Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Urban Heat Island Effect With A Collaborative Inquiry Project, Linda Acha George, William G. Becker

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Modification of the earth's surface through urbanization can have a dramatic impact on local climate. A phenomenon known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which is a measure of the near-surface air temperature contrast between urbanized and adjoining rural areas, can be evaluated with readily available instruments. Students in an undergraduate general education science course study this phenomenon in the Portland, Oregon area through a collaborative research project. This inquiry project includes background content and literature review, preliminary studies, development of research questions, experimental design and implementation, data analysis and report writing. This project successfully enables students to collaboratively …

Smoking In Bed, Tamara Piety

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Source Motion Mitigation For Adaptive Matched Field Processing, Lisa M. Zurk, Nigel Lee, James Ward

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Application of adaptive matched field processing to the problem of detecting quiet targets in shallow water is complicated by source motion, both the motion of the target and the motion of discrete interferers. Target motion causes spreading of the target peak, thereby reducing output signal power. Interferer motion increases the dimensionality of the interference subspace, reducing adaptive interference suppression. This paper presents three techniques that mitigate source motion problems in adaptive matched field processing. The first involves rank reduction, which enables adaptive weight computation over short observation intervals where motion effects are less pronounced. The other two techniques specifically compensate …

Assessing Sample Bias And Establishing Standardized Procedures For Weighting And Expansion Of Travel Survey Data, Fahmida Nilufar

LSU Master's Theses

Recent household travel surveys are encountering problems with non-response, non-coverage, non-reporting, and even incorrect or incomplete reporting of trips. In addition, data from survey samples are affected by the social, and economic conditions of the respondents, as well as the survey instrument used to collect the data. As a result, household travel survey data are invariably associated with some level of bias. These threats to the integrity of the data are often ignored while analyzing the sample survey data. However, considering the importance of information derived from such surveys, it is necessary that the survey must provide an accurate reflection …

Systematics Of The Western Lyresnake (Trimorphodon Biscutatus) Complex: Implications For North And Middle American Aridland Biogeography, Thomas James Devitt

LSU Master's Theses

The Western Lyresnake (Trimorphodon biscutatus) is found generally from the desert southwestern United States southward along the pacific lowland versant of Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica. This species exhibits substantial geographic variation in size, squamation, and color pattern across its range, and as such has had an unstable taxonomic history. I investigated populations of T. biscutatus representing currently and formerly recognized forms using both morphological and molecular methods to infer the evolutionary history of this widespread, polytypic taxon. Multivariate statistical analyses (principal components and discriminant analysis) of morphological data (432 specimens, 33 characters) yielded six statistically significantly different groups, consistent …

Design And Implementation Of An Ocean Observing System: Wavcis (Wave-Current-Surge Information System) And Its Application To The Louisiana Coast, Xiongping Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

WAVCIS (Wave-Current-Surge Information System for Coastal Louisiana) was designed to measure meteorological and hydrodynamic phenomena along the Louisiana coast. The information measured includes waves, currents, water depth, surge, turbidity, salinity and meteorological conditions. WAVCIS collects data and transfers it back to the data processing laboratory at LSU through wireless communication. The data undergo post-processing and archiving. Users can access the real-time or archived information through the World Wide Web. This dissertation utilized the information provided by WAVCIS stations and NDBC buoys during Hurricane Lili and Tropical Storm to examine temporal and spatial variations of storm induced meteorological and oceanographic dynamics. …

