Digital Commons Network^™

Do Terraces And Coconut Mats Affect Seeds And Submerged Aquatic Vegetation At Sabine National Wildlife Refuge?, Aaron Bailey Caldwell

LSU Master's Theses

Terraces are a widely used wetland restoration tools in coastal Louisiana, yet the benefits of terraces are poorly documented. Like terraces, coconut mats also may increase abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), but their benefits are undocumented. I compared SAV and seed abundance in a marsh pond among three treatments: terrace, coconut mat, and marsh.

I evaluated terraces constructed in 1999 and coconut mats installed in 2001 in portions of unit 7 of Sabine National Wildlife Refuge that converted from emergent marsh to open water between 1956 and 1978. I randomly selected 3 terrace, marsh, and coconut mat stations. I …

A Hybrid Model-Based And Memory-Based Short-Term Traffic Prediction System, Ciprian Danut Alecsandru

LSU Master's Theses

Short-term traffic forecasting capabilities on freeways and major arterials have received special attention in the past decade due primarily to their vital role in supporting various travelers' trip decisions and traffic management functions. This research presents a hybrid model-based and memory-based methodology to improve freeway traffic prediction performance. The proposed methodology integrates both approaches to strengthen predictions under both recurrent and non-recurrent conditions. The model-based approach relies on a combination of static and dynamic neural network architectures to achieve optimal prediction performance under various input and traffic condition settings. Concurrently, the memory-based component is derived from the data archival system …

Nekton Use And Growth In Three Brackish Marsh Pond Microhabitats, Sarai C. Kanouse

LSU Master's Theses

With continued marsh break-up and loss in Louisiana, small interior ponds are created, increasing areas of shallow water habitats. These shallow water habitats are potential sites for submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) establishment. It is important to characterize nekton community composition, density, biomass, and growth within brackish marsh pond microhabitats because SAV is often cited as essential fish habitat (EFH). Three microhabitat types were investigated: (1) inner-pond SAV (> 1 m from edge); (2) near marsh-edge SAV (< 1 m from edge) and (3) nonvegetated bottom. We tested the null hypotheses that nekton community composition, density, and biomass were not related to microhabitat type and characteristics. Ninety-six quantitative samples were taken with a 1-m² throw trap between September 2001 and July 2002. The two vegetated microhabitats were characterized by monotypic stands of widgeon grass Ruppia maritima …

Robert Lowell's Life-Writing And Memory, Gye-Yu Kang

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines Robert Lowell's use of memory in such autobiographical works as Life Studies and Day by Day. In those volumes, Lowell returns to recollect his private past; his act of remembering becomes the poetic process by which Lowell is able to create the retrospective truth of his life. The most important feature of memory in his life-writing is in its role as an imaginative reconstruction. In the first chapter, I review recent models that regard memory as a reconstructive process. Memory involves more than fact, according to these investigations; it also represents a fictionalizing process of self. In …

An Ecopath/Ecosim Analysis Of An Estuarine Food Web: Seasonal Energy Flow And Response To River-Flow Related Perturbations, Laura Lynette Althauser

LSU Master's Theses

Estuaries are often the receiving basins for major river systems which makes them vulnerable to anthropogenic influences. I used Ecopath and Ecosim to investigate the structure of the Weeks Bay, Alabama, USA food web, and the responses of the food web to bottom-up perturbations. Four season-specific steady-state Ecopath models were developed and used to compare the production, biomass, consumption, biomass flows, and higher order indices of ecosystem functioning of the Weeks Bay food web under winter, spring, summer, and fall conditions. The season-specific Ecopath snapshots indicated that the structure of the Weeks Bay food web was resilient. Winter had the …

Circuitry For A Remotely Powered Bio-Implantable Gastric Electrical Stimulation System, Satish Kona

