Digital Commons Network^™

Are You Still Listening?, Alden Eagle

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

International Financial Markets, Wei Hua

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays: one looks at the cross-country variations in volume-price variability relationship and cultural and other country factors, and the other looks at cause and effects of large one-day price changes in commodity futures.

The first essay presented in Chapter 1 investigates the effect of cultural and other country factors on the dynamic relation between market-wide trading activity and price variability in 20 countries. The results show that individualism and masculinity are positively related to volume-variability relation; other country factors including information asymmetry, financial development, short sale and age distribution are also closely related to the …

The Food Court In The Magic Kingdom: Globalization, Cuisine And Attitudes In Saudi Arabia, Klaus Heyer

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the last twenty years, Saudi Arabia has been modernizing much faster and in a shorter period than in the majority of the world’s countries. This study seeks to examine factors that influence the diet of Saudi Arabians. Aside from language, one of the principal manifestations of culture is a country’s cuisine.

I sought to determine whether factors, such as exposure to other countries, an income increase, or simply the desire to diversify the palette have led to a change in diet.

This mixed-methods study employed 148 surveys looking at attitudes towards the United States and other countries, travel abroad, …

Enhancement In Degradation Of Environmental Pollutants: Fenton Degradation Of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene And Photodegradation Of Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil, Sarah M. King

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Pollution poses serious threats to both the environmental and the organisms that depend on their environment for survival. Due to the toxicity of most contaminants, there is a dire need for remediation of polluted sites. Remediation studies were conducted on two high priority pollutants: 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and crude oil.

TNT was the most common explosive used in the 20^th century. Continuous contamination has resulted in an urgent need for remediation. Fenton reagent provides an advanced oxidation process that is capable of remediating recalcitrant explosives, such as TNT. One drawback of Fenton chemistry is that the reaction requires acidic pH …

Casa Samba: Identity, Authenticity, And Tourism In New Orleans, Lauren Lastrapes

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Casa Samba is a cultural organization and samba school that has been operating in New Orleans’ performance scene since 1986. The group has been run by an American couple, Curtis and Carol Pierre, since its inception. Their son, Bomani Pierre, has been raised in the Afro-Brazilian drumming and dance practices that Casa Samba teaches and performs. Life histories of the group’s founding family are the basis of this qualitative case study. Using the details of individual lives and the context that these details provide, this dissertation seeks answers to two key questions: How and why does an American couple …

Efficacy Of Self-Care And Traditional Mental Health Counseling In Treating Vicarious Traumatization Among Counselors Of Hurricane Katrina Survivors, Mary Alice Many

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The population consisted of 9,000 Gulf Coast Licensed Professional Counselors. Surveys were returned by 609 participants. In the researcher-developed demographic survey, 586 individuals responded to the questions regarding age, gender, ethnicity, and years of counseling experience; 585 individuals responded to questions about exposure to prior trauma, and personal Katrina-related losses; 578 individuals responded to the question about the percentage of their work week that was spent counseling victims, and 579 individuals responded to questions regarding the type of mental health care strategy they participated in. There were 439 usable surveys for the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) (Weathers, Litz, Huska, & …

Individual Spirituality And The Canterbury Tales: An Analysis Of The Philosophical Connection Between The Tale Of Melibee And The Parson’S Tale As It Operates Within The Narrative Framework, Chelsea R. Martin

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

An analysis of both the placement and the philosophical connections between The Tale of Melibee and The Parson’s Tale suggests that a highly individual spiritual philosophy is being presented within The Canterbury Tales. This philosophy is exemplified via an analysis of both the role of The Tale of Melibee within the work, and the manner in which it is historically developed. The highest form of individual spirituality is revealed within The Tale of Melibee, through the spiritual developments occurring within the character Melibeus and his wife Prudence. This development serves to unify the exemplified extremes of satire and spirituality …

A Case Study To Examine Student Retention At A Less Selective University With A High Rate Of Retention, Victoria M. Palmisano

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This case study sheds light on successful matriculation practices which emerge from the combination of institutional efforts and student needs. In order to discern successful matriculation data was collected in the form of interviews, observations, and documents at a less selective college with a high rate of retention. Mortimer Adler College possesses unique qualities with respect to curriculum, student population, teaching styles, and student life which affect retention in both positive and negative ways. The institution utilizes a highly structured Great Books curriculum and does not utilize traditional grading and assessment methods. The methods of student socialization are also explored …