A Novel Hydrogen And Oxygen Generation System, Zhiyong Peng

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined the three phases of the sorption-enhanced SMR process for H2 production: production of low-CO hydrogen using the standard Ni-based reforming catalyst and high purity CaO sorbent precursor, evaluation of combined reforming catalyst-sorbent samples supplied by TDA, and an Aspen simulation study of the process for simultaneous production of H2 and O2. The production of low-CO (<20ppmv) hydrogen was studied using the single-step sorption-enhanced steam methane reforming process. The effects of temperature, volumetric feed rate, and feed gas composition on the purity of H2 and the content of CO were investigated. The feasibility of producing 95+% H2 with CO content of less than 20ppmv was experimentally proven in a test at 480¡ãC and 5 atm using a commercial Ni-based catalyst and the calcium-based CO2 sorbent. The feed gas contained 20% CH4 and 80% H2O, while the product gas contained 97.8% H2 and 17 ppmv CO. With this low CO concentration, the product can be used in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell without further purification. The catalyst-sorbent samples from TDA Research Inc. were extensively studied and evaluated with respect to their performance in the steam-reforming reaction using both the fixed-bed reactor system and TGA. The activity of the catalyst samples having different compositions was examined and compared at different temperatures and space velocities using a feed gas containing 11.1% CH4 with a steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratio of 3.0. The sorption activity and durability was also examined in the TGA system. The overall hydrogen and oxygen co-production process was studied and evaluated using the Aspen Plus simulator. Material and energy balance calculations showed that this system can produce 99+% purity hydrogen and oxygen simultaneously with efficient energy integration. This process is balanced on power consumption and generation, so no external power is required.

Perspectives On Comparative Literature, Alexandru Boldor

LSU Master's Theses

The main objective of this dissertation was to provide researchers interested in the history and evolution of "comparative literature" with a collection of references delineating the evolution of the concept and the development of academic departments dedicated to its study. The paper includes a first section describing the main issues contributing to the "identity crisis" with which studies and departments defining themselves as "comparative" were consistently confronted ever since the term was coined. The "preliminary concepts" section offers an overview of the elements that usually confer a "comparative" quality to a literary study, such as interdisciplinarity and multiculturalism, together with …

Traffic Engineering In Multiprotocol Label Switching Networks, Chung-Yu Wei

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of Traffic Engineering is to optimize the resource utilization and increase the network performance. Constraint-based routing has been proposed as an networks effective approach to implement traffic engineering in Multiprotocol Label Switching. In this thesis, we review several algorithms on constraint-based routing from the literature and point out their advantages and disadvantages. We then propose several algorithms to overcome some of the shortcomings of these approaches. Our algorithms are specifically suitable for large densely connected networks supporting both Quality of Service traffic and the Best Effort traffic. In large networks the size of the MPLS label space in …

Developing Landscape-Scaled Habitat Selection Functions For Forest Wildlife From Landsat Data: Judging Black Bear Habitat Quality In Louisiana, Robert Owen Wagner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding habitat needs of animal populations is critical for their effective management. In recent years, technological advances have increased the range of methods available to examine habitat selection patterns. However, available habitat data are often either limited to small geographic areas or are of coarse resolution, resulting in a gap in data to model habitat selection at landscape scales. I explored a method of processing Landsat data, the at-satellite reflectance tasseled cap, to address this data gap using black bears in south central Louisiana as a case study. As I showed, this case was particularly instructive because these bears occupy …

Block-Level Discrete Cosine Transform Coefficients For Autonomic Face Recognition, Willie L. Scott, Ii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a novel method of autonomic face recognition based on the recently proposed biologically plausible network of networks (NoN) model of information processing. The NoN model is based on locally parallel and globally coordinated transformations. In the NoN architecture, the neurons or computational units form distributed networks, which themselves link to form larger networks. In the general case, an n-level hierarchy of nested distributed networks is constructed. This models the structures in the cerebral cortex described by Mountcastle and the architecture based on that proposed for information processing by Sutton. In the implementation proposed in the dissertation, the …

No Child Left Behind And The Louisiana School Accountability System: A Comparative Study Of Accountability Systems, Rani Coleman

LSU Master's Theses

In the educational field, accountability is one of the key issues in the media. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has made a definite impact in the political and social realm of society. However, many people do not understand what it fully means to education on all levels. The aim of this thesis is to compare and contrast the Louisiana School Accountability System with the new Federal government's No Child Left Behind. Of key interest in this comparative study is: long-term goals, flagging methods, disaggregation of subgroups, starting out - index/proficiency rate, modification/corrective plans, number of tests, indicators, and high stakes …

