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Impact Of Static Flexion Duration On The Development Of A Neuromuscular Disorder Of The Lumbar Spine, Rebecca Victoria Labry Jan 2004

Impact Of Static Flexion Duration On The Development Of A Neuromuscular Disorder Of The Lumbar Spine, Rebecca Victoria Labry

LSU Master's Theses

Many occupational groups work under adverse conditions in which their spinal columns are fully flexed under load for substantial periods of time. This study was designed to determine the response of the lumbar spine to a static load of a substantial duration under a range of load magnitudes. The impact of static loads of 20, 40 and 60N were applied over 30 min flexion, 10 min rest, and 30 min flexion (for a total of one hour exposure) followed by a 7 h rest. Lumbar viscoelastic creep (laxity) and reflex electromyographic (EMG) activity were monitored over both flexion periods and …


The Fate Of Bifenthrin And Fipronil In Pine Bark Nursery Media, Russell Stanley Harris, Iii Jan 2004

The Fate Of Bifenthrin And Fipronil In Pine Bark Nursery Media, Russell Stanley Harris, Iii

LSU Master's Theses

Concerns over the adverse effects of pesticides on human health and the environment have led to the development of stricter pesticide regulations and the outright banning of many pesticides in the U.S. Bifenthrin and fipronil are important pesticides used in the nursery industry for the control of imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren, S. richteri Forel, and their hybrids) to meet the requirements of the Imported Fire Ant Quarantine. Nurseries typically use highly-organic media ("soilless" media) and little is known about the fate of these pesticides when used with these media. Our research measured the influence of irrigation frequency and …


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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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


Development Of Dynamic Travel Demand Models For Hurricane Evacuation, Haoqiang Fu Jan 2004

Development Of Dynamic Travel Demand Models For Hurricane Evacuation, Haoqiang Fu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Little attention has been given to estimating dynamic travel demand in transportation planning in the past. However, when factors influencing travel are changing significantly over time – such as with an approaching hurricane - dynamic demand and the resulting variation in traffic flow on the network become important. In this study, dynamic travel demand models for hurricane evacuation were developed with two methodologies: survival analysis and sequential choice model. Using survival analysis, the time before evacuation from a pending hurricane is modeled with those that do not evacuate considered as censored observations. A Cox proportional hazards regression model with time-dependent …


Teaching Elementary Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder To Recruit Teacher Attention: Effects On Teacher Praise, On-Task Behavior, And Academic Work, Angie Lynn Pellegrin Jan 2004

Teaching Elementary Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder To Recruit Teacher Attention: Effects On Teacher Praise, On-Task Behavior, And Academic Work, Angie Lynn Pellegrin

LSU Master's Theses

Recruitment training and self-monitoring skills have proven to be effective methods of decreasing off-task behavior and increasing work productivity and positive teacher-student interactions. Teaching students to recruit teacher attention provides an opportunity for the teacher to praise the child or to offer instructional feedback. However, research on this topic has not examined its utilization and effectiveness in children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, the present study will examine the effectiveness of training students with ADHD to monitor task progress and recruit teacher attention.


Color, Texture And Rehydration Characteristics Of Ohmically Treated Sweet Potatoes, Sireesha Bhattiprolu Jan 2004

Color, Texture And Rehydration Characteristics Of Ohmically Treated Sweet Potatoes, Sireesha Bhattiprolu

LSU Master's Theses

Ohmic heating has been shown to affect the drying rate and texture of foods. This research was designed to determine the effect of ohmic heating on rehydration, color and texture properties of sweet potatoes. Three combinations: 60Hz, 40V, 60Hz, 60V and 1Hz, 40V were applied to ohmically heat sweet potato cubes. The ohmic treated cubes and untreated cubes or controls were stored for six days in four different %relative humidities of 11.15%, 32.73%, 57.70% and 75.32%. Results showed that there was no significant difference in the rehydration properties of ohmic treated samples and control samples. The % moisture gain varied …


Query Of Image Content Using Wavelets And Gibbs-Markov Random Fields, Imtiaz Hossain Jan 2004

Query Of Image Content Using Wavelets And Gibbs-Markov Random Fields, Imtiaz Hossain

