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 …

Using The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (Idea) To Reduce Discipline Referrals, Daniel Shakespeare

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes a program to reduce disciplinary referrals of special education students at Andalusia High School (AHS) in Andalusia, Alabama. With a total student population of 557 students in Grades 9-12, the office received 878 disciplinary referrals in 1998-1999. Of this number, 244 referrals were for 32 special education students who averaged 13 referrals each. All 32 special education students had at least 2 disciplinary referrals (with a range from a high of 17 to a low of 2).

Possible causes of the problem were identified. First, the role of the regular education teacher in working with special education …

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 …

A Plan To Reduce Bullying Behaviors At Coginchaug High School, Steve Wysowski

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

A survey of sophomores taken in 1999 at Coginchaug high School indicated that student harassment was above the national average as established by The Educational Excellence Alliance. Harassment is defined by the Alliance as “being insulted, teased, or made fun of to your face.” Another follow-up survey was administered a year later. The amount of student-reported harassment was greater in the freshman and sophomore years and diminished in the junior and senior years. A survey taken in October 2002 for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ self-study indicated that 90% of the 138 respondents do not feel respected …

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 …

Improving Reading Instruction Through Staff Development At Putnam County Elementary School, Kirk D. Mallette

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem addressed was low reading achievement for Grade 2 students at Putnam County Elementary School. Reading comprehension and vocabulary skills were not being demonstrated by Grade 2 students to a satisfactory level according to the test data. Teachers in the school expressed frustration about how to help students achieve higher levels. One variable that impacts reading achievement is teacher instruction. This study addresses that variable.

The intervention was a staff development training program to help Grade 2 teachers at Putnam County Elementary School learn to implement a balanced approach to literacy through guided reading and guided writing. The quasi-experimental …

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 …

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. …

Role Of Endothelin In The Pathogenesis Of Acute Laminitis In Horses, Ashley Michelle Stokes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Acute laminitis is a severely debilitating disease of the laminae of the equine digit; however, the mechanism(s) of pathogenesis have yet to be fully elucidated. In physiologic states, the endothelium synthesizes substances, such as nitric oxide (NO; vasodilator) and endothelin-1 (ET-1; profound vasoconstrictor), which play a crucial role in vasomotor regulation. The overall hypothesis is that the initiating factor in the onset of acute laminitis is a disruption in the balance between NO and ET-1, which leads to digital vasoconstriction and subsequent laminar ischemic necrosis. In vitro studies with digital vessels from healthy horses and horses with naturally-acquired laminitis determined …

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Study And Neutron Diffraction Measurements On Lasb2, Alice Acatrinei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

LaSb₂ has recently been found to have unusual magnetoresistive properties despite the fact that neither La nor Sb are magnetic. The resistance is anisotropic, and at high magnetic fields presents an anomaly that might be a result of a charge density transition. The magnetoresistance is anisotropic and linear, and the resistivity presents high relative changes when a magnetic field is applied. Discovered in 1954, LaSb₂, as the rest of the light rare-earth diantimonides, was poorly studied. The anisotropic magnetic properties reported in 1998 by Bud'ko, Canfield and their collaborators make the series very interesting. A description of …

Gender Differences In Participation Of Physical Activities: A Comprehensive Model Approach, Kay Gordon Daigle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships among gender, perceptions of peer, parent, and teacher support, perceived value and meaningfulness, perceived competence, and the intention to be physically active within a proposed model. Female and male students (N=801) enrolled in a traditional multi-activity physical education class responded to a 52-item questionnaire addressing the constructs in the model. Structural equation modeling, using LISREL, was used to identify the relationships among the constructs. Gender differences emerged in this model through direct paths as well as indirect paths among these variables. Girls were more influenced than boys by their perceptions …

Developing A Four-Mallet Marimba Technique Featuring The Alternation Of Mallets In Each Hand For Linear Passages And The Application Of This Technique To Transcriptions Of Selected Keyboard Works By J.S. Bach, Thomas Allen Zirkle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this study is to develop a four-mallet marimba technique that utilizes alternation within each hand on linear passages, then apply this technique to selected keyboard works of J. S. Bach. This paper provides a method of training the hands for this type of alternation and will hypothesize a conception of hand positions as a method of facing the visual/spatial logistics issues of marimba performance. A performance annotation chapter will then apply the alternation sticking, and its resultant positional concepts, to three new transcriptions of J. S. Bach's inventions and a prelude and fugue from his Well-Tempered Clavier …

Design, Synthesis, And Applications Of Bio-Derived Crosslinking Monomers For Molecular Imprinting, Martha Sibrian-Vazquez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Most of the research in the field of molecular imprinting has been focused on the development of new functional monomers, in order to improve the molecular recognition properties afforded by these materials. The role of the crosslinking monomer has often been overlooked, since it is considered an inert component that only provides a scaffold to support the binding sites. However, the crosslinking monomer represents a high percent (80-90%) of the composition of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), which can have a large influence on the MIPs properties. This research addresses the design, synthesis, and applications of new crosslinking monomers for molecular …

Machine Learning Techniques For Efficient Query Processing In Kowledge Base Systems, Kevin Paul Grant

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we propose a new technique for efficient query processing in knowledge base systems. Query processing in knowledge base systems poses strong computational challenges because of the presence of combinatorial explosion. This arises because at any point during query processing there may be too many subqueries available for further exploration. Overcoming this difficulty requires effective mechanisms for choosing from among these subqueries good subqueries for further processing. Inspired by existing works on stochastic logic programs, compositional modeling and probabilistic heuristic estimates we create a new, nondeterministic method to accomplish the task of subquery selection for query processing. Specifically, …

Politicizing The Reader In The American Lyric-Epic: Walt Whitman's Leaves Of Grass And Pablo Neruda's Canto General, William Allegrezza

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Both Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda wanted to create epic works that would distinguish American literature from the literary traditions of Europe, works that would grow organically from the native landscapes and peoples of the Americas. Part of their projects included creating works that would act as political sourcebooks for their cultures. Whitman wanted to foster a democratic culture in the United States through writing a grand poetic work, while Neruda wanted to create a communist culture in Latin America through an epic work. Soon into the project Whitman realized that the traditional epic was not a suitable form for …

"Science In Skirts": Representations Of Women In Science In The "B" Science Fiction Films Of The 1950s, Bonnie Noonan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project shows how central representations of women in science were to the “B” science fiction films of the 1950s and uses these films as valuable indicators for cultural analysis. I argue that the emergence of the modern American science fiction film in 1950 combined with the situation of post-W.W.II women in science to create a genre explicitly amenable to exploring the tension between a woman’s place in the home and her place in the work force, particularly in the fields of science. Out of a context of 114 “B” science fiction films produced between 1950 and 1966, I offer …