Digital Commons Network^™

Using Information And Communication Technology For Human Development: Comparing Strategies, Jenny Engelbrektsson

Theses : Honours

In the last 20 years, applications of lnformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have impacted on the economics of the industrialised world. In today's "information society", information and knowledge are essential to social and economic development. However, not everyone has access to ICI sand the information they may provide. There is concern that existing inequities of income, knowledge, skills and measures of social development may increase as a result of a growing "digital divide" both between and within countries. There is an ongoing discussion within the international community about whether ICTs may play a significant role in human development. This study …

Picturing A Postcolonial Australia : Breaking The 'White' Norm In Contemporary Creative Practice, Rebekah Rousi

Theses : Honours

This dissertation is about addressing social issues relating to colonial encounters from the perspective of a 'White' colonial Australian artist. The discussion seeks to address representational imbalances which occur within image construction as the result of a history of Imperial investment in defining the 'civilised Self against the non-European 'primitive Other' (Said, 1978). The label 'White' is analysed in terms of its contradictions and generalisations, where it is linked to a culturally assumed 'Self' positioning of human centrality and neutrality. This centrality (humanity) was used by Imperialists to justify reasoning behind colonial expansion. The thriving mechanisms of Euro-centric perception are …

The Bible And Hermeneutics: Interpreting Scripture According To The Scriptures, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Do Rhinoceros Auklet, Cerorhinca Monocerata, Fledglings Fly To The Sea From Their Natal Burrows?, James L. Hayward, Jere K. Clayburn

Faculty Publications

The mode of departure of Rhinoceros Auklet fledglings from their nest burrows has remained uncertain. Both walk-down and fly-down hypotheses have been proposed. Here we use the unique geography of Protection Island, Washington, to evaluate the fly-down hypothesis. Some fledglings raised on Protection Island do appear to walk to the water, but our results suggest that many of the island's fledgling Rhinoceros Auklets fly to the sea.

Standards, Policies And Cultural Pluralism Promoting Strategies For Achieving Competitive Advantage Supporting The Future Of Information Technology, Gary D. Clarke

Theses

As standards and policies in Information Technology continue to develop globally, the Internet is becoming the primary vehicle for worldwide electronic commerce. Various organizations such as the ITU (International Telecommunication Union), GIIC (Global Information Infrastructure Commission), NII (National Information Infrastructure), NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,) and the European Union, to name just a few, have strived to develop standards and policies to promote and protect consumers and organizations that conduct business on the Internet. Many challenges exist, such as computing standards, taxation, security, privacy …

Terrestrial Isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea) And Biogeographical Patterns From South-Western Australia, Simon L. Judd

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis examines terrestrial isopod (Crustacea: Oniscidea) diversity and biogeography from south-western Australia, a region already recognised for the exceptional high biodiversity and concentrations of endemic species. A taxonomic investigation of isopods in the Western Australian Museum and material collected systematically as part of this study revealed seventy taxa, sixty of which were considered native species. The thesis provides a comprehensive review of regional taxonomic history and includes a key, complete with a set of forty characters states and taxa, illustrated by a number of photographic plates that are designed for use by specialists and non-specialists alike. Prior to this …

Cultural Hybridity And Visual Practice: Towards A Transformative-Repair Multicultural Pedagogy For Visual Arts Education, Kim Le

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project examines how transitional multiculturalism, cultural hybridity and transformative-repair are practiced by a professional artist-researcher and novice artists. Transitional multiculturalism and cultural hybridity are examined through a series of artworks by a Vietnamese-born artist-researcher. This series of artwork, which reflects 35 years of creating art in both Vietnamese and Australia, demonstrate a personal engagement with issues of cultural diversity, upbringing, and related aesthetic studies. The intention of this exhibition is to chart the characteristics of the artist's expression, which is culturally hybridised. This part of the study aims to identify those artistic conventions associated with specific visual traditions …

Renaissance And Baroque Stage Technology And Its Meaning For Today's Theatre, Stan Kubalcik

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis seeks to address the understanding of the concept of old stage machinery. In addition, the research will determine the practical applications and meaning of old stage machinery for today's theatre. The approach to this topic will be more historical and practical than theoretical. A thorough examination of the history of theatre and stage technology is initially discussed. This is followed by an in-depth discussion of the practical component of this research and finally, the implications of this for today's theatre. Knowledge of traditional stage technology is a prerequisite for understanding the mechanics of stage technology today. A key …

Environmental Correlates And Associations Of Tuart (Eucalyptus Gomphocephala) Decline, Todd A. Edwards

