Digital Commons Network^™

Regulating The Boundaries Between The Public And Private Lives Of Teachers In Changing Cultural Contexts: An American Perspective, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Regardless of whether they wish to be regarded as such, there can be little doubt that most teachers and parents in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States agree that teachers are role models for students regardless of whether educators act in or out of schools. Yet, during this time of changing cultural contexts, the boundaries between the private and professional lives of teachers are blurred such that teachers may face liability for what they say or post in a more contemporary application of free speech, via the internet.

In light of ongoing changes, this paper examines how shifts ranging …

Google, Gadgets, And Guilt: Juror Misconduct In The Digital Age, Thaddeus A. Hoffmeister

School of Law Faculty Publications

This article begins by examining the traditional reasons for juror research. The article then discusses how the Digital Age has created new rationales for juror research while simultaneously affording jurors greater opportunities to conduct such research. Next, the article examines how technology has also altered juror-to-juror communications and juror-to-non-juror communications. Part I concludes by analyzing the reasons jurors violate court rules about discussing the case.

In Part II, the article explores possible steps to limit the negative impact of the Digital Age on juror research and communications. While no single solution or panacea exists for these problems, this article focuses …

Biomass Energy Production In Louisiana: A Gis Study On The Supply Chain, Anil Raj Kizhakkepurakkal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One major drawback of biomass fuel is its bulky nature and the resulting high cost of transporting the fuel to the facility where the energy is being produced. Hence, supply chain of biomass residues plays a crucial role in determining the financial viability of bioenergy production. Transporting biomass for energy purposes more than 50 miles (80 km) is not considered economically feasible in most conditions. In the wood energy scenario, the maximum distance is more often restricted to distances of less than 200 km between production and consumption (via road). A study was done to determine logging residues and agricultural …

A Technology Acceptance Model Of Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment Use By Kindergarten-Grade 12 Teachers, John N. Just

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study surveyed 51 traditional, classroom kindergarten-Grade 12 (K-12) teachers to explore a possible relationship between responses on the extended technology acceptance model (TAM2) adapted for use with the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) system and classroom use of the system. Moodle is an online learning environment used increasingly by K-12 teachers as a tool for integrating web-based resources and online activities in traditional classrooms. The TAM2 contains questions to measure teachers’ perceptions relative to Moodle about perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, image, social, voluntariness, training, and technology support.

A path analysis was performed between usage data mined …

The Implementation Of Blogging And The Perception Of Its Impact On Student Writing, Charles R. Ford Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This qualitative study took place at a school district located in a northeastern state in the United States. The town has approximately 25,000 residents and covers approximately 8.5 square miles. The study took place at an elementary school with approximately 400 students in kindergarten through Grade 4. This study targeted the 69 students at this research site who were enrolled in the 3rd grade and divided into 4 sections. Each section utilized the same district-approved language arts literacy program.

The problem addressed in this study was that students were not receiving maximum scores on the writing-analysis portion of the New …

Queer Utopian Geographies And Cold War Poetry, Brigitte Natalie Mccray

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Queer Utopian Geographies and Cold War Poetry intervenes in the general narrative about Cold War culture, made even more famous by such recent popular shows like Mad Men and Pan Am, that describes the era as a repressed society in desperate need of liberation. While indeed Cold War America was a time of paranoia and loyalty oaths, even before the Stonewall Riots of 1969 gay men and lesbians found subtle ways to resist popular media and government discourse that perpetuated the myth that the homosexual was the anti-citizen. A number of gay men and lesbians traveled extensively to escape this …

Implementation Of A Reading Comprehension Model Designed To Increase Reading Comprehension Of Fifth-Grade Students, Marcia Lim-Tom

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the effectiveness of a computer-based reading program and reciprocal teaching strategies on reading comprehension skills of a group of 5th-grade students. Some 5th-grade students at the research site were deficient in their reading comprehension performance. Results from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and Academy of Reading assessments demonstrated their comprehension deficits. This research was guided by 3 research questions:

1. Will participation in a computer-assisted instruction reading program and reciprocal teaching strategies increase the reading comprehension scores of a group of 5th-grade students by at least 10% as measured by the Standardized …

Challenges In The Discovery And Characterization Of Magnetic Intermetallics, William A. Phelan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The crystal growth and characterization of four families of compounds, LnFeSb3 (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb) and CeCo(Sb, Sn)3, Ln2Fe4Sb5 (Ln = La – Nd and Sm), LnCu2(Al,Si)5 (Ln = La and Ce), and Ln(Cu,Al,Ga)13 (Ln = La – Pr and Eu), are presented in this dissertation. Special emphasis is placed on describing their structure-magnetic properties correlations. Discoveries and studies of these systems were motivated by their structurally related predecessors, which are comprised of complex structural subunits and exhibit unusual physical properties. The magnetic behaviors exhibited by a selection of these intermetallics include the large magnetoresistances and …

