Digital Commons Network^™

Progressive Fatigue Effects On Manual Lifting Factors, Anthony D'Wayne Banks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Much evidence suggests that the cause of lower back pain (LBP) and injury is frequently related to the posture of lifting, the load, muscle fatigue, and other factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of progressive fatigue on factors that have previously been associated with increased risk of LBP in various occupational settings, during a repetitive lifting task where freestyle lifting technique was utilized. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate several fatigue analysis, electromyography amplitude, kinematic, and kinetic parameters of repetitive freestyle lifting during a 2-hour lifting period. Each of ten (10) young adult male …

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 …

Cloning And Characterization Of A Git1 Homolog Gene From Schizosaccharomyces Pombe, Christi Nolder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) deacylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in the formation and excretion of glycerophosphoinositol (GPI). This is a predominant route of PI turnover and is not unique to S. cerevisiae. Released GPI can be transported back into the cell through a membrane permease encoded by the GIT1 gene, Git1p. Maximum transport is achieved in low inositol/low phosphate conditions at pHs below 7, and the addition of a protonophore to the GPI transport assay abolishes transport activity. These findings suggest that Git1p is a proton symporter. An excess of unlabeled glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) inhibits the transport of radiolabeled GPI into S. cerevisiae. …

A Phonological Awareness Intervention For At-Risk Preschoolers: The Effects Of Supplemental, Intensive Small-Group Instruction, Lisa Oliver Guidry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Results from phonological awareness research on assessment and intervention support two major suppositions. First, findings from correlational studies revealing that young children's phonological sensitivity is related to the future development of reading skills (Lonigan et al., 1998) validate early screening of phonological awareness to identify children who may be at risk for encountering reading difficulties. Second, experimental studies examining the effectiveness of phonological awareness instruction demonstrate that young children's phonological sensitivity can be promoted, thereby altering patterns of initial weaknesses (Bentin & Leshem, 1993; O'Connor et al., 1995b; Torgesen & Davis, 1996; Warrick et al., 1993) The purpose of this …

Living With Life-Threatening Illness: An Inquiry Into Children's Experience Of Cancer, Kristy Novinski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies concerning children living with illness have been limited by (a) a narrow focus on the child's cognitive development, (b) reliance on sources outside of the child's experience, (c) reliance on methods based on the language and quantitative modes of measuring used by adults rather than the experience of the child, (d) models that emphasize methods of control in coping, and (e) a tendency to pathologize the responses of the child.

In contrast, the current study involved speaking directly with school-aged children living with a diagnosis of cancer. The qualitative method developed for this study involved a two-fold approach, …

Factors Effecting Uptake And Visualization Of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Particles By Macrophages: Relevance For Use In Mri Plaque Imaging, Walter John Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease kills nearly 1 million Americans each year. While treatment at all levels has made significant advances over the past 3 decades, diagnosis is still limited to structural or hemodynamic changes associated with advanced disease. More than 60% of myocardial infarctions (MI) result from the rupture and associated acute thrombosis of atherosclerotic plaque that reduce lumen size by less that 50%. Ultra small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (USPIO) have recently been proposed as a macrophage targeted magnetic resonance contrast agent. The goal of the present study was to determine if, and the extent to which, molecules known to alter …

Of Fathers And Sons: Generational Conflicts And Literary Lineage--The Case Of Ernest Hemingway And Ernest Gaines, Wolfgang Lepschy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Focusing on the depiction of the father-son relationship and the generational conflicts in their works, as well as the metaphorical literary father-son relationship between the two authors, this dissertation offers an intertextual reading of the works of Ernest Hemingway and Ernest J. Gaines. Part One examines Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories that feature the young hero’s growing disillusionment with and eventual rejection of his home and family. Parodying conventional stereotypes about Native American ways of life, Hemingway deconstructs prevailing notions of race by aligning Nick’s father with the wilderness and the Indians. Gaines’s earliest short stories focus on a reunion of …

Advanced Turbulence Modeling For Industrial Flows, Raymond Michael Jones

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation deals with the development of an improved two-equation turbulence model and its application to various flows. Six different conventional turbulence models were initially tested for predicting the flow inside of an unbaffled stirred tank reactor (STR), and the results are compared with experimental LDV data. Each of the models use low Reynolds number corrections. Results indicate that the radial velocity component in the impeller discharge region is overpredicted by each of the models. The tangential velocity component in the impeller discharge region is predicted well by the models, but is underpredicted near the shaft. The low Reynolds number …