Investigating The Electron Transport And Light Scattering Enhancement In Radial Core-Shell Metal-Metal Oxide Novel 3d Nanoarchitectures For Dye Sensitized Solar Cells, Gayatri Sahu

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attained considerable attention during the last decade because of the potential of becoming a low cost alternative to silicon based solar cells. Electron transport is one of the prominent processes in the cell and it is further a complex process because the transport medium is a mesoporous film. The gaps in the pores are completely filled by an electrolyte with high ionic strength, resulting in electron-ion interactions. Therefore, the electron transport in these so called state-of-the-art systems has a practical limit because of the low electron diffusion coefficient (D_n) in this mesoporous film …

Synthesis And Development Of Potential Cb1 Receptor Neutral Antagonists, Kimari Slaughter

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis and its derivatives have been used for both medicinal and recreational purposes. The study of this plant led to the discovery of over 60 cannabinoids, found exclusively in cannabis, that contribute to the behavioral effects of cannabis use, the most common is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Cannabinoid receptors function to increase activity in the mesolimbic dopamine reward system. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in addition and its regulation plays a crucial role in mental and physical well-being. There is evidence that CB₁ receptors are important to the reinforcing effects and the development of physical dependence on opiate …

Gasland: The Rhetoric Of Images In The New Media Landscape, Christopher T. Thaxton

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Josh Fox's film Gasland, released in 2010, started the national debate concerning the process of hydraulic fracturing and launched the term "fracking" into the public consciousness. Gasland, nominated for four Emmy Awards, was the winner of the 2010 Environmental Media Award for Best Documentary, the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize, and the Yale Environmental Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. Using the momentum from the film's popular reception, Fox and the Gasland team successfully established a grassroots movement that was responsible for helping create the Frack Act and a moratorium of fracking in the Delaware River Shed. …

Play Therapist's Perspectives On Culturally Sensitive Play Therapy, Krystal M. Vaughn

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Association for Play Therapy (2009) promotes play therapists’ awareness of personal cultural identity, obtaining continuous cultural knowledge, and displaying culturally appropriate practices. Play therapy research includes studies on working with specific culturally diverse populations. Founding play therapists, such as Virginia Axline, have made suggestions for toys that should be included in the therapist’s playroom. This exploratory survey inquired about play therapists’ perceptions of culturally sensitive play therapy, materials used, and perceived barriers to implementing culturally sensitive play therapy. Members of the Association of Play Therapy with at least master’s degree (n=385) reported on their ability to incorporate …

Active Response Of Polymer Materials From External Stimuli – Solvents And Light; Grafting Reactions On Perovskite Layers, Jianxia Zhang

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The active response of a series of polymeric materials was investigated. Both solvent activated and light activated thin films and wire systems show dynamic behaviors when exposed to different stimuli.

Solvent mediated fluxional behavior of polymer thin films involved extensive, rapid curling both on infusion and evaporation of good solvents. These films can be either lab-fabricated ones or commercial ones, and the curling behavior can be as fast as seconds. Conditions including polymer materials, chosen solvents, and film geometry can affect the behavior.

Methods that allowed for the creation and retention of distorted wire structures were also developed; the asymmetric …

Controlled Attachment Of Nanoparticles To Layered Oxides, Yuan Yao

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A series of oxide materials were modified with different nanoparticles (NPs). Novel cobalt@H₄Nb₆O₁₇ nanopeapod structures were fabricated and magnetic NPs modified oxide nanosheets and nanoscrolls were prepared. Both aqueous method and two-phase method were applied to prepare gold NPs onto oxide nanosheets, nanoscrolls and other nanocrystals.

The combination of H₄Nb₆O₁₇ nanoscrolls and cobalt NPs generate a novel method to fabricate nanopeapod structures. Cobalt NPs were synthesized in the presence of exfoliated H₄Nb₆O₁₇ nanosheets and the resulting magnetic chain structures, formed due to the dipole-dipole interaction, …

Anger Management: Creating The Role Of Coleman Shedman In Romulus Linney's 'Holy Ghosts', Patrick J. Mckinnie

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is intended to chronicle and define the process of creating the role of Coleman Shedman in Romulus Linney's Holy Ghosts. Discussed will be the actor's method for bringing the role to life; employing the use of physical actions and in-depth analysis and preparation to achieve a real and honest interpretation of the part.

Numerical Modeling Of Lifting Flows In The Presence Of A Free Surface, Leonardo R. Carmona Vasquez

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis work started as an attempt to create a computational tool to model hydrodynamics problems involving lifting flows. The method employed to solve the problem is potential flow theory.