Conduct Issues With Fraternities And Sororities: University Processes Evaluated At Four-Year Universities, Jonathan Burnard Sanders

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover the types of conduct processes that are being utilized when fraternities and sororities violate alcohol, hazing, and other policies at four-year universities. Many negative issues have been tied to Greek letter organizations and have become a national concern, such as hazing, alcohol consumption, and other types of risky behavior (Bruce & Keller, 2007). Research on the type of processes being used by universities is needed in order to analyze current practices and whether there needs to be a change in conduct processes. A survey instrument was developed by the researcher and sent …

Estrategia Instruccional Para La Comprensión De Textos En Un Entorno Virtual, En Una Universidad Del Noreste De México, María Gregoria Benítez Lima

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

El propósito de esta investigación fue determinar el efecto de la aplicación de la Estrategia Instruccional Integradora para la Comprensión de la Lectura (EIICL), diseñada para desarrollar habilidades para la comprensión de textos en ciencias sociales y administración en los estudiantes del segundo semestre de las licenciaturas en Contaduría y Administración de la UNM, la cual fue implementada en línea en el CMS-Dokeos. Los resultados de esta investigación permitirán tomar la decisión, por parte de la institución, de aplicar la estrategia a todos los estudiantes del segundo semestre de las Licenciaturas en Contaduría y Administración durante cada ciclo escolar.

La …

British Identity And The German Other, William F. Bertolette

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

British identity evolved through conscious comparisons with foreigners as well as through the cultivation of indigenous social, economic and political institutions. The German other in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain, like the French other in previous centuries, provided a psychological path toward unity against a perceived common enemy. Because German stereotypes brought into sharp focus what the British believed themselves not to be, they provided a framework for defining Britishness beyond Britain’s own internal divisions of race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender and politics. Post-World War II devolution and European integration have since revived British internal national divisions. The image of innocuous …

Modelo De Competencias Profesionales De Los Docentes De La Educación Superior A Distancia, Alma Elizabeth Merla González

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

El propósito de esta investigación fue construir un modelo de competencias profesionales de los docentes de la educación superior a distancia, que fuera válido y aplicable en el desarrollo de programas de esta modalidad, en beneficio de una institución pública formadora de docentes de nivel superior, del estado de Nuevo León, México. Para cumplir lo descrito, se desarrolló un estudio de tipo descriptivo no experimental, y de enfoque mixto, con utilización de la técnica Delphi en un proceso de doble vuelta con aplicación de dos cuestionarios, a una muestra dirigida de expertos en el campo de la ED en México. …

Law Student Knowledge Of Legal Interviewing: A Case Study Of Self-Evaluation Using Video Annotation, William Taggart Monroe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Video has long been used to support learner reflection in professional education programs in law, health, and education. Emerging video analysis tools offer learners the ability to highlight segments of video and focus their attention to specific moments or aspects of performance. These emerging tools afford opportunities for more systematic observation, analysis, and deliberate reflection on learner performance than was available previously. Expertise research has found that representative, rigorous tasks followed by immediate feedback and error correction constitute deliberate practice. Training environments that incorporate deliberate practice and emerging video annotation and analysis tools provide opportunities for learners pinpoint strengths and …

The Impact Of An Informal Science Learning Environment On The Environmentally Responsible Behavior Of Adults: A Case Study, Kathryn Ann March

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since environmental education’s emergence in America, the field has been primarily focused on increasing environmental awareness, attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behavior. Yet the nation’s overall level of environmental literacy, especially with regard to the performance of environmentally responsible behaviors, continues to be low (Coyle, 2005). Unlike school-based education programs, which only reach a segment of the population, informal sites have the potential to influence learners of many ages and diverse backgrounds (NRC, 2009). Informal science learning environments (ISLEs) have been shown to provide personally meaningful learning experiences and have the potential to impact environmentally responsible decisions and actions (Falk, 2005). …

Pressures, Centralization, Economics, Technology, And Ethics: Factors That Impact Public Information Officer - Journalist Relationships, Christopher Jon Mccollough

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A study of public information officers (PIOs) in three states and the journalists that cover state government finds five primary factors that shape the working relationships between both groups. Institutional pressures on both PIOs and journalists impact the ability of both parties to meet the needs of the other party on a daily basis. High levels of centralization in state government communication limit the ability of PIOs to meet the needs of journalists, fostering journalists’ antagonism and a more combative working relationship. The economic decline of journalism is creating a dichotomous situation where PIOs can help journalists manage increasing demands …

