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Spectroscopic Investigation Of Nitrogenase: Epr And Mcd Studies Of The Femo Cofactor And The P-Cluster, Robyn B. Broach

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Little is known about substrate binding and reduction of nitrogenase. EPR spectroscopy is used here to observe intermediate states generated by different substrates. Two different spin states (S=3/2 and S=1/2) were exhibited for each substrate, which may result from different binding of the substrate to the cofactor (side-on or terminal binding) or the difference of the substrate binding to either Fe or Mo of the cofactor. Parallel studies were performed on a variant MoFe protein, alpha-195^Gln, which exhibited different signals from the wild-type suggesting that the substituted amino acid maybe necessary to reach some mechanistic states that the …

Modeling Event-Based Coupled Hydrologic And Mass Transport In Small Urban Watersheds, Yuhong Sheng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To investigate the event-based coupled hydrologic and mass transport processes of particulate matter and their eventual fate in unit operations/processes, several methodologies were developed. Discrete rainfall-runoff events data were collected at two similar urban watersheds for model calibration and verification. A mathematically and physically-based criterion was proposed to differentiate rainfall-runoff events between either mass-limited or flow-limited. Statistical techniques of Logistic Regression and Discriminant Analysis were utilized to derive classification rules for event categories based on hydrologic data only. With watersheds assumed as either lumped systems or distributed systems, physically-based semi-empirical models were developed to simulate particulate mass delivery process during …

Virtual Personal Assistants In A Pervasive Computing World, John F. Bradley, Brian R. Duffy, Gregory O'Hare, Alan Martin, Bianca Schoen-Phelan

Conference papers

Computing paradigms are constantly evolving-from mainframe to desktop, and on to ubiquitous computing. With a wide variety of devices, each with varying constraints, it would be quite difficult to develop services that would operate in a uniform manner across all platforms. With this in mind we offer an agent based solution. Agent attributes of autonomy, adaptability and mobility make them highly suitable for use in pervasive computing environments. Agent Chameleons illustrates a framework for Virtual Personal Assistants (VPA) for the information age. This paper briefly outlines some of the technologies and concepts that underpin the functionality of a VPA.

Martin Heidegger, Emmanuel Levinas, And The Politics Of Dwelling, David James Gauthier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The late modern and postmodern theme of homecoming permeates the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, who grapples with the topic throughout the various phases of his lifelong meditation on Being. Heidegger continually gave thought to the relationship between Being and the place or site in which it becomes manifest, whether it is a system of references and manipulable entities (Being and Time), language (An Introduction to Metaphysics), or aesthetic works of art (“The Origin of the Work of Art”). Taking as its point of departure Heidegger’s persistent and dynamic search for home (Heimat), this study will examine the political implications of …

Soils Of Regeneration: Exploring Conceptualizations Of The Natural World As A Context For An Ecologically-Sensitive Curriculum, Emily A. Demoor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

David Orr (1994) asserts that the ecological crisis is a crisis of education. This study explores the relationship between the ecological crisis and education by examining the role that language plays in shaping perceptions of the natural world. Toward this end it analyzes narratives of science, literature and other disciplines that conceptualize the natural world as object and as subject. It evaluates how particular metaphors used in reference to the natural world enhance or impede ecological understanding and the cultivation of responsibility and stewardship and considers ways in which these conceptualizations might be used as a basis for new curriculum …

Electrodeposition Of Feconicu Quaternary System, Qiang Huang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Electrodeposition is a cost-effective method to produce thin film materials, which have been used widely in the microelectronic industry, and is advantageous to fabricate metal deposits into recessed and curved areas. In this dissertation, FeCoNiCu quaternary alloy system was investigated, both experimentally and theoretically, for fabrication of multilayers, grating structures, and nanowires. Multilayer structures are composed of alternating ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic nanometric layers, and are of interest due to the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) property it possesses, a change in electric resistance in the presence of an external magnetic field. In addition, the compositional modulation, or the composition contrast, in multilayer …

Evaluating International Agricultural Trade In Central America: Three Analyses, Jose Roberto Andino

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A case study framework was used to study the competitiveness of Honduran coffee with major importing partners, along with an import demand analysis. Several important points summarize the findings. First, trends in green coffee supply and consumption continue to depress world coffee prices, making the production of coffee less attractive. Since small coffee producing countries, like Honduras, cannot affect the international price, they must improve efficiency, productivity, employ cost reduction techniques, and rely on the promotion of specific product attributes to remain competitive. Second, increased market share of Honduran coffee in major importing markets, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. was …

