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Boxing With Shadows: Contentious Politics, Culture Jamming, And Radical Creativity In Tactical Innovation, David Matthew Iles, Iii Jan 2009

Boxing With Shadows: Contentious Politics, Culture Jamming, And Radical Creativity In Tactical Innovation, David Matthew Iles, Iii

LSU Master's Theses

Dominant theories of tactical innovation in contentious politics suggest that actors innovate in times of crisis or at the margins of familiar forms of action in order to achieve strategic advantage. I argue that these theories do not satisfactorily account for the tactical creativity of a form of contention called culture jamming. Instead, I employ a biographical theory of tactical innovation to explain their distinct repertoire of contention. This theory claims that tactics are partially explained as emanations of or congruent with the life experiences, identities, dispositions, and values of actors. Bourdieu’s field theory allows me to identify a social …

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Creating An Empirically Derived Community Resilience Index Of The Gulf Of Mexico Region, Ariele Nicole Baker Jan 2009

Creating An Empirically Derived Community Resilience Index Of The Gulf Of Mexico Region, Ariele Nicole Baker

LSU Master's Theses

As coastal areas increase in populations there is an increasing need to determine what community characteristics are most resilient to coastal disasters. This research proposes two methods to quantify community resilience. The factor analysis method results in a weighted additive index model of six variables to derive community resilience. The index places every community in the Gulf of Mexico on a scale from 0-1. The most resilient counties in the Gulf of Mexico region were found to be Hillsborough, FL, Pinellas, FL, Sarasota, FL, Hernando, FL, Okaloosa, FL, Kenedy, TX, and Jefferson, LA with a resilience score of 1. The …

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Estimating Age At Death By Examining The Crystallite Size Of Hydroxylapatite In Human Teeth, Teresa Veronica Wilson Jan 2009

Estimating Age At Death By Examining The Crystallite Size Of Hydroxylapatite In Human Teeth, Teresa Veronica Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

Estimation of age is an important component of the biological profile that forensic anthropologists construct in order to attain a positive identification of a deceased individual. This research is a proof of concept study for the use of X-ray diffraction (XRD) on a tooth sample to estimate age. Previous research (Meneghini et al. 2003; Hanschin and Stern 1992) has concluded that the crystallite size of bone will increase with increased age. The feasibility of the use of teeth in XRD analysis was first tested using pig teeth (samples P1, P2, and P3). Another set of pig teeth (PC1, PC2, and …

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Religion And Realism In Late Nineteenth-Century American Literature, Lisa Irene Moody Jan 2009

Religion And Realism In Late Nineteenth-Century American Literature, Lisa Irene Moody

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A critical approach to understanding the analytical power of realism and its representational claims in the late nineteenth-century is to examine the relationship between realism and a common cultural concern that opposes the very tenets of realism, one that necessarily pervaded all aspects of class, gender, nationality, race, sexual orientation, or other classifiable subsets of society typically linked with various schools of literary theory: the subject of religion. In fact, religion, with its disembodied immaterialism, surely the antithesis of realism, represents a unique cultural problem that tests the conceptual biases of the realist mode. One basic issue is that religion …

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Examining Successful Recuritment Strategies Utilized By Volunteer Alumni, James Eric Prudhomme Jan 2009

Examining Successful Recuritment Strategies Utilized By Volunteer Alumni, James Eric Prudhomme

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the manner in which volunteer alumni recruiters at a flagship institution were able to recruit prospective students both in and out of the formal recruitment setting. Due to the challenges facing Louisiana State University with out-of-state recruitment, volunteer alumni recruiters provide a cost-effective alternative to assist this effort. Findings of this study can be used to expand the current alumni volunteer recruitment effort by providing insight into the strategies that result in success in the recruitment process, all the while encouraging fellow alumni to assist their effort. The methodology for …

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A Social Vulnerability-Based Genetic Algorithm To Locate-Allocate Transit Bus Stops For Disaster Evacuation In New Orleans, Louisiana, Xiaojun Qin Jan 2009