Dynamic Modeling And Parameter Estimation For An Ethlyene-Propylene-Diene Polymerization Process, Rujun Li

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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A general dynamic model for continuous EPDM polymerization in which crosslinking and gel formation are attributable to reactions between pendant double bonds has been developed. A pseudo-kinetic rate constant method is introduced to construct a moment model for a pseudo-homopolymer that approximates the behavior of the actual terpolymer under long chain and quasi-steady state assumptions. The pseudo-homopolymer model is then used as the basis for application of the numerical fractionation method. The proposed dynamic model is capable of predicting polydispersities and molecular weight distributions near the gel point with as few as eleven generations, and in the …

Biomechanical Reconstruction Of The Appendicular Skeleton In Three North American Jurassic Sauropods, Ray Wilhite

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Forelimb and hindlimb articulation, reconstructed musculature, and function were examined in Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, and Camarasaurus. A technique was developed using a Microscribe three-dimensional digitizer to capture external morphological data for skeletal reconstruction and determination of taxonomically useful features. The appendicular musculature of Alligator mississippiensis was dissected to determine form, function, origin, and insertion of muscles to aid in reconstruction of sauropod musculature. Contrary to the literature, M. caudofemoralis longus was found to originate primarily from the lateral surfaces of the proximal chevrons instead of the bodies and transverse processes of the caudals, demonstrating that chevron morphology is indicative of the …

Molecular-Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assembled Monolayers (Sam) On Parallel Computers, Satyavani Vemparala

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the properties of self-assembled monolayers, particularly alkanethiols and Poly (ethylene glycol) terminated alkanethiols. These simulations are based on realistic interatomic potentials and require scalable and portable multiresolution algorithms implemented on parallel computers. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of self-assembled alkanethiol monolayer systems have been carried out using an all-atom model involving a million atoms to investigate their structural properties as a function of temperature, lattice spacing and molecular chain-length. Results show that the alkanethiol chains tilt from the surface normal by a collective angle of 25o along next-nearest neighbor direction at 300K. At …

A Comparison Of Life Histories And Ecological Aspects Among Snappers (Pisces: Lutjanidae), Fernando Martinez-Andrade

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An extensive search for data on life-history and ecological variables was conducted for a representative number of the species within the family Lutjanidae. After creating different databases and standardizing all data, these variables were examined in statistical, correlation and graphic analyses. Additionally, a series of Principal Component Analyses were used to examine patterns among variables. Life-history variables included age at length zero, asymptotic length, maximum length, longevity, asymptotic weight, length at maturity, age at maturity, reproductive life span, growth rate and mortality rate. Ecological variables included latitudinal and vertical distribution, habitat selection (represented by substrate type), and spawning seasons. The …

Staying In Or Getting Out: Social Capital And Occupational Decision-Making Among Louisiana's Croatian Oyster Harvesters, Carl Marie Riden

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Social capital-resources embedded in social structures that can be accessed or mobilized by individuals in pursuit of some goal- is the most prominent in a long line of concepts developed by social scientists who wish to incorporate social and cultural elements into models of economic behavior. The research presented here is a qualitative exploration of social capital, its forms and functions, and its relationship to the occupational decision-making of current and former oyster harvesters in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Within this close-knit Croatian-American community, oyster harvesting has a long and rich history. As a result, extensive social capital through which individuals …

Analytical Study On Flood Induced Seepage Under River Levees, Senda Ozkan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A common and potentially dangerous phenomenon associated with flooding is seepage under levees and the formation of sand boils. Seepage flow due to hydrostatic head gradients of floods may cause deformation of pervious layers leading to heave, piping and sand boils. Underseepage may also cause irreversible changes in the characteristics of the porous medium. A series of independent flood events may have cumulative effects on pervious layers causing sand boils to grow. Current underseepage analyses for levees are based on steady-state flow. Transient seepage flow due to rapid changes in river head may contribute to cumulative effects and cause critical …

Using Self-Determination Theory To Understand African American Women's Physical Activity Patterns, Joan B. Landry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Physical inactivity is a major health risk factor in our society. Women and minority populations are especially at risk with regard to physical inactivity. This three-part study employed quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate physical activity behaviors in middle aged and older African American women. This population was chosen because African American women are the least active segment of our society. In the first phase, a quantitative approach was used to investigate relationships between Self-Determination and the Stage of Change for physical activity in a sample of 105 African American women. This study provided validation for using this theoretical approach …

