Digital Commons Network^™

Identification Of Activities That Are Appropriate Parts Of A Partnership Between Secondary Technology Education Programs And Business And Industry., Charles Edward Backes

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify specific activities that are considered appropriate parts of a partnership between secondary technology education programs and the business and industry community by experts in the field of technology education and business and industry in the southeastern region of the United States. The states included in the study were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. A form of the Delphi Technique was used to solicit and reach consensus on the appropriateness of partnership activities between secondary technology education programs and members of the business and industry community. …

Some Problems In Algebraic And Extremal Graph Theory., Edward Tauscher Dobson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, we consider a wide range of problems in algebraic and extremal graph theory. In extremal graph theory, we will prove that the Tree Packing Conjecture is true for all sequences of trees that are 'almost stars'; and we prove that the Erdos-Sos conjecture is true for all graphs G with girth at least 5. We also conjecture that every graph G with minimal degree k and girth at least $2t+1$ contains every tree T of order $kt+1$ such that $\Delta(T)\leq k.$ This conjecture is trivially true for t = 1. We Prove the conjecture is true for …

Abstract Volterra Equations., Mihi Kim

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation is devoted to the study of the abstract Volterra equation $$v(t) = A\int\sbsp{0}{t}\ v(t - s)d\mu(s) + f(t)\qquad{\rm for}\ t\ge0,\eqno&(\rm VE)$$. where A is a closed linear operator in a complex Banach space $X,\ \mu$ is a complex valued function of local bounded variation, and $f:\lbrack0,\infty)\to X$ is continuous and Laplace transformable. Laplace transform methods are used to characterize the existence and uniqueness of exponentially bounded solutions v for a given forcing term f, an operator A, and a given kernel $\mu$. We extend the methods of a solution family (or a resolvent) for (VE) by studying integrated …

Continuously Differentiable Selections And Parametrizations Of Multifunctions In One Dimension., Craig Knuckles

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Sufficient conditions are given for a multifunction (set-valued function) to admit a continuously differentiable selection in one dimension. These conditions are given in terms of Clarke generalized gradients of the Hamiltonian associated with the multifunction. Also, the multifunctions in one dimension that can be parametrized with continuously differentiable functions are completely characterized. The characterization is again in terms of Clarke generalized gradients of the Hamiltonian associated with the multifunction.

The Impact Of Changes In Price And Production Costs On U.S. And Regional Rice Acreage., Michael E. Salassi

LSU Agricultural Experiment Station Reports

No abstract provided.

An Integrated Model Of Job Satisfaction., Mark Stephen Nagy

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A model of job satisfaction is proposed that integrates the components of discrepancy, equity, need, value and valence theories using a control theory framework. Data was collected from 341 full-time employees from a variety of organizations. The results indicated support for the proposed model. The results illustrated that discrepancies are largely involved in both facet and global evaluations of job satisfaction and that the interaction of discrepancies and importance is instrumental in explaining global satisfaction. The results also demonstrated that comparison others are involved in the evaluation of job satisfaction and that different comparison others are associated with present and …

On The Relationship Between Representation Equivalence And Isomorphism Of Fundamental Groups Of Three-Step Nilmanifolds., Colathur Raja Vijayan

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation arose from efforts to investigate an example which appeared in (G) of a phenomenon which has been considered to be rare: namely, the existence of two discrete cocompact subgroups $\Gamma\sb1$ and $\Gamma\sb2$ in a Lie group G such that $\Gamma\sb1/G$ and $\Gamma\sb2/G$ have the same (unitary) spectrum but $\Gamma\sb1$ is not isomorphic to $\Gamma\sb2.$ This phenomenon may be called representation equivalence of $\Gamma\sb1$ and $\Gamma\sb2$ with $\Gamma\sb1$ non-isomorphic to $\Gamma\sb2.$. In (G) the first known example of this phenomenon in the class of solvable Lie groups was given. In this example G was a specific three-step nilpotent Lie …

A Preliminary Mass Balance Model Of Primary Productivity And Dissolved Oxygen In The Mississippi River Plume/Inner Gulf Shelf Region, Victor J. Bierman Jr., Scott C. Hinz, William J. Wiseman Jr., Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