Imperial Consensus: The English Press And India, 1919-1935, David Lilly

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Between 1919 and 1935, the lion’s share of the interwar era, the British government’s most important overriding task was constitutional reform of India. The subcontinent’s importance to Britain was undoubted: economically as an important trading partner and militarily a source of fighting men and material, as demonstrated in the Great War. However, scholars have relegated India to a relatively minor topic and instead have portrayed Britain’s interwar period as the era of appeasement. Appeasement only became an issue in 1935 and a major topic with the Munich crisis of September 1938. Voluminous press coverage of the India issue throughout the …

Copper-Cobalt Catalysts For Conversion Of Syngas To Ethanol And Higher Alcohols, Miranda Louise Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Higher alcohols produced by catalytic conversion of synthesis gas are potential octane enhancers for transportation fuels. Copper-cobalt catalysts have emerged as alternatives to the ethanol-selective, but expensive, rhodium-based ones. The reducibility of the catalyst and the CO adsorption mode are important factors in directing the selectivity of CO hydrogenation toward methanol, hydrocarbons, or higher alcohols. In this study, Cu/SiO2, Co/SiO2, and bimetallic CuCo/SiO2 catalysts, as well as their tin-promoted analogues, were synthesized and characterized by TPR, in situ XRD, in situ XANES, and in situ DRIFTS. Cobalt addition to Cu/SiO2 created an amorphous fraction of CuO that was more easily …

Are The Challenges And Opportunities In Contemporary Diverse Classrooms Being Met?, Loukia K. Sarroub, Lisa Patel Stevens, A. Jonathan Eakle

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The following two essays underscore novel and powerful dimensions of the multiplicity of cultures and education. Unlike many of the essays in the present volume, both authors chose to write in the first person. This is not coincidental because culture is based on identifications—what allows one to articulate the “I” of group alliances and identity. In contrast, scientific writing style, such as that of the American Psychological Association (APA)—which is the standard for much professional publication in education—typically pushes the author “I” to the side, which can give an inaccurate view of how subjectivity influences research and writing. Such narrative …

Investigating The Physiological Roles Of Yqja And Yghb: Members Of The Conserved Deda Membrane Protein Family In Escherichia Coli, Rakesh Sikdar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to characterize the physiological roles of E. coli YqjA and YghB, which belong to the ancient and conserved DedA protein family of hitherto unknown functions. YqjA and YghB are inner membrane (IM) proteins with 61% amino acid identity and share partially redundant functions. Such characterization is achieved by addressing the phenotypes exhibited by strain BC202 with in-frame deletions of yqjA and yghB. BC202 exhibits cell division defects, inability to grow at temperatures above 42°C and an altered phospholipid composition. The cell division defect of BC202 is attributed to the inefficient secretion of periplasmic amidases …

New Orleans Center For Creative Arts: A History In Progress, Suzanne Michelle Blanchard Chambliss

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the state of Louisiana, a quality education for secondary school students can be hard to come by in any area of study much less in the areas of the arts. The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) provides a quality education to those talented students who audition and are accepted into the program. NOCCA has only existed since 1974 and in its relatively short life it has become a model for half-day pre-professional training programs throughout the United States and it has proven that it is possible to receive a quality education in Louisiana.

Advances In Quantum Optical Metrology And The Establishment Of An Invisible Quantum Tripwire, Steven Blane Mccracken

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis presents a summary of the foundation and background of the field of quantum optics, and an analysis of some recent discoveries in various fields of which I have aided in furthering investigative research and advancement through publications. Such topics include numerical optimization of generalized quantum states used in phase sensitive quantum metrology, an analysis of object detection through the use of quantum interferometry in the presence of lossy conditions, and the use of the latter technique to propose an invisible quantum tripwire. First is a collaborative effort to numerically optimize quantum optical states for quantum metrological applications. We …

Multiscale Viscoplastic-Viscodamage Analysis Of Shape Memory Polymer Fibers With Application To Self Healing Smart Materials, Amir Shojaei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Self-healing smart material systems have been introduced into the research arena and they have already been deployed into industrial applications. The Close-Then-Heal (CTH) healing mechanism for polymeric self-healing systems is addressed herein and then a new generation of Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) based self-healing system is proposed in this work. This system incorporates SMP fibers to close the cracks while the embedded Thermoplastic Particles (TPs) are diffused into the crack surfaces upon heating and provide a molecular level of healing. The SMP fiber manufacturing procedure is briefly addressed in this work in which the bobbin of SMP fibers are heat …

