified within the writer’s jurisdiction revealed a lack of procedural, content-specific knowledge and general policy awareness.

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to increase Web site utilization by increasing the number of recorded hits as determined by unique …

Role Of Endothelin In The Pathogenesis Of Acute Laminitis In Horses, Ashley Michelle Stokes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Acute laminitis is a severely debilitating disease of the laminae of the equine digit; however, the mechanism(s) of pathogenesis have yet to be fully elucidated. In physiologic states, the endothelium synthesizes substances, such as nitric oxide (NO; vasodilator) and endothelin-1 (ET-1; profound vasoconstrictor), which play a crucial role in vasomotor regulation. The overall hypothesis is that the initiating factor in the onset of acute laminitis is a disruption in the balance between NO and ET-1, which leads to digital vasoconstriction and subsequent laminar ischemic necrosis. In vitro studies with digital vessels from healthy horses and horses with naturally-acquired laminitis determined …

An Intervention Reading Program To Increase Reading Skills In 18 Months From Cmt Proficient To Grade-Level Performance, Anthony J. Cordone

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This project addressed the creation of a reading intervention program at Bailey Middle School that improved the reading skills of the students identified by the Connecticut Master Test (CMT) as performing within the proficient level. Over the past 5 years, 60% of the Grade 6 and 49% of Grade 8 students consistently scored within the proficient level. This researcher created a program that, within 18 months, increased the reading skill needs of those students so that they improved or met the Grade 8 CMT goal levels.

This applied dissertation reviewed current programs, staffing requirements and skills, staff development, strategies, and …

Technological Remediation: Special Education High School Students And High-Stakes Testing, Yvonne Craycroft Kirk

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of the study was to investigate a skill-building program as a possible strategy for remediation. This study sought to help special education students pass the Graduate Qualifying Exam (GQE) in a large Indiana urban high school.

For 3 years, the researcher followed 2 groups of 10th-grade special education students who were taking the test for the first time. The scores were tracked each time the test was given to determine how many passed the test on the first attempt. The treatment group of students was assigned to a resource class by their teachers of record while in the …

Gender Differences In Participation Of Physical Activities: A Comprehensive Model Approach, Kay Gordon Daigle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships among gender, perceptions of peer, parent, and teacher support, perceived value and meaningfulness, perceived competence, and the intention to be physically active within a proposed model. Female and male students (N=801) enrolled in a traditional multi-activity physical education class responded to a 52-item questionnaire addressing the constructs in the model. Structural equation modeling, using LISREL, was used to identify the relationships among the constructs. Gender differences emerged in this model through direct paths as well as indirect paths among these variables. Girls were more influenced than boys by their perceptions …

Sixth-Grade Study Group Intervention Program To Increase Academic Achievement In The Area Of Reading, Sue Greenfield

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to incorporate intervention strategies with 6th graders in the elementary school setting. The goal was to have each individual student increase standardized academic achievement in the area of reading, which automatically results in an increase of standardized academic achievement for the entire group. Students were involved in a number of intervention activities during school, before and after school, and on Saturdays. Activities included State Bar Association training for students, which certified active participants as peer mediators, and field trips and seminars. Activities incorporated proponents of education from the community, who hosted community functions and media …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: The Newsletter Of The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 10, Winter 2003, Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Hipaa Requirements For Lawyers - Business Associate Contracts, Gerald E. Deloss

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Labor And Employement Law - Discrimination: An Eeoc Regulation Allowing Employers To Assert That Employee May Not Pose A Danger To Himself Falls Within The Purview Of The Americans With Disabilities Act, Erin M. Conroy

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Development Of An Interactive Multimedia Based Professional Development, James New

Theses : Honours

The role of the teacher has changed over time such that teachers are asked to augment their own specialist knowledge with skills from other domains, for example information technology. This study has examined the perceptions and experiences of teachers and speech pathologists involved in the production of an instructive Interactive Multimedia (IMM) product to deliver Professional Development (PD). The individuals involved in this project were teachers from the High Valley Language School (HVLS) -a specialised primary school. The study used a social action research methodology, which allowed the researcher to build theories from emergent data. The data collection process consisted …

A Deception Based Framework For The Application Of Deceptive Countermeasures In 802.11b Wireless Networks, Suen Yek

Theses : Honours

The advance of 802.11 b wireless networking has been beset by inherent and in-built security problems. Network security tools that are freely available may intercept network transmissions readily and stealthily, making organisations highly vulnerable to attack. Therefore, it is incumbent upon defending organisations to take initiative and implement proactive defences against common network attacks. Deception is an essential element of effective security that has been widely used in networks to understand attack methods and intrusions. However, little thought has been given to the type and the effectiveness of the deception. Deceptions deployed in nature, the military and in cyberspace were …

Gender Differences In Stress And Coping Of Parents With Adolescent Daughters Undergoing Treatment For Anorexia Nervosa, Steven Collishaw

Theses : Honours

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex condition characterised by an uncertain etiology, protracted course and an inordinately high prevalence among adolescent females. Treatment of AN requires a multifarious approach, however, among adolescents family therapy is considered a necessary component to ensure positive outcome. Interestingly, while the efficacy of these systemic interventions is reliant on parents' ability to cope with treatment demands and stress, adaptive patterns among parents remain relatively under researched. The aim of this inquiry was to address this paucity of studies focused on mothers and fathers by providing a preliminary investigation of differences in their stress and coping …

The Religions Of Ancient Israel: A Synthesis Of Parallactic Approaches [Review] / Ziony Zevit., Gerald A. Klingbeil

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.