Temperature Dependent Kinetics Of Biotin Carboxylase, Brett K. Lord

LSU Master's Theses

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase catalyzes the first committed step in long chain fatty acid biosynthesis. In Escherichia coli, the enzyme is composed of three distinct protein components: biotin carboxylase, biotin carboxyl carrier protein, and carboxytransferase. The biotin carboxylase component has served for many years as a model for mechanistic studies devoted toward understanding biotin-dependent carboxylases. Studies of the temperature dependence, temperature dependence of the kinetic solvent isotope effect and thermodynamics of biotin carboxylase are reported. Analysis of the van’t Hoff plot in H2O was biphasic showing an apparent transition temperature of 20°C, with corresponding DH° values of –4.55 ± 1.84 kcal/mol below …

The Effect Of Scaffolding Movement Challenges On Students' Task-Related Thoughts And Performance, Paul Bernard Rukavina

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of teaching approaches on thoughts and practice behaviors of students, and how those thoughts and behaviors affect transfer of learning. First, a self-report instrument for assessment of cognitive processes that meditate motor skill outcomes was validated. The cognitive processes included prior knowledge usage, self-efficacy, critical thinking and attention-concentration. University students who had taken a physical activity class (N=409) completed the questionnaires. Three out of the initial four subscales were confirmed as fitting the data. In a university golf activity class, students were assigned into three groups for instruction to learn …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Application Of Water-Soluble Chiral Calix[4]Arene Derivatives In Spectroscopy And Capillary Electrokinetic Chromatography, Kim Hamilton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is an account of the synthesis, characterization, and application of novel water-soluble chiral calixarenes in spectroscopy and capillary electrophoresis. It is divided into four sections. The first part describes the synthesis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) characterization of four p-t-butylcalix[4]arenes bearing L-amino acid moieties on their lower rims (CX4-AA). The structure and conformation of the derivatives have been determined using one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques. Proton and carbon-13 spectra show that the derivatives are tetra-substituted and adopt a cone conformation. The preparation and characterization of silica-bonded calixarene stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography is also reported in Chapter 2. …

Cultural Context Matters: Terry's "Seesaw Effect", Frank Rudy Cooper

Scholarly Works

This Article investigates why the enforcement of a given legal doctrine may vary with changes in the cultural context in which it is applied. It argues that officials apply the law along an "enforcement practices continuum" in accord with changes in the prevailing articulations of the meaning of cultural identity norms associating particular groups with crime.

Terry v. Ohio doctrine allows police officers to make "stops" and "frisks" of limited scope upon reasonable suspicion of crime rather than requiring the higher standard of probable cause. The Article contends the officer discretion resulting from this "scope continuum" approach permits cultural identity …

Investigation Of Qualitative Methods For Diagnosis Of Poor Bit Performance Using Surface Drilling Parameters, Arash Aghassi

LSU Master's Theses

Bit performance in deep shale when using water-based mud is typically poor. This study is part of a larger research project to improve that performance entitled "Automated Rig Controls for Improved Drilling Costs." The objective of the project is diagnosis of changes in drill bit performance to provide a logical basis for automating draw works control, maximizing bit performance, and reducing drilling costs. The specific goal of this study is a means to diagnose bit performance, specifically to identify bit balling and lithology changes, using real-time drilling data. The research began by identifying symptoms relating to specific causes of bit …

Use Of Primary Production By Benthic Invertebrates In A Louisiana Salt-Marsh Food Web, Padma Maddi

LSU Master's Theses

A combination of natural abundances of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and tracer-addition experiments were employed to determine the relative contributions of three potential food sources (phytoplankton, benthic microalgae, and Spartina alterniflora) to benthic invertebrate fauna of Louisiana salt marshes. Samples of the major food sources and the consumers were collected quarterly (summer, fall, winter and spring) to analyze the ƒÔ13C and ƒÔ15N ratios. A simultaneous tracer-addition experiment, in which benthic microalgae (BMA) were labeled with NaH13CO3 and 15NH4Cl, was conducted in all quarters to determine the relative importance of the BMA to consumers. Results indicated that the carbon isotopic …

