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The Beast Lives Here, Kelli Kirkland

Honors Theses

A staple of the bildungsroman, or coming-of-age, genre is a loss of innocence, often through trauma, so it is only natural for our protagonist to grasp at whatever coping mechanism may offer them comfort. As a coming-of-age novel, The Beast Lives Here asks: How does folklore and the supernatural interact with young, impressionable protagonists who are desperate to find explanations for their pain? The Beast Lives Here follows teenage narrator August (Aggie) Cain as she and her best friend move from junior to senior year of high school. Her excitement, however, is cut short by her best friend's lengthy trip …

Migratory Movement, Fishery Exploitation, And Sperm Limitation Of The Louisiana Blue Crab Spawning Stock, Helen Olmi-Graham

Dissertations

Effective management of commercial fisheries is a challenge as it must balance social, economic, and biologic costs for the betterment of the population in the long term, while also sustaining the fishermen who rely on the industry in the short term. The first step in establishing an effective balanced management plan is to understand the biology and habitat use of the exploited stock. Blue crabs are one of the most commercially and ecologically significant species in the United States. Coast-wide U.S. commercial landings in 2019 totaled 147 million pounds for a dockside value of $206 million. Blue crabs also play …

The State And The Spirits: Voodoo And Religious Repression In Jim Crow New Orleans, Kendra Cole

Honors Theses

Voodoo transitioned from a religion that caused its practitioners to be criminalized and apprehended by the state to a lure used to entice visitors to the Crescent City. This thesis attemtps to show how the public perception of Voodoo shifted in the late nineteenth-century from a hidden threat to a public novelty. I explain this shift through analyzing New Orleans guidebooks, newspapers, and court cases at the turn of the twentieth-century. This thesis fills the gap in the scholarship pertaining to the twentieth-century. I achieve this by drawing upon more extensive literature on the oppression of African-derived religions in other …

Reporting Rumors In The Reconstruction South: The Aftermath Of The New Orleans Riot Of 1866, Joanna L. Gunnufsen

Honors Theses

At the end of the American Civil War, political divisiveness, economic turmoil, and violence plagued the South. Riots occurred across the Reconstruction South, from New Orleans to Memphis. Though scholars have examined the causes of Reconstruction violence, this study examines the role of newspapers in promulgating fear, paranoia, and violence in Southern communities in the wake of the New Orleans Riot of 1866. This thesis analyzes nine Louisiana newspapers to investigate whether newspapers published local and national rumors of violence or potential uprisings in the first three months after the riot. Though the rise of telegraphic news aided the rapid …

Solving The Obesity Problem One Bite At A Time: A Review Of Interventions, Sally Catherine Davis

Honors Theses

Resource limitations contribute to obesity in southern rural populations. An examination of published research provides evidence related to factors that lead to obesity and to related health consequences. Resource limitations in southern rural areas include a lack of access to healthy foods, a lack of safe areas to exercise or fitness equipment, and a lack of funding to promote the hiring of adequate numbers of healthcare workers to implement prevention programs and treat obesity related diseases. An investigation of obesity rates in Mississippi and Louisiana demonstrate that high rates of obesity exist. Through an exploration of published interventions in both …

The Effectiveness Of A District-Wide Training Initiative On Determining Preparedness Of Educational Leaders In A Large, Southeastern Louisiana School System, Jeanne Bordelon Wagner

Dissertations

A nationwide shortage of qualified, experienced applicants to fill the roles of educational leaders has led to a hiring crisis among school districts across America. The diminishing pool of applicants, accompanied by a high turnover rate of practicing administrators and increasing accountability demands, has revealed the importance of recruitment and retention of educational leaders. As the roles of school administrators are constantly evolving and increasing in complexity, recruiting skillfully trained personnel proficient in all dimensions of school leadership is a catalyst for increasing student achievement and for reducing principal attrition rates. The purpose of this research was to reveal perceived …

Examining The Relationship Between Social Capital And Career Success Among Welfare To Work Participants In Louisiana, Dionne Marie Davis-Green

Dissertations

The study examined the relationship between social capital and career success among welfare to work participants in a Louisiana program from 2007 to 2009. Based on the high percentage who do not complete the Louisiana STEP program, outcomes from 2007 to 2009 suggest current STEP work activities may not prepare participants for career success and may neglect the development of social capital (e.g. networking skills). The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between social capital and the ability to produce social resources and social network benefits for the attainment of career success as perceived by welfare to …

Adhd In Young Boys: A Correlational Study Among Early Childhood Educators In Louisiana, Jessica Hart Stubbs

Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a psychiatric condition that has been increasingly diagnosed in young American children, with boys being diagnosed three times more frequently than their female peers. As a result, more children than ever are being treated with powerful stimulant medications which can have various desired and undesired effects. Early childhood curriculums have become more academic in nature, and early childhood teachers are under growing pressure to help their students master academic skills at earlier ages than ever before. Pharmaceutical companies aggressively market medications directly to consumers, promising improved academic and behavioral success for even the youngest children. …

An Analysis And An Historical Contextualization Of Frank Ticheli’S “Cajun Folk Songs”, Jody Anthony Besse

Dissertations

This document was constructed using a qualitative research approach to discuss and illuminate the various compositional techniques used by Frank Ticheli in his composition Cajun Folk Songs. The content will include a biographical background of Mr. Ticheli, documentation related to the Cajun Culture and Cajun Music, an analysis of Ticheli’s composition Cajun Folk Songs, and valuable information related to the rehearsal and performance of this work. The intent of the study is to shed light on the relevant aspects pertinent to the musical interpretation of the selected work for the conductor, the performer, and the listener.

