Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Influencing The Importance Of Incorporating Competencies Regarding Mass Casualty Incidents Into Baccalaureate-Degree Nursing Programs As Perceived By Currently Employed Faculty, Kristin Whitty

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Whether they are naturally occurring, caused by environmental forces, or generated by humans, disasters have placed extraordinary stresses on society. Following September 11, 2001, the Department of Homeland Security was created to protect the nation and coordinate responses to future emergencies at the federal, state, and local levels. However, Governmental agencies can’t handle all aspects of mass casualty events. Healthcare professionals, such as nurses, who are knowledgeable and trained in mass casualty incidents (MCIs) are needed to provide competent care to the victims. Although others expect a knowledgeable nursing response, the majority of nurse educators have not received mass casualty …

"To Live Outside The Law, You Must Be Honest" -- Words, Walls, And The Rhetorical Practices Of The Angolite, Scott Howard Whiddon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

“To Live Outside the Law, You Must Be Honest”: Words, Walls, and the Rhetorical Practices of The Angolite examines the 50 year history of The Angolite, a news magazine published and edited by inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary. While The Angolite and the efforts of former editor Wilbert Rideau have been discussed in the public media, especially here in Louisiana, my dissertation is the first extended scholarly account of this prison publication. Specifically, I examine how inmate writers held in one of the most historically violent penitentiaries in the United States choose to represent themselves, their multiple literacies, and their …

Adaptive Scalable Protocols For Heterogeneous Wireless Networks, Vamsi Krishna Paruchuri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is to propose analytical models to study the impact of collisions and interference in heterogeneous wireless networks and propose simple scalable and lightweight protocols that use these models to adapt to network conditions thus increasing efficiency, decreasing energy consumption and prolonging network lifetime. The contributions of this dissertation are multifold and are summarized as follows: - Analytical models to study the impact of collisions and interference on both broadcast and unicast messages. These analytical models are incorporated into the proposed protocols to adapt to the prevailing network conditions to improve their performance. - Optimized Flooding …

Nutrient Constraints On Plant Community Production And Organic Matter Accumulation Of Subtropical Floating Marshes, Guerry O., Jr. Holm Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the cycle of delta growth and decay, peat-forming wetlands span a time and space continuum. Later in the delta cycle, freshwater floating marshes become increasingly removed from external sediment subsidy and internal nutrient cycling controls plant productivity and organic matter accumulation. An interesting question is whether increased external nutrient loading can affect the basic processes that lead to peat formation—plant production and organic matter decomposition. I conducted several field studies to understand whether belowground organic matter accumulation and decomposition were affected with increased nutrient exposure; in addition, the plant community was monitored over three years. A laboratory soil respiration …

Spectral Analysis Of Total Suspended Solids Mixtures For Solids Composition Determination, Curtis W. Sutherland

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) analysis provides an initial and very basic measure for study and characterization of water quality. The present tedious procedures used for the identification of different solids constituents present in TSS and for the classification or insight into the origins of those solids are time-consuming and expensive. The research reported herein investigates the use of instrumental analysis using reflectance spectra of TSS as an attractive alternative to sufficiently characterize and identify TSS in a more rapid and economical method that could be used to study TSS transport and to identity TSS points of origin. For this investigative …

Dynamics Of Globalization In Philippine Scientific Communities, Marcus Antonius Hidalgo Ynalvez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research attempts to shed light on the simultaneous influence of scientifically strong countries on Internet use and knowledge production at the global periphery. Using survey data from interviews of 312 Filipino scientists, this study answers the following questions: (1) Does place of graduate education (i.e., Australia, Japan, the United States and the Philippines) configure scientists’ Internet use? (2) Does Internet use shape scientists’ professional network? (3) Does place of graduate education, Internet use and professional network influence collaboration and research productivity? and (4) How does collaboration relate to productivity when professional network is accounted for? Results show that digital …

Detection And Survival Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Cattle Water Troughs And The Effects Of Cetylpyridinium Chloride Against Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Biofilms On The Surface Of Stainless Steel, Sajida Begum Plauche

