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2004

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Gringo And Teacher: A Study Of Professional Self-Formation Through Cross-Cultural Research, John Shock Jan 2004

Gringo And Teacher: A Study Of Professional Self-Formation Through Cross-Cultural Research, John Shock

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is, in large part, the story of the author’s transformation from a teacher/researcher who studies others to one who studies himself. It is a story that unfolds against the backdrop of his experiences as a teacher, student, and researcher conducting qualitative research into issues of education in Louisiana and Mexico during the three-year period from the spring of 2001 to the spring of 2004—a tumultuous time in American history by any measure. At the heart of this thesis lies the decision to adopt a research approach that is more personal and open-ended than purposeful and intentional. It is …


Reliability And Concordance Of The Childhood Autism Rating Scale And Dsm-Iv In Adults With Severe And Profound Mental Retardation, Noha Farrah Minshawi Jan 2004

Reliability And Concordance Of The Childhood Autism Rating Scale And Dsm-Iv In Adults With Severe And Profound Mental Retardation, Noha Farrah Minshawi

LSU Master's Theses

Researchers and clinicians have long treated autism as though it were a disorder that only affected children. As a result, little literature is available on the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of adults with autism. One of the first issues to address in this population is diagnosis. While several rating scales and diagnostic systems exist for surveying autistic behavior in children, researchers have not demonstrated the reliability of these scales for adults. The present study focused on two commonly used instruments, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). In the …


Bezier Curves For Metamodeling Of Simulation Output, Harish J. Kingre Jan 2004

Bezier Curves For Metamodeling Of Simulation Output, Harish J. Kingre

LSU Master's Theses

Many design optimization problems rely on simulation models to obtain feasible solutions. Even with substantial improvement in the computational capability of computers, the enormous cost of computation needed for simulation makes it impractical to rely on simulation models. The use of metamodels or surrogate approximations in place of actual simulation models makes analysis realistic by reducing computational burden. There are many popular metamodeling techniques such as Polynomial Regression, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines, Radial Basis Functions, Kriging and Artificial Neural Networks. This research proposes a new metamodeling technique that uses Bezier curves and patches. The Bezier curve method is based on …


Route Planning Of Automated Guided Vehicles For Container Logistics, Sanjay Shankarrao Gurav Jan 2004

Route Planning Of Automated Guided Vehicles For Container Logistics, Sanjay Shankarrao Gurav

LSU Master's Theses

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are widely used in container terminals for the movement of material from shipping to the yard area and vice versa. Research in this area is directed toward the development of a path layout design and routing algorithms for container movement. The problem is to design a path layout and a routing algorithm that will route the AGVs along the bi-directional path so that the distance traveled will be minimized. This thesis presents a bi-directional path flow layout and a routing algorithm that guarantee conflict-free, shortest time routes for AGVs. Based on the path layout, a routing …


Influence Of Venous Emptying On Reactive Hyperemic Blood Flow, Zeki Bahadir Jan 2004

Influence Of Venous Emptying On Reactive Hyperemic Blood Flow, Zeki Bahadir

LSU Master's Theses

Recent work by Tschakovsky & Hughson (Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 279: H1007, 2000) indicates that venous emptying serves as a stimulus for vasodilation. This suggests the importance of recognizing the potential influence of venous volume on reactive hyperemic blood flow (RHBF) following occlusion. Purpose: To examine the influence of venous emptying on RHBF. Methods: Non-dominant forearm in-flow, venous capacitance and outflow were examined in 21 individuals [age=23±2.27y]. Forearm arterial inflow, venous capacitance, and outflow were obtained two times using strain gauge plethysmography. Forearm blood inflow was estimated at rest and following 5 min of upper arm occlusion. Forearm …


Development Of A True Triaxial Apparatus For Soil Testing, Heath Stuart Williams Jan 2004

Development Of A True Triaxial Apparatus For Soil Testing, Heath Stuart Williams

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents the development of a True Triaxial Testing TTT Apparatus. The TTT apparatus developed has the capabilities of applying the three principal stresses to a rectangular prismoidal specimen independently. The minor principal stress is provided by the cell pressure. The major principal stress is provided by a load actuator traveling at a constant velocity. A LabView software program instantaneously reads instrumentation, makes calculations, and commands a second load actuator to induce an intermediate principal stress that maintains a constant b-value; where b-value is equal to the intermediate principal stress minus the minor principal stress divided by the major …


Musical Play Across Ethnic Boundaries In Western Jamaica, Ronald Eric Dickerson Jan 2004

Musical Play Across Ethnic Boundaries In Western Jamaica, Ronald Eric Dickerson

LSU Master's Theses

An ethnography of music, ritual, and festival in western Jamaica, this thesis reports on fieldwork performed in St. Elizabeth and St. James Parishes between June 2002 and January 2003. Featured field sites include rural dancehall events, Kumina performances, Accompong Town's Maroon Heritage Festival, and a Rastafarian music and nutrition festival called "The Supper of Rastafari." Building an account of these and other sites of cultural performance, this study focuses on social connections between groups of participants, traced through poetic, historical, and personal relationships among performers, especially across boundaries of ethnic, stylistic, or religious difference within Jamaica's national cultural identity.


