Digital Commons Network^™

The Prairie Peace Project: A Program Designed To Reduce Violence And Aggression In Middle School Students, Tony Poole

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to address the problem of violent and aggressive behavior among students in a large, urban/suburban middle school. Despite reductions in all other types of behavioral offenses at the school over a 2-year span, behaviors characterized as violent and aggressive increased, resulting in increased out-of-school suspensions.

The intervention, called the Prairie Peace Project, was a multifaceted approach to reduce student aggression and violence. The first component of the intervention was the implementation of a school-wide antiviolence campaign. Through the use of posters, video announcements, and awareness activities, students were presented with resources to enable them to …

The Development And Validation Of A Mentoring Program For The Cook County School District, Torrance D. Choates

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was the current mentoring program in the Cook County School District in Georgia. The mentoring program was not providing support and guidance to student teachers, beginning teachers, and colleagues in establishing peer-coaching relationships. At present, mentorship is left up to each school-based administrator. The concern was that there was not enough consistency in relation to a true systemwide mentoring program in the Cook County School District. Within the project, 7 questions were addressed: (a) status of mentor and teacher induction program within Cook County School District, (b) attrition rates for new teachers in the district, (c) …

The Development Of A Community Of Practice For The Academic Senate At Contra Costa College With Plans For Evaluation, Saul P. Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Currently the Academic Senate at Contra Costa College does not have a recognized formal mechanism to preserve its knowledge capital, or cultivate the growth of prospective and current Academic Senate members. The purpose of the project was to develop a community of practice for the Academic Senate at Contra Costa College along with plans for its evaluation. The community of practice was designed to support faculty in sharing and evolving their governance practices and would allow faculty to virtually visit and consult one another through the use of a link in the Academic Senate’s World Wide Web page. The community …

Old Testament Survey, Steelman Library, G White

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Old Testament History, Steelman Library, Gerry White

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Old Testament History, Steelman Library, Gerry White

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Hebrew Wisdom Literature, Steelman Library, Scott A. Ellington Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

New Testament Theology, Steelman Library, Scott A. Ellington Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Mass Communication, Steelman Library, Steven Dendrinos

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Variation In The Performance Of Speech Acts In Peninsular Spanish: Apologies And Requests, Laura Elizabeth Stapleton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines variations in the performance of speech acts and additional discourse features in situational speech patterns of Peninsular Spanish. Based on studies by Blum-Kulka, et al. (1989), nine situations were created, varying from less severe to more severe, to elicit natural responses for apologies and requests. Forty participants from Castile and Andalusia were interviewed, and the data were coded to examine the differences in speech act realizations and the use of specific discourse features. The participants’ responses were classified by regional, gender, and age differences for the data set. Sociolinguistic differences in the use of additional discourse features …

A Performer's Guide To Virgil Thomson's Five Songs From William Blake, Andrew David Whitfield

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Though perhaps his most well-known vocal works might be his operas, Four Saints in Three Acts and The Mother of Us All, American composer Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) did write nearly seventy songs for voice and piano, including several important song cycles. One of these cycles, the Five Songs from William Blake, represents an impressive composition for the baritone voice. Unfortunately, much of the previous scholarship about Thomson did not award these Blake songs adequate attention, nor was it able to draw upon many of the primary sources about Thomson’s life and work that are now available. The purpose of this …

Tuning Polymeric Chiral Surfactants For Enhanced Enantiomeric Recognition In Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography, Jepkoech Tarus

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation involves the synthesis, modification, characterization, and the application of polymeric surfactants in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). Sodium undecenoyl-L-Leucinate (L-SUL) was synthesized and modified by use of alkali metal counterions, alcohols, and Triton X-102. Characterization of the modified poly-L-SUL was performed in order to elucidate the structural changes on the surfactants by use of four techniques. While surface tensiometry was used for the determination of the critical micelle concentration (cmc), fluorescence measurements were used for the determination of the polarity of the modified polymeric surfactants. The information about the size of the polymeric surfactants was …

Juvenile Recidivism: An Analysis Of Race And Other Socio-Demographic Predictors Within Three Intervention Modalities In The State Of Louisiana, Jospeter M. Mbuba

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Owing to the increasingly growing problem of juvenile crime and the recognition that adult criminals begin their criminal careers in their juvenile years, the need to contain juvenile offending has never before been so glaring. Delinquency of young offenders can be predicted and prevented. But the methods most often used to predict juvenile recidivism typically derive from stereotypical conceptions, which often yield very low accuracy levels. This study is an attempt to make up for this shortfall. It tracks one year recidivism of 2,810 juvenile offenders released from state custody of Louisiana between July 1999 and June 2000. Of these …