A Social Vulnerability-Based Genetic Algorithm To Locate-Allocate Transit Bus Stops For Disaster Evacuation In New Orleans, Louisiana, Xiaojun Qin

LSU Master's Theses

In the face of severe disasters, some or all of the endangered residents must be evacuated to a safe place. A portion of people, due to various reasons (e.g., no available vehicle, too old to drive), will need to take public transit buses to be evacuated. However, to optimize the operation efficiency, the location of these transit pick-up stops and the allocation of the available buses to these stops should be considered seriously by the decision-makers. In the case of a large number of alternative bus stops, it is sometimes impractical to use the exhaustive (brute-force) search to solve this …

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The Black Press As A Political Institution: How The Chicago Defender Portrayed Jesse Jackson And Barack Obama's Historical Presidential Campaigns, Cristina Mislan Jan 2009

The Black Press As A Political Institution: How The Chicago Defender Portrayed Jesse Jackson And Barack Obama's Historical Presidential Campaigns, Cristina Mislan

LSU Master's Theses

Since the inception of Freedom’s Journal in 1827, the black press has sought to elevate the black community as well as advocate for civil rights and justice. This thesis examines news coverage in the Chicago Defender, a prominent black newspaper that has created a public sphere for the black community. Specifically, this research reveals whether the newspaper framed Reverend Jesse Jackson’s 1988 campaign differently from President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Furthermore, this thesis sought to reveal how a well-known black newspaper provided meaning for its readers about two black presidential candidates who adopted disparate political messages in order to appeal …

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Sediment Records Of Modern And Prehistoric Hurricane Strikes In Weeks Bay, Alabama, Yun Huang Jan 2009

Sediment Records Of Modern And Prehistoric Hurricane Strikes In Weeks Bay, Alabama, Yun Huang

LSU Master's Theses

This study aims to find modern and prehistoric hurricane records in sediment from marsh and swamp forest surrounding Weeks. Hurricane Ivan made landfall in this area at category 3 intensity in 2004. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Frederic also seriously affected this region in 2005 and 1979, respectively. Seventy two cores were taken from marshes, swamps, and bay bottom. The cores, taken from baymouth marsh, contain a prominent Ivan sand layer, and possibly a prominent Frederic sand layer as well. For those cores taken from the marshes and swamps around the eastern, western, and northern Weeks Bay, there is no distinct …

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Advocacy Groups In The Wake Of Hurricane Katrina: Who Shapes Coverage Of Wetlands Loss, Paul Harang Jan 2009

Advocacy Groups In The Wake Of Hurricane Katrina: Who Shapes Coverage Of Wetlands Loss, Paul Harang

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana’s coastal wetlands provide a habitat for diverse wildlife, recreational opportunities for Louisiana residents and tourists, and an important natural buffer between communities and powerful hurricanes. Because they are disappearing at a rapid rate, coastal wetlands issues have been prominent in south Louisiana for decades. The catastrophic hurricanes of 2005 and 2008 have given the discussion an increased sense of urgency. Through this paper, I explore coverage of wetlands loss in local south Louisiana daily newspapers. Specifically, I try to determine how these papers frame the issue and illuminate how sources present in these stories participate in the construction of …

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Proxy Records Of Paleohurricanes For The Western And Southern Caribbean, Terrence Allen Mccloskey Jan 2009

Proxy Records Of Paleohurricanes For The Western And Southern Caribbean, Terrence Allen Mccloskey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation evaluates the hypothesis that hurricane activity levels in the North Atlantic during the late Holocene have been driven by latitudinal movements of the North Atlantic circulation system. Multi-millennial sedimentary proxy records, based on the occurrence of overwash clastic layers, provide clear evidence of abruptly alternating periods of hurricane landfall frequency for Nicaragua and Belize. Three Belizean transects exhibit an Active period (hyperactivity) occurring from ~2000-6000 cal yr BP, although dating is inconsistent across the transects. An Active period covering the last 500 years is found at one location. The Nicaraguan record, derived from three transects covering >90 km …