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an emerging food pathogen that was first identified as a cause of illness in 1982. According to CDC (The Center for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates, E. coli O157:H7 is responsible for about 73,000 illnesses, 2,000 hospitalizations and 60 deaths in the United States each year. Cattle are the principal reservoir of E. coli O157:H7. Contamination of feed and drinking water with cattle feces is an importance factor in the prevalence of infection in cattle which, in turn, results in contamination of food and the environment. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a very persistent pathogen and has …

The Multiple Dimensions Of The Interfirm Network: The Critical Sources Of Product Innovation, Thongchai Srivardhana

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impacts of interfirm variables on both invention and commercialization activities, following Greve’s (2003) suggestion that innovation research will be enriched if more studies integrate invention and commercialization activities to understand the entire innovation development process. Utilizing two established theoretical perspectives—organizational learning and institutional theory—six sets of hypotheses are developed containing the following interfirm variables: 1) direct and indirect ties, 2) strength of direct ties, 3) structural holes, 4) prominence of direct partners, 5) exploration and exploitation partners, and 6) horizontal and vertical networks. The dissertation also predicts that these interfirm variables would contribute to either invention …

Site-Based Technology Facilitators: Catalysts For Achieving Teacher Technology Proficiency In K-12 Classrooms, Janet Giandelone Broussard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which professional development implemented by a school-based instructional technology facilitator impacted the technology proficiency of teachers in SCHOOLTech sites. A second purpose was to identify the types and frequencies of professional development implemented by school-based facilitators in SCHOOLTech sites, as well as, in five case study sites that had shown increases in teacher technology proficiency. The final purpose was to determine if there was a significant difference in student achievement levels between SCHOOLTech and non SCHOOLTech schools. Investigation was carried out through a within-stage mixed model design requiring …

Molecular Analysis Of Vibrio Vulnificus Phase Variants And Characterization Of A New Biofilm-Proficient Rugose Phenotype, Brenda L. Grau

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Vibrio vulnificus is a marine bacterium capable of causing severe and fatal illness in susceptible people. The primary virulence factor is a capsular polysaccharide (CPS) that allows the bacteria to evade the host immune system. Two phenotypic forms were previously known to exist, opaque (virulent) and translucent (avirulent), and had been shown to undergo spontaneous phase variation, each switching to the other phenotype. Provided here is the first report of a third phenotype, rugose. The rugose variant is dry and wrinkled compared to the smooth colony morphology of the opaque and translucent forms. Both opaque and translucent strains produce rugose …

Characterization Of Equine Pulmonary Endothelin Receptors In Health And Disease, Sumanth Polikepahad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) has been implicated in allergic type of respiratory inflammatory diseases in various species of animals including horses. This peptide elicits its actions by acting through endothelin-A (ET-A) and endothelin-B (ET-B) receptor sub-types. In this project, we have hypothesized that endothelin receptors (both ET-A and ET-B) are altered in terms of affinity and expression, in the lungs of summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD)-affected horses. Objective of this dissertation was to determine the alterations in the affinity and expression of endothelin receptors in the lungs of healthy and SPAOPD-affected horses. To pursue our hypothesis, we have employed pharmacological, immunohistochemical …

The Development Of Global Awareness In Elementary Students Through Participation In An Online Cross-Cultural Project, Allen C. Grant

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study provided insights about how to develop online cross-cultural projects designed to foster global awareness in upper elementary-age students. Three schools, located in the southern United States, Mexico and Turkey, implemented a cross-cultural model as part of a comparative case study. The primary goal of this research was to gain an understanding of how these populations develop global awareness in an online environment. A second goal was to determine the necessary implications for practice when conducting online, cross-cultural projects in upper elementary classrooms. During eight weeks of implementation, students participated in cross-cultural groups as members of an online community. …

Echinochloa Polystachya Management In Louisiana Rice, Roy Matthew Griffin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