An Analysis Of György Ligeti's Nonsense Madrigals, Dennis Malfatti

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While other contemporary composers have written works called madrigals, Ligeti's Nonsense Madrigals are truly unique as exemplified by the myriad of influences that went into their creation, the technical challenges of their performance, and in the aesthetic result, one which is incomparable to most musical compositions past or present including works by Ligeti himself. Ligeti’s compositional style in these works include the parodying of compositional techniques from the 14th century as well as the rhythmic provocativeness of jazz. The use of parody in these works is compatible with Ligeti’s choice of texts which includes literary parodies by Lewis Carroll. In …

Software Quality Revisited, Ronan Fitzpatrick

Conference papers

Definitions of software quality have focused on software product quality factors. Quality that focuses on product quality is referred to by Kaoru Ishikawa as a narrow view of quality and he suggests that a broader more embracing and inclusive view is really necessary. The requirements of successful E-Commerce Web sites demonstrate this view. While the site might be considered as the product, Web site producers, owners and visitors also have a “quality” requirement. This broader view gives rises to the need to research and understand quality-of-development, quality-of-ownership, quality-of-engagement as well as quality-of-product. From the quality-of-product perspective, while many of the …

Software Quality Challenges., Ronan Fitzpatrick, Peter Smith, Brendan O'Shea

Conference papers

This paper sets out a number of challenges facing the software quality community. These challenges relate to the broader view of quality and the consequences for software quality definitions. These definitions are related to eight perspectives of software quality in an end-to-end product life cycle. Research and study of software quality has traditionally focused on product quality for management information systems and this paper considers the challenge of defining additional quality factors for alternative domains like the World Wide Web.

Towards A Unified Spatial-Temporal Data Model And Query Language For Geographical Information Systems., Patrick Browne, Mike Jackson

Conference papers

This paper outlines the principle features of a Ph.D. programme of work. Section one describes the aims of the research. Section two looks at the nature of digital maps and their importance in the broader context of geographic information. Section three looks at the two major aspects of the research. Section four discusses the role of category theory in the research. Finally the conclusion is presented in section five.

The Road To Redevelopment: New Urbanism, Nostalgia, And The Process Of Downtown Revitalization In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jennifer Speights-Binet

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study focuses on a planning process in Baton Rouge, Louisiana called Plan Baton Rouge, which began in the summer of 1998 and continues through the present. The overriding goal of the Plan Baton Rouge process is to revitalize downtown Baton Rouge and promote economic and cultural vitality while implementing the design practices of New Urbanism. New Urbanism is a design methodology that condemns suburban sprawl while promoting denser, early-twentieth-century-style townscapes and urban centers, focusing on mixed land use, pedestrianism, and aesthetic and architectural continuity. Through participant observation, this ethnographic account of New Urbanism in practice provides an in-depth …

Processing, Microstructure And Mechanical Behavior Of Nanocomposite Multilayers, Zuqiang Qi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nanoscale multilayer coatings have high potential for numerous engineering applications because they can exhibit enhanced properties due to nanoscale effects and combine different properties from individual components. At present, scale effects on the mechanical behavior of multilayers are not well understood. Three multilayer nanocomposite systems, namely Al/Al2O3, Ti/TiN, and Cr/a-C, have been synthesized by using a dual-gun e-beam physical vapor deposition, to investigate the effect of layer thickness, the nature of components and their microstructures on the mechanical behavior. The deposited Al and Ti nanolayers were found to have polycrystalline fcc and hcp structure, respectively, the Cr and TiN layers …

A National Set Of Competencies For Paraprofessionals In Residential College Or Living/Learning Programs, Debora Elise Baker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A competency model, for supporting student learning, was developed for the paraprofessional position (R.A., Community Assistant, etc.) in residential college or living/learning programs. The researcher developed the model through a two-stage process. In the first stage, the critical incident technique was applied utilizing the experiences of paraprofessionals at 15 different universities to develop an initial set of competencies and related tasks. In the second stage, the Delphi Technique was used to allow faculty and staff from 17 universities to refine and validate the competencies and related tasks. The final competency model includes twelve competencies related to linking hall community programs …

Tissue Culture And Transformation Of Introducing Genes Useful For Pest Management In Rice, Shuli Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sheath blight (SB), caused by Rhizoctonia solani K¨¹hn, is a major rice disease internationally and in the southern rice area of the Unites States, including Louisiana. Breeders have incorporated partial resistance into commercial rice varieties to control the disease, but a higher level of resistance is needed. It has been demonstrated that the pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins ¦Â-1, 3-glucanase and chitinase are components of effective defense mechanisms for protecting plants against fungal pathogens. This research was conducted to co-transform the ¦Â-1, 3-glucanase, chitinase and bar genes into the rice variety Taipei 309 using the hpt gene for resistance to hygromycin B …

A Genetic Study Of Resistance To Kernel Infection By Aspergillus Flavus In Maize (Zea Mays L.), Ruming Li