The Metabolizable Energy Value And Physiologic Effects Of Hi-Maize Resistant Starch In Male Rats, Tanya A. Garcia

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to calculate the metabolizable energy value of Hi-Maize® RS (60% amylose), to observe if consumption of RS alters adiposity, and to examine the effects of RS on fermentation and fecal excretion. Eighteen four-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats consumed either a 20% amylose Hi-Maize® RS diet (n=6) or a control diet (baseline group, n=6; control group, n=6). The baseline group was sacrificed at the beginning of the study; the RS and control groups were transferred to metabolic cages and fed the respective diets for the next six weeks. Feces and urine from each individual rat …

Evaluation Of The Profiler As A Tool For Imrt Qa, Manuel Rodriguez

LSU Master's Theses

The principal goal in this project is to determine if a one-dimensional diode array, the Profiler (Sun Nuclear Corporation), can be used as a tool for intensity modulated radiation therapy quality assurance (QA). A one-dimensional diode array can be used to measure dose and dose profiles for IMRT fields. IMRT fields for real cases at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center were used to test the Profiler model 1170 (Sun Nuclear Corporation). The main concern with the Profiler is that there is not central diode in the array. The absorbed dose displayed in the Profiler window is the average of the …

Gateways Into The Atchafalaya: Developing A Framework For Water-Based Recreation In The Atchafalaya Basin Parishes, Steven Joseph Lumpkin

LSU Master's Theses

The term “gateways” has been used in many contexts as a means of providing entry or connection. Gateways are where people congregate to leave a realm of familiarity to one of uncertainty and adventure. They can also mark the entrance into an area of interest. Gateways may have a significant impact on an individual’s impression of a particular destination. This thesis provides arguments for using boating gateways into the Atchafalaya Basin (AB) region as the basis for a recreational framework that encompasses eight parishes. A common theme that exists in all eight AB parishes is their boat launches. They represent …

Studies On Rice Transformation And The Use Of Transformed Plants [Electronic Resource], Qiming Shao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research was conducted to enhance utilization of the Liberty herbicide resistance transgene in rice. Non-lethal methods to determine the sensitivity of transgenic rice plants to hygromycin B and Liberty were developed, tested and used in this research. Four homozygous transformed plants were selected to make reciprocal crosses with their non-transformed parent cultivars Taipei 309 and Nipponbare. Their resistances to Liberty and hygromycin B were controlled by the closely linked single dominant genes bar and hpt. Some non-resistant phenotypes in the F2 populations were due to gene silencing. The bar gene in some of these plants were allelic and some …

Field Evaluation Of In-Situ Test Technology For Qc/Qa During Construction Of Pavement Layers And Embankments, Munir Darwish Nazzal

LSU Master's Theses

With the coming changes from an empirical to mechanistic-empirical pavement design, it becomes essential to move towards changing the quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) procedures of compacted materials from a unit weight-based criterion to a stiffness/strength based criterion. The non-destructive in-situ tests such as Geogauge, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP), and Light Falling Weight Deflectometer (LFWD) can be used as effective tools in the assessment of subsurface conditions and in evaluating the stiffness of pavement materials and embankment. This thesis evaluates the potential use of these three devices to reliably measure the stiffness characteristics of highway materials for possible application in the …

Computational Model For Heat Transfer In The Human Eye Using The Finite Element Method, Umit Cicekli

LSU Master's Theses

In this work a finite element model for the human eye presented. Thermal analysis was done in order to capture the temperature variation in the human eye. The model was created using advance finite element program ABAQUS. In the model each of the eye's component (cornea, sclera, lens, iris, aqueous and vitreous humor) has own material property. Specific boundary conditions were used for the model. The model incorporates the interaction between eyes components. The Comparisons were done with the available experimental results. The results show that there is a temperature variation in the human eye components with the increasing the …