LSU Master's Theses

Power to bio-implantable devices is usually supplied through a battery implanted with the system or through wires extending to an outside power source. The latter case with wires protruding out of the body can be unaesthetic in appearance and can cause infection. In this research, we consider an alternative way to power a bio-implantable microsystem. It involves using rechargeable lithium batteries. Here, power is delivered remotely to charge implanted battery or batteries. This approach avoids periodic surgery necessary for battery replacement. It also does not tie a person to an external power source at all times. This improves patient’s quality …

Five Films Of Steven Soderbergh, Donald Beale

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines five films of Steven Soderbergh: sex, lies, and videotape (1989), The Underneath (1995), Out of Sight (1998), The Limey (1999), and Traffic (2000). For each film, themes and cinematic form and technique are analyzed with the intent of demonstrating a consistent authorial voice of the director. The investigation reveals that common themes include the protagonist at odds with the world about him, journey, ambiguities and uncertainties in the characters' worlds, and the nondichotomous nature of reality, especially in regard to morality. The study also argues that Soderbergh has evolved a style that favors a nonlinear narrative and …

Revisiting The 1992 Los Angeles Riots: An Analysis Of Geographical Perspectives, Paul Watts

LSU Master's Theses

The intent of this thesis is to investigate the complexities of the 1992 Los Angeles riots from a spatial perspective. To study the 1992 Los Angeles riots is an attempt to understand dynamic and unpredictable events, events that can result in multiple deaths, vast property damage, and leave irrevocable scars on a community for years. It is these reasons that should call geographers to the challenges of studying riots. Part of this thesis is to critically evaluate previous quantitative work on the 1992 Los Angeles riots and to argue for a new investigative approach in understanding riots in general. My …

Regional Water Quality Models For The Prediction Of Eutrophication Endpoints, Anindita Das

LSU Master's Theses

Eutrophication is a process by which a waterbody progresses from its origin to its extinction. During this period, there is a gradual accumulation of nutrients and organic biomass, accompanied by a decrease in average depth of the water due to sediment accumulation, and an increase in primary productivity, usually in the form of dense algal blooms. Cultural eutrophication occurs when humans, through their various activities, greatly accelerate this process. Eutrophication can cause loss in species diversity, fish kills, and decrease the aesthetic value of a waterbody. The EPA is trying to prevent cultural eutrophication by setting standards for water quality …

Adaptive Image Filtering Using Run-Time Reconfiguration, Nitin Srivastava

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis implements an adaptive linear smoothing image filtering algorithm, on a Virtex™-E FPGA using run-time reconfiguration (RTR). An adaptive filter uses a filtering window that runs over the entire image pixel-by-pixel, generating new (filtered) values of the pixels. As the name suggests, an adaptive filter can adapt to the varying nature of an image by adjusting the coefficients of the filtering window depending upon the local variance in the intensity values of pixels. It filters an image in a non-uniform fashion providing greater smoothing in largely uniform areas of the image and lesser smoothing when it encounters edges and …

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Modulation And Inter-Carrier Interference Cancellation, Yao Xiao

LSU Master's Theses

The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technique, wireless channel models, and a pair of new intercarrier interference self-cancellation methods are investigated in this thesis. The first chapter addresses the history of OFDM, along with its principles and applications. Chapter two consists of three parts: the principal, the modern OFDM models, and the Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) problem. Chapter two also summarizes possible PAPR solutions. Chapter three discusses a series of well-known wireless channel models, as well as the general formula for wireless channels. In Chapter four, ICI problem has been discussed, along with its existing solutions. Chapter five …

Nekton Utilization Of Restored Habitat In A Louisiana Marsh, Christina Samantha Bush

LSU Master's Theses

Marsh terracing and coconut fiber mats are two restoration techniques currently being implemented at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. We tested two hypotheses related to these restoration techniques: (1) marsh terracing enhances nekton assemblages, so that nekton use is similar to those at natural marsh edges, and (2) coconut matted marsh edges enhance SAV recruitment, so that nekton use is similar to those found at natural marsh edges. Samples from terraces and coconut matted marsh were compared to samples from the natural marsh and open water habitats. We measured the following variables at each habitat: (1) nekton density and abundance, (2) …