Insect Pest Management Approaches Among Currently Recommended Sugarcane Varieties In Louisiana, Frederick R. Posey Jan 2004

Insect Pest Management Approaches Among Currently Recommended Sugarcane Varieties In Louisiana, Frederick R. Posey

LSU Master's Theses

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is responsible for more than 90% of the total insect damage to sugarcane in Louisiana. The decision to apply insecticides is complex and influenced by numerous variables. Included among these variables are insect infestation levels, varieties, weather conditions, production input levels, and environmental concerns. Predicting damage that may result from infestations occurring at a particular time of the crop production season is also important. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of these variables on sugarcane borer populations and subsequent yield loss. Results from a two-year survey indicated a …


Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Case Study Of Mentoring For Teacher Change, Judi Martin Mccaslin Jan 2004

Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Case Study Of Mentoring For Teacher Change, Judi Martin Mccaslin

LSU Master's Theses

This project was a qualitative case study that recorded and analyzed the professional development of one certified elementary teacher as she studied developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and pursued her Pre-K and Kindergarten add-on certification. It focused on the changes in her classroom practice from mostly developmentally inappropriate practice (DIP) at the beginning of the project towards mostly DAP at the end of the project. The project recorded her acquisition of concrete knowledge about DAP, and her beliefs regarding DAP as she taught young children over the course of one year, June 2003 through May 2004. It included study of the …


Evaluation Of The Usda Shafter Cotton (Gossypium Spp.) Collection For Agronomic And Fiber Traits, Jimmy Xavier Zumba Jan 2004

Evaluation Of The Usda Shafter Cotton (Gossypium Spp.) Collection For Agronomic And Fiber Traits, Jimmy Xavier Zumba

LSU Master's Theses

Many recent additions to the US Cotton Germplasm collection are uncharacterized for common germplasm descriptors. Our objective was to evaluate a subset of this germplasm for their potential to contribute to future plant improvement efforts. One hundred fifty four cotton germplasm lines from the former USDA cotton breeding program at Shafter, California were evaluated in the field (LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station, Saint Joseph, LA) in 2003 along with three modern commercial varieties (Delta and Pine Land �Deltapearl�, �Fibermax 958�, and �Phytogen 355�). Due to limited seed availability, an unreplicated modified augmented statistical design-2 was used, with single row plots …


A Meta-Analysis Of Randomness In Human Behavioral Research, Summer Ann Armstrong Jan 2004

A Meta-Analysis Of Randomness In Human Behavioral Research, Summer Ann Armstrong

LSU Master's Theses

This work analyzes the concept of randomness in binary sequences from three different perspectives: mathematically, statistically, and psychologically and examines the research on human perception of randomness and the question of whether or not humans can simulate random behavior. Generally, research shows that human subjects have great difficulty producing random sequences, even when they are instructed and motivated. We survey some of the literature and present some leading theoretical proposals. Finally, we present some basic statistical tests that can be used to evaluate randomness in a given binary sequence.


Migmatization Of Archean Aluminous Metasediments From The Eastern Beartooth Mountains, Montana, U.S.A., Andrew T. Maas Jan 2004

Migmatization Of Archean Aluminous Metasediments From The Eastern Beartooth Mountains, Montana, U.S.A., Andrew T. Maas

LSU Master's Theses

Geothermobarometry, mineral compositions and textures, and thermodynamic models suggest biotite dehydration melting occurred in the peraluminous rocks of the eastern Beartooth Mountains. These Archean metapelitic migmatites are metatexites and diatexites, and have typical metamorphic assemblages of Qtz + Pl + Kfs + Bt + Sil +/- Grt +/- Crd. The subsequent in situ crystallization of the magma derived from the biotite dehydration created migmatitic leucosomes in the rocks. These leucosomes are primarily composed of quartz, plagioclase and potassium feldspar. Water derived from the dehydration of biotite was dissolved in the melted phase. Crystallization of the magma reintroduced this water to …