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Maize (Zea mays L.) kernel infection by Aspergillus flavus is a chronic problem in the southern USA. Genetic resistance to A. flavus is needed to solve this problem. To ascertain and understand the inheritance of resistance to field kernel infection by A. flavus, a five-parent diallel analysis and a half-sib family analysis of 35 maize crosses were conducted during 2003 and 2004 for percent kernel infection (PKI) rates. All parents contained the leafy gene (Lfy). From the combining ability analysis of the five maize parents and their 20 F1s, highly significant general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), and …

A Theoretical And Numerical Study Of Thin Film Delamination Using The Pull-Off Test, Zuo Sun, Kai-Tak Wan, David A. Dillard

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An accurate closed-form analytical solution for the strain energy release rate for a thin rectangular film loaded by a central line force using the pull-off test is derived in the presence of a tensile residual stress. the theoretical constitutive relation and the strain energy release rate agree very well with two-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis for the entire deformation regime ranging from bending plate to stretching membrane. Fracture modes for this pull-off test are also investigated based upon the finite element analysis, offering additional insights to the interfacial delamination. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Likelihood Of Confusion

San Diego Law Review

The primary objective of this Article is to illustrate the tendency of judges to inappropriately rely on personal intuition and subjective, internalized stereotypes when ruling on trademark disputes. Where jurists perceive consumers as ludicrously easily confused, trademark holders can exploit these views to secure broad trademark “rights,” often without offering a shred of evidentiary corroboration concerning such confusion. As a consequence, the proof required to support allegations that a trademark usage creates a likelihood of confusion is potentially lessened in all cases, making trademarks normatively stronger, broader, and ever easier to “protect” for mark holders. Whether consumers realistically benefit from …

Obstructing Justice: The Rise And Fall Of The Aedpa

San Diego Law Review

From 1994 through as late as August 2001, the United States intelligence community1

received information that terrorists had seriously contemplated using airplanes as instruments for carrying out international terrorist attacks.2

This method of attack was clearly “discussed in terrorist circles,” yet community analysts demonstrated little effort to strategically counter such terrorist groups. Moreover, in 1998, U.S. intelligence received specific information that “a group of unidentified Arabs planned to fly an explosive-laden plane from a foreign country into the World Trade Center.” In July 2001, senior government officials were warned of “a significant terrorist attack against U.S. and/or Israeli interests in …

Automatic Feedback Control Of Mechanical Gas Face Seals Via Clearance Control, Sachin S. Yelma, Robert G. Landers, Brad A. Miller

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An approach based on proper orthogonal decomposition and Galerkin projection is presented for developing low-order nonlinear models of the gas film pressure within mechanical gas face seals. A technique is developed for determining an optimal set of global basis functions for the pressure field using data measured experimentally or obtained numerically from simulations of the seal motion. The reduced-order gas film models are shown to be computationally efficient compared to full-order models developed using the conventional semidiscretization methods. An example of a coned mechanical gas face seal in a flexibly mounted stator configuration is presented. Axial and tilt modes of …

Characterization And Modeling Of Local Electromechanical Response In Stress-Biased Piezoelectric Actuators, N. Navapan-Traiphol, Robert W. Schwartz, Daniel S. Stutts, J. Wood

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Numerous investigators have explored the factors that contribute to the high electromechanical performance of stress-biased actuators with particular attention being given to the importance of the extrinsic (domain wall translation) response mechanism. Based on the variation in lateral stress through the thickness of the piezoelectric layer within these devices, it has been suggested that the piezoelectric coefficient varies as a function of position within the layer, though no direct evidence has been previously presented. In this study, the results of Moire interferometry investigations of local strains within these devices are reviewed. The technique permits effective depth-profiling of local deformations at …

Design And Technologies For A Smart Composite Bridge, K. Chandrashekhara, Prakash Kumar, Steve Eugene Watkins, Antonio Nanni

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An all-composite, smart bridge design for shortspan applications is described. The bridge dimensions are 9.14-m (30-ft.) long and 2.74-m (9-ft.) wide. A modular construction based on assemblies of pultruded fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) composite tubes is used to meet American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) H20 highway load ratings. The hollow tubes are 76 mm (3 in.) square and are made of carbon/vinyl-ester and glass/vinyl-ester. An extensive experimental study was carried out to obtain and compare properties (stiffness, strength, and failure modes) for a quarter portion of the full-sized bridge. The bridge response was measured for design loading, two-million-cycle …