LSU Master's Theses

The central theme of this thesis is the application of Wavelets and Random Processes to content-based image query (on texture patterns, in particular). Given a query image, a content-based search extracts a certain representative measure (or signature) from the query image and likewise for all the target images in the search archive. A good representative measure is one that provides us with the ability to differentiate easily between different patterns. A distance measure is computed between the query properties and the properties of each of the target images. The lowest distance measure gives us the best target match for the …


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

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

LSU Master's Theses

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


Ethics And Literature: Love And Perception In Henry James, Sarah Hamilton Jan 2004

Ethics And Literature: Love And Perception In Henry James, Sarah Hamilton

LSU Master's Theses

In this paper I argue for the value of literature in ethical instruction. Following Martha Nussbaum, I argue that literature often promotes the kind of context-specific judgment, respect for the cognitive value of the emotions and empathy for others that are foundational to the kind of ethical judgment Nussbaum and I support. Like Nussbaum, I find that Henry James's novels evince these same ethical values and that his novels, especially the novels of the late phase, are therefore useful for ethical instruction. Unlike Nussbaum, however, I do not believe that James portrays erotic love as an emotion that is incompatible …


Cryopreservation Of Bovine And Caprine Oocytes By Vitrification, Sabrina Marie Luster Jan 2004

Cryopreservation Of Bovine And Caprine Oocytes By Vitrification, Sabrina Marie Luster

LSU Master's Theses

Cryopreservation of animal oocytes will permit germplasm of valuable or unique females to be preserved for extended times. The objective of this research was to derive a procedure to cryopreserve bovine oocytes by vitrification to be used as recipients for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Caprine oocytes vitrified by the same procedure were assayed by cytological examination of microtubules. In the first two of three experiments, bovine oocytes matured in vitro were vitrified in a mixture of ethylene glycol (EG), dimethylsulfoxide (Me2SO) and trehalose, and then subjected to in vitro fertilization (IVF) or SCNT. For vitrification, oocytes were first exposed …


Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Venous Function And Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption Recovery Kinetics, Eric Joseph Tisdell Jan 2004

Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Venous Function And Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption Recovery Kinetics, Eric Joseph Tisdell

LSU Master's Theses

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) has been attributed to metabolic, hemodynamic, neuroendocrine, and pulmonary factors. In one particular study, Barclay (J Appl Physiol 1986;61(3):1084-90) suggested that a lower rate of fatigue and hyperperfusion following a bout of exercise was due to a mechanism other than increased oxygen and substrate delivery. Interestingly, few studies have examined the influence of venous function on EPOC. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between measures of vascular function and EPOC. Measures of vascular function and VO2 recovery kinetics were examined in 20 individuals [age=22+2.41 yrs]. Nondominant forearm arterial inflow, venous capacitance …


Effects Of Aerobic And Anaerobic Training Protocols On 4000m Track Cycling Time Trial, William Mathieu Cheramie Jan 2004

Effects Of Aerobic And Anaerobic Training Protocols On 4000m Track Cycling Time Trial, William Mathieu Cheramie

LSU Master's Theses

The aim of this study was to determine whether performance in a 4000m individual pursuit could be significantly influenced by training protocols that are solely based in either aerobic/distance training, or anaerobic/sprint training. Faina et al., (1989) and Neuman et al. (1992) have found, using professional track cyclist that there appears to be a split in energy pathways used to perform the event. Their results indicate that 20% of the workload is achieved via anaerobic metabolism and the remaining 80% are achieved through aerobic metabolism. Group #1, followed a training protocol modeled after repeated, short duration, (<1:30.00s/1000m), high intensity sprinting. This particular training protocol may serve to utilize a greater proportion of its allotted time by generating beneficial metabolic adaptations that may possibly improve the subjects performance in the 4000m individual pursuit. Group #2, trained primarily through aerobic means, followed the "more traditional" training method for such an event. This protocol consisted of cycling intervals of distances proportionally longer (>4000m) than that …