E. polystachya introduced at stand densities (SD) of 10,000 through 70,000 stolon segments/ha produced 5.4 to 6 stolons/introduced segment; however, 130,000 through 520,000 SD produced 1.4 to 2.1 stolons per introduced segment indicating increased intra- and inter-specific competition. Stolon production was greater than 160,000 plants/ha with 30,000 through 520,000 SD. The 520,000 SD produced a total stolon length of 318 km/ha and no difference was observed for the 260,000 SD. Total node production was 290,000 nodes/ha with an average of 29 nodes/introduced segment in the 10,000 SD and 5.4 to 9.8 nodes/introduced segment with 70,000 or greater SD indicating greater …

Anti-Americanism: An Exploration Of A Contested Concept In Western Europe, Gregory Johnston

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite its popular currency and salience, anti-Americanism is understudied and misunderstood by social scientists. Even within academia, studies of anti-Americanism are often polemic, and logically or methodologically flawed. Focusing on Western Europe, we argue that anti-Americanism is a public opinion phenomenon, and present a definition of anti-Americanism based on social psychology, and demonstrate how cognitive psychological processes shape anti-Americanism. We outline several predictors of anti-Americanism, processes of internal cognition, responses to international political events, patterns of interpersonal communication and information diffusion, and the contextual role of ideology. We also observe the important implications European anti-Americanism has for support international institutions, …

Experimental And Computational Analysis Of Random Cylinder Packings With Applications, Wenli Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Random cylinder packings are prevalent in chemical engineering applications and they can serve as prototype models of fibrous materials and/or other particulate materials. In this research, comprehensive studies on cylinder packings were carried out by computer simulations and by experiments. The computational studies made use of a collective rearrangement algorithm (based on a Monte Carlo technique) to generate different packing structures. 3D random packing limits were explored, and the packing structures were quantified by their positional ordering, orientational ordering, and the particle-particle contacts. Furthermore, the void space in the packings was expressed as a pore network, which retains topological and …

High Harmonic Generation By Short Laser Pulses: Time-Frequency Behavior And Applications To Attophysics, Mitsuko Murakami

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

High harmonic generation (HHG) is a process in which noble gas atoms excited by an intense laser field at frequency ω₁ emit radiation of higher frequencies that are odd integer multiples of ω₁. Driven by an infrared laser, high harmonic radiation can span from the optical into the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) frequency range. In this thesis, I study HHG using short laser pulses by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE). In particular, I will focus on calculating and controlling the time-dependent instantaneous frequency (chirp) of high harmonics. The harmonic chirp is a direct consequence of the atom-field …

Integrating Micro-Scale Separations To Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption And Ioniation Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometry (Maldi-Tof-Ms) For Protein Analysis, Harrison K. Musyimi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes the integration of micro-scale separations to matrix assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS) for protein analysis. MALDI MS provides unsurpassed accurate mass measurements of intact bio-molecules, for example peptides and proteins, which in turn generate high molecular specificity enabling the identity, function and structure of these molecules to be characterized. However, in order to realize the full potential of MS in proteomic studies, integrated sample processing on automated and high throughput platforms is required to address the complexity, diversity and the dynamic range of proteomic analysis. The work described here contributes towards …

Direct Detection Of Homocysteine And Syntheses Of Lanthanide Complexes As Biosensors, Weihua Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

At elevated levels, homocysteine (Hcy) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. It’s also implicated in a number of other diseases such as neural tube defects, pregnancy complications, and renal failures. The monitoring of Hcy levels in plasma is of current concern. To date, the biochemical mechanism by which Hcy is involved in disease states is unclear. Herein, we describe highly selective colorimetric methods for the direct determination of Hcy. Inexpensive, commercially available materials are reported. The results show potential application for the detection of Hcy in human blood plasma. Additionally, new HPLC postcolumn detection methods for …

Public Affairs Advertising: Corporate Influence, Public Opinion And Vote Intentions Under The Third-Person Effect, Anita Grace Day