A deterministic, mass balance model for phytoplankton, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen was applied to the Mississippi River Plume/Inner Gulf Shelf (MRP/IGS) region. The model was calibrated to a comprehensive set of field data collected during July 1990 at over 200 sampling stations in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The spatial domain of the model is represented by a three-dimensional, 21-segment water-column .grid extending from the Mississippi River Delta west to the Louisiana-Texas border, and from the shoreline seaward to the 30-60 m bathymetric contours. Diagnostic analyses and numerical experiments were conducted with the calibrated model to better understand the environmental …

Comparison Of Continuous Records Of Near-Bottom Dissolved Oxygen From The Hypoxia Zone Along The Louisiana Coast, Nancy N. Rabalais, William J. Wiseman, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

Oxygen depletion is a seasonally dominant feature of the lower water column on the highly-stratified, riverine-influenced continental shelf of Louisiana. The areal extent of hypoxia (bottom waters ≤2 mg l−1 dissolved oxygen) in mid-summer may encompass up to 9,500 km2, from the Mississippi River delta to the upper Texas coast, with the spatial configuration of the zone varying interannually. We placed two continuously recording oxygen meters (Endeco 1184) within 1 m of the seabed in 20-m water depth at two locations 77 km apart where we previously documented midsummer bottom water hypoxia. The oxygen meters recorded considerably different oxygen conditions …

Role Of Acetic Acid In Siliciclastic Diagenesis: An Experimental Study, Gina Marian Bagnetto Waters

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Role Of Acetic Acid In Siliciclastic Diagenesis: An Experimental Study, Gina Bagnetto Waters

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Flows, Congruences, And Factorizations, Jimmie Lawson, Amha Lisan

Faculty Publications

In this paper we study connections between flows and left congruences on the universal flow. It is shown that in the case of minimal flows such congruences admit a factorization in which the factors correspond to distal and proximal properties of the flow. © 1994.

A Study Of The Reaction Of Catechol And Glutathione: A Model For Cigarette Tar Activation And Detoxification, Linda J. A. Workman

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Coastal Eutrophication Near The Mississippi River Delta, R. Eugene Turner, Nancy Rabalais

Faculty Publications

CHANGES in delivery of river-borne nutrients such as dissolved phosphate, nitrate and silicate, owing to land-use changes and anthropogenic emissions, are known to result in eutrophication1— enhanced phytoplankton blooms—and more severe hypoxic events2–1 in many enclosed bays and seas. Although similar ecological effects might be expected on continental shelves, the occurrence of such eutrophication has remained unresolved5. Here we present evidence of eutrophication of the continental shelf near the outflow of the Mississippi river, obtained by quantifying biologically bound silica (BSi) in diatom remnants within dated sediment cores. BSi accumulation rates are greatest in water depths of 20 to 50 …

The Synthesis Of Amino Acid Derivatives For Peptide Incorporation, Yvette Delahoussaye

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Salt Marsh Edge Vs Interior As A Habitat For Fish And Decapod Crustaceans In A Louisiana Tidal Marsh, G. W. Peterson, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

Flume nets of various lengths and a 3-m seine were used to sample the fishes and macrocrustaceans using a flooded Louisiana salt marsh and the adjacent tidal creek. The experiment allowed for species-specific comparisons of the flooded marsh at the creek edge versus the interior. Of the 37,667 organisms collected in flume nets from January through November 1989, 89% were decapods (nine species) and 11% were fish (29 species). An additional 18,539 organisms (75% decapods and 25% fish) were collected from concurrent seine samples taken from July through November. Comparison of catches among different flume lengths and low tide versus …

A Rationale For Coastal Wetland Restoration Through Spoil Bank Management In Louisiana, Usa, R. Eugene Turner, E. M. Swenson, J. M. Lee

Faculty Publications

The rationale and outline of an implementation plan for restoring coastal wetlands in Louisiana is presented. The rationale for the plan is based on reversing the consequences of documented cause-and-effect relationships between wetland loss and hydrologic change. The main feature is to modify the extensive interlocking network of dredged spoil deposits, or spoil banks, by reestablishing a more natural water flow at moderate flow velocity (/sec). Guidelines for site selection from thousands of potential sites are proposed. Examples of suitable sites are given for intermediate marshes. These sites exhibit rapid deterioration following partial or complete hydrologic impoundment, implying a strong …