Mesoscopic Simulation Of Abnormal Grain Growth, Rakesh Kumar Behera Jan 2004

Mesoscopic Simulation Of Abnormal Grain Growth, Rakesh Kumar Behera

LSU Master's Theses

Grain growth is the process that takes place during annealing of polycrystalline materials; its major feature is a systematic increase in grain size. Two different types of grain growth can be distinguished: the normal and abnormal grain growth. During normal grain growth, the microstructure exhibits a uniform increase in grain size with time and the grain size distribution follows the log-normal distribution with the grain sizes ranging from 0 - 2.2 times the average grain size (R). On the contrary, when the abnormal grain growth is the dominant mechanism, there are certain grains (abnormal grains) in the microstructure that grow …


Design And Performance Of Electric Shock Absorber, Oly D. Paz Jan 2004

Design And Performance Of Electric Shock Absorber, Oly D. Paz

LSU Master's Theses

The electric shock absorber is a device that converts the kinetic energy of an oscillating object into electric energy. This kinetic energy is normally dumped in a form of thermal energy in a conventional, mechanical shock absorber. The electric shock absorber consists of a permanent magnet linear synchronous generator (PMLSG), a spring, and an electric energy accumulator. The major goal of the project is to design and analyze the operation of an electric shock absorber. In order to define the initial requirements that the electric shock absorber has to satisfy, the construction and performance of currently used shock absorbers were …


Development Of Resilient Modulus Prediction Models For Base And Subgrade Pavement Layers From In Situ Devices Test Results, Ravindra Gudishala Jan 2004

Development Of Resilient Modulus Prediction Models For Base And Subgrade Pavement Layers From In Situ Devices Test Results, Ravindra Gudishala

LSU Master's Theses

Currently, the design of flexible pavements is generally conducted based on static properties such as California Bearing Ratio and soil support value. These properties do not represent the actual response of the pavement layers under traffic loadings. Recognizing this deficiency, the current and the 2002 mechanistic –empirical guide for design of pavement structures recommended the use of resilient modulus for characterizing the base and subgrade soil and for the design of flexible pavements. The objective of this study was to develop models to estimate the resilient modulus of base and subgrade soils from in situ test devices. Two types of …


First Order Sigma-Delta Modulator Of An Oversampling Adc Design In Cmos Using Floating Gate Mosfets, Syam Prasad Sbs Kommana Jan 2004

First Order Sigma-Delta Modulator Of An Oversampling Adc Design In Cmos Using Floating Gate Mosfets, Syam Prasad Sbs Kommana

LSU Master's Theses

We report a new architecture for a sigma-delta oversampling analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in which the first order modulator is realized using the floating gate MOSFETs at the input stage of an integrator and the comparator. The first order modulator is designed using an 8 MHz sampling clock frequency and implemented in a standard 1.5µm n-well CMOS process. The decimator is an off-chip sinc-filter and is programmed using the VERILOG and tested with Altera Flex EPF10K70RC240 FPGA board. The ADC gives an 8-bit resolution with a 65 kHz bandwidth.


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 …


Becoming The Cat Lady, Melissa Anne Goslin Jan 2004

Becoming The Cat Lady, Melissa Anne Goslin

LSU Master's Theses

Emma Baronne is mourning her lifelong dream of losing her teeth. When her company folds and her on-again-off-again boyfriend gets engaged to another woman, Emma wants to make a fort in the living room and never come out. But, she soon realizes – with the help of her quirky Catholic family and a coven of French Quarter cat ladies – puberty is often easier the second time around.


Analysis Of Bacterial Diversity And Biogeography At The Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (Cap Lter) Site, Brian Anthony Rash Jan 2004

Analysis Of Bacterial Diversity And Biogeography At The Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (Cap Lter) Site, Brian Anthony Rash

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The limiting factor involved in past assessments of soil bacterial diversity when using culture-independent techniques has often been the lack of sampling and replication. As a result, analyses of community structural shifts across soil environments have lacked statistical power. In this study, 23 16S rRNA gene clone libraries consisting of over 11,000 clones were constructed from soils at the Central Arizona Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) site. Subsequent ARDRA fingerprinting and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing allowed for a more robust investigation of various components that may explain any observed variations in bacterial species composition. The designated land …