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined corporate public affairs and brand awareness advertising under the third-person effect. Third-person effect studies examine the interaction between the media and its effect on public opinion. Past research in third-person effect indicates that individuals perceive that the media is more influential on others than oneself. However, recent studies find a reverse effect, where individuals perceive a greater effect on oneself when compared to others when media messages are positive and desirable to be influenced by. Findings from this study indicate that ExxonMobil public affairs advertisements are found to be socially desirable to be influenced by and that …

Painful Discourses: Borders, Regions, And Representations Of Female Circumcision From Africa To America, Tameka Latrece Cage

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project considers issues of representation and how literature, personal testimony, popular culture, and African film script a narrative of change and/or participate in change in the female circumcision debate. Texts that currently shape the female circumcision debate are increasingly focused on viable methods of social change and couch issues of change in dynamics of discourse and representation, including Obioma Nnaemeka’s Female Circumcision and the Politics of Knowledge: African Women in Imperialist Discourses, Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf’s Female Circumcision: Multicultural Perspectives, and Oyèrónké Oyewùmi’s African Women and Feminism: Reflecting on the Politics of Sisterhood, all of which I cite in the …

Between Representation And Practice: Contesting Public Space In New Orleans' Jackson Square, Rebecca A. Sheehan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent geographic research on public space focuses largely on either the past or present. Using historical and ethnographic methods, I contribute to understanding public space over time from an everyday point of view, a variety of social scales. Further, departing from a generally political-protest focus that much geographic literature centers on, my study explores the multifaceted areas of the political, cultural, and economic in public space. Thus, I show that the need for public space expands beyond protest voices into other realms that form and inform identity. Through New Orleans’ Jackson Square, these prospects of public space demonstrate “a world …

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Proteins Are Required For Cell Wall Synthesis And Morphogenesis In Arabidopsis, C. Stewart Gillmor, Wolfgang Lukowitz, Ginger Brininstool, John C. Sedbrook, Thorsten Hamann, Patricia Poindexter, Chris Somerville

Faculty Publications

Mutations at five loci named PEANUT1-5 (PNT) were identified in a genetic screen for radially swollen embryo mutants, pnt1 cell walls showed decreased crystalline cellulose, increased pectins, and irregular and ectopic deposition of pectins, xyloglucans, and callose. Furthermore, pnt1 pollen is less viable than the wild type, and pnt1 embryos were delayed in morphogenesis and showed defects in shoot and root meristems. The PNT1 gene encodes the Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of mammalian PIG-M, an endoplasmic reticulum-localized mannosyltransferase that is required for synthesis of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. All five pnt mutants showed strongly reduced accumulation of GPI-anchored proteins, suggesting that …

Towards Scalable Linear-Optical Quantum Computers, J. P. Dowling, J. D. Franson, H. Lee, G. J. Milburn

Faculty Publications

Scalable quantum computation with linear optics was considered to be impossible due to the lack of efficient two-qubit logic gates, despite the ease of implementation of one-qubit gates. Two-qubit gates necessarily need a non-linear interaction between the two photons, and the efficiency of this non-linear interaction is typically very small in bulk materials. However, it has recently been shown that this barrier can be circumvented with effective non-linearities produced by projective measurements, and with this work linear-optical quantum computing becomes a new avenue towards scalable quantum computation. We review several issues concerning the principles and requirements of this scheme. © …

Cryopreservation Of Human Hematopoietic Stem And Progenitor Cells Loaded With Trehalose: Transient Permeabilization Via The Adenosine Triphosphate-Dependent P2z Receptor Channel, Sandhya S. Buchanan, Michael A. Menze, Steven C. Hand, David W. Pyatt, John F. Carpenter

Faculty Publications

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HPCs) are a heterogenic population of cells used to treat a number of human diseases. Multilineage differentiation is a required function in successful hematopoietic reconstitution after transplantation of cryopreserved grafts. Conventional use of the cryoprotectant dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has resulted in some reports of infusion related toxicity attributed to DMSO and/or damage to cells during freeze-thawing procedures. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of trehalose, a nontoxic disaccharide of glucose, as an alternative cryoprotectant. Trehalose was introduced into HPCs using the P2Z receptor, known to form nonselective pores in the presence …