Numerical Methods For The Unsteady Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations And Their Application To The Direct Numerical Simulation Of Turbulent Flows, Frank Herbert Muldoon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Two new methods for the efficient parallel computation of the unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are presented. Such efficient methods are desired for large scale parallel computations of unsteady turbulent flows such as Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS). The performance of the new methods has a distinct advantage over the artificial compressibility method, in that the methods exhibit robust convergence for a variety of flow problems without extensive need for tuning computational parameters. These methods and others have been implemented in a computer program designed for massively parallel computer architectures, written by the author and used to obtain all results in this …

The Spectral Conforming Model And Its Applications, Jaeho Shim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It has been observed that finite element or finite difference model of order can approximate with fair accuracy less than one-third of the eigenvalues of the underlying continuous system corresponding to the low spectrum. The new discrete model, namely the spectral conforming model, is developed to predict the eigenvalues of continuous systems in both the low and high spectra. The spectral conforming models are developed using an inverse vibration method. The classical vibration problem is the direct method. In the direct approach, the characteristic behaviors of the system, i.e. frequency response, natural frequency, and steady state response are analyzed and …

Spectroscopic And Synthetic Studies Relating To A Dirhodium Hydroformylation Catalyst, Petia Gueorguieva Gueorguieva

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The main goal of this dissertation research was to further study and characterize our bimetallic hydroformylation catalyst, rac-[Rh₂(nbd)₂(et,ph-P4)](BF₄)₂, and to fully identify the catalytically inactive mono- and dirhodium complexes formed upon fragmentation of the catalyst under hydroformylation conditions. Various in situ NMR methods such as 1D ¹H and ³¹P, and 2D COSY, HMBC, and HMQC were employed and indicated the formation of the key catalyst, [rac-Rh₂H₂(μ-CO)₂(CO)₄(et,ph-P4)]²⁺, 4, and a number of other Rh-phosphine species on and off the catalytic cycle. …

Assessing The Identity Of Black Indians In Louisiana: A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis, Francis J. Powell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study shows the existence of Black Indians in Louisiana and investigates whether differences exist between Black Indians who are members of officially recognized tribes and those who do not have any type of recognition. The study examined if a relationship exist between tribal recognition and ethnic identity, subjective well-being, and social support. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative data. The sample consisted of 60 participants. 30 were from recognized tribal groups and 30 were from non-recognized tribal communities. The study specifically examined variables related to the perceptions of Black Indians in Louisiana …

Modulation Of Gabaergic Signaling In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Brian Kevin Hoffpauir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The intricate circuitry formed by amacrine cells in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of the retina suggests that these interneurons play a major role in shaping the visual message. The majority of amacrine cells in the vertebrate retina are GABAergic. Thus, elucidating how GABAergic signaling is modulated in the IPL is critical in order to understand how the visual message is processed in the retina. The results presented here suggest that GABAergic signaling between amacrine cells can be modulated by the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) or by the production of the second messenger, nitric oxide (NO). A …

Synthesis, Structure, And Tribological Behavior Of Nanocomposite Dlc Based Thin Films, Varshni Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films possess a combination of attractive properties and have been largely employed to modify the tribological behavior of materials. Nanocomposite, metal-containing DLC films are the new generation of these coatings providing tremendous potential to modify and tailor their properties expanding their applications in the field of nanotechnology. The present study investigates nanoscale effects on the tribological behavior of composite nanostructured DLC-based films and functional coatings. Three aspects were studied: (i) effect of Cr interlayer on a functionally gradient substrate; (ii) nanoparticulate Cr-containing DLC (Cr-DLC) films; and (iii) nanocomposite multilayered Cr/DLC coatings. Intensified plasma assisted nitriding produced a …

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, …

Molecular, Genetic And Physiological Characterization Of A Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Insertional Mutant, James Edward,Iv Adams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Photosynthetic microorganisms must acclimate to environmental conditions that may lead to photo-oxidative stress, such as low CO₂ environments or high light intensities. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular, green alga with a Carbon Concentrating Mechanism (CCM), effectively accumulates inorganic carbon (C_i) to levels higher than external concentrations. The CCM concentrates inorganic carbon around Rubisco to increase the CO₂ fixation efficiency of C. reinhardtii. Photorespiration, the water-water cycle, the xanthophyll cycle, and the CCM are adaptations that also prevent the over-reduction of photosystems and thus photoinhibition by dissipating the energy from the absorption of excess photons. In an effort …

