Digital Commons Network^™

Models For Ancient Maya Coastal Site Development And Economy: Examination Of Pork And Doughboy Point, Port Honduras, Belize, Kevin Michael Pemberton

LSU Master's Theses

In the summer of 2003 I conducted an archaeological study at Pork and Doughboy Point, Belize, under the direction of Dr. Heather McKillop. The site, situated amidst other ancient Maya coastal settlements of the Port Honduras in southern Belize, has only been tested for offshore deposits in the three decades since it was reported. The current research involved the first reported terrestrial excavations at the site. The goals of this investigation were to recover pottery that could be used to date the ancient Maya occupation and obtain artifacts that would suggest the nature of the site. From artifact analyses I …

Sinker Cypress: Treasures Of A Lost Landscape, Christopher Aubrey Hurst

LSU Master's Theses

Sinker cypress (Taxodium spp.) logs are timbers that were lost during transit from harvest locations in the swamps and mill sites during the industrial cypress harvest from 1880-1930. A small industry has developed, concentrated on the recovery of sinker logs. Most of the persons involved in the recovery of sinker cypress, mill the logs into lumber, and sell the timber directly to consumers or to distributors. A smaller number of pullers retain the logs for personal use. Recovery operations are a costly endeavor and require a significant investment on the part of the harvesters. Most pullers are owner/operators who do …

Master Planning Communities With Wildlife In Mind, Helen A. Peebles

LSU Master's Theses

Master-planned communities can be designed for the protection of wildlife while providing an aesthetically pleasing, eco-friendly, and affordable community for people. This study was conceived from a background of academic studies in plant biology, forestry, and landscape architecture, and a desire to rescue wildlife habitat from the encroachment of urban sprawl. A variety of books and periodicals were consulted, along with a few web sites. The primary threats to wildlife habitat are habitat fragmentation, pollution, and exotic invasive species of plants, animals, insects, and diseases. Many aspects of planning are addressed, including wildlife corridors, site selection, connecting habitat patches, and …

Kingship, Structures And Access Patterns On The Royal Plaza At The Ancient Maya City Of Altun Ha, Belize: The Construction Of A Maya Gis, Olga A. Yermakhanova

LSU Master's Theses

The GIS of Plaza B represents the application of GIS in the analysis of buildings. The GIS contains information on six structures and recreates the development of the royal residential plaza at the ancient Maya site of Altun Ha, in northern Belize. Altun Ha is a small site with a long history of occupation, rich in architectural and artifactual forms. The major site expansion and development started in the end of the Early Classic (A. D. 400) with the emergence of the institution of kingship at the site. Two adjunct plazas, A and B, formed the largest ceremonial –residential complex …

Liquid Architectures: Marcos Novak's Territory Of Information, Camile A. Silva

LSU Master's Theses

The idea of interactivity between humans and their environment no longer represents the only way of exploring new experiences. Equally passé is the idea that information constitutes the means for this interaction. However, this paper presents that the contemporary idea for interaction has embraced new understandings of the content of experience and the structure of space. New electronic technologies and advanced digital media have separated realities from the realm of the body and transformed experiences into a ubiquitous event. The architectural discourse, that once has been largely a discourse of form and style, has finally overcome those limitations and has …

Evaluation Of The Spatial Removal Of Nitrogen In The Marshland Upwelling System, Andrea Reneé Turriciano

LSU Master's Theses

The Marshland Upwelling System (MUS) is an alternative onsite wastewater treatment technology designed to utilize the natural ecology of saltwater marshes to remove human-borne contaminants. Over the past twelve years, MUSs have been installed in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, Moss Point, Mississippi, and Bayou Segnette, Louisiana. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nitrogen reduction capabilities of the Bayou Segnette system. The objectives of this research were to: 1) determine the first-order removal constants necessary for the development of nitrogen transport equations, 2) explore the spatial dependencies of nitrogen concentrations within the Bayou Segnette system, and 3) determine the …

Mapping The Other Truth In The Shintech Case: Emancipatory Mapping For Environmental Justice In South Louisiana, Charles Allen Flanagan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents an alternative mapping approach which challenges the hegemony of abstract space and instrumental reason propagated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its 1998 study of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) permitting process. The "other truth" is presented through application of concepts from critical theory, critical geography, and the works of Henri Lefebvre to a specific environmental justice struggle in St. James Parish, Louisiana. In 1996 Shintech, Inc. proposed building a polyvinyl chloride facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The community, concerned about the considerable toxic burden already present in the area, formed a …