The Transcendental Eigenvalue Problem And Its Application In System Identification, Kumar Vikram Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An accurate mathematical model is needed to solve direct and inverse problems related to engineering analysis and design. Inverse problems of identifying the physical parameters of a non-uniform continuous system based on the spectral data are still unsolved. Traditional methods, for the system identification purpose, describe the continuous structure by a certain discrete model. In dynamic analysis, finite element or finite difference approximation methods are frequently used and they lead to an algebraic eigenvalue problem. The characteristic equation associated with the algebraic eigenvalue problem is a polynomial. Whereas, the spectral characteristic of a continuous system is represented by certain transcendental …

Assessment Of Dietary Enzyme Supplementation On Ileal And Total Tract Digestibilities In Gestating And Lactating Swine, Ana Lúcia Pozzobon De Souza

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to evaluate the effects of exogenous enzymesupplementation to gestation-lactation diets on the digestibility of nutrients in mature swinefemales and the associated implications on energy metabolism during gestation and lactationphysiologic states. Three experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of commerciallyavailable enzyme products or pure enzymes on the digestibility of nutrients. Crossover designs intwo periods during gestation (early and late gestation) and lactation were studied to obtain anincreased number of observations from the surgically cannulated sows.Experiment 1 evaluated the effects of two enzyme products supplemented to a practicalcorn soybean meal diet fed to second parity …

An Approach To The Measurement Of Sexual Behavior In The Bull (Bos Taurus) Using Variable Female Stimulus Conditions, John Denver Bailey

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Most researchers studying sexual behavior of the bull have adopted the practice of severely restraining and sedating female stimuli, utilizing so-called "service stanchions" and quantifying behavioral events expressed by each bull. Based on these observations, bulls are classified as having high, medium, or low libido and ranked according to their ability to "service" the inanimate stimuli. It has been assumed that these methods represent appropriate measurements of reproductive behavior that will be expressed in a natural mating scenario and that bull sexual behavior can be studied in a manner that is independent of the context of the female. Hence, conventional …

Mid-Holocene Emergent Complexity And Landscape Transformation: The Social Construction Of Early Formative Communities In Uruguay, La Plata Basin, José Iriarte

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a multidisciplinary study combining both archaeological andpaleoecological data to examine the rise of early Formative societies in Uruguay, La Plata Basin.It is contextualized within broader anthropological concerns related to the emergence of culturalcomplexity, the significance of ritual and public architecture in intermediate-level societies, andthe role of human-environment interactions during the mid-Holocene. This investigationgenerated the first Late Quaternary paleoclimatic record, based on pollen and phytolith analyses,documenting that the mid-Holocene (ca. 6,620 to ca. 4,040 bp) was a period of environmentalflux and increased aridity. It describes the occupational history of the Los Ajos site from thecreation of a household-based …

Cis- And Trans-Activation Of Hormone Receptors: The Lh Receptor, Changwoo Lee

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The Luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor family, asdo the other glycoprotein hormone receptors for FSH, TSH, and CG. The LHR comprises twohalves of ~350 amino acids: an extracellular hormone binding exodomain and a seventransmembrane-spanning endodomain responsible for signal generation. Hormone binds to theexodomain with high affinity, and the resulting conformational changes in thehormone/exodomain complex modulate the endodomain to generate hormone signals. Hormonebinding to an LHR produces hormonal signals (cis-activation), but it is not known whether aliganded LHR could activate other unoccupied LHRs (trans-activation). The LHR activates bothadenylyl cyclase and phospholipase C??. This dissertation shows that …

Identification And Characterization Of Contact Sites Between Human Chorionic Gonadotropin And Luteinizing Hormone/Choriogonadotropin Receptor, Myoungkun Jeoung

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) belongs to the G protein-coupled receptorfamily. It consists of two distinct domains; the N-terminal extracellular exodomain and themembrane associated endodomain which includes 7 transmembrane domains, 3 exoloops, 3cytoloops and a C-terminal tail. Sequence alignment and computer modeling suggest thepresence of Leu Rich Repeat (LRR) motifs in the exodomain. Although their structuralsimilarity is high, each LRR is not equally important for hormone binding. Ala-scanning andtruncation studies performed in our laboratory suggest that LRR2 and LRR4 appear to be themost crucial. The Ala-scanning data suggest that Leu103 and Ile105 in LRR4 are important forhormone binding. However, it …