The Influence Of State Merit-Based Aid On Access And Educational Experiences: An Exploration Of The Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program For Students (Tops), Roderick L. Smothers Jan 2004

The Influence Of State Merit-Based Aid On Access And Educational Experiences: An Exploration Of The Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program For Students (Tops), Roderick L. Smothers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Access to higher education at the beginning of the new millennium faces unprecedented challenges. Although many of those challenges have been identified and addressed through research and federal and state policies, there still exists an inherent gap in the current and potential future success of today’s college students. This is particularly true for minority and lower-income students. Some of the identified challenges include: lack of financial assistance, persisting through and graduating from college, pre-college preparation, socioeconomic status, and family support/motivation. This study focuses primarily on the financial barriers that impede the process of providing equal access to all students, which …


Identification Of Bacterial Pathogens Causing Panicle Blight Of Rice In Louisiana, Xianglong Yuan Jan 2004

Identification Of Bacterial Pathogens Causing Panicle Blight Of Rice In Louisiana, Xianglong Yuan

LSU Master's Theses

Four hundred and two bacterial isolates isolated on the semi-specific S-PG medium from diseased rice tissues showing symptoms of panicle blighting. These isolates were purified using serial dilution in sterile water and replating on S-PG medium. A total of 420 single isolates were obtained. These isolates were subjected to pathogenicity tests on rice (Oryza sative L. cv. Cypress). Based on these tests, 339 isolates were used in BiologTM tests and identified to the species level. Bacterial strains from 39 species in 16 genera were identified, including 52 isolates representing15 Pseudomonas species and 261 isolates representing six Burkholderia species. The remaining …


Heat/Mass Transfer In Smooth And Ribbed Rectangular Serpentine Passages Of Different Aspect Ratio's And Orientation, Peeyush Agarwal Jan 2004

Heat/Mass Transfer In Smooth And Ribbed Rectangular Serpentine Passages Of Different Aspect Ratio's And Orientation, Peeyush Agarwal

LSU Master's Theses

An experimental study of heat/mass transfer in rectangular smooth and ribbed serpentine passages with and without rotation in two different aspect ratios (1:4 and 4:1) channel is performed for two different orientations of the test section (90-degree and 45-degree). The Reynolds number is varied in the range of 5,000 to 40,000 and rotation numbers in the range of 0-0.12. Such passages are encountered close to the mid-chord sections or towards the trailing edge of the turbine blade. Two different configurations of the Normal ribs (e/Dh=0.3125, P/e=8 and e/Dh=0.156, P/e=11.2) are placed on the leading and the …


Assessing Perception Of Family Nutrition Program Characteristics And Nutrition Education Needs Of Low Socioeconomic Status Individuals, Denise Marie Holston Jan 2004

Assessing Perception Of Family Nutrition Program Characteristics And Nutrition Education Needs Of Low Socioeconomic Status Individuals, Denise Marie Holston

LSU Master's Theses

The Louisiana Family Nutrition Program (FNP) reaches up to 120,000 food-stamp recipients and other low SES individuals per year through direct and indirect nutrition education methods. To be effective in eliciting behavior change, a nutrition education program must be developed to be consistent with the needs, motivations, and concerns of the target audience; therefore, it is important that the needs, motivations, and concerns are being met by FNP. The purpose of this study was to determine, through the use of focus group discussions (FGD), whether nutrition education needs of FNP participants are being satisfied by the program. Nutrition education needs …


An Evaluation Of Methods Used To Obtain The Railroad Preemption Queue Clearance Time, Deeangela Renee Kenon Jan 2004

An Evaluation Of Methods Used To Obtain The Railroad Preemption Queue Clearance Time, Deeangela Renee Kenon

LSU Master's Theses

Because of the potential for serious train-vehicle accidents at or near railroad-highway grade crossings, preemption of traffic signals is a very important supplement to an active warning system. Preemption is the transfer of normal signal phasing to a special control mode with the purpose of clearing any vehicles that are queued within the dynamic envelope as the train approaches, and prohibiting signal phases that would allow additional vehicles in the track area while the train is present. The focus of this research was the determination of the Clear Track Green Interval (or the Queue Clearance Time). The clear track green …