Despite the fast evolution of computers and the latest developments in Navier-Stokes solvers, such as the Ranse methods; potential flow theory offers the possibility to create or use existing computational tools, which allow us modeling hydrodynamics problems in a simpler manner. Navier-Stokes solver can be very expensive from the computational point of view, and require a high level of expertise in order to achieve reliable models.

Based on the above, …

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Hazards, Environmental And Health Risks As The Latent Products Of Late Modernity, Bryan R. Clarey

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

CAFOs raise tens of thousands of animals in confined cages and feedlots, feed them high calorie diets, and ship them to slaughter in record time. These factory farms (as they are sometimes called) devastate neighboring environments with the releases of toxic methane gas and animal waste. Progress in modernized agricultural production has enabled us to feed the growing population but unintended consequences for human health and neighboring communities are happening. This study examines environmental and human health impacts of CAFOs on Central Mississippi residents. Through analyses of existing studies and data and telephone surveys, the objectives will be met. Risk …

The Making Of An American Imperialist: Major Edward Austin Burke, Reconstruction New Orleans And The Road To Central America, Kathryn K. Conley

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The period of Reconstruction following the American Civil War, and its legacy, have been the subjects of long debate among historians. Scholars, though, have yet to fully explore important connections between American Reconstruction, the New South that followed, and the period of U.S. imperialism in Central America in the late nineteenth century. The storied career of Major Edward Austin Burke—a Kentucky-born Louisiana Democrat who went on to become a proponent of expansionism and imperialism in Honduras—illuminates the transnational implications of Reconstruction and its aftermath. Through careful examination of personal papers, news accounts, promotional materials, Congressional testimonies and other government records, …

Blood In The Grass, James Trent Davis

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This paper thoroughly examines the thesis film, Blood in the Grass. Each area of the film's production is carefully analyzed, including writing, directing, production design, cinematography, editing, sound, and technology and workflow. In addition to these areas, the background and ideology of the filmmaker provides a context for the choices made in production. This overall analysis discusses the effectiveness of the goals set by the filmmaker for the film to be an emotionally effective commentary on capital punishment, and to be conducive to the short film medium.

Phylogenetic Relationships And Character Evolution Of The Neotropical Butterfly Genus Hamadryas (Nymphalidae: Biblidinae), Ivonne J. Garzon

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The butterflies in the genus Hamadryas are popular and noticeable representatives of the Neotropical Lepidoptera fauna. After a thorough taxonomic revision, 20 species were acknowledged within the genus, however no hypothesis of their phylogenetic relationship was proposed. The present dissertation provides a step further into the understanding of this fascinating group of butterflies not only by proposing the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus based on morphological and molecular data, but also by exploring for the first time in a group of butterflies the potential effect of venation associated with an specific behaviour on wing shape. Furthermore, this dissertation provides …

Improved Operational Limits For Offshore Pipelay Vessels, Daniel Rey Givan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Subsea pipelines are used extensively throughout the world’s oceans to transport oil and gas from offshore facilities to land, often hundreds of miles. These pipelines range in diameter from three to sixty inches and are installed in deeper depths every year, currently as deep as 2,900 meters. Pipeline construction and installation costs are a large percentage of offshore projects and thus, methods toward reducing costs is an imperative objective. With pipeline installation projects taking place in harsher environments, vessel operability is vital. This work presents an improved method for determining limiting criteria for pipelay operations to more effectively plan and …

From Pupusas To Chimichangas: Exploring The Ways In Which Food Contributes To The Creation Of A Pan-Latino Identity, Sarah B. Fouts

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Framed through the standardizations of food and generalizations of people, this research explores the shifting ingredients of migrant identities and the ethnic foodways carried with them as they cross the border into the United States. Using ethnographic observational fieldwork, content analysis of menus, and semi-structured interviews with restaurant staff and migrant workers, this study examines the transnational narratives of the day laborer population and their deterritorialized food culture in post-Katrina New Orleans. Further, this research explores this flow of people and culture through a globalization lens in order to achieve a more holistic understanding of the “migrant experience” and how …

Racial Reproductive Control Logics And The Reproductive Justice Movement, Nicole Jolly

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The reproductive justice movement gives a voice and representation to women of color whose experience of reproductive control is impacted by intersecting layers of oppression. This thesis uses an intersectional approach to develop the concept of racial reproductive control logics, which describes the relationship between racial logics and racial patterns of reproductive control. The study uses qualitative interviews and content analysis of organizational material to explore how the reproductive justice movement is influenced by racial reproductive control logics.

