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Experimental Investigation Of Stick-Slip Behavior In Granular Materials, Lynne E. Roussel Jan 2005

Experimental Investigation Of Stick-Slip Behavior In Granular Materials, Lynne E. Roussel

LSU Master's Theses

The mechanical behavior of granular materials is highly dependent on the arrangement of particles, particle groups, and associated pore spaces. Changes in the internal structure due to large deformation may cause changes in the mechanical behavior. The changes include: particle sliding, rolling, and interaction; shear band formation; and fabric anisotropy. During those changes, stick-slip behavior may take place between the granular particles. The objective of the thesis is to study the factors that influence the stick-slip behavior of granular materials. The influence of particle size, uniformity, confining pressure, density, and strain rate are investigated in this thesis. A series of …

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Modification Of Ct Quality Assurance Phantom For Pet/Ct Alignment And Pet Resolution, Prashanth K. Nookala Jan 2005

Modification Of Ct Quality Assurance Phantom For Pet/Ct Alignment And Pet Resolution, Prashanth K. Nookala

LSU Master's Theses

Radiotherapy treatment planning utilizing PET and CT is rapidly gaining acceptance in oncology. A limiting factor of the dual modality is the PET/CT alignment. A small error in PET/CT alignment may result in giving large doses of radiation to healthy tissues as a result of poor treatment planning. For this purpose, regular quality assurance testing of PET/CT must be performed. Separate QA procedures and phantoms have been developed for the two different modalities. In particular, many existing phantoms cannot be used for both modalities, which is a requirement for evaluating PET/CT alignment. Our goal is to evaluate several existing phantom …

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Neural Stem Cells As A Delivery Vector For Chemokine Expression In The Central Nervous System, Mark Winston Stalder Jan 2005

Neural Stem Cells As A Delivery Vector For Chemokine Expression In The Central Nervous System, Mark Winston Stalder

LSU Master's Theses

Increased expression of cytokines and chemokines in the central nervous system (CNS) is closely associated with the development of retroviral-induced neurological diseases such as HIV-associated dementia, as well as other neuropathologies such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. The specific functions of many of these pro-inflammatory factors have yet to be elucidated in the disease process, and it is unclear whether the nature of their effects is protective, pathogenic, or both. Additionally, current models of chemokine function have inherent limitations, with direct injection resulting in a brief response that doesn’t accurately represent the effects of chronic production, and transgenic mice …

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Characteristics Of Reduced Fat Milks As Influenced By The Incorporation Of Folic Acid, Kamalesh Achanta Jan 2005

Characteristics Of Reduced Fat Milks As Influenced By The Incorporation Of Folic Acid, Kamalesh Achanta

LSU Master's Theses

Folic acid plays an important role in the prevention of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly, heart defects, facial clefts, urinary abnormalities and limb deficiencies. Milk and milk products serve as a potential source for folic acid fortification due to the presence of folate binding proteins which seem to be involved in the folate bioavailability. Though milk is a not a good source of folic acid, fortification could help in the prevention of the above mentioned defects. The objective of this study was to examine the physico-chemical characteristics of reduced fat milks fortified with folic acid. Reduced …

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Risk Reporting And Source Credibility: Trying To Make The Readers Interested, Raluca Cozma Jan 2005

Risk Reporting And Source Credibility: Trying To Make The Readers Interested, Raluca Cozma

LSU Master's Theses

An experiment with 98 participants was conducted to explore the effects of government versus multiple sources on perceived credibility and interest when applied to the same risk stories. It also analyzed the effects of source treatment on participants' assessment of government credibility and source reasonableness. The study investigated the effects of demographic characteristics of participants (age, gender, media use) on the same variables, and tried to determine if there was any statistical correlation between the two dependent variables of credibility and interest. It also analyzed the effects of human-interest reports on credibility and interest. Overall, the study found that participants …

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Examining Sponsorship And Cosponsorship In The U.S. House Of Representatives, 1973-2002, Kelly Marie Burke Jan 2005

Examining Sponsorship And Cosponsorship In The U.S. House Of Representatives, 1973-2002, Kelly Marie Burke

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the effects of background characteristics on members of Congress' legislative activity. I intend to measure legislative activity using the total number of bills sponsored and cosponsored during each Congress. Beginning in 1973, this original dataset includes over 6,000 observations and is the most comprehensive study of this subject. Because my dataset begins in 1973, I will be able to identify any effect that the unrestricted ability to cosponsor, which began in 1978, had on legislative activeness. It is my intention to contribute to our scholarly understanding of sponsorship and cosponsorship activity in …

