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2004

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Articles 13111 - 13140 of 13902

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

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 …

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Us Foreign Aid And Its Effects On Un General Assembly Voting On Important Votes, Leonna Dene Griffin Jan 2004

Us Foreign Aid And Its Effects On Un General Assembly Voting On Important Votes, Leonna Dene Griffin

LSU Master's Theses

The US has made an effective practice of using aid allocations as leverage to reach US foreign policy goals. One way the US reaches its goals is by altering the voting behavior in the UN so that states are compliant with US interests. There has been debate about the ability of the US to alter UN voting behavior, but this study found evidence that the US can effectively use foreign aid to influence UN voting compliance. This study will analyze 149 US aid receiving countries over a 19-year period and uses important votes to the US, not all UN resolutions. …

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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 …

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Extreme Precipitation Events In East Baton Rouge Parish: An Areal Rainfall Frequency/Magnitude Analysis, Michelle Marie Russo Jan 2004

Extreme Precipitation Events In East Baton Rouge Parish: An Areal Rainfall Frequency/Magnitude Analysis, Michelle Marie Russo

LSU Master's Theses

Severe rainfall events are one of the most frequent weather hazards in the United States. These events are particularly problematic for the southeastern United States because of its subtropical climate. For these reasons, and because of the recent urban growth in the parish, East Baton Rouge Parish officials are concerned whether the current stormwater drainage system can keep pace with development. As a result, this project evaluated the rainfall frequency/magnitude for parish-wide extreme events and their synoptic forcing mechanisms. To this end, this research mapped parish-wide storms and compared three interpolation techniques. It also compared two methods of areal summation …

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The Myth Of Eternal Preservation: Patterns Of Damage In Egyptian Mummies, Ellen Salter-Pedersen Jan 2004

The Myth Of Eternal Preservation: Patterns Of Damage In Egyptian Mummies, Ellen Salter-Pedersen

LSU Master's Theses

Mummification can preserve a body for several millennia, but it is a popular misconception that these bodies are in pristine condition. The activities of tomb robbers, archaeological excavation and transportation, and the embalming process itself may damage the body. This thesis examines published reports on Egyptian mummies from museums in the United States, Europe, and Egypt for the presence of osteological fractures, dislocations and other related damage. These reports include biographical information and the results of investigations made by one or more of the following techniques: unwrapping, autopsying, x-raying, and CT-scanning. Data on 275 Egyptian mummies were collected and examined …

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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 …

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Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Of Prescription Medicines: Framing With Imprecise Frequency Descriptors, Mikah Zangla Jan 2004

Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Of Prescription Medicines: Framing With Imprecise Frequency Descriptors, Mikah Zangla

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to determine how often and to what degree “imprecise frequency descriptors” are used in prescription drug print ads. These descriptors along with the side effects they describe were compared to their corresponding prescription medicine websites and analyzed to determine whether or not the general public is being misinformed and/or misled in terms of side effect warnings by current drug advertising. Content analysis of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements found in five of the top seven magazines most likely to be consumed by readers over age 65 was the method of investigation for this study. …

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A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing The Psychosocial Correlates For Overconcern With Body Size And Shape In Men And Women, Amy Elaine Rzeznikiewicz Jan 2004

A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing The Psychosocial Correlates For Overconcern With Body Size And Shape In Men And Women, Amy Elaine Rzeznikiewicz

LSU Master's Theses

The purposes of this cross-sectional study were two-fold. The primary aim of this study was to test whether the Muscle Appearance Satisfaction Scale (MASS), a recently developed, reliable, and valid measure of muscle dysmorphia symptoms, measures a parallel phenomenon in men that the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) does in women, i.e., overconcern with body size and shape. To test this aim, psychosocial correlates for overconcern with body size and shape in women were tested to be the same psychosocial correlates for a measure of muscle dysmorphia in men. The psychosocial variables included in this model were body dissatisfaction, negative affect, …

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Travels In Louisiana: Journeys Into Ethnicity And Heritage By Two Hispanic Groups, Dominica Dominguez Ramirez Jan 2004

Travels In Louisiana: Journeys Into Ethnicity And Heritage By Two Hispanic Groups, Dominica Dominguez Ramirez

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis addresses how the notions of ethnicity and heritage are experienced, negotiated, and displayed by two Hispanic groups in Louisiana. Hispanic identity is a nebulous term anywhere and Louisiana is no exception. In this investigation the two groups- a heritage foundation of descendants of Canary Islanders and descendants of the of the Los Adaes communities- both profess Hispanic heritage, display it, and promote this heritage in divergent ways, with significant differences in the meaning of their heritages. Differences between groups are also reflected in the historical spatial representations of the two groups, with Isleños connecting with a far-away but …