Backfilling Canals To Restore Wetlands: Empirical Results In Coastal Louisiana, R. Eugene Turner, James M. Lee, Christopher Neill

Faculty Publications

Wetland restoration is largely a developing science and engineering enterprise. Analyses of results are too few and constrained to observations over a few years. We report here on the effectiveness of one restoration technique used sparsely in coastal Louisiana for several decades. Canals have been dredged in coastal Louisiana wetlands since 1938 for oil and gas exploration and extraction. These canals are typically dredged to 2.5 m depth and are 20 to 40 m wide. Canal lengths vary from 100 m to several 1000s m in the case of outer continental shelf pipeline canals that cross the wetlands.

Today, thousands …

The Generalized Distributive Law As Tacit Knowledge In Algebra., Juanita Lavall Bates

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this study were to investigate theories that explain why common errors of the type ($a \pm b)\sp{c} = a\sp{c} \pm b\sp{c}$ and $\root c \of {a \pm b} = \root c \of {a} \pm \root c \of {b}$ occur in algebra problem solving by novices; and to develop and assess techniques for remediating these errors. The meaning theory of learning (ML), procedural learning theory (PL), and implicit structure learning theory (ISL) are alternative frameworks for the explanation of the errors. The ML theory hypothesizes that experts have rich semantic connections to the procedures and symbols of algebra, …

Theoretical And Experimental Modeling Of Removing Contaminants From Soils By An Electric Field., Akram Nimer Alshawabkeh

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A mathematical model is formulated for multicomponent transport of reactive species under an electric field. A set on differential and algebraic equations is developed for transport of fluid, charge, and species in a saturated soil under coupled hydraulic, electric, and chemical potential gradients. An iterative scheme is chosen in solution of a system of differential and algebraic equations. Six differential equations and four algebraic equations are used to model transport of $Pb\sp{2+}$, $H\sp+$, $OH\sp-$, $NO3\sp-$, the associated chemical reactions, electric potential and the hydraulic head across the electrodes. Finite Element Method is used in space discretization. Finite difference technique is …

Energy Dependence Of Photoion Rotational Distributions., Heung-Cheun Choi

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Highly resolved molecular photoionization is a topic of intense current interest due to insights it provides into fundamental scattering processes. Rotationally resolved data provide a window on the angular momentum composition of the photoelectron and the partitioning of angular momentum between the ion and photoelectron. Since the earliest rotational measurements via photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) of H$\sb2$ using resonance lamp excitation, studies have accelerated as a result of experimental innovations. However, all of these recent developments have been limited to threshold or near-threshold ionization phenomena. In order to bypass this constraint, we have employed dispersed fluorescence measurements. This strategy allows us …

On Information Usage Modeling., Ping Pete Chong

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Although it is well-known that the usage of information usually follows the 80/20 rule and concentrates on a few items, there has not been an analytical model to depict this skew distribution. This dissertation provides a theoretical foundation, based on Simon's modeling of empirical phenomena and Chen's index approach, to identify the factors which shape this usage pattern. Using Chen's index approach, we conclude that the distance and slope of the data points determine the shape of the distribution. We further examine the critical parameters in Simon's model through computer simulations, and we find the probability of new entry ($\alpha$) …

Quantitative Models For The Transition To Just-In-Time Purchasing., Pamela Lynne Anders

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Purchasing is a critical, external element of the Just-In-time (JIT) production system. JIT purchasing calls for small delivery quantities which arrive on time, with the quality and quantity required. Economic order quantity models which are adjusted for multiple deliveries or consider the cooperation between the purchaser and the supplier have been published in the literature. The JIT philosophy emphasizes both of these elements. We provide a model for single sourcing which incorporates multiple deliveries and cooperation for the case where there is a single reliable supplier. We call this perfect coordination. The transition to JIT, currently occurring in many companies …