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Spalding Gray And The Slippery Slope Of Confessional Performance, David Price Terry Jan 2005

Spalding Gray And The Slippery Slope Of Confessional Performance, David Price Terry

LSU Master's Theses

Beyond Spalding Gray’s iconic position as a confessional performer, he serves as a representative character for a culture increasingly consumed with both self-reflection and self- disclosure, where confessional speech is understood as somehow more “authentic” or “pure” than other forms of discourse. I argue that confession is a performative, not a constative utterance (a doing not a saying) and that it is a productive not a libratory act; it does not free an already existing self, but produces a new self in the act of performance. Consequently, though the confessional performance style typified by Gray can be aesthetically compelling for …

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Modeling The Fate And Transport Of Chlorinated Benzenes In Baton Rouge Bayou, Sudheer Nimmagadda Jan 2005

Modeling The Fate And Transport Of Chlorinated Benzenes In Baton Rouge Bayou, Sudheer Nimmagadda

LSU Master's Theses

Knowledge of the fate and transport of chlorinated benzenes is necessary at certain sites for effective remediation of contaminated soils using plants. Current research is examining the capability of wetland plants to catalyze degradation or attenuate migration, but again requires knowledge of the uptake of contaminants from an aqueous environment. A two stage model was used to estimate the rate of uptake of contaminants from sediments. The first stage of the model predicts pollutant leaching rates from sediments to the overlying water, which would then be fed into the plant or bioreactor model systems. In this study the flux from …

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Press Street: A Concept For Preserving, Reintroducing And Fostering Local History, Brian J. Mcbride Jan 2005

Press Street: A Concept For Preserving, Reintroducing And Fostering Local History, Brian J. Mcbride

LSU Master's Theses

To encourage increased stability in declining neighborhoods, government planning agencies and other land developers, continuously search for solutions to improve the quality of life for people living in communities in need of revitalization and a boost to their local economy. Studies have shown that well developed greenways and other public open spaces are improving the economic stability for many neighborhoods. Consequently, it is the creation of successful parks and public open spaces that have been found to be the first steps to improving such communities (The Trust for Public Land). If creating parks is the key to saving neighborhoods, can …

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"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 Jan 2005

"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 …

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The Yes Men And Activism In The Information Age, Lani Boyd Jan 2005

The Yes Men And Activism In The Information Age, Lani Boyd

LSU Master's Theses

Western history is filled with pranks and trickery intent on enlightening audiences by blending fiction with reality. The Yes Men, an Internet-based activist group, did just that, forging new ground and establishing themselves as political pranksters in a media-dominant global society. With an arsenal of parody, satire, interventions, and tactical obfuscation, the Yes Men attack those who they feel abuse their positions of power. They have impersonated public persons and infamous entities, including President George W. Bush, the World Trade Organization, and Dow Chemical. Their mimicry is so convincing that the audience cannot decipher between satire and the real thing. …

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Covering The Revolution Of Roses (Differences And Similarities Between Georgia And Independent Television Companies), Nino Danelia Jan 2005

Covering The Revolution Of Roses (Differences And Similarities Between Georgia And Independent Television Companies), Nino Danelia

LSU Master's Theses

The study analyzed how independent and state media's news programs differ in the way they framed the Georgian Revolution of Roses. The paper analyzed what sources, frames and key words journalists used to describe the protest in order to investigate if the coverage was objective or biased in any particular direction. Study provides evidence that by framing protests in a different way, politicians and journalists give different meanings to the same issues and suggest what is at issue. Each party of the political elite tried to promote their own political viewpoints. By preferring sources from the ruling party and their …

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Cryopreservation Of Reproductive Cells And Tissues, Guanglei Li Jan 2005

Cryopreservation Of Reproductive Cells And Tissues, Guanglei Li

LSU Master's Theses

Cryopreservation of reproductive cells and tissues is a useful technique to deliver intact genomes, maximize the distribution of favorable genes, control disease spread. It is widely applied to many fields such as biology, medicine, ecology and agriculture. To optimize the cryopreservation procedure, the biophysical responses of reproductive tissues at different cooling conditions and in different mediums must be clearly understood. Here we studied the biophysical response during freezing of: 1) bovine sperm frozen at a cooling rate of 20 ˚C/min in three media: without cryopreservation agents(CPAs), with 0.7 M glycerol, and with 0.7 M glycerol along with 1.5 mg/ml of …