An Evaluation Of Reference Evapotranspiration Models In Louisiana, Royce Landon Fontenot Jan 2004

An Evaluation Of Reference Evapotranspiration Models In Louisiana, Royce Landon Fontenot

LSU Master's Theses

Daily and monthly output from seven evapotranspiration models (FAO-24 Radiation, FAO-24 Blaney-Criddle, Hargreaves-Samani, Priestly-Taylor, Makkink, and Turc) have been tested against reference evapotranspiration data computed by the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith model to assess the accuracy of each model in estimating grass-reference evapotranspiration in Louisiana. Models were compared at eight stations of the Louisiana Agriclimate Information System using data from December 2002 to November 2003. Comparisons were also made using three composite regions: statewide, inland, and coastal. A pan evaporation to reference evapotranspiration model (FAO-24 Pan Evaporation) was also tested against daily grass reference evapotranspiration from the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith model using data …


"Don't Pooh-Pooh Our Poo Poo": Penalty, Subsidy, And Refusal To Fund In The Aftermath Of National Endowment For The Arts V. Finley, James Gaddy Jan 2004

"Don't Pooh-Pooh Our Poo Poo": Penalty, Subsidy, And Refusal To Fund In The Aftermath Of National Endowment For The Arts V. Finley, James Gaddy

LSU Master's Theses

Legal scholars said the National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley decision would create a "chilling effect" in government subsidy programs, and it unlawfully expanded the government speech doctrine. By analyzing cases that subsequently use Finley for a substantive part of their rationale, this article argues the opposite: the courts have rejected the government's attempts to interpret the decision as one that allows viewpoint discrimination and have not allowed the government to further a broad reading of the decision. The article also argues that, under the government speech doctrine, Finley provides the controlling precedent for truly "hybrid speech" cases where …


Tyranny, Natural Law, And Secession, Geoffrey Plauche Jan 2004

Tyranny, Natural Law, And Secession, Geoffrey Plauche

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is an examination of the problem of tyranny from the perspective of radical libertarianism. History is to be seen as a race and conflict between liberty and power. After a brief introduction, the second section of this thesis is devoted to sketching out a natural law and natural rights theory. With this as the foundation, the third section analyzes the seminal work of Étienne de la Boétie’s The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude in which he elucidates the nature of tyranny and the psychology of subjection. All governments, even the worst tyranny, rest upon general popular acceptance. Religious and …


Fecal Steroid Excretion Of Rats Fed Rice Bran Oil And Oryzanol, Zhaoli Dai Jan 2004

Fecal Steroid Excretion Of Rats Fed Rice Bran Oil And Oryzanol, Zhaoli Dai

LSU Master's Theses

Rice bran oil (RBO) has been considered healthy cooking oil with potent effects to reduce the risks of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. The relatively high level of unsaponifiable components contributes to the healthy benefits of RBO. This study investigated the possibility that the cholesterol-lowering effects of oryzanol are through increased fecal steroid excretion. The objective was to compare fecal cholesterol and bile acid excretion as well as bioavailability among different forms of oryzanol. The correlation between bioactivity and bioavailability of oryzanol was investigated as well. Forty-seven female breeder rats were used as animal models. Oryzanol was added to an …


Reading The Humor In Korean Traditional Space - Dreaming The Restoration Of Old Sentiment -, Sungmi Han Jan 2004

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 …


Probabilistic Risk Assessment Method For Prioritization Of Risk Factors, Jay Tarakkumar Shah Jan 2004

Probabilistic Risk Assessment Method For Prioritization Of Risk Factors, Jay Tarakkumar Shah

LSU Master's Theses

Risk management involves assessing the risk sources and designing strategies and procedures to mitigate those risks to an acceptable level. Measurement of risk factors plays an important role in the assessment of risk. This research proposes to develop risk assessment frameworks and mathematical model (Probabilistic Risk Assessment model) identify the risk factors. Quantification and prioritization of risk factors will help to design controls, resource allocation policies and minimize the total cost using the Cost Minimization model. The proposed models are applied to a complex system that is representative of actual business situations.