Digital Commons Network^™

Medical Image Enhancement, Alina Monica Trifas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Each image acquired from a medical imaging system is often part of a two-dimensional (2-D) image set whose total presents a three-dimensional (3-D) object for diagnosis. Unfortunately, sometimes these images are of poor quality. These distortions cause an inadequate object-of-interest presentation, which can result in inaccurate image analysis. Blurring is considered a serious problem. Therefore, “deblurring” an image to obtain better quality is an important issue in medical image processing. In our research, the image is initially decomposed. Contrast improvement is achieved by modifying the coefficients obtained from the decomposed image. Small coefficient values represent subtle details and are amplified …

Radiative Transfer Modeling Of Thermal Infrared Emissivity Spectra: Applications To Martian Regolith Observations, Karly Mariah Pitman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Satellite and rover remote sensing of planetary regolith surfaces, in the form of thermal infrared emissivity spectra taken at nadir and off-nadir angles of emergence from the surface, requires use of theoretical models for interpretation of constituent grain physical properties. However, such models have remained in stasis in recent years, with nearly a ten-year gap in significant advances. To date, no radiative transfer model (semiempirical, exact, or hybrid solution) has been able to adequately predict the nadir emissivity behavior of simple mineral assemblages. Few measurements have been attempted in the laboratory or field regarding directional emissivity effects of planetary regoliths; …

Pah And Pcb Distribution In Sediment Fractions And Sorptive Phases, Trudy J. Estes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Contaminant distribution is integral to environmental evaluations of contaminated sediment on every level. The technical and economic feasibility of treatment or beneficial use is a function of the accessibility or separability of the contaminants within the sediment. The magnitude of release to the environment during dredging and disposal is dependent upon the partitioning behavior of the contaminants. Yet, little attention has been paid to contaminant distribution in the fine sediment fractions. Further, conventional distribution coefficients provide little information regarding the relative contaminant loading of each of the sorptive phases. Bioavailability of contaminants in oil and grease, soot and organic carbon, …

The Evolution Of Prezygotic Reproductive Isolation In The Drosophila Pseudoobscura Subgroup, Sheri Dixon Schully

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Newly forming species that have differentiated in allopatry may evolve numerous barriers that prevent the interbreeding when they come back into contact with each other. The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate some mechanisms of prezygotic reproductive isolation in the D. pseudoobscura subgroup. I begin by evaluating how the evolution of female preferences and male sexual characters lead to reinforcement between Drosophila pseudoobscura and its congener D. persimils. In particular, I will evaluate two alternative hypotheses; Preference Evolution and Discrimination Enhancement, to determine how selection reduces hybridization between these sister species. Both hypotheses predict a reduction in the overlap …

The Constitutionally Inspired Approaches To Police Accountability For Violence Against Women In The U.S. And South Africa: Conservation Versus Transformation, Christopher J. Roederer

School of Law Faculty Publications

In this last term, the highest courts in the U.S. and South Africa, respectively, the United States Supreme Court in Town of Castle Rock, Colorado v. Gonzales and the South African Constitutional Court in N.K. v. Minister of Safety and Security, overturned decisions from their appellate courts, the Tenth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Appeals. … This article is not primarily concerned with a comparison of the doctrinal nuances of these three cases, or of the respective constitutional mechanisms that aided the courts in coming to their decisions. This article examines the comparison, or rather, the sharp contrast between …

Constructing A Math Applications, Curriculum-Based Assessment: An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Apllications [Sic] Problems, Computation Problems And Criterion-Referenced Assessments, James E. Connell, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is a well established tool for formative assessment. CBM has also been used for prediction of state test scores. However, validity coefficients between math-CBM and state tests have been moderate at best (Skiba, Magnusson, Martson, and Erickson, 1986; Martson, 1989; Putnam, 1989). The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and evaluate a set of math assessments designed to measure the type of application and problem-solving objectives required on state tests. The "application" type assessments constructed for this study combined characteristics of CBM, accuracy-based curriculum-based assessment (CBA) and criterion-referenced assessment (CRA). Theses assessments were derived from …

Computational Model For Elasto-Plastic And Damage Analysis Of Plates And Shells, Pawel Benedykt Woelke

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Shells and plates are very important for various engineering applications. Analysis and design of these structures is therefore continuously of interest to the scientific and engineering community. Accurate and conservative assessments of the maximum load carried by the structure, as well as the equilibrium path in both elastic and inelastic range are of paramount importance. Elastic behaviour of shells has been very closely investigated, mostly by means of the finite element method. Inelastic analysis on the other hand, especially accounting for damage effects, has received much less attention from the researchers. A computational model for finite element, elasto-plastic and damage …