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Palimpsest Encounters: A Baseline Study Of Federal, Antebellum, And Postbellum New Orleans Gardens Using The Notarial Archives Drawings, Cecilia L. Mcnab Jan 2005

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 …

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Damage Mechanics Of Composite Materials Using Fabric Tensors, Ziad N. Taqieddin Jan 2005

Damage Mechanics Of Composite Materials Using Fabric Tensors, Ziad N. Taqieddin

LSU Master's Theses

The major objective of this work is to relate continuum damage mechanics introduced through the concept of fabric tensors to composite materials within the framework of classical elasticity theory. A model of directional data-damage mechanics for composite materials is formulated using fabric tensors. In addition, a general hypothesis for damage mechanics is postulated. It is seen that the two available hypotheses of elastic strain equivalence and elastic energy equivalence may be obtained as special cases of the postulated general hypothesis. This general hypothesis is then used to derive the sought relationship between the damage tensor for composite materials and the …

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Modeling The Flow Of Non-Newtonian Fluids In Packed Beds At The Pore Scale, Matthew Balhoff Jan 2005

Modeling The Flow Of Non-Newtonian Fluids In Packed Beds At The Pore Scale, Matthew Balhoff

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Flow and transport in porous media are important in many science and engineering applications such as composite materials, subsurface water contamination, packed-bed reactors, and enhanced oil recovery. The general approach to modeling such processes is at the continuum scale. Semi-empirical expressions, such as Darcy's law, are substituted for velocity in the continuity equation, which is then coupled with a momentum, mass, and energy balance. While a continuum approach is acceptable in some cases, additional modeling is required for certain non-linear flows, such as multi-phase flows, inertial flows, non-Newtonian flows, and reactive flows. Pore-scale modeling is a first-principles approach to modeling …

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Aspects Of Production For Clerodendrum As Potted Flowering Plants, Annina Delaune Jan 2005

Aspects Of Production For Clerodendrum As Potted Flowering Plants, Annina Delaune

LSU Master's Theses

The effect of growth regulators gibberellic acid (Pro-Gibb™), daminozide (B-Nine™), ancymidol (A-Rest™) and paclobutrazol (Bonzi™) were evaluated on species of Clerodendrum grown as flowering pot plants. Studies on photoperiod and post-production longevity were also included. Experiments were conducted on C. bungei, C. thomsoniae, C. ugandense, C. phillippinum, C. paniculata and C. speciosissimum in polycarbonate greenhouses. For C. thomsoniae the best growth control was achieved by applying paclobutrazol and ancymidol drench at a rate of 1.0 mg a.i. /pot. For C. ugandense, the most appropriate application rate of PGR was paclobutrazol drench at 5 to 15 mg a.i./pot. C. bungei did …

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Regulation Of The Expression Of Photorespiratory Genes Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Baran Tural Jan 2005

Regulation Of The Expression Of Photorespiratory Genes Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Baran Tural

LSU Master's Theses

The regulation of the photorespiratory pathway of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii during a shift from high to low CO2 conditions was investigated. To this end, a set of C. reinhardtii cDNA sequences for known photorespiratory enzymes was assembled using the C. reinhardtii EST data and primary sequencing data. The cDNA sequences of the proposed photorespiratory genes are presented. A subset of these genes was used for expression analyses under varied conditions. Expression data indicates that there was a rapid and coordinated induction of photorespiratory and carbon dioxide concentrating mechanism (CCM) gene expression during a time course switch from elevated CO2 conditions (5% …

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Experimental Method Development For Direct Dosimetry Of Permanent Interstitial Prostate Brachytherapy Implants, John Michael Jarrett Jan 2005

Experimental Method Development For Direct Dosimetry Of Permanent Interstitial Prostate Brachytherapy Implants, John Michael Jarrett

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: To ascertain if PET image data of a positron tracer can be used for the quantitative description of dose distribution in support of direct prostate seed dosimetry. Materials and Methods: Simulated brachytherapy seeds were constructed containing trace amounts of a positron emitter, F-18, such that all annihilation events took place in the encapsulation wall. An acrylic prostate phantom containing these seeds was imaged with a GE Discovery ST PET/CT scanner in 2D and 3D acquisition modes and several image reconstruction methods. The PET scan data was used as the input for Monte Carlo calculation of dose distribution due to …