Detection Of Homocysteine And Cysteine, Weihua Wang, Oleksandr Rusin, Xiangyang Xu, Kyu Kwang Kim, Jorge O. Escobedo, Sayo O. Fakayode, Kristin A. Fletcher, Mark Lowry, Corin M. Schowalter, Candace M. Lawrence, Frank R. Fronczek, Isiah M. Warner, Robert M. Strongin

Faculty Publications

At elevated levels, homocysteine (Hcy, 1) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, neural tube defects, and osteoporosis. Both 1 and cysteine (Cys, 3) are linked to neurotoxicity. The biochemical mechanisms by which 1 and 3 are involved in disease states are relatively unclear. Herein, we describe simple methods for detecting either Hey or Cys in the visible spectral region with the highest selectivity reported to date without using biochemical techniques or preparative separations. Simple methods and readily available reagents allow for the detection of Cys and Hey in the range of their physiologically relevant levels. New HPLC …

Multiple Bromodomain Genes Are Involved In Restricting The Spread Of Heterochromatic Silencing At The Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Hmr-Trna Boundary, Nithya Jambunathan, Adam W. Martinez, Elizabeth C. Robert, Nneamaka B. Agochukwu, Megan E. Ibos, Sandra L. Dugas, David Donze

Faculty Publications

The transfer RNA gene downstream from the HMR locus in S. cerevisiae functions as part of a boundary (barrier) element that restricts the spread of heterochromatic gene silencing into the downstream region of chromosome III. A genetic screen for identifying additional genes that, when mutated, allow inappropriate spreading of silencing from HMR through the tRNA gene was performed. YTA7, a gene containing bromodomain and ATPase homologies, was identified multiple times. Previously, others had shown that the bromodomain protein Bdf1p functions to restrict silencing at yeast euchromatin- heterochromatin boundaries; therefore we deleted nonessential bromodomain-containing genes to test their effects on heterochromatin …

Lsu In The Eye Of The Storm: A University Model For Disaster Response, Renée Bacher, Teresa Devlin, Kristine Calongne, Joshua Duplechain, Stephanie Pertuit

LSU Press Published Books

No abstract provided.

Genetic Analysis Of The Sars-Coronavirus Spike Glycoprotein Functional Domains Involved In Cell-Surface Expression And Cell-To-Cell Fusion, Chad M. Petit, Jeffrey M. Melancon, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Robin Colgrove, Michael Farzan, David M. Knipe, K. G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

The SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The SARS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein mediates membrane fusion events during virus entry and virus-induced cell-to-cell fusion. To delineate functional domains of the SARS-CoV S glycoprotein, single point mutations, cluster-to-lysine and cluster-to-alanine mutations, as well as carboxyl-terminal truncations were investigated in transient expression experiments. Mutagenesis of either the coiled-coil domain of the S glycoprotein amino terminal heptad repeat, the predicted fusion peptide, or an adjacent but distinct region, severely compromised S-mediated cell-to-cell fusion, while intracellular transport and cell-surface expression were not adversely affected. Surprisingly, a carboxyl-terminal truncation of …

A Role For Airway Remodeling During Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, David Becnel, Dahui You, Joshua Erskin, Dawn M. Dimina, Stephania A. Cormier

Faculty Publications

Background: Severe respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV) during infancy has been shown to be a major risk factor for the development of subsequent wheeze. However, the reasons for this link remain unclear. The objective of this research was to determine the consequences of early exposure to RSV and allergen in the development of subsequent airway hyperreactivity (AHR) using a developmental time point in the mouse that parallels that of the human neonate. Methods: Weanling mice were sensitized and challeged with ovalbumin (Ova) and/or infected with RSV. Eight days after the last allergen challenge, various pathophysiological endpoints were examined. Results: AHR …

F05rs Sgb No. 1 (Election Code Campaigning), Staples

Student Senate Enrolled Legislation

A BILL

To amend several portions of the Student Government Election Code concerning campaigning