Effects Of Spaced Retrieval On Memory And Quality Of Life In Older Adults With Probable Alzheimer's Disease, Karri S. Hawley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study was designed to explore the effects of spaced-retrieval training on memory and quality of life in older adults with probable Alzheimer’s disease. A total nineteen older adults with probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) participated in these experiments. Experiment one was designed to determine whether the spacing effect is contributing to the success of the spaced-retrieval intervention. Participants were trained to recall a name-face association using either the adjusted spaced-retrieval method or a fixed interval retrieval method. The results showed a more consistent performance profile for the spaced retrieval group in comparison to the fixed interval group, providing evidence that …

Dragos Tanasescu's Treaties Of Pianistic Technique, Lucian B. Zidaru

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines Dragos Tanasescu's fingering system and technical exercises presented in Treatise of Pianistic Technique. The Treatise contains four books, each one dedicated to a segment of technical problems. Tanasescu's main contribution to the piano technique is the applications of math permutation formulas to create all possible arrangements of fingering patterns. His treatise continues previous technical approaches of A. Kullak, F. Liszt, J. Pischna and E. Dohnanyi. Earlier methods organize the technical material by one principle: fingerings. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the characteristics of Tanasescu's fingering system presented in Treatise of Pianistic Technique, and provide …

Reactivity Effect And Axial Flux Profile Of Isotope Production Element, Alfred L. Schovanez Iii

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Due to a continued increase for the demands of irradiation, new facilities to hold samples are needed. The IPE is an experimental facility at the University of Missouri-Rolla Reactor. The IPE is an isotope production element that uses pins, screws, and O-rings to keep a water-tight seal and hold samples in the reactor core. Since this element has never been tested in the last few years and no known data is on file on it, experimentation to find out how the IPE affects the core is needed. It was determined that reactivity testing and axial flux profile testing was needed. …

Biologically Inspired Learning System, Patrick Mcdowell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Learning Systems used on robots require either a-priori knowledge in the form of models, rules of thumb or databases or require that robot to physically execute multitudes of trial solutions. The first requirement limits the robot’s ability to operate in unstructured changing environments, and the second limits the robot’s service life and resources. In this research a generalized approach to learning was developed through a series of algorithms that can be used for construction of behaviors that are able to cope with unstructured environments through adaptation of both internal parameters and system structure as a result of a goal based …

Separation And In Situ Catalytic Testing Of A Dirhodium Tetraphosphine Catalyst, Bobby Lloyd Barker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Attempts to study the asymmetric hydroformylation abilities of [rac-Rh₂(nbd)₂(et,ph-P4)](BF₄)₂ were made through the separation of the enantiomers of et,ph-P4 using a chiral HPLC column. Efforts were also made to optimize the NiCl₂ separation chemistry for the methyl analogue of et,ph-P4 for use in asymmetric hydroformylation. A study of hydroformylation of olefins using [rac-Rh₂(nbd)₂(et,ph-P4)](BF₄)₂ in ionic liquids was also performed, leading directly to the important (and unexpected) effect of increased hydrogen pressure on [rac-Rh₂(nbd)₂(et,ph-P4)](BF₄)₂ in the acetone/water system to …

Optimization Of Solar Array Layout For Solar Cars, Andrew Baughman

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Solar car racing demands the most efficient components and systems on the highway today. Physical optimization of the layout of the solar array to absorb as much energy from the sun as possible can produce significant gains in the speed of the car. The solar array optimization program developed in this project will accept a user-defined range of sun angles that is representative of the sun angles the array will see during its on-road travels and add up the total power produced for this generic "'day." The power produced by a fl.at solar array of the same plan-view area is …

Carbon Canister Fuel Vapor Recovery Adsorption Performance Using Experimental Techniques, Kyle Benne

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Laboratory experiments have been conducted on a 1 L carbon bed canister in order to measure the performance of the canister in containing automotive fuel vapors that would otherwise escape from the fuel tank. The investigation simulates gasoline fuel vapor using iso-octane vapor carried in helium gas. Tests were conducted at two different concentrations of the hydrocarbon. The results indicate that the performance of the canister is improved for higher inlet concentrations. For the lower concentration there is a significant point where the performance of the canister degrades rapidly, however this point is not as clear for the higher concentration. …

Miniature Shear Vane Testing On Compacted Silts, James Duehning

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Geotechnical Engineering is a branch of Civil Engineering that deals with soil, rock, ground water and their relationship with the design, construction, and operation of engineering projects (Coduto, 1998). As early as the Middle Ages builders found out through trial and error that the soils stratums underneath their structures had to be competent enough to withstand the stresses induced by these structures. The trial-and-error method continued through the Renaissance and into the Industrial Revolution. (Coduto, 1998) The trial-and-error method turned out to be a very tedious and expensive way of learning.