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Characterization Of A Modified Poly(Propylene Imine) Dendrimer Host System, Amy D. Morara Jan 2005

Characterization Of A Modified Poly(Propylene Imine) Dendrimer Host System, Amy D. Morara

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research in this dissertation focuses on the design of a novel redox-responsive host system that has the ability to encapsulate guest molecules. The host at hand is a tri(ethylene oxide), TEO, pyrrole-terminated PPI dendrimer that possesses water-solubility as a result of the presence of the TEO chains on the pyrrole groups and redox-responsive activity from the pyrrole groups after their oligomerization. The pyrrole moieties at the periphery of the dendrimer exhibit the ability to be oligomerized by oxidation chemistry, and this is shown to aid in the retention and egress of guest molecules located within the dendrimer interior. These …

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Reconstruction Of Nuclear Transfer Embryos In Goats And Cattle [Electronic Resource], Allison Morris Landry Jan 2005

Reconstruction Of Nuclear Transfer Embryos In Goats And Cattle [Electronic Resource], Allison Morris Landry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The low survival rates of nuclear transfer fetuses and neonates in goats and cattle have been linked to placental abnormalities. A series of studies was designed to investigate the possibility of supplementing nuclear transfer embryos with electrofused embryos to generate placental tissue in goats and cattle. The initial study was designed to determine if the breeding season of goats could be extended with hCG treatment. Progesterone concentrations in treated does increased but pregnancy rates were unaffected. In the second study, goat embryos were electrofused and combined with nuclear transfer embryos at the 8-cell stage to produce the first offspring as …

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"Let Me Play A While": Storytelling Characters And Voices In The Works Of Mark Twain, William Faulkner, And Lee Smith, Kenneth Mark Broyles Jan 2005

"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 …

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Geostatistical Integration Of Geophysical, Well Bore And Outcrop Data For Flow Modeling Of A Deltaic Reservoir Analogue, Hong Tang Jan 2005

Geostatistical Integration Of Geophysical, Well Bore And Outcrop Data For Flow Modeling Of A Deltaic Reservoir Analogue, Hong Tang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Significant world oil and gas reserves occur in deltaic reservoirs. Characterization of deltaic reservoirs requires understanding sedimentary and diagenetic heterogeneity at the submeter scale in three dimensions. However, deltaic facies architecture is complex and poorly understood. Moreover, precipitation of extensive calcite cement during diagenesis can modify the depositional permeability of sandstone reservoir and affect fluid flow. Heterogeneity contributes to trapping a significant portion of mobile oil in deltaic reservoirs analogous of Cretaceous Frontier Formation, Powder River Basin, Wyoming. This dissertation focuses on 3D characterization of an ancient deltaic lobe. The Turonian Wall Creek Member in central Wyoming has been selected …

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"To The Latest Generation": Cold War And Post Cold War U.S. Civil War Novels In Their Social Contexts, Jeffrey Neal Smithpeters Jan 2005

"To The Latest Generation": Cold War And Post Cold War U.S. Civil War Novels In Their Social Contexts, Jeffrey Neal Smithpeters

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation argues that readings of the Civil War novels published in America since 1955 should be informed by a consciousness of the social forces at work in each author’s time. Part One consists of a study of the popular Civil War novel, 1955’s Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor; part two, 1974’s The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Chapters One through Three explain that Kantor was especially fitted for the ideological work going on in Andersonville, then outlines the way that novel tried to contribute to the transition between World War II and the Cold War. The book attempted to aid …

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Antimicrobial Effects Of Copper And Brass Ions On The Growth Of Listeria Monocytogenes At Different Temperatures, Ph And Nutrients, Aisha Abushelaibi Jan 2005

Antimicrobial Effects Of Copper And Brass Ions On The Growth Of Listeria Monocytogenes At Different Temperatures, Ph And Nutrients, Aisha Abushelaibi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Listeria monocytogenes has been recognized as a human pathogen since 1929. This pathogen is found in many foods and listeriosis infections affect approximately 2,500 people in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those infected with L. monocytogenes approximately 500 die as a result of the illness. Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium, commonly found in water, soil, plant material, animals and human. Today, different methods are used by food manufacturers, to reduce the risk of Listeria monocytogenes, such as antimicrobial agents, heating, irradiation, and fermentation. The ability of the bacteria to grow …