Quantifying Rates Of Autocompaction In The Pearl River Marsh, Louisiana, Jeremiah Nicholas Prouhet

Master's Theses

Annual rates of shallow autocompaction (< 1 m) were calculated in the upper ~one meter of sediment from six cores of a transect in the Pearl River Marsh (PRM), Louisiana, in order to determine the most significant sedimentary property controlling this process. Compaction-free wedge cores were sub-sampled at one centimeter intervals to collect the following data: age control, using 137Cs and 210Pb, and sedimentary variables, specifically, particulate organic carbon, bulk density, median grain size, porosity, and water content. An upper and an underlying sedimentary unit (named the 137Cs and 210Pb units) were defined between radiometric datum levels, and their sedimentary properties were statistically tested for significant differences using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. Rates of autocompaction were calculated from the model of Williams (2003), and both rates of autocompaction and sedimentation were tested for significant differences between the upper and lower sedimentary units.

The upper unit in the six cores generally had lower bulk density, higher water content, higher porosity, and higher particulate organic carbon than the underlying unit, but with some interesting exceptions. Additionally, annual autocompaction and sedimentation rates were greatest in the overlying unit at stations PR02 (0.39 ± 0.05 cm/y) and PR05 (0.42 ± 0.03 cm/y) and greatest in the underlying unit at stations PR02 (0.22 ± 0.08 cm/y) and PR03 (0.18 ± 0.06 cm/y). Based on Spearman correlations, rates of autocompaction were most strongly correlated to and influenced by rates of sedimentation rather …

Recent Trends In Water Clarity Of Lake Pontchartrain, J.C. Francis, M.A. Poirrier

Gulf and Caribbean Research

An analysis of Secchi disk transparency observations from 3 sites on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway indicates that water clarity has increased at the north shore and mid-lake sites, but has not changed at the south shore site. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality data from 1986 through 1995 were used in the analysis. Further analysis indicates that the increased transparency was not caused by changes in salinity or wind speed. The best explanation for the observed increase is the cessation of shell dredging in 1990.

Long-Term Study Of Benthic Communities On The Continental Shelf Off Cameron, Louisiana: A Review Of Brine Effects And Hypoxia, Gary R. Gaston, Kenneth A. Edds

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A long-term data set compiled from our studies and a variety of investigations was analyzed to determine the effects of nine years of discharged brine (concentrated salt water) on benthic organisms surrounding a brine diffuser off Cameron, Louisiana (USA). These investigations began three months before brine discharge was initiated in 1981. A preliminary summary by Giammona and Darnell (1990) relied on just three years of discharge data and gave misleading reports of brine impacts.

Brine effects over the nine years of study were minimal, in part because the fine sediments of the study area were numerically dominated by opportunistic species. …

Behavioral Ecology Of Two Teal Species (Blue-Winged Teal, Anas Discors, And Green-Winged Teal, Anas Crecca) Overwintering In Marshes Of Coastal Louisiana, Usa, Gary R. Gaston, Jeanne C. Nasci

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Feeding and other dominant activities of Blue-winged Teal (BWT, Anas discors) and Green-winged Teal (GWT, Anas crecca) were compared from October 1987 to March 1988 in southwestern Louisiana, USA. Three observation towers were constructed near similar intermediate marsh habitats in areas where BWT and GWT concentrated for feeding. These observation towers allowed activities of the two species to be compared throughout the nonbreeding season. Although BWT and GWT often fed together, time spent in various activities differed. Feeding was the most frequent activity of both BWT(64.5%) and GWT (55.3%), but BWT spent more time feeding (P < 0.01) and alert (P < 0.05), but spent less (P < 0.01) time resting than GWT. Within each species there were differences in activity budgets among daily time blocks and among months, but few differences among the three habitats studied. Temperature and light intensity were correlated with resting (+), feeding (-), locomotion (-), and preening (+). Daily and monthly activity budgets of BWT and GWT were similar, as were ingested foods, suggesting that these two species used the study areas primarily for foraging, and left the areas for other activities. Predation and diminished resources during late winter may have affected activities of BWT and GWT as well.