Pre-Copulatory Sexual Cannibalism In Fishing Spiders: The Ecology Of An Extreme Sexual Conflict, J. Chadwick Johnson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism (pre-SC), or predation of a potential mate before sperm transfer, provides an ideal model system for behavioral ecology's current focus on inter-sexual conflict. Studying the North American fishing spider (Dolomedes triton), I tested three female-benefit hypotheses for pre-SC: indirect benefits, direct benefits, and aggressive spillover. First, pre-SC may reflect a mating bias providing females with 'good-genes' benefits. By manipulating each female's options with regard to the most cited phenotypic advantage in male spiders, body size, I show that while females exhibit no bias in their attack tendency on males of different body sizes, large males mate significantly …

Innovation In A University Social System: The Adoption Of Electronic Theses And Dissertations Digital Libraries, Suzanne Lorraine Allard

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The "digital library" (DL) is a communication technology that has the potential to improve communication by removing temporal and geographic barriers and by introducing interactivity. This research focused on the adoption of digital libraries for electronic theses and dissertations (ETD-DL) at universities worldwide. ETD-DLs provide a means for universities to learn about implementing digital libraries in a networked environment.This research used diffusion of innovation theory to explore what has influenced ETD-DL adoption among Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) member universities. Communication channels were categorized as being either interpersonal or mediated. The perceived importance of these channels was …

Multigrid With Cache Optimizations On Adaptive Mesh Refinement Hierarchies, Daniel Thomas Thorne Jr.

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a multilevel algorithm to solve constant and variable coeffcient elliptic boundary value problems on adaptively refined structured meshes in 2D and 3D. Cacheaware algorithms for optimizing the operations to exploit the cache memory subsystem areshown. Keywords: Multigrid, Cache Aware, Adaptive Mesh Refinement, Partial Differential Equations, Numerical Solution.

Quality Of Life Dimensions For Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Kathleen Sheppard-Jones

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Quality of life is a phrase that most people are familiar with, regardless of whether or not they can define it. Much research has been conducted across disciplines in an effort to explain the construct. As human service programs become more focused on outcomes, there is greater interest in measuring quality of life as an indicator of service quality and success. This study was designed to test whether or not quality of life differences exist between adults with developmental disabilities and the general population at an item, scale, and composite level. The quality of life dimensions that were tested included …

Controls On Middle To Late Ordovician Synorogenic Deposition In The Southeastern Corner Of Laurentia, German Bayona

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Middle and Upper Ordovician strata in the southernmost Appalachians document initial collision along the southeastern margin of Laurentia during the Blountian orogeny, an early phase of the Taconic orogeny. Coeval drowning and exposure of different parts of the former platform and variations in stratal architecture have been attributed to tectonic and depositional loading along the collisional margin. Stratigraphic correlations, using a bentonite-graptoliteconodont time framework, a palinspastic map, and a map of subsurface basement structures, suggest that basement-fault reactivation, flexural subsidence, and eustasy variously controlled uplift, subsidence, and deposition at different sites within the peripheral foreland basin. This dissertation documents how …

The Effect Of Visual Art On Music Listening, Jennifer Sue Shank

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of visual stimuli on music listening skills in pre-service elementary teachers. Visual Stimuli in this study refers to the presentation of arts elements in selected visually projected images of paintings. Music listening skills are defined as those skills needed to identify and interpret musical excerpts. A Pretest-Posttest Control-group Design was used in this study. Subjects were pre-service elementary general educators enrolled in a large southern university (N=93). Students from intact classes were randomly placed into either the experimental group or the control group. The treatment consisted of six music listening …

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Of Pain And Emotion, Claude Ervin Davis

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Neuroscience research has followed two fairly distinct paths in investigating central neural mechanisms of pain and emotion. Rarely have studies been conducted which intentionally combined painful and emotional stimulation while observing brain function. Theories of emotion and pain processing predict an interaction between pain and emotion such that emotional states may serve to both increase or decrease pain. This increase or decrease may also correspond to different effects on different dimensions of the overall pain experience as defined in pain neuromatrix theory. Theories of emotion begin with emotions as interpretations of bodily states, to more contemporary theories focusing on the …

Modeling The Infrared Emission From Dust In Active Galactic Nuclei, Maia M. Nenkova

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are compact regions in the centers of some galaxies. They emit significantly in the whole range of the electromagnetic spectrum and show variability at different timescales. Observational evidence suggests the presence of a dusty torus obscuring the central radiation source of AGN. According to the Unified Model the observed general properties of AGN emission can be understood on the basis of orientation of this torus toward an observer. Two main types of AGN are distinguished: Type 1, with detected emission from the inner torus cavity viewed pole-on, and Type 2, viewed through the obscuring torus. There …