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Escalation Bias In Group Decision-Making, Molly Joann Russ Jan 2004

Escalation Bias In Group Decision-Making, Molly Joann Russ

LSU Master's Theses

The present study extended the literature on escalation bias to group decision-making in the context of performance appraisal. Escalation theory states that persons responsible for a hiring decision will provide higher evaluation ratings of that employee than those persons not responsible for the decision. This study compared the performance evaluation decisions of supervisors, individual team members, and teams in order to ascertain differences in escalation behaviors based on rater perspective and whether the rater was responsible for hiring the employee or not. Support for the hypotheses varied depending on the employment decision being made and the perspective of the decision-maker. …

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Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Hurricane Hugo On The Land Cover Of Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina Using Remote Sensing, Amit Kulkarni Jan 2004

Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Hurricane Hugo On The Land Cover Of Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina Using Remote Sensing, Amit Kulkarni

LSU Master's Theses

Hurricane Hugo struck the South Carolina coast on the night of September 21, 1989 at Sullivan’s Island, where it was considered a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale when the hurricane made landfall (Hook et al. 1991). It is probably amongst the most studied and documented hurricanes in the United States (USDA Southern Research Station Publication 1996). There has been a Landsat TM based Hugo damage assessment study conducted by Cablk et al. (1994) in the Hobcaw barony forest. This study attempted to assess for a different and smaller study area near the Wambaw and Coffee creek swamp. The main …

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An Application Of Geographic Information Systems (Gis): The Utility Of Victim Activity Spaces In The Geographic Profiling Of Serial Killers, Charles Casey Shamblin Jan 2004

An Application Of Geographic Information Systems (Gis): The Utility Of Victim Activity Spaces In The Geographic Profiling Of Serial Killers, Charles Casey Shamblin

LSU Master's Theses

Today, computer technology is producing new methods of investigation into the complex nature of serial killers; among these are geographic profiles. Yet, due to the lack of proven success, budgetary constraints, and the inherent multifaceted nature of serial murder, these geographic profiles have not been completely embraced by the law enforcement community. Because of this, the academic and law enforcement communities continue to refine and develop new methods to solve serial killer cases. This thesis investigates the possibility of identifying the location of the interaction site of a serial killer and his victims using a commercial geographic information system (GIS) …

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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 …

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Predicting Party Switching In U.S. State Legislatures, Dylan Scott Rickards Jan 2004

Predicting Party Switching In U.S. State Legislatures, Dylan Scott Rickards

LSU Master's Theses

Using a strategic politician model, I argue that we should be able to predict when legislators are going to switch parties by weighing the costs and benefits of party switching under different circumstances. Using variables that measure electoral risk and opportunities for advancement to higher office, an event history model is used to predict when individual legislators will switch. Although this is a rare occurrence, and electoral risk seems to play little in the decision to switch parties, we do find that opportunities for advancement and the relative power of the two parties (measured by offices held) has a noticeable …

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Food Safety Knowledge And Practices Of Food Recovery Agency Workers Before And After Food Safety Training, Sara Katherine Waggoner Jan 2004

Food Safety Knowledge And Practices Of Food Recovery Agency Workers Before And After Food Safety Training, Sara Katherine Waggoner

LSU Master's Theses

Many food recovery agencies depend on donated food, and its safety is critical for the health of vulnerable populations. A food safety curriculum was developed for agency volunteers and paid staff of the Lower Mississippi Delta region. Examples of topics in the curriculum included: personal hygiene, food storage, transporting food safely, and HACCP. Food Safety Knowledge Pre- and Posttests (20 questions) were identical, and validity and reliability were established prior to use. Paired t-tests were performed to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum (n=190). A Food Safety Practices Survey (10 questions) demonstrating attitudes and behaviors regarding food safety practices in …

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Are We Honestly Studying Malingering?: A Profile And Comparison Of Simulated Suspected Malingerers, Adrianne M. Brennan Jan 2004

Are We Honestly Studying Malingering?: A Profile And Comparison Of Simulated Suspected Malingerers, Adrianne M. Brennan

LSU Master's Theses

Malingering research typically uses analog simulation designs or the differential prevalence design among "real" patients. Both have been criticized for methodological limitations in external and internal validity, respectively. Samples of simulated malingerers were compared to suspected malingerers to examine generalizability of analog findings. Overall results support the use of simulation designs. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that stringent selection of suspected malingerers maintains internal validity of the differential prevalence design. A second focus, to determine if demographic matching of simulated malingerers is necessary, showed that matching on age and race is not necessary.