Netexaminer: A Network Visualization Tool, Justin Miller

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The purpose of NetExaminer is to provide a tool that can visualize the condition of a network without communicating with the network being monitored. The application is written for operating systems that support wxWtdgets, a cross -platform GUI toolkit. MySQL was used to provide the data for NetExaminer. Whereas most tools for gathering and displaying security related information available today display data in a readout form, NetExaminer attempts to take the data and display it graphically. The NetExaminer software takes data in from MySQL and generates a list of hosts that matches a pre-defined dy­namic criteria. The project has been …

Untitled Paper 2004-2005b, Rahul Kothari

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The dermvis research group at the University of Missouri-Rolla is seeking to identify melanoma automatically. They now have reported up to 90% diagnostic accuracy for malignant melanoma (1) and recently obtained about 93% correct melanoma identification, the highest obtained by research groups in North America. The goals of the OURE project described here were threefold:

1. Digitize images from existing photographic slides of dermoscopy images taken with the Heine Dermaphot unit.

2. Digitize images from patients with malignant melanoma or benign lesions in the infrared region using a new camera with hot mirror removed.

3. Determine microprocessor serial cable codes …

Transport And Kinetics Of Aromatic Hydrocarbons Into Micron-Sized Liquid Droplets: With Applications To Atmospheric Chemistry, Suresh Raja

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the natural process of wet deposition, gas-water interfaces play an important role in the transport of chemical contaminants in the atmosphere via fog, rain and cloud drops. Evidences from several other works point out deviations in gas-liquid partitioning as predicted by Henry’s law. Uptake and mass transfer of benzene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene was chosen to study in a falling droplet train apparatus. Higher droplet-to-vapor partition constant (KDV) was noted for diameters less than 200ìm and was attributed to surface adsorption and accumulation. Mass transfer of phenanthrene was dependent on gas-phase diffusion and mass accommodation at the interface, while the …

Synthetic Development And Application Of Compounds With Biological Relevance, Jeffery Caleb Clark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nature has provided a vast number of compounds that have medicinal application. The use of these compounds provided by nature however, is limited by the amount of a specific compound that nature provides. The synthesis of these molecules and their derivatives provides an even greater number of compounds for biological screening. Various pyrroles, the heterocyclic building blocks of porphyrins, can be prepared synthetically over several steps. The implementation of carboranes on pyrrole rings intrinsically provides substrates that can be converted into porphyrins bearing carborane substituents. The condensation of these carboranylpyrroles with carboranylaldehydes provides carboranylporphyrins bearing a higher order of carborane …

Shaly Sand Interpretation Using Cec-Dependent Petrophysical Parameters, Fnu Kurniawan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research explores the characterization of petrophysical parameters such as cementation exponent, saturation exponent and effective porosity as a function of cations exchange capacity (CEC), and its impact on shaly sand interpretation. Experimental and field data were used in the study. The latest LSU model for shaly sand interpretation uses of two cementation exponents, mf and mc, to represent the tortuosity of electric current path in free water and clay bound water, respectively. Experimental measurements on three types of rock, clean sand, shaly sand and pure shale using different brine salinity, were conducted to validate the use of these two …

Power And Memory Optimization Techniques In Embedded Systems Design, Atef Khalil Allam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Embedded systems incur tight constraints on power consumption and memory (which impacts size) in addition to other constraints such as weight and cost. This dissertation addresses two key factors in embedded system design, namely minimization of power consumption and memory requirement. The first part of this dissertation considers the problem of optimizing power consumption (peak power as well as average power) in high-level synthesis (HLS). The second part deals with memory usage optimization mainly targeting a restricted class of computations expressed as loops accessing large data arrays that arises in scientific computing such as the coupled cluster and configuration interaction …

A Correlational Study Examining The Relationship Between Invented Spelling And Beginning Reading, Jane Mcdaniel Grove

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research study was designed to investigate correlations between invented spelling patterns and beginning reading for low-performing and on-level boys and girls in kindergarten. Two research questions were examined: (1) Is there a statistically significant relationship between invented spelling as displayed in task and reading skills as measured by DIBELS? and (2) Does the performance displayed in task and reading skills as measured by DIBELS differ significantly for boys and girls in kindergarten? Student performance data was gathered using extant school Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) benchmarks at collected at midyear of kindergarten. It was hypothesized that …

Ecotoxicology Of Metal-Hydrocarbon Mixtures In Benthic Invertebrates, Kurt A. Gust

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Metal-hydrocarbon mixtures are becoming increasingly prevalent in natural environments due to expanding industrial activity and urbanization. The ecotoxicology of metal-hydrocarbon mixtures in benthic environments is of particular concern because both classes of contaminants partition to sediments and can thereby exert toxic effects in benthic organisms. Mixtures of dissimilar chemicals (including metals and hydrocarbons) are broadly hypothesized to elicit independent toxic effects however; this hypothesis has little supporting data. The purpose of this dissertation was to test this hypothesis for metal-hydrocarbon mixtures using environmentally relevant exposures and to determine mechanisms for observed interactive effects. Sediment and water-only bioassays were conducted employing …