Historic Trends In The Secchi Disk Transparency Of Lake Pontchartrain, J.C. Francis, M.A. Poirrier, D.E. Barbe, V. Wijesundera, M.M. Mulino

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A major environmental concern about Lake Pontchartrain is an assumed long-term increase in turbidity based on Secchi disk transparency observations. Regression of the available data on Secchi disk transparency versus time (1953 through 1990) reveals a statistically significant decrease in transparency of about 40%. However, the data set is biased in that it does not adequately represent the seasonal effects of salinity and wind speed. Two analytical procedures were undertaken to determine the extent to which the apparent long-term decrease in transparency was dependent on the seasonal bias. One procedure involved seasonal adjustment of the data for the effects of …

A Preliminary Checklist Of Epiphytic And Benthic Marine Diatoms Of Louisiana, Robert S. Maples

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A checklist of diatoms collected from the various habitats in coastal salt marshes, estuaries, and nearshore Gulf waters of Louisiana has been compiled for the first time. The checklist includes 193 taxa (species and their varieties) in 38 genera. The largest number of taxa are species of Navicula and Nitzschia with 46 and 36, respectively. Future studies of the varied habitats along the Louisiana coast should result in many new additions to this preliminary checklist.

Effects Of Saltwater Intrusion From The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal On The Benthos Of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Jane A. Junot, Michael A. Poirrier, Thomas M. Soniat

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A study of the benthos of southern Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, was conducted from July 1976 to July 1978. Seven offshore stations and three stations in the New Orleans Marina complex were sampled seasonally. Offshore stations formed a transect from the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (I.H.N.C.). A west to east gradient of increasing salinity and salinity stratification was evident.

Faunal differences among stations were assessed using indices of diversity, biological dominance, pollution, and station homogeneity. The fauna of the marina stations had a low species diversity and was dominated by annelids, indicative of a stressed environment. …

Community Structure Of Diatoms Epiphytic On Pneumatophores Of The Black Mangrove, Avicennia Germinans, In A Louisiana Salt Marsh, Robert S. Maples

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The taxonomy, diversity, and similarity of diatom assemblages epiphytic on pneumatophores of black mangrove, Avicennia germinans (L.) L., in southeastern Louisiana were investigated. A total of 109 taxa representing 27 genera were identified in samples from five sites. The most abundant taxa were Nitzschia brittonii Hagelstein, Nitz. frustulum (Kutz.) Grun., Navicula diserta Hust., Denticula subtilis Grun., and Amphora tenuissima Hust. Comparisons with previous studies indicate that the diatom flora epiphytic on A. germinans in this study is much more characteristic of temperate salt marshes than of subtropical mangrove communities.

Trends In Ex-Vessel Value And Size Composition Of Reported May - August Catches Of Brown Shrimp And White Shrimp From The Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, And Alabama Coasts, 1960-1978, Charles Wax Caillouet, Dennis Brian Koi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Exponential models were used to characterize (1) ex-vessel value (in dollars) per shrimp by size category (count; i.e., number of shrimp per pound, heads off); (2) size composition (expressed as cumulative weight of the catch in pounds, heads off, by size category); and (3) ex-vessel value composition (expressed as cumulative ex-vessel value, in dollars, of the catch by size category) for reported May-August catches (inshore and offshore combined) of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) and white shrimp (P. setiferus) from the Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coasts (statistical areas 10-21) from 1960 to 1978. Exponents of the …

Effects Of 1973 Floodwaters On Plankton Populations In Louisiana And Mississippi, Suzanne R. Hawes, Harriet M. Perry

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Studies to assess the impact of floodwater diversion on plankton populations in coastal waters of Mississippi and Louisiana were conducted from 23 April 1973 through 13 July 1973. Fixed stations in Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne and western Mississippi Sound were sampled once in April, twice in May and June, and once in July. Stations in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana were visited once in May, June and July.

Data are presented on changes in the species composition of zooplankton subsequent to the opening of the Bonnet Card and Morganza floodways. The hydrographic conditions at the time of sampling are discussed.

A Study Of Syngnathus Scovelli In Fresh Waters Of Louisiana And Salt Waters Of Mississippi, Edward Caldwell Whatley

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A breeding population of Syngnathus scovelli was discovered in 1960 in Lake St. John near Ferriday, Louisiana, which is over 300 river miles from the Gulf of Mexico by the shortest possible route. Although S. scovelli has been known to be euryhaline, this constitutes the first record of a breeding population in fresh water.

This study encompassed the period from July 1960 through February 1966. During this time S. scovelli were maintained for varying periods of time in fresh water aquaria. The longest period of time any one specimen lived in captivity was from 29 September 1960 until 16 November …

A Seasonal Ecological Study Of Foraminifera From Timbalier Bay, Louisiana, Robert P. Waldron

Gulf and Caribbean Research

This study concerns the ecological habits of living Foraminifera from a shallow Louisiana coastal bay during a period of ten months. It is a part of an extensive study undertaken by the Coastal Studies Institute of Louisiana State University to determine the effect of chemical and physical properties of water upon marine life in a large, open bay over an extended period of time. Samples were collected monthly from established locations for the chemical, biological and foraminiferal determinations. Results of the chemical and biological studies will be published by the respective investigators in subsequent papers.

The period of time covered …