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Toward A Construct Validation Of The Louisiana School Analysis Model Instructional Staff Questionnaire, Nikki Bray Clark Jan 2005

Toward A Construct Validation Of The Louisiana School Analysis Model Instructional Staff Questionnaire, Nikki Bray Clark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study assessed the construct validity of the School Analysis Model (SAM) Instructional Staff Questionnaire. Construct validation was necessary for several reasons. First, it has not been possible to obtain evidence of the latent factor structure of this key component of the School Analysis Model (SAM). A factor analysis using data collected with the questionnaire was conducted to assess and identify the underlying factor structure of the instrument. Second, there is no evidence that the constructs measured by the SAM are associated with attributes of school performance further empirical analysis was done to determine if latent constructs contained within the …

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An Evaluation Of The Enantiomeric Recognition Of Amino Acid Based Polymeric Surfactants And Cyclodextrins Using Spectroscopic And Chromatographic Methods, Bertha Cedillo Valle Jan 2005

An Evaluation Of The Enantiomeric Recognition Of Amino Acid Based Polymeric Surfactants And Cyclodextrins Using Spectroscopic And Chromatographic Methods, Bertha Cedillo Valle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The scope of this dissertation is to explore the enantiomeric recognition properties of amino acid based polymeric surfactants using a combination of analytical techniques including chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. Chapter 1 includes an introduction to chirality and chiral separations using capillary electrophoresis. Using cyclodextrin modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC), the enantioseparation of three binaphthyl derivatives using native alpha- and beta-cyclodextrins in combination with various diastereomers of chiral polymeric surfactants (PS) was examined. A reversal of enantiomeric order was observed with the enantiomers of (1,1 S-binaphthyl-2,2 S-diamine (BNA) and (1,1 S-binaphthol (BOH) due to a competition between the two chiral selectors …

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Hydrophobic Guar Gum Derivatives Prepared By Controlled Grafting Processes For Hydraulic Facturing Applications, Ahmad Bahamdan Jan 2005

Hydrophobic Guar Gum Derivatives Prepared By Controlled Grafting Processes For Hydraulic Facturing Applications, Ahmad Bahamdan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The synthesis of new water soluble guar gum derivatives is described. Introduction of polyalkoxyalkyleneamide grafts to guar gum or hydroxyopropyl guar was achieved in a three step process: carboxymethylation with sodium chloroacetate, esterification with dimethyl sulfate and amidation with a series of polyalkoxyalkylene-amines. The process steps were followed using infrared spectroscopy; the grafted guar derivatives were characterized using FT-IR and 1H NMR. A series of hydroxypropyl guar derivatives with degrees of carboxymethylations ranging from 0.15-0.25 were modified with polyalkoxyalkyleneamines with molecular weights ranging from 300-3000. The ratio of oxypropylene to oxoethylene units in the polyalkoxyalkyleneamines was varied from 9/1 …

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When I Die, I Won't Stay Dead: The Poetry Of Bob Kaufman, Mona Lisa Saloy Jan 2005

When I Die, I Won't Stay Dead: The Poetry Of Bob Kaufman, Mona Lisa Saloy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation begins with the premise that critical attention to the work of Bob Kaufman is long overdue, and that Bob Kaufman is a significant American poet in the African American and Beat traditions. The purpose of this dissertation begins to rectify this need with a study of Bob Kaufman’s verse. My exploration of Kaufman necessitates some pointed attention to the cultural, social, and psychological influences that gave rise to his work, specifically his upbringing in the south, his travels, and the misrepresented times of his life in current biographical entries and some present scholarship. I will also address the …

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Multiscale Strain Analysis, Timothy Donald Breitzman Jan 2005

Multiscale Strain Analysis, Timothy Donald Breitzman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The mathematical homogenization and corrector theory relevant to prestressed heterogeneous materials in the linear-elastic regime is discussed. A suitable corrector theory is derived to reconstruct the local strain field inside the composite. Based on this theory, we develop an inexpensive numerical method for multi scale strain analysis within a prestressed heterogeneous material. The theory also provides a characterization of the macroscopic strength domain. The strength domain places constraints on the homogenized strain field which guarantee that the actual strain in the heterogeneous material lies inside the strength domain of each material participating in the structure.

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