Major And Minor Life Events As Predictors Of Medical Utilization, Gareth R. Dutton

LSU Master's Theses

Research suggests stressful life events can negatively influence physical and mental health in a number of ways. While previous research indicates both major and minor life events contribute unique variance to the prediction of physical and mental symptoms, little research has examined the relationships of both major and minor life events with medical utilization. The current study included a predominantly African American, low-income sample of adults (N = 207) attending two primary care outpatient clinics and assessed their experience of both major and minor life events over the course of one year. Medical utilization data were collected over a subsequent …

Fine-Scaled Movements And Habitat Use Of Black Bears In South Central Louisiana, Dwayne Allen Hightower

LSU Master's Theses

Animal movements are related to many parameters of interest such as the search for food and other life requisites. Several measures, including home range, have been used to quantify and describe animal movement. However, fine-scaled movements of mammals have received less attention even though they are more directly related to energy expended for locating resources and provide information on how a home range is used. I tracked radiotagged female black bears (Ursus americanus) from two geographically separate populations in the Atchafalaya River Basin in south central Louisiana: the Coastal population at the southern extent and the Inland population at the …

The Correlation Between College Students' Familiarity With Potentially Offensive Popular Music And Self-Reported Tolerance Of Obscene Language And Sexual Behavior, Harry Emons Martin

LSU Master's Theses

This study's purpose was to examine the correlations among popular music preference, sexual behavior tolerance, and potentially obscene language usage. Subjects (N = 81) were college freshmen over the age of 18 who graduated from high school in 2001. They were drawn from one section each of a Music Appreciation course (non-music majors) and an Introduction to Music Study course (music majors). The top 20 songs from the October 27, 2001 Billboard Magazine's Top 100 charts were analyzed for occurrences of potentially offensive words and whole lines of lyrics containing sexual references. Subjects responded to a 4-part questionnaire. In part …

Experimental Evaluation Of Temporal Particle Agglomeration And Metal Partitioning Of Urban Rainfall-Runoff, Aimee Ann Blazier

LSU Master's Theses

Rainfall-runoff quantity and quality control presents unique challenges due to the complexity and variability of hydrology and rainfall-runoff chemistry as well as the variable nature of constituent-producing processes in the environment. This study investigates two fundamental processes in rainfall-runoff: temporal particle agglomeration and metal partitioning between the solid and aqueous phase. A series of rainfall-runoff events were captured at an urban, Portland concrete cement (PCC) paved site in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and characterized with respect to particle gradation and metal phase fractions (dissolved and particulate) over time from a well-mixed, batch experimental system. Results indicate that equilibria and kinetics of …

Restructuring The Spaces Under Elevated Expressways: A Case Study Of The Spaces Below The Interstate-10 Overpass At Perkins Road In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Ramon Irizarry

LSU Master's Theses

General information about the development the United States Interstate System, different theories of urban design, and samples of projects developed under elevated highways structures were used to illustrate the issues associated to the development of elevated highway within urban areas. After building the framework for the study of the spaces below elevated highways a comprehensive study of the contextual, spatial, and functional characteristics of the spaces below the Interstate-10 at Perkins Road was conducted over a period of 9 months. As a result of this study a master plan was developed to addresses the issues affecting the spaces below the …

Relative Efficacy Of School-Home Notes With And Without Response Cost In Impoverished Elementary School Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Andrea Nichole Jurbergs

LSU Master's Theses

Daily report cards and punishment have proven to be effective methods of classroom behavior management. However, treatment effectiveness studies have not been designed to adequately compare the effects of rewarding and punishing consequences on behavior through a school-home note. The study of school-home note treatment effectiveness has focused on middle-class students with behavior problems; both ADHD and disadvantaged populations have been underresearched. Using a reversal, alternating treatments design, the present study will examine the effectiveness of a response-cost system added to school-home notes for increasing classwork completion and appropriate classroom behavior in several disadvantaged elementary school children with ADHD.