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Strutting It Up Through Histories: A Performance Genealogy Of The Philadelphia Mummers Parade, Corey Elizabeth Leighton Jan 2009

Strutting It Up Through Histories: A Performance Genealogy Of The Philadelphia Mummers Parade, Corey Elizabeth Leighton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the cultural performances of the parade community in one of the oldest and largest parades in the country: the Philadelphia Mummers Parade. The modern parade celebration consists of groups of mostly working-class white men from South Philadelphia who dress up in extravagant sequined and feathered costumes and, beginning in South Philadelphia, march toward City Hall on one of the largest streets in the city on New Year’s Day. The parade is competitive and marked by performance competitions at the end of each parade. The parade’s history in the city of Philadelphia is extensive but contested. Many locals …

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Herminie A Performer's Guide To Hector Berlioz's Prix De Rome Cantata, Rosella Lucille Ewing Jan 2009

Herminie A Performer's Guide To Hector Berlioz's Prix De Rome Cantata, Rosella Lucille Ewing

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Herminie (1828) is a secular cantata which Hector Berlioz composed for the Prix de Rome competition on a libretto by Pierre-Ange Vieillard de Boismartin. This document begins by placing the composition of Herminie within the biographical context of Berlioz’s life and musical output. It outlines the early education of Berlioz and discusses significant individuals and events which influenced his compositional style, as well as the rules, prizes, and expectations of the Prix de Rome competition. A discussion of the cantata libretto follows, including a comparison with the source of the text, the poem Gerusalemme liberata. Included in this discussion is …

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Do Tops Eligibility Requirements Predict In-System College Retention?, Jason J. Droddy Jan 2009

Do Tops Eligibility Requirements Predict In-System College Retention?, Jason J. Droddy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) is a state-funded, merit-based scholarship codified into Louisiana state law in 1997. More than $1 billion in awards have been distributed since the program’s inception. By 2006, eligibility for TOPS required a 2.5 high school grade point average on a legislatively specified 16.5-unit college preparatory curriculum, and a minimum ACT score equivalent to the average of the prior year’s test takers. These rules were believed to promote greater academic preparedness resulting in higher college retention rates. Only recently has the six-year graduation rate for Louisiana’s public universities passed the 30% mark. Since TOPS’ …

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Miocene Herpetofaunas From The Central Gulf Coast Usa: Their Paleoecology, Biogeography, And Biostratigraphy, Michael John Williams Jan 2009

Miocene Herpetofaunas From The Central Gulf Coast Usa: Their Paleoecology, Biogeography, And Biostratigraphy, Michael John Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The late Barstovian Fort Polk herpetofauna represents the most diverse herpetofauna on the Gulf Coast, USA, and includes 15 genera from ten families. The herpetofaunal composition of Fort Polk and Miocene east Texas localities is similar enough to Great Plains localities that they are all considered to be one biogeographical province during the Barstovian. The use of ternary diagrams, ratios of herpetological elements to kg matrix screened, and natricine-colubrine indices, has allowed determining the wetness of the Fort Polk sites. Development of a composite stratigraphic section for North American fossil snakes has allowed recognition of two extinctions of fossil snakes …

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An Integrated Agent-Based Microsimulation Model For Hurricane Evacuation In New Orleans, Wei Liang Jan 2009

An Integrated Agent-Based Microsimulation Model For Hurricane Evacuation In New Orleans, Wei Liang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mass evacuation of urban areas due to hurricanes is a critical problem that requires extensive basic and applied research. Knowing the accurate evacuation time needed for the entire region in advance such that the evacuation order can be issued on a timely basis is crucial for the officials. Microsimulation modeling, which focuses on the characteristics of individual motorists and travel behavior, has been used widely in traffic simulation as it can lead to the most accurate result. However, because detailed driver response modeling and path processing must be incorporated, vehicle-based microscopic models have always been used only to simulate small …

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Essays On The Integration Of Anisotropic Landscapes Within Contemporary Geographic Profiling Models, Joshua D. Kent Jan 2009