A Multi-Faceted Software Reusability Model: The Quintet Web., Youngsuck Cho

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Over the past decade, problems in software development and maintenance have increased rapidly. The size of software has grown explosively, complexity of software applications has increased, the nature of software applications has become more critical, and large quantities of software to be maintained have accumulated. During the same time, the productivity of individual software engineers has not improved proportionally. Software reusability is widely believed to be a key to help overcome the ongoing software crisis by improving software productivity and quality. However, the promise of software reusability has not yet been fulfilled. We present a multi-faceted software reusability model, a …

A New Method For Efficient Parallel Solution Of Large Linear Systems On A Simd Processor., Okon Hanson Akpan

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation proposes a new technique for efficient parallel solution of very large linear systems of equations on a SIMD processor. The model problem used to investigate both the efficiency and applicability of the technique was of a regular structure with semi-bandwidth $\beta,$ and resulted from approximation of a second order, two-dimensional elliptic equation on a regular domain under the Dirichlet and periodic boundary conditions. With only slight modifications, chiefly to properly account for the mathematical effects of varying bandwidths, the technique can be extended to encompass solution of any regular, banded systems. The computational model used was the MasPar …

Traction And Agricultural Tractor Tire Selection Studies., Francois Pascal Brassart

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A machine was built to study non-rolling tire stiffness and damping coefficients of agricultural tractor tires in the vertical direction. Static deflection on a rigid surface was measured as a function of vertical load. During dynamic experiments, a sinusoidal forcing function was imposed on the test tire to determine dynamic stiffness and damping coefficient from load and deflection measurements. The experimental setup and methodology are described. Ten tires were tested. Both static and dynamic stiffnesses appeared linearly related to inflation pressure. No correlation was found between dynamic properties and excitation frequency. Comparisons among stiffness and damping coefficient values were made …

A Relaxation Scheme For Mesh Locality In Computer Vision., Weian Deng

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Parallel processing has been considered as the key to build computer systems of the future and has become a mainstream subject in Computer Science. Computer Vision applications are computationally intensive that require parallel approaches to exploit the intrinsic parallelism. This research addresses this problem for low-level and intermediate-level vision problems. The contributions of this dissertation are a unified scheme based on probabilistic relaxation labeling that captures localities of image data and the ability of using this scheme to develop efficient parallel algorithms for Computer Vision problems. We begin with investigating the problem of skeletonization. The technique of pattern match that …

An Ethnographic Study Of A Kindergarten Teacher's Beliefs And Practices Before And After Mathematics In-Service., Bessie L. Davis

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the beliefs and teaching practices of a kindergarten teacher who participated in the Louisiana Systemic Initiative Program (LaSIP). It focused on the teacher's beliefs and classroom practices both prior to and after the LaSIP summer mathematics in-service activities. Ethnographic and life history methods were employed. The teacher's self-reports were the primary data source used to determine her beliefs and practices prior to the in-service, with triangulation provided through an interview with her principal and analysis of artifacts. She was observed during the academic year following the in-service activities. Data collection included field notes, audiotapes, photographs, diaries, and …

A Study Of The Radiative Properties Of Agglomerated Flame Particulates Using Light Scattering., Demetris Theodosios Venizelos

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The in-situ optical technique of inferring the soot agglomerate structural and optical properties from the measurements of the extinction cross section, the differential scattering cross section, the dissymmetry ratios in both planes of polarization, and the depolarization ratio, was investigated in detail by this study. A sensitivity analysis of the technique revealed that the dissymmetry ratios are insensitive to both the real and imaginary part of the refractive index. The ratio of the differential scattering to extinction cross sections was also found to be a weak function of the imaginary part of the refractive index. The sensitivity analysis results indicate …

Optimal Preventive Maintenance Strategies For A Production System Subject To Random Shocks., Frances Fertitta Barbera

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The failure rate of production equipment is usually increasing as wear accumulates with usage. An improved preventive maintenance approach is accomplished through predictive maintenance, where an indicator of wear, like vibration or heat, is measured and used to determine the optimal time of an adjustment (or maintenance) such as realignment, oil change or replacing seals. The state of the unit is restored into the same original "as new" state both after adjustment or failure (followed by a repair). This research will develop mathematical models for a single and two unit production system. In the development of the one unit model, …