An Examination Of Teacher Migration In A Large, Urban School District, Christine C. Arab

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Teaching is professional work that as an occupation is characterized by many of the same rules of employment as other white-collar jobs. It is typically steady work with predictably rising pay, requires limited physical effort, a fixed amount of work time, and occurs in organizations that are rule-bound. Teaching is also uniquely complex, in that it requires a high degree of autonomy, responsibility for others, and extensive management activities. It is also work that has been the focus of significant public criticism for more than twenty-five years as students test scores have declined, the achievement gap among the races has …

Risk Properties Of A Stein-Like Estimator For Multinomial Choice Models, Vera Alexandrova Tabakova

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Stein-rule estimators, also known as shrinkage estimators, combine sample and non-sample information in a way that improves the precision of the estimation process or the quality of subsequent predictions. A Stein-rule estimator is a weighted average of a restricted and an unrestricted estimator, where the weights determine the degree of shrinkage, i.e. the importance that we place on the non-sample information. The existing literature shows that Stein-rule estimators may lead to squared error risk improvements in the linear regression, and in a number of non-linear models. The dissertation explores Stein-rule estimation in the context of multinomial choice models. It consists …

Synthesis, Characterization And Application Of Polymeric Surfactants In Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography: Use Of Ionic Liquids As Modifiers, Simon M. Mwongela

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of the research presented in this dissertation is to synthesize, characterize, and apply a novel chiral amino acid-based surfactant and achiral sulfate-based surfactants for the effective separations of chiral and achiral compounds in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The first part of this research involves novel synthesis, characterization, and application of polysodium oleyl-L-leucyl-valinate (poly-L-SOLV) for the separation of chiral compounds in MEKC. Surface tensiometry, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, densitometry and analytical ultracentrifugation were used as the characterization techniques. Optimal MEKC separating conditions were established by varying surfactant concentration, buffer concentration and pH, applied voltage, and capillary temperature. …

Cementitious Permeable Pavement As A Passive Unit Operation And Process For Stormwater Quality And Quantity Control, Xuheng Kuang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With respect to the problems caused by impervious pavements, cementitous permeable pavement (CPP) functions as a passive unit operation and process for stormwater quality and quantity control through infiltration, evaporation, filtration, absorption and reaction mechanisms. CPP pore characteristics were examined through pore connectivity analysis using X-Ray Tomography (XRT). Image resolution influence on image analysis results was evaluated. Relationships between parameters of pore characteristics were evaluated. Factors that significantly influence fluid flow in CPP media include effective porosity, pore connectivity and pore size distribution. A modified Kozeny-Carman model in which effective porosity, specific surface area based on effective pores (SSA)pe, and …

The Efficacy Of Noncontingent Escape For Decreasing Disruptive Behavior During Dental Treatment, Patrick Michael O'Callaghan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers have developed and demonstrated the effectiveness of a number of interventions to manage disruptive behavior in the dental setting. However, these treatments vary in terms of their effectiveness, invasiveness, effort to implement, and acceptability to families. This study evaluated the effects of noncontingent escape for reducing disruptive behavior in a pediatric dental setting. Within a multiple baseline design across subjects, five children were provided response-independent breaks via an automated cuing device. Results demonstrated reductions in escape-related behaviors (e.g., crying, body movements) for all children. Additionally, the intervention was implemented with high integrity and was favorably rated by the dental …

African-American Women's Reception Influence And Utility Of Television Content: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis, Bettye A. Grable

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study featured 33 in-depth interviews of college-aged, African-American women and offers baseline exploratory data about how a majority cultural artifact like televised depictions become utilized in the everyday lives of an underrepresented group in media studies. This research represents one of a few studies to explore how black females decode and utilize TV content, and offers a new theoretical framework to explain informants' decoded receptions, influence and utility of television. An inductive analysis of interview narratives found that viewers use TV content like a looking-glass to understand how they are seen by others and where they fit in …

Geostatistical Integration Of Geophysical, Well Bore And Outcrop Data For Flow Modeling Of A Deltaic Reservoir Analogue, Hong Tang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Significant world oil and gas reserves occur in deltaic reservoirs. Characterization of deltaic reservoirs requires understanding sedimentary and diagenetic heterogeneity at the submeter scale in three dimensions. However, deltaic facies architecture is complex and poorly understood. Moreover, precipitation of extensive calcite cement during diagenesis can modify the depositional permeability of sandstone reservoir and affect fluid flow. Heterogeneity contributes to trapping a significant portion of mobile oil in deltaic reservoirs analogous of Cretaceous Frontier Formation, Powder River Basin, Wyoming. This dissertation focuses on 3D characterization of an ancient deltaic lobe. The Turonian Wall Creek Member in central Wyoming has been selected …