Essays On The Integration Of Anisotropic Landscapes Within Contemporary Geographic Profiling Models, Joshua D. Kent

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A criminal geographic profile is a tool used by law enforcement professionals for estimating the probable location of a serial offender’s anchor point, or domicile. This estimate is constructed according to the distribution of linked crime scenes. While this approach can utilize a number of different modeling techniques, most fail to account for the inherent irregularities of the physical and cultural landscape. Contemporary methodologies have consistently adopted the a priori assumption that an offender’s crime scenes and anchor point are located across an isotropic surface on which the opportunity to offend is equally distributed around the offender’s residence. Simple introspection …

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The Effects Of Geomorphology And Primary Productivity On Neotropical Leaf Litter Herpetofauna: Implications For Amazonian Rainforest Conservation, Jessica L. Deichmann Jan 2009

The Effects Of Geomorphology And Primary Productivity On Neotropical Leaf Litter Herpetofauna: Implications For Amazonian Rainforest Conservation, Jessica L. Deichmann

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Amazon rainforest encompasses over one billion acres of South America and sustains remarkable biodiversity. Despite the large body of research stemming from this region, little is known about the effects of geomorphology and primary productivity on the fauna of Amazonia, and on reptiles and amphibians in particular. In my dissertation, I examine differences in the abundance, biomass and species richness of secondary consumers in the leaf litter herpetofauna communities on young and ancient soils. Herein, I develop methods to utilize existing data sets and museum collections in new studies involving community biomass. I found that, although the process of …

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(Im)Possible Encounters, Possible (Mis)Understandings Between The West And Its Other: The Case Of The Maghreb, Tanja Stampfl Jan 2009

(Im)Possible Encounters, Possible (Mis)Understandings Between The West And Its Other: The Case Of The Maghreb, Tanja Stampfl

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My work deals with what I call (im)possible encounters, possible (mis)understandings between the West and the Rim of the World (in my case The Maghreb). I focus on writers (such as Paul Bowles, Patricia Highsmith, Edith Wharton, Tayeb Salih, Ahlam Mosteghanemi, Ahdaf Soueif) who stepped across the cultural dividing line to claim a voice of their own; a voice that enabled them to represent and at times misrepresent the host culture they chose to live in, and which acts as a “lieu” and at times “milieu de mémoire.” It is what the late Edward Said aptly called “intertwined histories, overlapping …

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Crop Coefficients For Cotton In Northeastern Louisiana, Sean Allen Hribal Jan 2009

Crop Coefficients For Cotton In Northeastern Louisiana, Sean Allen Hribal

LSU Master's Theses

Daily crop coefficients (Kc) were determined for irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) at the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph, Louisiana, in 2007. Kc values were calculated using daily crop evapotranspiration (ETc), which was measured using paired weighing lysimeters, and daily reference evapotranspiration (ETo), which was calculated using the Standardized Reference Evapotranspiration Equation (SREE) for a short crop. Meteorological data for input into the SREE were obtained from a nearby Louisiana Agriclimatic Information System (LAIS) weather station and an on-site portable weather station. Averaged Kc values were 0.15, 0.64, and 1.39 for the initial (day …

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Impact Of Watershed Delineation Detail On Hydrologic Process Modeling In Low Slope Areas, Jason Alexander Braud Jan 2009

Impact Of Watershed Delineation Detail On Hydrologic Process Modeling In Low Slope Areas, Jason Alexander Braud

LSU Master's Theses

Ascension Parish, located along the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana, is a low-lying, low slope landscape that primarily drains into the tidally-influenced Lake Maurepas. The predominant method of drainage within the parish is gravity drainage. Ascension Parish is currently one of the fastest growing areas in the United States. New developments have changed the area’s hydrology along with its landscape. Proper watershed delineation within the parish is critical for the management of and future improvements to the parish’s drainage infrastructure. Most of the recent drainage modeling in the parish has been performed using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) digital …

