Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Louisiana State University

Theses/Dissertations

2004

Articles 511 - 525 of 525

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Synthesis, Structure, And Tribological Behavior Of Nanocomposite Dlc Based Thin Films, Varshni Singh Jan 2004

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 …

Go to article

Optimization Of Agrobacterium Mediated Cotton Transformation Using Shoot Apices Explants And Quantitative Trait Loci Analysis Of Yield And Yield Component Traits In Upland Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum), Baogong Jiang Jan 2004

Optimization Of Agrobacterium Mediated Cotton Transformation Using Shoot Apices Explants And Quantitative Trait Loci Analysis Of Yield And Yield Component Traits In Upland Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum), Baogong Jiang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cotton (Gossypium spp) is an important world crop. Although great improvements have been achieved through traditional breeding methods, cotton breeders are facing many problems, i.e., narrow genetic base, inability to use alien genes and difficulty in breaking gene linkages. Genetic transformations and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses are main tools used by breeders to overcome these problems. In this dissertation, an optimized cotton regeneration system from shoot apices was developed. The regeneration rate was increased to 85% by combining rooting induction, indole acetic acid (IAA) shock and graft techniques. The regeneration system is genotype-independent and the whole process takes 12 …

Go to article

Storytelling From The Margins: The Healing Narratives Of J. California Cooper, Cynthia Downing Bryant Jan 2004

Storytelling From The Margins: The Healing Narratives Of J. California Cooper, Cynthia Downing Bryant

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the therapeutic qualities of selected short stories and novels by contemporary African American woman writer, J. California Cooper. Specifically, I examine the manner in which Cooper's texts can be appreciated as "healing narratives." Healing narratives, as defined in this study, are those texts in which the author consciously creates fictitious representations of reality, while employing the concept of hope as a central and guiding factor. Those aspects of the narrative that have the ability to heal or "lay hands on" a reader vary because the effectiveness of the story depends upon how well the reader can identify …

Go to article

Comparison Studies Of The Mechanistic Formation Of Polyhalogentaed Dibenzo-P-Dioxins And Furans From The Thermal Degradation Of 2-Bromophenol And 2-Chlorophenol, Catherine Spearing Evans Jan 2004

Comparison Studies Of The Mechanistic Formation Of Polyhalogentaed Dibenzo-P-Dioxins And Furans From The Thermal Degradation Of 2-Bromophenol And 2-Chlorophenol, Catherine Spearing Evans

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PBDD/Fs) from hazardous waste incinerators, and many other sources for combustion have been considered environmentally hazardous and a major health threat. Recently, a growing number of materials containing brominated hydrocarbons, commonly used flame retardants, have been disposed in municipal and hazardous waste incinerators. This results in the increased potential for formation of PBDD/Fs and other hazardous combustion by-products. In contrast to chlorinated hydrocarbons, the reactions of brominated hydrocarbons have been studied only minimally. In fact, studies have shown that brominated phenols form higher yields of PBDD/Fs than the …

Go to article

Class Groups And Norms Of Units, Costel Ionita Jan 2004

Class Groups And Norms Of Units, Costel Ionita

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Our object of study is relative quadratic extensions of algebraic number fields. In 'Class Number Parity', the authors P.E. Conner and J. Hurrelbrink study in detail the cases of real and CM-extensions. In this paper we generalize some of the results without any assumption on the type of the relative quadratic extension.

Go to article

Investigation Of Insect-Weed Interactions In The Rice Agroecosystem, Kelly V. Tindall Jan 2004

Investigation Of Insect-Weed Interactions In The Rice Agroecosystem, Kelly V. Tindall

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Interactions between graminaceous weed and insect pests of rice and between management practices for these pests were investigated. Studies were conducted to examine preference and performance of rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, on several weeds commonly found in rice fields. Several weeds were more preferred than rice, and larvae were present on several dicotyledonous weeds, suggesting the host range of L. oryzophilus is broader than previously thought. Effects of the presence of barnyardgrass, (Echinochloa crus-galli Beauv.), on rice stink bugs, Oebalus pugnax F., and L. oryzophilus populations in rice fields were investigated. Presence of barnyardgrass and the synchrony …

Go to article

Performing Masculinities: U.S. Representations Of The Male Body In Performance Art Monologues, Darren C. Goins Jan 2004

Performing Masculinities: U.S. Representations Of The Male Body In Performance Art Monologues, Darren C. Goins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, I describe and analyze the masculinities constructed in four performance art monologues staged in the US on Broadway. I examined Whoopi Goldberg’s 1984 performance Whoopi Goldberg Live, Lily Tomlin’s 1987 performance in Jane Wagner’s The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Eric Bogosian’s 1990 performance Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, and John Leguizamo’s 1998 performance Freak: A Semi-Demi-Quasi-Pseudo Autobiography. My method of analysis is a critical interpretation incorporating the lenses of Robert Connell and Victor Seidler. It is grounded in a social-cultural perspective using Arthur W. Frank’s “sociology of the body.” By means of …

Go to article

19th And 20th Century French Exoticism: Pierre Loti, Louis-Ferdinand Cé́Line, Michel Leiris, And Simone Schwarz-Bart, Robin Anita White Jan 2004