Toxicity Of South Louisiana Crude Oil, Alaskan North Slope Crude Oil, And Dispersant Corexit 9500 To Gulf Killifish, White Shrimp, And Eastern Oyster, Bo Liu

LSU Master's Theses

To address public concern over potential ecological effects on commercially and ecologically important species following use of dispersants during oil spill response efforts, toxicity data was generated for three estuarine species indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico including juvenile Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis, white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus, and Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. The acute toxicity of the dispersant Exxon Corexit 9500, South Louisiana crude oil (SLC), Alaskan north slope crude oil (ANSC) and dispersed oils (SLC+9500 and ANSC+9500) to the species was determined for both nominal concentrations (NC) and hydrocarbon concentrations (HC). Two 24-h field toxicity trials were conducted with …

Behind The Scenes: Uncovering The Structures And Manipulations Of Tabloid Talk Show Workers, Guests And Audiences, Kelly Thompson Losch Deshotel

LSU Master's Theses

How talk show workers, guests and audiences behave behind-the-scenes is largely a mystery to the public. This research focuses on the behind-the-scenes workings of a daytime syndicated talk show to better understand the motivations of talk show guests and how talk show workers manipulate guests and audiences. While researchers have conducted studies of talk show guests using formal interviews and questionnaires, no researchers have posed as covert observers to study talk shows. The researcher conducted participant observation to study the behaviors of those involved with the on and offstage talk show structure. The researcher interned for the show without revealing …

Re-Evaluating The Mausoleum Of Galla Placidia, Lisa Onontiyoh West

LSU Master's Theses

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia has generated a lengthy bibliography over the centuries but, in spite of repeated investigations, the north and south arm barrel vaults have received almost no attention. Commentary on these areas of the mosaic program is usually brief and limited to a comparison between the appearance of the barrel vaults and patterns found in various textiles, such as carpets. This thesis seeks to fill the void in the body of scholarly research pertaining to the north and south arm barrel vaults by viewing their decorative motifs through the eyes of a fifth-century Christian. When seen from …

Accelerate Into The Accident, Jeffey D. Hill

LSU Master's Theses

The installation uses purely steel to describe the organic and chaotic nature of thought processes. It looks for a way to confront grief and anxiety. The procedure's purpose is to understand abstract, emotional thinking in immediate, familiar physical terms. By examining each fine strand, either steel rod or line of thought, I attempt to revel in the overwhelming complexity and irrefutable beauty of the mind. It is not a strategy to control mental imbalance. It is rather a humble acceptance of the organic chaos of thought.

Macroinvertebrate Abundance And Distribution Of Hydrilla And Ceratophyllum Habitats In The Atchafalaya River Basin, Louisiana, Jose Checo Colon-Gaud

LSU Master's Theses

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) plays an important role in aquatic systems, providing shelter, breeding habitat, and epiphytic forage for numerous fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Since 1960, many lentic habitats in the southern U.S. have been invaded by Hydrilla verticillata, and in the last two decades this aggressive macrophyte has become the dominant species of SAV in the Atchafalaya River Basin in south central Louisiana. Because of its highly branched morphology and characteristically high densities, I found it difficult to quantitatively sample the macrofauna inhabiting hydrilla stands with traditional gears such as sweep nets, particularly under the canopy. As a consequence, …

Conceptualized Direct Perception: A Hybrid Theory Of Vision, Jason L. Megill

LSU Master's Theses

I formulate a hybrid theory of perception, one in which the mind’s interaction with the world is a more direct affair than many suppose (no perceptual mental representations, no sense data, no Cartesian Theater), but one in which our concepts also play a role. My claims have implications for philosophical attempts to understand perception, cognitive science theories of vision, debates over the nature of consciousness, and philosophical debates concerning Artificial Intelligence.