Temporal Trends In Tchula Period Pottery In Louisiana, Steven Ray Fullen

LSU Master's Theses

Tchula period pottery (Tchefuncte culture) in Louisiana is characterized by highly contorted and laminated pastes. These diagnostic traits have led investigators to suggest hypotheses concerning manufacturing techniques, but there has been relatively little focus on temporal trends associated with these characteristics. The first step in redressing this problem was to identify a site likely to contain archaeological assemblages that would span the Tchula period. Excavations began at the Sarah Peralta site (16EBR67) in the fall of 2001 and were concluded in the spring of 2002. Artifacts from this site were characterized according to standard identification procedures. A secondary site, the …

Jury Knowledge Of Eyewitness Memory: Can Jurors Use This Knowledge In The Courtroom?, Jill D. Alonzo

LSU Master's Theses

As a result of Daubert, trial judges were advised to only admit an expert once they determine 1) that the testimony is supported with scientific evidence and 2) would assist the trier(s) of fact. The present studies were designed to address the second criterion of admissibility by 1) assessing jurors' knowledge of eyewitness memory, and 2) determining if they can apply this knowledge when assessing mock courtroom testimony. In the first study, subjects evaluated trial transcripts of testimony concerning an eyewitness account where factors that influence eyewitness memory were present in either a negative form or a positive form. In …

Urban Yellow Fever Diffusion Patterns And The Role Of Micro-Environmental Factors In Disease Dissemination: A Temporal-Spatial Analysis Of The Memphis Epidemic Of 1878, William Brennan Arden

LSU Master's Theses

Most investigations that examine diffusion of disease through urban areas give relatively scant attention to the 'micro-environment.' Employing the many methods of macro-environmental analysis, most studies do not attempt to identify street-level or even residence-level temporal-spatial patterns of disease diffusion. As a result, the mechanisms that lead to diffusion on such small scales are left relatively undefined. There is no doubt that cumulatively these small-scale mechanisms contribute to the diffusion of disease over the urban environment. However, the level of contribution and the specific details of their dynamics remain unclear. This thesis investigated some of these unexplored areas by presenting …

Sacred Trust: The Voluntary Removal And Reburial Of Human Remains From A Historic Cemetery In Louisiana, Christian Williamson

LSU Master's Theses

Members of the Randolph family, a prominent plantation family that has lived in Louisiana since the late eighteenth century, contacted a team of anthropologists from Louisiana State University to help recover thirteen individuals from St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bayou Goula, Louisiana. The cemetery had been abandoned since 1970, its graves overgrown with weeds and desecrated by vandals. Of the thirteen individuals recovered, three sets of remains did not have associated grave markers. These three were taken back to the lab and analyzed using standard forensic procedures. Documentary research on the history of the cemetery, the once associated church, and the …

Yellow Fever In The Felicianas: The Epidemic Of 1878 And Its Effects Upon The Residents Of These Rural Parishes, Mary Jane Duke Russell

LSU Master's Theses

This research documents the spread of yellow fever across the rural Louisiana parishes of East Feliciana and West Feliciana in 1878 and examines the reactions and responses of the residents to medical, social and economic stresses produced by that epidemic. Descriptive details highlight the variability of individual ideas and mindsets at play against the backdrop of accepted paradigms, belief systems and current technology. In 1878 the Aëdes aegypti mosquito had not yet been identified as the vector of the arbovirus (arthropod borne virus) that causes yellow fever. A short history of yellow fever in the United States and a discussion …

"Is There A Translator In Teh [Sic] House?": Cultural And Discourse Analysis Of A Virtual Speech Community On An Internet Message Board, Tracy Rene Leblanc

LSU Master's Theses

In the newly emergent field of online ethnography, netspeak and online behavior are quickly becoming the next frontier of linguistic anthropology. The discourse analysis and cultural investigation of the virtual speech community of Penismightier.com reveal several salient aspects of culture through the lens of the internet and online human behavior. This thesis focuses on aspects of language use in the discourse on message board threads on the Penismightier website. The Pen speech community has innovated a lexicon of original and modified techie language, such as unique emoticons and alpha-numeric orthography. The orthographic innovations of this virtual speech community blur the …

Designation Of The Southwest National Wildlife Refuge Complex As Wetlands Of International Importance Under Ramsar, Convention On Wetlands Of International Importance, Mitchell Ward Coffman

LSU Master's Theses

The historical loss and continued threat of loss of Louisiana wetlands is a major environmental concern for the United States and the world. In 1971, the Ramsar Convention, an international environmental treaty was ratified to specifically address conservation planning and land use management issues involving wetlands of the world. Ramsar provides an international designation award called, the Wetlands of International Importance List, which formally acknowledges globally important wetland landscapes. Ramsar outlines specific criterion nominated wetland sites must possess for consideration of this listing.

The Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an excellent candidate for nomination to the Ramsar Convention …

The Economics Of Neutrality: Switzerland And The United States In World War Ii, Matthew Schandler

LSU Master's Theses

The following study addresses the contentious issue of Swiss economic policy during the Second World War. In particular, it concentrates on the deterioration of Swiss-American relations that resulted from Switzerland’s economic ties to Nazi Germany. It is argued that Switzerland’s survival as a neutral and democratic country depended less on the defense preparations of the Swiss Army and more on the difficult trade negotiations with both the Axis and Allies. Varied sources that include American and Swiss governmental reports, diplomatic documents, and contemporary accounts of the war, support the argument that although moral considerations played a secondary role to economic …

An "Ecolodge" In Thailand: A Site Design Based Upon The Local Vernacular Village, Pudtan Chantarangkul

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis began from my interest in using indigenous architectural and dwelling patterns of fishing villages in coastal Thailand as a model for a new sustainable community. The provincial government has a policy promoting longstay tourism for affluent retirees from other countries, enabling them to experience the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of the area at an economical cost. To fulfill the local government's policy and my intention to design such a facility, this thesis proposes to design an international "ecolodge" for a site near Yisan Village. The area is very peaceful yet it is not so far from downtown …

East African Hydroclimatic Variability: 1950-1999, Varada Vasant Vaidya

LSU Master's Theses

The interannual variability in precipitation over East Africa is well-understood. Many studies have identified the factors influencing the interannual variability of precipitation such as El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Dipole Mode (IODM), and Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperature and pressure variations. The relatively arid conditions in much of the East African region are not understood fully. The objective of present study is to determine the meteorological association of aridity over East Africa with regional hydroclimatic variables as well as to find global teleconnections affecting spatial distribution of aridity over East Africa. The East Africa Aridity index …

Palimpsest Encounters: A Baseline Study Of Federal, Antebellum, And Postbellum New Orleans Gardens Using The Notarial Archives Drawings, Cecilia L. Mcnab

LSU Master's Theses

The focus of this thesis is to establish a basis for a typology of New Orleans gardens from 19th Century Notarial drawings. Previous inquires of the New Orleans Notarial Archives drawings emphasized elite gardens of the Vieux Carré and Garden District. This baseline study investigates both vernacular and elite gardens of 159 drawings in the three oldest of the city Municipal Districts during the period 1810-1880, and identifies 19 garden templates. It sets the drawings in their social, political, and historical context to inform a critical understanding of the garden types. The inquiry examines 47 spatial and design variables, using …

"Let Me Play A While": Storytelling Characters And Voices In The Works Of Mark Twain, William Faulkner, And Lee Smith, Kenneth Mark Broyles

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the difference between narrators and characters in fiction who tell stories. It also argues that traditional orality persists in American culture and is a significant influence in the fiction of Mark Twain, William Faulkner and Lee Smith. In their work, they try to overcome what some perceive as a structural discrimination inherent in the novel and imbue their characters' speaking voices with authority that is determined by something other than their position in the structural hierarchy. All three authors attempt to give their characters speaking voices which are not necessarily inferior to the narrative or authorial …

Economic Valuation Of Natural Resource Management: A Case Study Of The Benuaq Dayak Tribe In Kalimantan, Indonesia, Indah D. Kusuma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The unavailability of total economic values of indigenous people in Indonesia, both in the short and long term, has created the rejection of their existences in the forest area. The purpose of this study is to estimate the total economic value of sustainable forest management conducted by indigenous tribes in Indonesia using total economic value concepts. The tribe’s total economic value is expressed by estimating the use value, indirect use value and non-use value. The study used benefit transfer and survey methods using questionnaires to estimate the tribe’s total economic value. The estimated total economic value of the Benuaq Dayak …

The Effect Of Environmental Forcing On The Suspended Sediment Within The Naomi Wetlands As Reflected In Turbidity Data, Molly J. Mcgraw