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The Realization Of L2 Speech Events: A Quantitative Study Of Korean Speakers Of L2 English With Respect To Formality And Proficiency, Nevin Liddy Jan 2004

The Realization Of L2 Speech Events: A Quantitative Study Of Korean Speakers Of L2 English With Respect To Formality And Proficiency, Nevin Liddy

LSU Master's Theses

Guided written conversations were studied from English speakers at four different proficiency levels. They were analyzed according to their speech act realization, speech event realization, and conversation management (as reflected by three levels of speech acts: primary, secondary, and complementary). All four proficiency levels were found to be capable in the formulation of speech acts and events, demonstrating access to certain discourse principles at all levels. Language proficiency was found to effect the way in which a speech event was realized to a greater degree than the level of formality was found to effect the way in which the speech …

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The Catalyst To Harm Standard: Punishing Speech That Facilitates Harm, J. Colin Trisler Jan 2004

The Catalyst To Harm Standard: Punishing Speech That Facilitates Harm, J. Colin Trisler

LSU Master's Theses

The Catalyst to Harm Standard is a specific standard that sets forth step-by-step criteria for the courts to follow so that they can factually determine if the speech in question falls into the category of protected or unprotected speech. This Standard labels certain speech as “bad” not because of its ideological or social content, but because it is speech that is linked to a definitive social harm that the legislature has the constitutional authority to prevent or punish. This Standard uses three criteria to determine the liability of speech that has allegedly caused harm. In order to meet these requirements, …

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An Online Fabric Database To Link Fabric Drape And End-Use Properties, Ayse Gider Jan 2004

An Online Fabric Database To Link Fabric Drape And End-Use Properties, Ayse Gider

LSU Master's Theses

The main obstacle for adaptation of fabric selection through the Internet is that there is no objective selection method that is suitable for fashion fabrics. The purpose of this research is to develop an objective evaluation method for selecting fabrics through an online fabric database. The relationship between fabric mechanical properties and fabric drape was investigated. One hundred eighty-five commercial fabrics from different manufacturers were tested using the Kawabata fabric evaluation system (KES-FB) and Cusick drape tester. Applying regression analysis, the parameters that were significantly correlated with drape coefficient (DC) were determined. The test results, fabric structural parameters, and contact …

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The National D-Day Museum As Mystory Praxis, David A. Pye Jan 2004

The National D-Day Museum As Mystory Praxis, David A. Pye

LSU Master's Theses

Museums in general are shrines of collected memory and cultural values. The National D-Day Museum, in particular, presents the memory of World War II as a good and just action taken by the Allied forces against the evil of the Axis powers. In contrast with later wars, which might be seen as morally ambiguous or futile, World War II was and is thought of as "the good war." In this study, I explore and express how The National D-Day Museum encourages exploration and expression on the part of the visitor, using Gregory Ulmer’s concept and practice of mystory to analyze …

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Investigation Of Biodegradable Nonwoven Composites Based On Cotton, Bagasse And Other Annual Plants, Xiaoqun Zhang Jan 2004

Investigation Of Biodegradable Nonwoven Composites Based On Cotton, Bagasse And Other Annual Plants, Xiaoqun Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

In this study a new method of preparing biodegradable all-cellulosic composite nonwoven materials composed of cotton and kenaf or cotton and bagasse has been developed. Alkaline extracted kenaf or bagasse fibers were used as the main component of composite nonwovens. Recyclable or low value cotton fibers were used to entangle coarser kenaf or bagasse fibers in a web on which the nonwoven architecture was based. The novel adhesive system developed in this work for the web bonding was cellulose from a solution, in N-methyl morpholine N-oxide monohydrate. The completely biodegradable composite nonwovens were obtained by sandwiching and hot-pressing the cellulosic …

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Commitment To Displaying Positive Emotions At Work: An Examination Of Individual And Situational Antecedents, Meredith H. Croyle Jan 2004

Commitment To Displaying Positive Emotions At Work: An Examination Of Individual And Situational Antecedents, Meredith H. Croyle

LSU Master's Theses

Studies show that employee emotional displays impact customer behaviors and attitudes (Grandey, Fisk, Mattila, & Sideman, 2002; Pugh, 2001; Tsai, 2001). However, the factors influencing employees' emotional displays have not received much attention. More specifically, research suggests a need to more fully understand the motivational processes underlying employees' emotional displays, particularly in customer service where positive emotional displays are related to customer behaviors and sales performance (Brown & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1994; Diefendorff & Gosserand, in press; Grandey, Fisk, Matilla, & Sideman, 2002; Pugh, 2001; Tsai, 2001). To this end, this investigation examined an expectancy theory model of commitment to positive emotional …

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Estimating Impervious Surfaces From A Small Urban Watershed In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Using Landsat Thematic Mapper Imagery, Kurt Johnson Jan 2004