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A Taphonomic Model Of Concealment: Decomposition And The Postmortem Interval (Pmi) In A 55-Gallon Barrel, Lauren Rebecca Pharr Jan 2009

A Taphonomic Model Of Concealment: Decomposition And The Postmortem Interval (Pmi) In A 55-Gallon Barrel, Lauren Rebecca Pharr

LSU Master's Theses

Three 80-pound pigs used as human models were sealed inside 55-gallon black metal drums to monitor the rates and stages of decomposition of concealed, child-sized remains. Visual assessments of the anaerobic decomposition processes in each of the drums for Pigs A and B were possible through a Lexan window installed on each drums’ lid. The third pig—Pig C—was placed inside a drum with four one-half-inch holes permitting insect access and oriented in north, south, east, and west positions around the drum’s upper perimeter. Visual assessments of Pig C were made by lifting the drum’s lid; these assessments revealed that the …

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City As Prison: Negotiating Identity In The Urban Space In The Nineteenth-Century Novel, Anita Michelle Dubroc Jan 2009

City As Prison: Negotiating Identity In The Urban Space In The Nineteenth-Century Novel, Anita Michelle Dubroc

LSU Master's Theses

The primary goal of this thesis is to examine how the city is read in the works of four nineteenth-century authors: Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations (1860), Honoré de Balzac’s Le Père Goriot (1834), Fernán Caballero’s La Gaviota (1849), and Madame de Staël’s Corinne ou l’Italie (1807). They show the city not just as a setting, but as a character. At times, nineteenth-century urban life becomes so overwhelming to urban newcomers, that the geographical space and its society imprison residents. The nineteenth-century city was marked by change: industrialization, population shift from rural areas to urban capitals, and changes in political regime. …

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Integrated Technology: Does It Affect Learner Outcomes?, Adam Ross Barrett Jan 2009

Integrated Technology: Does It Affect Learner Outcomes?, Adam Ross Barrett

LSU Master's Theses

Because technology has become prevalent in classrooms, this study was undertaken to test whether the use of integrated technology, specifically computers and online activities, affects learner outcomes in a classroom setting. The outcomes from classes taught using integrated technology were compared to classes taught with traditional teaching strategies. Students in a 7th grade life-science class were given pre-tests and post-tests to determine their learning gains on the topics of genetics and photosynthesis. Each class was assigned different activities based on the subject. Each unit was covered in four 90 minute periods. When one set of classes was using integrated technology …

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Influence Of Cultural Practices And Herbicides On Torpedograss [Panicum Repens (L.) Beauv.] Infestation In Centipedegrass [Eremochloa Ophiuroides (Munro, Hack)], James Taverner Jan 2009

Influence Of Cultural Practices And Herbicides On Torpedograss [Panicum Repens (L.) Beauv.] Infestation In Centipedegrass [Eremochloa Ophiuroides (Munro, Hack)], James Taverner

LSU Master's Theses

Torpedograss (Panicum repens L. Beauv.) is a common weed problem along the Gulf Coast in highly managed turf. Non-selective herbicides are currently used to control torpedograss within centipedegrass [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.] and St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatam (Walt.) Kuntze], but turfgrass injury can be extensive. Research was conducted to evaluate torpedograss and centipedegrass response to the application of the selective, post-emergence herbicides quinclorac, sethoxydim, and clethodim. Quinclorac applied at 0.42 kg ai ha-1 three times 4 wks apart reduced torpedograss to 25% coverage (55% of control) 10 weeks after initial treatment (WAIT), but re-establishment was rapid and by 16 WAIT …

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Building Codes: Mapping Technology And Tradition, James David West Jan 2009

Building Codes: Mapping Technology And Tradition, James David West

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the crossroads between printmaking and digital technology as our culture shifts towards a more digital media focused existence. As technology shifts art-making more and more away from the analog creation process towards a more digitally mediated one, printmaking’s history stands out among other traditional mediums as well suited to embrace the transition whole-heartedly. By using the analogies of the matrix, the map, and the building, this body of work creates a bridge from the historical and time-tested approaches of printmaking towards the future of the art form; a chimera of technology and tradition.