An Investigation Of The 150-Hour Requirement In Developing Personal Competencies In Accounting Education, Laura Davis Delaune Jan 2004

An Investigation Of The 150-Hour Requirement In Developing Personal Competencies In Accounting Education, Laura Davis Delaune

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated if accounting graduates from Louisiana State University, a public institution, perceived that their accounting curriculum enhanced the development of their personal competencies of professional demeanor, problem solving/decision making, interaction, leadership, and communication. A survey mailed to accounting graduates who graduated from Fall 1999 to Spring 2002 was used to gather the data for the study. Responses from graduates with different curricular paths were compared to determine if significant differences existed in their perceptions of the development of their personal competencies. Results revealed that no significant difference exists in the perception of the development of personal competencies among …


Elemental: Promise Of Plenty, Bill Wolff Jan 2004

Elemental: Promise Of Plenty, Bill Wolff

LSU Master's Theses

This body of work is about human nature, and centers on issues of aggression, consumption and collapse. Five materials make up the exhibition, and each carries a specific metaphor: wood is flesh, brick represents collective history, rope is a metaphor for human activity, metal is control and salt is a quintessential commodity. Craft is used as a means to explore the boundary between natural and synthetic phenomena, as well as elevating the status of the base materials. The work is arranged to provide an environment and context for the viewer to respond.


Zooplankton Visualization System: Design And Real-Time Lossless Image Compression, Dattatreya Reddy Tetala Satya Surya Jan 2004

Zooplankton Visualization System: Design And Real-Time Lossless Image Compression, Dattatreya Reddy Tetala Satya Surya

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, I present a design of a small, self-contained, underwater plankton imaging system. I base the imaging system’s design on an embedded PC architecture based on PC/104-Plus standards to meet the compact size and low power requirements. I developed a simple graphical user interface to run on a real-time operating system to control the imaging system. I also address how a real-time image compression scheme implemented on an FPGA chip speeds up image transfer speeds of the imaging system. Since lossless compression of the image is required in order to retain all image details, I began with an …


Overlap Zones, Growth Faults, And Sedimentation: Using High Resolution Gravity Data, Livingston Parish, La, Carrie Alison Cazes Jan 2004

Overlap Zones, Growth Faults, And Sedimentation: Using High Resolution Gravity Data, Livingston Parish, La, Carrie Alison Cazes

LSU Master's Theses

In south Louisiana, parallel to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, are belts of east-to-west trending, listric-normal faults with associated contemporaneous sedimentation and fault movement. The Tepetate-Baton Rouge Fault system in south-central Louisiana contains individual fault segments which are arcuate and overlap each other in map view, as seen on LiDAR data. Gravity survey data, with a sample spacing of 20 to 50 m, was collected across normal fault scarps. Structural ramps may form in the area between overlapping normal fault segments creating an east-to-west gradient. This gradient change may divert streams and provide areas for coarse-grained sediments to …


An Examination Of The Relationship Between Psychological Conditions And The Incidence Of Athletic Injury, Gregory A. Penczek Jan 2004

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Psychological Conditions And The Incidence Of Athletic Injury, Gregory A. Penczek

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose if this investigation was to examine injury rates among college athletes with a diagnosed psychological condition/mental disorder. Participants were drawn from a pool of 440 male and female intercollegiate athletes (ages 18-26 years). All subjects with a psychological disorder were then identified (n=38) and placed in the diagnosis group. A second group was then selected, which consisted of matched pairs of athletes without a psychological diagnosis. Twelve sports were represented in the sample population with an equal number of male (n=26) and female (n=12) participants in each group. The athletic training database was examined via query to identify …


What Do Tin-Enameled Ceramics Tell Us?: Explorations Of Socio-Economic Status Through The Archaeological Record In Eighteenth-Century Louisiana: 1700-1790, Jason A. Emery Jan 2004

What Do Tin-Enameled Ceramics Tell Us?: Explorations Of Socio-Economic Status Through The Archaeological Record In Eighteenth-Century Louisiana: 1700-1790, Jason A. Emery

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the presence and distribution of tin-enameled earthenwares in what was colonial Louisiana at nine archaeological sites: Madame John's Legacy (16OR51), the ca. 1730s French Colonial Barracks (16OR136), the Lower Pontalba Building (16OR209), Galveztown (16AN39), French Site I (16PC80), the Bicentennial Gardens (22AD999), Los Adaes (16NA16), the American Cemetery (16NA67), and the Chamard House site (16NA100). To examine the ceramic diversity, a comprehensive classificatory system is proposed, with discussion and classification of vessel forms. Ceramic diversity was anticipated to be patterned following geographic and economic lines; however, this was not substantiated through the analysis of the general body …