Estimating Impervious Surfaces From A Small Urban Watershed In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Using Landsat Thematic Mapper Imagery, Kurt Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

Many urban areas are using estimations of impervious surfaces as a means for better environmental management. This is because research over the last two decades indicate a consistent, inverse relationship between the percentage of impervious surfaces in a watershed and the environmental problems urban areas are experiencing. Although various methods for estimating impervious surfaces can be identified, few result in accurate and defensible estimations by which environmental problems can be assessed. This is especially important to rapidly expanding urban areas such as Baton Rouge, Louisiana where detailed records and planimetric data are lacking. Numerous studies have shown a potential for …

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Examining The Relationships Between Motivational Traits And Counterproductive Work Behaviors, Kajal Rushikesh Mehta Jan 2004

Examining The Relationships Between Motivational Traits And Counterproductive Work Behaviors, Kajal Rushikesh Mehta

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined the relationships between motivational traits and counterproductive work behaviors. Little evidence exists supporting a link between individual differences and counterproductive work behaviors in previous literature. This study tested for a link between individual differences in motivation and workplace deviance by using broad operationalizations of both constructs. In addition, the investigation controlled for the effects of situational factors on counterproductive work behaviors providing a stronger test of the role of dispositional motivation. In general, this study set out to show that both approach and avoidance motivation tendencies are related to counterproductive work behaviors, as well as organizational citizenship …

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Did White House Reporters Defer To The President After September 11?, Jodi Kathleen Bannerman Jan 2004

Did White House Reporters Defer To The President After September 11?, Jodi Kathleen Bannerman

LSU Master's Theses

This study's primary focus is to determine if the White House press corps acted more deferential to President Bush and his agenda after September 11, 2001, and if so, to see how long the period of decreased adversarial relations lasted. This purpose is accomplished through a content analysis of 37 White House press briefings, conducted by then White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, examining press-briefing questions three months before, on, directly following, and three months after September 11 according to four dimensions of adversarial relations: initiative, directness, assertiveness, and hostility. Ten question design features comprise the criteria to measure each …

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Excavations At The Bayou Grande Cheniere Mounds (16pl159): A Coles Creek Period Mound Complex, Timothy M. Schilling Jan 2004

Excavations At The Bayou Grande Cheniere Mounds (16pl159): A Coles Creek Period Mound Complex, Timothy M. Schilling

LSU Master's Theses

The Bayou Grande Cheniere Mounds are a large Coles Creek mound group in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Excavations in January 2003 returned materials that allowed the site to be dated. Further analysis also suggests how these materials were used at the mounds. A settlement pattern study was undertaken and the results indicate that the social organization of coastal Coles Creek culture was sharply different than Coles Creek culture in the Lower Mississippi Valley. When viewed together, the material analysis and settlement analysis illustrates the processes and people that built the Bayou Grande Cheniere mounds.

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"Honduran Memories": Identity, Race, Place And Memory In New Orleans, Louisiana, Samantha Euraque Jan 2004

"Honduran Memories": Identity, Race, Place And Memory In New Orleans, Louisiana, Samantha Euraque

LSU Master's Theses

During the decade preceding the height of the civil rights movement, a small population of Hondurans established residence in the New Orleans area. This Honduran migration was largely due to the trade relationship that existed between Honduras and New Orleans. Honduras was also experiencing political unrest and economic instability due to military coups, fruit company strikes and floods during the late 1950s. In response, the advent of the 1960s brought with it the first wave of Hondurans. According to the 2000 Census there were 64,340 people of Hispanic origin in the four parishes included in the New Orleans metropolitan area, …

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A Spatial Analysis Of The Smallpox Epidemic In Sheffield, United Kingdom, 1887-1888, Ann-Marie Cain Jan 2004

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 …

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The Effects Of Reinforcement Magnitude On Functional Analysis Outcomes, Valerie Marie Volkert Jan 2004

The Effects Of Reinforcement Magnitude On Functional Analysis Outcomes, Valerie Marie Volkert

LSU Master's Theses

The functional analysis methodology developed by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) has been successfully used to identify the variables that maintain the problem behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. However, in some cases, the results of functional analysis may be inconclusive. Altering parameters of reinforcement, such as the schedule, the quality, or magnitude of the reinforcer, may increase the likelihood of obtaining clear functional analysis results. Few studies have evaluated the effects of reinforcement magnitude on problem behavior even though basic findings indicate that this parameter may alter functional analysis outcomes. In fact, reinforcement magnitude has varied widely …

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Solving A Locational Distribution Problem Of Non-Toxic Solid Waste On The Island Of Puerto Rico, Sandra A. Soto Jan 2004

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 …

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