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Certification: Implications For Sustainable Forest Management And Timber Export Trade In Ghana, Abraham Baffoe Jan 2009

Certification: Implications For Sustainable Forest Management And Timber Export Trade In Ghana, Abraham Baffoe

LSU Master's Theses

Forestry is a major contributor to the Ghanaian economy and has the potential to increase its contribution if a number of challenges are overcome. Over the past 15 years, Ghana has modified its forest policies, laws, and regulations, but still faces serious challenges with illegal logging and unsustainable forest management. At the same time, Ghana’s major wood product trading partner, the European Union (EU), is requesting that Ghana, under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), ensures that wood products from Ghana to the EU are legally produced. Additionally, several EU wood product importers have requested their suppliers in Ghana to meet …

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A Sense Of Community And Community Change: An Ethnographic Study Of A Contemporary Louisiana Juke Joint As It Compares To Historical Literature On The Subject, Kristopher Ian Debnam Jan 2009

A Sense Of Community And Community Change: An Ethnographic Study Of A Contemporary Louisiana Juke Joint As It Compares To Historical Literature On The Subject, Kristopher Ian Debnam

LSU Master's Theses

The rural juke joint is a phenomenon that has been mentioned quite frequently in literature pertaining to blues music, but has not received the amount of scholarly attention that it deserves. This social institution is an integral part of the Mississippi Delta’s cultural landscape. Over time, it has developed a dual reputation as a fun place for weekend entertainment, and also a dangerous place for sin and vice. Using qualitative methods, this thesis explores a modern-day juke joint located in Waterproof, Louisiana, a small town in the northeast part of the state. It is the goal of this research to …

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Putting A Face On Prehistory: Reconstructing Late-Mississippian Faces, Alicia Canfield Jan 2009

Putting A Face On Prehistory: Reconstructing Late-Mississippian Faces, Alicia Canfield

LSU Master's Theses

This paper examines the results of artificial cranial deformation on the human skull in relation to the human face and the use of three-dimensional printing in the making of skull casts. Forensic facial reconstructions, following the American Method, were performed on three Native American skulls from the Late-Mississippian period, excavated from the Humber Site and on loan from the University of Southern Mississippi, in order to see whether or not the artificial deformation radically changed the faces of the individuals. Skull casts were made out of ABS plastic using rapid prototyping technology, as the original skulls were too fragile for …

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Leaving Special Educators Behind?: An Analysis Of The No Child Behind Act And Its Impact On Special Education Teachers, Joseph Martin Abel Jan 2009

Leaving Special Educators Behind?: An Analysis Of The No Child Behind Act And Its Impact On Special Education Teachers, Joseph Martin Abel

LSU Master's Theses

From its inception in 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has been the subject of much debate among politicians, educators, researchers, and citizens. Much discussion has related to how NCLB affects students and their teachers in the classroom. This study examines NCLB’s direct impact on special education teachers in the East Baton Rouge parish school district of Louisiana by measuring different aspects of their satisfaction levels. Overall job satisfaction is measured using the Brayfield-Rothe Job Satisfaction Index (1951). Specific aspects of job satisfaction are measured using an abbreviated form of the Job Diagnostic Survey (Hackman & Oldham, 1975) …

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Resiliency Of New Orleans Following Hurricane Katrina: A Study Of Communities Three Years After The Storm, Lauren Marie Defrank Jan 2009

Resiliency Of New Orleans Following Hurricane Katrina: A Study Of Communities Three Years After The Storm, Lauren Marie Defrank

LSU Master's Theses

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and subsequent levee failures produced widespread flooding in New Orleans, Louisiana and forced the evacuation of most of the local population. This event allowed for the study of the community’s resilience, or the ability of a system to absorb changes or perturbations and still function. Statistical analysis and case studies were used to study resilience and answer the following questions. Can natural community recovery models be used when evaluating the population recovery of a human community following a disturbance? Given that there are variations in population recovery patterns, what factors account for this difference in recovery? …

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