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala DC.) is an ecologically and culturally important tree species that grows across a narrow 400 km long coastal belt, from the Sabrina River south of Perth, to Jurien Bay in the north. Unfortunately, Tuart is also a species under considerable threat due to clearing, lack of recruitment and canopy decline. Canopy decline is of particular concern, being increasingly reported throughout the Tuart distribution. Despite this, previous studies of Tuart have generally been limited to localised canopy decline events. This two-phased study firstly involved an assessment of Tuart canopy condition at 46 sites across the species distribution. At …

Exploring Community Development In Online Settings, Christopher Brook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As educators and training providers embrace online technologies, some researchers posit that the development of a learning community is perhaps the most fundamental goal of online instructors (Hiltz, 1997). The process for developing and maintaining learning communities, however, remains unclear (Bonk & Wisher, 2000; PaJloff & Pratt, 1999). This study sought to provide insight into factors that influence community development through an exploration of the community experience in online settings. To do this, it was necessary to establish an understanding of the community construct through an extensive review of contemporary literature. A review of the online learning community literature was …

The Albanian And An Accompanying Exegesis : Place And Form In The Albanian, Donna J. Mazza

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis takes the form of a novel titled The Albanian and an exegesis, “Place and Form in The Albanian". The novel spans the period from October 1989 to the end of 1991 and is set against a backdrop of Eastern European change and its effect on a small group of Albanian refugees and Rosa, a young woman from Western Australia. Rosa narrates the tale in first person, present tense. The novel begins with her arrival in Dubrovnik, where she meets a young Albanian man on the verge of exiling himself in order to survive ethnic persecution. He fascinates Rosa, …

Openness In The Face Of Systemic Constraints On Science, Public Participation, And The Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement, Martin Brueckner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this thesis is to explore the role of science and public participation in environmental policy-making processes in Australia. To this end, I analyse the Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) process, a recent Australian Federal Government initiative designed to resolve a longstanding dispute over native forest use and management. Theoretically underpinned by an open systems approach, the thesis employs a case study method for the analysis of the RFA process, using data from three distinct sources; interviews, RFA-related literature, and media content. The analysis of the RFA occurs against the historical background to this policy process and …

Delivering Video Services Over Ip Networks, Huda Al-Habsi

Theses

The main goal pursued in this Thesis is to contribute towards the design and development of an end-to-end solution/system that would assist in reliable, consistence, less packet-loss delivery of high-quality video signals of pre-recorded presentations, training lectures, live events such as seminars over standard IP networks. This Thesis will focus on the existing Internet Service Provider, Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and its best delivery of high-bandwidth data such as video to its Local and regional offices and departments over IP networks. This video-over-IP system aims to accumulate the technical scientific knowledge required to be able to offer high-quality video, which …

The Dilution Effect: Federalization, Fair Cross-Sections, And The Concept Of Community, Laura Dooley

Scholarly Works

The quintessential distinguishing feature of the American criminal justice system is the jury. Juries representative of their communities perform the interrelated functions in criminal trials of rendering verdicts that reflect a sense of community justice and giving normative content to the law. When those functions are successfully performed, the jury lends legitimacy to the criminal justice system, bolstering public confidence in the extant rule of law.

Yest the criminal jury's validating functions are critically dependent on its own legitimacy, which in turn requires an examination of two key questions. First, what constitutes a "representative" jury, and second, what is the …

The Changing World Of Employee Benefits, Maria O'Brien

Faculty Scholarship

When I graduated from law school in 1985, there were no courses offered in employee benefits law. Nor, as near as I can recall, was ERISA ever discussed in any of the labor and employment classes I took. There was no mention in the introductory labor law course or in other classes about employment discrimination, union organizing, and employment arbitration. Now, in contrast, many law schools include a course on employee benefits and ERISA, and students hoping to work in the labor and employment area frequently find that ERISA work is plentiful, and traditional NLRA work is not. This, of …

The Road To Redevelopment: New Urbanism, Nostalgia, And The Process Of Downtown Revitalization In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jennifer Speights-Binet

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study focuses on a planning process in Baton Rouge, Louisiana called Plan Baton Rouge, which began in the summer of 1998 and continues through the present. The overriding goal of the Plan Baton Rouge process is to revitalize downtown Baton Rouge and promote economic and cultural vitality while implementing the design practices of New Urbanism. New Urbanism is a design methodology that condemns suburban sprawl while promoting denser, early-twentieth-century-style townscapes and urban centers, focusing on mixed land use, pedestrianism, and aesthetic and architectural continuity. Through participant observation, this ethnographic account of New Urbanism in practice provides an in-depth …

The Atchafalaya Basin Proposal For Nomination To The World Heritage Site List, Mitchell W. Coffman

LSU Master's Theses

The Atchafalaya Basin in the Southern United States is a cultural, environmental, historical and natural land region of such universal importance, designation as a World Heritage Site is appropriate. This thesis provides a justification for this designation through compliance with cultural and natural criteria detailed in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972. The treaty, also known as the World Heritage Convention (WHC) promotes natural and cultural landscape preservation on an international level. This thesis lists the cultural and natural arguments for nominating the Atchafalaya Basin to the World Heritage Site list.