High School Chemistry Students' Learning Of The Elements, Structure, And Periodicity Of The Periodic Table: Contributions Of Inquiry-Based Activities And Exemplary Graphics, Knight Phares Roddy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The main research question of this study was: How do selected high school chemistry students' understandings of the elements, structure, and periodicity of the Periodic Table change as they participate in a unit study consisting of inquiry-based activities emphasizing construction of innovative science graphics? The research question was answered using a multiple case study/mixed model design which employed elements of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies during data collection and analyses. The unit study was conducted over a six-week period with 11th-grade students enrolled in a chemistry class. A purposive sample of six students from the class was selected to participate …

Parallel Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Dynamics Of Oxidation And Reactive Wetting In Metal/Ceramic Systems, Gurcan Aral

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Oxidation of a flat aluminum (111) surface and the reactive wetting of the aluminum (Al) droplet on a flat alumina (α-Al₂O₃) surface are investigated by using parallel molecular-dynamics simulations with dynamic charge transfer among atoms on a microscopic length scale. The interatomic potential, based on the formalism of Streitz and Mintmire, allows atoms to vary their charges dynamically between anions and cations, when atoms move and their local environment is altered. We investigate the oxidation thickness as a function of time and the oxygen density which is 10-40 times that of the normal state (1 atm …

The Effect Of Environmental Context On Performance Outcomes And Movement Coordination Changes During The Learning Of Complex Motor Skills, Jennifer Johnson Jeansonne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Four experiments presented here investigated the task demand relationship of intertrial variability (IV) and regulatory conditions (RC), on the outcome and movement changes that occurred with dart throwing practice. The four tasks included: (1) a stationary target with one location (closed w/no IV), (2) a stationary target with five possible locations (closed w/IV), (3) a moving target with one movement pattern (open w/no IV), (4) a moving target with five possible movement patterns (open w/IV). After each throw, the X, Y coordinates of the dart and the target were recorded to calculate radial error (RE). Kinematics was recorded using an …

The Interplay Between Norms And Enforcement In Tax Compliance, Leandra Lederman

Articles by Maurer Faculty

What will increase individuals' compliance with the federal income tax? There are rich legal, economic, and sociological literatures examining this question. The traditional answer that increased enforcement will increase compliance is supported by both economic modeling and a number of experiments. However, studies show that appeals to normative beliefs about honesty in taxpaying play an important role as well.

A number of scholars have suggested that vigorous enforcement of the tax laws may be counterproductive because it may suggest that noncompliance is the norm. This article argues, in part, that enforcement and a compliance norm are not inconsistent but rather …

Out The Loop, Matthew Christian Anderson

LSU Master's Theses

Often referred to as resembling an architectural blueprint, the screenplay is known for its laconic style. Discarding the subjective abstractionism of a more flowery writing, the screenplay's brevity forces the writer to make use of the physical world of the text to display its underlying currents of thought. This trend in artistic representation, of which the influence has been heatedly discussed since the onset of the cinema, is not stagnant but evolving. The screenwriters of today produce their craft with an increased savoir faire not only in relation to plot and form but also in regards to the aesthetics of …

Finite-Horizon Operations Planning For A Lean Supply Chain System, Ahmad Diponegoro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies an operational policy for a lean supply chain system consisting of a manufacturer, multiple suppliers and multiple buyers. The manufacturer procures raw materials from the suppliers and converts them into finished products, which are then shipped in batches to the buyers at certain intervals of times. Three distinct but inseparable problems are addressed: single supplier and single buyer with fixed delivery size (FD), multiple suppliers and multiple buyers with individual delivery schedule (MD), and time dependent delivery quantity with trend demand (TD). The mathematical formulations of these supply systems are categorized as mixed-integer, nonlinear programming problems (MINLAP) …