Development And Analysis Of A Feedback Treatment Strategy For Parturient Paresis Of Cows, Radhakant Padhi, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An intelligent on-line feedback treatment strategy based on nonlinear optimal control theory is presented for the parturient paresis of cows. A limitation in the development of an existing nonlinear mathematical model for the homogeneous system is addressed and further modified to incorporate a control input. A neural network based optimal feedback controller is synthesized for the treatment of the disease. Detailed studies are used to analyze the effectiveness of a feedback medication strategy and it is compared with the current "impulse" strategy. The results show that while the current practice may fail in some cases, especially if it is carried …

Development And Implementation Of New Nonlinear Control Concepts For A Ua, Vijayakumar Janardhan, Derek Schmitz, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A reconfigurable flight control method is developed to be implemented on an Unmanned Aircraft (UA), a thirty percent scale model of the Cessna 150. This paper presents the details of the UAV platform, system identification, reconfigurable controller design, development, and implementation on the UA to analyze the performance metrics. A Crossbow Inertial Measurement Unit provides the roll, pitch and yaw accelerations and rates along with the roll and pitch. The 100400 mini-air data boom from spaceage control provides the airspeed, altitude, angle of attack and the side slip angles. System identification is accomplished by commanding preprogrammed inputs to the control …

Optimal Beaver Population Management Using Reduced Order Distributed Parameter Model And Single Network Adaptive Critics, Radhakant Padhi, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Using a distributed parameter model for beaver population that accounts for their spatial and temporal behavior, an optimal control for a desired distribution of the animals is presented. Optimal solutions are obtained through a "single network adaptive critic" (SNAC) neural network architecture. The objective of this research is to design an "optimal" beaver harvesting scheme for a region of interest.

Optimal Control Synthesis Of A Class Of Nonlinear Systems Using Single Network Adaptive Critics, Radhakant Padhi, Nishant Unnikrishnan, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Adaptive critic (AC) neural network solutions to optimal control designs using dynamic programming has reduced the need of complex computations and storage requirements that typical dynamic programming requires. In this paper, a "single network adaptive critic" (SNAC) is presented. This approach is applicable to a class of nonlinear systems where the optimal control (stationary) equation is explicitly solvable for control in terms of state and costate variables. The SNAC architecture offers three potential advantages; a simpler architecture, significant savings of computational load and reduction in approximation errors. In order to demonstrate these benefits, a real-life micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) problem has been …

Solid State Aircraft Concept Overview, M. Shahinpoor, P. Jenkins, C. Smith, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac, T. Dalbello, Anthony Colozza

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to recent advances in polymers, photovoltaics, and batteries a unique type of aircraft may be feasible. This is a "solid-state" aircraft, with no conventional mechanical moving parts. Airfoil, propulsion, energy production, energy storage and control are combined in an integrated structure. The key material of this concept is an ionic polymeric-metal composite (IPMC) that provides source of control and propulsion. This material has the unique capability of deforming in an electric field and returning to its original shape when the field is removed. Combining the IPMC with thin-film batteries and thin-film photovoltaics provides both energy source and storage in …

Stationkeeping Of An L₂ Libration Point Satellite With Θ-D Technique, Ming Xin, S. N. Balakrishnan, Henry J. Pernicka, Michael W. Dancer

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new method for L₂ libration-point orbit stationkeeping is proposed in this paper using continuous thrust. The circular restricted three-body problem with Sun and Earth as the two primaries is considered. The unstable orbit about the L₂ libration-point requires stationkeeping maneuvers to maintain the nominal path. In this study, an approach, called the "θ-D technique," based on optimal control theory gives a closed-form suboptimal feedback solution to solve this nonlinear control problem. In this approach the Hamiltonian-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation is solved approximately by adding some perturbations to the cost function. The controller is designed such that the actual …

Government Policy Towards Innovation In The United States, Canada, And The European Union As Manifested In Patent, Copyright, And Competition Laws, Daniel J. Gifford

Articles

THE United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan and most industrialized nations have adopted patent, copyright and other intellectual property laws. A major or primary purpose of those laws is to foster innovation, including technological innovation. Industrial and technological innovation is generally perceived as a good because technological advances increase a society's productivity, 1 thus increasing its wealth and raising living standards. The major industrialized nations also possess competition laws, one of whose purposes is to preserve, foster and support competitive markets. These nations want to preserve competitive markets because competitive markets help to allocate available resources to their highest …

Turbine Blade Tip Cooling And Heat Transfer, Hasan Nasir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Turbine blade tip leakage flow from blade pressure side to suction side over the tip surface increases the thermal loading to the blade tip, leading to a high local temperature and thus, is considered one of the primary sources of blade failure. Leakage flow can be reduced by using a recessed or squealer tip blade or by cooling the blade tip to incorporate film cooling. The performance of different recessed tip geometries were investigated and compared with plane tip performance. A transient liquid crystal technique was employed to measure detailed heat transfer coefficient distributions. Coolant injection from holes located on …