Ionic Materials For Applications In Sensing And Optoelectronics, Sergio L. De Rooy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Organic salts consist of bulky anions and/or cations whose properties can be tailored for specific purposes. Ionic liquids (ILs) are (semi)organic salts with melting points below 100 ºC. They typically exhibit neglible vapor pressures, high thermal stability, wide liquidus range, and tunable solubility. Moreover specific functions can be built into their respective ions. The first part of the dissertation involves discussions of chiral ionic liquids with additional protic, magnetic, and magneto-luminescent properties, respectively. In addition to their enantioselective sensing capabilities, the ILs may find use in chiral separations and catalysis. The second part of the dissertation involves discussions of fluorescent …

Dynamics Of The Sweetpotato Potyvirus Aphid Pathosystem In Louisiana, Everlyne Nafula Wosula

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sweetpotato potyviruses [Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), Sweet potato virus G (SPVG) and Sweet potato virus 2 (SPV2)] commonly infect sweetpotato and weedy morning glories in the USA. These viruses are transmitted in a non-persistent manner by various aphid species and cause up to 15% yield loss. Sweetpotato is vegetatively propagated, and in the USA growers are supplied with virus tested propagation material to minimize impact of viruses. However the rapid re-infection of these materials with viruses warranted further studies to determine factors that influence the epidemiology of these viruses. The objectives of this study were: (i) to determine …

Pmi 5011 Regulates The Ubiquitin Proteasome System In Skeletal Muscle, Heather Christianne Kirk-Ballard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes is associated with impaired glucose and protein metabolism in skeletal muscle. The impaired insulin signaling in skeletal muscle affects muscle mass by tilting the balance between skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation toward degradation, a process that is primarily regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Studies have shown that an extensively characterized ethanol extract of Artemisia dracunculus L (Russian Tarragon), termed PMI 5011, enhances insulin signaling in human primary skeletal muscle cells and in a rodent model of insulin resistance. The aim of this project is to determine if the effect of PMI 5011 on …

Principals Matter- Principal Technology Proficiency: Creating A Culture Of Technology Competence, Tiffanye Renee' Mccoy-Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the role of leadership in developing a culture of technology competence within a school. Additionally, because research identifies the significance instructional leadership has on school performance, as defined by student achievement, the study sought to examine the impact principal technology proficiency has on school performance. To examine the associations amongst variables regression analyses were conducted. Quantitative study was conducted with 150 school principals and their faculties. Results indicated a strong correlation between principals that were technologically proficient, as defined by the Louisiana Department of Education’s Administrator Self-Assessment, and the percentage of …

Hierarchical Linear Modeling Versus Visual Analysis Of Single Subject Design Data, Elizabeth Godbold Nelson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Visual analysis is the “gold standard” for single-subject design data because of a presumed low Type I error rate and consistency across raters. However, research has found it less accurate and reliable than typically assumed. Many statistics have been proposed as aids for visual analysis, but most suffer from limitations either due to methods of investigation or problems inherent to the statistics themselves. Several researchers have proposed the use of Hierarchical Linear Modeling to analyze single-subject data because it can withstand violations of assumptions often present in single-subject data that other statistics cannot. In addition, HLM is similar to the …

Perceptions Of Female Police Officer Use Of Force: Stereotypes And Gender Role Expectations, Jamie Lee Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

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Genetic Relationships Of Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) In The United States: Geographic Origins And Genotypic Distribution Of The Species With Implications For Management, Blake Eugene Mccann

Theses and Dissertations

Wild pigs are a damaging invasive species with a long history in the United States. However, during the last 30 years wild pigs have drastically expanded their invasive range and are now present in 44 U.S. states. Though historic records provide insights regarding original introduction histories in areas where pigs are long-established, little is known regarding sources for new populations. To develop a better understanding of recent invasions, I utilized an array of molecular markers (mitochondrial DNA sequence, nuclear microsatellites, and nuclear single nucleotide polymorphisms) to evaluate both the evolutionary history of introduced pigs and gene flow between populations indicative …

Reflected Appraisals And Racial And Sexual Identity Development In The Lives Of Black Lesbian And Bisexual Women, Konjit Vonetta Page

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a grounded theory about the relationship between racial identity statuses and the experience of reflected appraisals in the lives of Black lesbian and bisexual women. Black lesbian and bisexual women were specifically selected in this study due to the unique and multiple issues Black lesbian and bisexual women face as members of multiple marginalized and oppressed groups.

Participants in this study included 13 self-identified Black lesbian and bisexual women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. In accordance with grounded theory approaches, follow-up interviews were conducted and enabled participants to provide …