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In recent years, several freshwater diversion structures have been constructed along the lower Mississippi River south of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. These structures divert freshwater and sediment into Louisiana’s coastal wetlands in an effort to combat Louisiana’s estimated annual wetland loss of 65 km2. The successful operation of these diversions depends upon the stage of the Mississippi River. An increase in river stage generally results in an increase in the suspended sediment load and in the discharge of water through a diversion. The subsequent transport of suspended sediment within an estuary is also influenced by local rainfall, tide, and wind speed …

Marching Masters: Slavery, Race, And The Confederate Army, 1861-1865, Colin Edward Woodward

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Many historians have examined the Civil War soldier, but few scholars have explored the racial attitudes and policies of the Confederate army. Although Southern men did not fight for slavery alone, the defense of the peculiar institution, and the racial control they believed it assured, united rebels in their support of the Confederacy and the war effort. Amid the destruction of the Civil War, slavery became more important than ever for men battling Yankee armies. The war, nevertheless, tested Confederate soldiers’ idealized view of human bondage. Federal armies wrecked havoc on masters’ farms and plantations, seized hundreds of thousands of …

Re-Conceptualizing Southern Rhetoric: A Meta-Critical Perspective, Christina L. Moss

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of southern rhetoric and public address remains important to the study of American rhetoric and public address. However, recent years indicate a decline in the amount and variety of scholarship in this area of study. This project provides a meta-critical analysis of the history of southern rhetorical scholarship, focusing mainly on southern public address. By tracing ideology from the Agrarians, Richard Weaver, Dallas Dickey, Waldo Braden, Stephen Smith, and Stuart Towns, clear attitudes and definitions of the South, southern identity and southern rhetoric evolved to create an area of study in much need of revision. The remainder of …

Tropospheric Ozone In Louisiana And Synoptic Circulation, Robert Rohli

Faculty Publications

Abstract Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a pollutant of increasing concern in many urban areas in the United States. There is an increasing need to understand the geographical and meteorological properties associated with O3, particularly because of the changing criteria that are being implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to monitor O3. This research examines the relationship between O3 mixing ratios in Louisiana and surface and low-tropospheric synoptic circulation patterns. Results suggest that local conditions and synoptic influences are both important in determining the behavior of observed O3 in Louisiana during this period in which “exceedance” frequencies decreased until 2000–01, …

The Fate Of Their Country: Politicians, Slavery Extension, And The Coming Of The Civil War, John Benson

Civil War Book Review

Cause for concern

The approaching crisis

The Price Of Liberty: African Americans And The Making Of Liberia, Christopher Bates

Civil War Book Review

In the Heart of Darkness

The foundation of a republic

Low Levels Of Nucleotide Diversity In Crocodylus Moreletii And Evidence Of Hybridization With C. Acutus, David A. Ray, Jennifer A. Dever, Steven G. Platt, Thomas R. Rainwater, Adam G. Finger, Scott T. Mcmurry, Mark A. Batzer, Brady Barr, Peter J. Stafford, Jenna Mcknight, Llewellyn D. Densmore

Faculty Publications

Examinations of both population genetic structure and the processes that lead to such structure in crocodilians have been initiated in several species in response to a call by the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group. A recent study used microsatellite markers to characterize Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) populations in north-central Belize and presented evidence for isolation by distance. To further investigate this hypothesis, we sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial control region for representative animals after including samples from additional locales in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. While there is limited evidence of subdivision involving other locales, we found that most of the …

The Reach Of Rai: The Modernization And Globalization Of An Algerian Popular Music, Michelle Lynn Ashton

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Climatology Of Katabatic Winds In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, Thomas H. Nylen, Andrew G. Fountain, Peter T. Doran

Faculty Publications

Katabatic winds dramatically affect the climate of the McMurdo dry valleys, Antarctica. Winter wind events can increase local air temperatures by 30°C. The frequency of katabatic winds largely controls winter (June to August) temperatures, increasing 1°C per 1% increase in katabatic frequency, and it overwhelms the effect of topographic elevation (lapse rate). Summer katabatic winds are important, but their influence on summer temperature is less. The spatial distribution of katabatic winds varies significantly. Winter events increase by 14% for every 10 km up valley toward the ice sheet, and summer events increase by 3%. The spatial distribution of katabatic frequency …

Gumbo Yearbook, Class Of 2004, Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College

Gumbo Yearbook

The Gumbo yearbook chronicles the entire academic year at LSU. In words and especially photos, the Gumbo shows the people, places, and events that make each year unique. In addition to formal portraits of schools and departments, the book contains hundreds of snapshots of students with their friends and dozens of pages showcasing organizations.