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

Go to article

From Oklahomans To "Okies": Identity Formation In Rural California, Toni Ann Alexander Jan 2004

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

Go to article

Dry Matter Accumulation By The Start Of Seed Filling As A Criterion For Yield Optimization In Soybean, Harikrishna Modali Jan 2004

Dry Matter Accumulation By The Start Of Seed Filling As A Criterion For Yield Optimization In Soybean, Harikrishna Modali

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Identification of criteria for predicting soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merril] yield would provide farmers with useful management tools. Such criteria not only help in predicting the yield potential but also aid the farmer in determination of environmental factors limiting crop yield. Since a certain total dry matter (TDM) level is expected to optimize yield and R5 marks the end of the period for vegetative TDM accumulation, TDM(R5) is a good putative criterion for optimal yield. Determination of yield components important in yield formation helps to substantiate TDM(R5) as a criterion for optimum yield, since they are formed during discrete periods …

Go to article

Regret From Consumer Action Versus Inaction: The Effects Of Post-Decision Information, Decisional Responsibility And Perceived Source Expertise, Neel Das Jan 2004

Regret From Consumer Action Versus Inaction: The Effects Of Post-Decision Information, Decisional Responsibility And Perceived Source Expertise, Neel Das

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes to examine regret arising from action versus inaction in consumer decision-making contexts. Although there has been extensive research in the area of regret, no extant literature in marketing has been found that has investigated the nature of regret arising from inaction, specifically in stockout conditions. The first study defines the concept of decisional action and inaction as the key sources of the regret emotion. Specifically, regret arising from inaction (and action) is investigated under sub-optimal and optimal conditions. Subsequently, circumstances are identified when inaction-driven levels of regret are likely to be higher than levels of action-driven regret …

Go to article

The Effect Of Program Commitment On The Degree Of Participative Congruence And Managerial Performance In A Budgeting Setting, Kevin T. Breaux Jan 2004

The Effect Of Program Commitment On The Degree Of Participative Congruence And Managerial Performance In A Budgeting Setting, Kevin T. Breaux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research endeavor is to investigate the effect that the degree of participative congruence has on the relationship between program commitment and managerial performance. The degree of participative congruence (Clinton and Hunton 2001) is a new measure of participation designed to determine the amount of congruence between the perceived need for participation and the degree of participation allowed. This study used a questionnaire to evaluate the antecedents of and effects of the degree of participative congruence (DPC) in a budgeting setting. In order to investigate these effects, the questionnaire was mailed to a sample of 1,500 AICPA …

Go to article

Small And Large Strain Monitoring Of Unsaturated Soil Behavior By Means Of Multiaxial Testing And Shear Wave Propagation, Oscar F. Porras Ortiz Jan 2004

Small And Large Strain Monitoring Of Unsaturated Soil Behavior By Means Of Multiaxial Testing And Shear Wave Propagation, Oscar F. Porras Ortiz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The deformation and strength behavior of dry and saturated soils is controlled by the effective stresses as defined by Terzaghi. However, Terzaghi’s definition of the effective stresses fails for unsaturated soils, as capillarity force influence is also important. The effects of capillarity forces in soil are evaluated by the concept of matrix suction. Several techniques are used to evaluate soil suction however their applications involve difficult calibrations and tedious methodology. Furthermore, suction is a microscopic property and it is influenced by interparticle soil attraction, which can change by sampling disturbance. This research program evaluates the effect of suction on stiffness …

Go to article

Molecular Systematics Of The Cashew Family (Anacardiaceae), Susan Katherine Pell Jan 2004

Molecular Systematics Of The Cashew Family (Anacardiaceae), Susan Katherine Pell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Anacardiaceae Lindl., the cashew family, is an economically important, primarily pantropically distributed family of 82 genera and over 700 species. This family is well known for its cultivated edible fruits and seeds (mangos, pistachios, and cashews), dermatitis causing taxa (e.g., Comocladia, Metopium, Semecarpus, Toxicodendron, etc.), and lacquer plants (Toxicodendron and Gluta spp.). The taxonomy of Anacardiaceae has not been thoroughly investigated since Engler established the currently used five tribal classification system over 100 years ago. This study evaluated evolutionary relationships of the family using nrDNA and cpDNA sequences. The first part of the study investigated the evolutionary position of Anacardiaceae …

Go to article

Orbit Structure On The Silov Boundary Of A Tube Domain And The Plancherel Decomposition Of A Causally Compact Symmetric Space, With Emphasis On The Rank One Case, Troels Roussau Johansen Jan 2004

Orbit Structure On The Silov Boundary Of A Tube Domain And The Plancherel Decomposition Of A Causally Compact Symmetric Space, With Emphasis On The Rank One Case, Troels Roussau Johansen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We construct a G-equivariant causal embedding of a compactly causal symmetric space G/H as an open dense subset of the Silov boundary S of the unbounded realization of a certain Hermitian symmetric space G1/K1 of tube type. Then S is an Euclidean space that is open and dense in the flag manifold G1/P', where P' denotes a certain parabolic subgroup of G1. The regular representation of G on L2(G/H) is thus realized on L2(S), and we use abelian harmonic analysis in the study thereof. In particular, …

Go to article

First Prev