Navigating The Hidden Assumptions Of The Introductory Research Methods Text., David Baronov

Sociology Faculty/Staff Publications

This essay explores undergraduate exposure to alternative ways of knowing. At issue is whether undergraduate students are encouraged to analyze and challenge fundamental underlying premises, assumptions and beliefs of their discipline. Given the ongoing methodological debates within the social sciences, particularly concerning neo-positivists and interpretivists, the thrust of the current project is to suggest that the instruction of introductory research methods courses should offer students an opportunity to explore underlying premises, assumptions and beliefs related to such courses to ensure that a deeper sort of learning occurs. It is further argued that greater exploration of the divide between neo-positivists’ and …

Anomaly-Free Component Adaptation With Class Overriding, Atanas Radenski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Software components can be implemented and distributed as collections of classes, then adapted to the needs of specific applications by means of subclassing. Unfortunately, subclassing in collections of related classes may require re-implementation of otherwise valid classes just because they utilize outdated parent classes, a phenomenon that is referred to as the subclassing anomaly. The subclassing anomaly is a serious problem since it can void the benefits of component-based programming altogether. We propose a code adaptation language mechanism called class overriding that is intended to overcome the subclassing anomaly. Class overriding does not create new and isolated derived classes as …

Review Of Rethinking Refugee Law, By N. Nathwani. , James C. Hathaway

Reviews

It is a wonderful thing when a work of scholarship is published just as policymakers are struggling with the issues that it seeks to address.

Banking The Poor, Michael S. Barr

Articles

Low-income households often lack access to banking accounts and face high costs for transacting basic financial services through check cashers and other alternative financial service providers. These families find it more difficult to save and plan financially for the future. Living paycheck to paycheck leaves them vulnerable to medical or job emergencies that may endanger their financial stability, and lack of longer-term savings undermines their ability to improve skills, purchase a home, or send their children to college. Additionally, high cost financial services and inadequate access to bank accounts may undermine widely shared societal goals of reducing poverty, moving families …

A Tribute To Ruth G. Blumrosen, Evan H. Caminker

Articles

In January 2004, workers everywhere lost a forceful advocate with the death of Ruth Gerber Blumrosen. From the earliest days of her career, Ruth focused her prodigious intellect and indomitable energy on the enduring problem of employment discrimination. Through both her various high-level professional positions and her academic scholarship, she quickly became known for her expertise in this field and her passion for finding solutions. Ruth's research and writing addressed quite a range of employment issues, including wage discrimination, job segregation, downsizing, and employee rights. Ruth previously published three articles with the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, including …

A Glimpse Behind And Beyond Grutter, Evan H. Caminker

Articles

Many people have suggested that the recent battle over affirmative action was a defining moment for the contemporary relevance of Brown v. Board of Education and that it would determine the promise and potential for widespread societal integration. In my remarks, I want to comment upon a couple of comparisons and links between the Brown, Bakke, Grutter, and Gratz cases.

Restyling The Civil Rules: Clarity Without Change, Edward H. Cooper

Articles

Devoted fans and casual users of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will feel mixed emotions on contemplating the Style Project that aims to rewrite every rule from Rule 1 to the end. Well they might. The Style Project's purpose is simply stated. The Civil Rules, created in an inspired fit of creativity, have been amended repeatedly over the years. Experience has shown that even inspired initial drafting could not avoid all misadventures and that amendments drafted by successive generations wielding different drafting tools do not always fit well. The present rules can be reworked to say more clearly what …

Yale Kamisar: Up Close And Personal, William I. Miller

Articles

Yale is larger than life. And so was his damn crim pro casebook. My first experience of Kamisar was lugging that casebook around in law school. Everyone complained. It outweighed other casebooks by 3-5 pounds on average. Like everything Yale wrote, it was thorough and also featured many excerpts from Kamisar's writings. I must admit they were a pleasure and they stood out like a sore thumb from usual law school fare-for their passion, of course. But mostly because they were so well written. The good writing won me to his cause: yea beleaguered suspect, boo cops.

Seven Habits Of A Highly Effective Scholar, Jerold H. Israel

Articles

Yale Kamisar has been my friend and colleague for almost forty years now, and my first inclination was to write about those relationships, which have meant so much to me. But I know that other friends and colleagues participating in this tribute issue can bring to the description of those relationships far greater skill and far greater eloquence. I have been Yale's coauthor for roughly thirty-five years on his professional "pride and joy" - Modern Criminal Procedure' - and that is another relationship that I could describe with warmth and affection. But Wayne LaFave, who has shared this same role, …