Invisible Cities: Photographic Fictions Of Architecture, Maria Levitsky

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The artist's process in which she examines the built environment through the medium of black and white photography. By tracing the trajectory of her awareness of architecture from her early career as a dancer, to the making of photographic images, the artist illuminates the process of deconstructing architectural and pictorial space into fragmented yet illusionistically convincing photographic montages. Influenced by the urban localities in which she dwells, she tells the story of being captivated by the post-industrial landscape of Williamsburg, Brookyn, NY, followed by landing in New Orleans and her fascination with post-Katrina architecture. Grounded in the analog techniques of …

Two Essays: “Does Corporate Governance Affect The Adjustment Speed Towards Target Capital Structure?” And “Do Option Traders On Reits And Non-Reits React Differently To New Information?”, Li-Kai Liao

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The first chapter investigates how corporate governance influences firms’ capital structure behavior. Based on the premise that costs associated with deviations from the target capital structure are positively correlated to the extent of deviation, we hypothesize that the initial deviation from the target will be shorter for a firm with good corporate governance than for a firm with poor corporate governance. We also hypothesize that the former group will employ a higher speed of adjustment towards target than the latter group due primarily to the following reasons. First, a firm with well-placed governance system will adjust at a faster rate …

An Investigation Of The Combined Assessments Used As Entrance Criteria For A Gifted English Middle School Program, Colleen D. Lindsey Ph.D.

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the four assessments for entrance into an academic middle school gifted English program were accurately predicting success, as measured by students’ grades each nine-week grading period. Some students were dismissed from the program each year because they could not maintain the required minimum average of 80%. The four entrance assessments evaluated were the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT), STEP Writing test, and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills: Reading (ITBS). The sample consisted of 150 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students studied longitudinally over the span of …

A Software Framework For Augmentative And Alternative Communication, Adam Loup

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

By combining context awareness and analytical based relevance computing software, the proposed Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) framework aims provide a foundation to create communication systems to dramatically increase the words available to AAC users. The framework will allow the lexicon available to the user to be dynamically updated by varying sources and to promote words based on contextual relevance. This level of customization enables the development of highly customizable AAC devices that evolve with use to become more personal while also broadening the expressiveness of the user. In order to maximize the efficient creation of conversation for AAC users, …

When Is It Our Time?: An Event History Model Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Rights Policy Adoption, Megan E. Osterbur

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Gays and lesbians have long struggled for their rights as citizens, yet only recently has their struggle been truly politicized in a way that fosters mobilization. When and why social movements coalesce despite the many obstacles to collective action are fundamental questions in comparative politics. While examining social movements is worthwhile, it is important to examine not only when and why a social movement forms, but also when and why a social movement is successful. This dissertation tackles the latter of these objectives, focusing on when and why social movements have success in terms of their duration from the time …

The Closure Of New Orleans' Charity Hospital After Hurricane Katrina: A Case Of Disaster Capitalism, Kenneth Brad Ott

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Amidst the worst disaster to impact a major U.S. city in one hundred years, New Orleans’ main trauma and safety net medical center, the Reverend Avery C. Alexander Charity Hospital, was permanently closed. Charity’s administrative operator, Louisiana State University (LSU), ordered an end to its attempted reopening by its workers and U.S. military personnel in the weeks following the August 29, 2005 storm. Drawing upon rigorous review of literature and an exhaustive analysis of primary and secondary data, this case study found that Charity Hospital was closed as a result of disaster capitalism. LSU, backed by Louisiana state officials, …

Transitional Facies And Sequence Stratigraphic Complexity Of Shallow-Marine Star Point Formation To Coastal-Plain Blackhawk Formation Along Depositional-Strike, Wasatch Plateau, Utah, Andrew M. Ranson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Facies and stratigraphic architecture right at the transition from marine to non-marine environments is poorly documented. In the Cretaceous outcrops of Utah, Star Point and Blackhawk Formations are well studied. The nature of spatio-temporal transition of these two Formations, in the deposition-strike orientation, remains undocumented. This study characterizes facies and stratigraphic complexity at the transition of the two Formations that crop out in depositional-strike orientation in the Wasatch Plateau. Data from outcrop including photomosiacs and measured sections demonstrate this complexity at a range of scales. The Star Point constitutes a shoreface environment. The Blackhawk constitutes a coastal-fluvial environment.

In the …