Scalable Parallel Molecular Dynamics Algorithms For Organic Systems, Satyavani Vemparala

LSU Master's Theses

A scalable parallel algorithm, Macro-Molecular Dynamics (MMD), has been developed for large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of organic macromolecules, based on space-time multi-resolution techniques and dynamic management of distributed lists. The algorithm also includes the calculation of long range forces using Fast Multipole Method (FMM). FMM is based on the octree data structure, in which each parent cell is divided into 8 child cells and this division continues until the cell size is equal to the non-bonded interaction cutoff length. Due to constant number of operations performed at each stage of the octree, the FMM algorithm scales as O(N). Design and …

Helen M. Turner, American Impressionist, Maia Jalenak

LSU Master's Theses

A renewal of interest in the French impressionists began in 1974 with the 100th anniversary of the first exhibition of the artists who broke with the official Salon in Paris and held their own exhibitions from 1874 through 1886. Since 1974, there has been a swell of interest in reinvestigating lesser-known European and American impressionist artists, especially women artists whose work often was relegated to second-class professional status. Among them was Helen Maria Turner (1858-1958), an artist whose work merits further examination. In the first two decades of the twentieth century, Turner's art was held in great esteem by critics, …

Consumer Perception And Application Of Edible Coatings On Fresh-Cut Fruits And Vegetables, Sirisha Sonti

LSU Master's Theses

Plasticized whey protein coatings have been shown to extend the shelf life of fresh produce. This thesis research was designed to determine consumer acceptance and perception of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (FCFV) and edible coatings (EC) and to determine effects of plasticized whey protein coatings on quality of fresh-cut apples. Two studies were conducted. In the first study, a questionnaire on FCFV and EC was prepared and completed by 611 consumers. The data were analyzed using Probit analysis. In the second study, physical and microbial quality of fresh-cut (FC) apples coated with three whey proteins (30% glycerol added) each at …

Evaluation Of Computerized Reading Intervention, Jennifer Lynne Koenig

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based reading intervention with eight elementary school children. This program, called the Reading Center, utilizes repeated reading, listening passage preview, word drills, and comprehension questions. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the intervention effects on oral reading fluency. Results indicated growth in all eight children, with increases between 8.7 and 20 words per week for intervention passages. The implications of the results for the use of computer-delivered interventions are discussed.

The Determination Of Appropriate Phosphogypsum: Class C Fly Ash : Portland Type Ii Cement Compositions For Use In Marine Applications, Pradyot Sudhakar Deshpande

LSU Master's Theses

Phosphogypsum (PG, CaSO₄·2H₂O) is a waste by-product produced during the wet manufacturing phosphoric acid process. Phosphoric acid is manufactured by processing phosphate rock that contains relatively high concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive impurities which makes PG a radioactive material. PG also contains certain trace metals including As, Ba, Cd, Cr and Pb and radioactive contaminants such as Radium²²⁶ and Uranium²³⁸ that pose potential hazard to human health and the environment. According to USEPA, the current allowable disposal method for PG is stack piling. This research was focused on stabilizing PG with Portland Type II …

The Integration Of A Formal Garden Curriculum Into Louisiana Public Elementary Schools, Leanna Lynn Smith

LSU Master's Theses

School gardens have been and are in use today at schools around the United States to supplement their curriculum. Very little research, however, has been conducted to quantify the benefits that gardening provides to students. The first four chapters of a hands-on gardening curriculum (Junior Master Gardener Handbook Level One) were introduced into three East Baton Rouge Parish elementary schools the fall semester of 2002. Science achievement tests developed at Texas A&M University specifically for the Junior Master Gardener program, were given both before and after the students participated in the gardening activities to determine whether or not the activities …