National, …

Design Exploration: Totem As Alternative For Efficient And Socially Responsive Burial, Mark Evan Bazzell

LSU Master's Theses

American cities are facing unprecedented development pressures. Urban populations in particular are increasing and diversifying, land as a resource is becoming more valuable, and designers/developers are challenged to creatively maximize space for all land uses. As urban populations grow, space for burial of the dead may become limited thereby prompting communities to consider alternatives to traditional burial. The increase in numbers of cremation already points to this trend. In addition to the spatial limitation issues there also exist issues of social and cultural limitation. Ethnic diversity is rapidly increasing and within each group one finds different traditions and needs regarding …

Effective Literacy Instruction In The Elementary Grades, Marie Laurent Bergeron

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify elements present in effective literacy instruction, i.e., those elements that fostered reading, speaking, listening, thinking, writing, and metacognitive skills. By examining variables that promoted literacy acquisition and achievement, a detailed account resulted which described classroom practice as related to teacher beliefs, strategies, materials, and classroom climate. The primary method of qualitative analysis used for this study was the Developmental Research Sequence (DRS) Method (Spradley, 1980). Two classrooms with exemplary teachers were studied extensively. Data collection involved the use of primary sources (interviews, observations, and student and teacher work) and secondary sources (records, …

From Oklahomans To "Okies": Identity Formation In Rural California, Toni Ann Alexander

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout the twentieth century difficult economic circumstances have resulted in reduced employment opportunities. In-migrants have long borne the brunt of these limitations, facing open hostilities from residents who felt that these "outsiders" were undeserving of employment and social services. Within the context of the 1930s Depression in the Central Valley of California, such negative public sentiment was often directed at "Okies," the 315,000 former residents of the "Western South" who crossed the California state line in search of employment in the agricultural fields of the Golden State. In this dissertation, I examine the changing conceptualizations of Okie identity throughout the …

Short-Term Evolution Of A Marsh Island System And The Importance Of Cold Front Forcing, Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana, Dana Ann Watzke

LSU Master's Theses

Short-term, wave induced erosion along bay beaches in the northern Gulf of Mexico has been linked to the postfrontal phase of cold front passages. Not until recently has consideration been given to the importance of wave erosion on marshes fringing large bays during the entire cold front event. Two WAVCIS (Wave-Current-Surge-Information System) stations were established on the north and south flank of a small marsh island in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana, to measure and elucidate the hydrodynamic response to these events. Data from WAVCIS stations, which includes wind speed and direction, air temperature, significant wave height and water level, were collected …

A Spatial Analysis Of The Smallpox Epidemic In Sheffield, United Kingdom, 1887-1888, Ann-Marie Cain

LSU Master's Theses

One of today's most fecund fields of research in medical geography involves using historical datasets from past epidemics and contemporary cadastre maps to plot the course of the contagion. The purpose is to study the spatial patterns of diseases that are rare or extinct today but still have large research value. The best example of this problem is smallpox. This project involves taking one of the most complete records of a smallpox epidemic, plotting the cases in a geographic information system (GIS), and exploring the spatial patterns using statistical software. As one of the most contagious and damaging diseases to …

Reading The Humor In Korean Traditional Space - Dreaming The Restoration Of Old Sentiment -, Sungmi Han

LSU Master's Theses

This study is about humor and its application in Korean traditional space, which merges culture, design, and preservation. The purpose of the research is to seek humor as a significant design concept in Korean traditional space, and establish it through the examples. The examples focused on are found in temples and palaces since those are relatively well preserved Korean traditional spaces. Each humor in the examples is interpreted based on culture and the mentality of the age, such as religion, ideology, and customs. Also, forms and functions of humor are examined. Through the design analyses of case studies, unique characteristics …

Solving A Locational Distribution Problem Of Non-Toxic Solid Waste On The Island Of Puerto Rico, Sandra A. Soto