Development Of A Methodology To Delineate Hurricane Evacuation Zones, Nandagopal Meduri Jan 2004

Development Of A Methodology To Delineate Hurricane Evacuation Zones, Nandagopal Meduri

LSU Master's Theses

The main focus of this study is to exhibit a simple and easily implemented process to identify hurricane evacuation zones. The proposed study presents a new methodology to delineate hurricane evacuation zones. The new methodology helps in easier identification of zones, thereby making the task of evacuation officials easier. Hurricane evacuation zones were identified based on the elevation of the points comprising the study area. An area layer was created based on the storm surge models run, and were overlaid with zip code boundary layer and land use data available. Elevation point file data was superimposed on the study area …


The Effectiveness Of Language-Literacy Training For Child Care Workers, Katelyn Beth Venturella Jan 2004

The Effectiveness Of Language-Literacy Training For Child Care Workers, Katelyn Beth Venturella

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of group-based language-literacy training for child care workers. The first phase of the study followed a pre-post single group comparison design and involved 23 child care providers. The independent variable was the teacher training and the dependant variable was scores from a questionnaire. The second phase of the study involved a sub-group of four child care workers who received one-on-one follow up training after the group sessions. The questionnaire was administered a third time to the follow-up group. An analysis of the questionnaire items at pretest indicated that the …


The Impact Of Brief Intervention On Adherence To Medication Regimen Of Low-Income Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Kathleen E. Kendra Jan 2004

The Impact Of Brief Intervention On Adherence To Medication Regimen Of Low-Income Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Kathleen E. Kendra

LSU Master's Theses

Patient nonadherence with medication regimen is a common problem facing health care providers treating adult patients with Type 2 diabetes. Poor glycemic control, diabetes related complications, and increased utilization and health care costs are among the outcomes of poor compliance with medical regimen. Prior research indicates moderate success with several techniques to improve medication adherence when used alone. However, the literature suggests a need for an intervention providing a multi-component technique, implementing self-motivating skills and follow-up prompts. Using a 15- minute single exposure intervention, the current study attempted to combine these two procedures (brief intervention including motivational interviewing with follow-up …


A Comparison Of A High-Resolution Survey And A Three-Dimensional Seismic Survey In A Feature-Rich Region Of The Green Canyon Area, Gulf Of Mexico, Bruce Miles Samuel Jan 2004

A Comparison Of A High-Resolution Survey And A Three-Dimensional Seismic Survey In A Feature-Rich Region Of The Green Canyon Area, Gulf Of Mexico, Bruce Miles Samuel

LSU Master's Theses

Recent advances in Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technology have revolutionized the positioning and accuracy of high-resolution deep sea mapping tools. Geologic hazard and engineering surveys by AUV’s are producing high-resolution data sets of a quality that has never before been seen. Three-dimensional (3D) seismic data, though traditionally used for only deep subsurface mapping of large areas, is now being reprocessed at a higher resolution and utilized in well site investigations and geologic hazard assessments. This study makes a comparison between a 3D seismic survey and an AUV high-resolution survey in order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of both of …


The Portrayals Of Minority Characters In Entertaining Animated Children's Programs, Siobhan Elizabeth Smith Jan 2004

The Portrayals Of Minority Characters In Entertaining Animated Children's Programs, Siobhan Elizabeth Smith

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to note, categorize, and discuss the stereotypes of African Americans in animated children’s cartoons. The purpose is also to compare them to see how they changed. A content analysis of two cartoons finds that characters do act in stereotypical ways. A quantitative analysis of 76 cartoons supports these findings. Overall, The Proud Family, a cartoon of the 21st century, is more stereotypical than Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, a cartoon from 30 years ago. Though primary characters display the same amount of stereotypical behavior, secondary characters show an increase in the amount of …


Cranks, Libertarians, And Zealots: An Examination Of Opposition To Jefferson Davis In The Provisional And First Confederate Congresses, Tereal Wayne Edmondson Jan 2004

Cranks, Libertarians, And Zealots: An Examination Of Opposition To Jefferson Davis In The Provisional And First Confederate Congresses, Tereal Wayne Edmondson

LSU Master's Theses

While many historians have maintained that the Provisional and First Confederate Congresses both served as legislatures intent on obstructing Jefferson Davis's policies, these southern assemblies actually provided little notable resistance to the president. Congressmen who did oppose Davis's policies never coalesced into a formal opposition. This lack of cohesion resulted from two factors: the Confederacy's eschewal of political parties following secession from the Union and the inability of disgruntled solons to organize an oppositional faction thereafter. When objections to increased centralization of the war effort came, they were from individuals who acted alone or in small factions. Consequently, Davis had …