LSU Master's Theses

The island of Puerto Rico is confronting a crisis in waste management due to inadequate management from the local government, the decreasing number of landfills available, high population density, and paucity of places for waste disposal. This research develops a least-cost model for the disposal and transportation of non-hazardous solid waste. Location-allocation (LA) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software are used to analyze the efficiency of the present pattern of waste allocation and to identify a near-to-optimal assignment of waste for the landfills in operation today and the landfills that will be open by 2008. The “near-to-optimal” models obtained from …

Country Roads Magazine: Has The Move From The "Country" Influenced Baton Rouge Advertisers' Buying Habits, Arianne Parker Bellizaire

LSU Master's Theses

Country Roads magazine celebrated its 20th anniversary in September of 2003. Founded by Dorcas Woods Brown in 1983, the publication prides itself on offering its readers a cultural events guide showcasing events, festivals and destinations from Natchez, Mississippi, to New Orleans, Louisiana. Readers have watched the magazine evolve over the years. However, nearly two years ago, readers experienced one of the biggest changes. The magazine moved its headquarters from St. Francisville to Baton Rouge. This study evaluated Baton Rouge advertisers' reactions the move. The researcher modified and tested the Country-of-Origin Effects (COO) on a smaller scale by examining City-of-Origin effects. …

19th And 20th Century French Exoticism: Pierre Loti, Louis-Ferdinand Cé́Line, Michel Leiris, And Simone Schwarz-Bart, Robin Anita White

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study of four 19th and 20th century colonial texts, as well as a later postcolonial novel exposes the cadres exotiques, or exotic frameworks, of literary exoticism. The thesis names and interprets the moods of and reactions to exoticism, including colonial exoticism, antiexoticism, and autoexoticism. Poetic and theoretical interpretations of exoticism, such as Victor Segalen’s Notion du Divers and Edouard Glissant’s Opacité and Poétique de la Relation challenge the prevalent assumptions that the literary practice was only an unfortunate byproduct of colonialism. The first chapter presents literary history and theoretical considerations relating to exoticism: Orientalism, nostalgia, colonial literary history, and …

An Integrative Model Of Clients' Decision To Adopt An Application Service Provider, Yurong Yao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Application Services Providers (ASPs) exploit the economics of delivering commercial off-the-shelf software over the Internet to many dispersed users, but the decision-making process to adopt the ASP business model can be complex requiring a comprehensive consideration of various factors. As a new form of outsourcing, the ASP business model differs from traditional outsourcing models with respect to the attributes associated with vendors, clients, and applications. These differences are expected to demand decision models that are distinct from those in the traditional IS outsourcing. In this study, an integrative model for ASP adoption that incorporates economic determinants, strategic determinants, and social …

International Ffa School To School Linkage Program: Case Studies Of Two Familes, Bradley Allen Leger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National FFA Organization is an agriculturally-based youth organization in the United States which has been providing/facilitating international experiences for its members for a number of years. One of these programs is the International FFA School to School Linkage Program (SSLP), in which selected American agricultural education/FFA programs are linked with specialized secondary agricultural schools/lyceums located in one of the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU). The program’s main mission is for American students and teachers to share ideas with their FSU counterparts about the initiation and maintenance of small-scale agricultural entrepreneurships based on the United States’ agricultural education …

Hydroclimatic And Circulation Anomalies Associated With The North Atlantic Subtropical High, Brian Taylor Allen

LSU Master's Theses

Hydroclimatic and circulation variability in regions around the Atlantic sector are linked to the intensity, location, and areal extent of the North Atlantic subtropical high (STH). Few analyses focus directly on the influence of the STH on climatic variability. Using sea level pressure (SLP) data from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis dataset, a time series of the STH was produced using principal components analysis (PCA) to describe the temporal variability of the STH from January 1948 to December 2001. A simple area average of SLP across the PCA domain is shown to describe the same phenomena (the dominant mode of the STH …

Estimation Of Living Body Weight Based On Measurements Of Anterior Superior Iliac Spine Breadth And Stature, Jaime A. Suskewicz

LSU Master's Theses

Standard identification criteria for creating a decedent’s biological profile typically include ancestry, sex, age, and stature, but not body weight. Body weight information may not only assist in creating a more complete biological profile but may also provide insight into other forensic considerations, such as taphonomy and body transport and disposal. The current study seeks to establish multiple regression equations for the prediction of living body weight in skeletal remains. Specifically, the measurements of anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) breadth and stature are assessed with regard to living weight. Research was carried out on both a skeletal sample and a …