The Topography Of Syntactic Islands, Danielle Rachel Alfandre Jan 2004

The Topography Of Syntactic Islands, Danielle Rachel Alfandre

LSU Master's Theses

The Adjunct Island Constraint proposed by Ross (1967) together with Chomsky’s Barriers (1986) are not sufficient to account for the ungrammaticality of wh-extraction out of adjunct clauses, nor do they address the instances of grammatical extraction out of such constructions. Extraction out of Adjunct Islands is now completely predictable using a combination of Chomsky’s Minimalist Program (1995) and Kehler’s Coherence Theory (2002). The combination of these two theories gives an account of both the grammatical and ungrammatical instances of wh- extraction out of adjuncts. The principles of the Minimalist Program together with evidence from Old English adverbial clauses determines the …


Louisiana State University Nasalance Protocol Standardization, Kathryn Ruth Kendrick Jan 2004

Louisiana State University Nasalance Protocol Standardization, Kathryn Ruth Kendrick

LSU Master's Theses

It was the purpose of this study to obtain nasalance values using the Nasometer and a resonance evaluation created at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Speech and Hearing Clinic. The Nasometer was used to measure the amount of nasal acoustic energy in the speech of 40 normal young adults during sustained vowel production, consonant vowel reduplications, and connected speech using the Rainbow Passage. Means and standard deviations are presented for the individual speech tasks and according to gender. Nasalance values for the sustained vowels were significantly higher for the high front vowel /i/ than any other vowel, and the lowest …


Quality Evaluation Of Cheddar Cheese Containing Gamma-Oryzanol, Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez Jan 2004

Quality Evaluation Of Cheddar Cheese Containing Gamma-Oryzanol, Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez

LSU Master's Theses

Health benefits from consuming rice bran oil (RBO) have been extensively studied in humans. RBO has been shown to decrease cholesterol absorption by inhibiting the oxidation of the LDL-cholesterol. Gamma-Oryzanol is one of the RBO components that possess antioxidative properties; it is a polyphenolic compound resembling tocopherol (vitamin E), which is another component of RBO. There are evidences that oryzanol has potential applications for enhancing shelf-life of foods containing fats processed at a high temperature, decreasing the total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels in plasma lipids, and healing ulcers. In order to take advantage of the health benefits of oryzanol, …


Audiating The Lsu Drumline: An Ethnographic Performance, Andrew Michael Causey Jan 2004

Audiating The Lsu Drumline: An Ethnographic Performance, Andrew Michael Causey

LSU Master's Theses

This is an ethnographic study of the drumline of the LSU Marching Band and the mock-fraternity they created called Phi Boota roota (ΦBr). I argue that ΦBr was created as a site to flesh out the various tensions members experience as members of the LSU drumline; they create a rite of passage ritual that functions as a carnivalesque and celebratory inversion of the system they find themselves submerged within. Phi Boota roota marks a created articulation of the transition members make when they become part of the larger ritual of Tigerband; it is a voluntary or liminoid ritual that allows …


The Gender Gap In Political Knowledge: A Comparison Of Political Knowledge Levels In The United States, Canada, And Great Britain, Emily Marie Guynan Jan 2004

The Gender Gap In Political Knowledge: A Comparison Of Political Knowledge Levels In The United States, Canada, And Great Britain, Emily Marie Guynan

LSU Master's Theses

Previous research indicates that there is a gender gap in political knowledge. I examine whether the gender gap exists in the United States and what the significant determining variables are aside from gender. I also examine whether the gender gap exists in other countries and whether the variables that are significant in the United States are significant in other countries. I examine political knowledge levels in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. By utilizing crosstabulations and multiple regression models, I find that a gender gap does exist in the United States as well as in Canada and Great Britain. …


Racial Attitudes And Policy Preferences, Jennifer Kirsten Pike Jan 2004

Racial Attitudes And Policy Preferences, Jennifer Kirsten Pike

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes statistical models of the impact of racial attitudes on race-neutral policy preferences in the 2002 Louisiana population. Previous research has identified racial attitudes as a determinant of welfare spending preferences in the national white population. This paper uses ordered logit modeling to test for the impact of racial attitudes on welfare and public education spending preferences within a state population, with separate analyses for black and white respondents. Moreover, this analysis provides a parallel model for highway spending as a control for the theoretical race-coded nature of welfare and public education. The analysis demonstrates similar racialization of …