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2005

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A Crisis Of Opportunity: The Example Of New Orleans And Public Education In Antebellum Louisiana, Sarah Elisabeth Lipscomb Jan 2005

A Crisis Of Opportunity: The Example Of New Orleans And Public Education In Antebellum Louisiana, Sarah Elisabeth Lipscomb

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the development of public education in antebellum Louisiana. Using primarily public records, I found that despite the successful system instituted in New Orleans in the early 1840s, the rest of Louisiana faltered in its attempts to establish free public schools. Notwithstanding the requirement contained in the 1845 Constitution that each parish must organize public schools, the lack of guidance, supervision, and funding from the state legislature all coalesced to condemn public education in most of the rest of the state. As public schools in New Orleans thrived throughout the decades leading up …

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Two Dimensional Sediment Transport Model Using Parallel Computers, Vikas Singh Jan 2005

Two Dimensional Sediment Transport Model Using Parallel Computers, Vikas Singh

LSU Master's Theses

Management and development of water bodies is vital for meeting domestic, agricultural, energy and industrial needs. To that end, dams, artificial channels, lakes and other water structures have been constructed. Management and development of these structures encounter problems of land erosion, reservoir silting, and degradation and aggradation of channel beds, which need to be addressed. Fundamental to these problems are sediment transport, erosion and deposition. Numerical modeling of sediment transport is the best tool to simulate sediment transport in a water body. This study develops a vertically integrated two-dimensional numerical sediment transport model. Sediment transport is simulated in two parts …

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Hydrodynamic Analysis Of Compliant Journal Bearings, Amith Hanumappa Reddy Jan 2005

Hydrodynamic Analysis Of Compliant Journal Bearings, Amith Hanumappa Reddy

LSU Master's Theses

Compliant journal bearings are commonly used to support radial loads at extreme operating speeds and conditions where conventional bearings cannot operate. The journal and bearing system are supported by a thin lubricant film (gas) due to the hydrodynamic pressure distribution. To predict the bearing performance parameters, the compressible Reynolds equation is solved based on Infinitely Long Approximation (ILA), Finite Analysis (FA) and a new Modified Parabolic Approximation (MPA). The MPA method reduces the classical Reynolds equation to an ordinary differential equation. Appropriate equations and numerical solution are developed for treating a compressible Reynolds equation using MPA. A series of parametric …

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Women Pilots Unite!, Kristin M. Pantos Jan 2005

Women Pilots Unite!, Kristin M. Pantos

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

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Efficient Automatic Correction And Segmentation Based 3d Visualization Of Magnetic Resonance Images, Mikhail V. Milchenko Jan 2005

Efficient Automatic Correction And Segmentation Based 3d Visualization Of Magnetic Resonance Images, Mikhail V. Milchenko

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the recent years, the demand for automated processing techniques for digital medical image volumes has increased substantially. Existing algorithms, however, still often require manual interaction, and newly developed automated techniques are often intended for a narrow segment of processing needs. The goal of this research was to develop algorithms suitable for fast and effective correction and advanced visualization of digital MR image volumes with minimal human operator interaction. This research has resulted in a number of techniques for automated processing of MR image volumes, including a novel MR inhomogeneity correction algorithm derivative surface fitting (dsf), automatic tissue detection algorithm …

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An Analysis Of The Variables That Influence A Country's Decision To Ratify The Stockholm Convention On Persistent Organic Pollutants, Tokesha Marie Collins Jan 2005

An Analysis Of The Variables That Influence A Country's Decision To Ratify The Stockholm Convention On Persistent Organic Pollutants, Tokesha Marie Collins

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this thesis is to identify key factors that influence a country to ratify the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Treaty. The POPs treaty seeks to eliminate or reduce the emissions of 12 POPs. I will examine the links between the countries that have ratified the POPs treaty in an effort to identify variables that may have influenced a country's decision to ratify the treaty. For each of the 165 nations in my dataset, I will examine economic, social, geographic, health, and political indicators and history of malaria and determine if a relationship exists between these variables and treaty …

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Long Term Pressure Behavior In Turbidite Reservoirs, Feng Wang Jan 2005

Long Term Pressure Behavior In Turbidite Reservoirs, Feng Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, we investigated several possible mechanisms that would give rise to the anomalous pressure behavior (early concave-up on Horner plot or upward drift on the derivative curve of the log-log plot and asymmetry between the pressure drawdown and buildup behavior) sometimes encountered in the turbidite reservoirs in GOM primarily using numerical simulation and 2-level experimental designs. We ascertained the most influential parameters to the pressure behavior and identified that multilayer commingled system and the leaky compartment model are the most probable mechanisms to cause the anomalous behavior due to layer or zone property contrast to a certain degree. …

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Ability Of College Students To Simulate Adhd On Objective Measure Of Attention, Randee Lee Booksh Jan 2005

Ability Of College Students To Simulate Adhd On Objective Measure Of Attention, Randee Lee Booksh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Complaints of ADHD symptoms in college students are not uncommon and college students frequently self-refer for assessment of ADHD. Some may seek out a diagnosis to obtain academic accommodations and/or stimulant medication. Diagnosing ADHD in college students is largely reliant on self-report measures, and to a lesser extent, objective measures of attention. The typical college student has easy access to information about ADHD, potentially facilitating efforts to simulate self-reported symptoms. The present study examined the ability of college students to effectively simulate ADHD on objective and self-report measures of attention, and examined the relationship between knowledge of ADHD and ability …

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Structural Integrity And Fatigue Crack Propagation Life Assessment Of Welded And Weld-Repaired Structures, Mohammad Shah Alam Jan 2005

Structural Integrity And Fatigue Crack Propagation Life Assessment Of Welded And Weld-Repaired Structures, Mohammad Shah Alam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Structural integrity is the science and technology of the margin between safety and disaster. Proper evaluation of the structural integrity and fatigue life of any structure (aircraft, ship, railways, bridges, gas and oil transmission pipelines, etc.) is important to ensure the public safety, environmental protection, and economical consideration. Catastrophic failure of any structure can be avoided if structural integrity is assessed and necessary precaution is taken appropriately. Structural integrity includes tasks in many areas, such as structural analysis, failure analysis, nondestructive testing, corrosion, fatigue and creep analysis, metallurgy and materials, fracture mechanics, fatigue life assessment, welding metallurgy, development of repairing …

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Riding Out The Risks: An Ethnographic Study Of Risk Perceptions In A South Louisiana Bayou Community, Susan Camille Manning Jan 2005

Riding Out The Risks: An Ethnographic Study Of Risk Perceptions In A South Louisiana Bayou Community, Susan Camille Manning

LSU Master's Theses

This ethnographic study explores the risk perceptions of a small unincorporated coastal community in southeastern Louisiana. This community has experienced social and environmental change due to events including tropical storms and hurricanes, erosion, subsidence, oil and gas activities, development, and the impact of global seafood markets. Many global risk perception studies have focused on the perception of risk to human health and property connected with natural and technological disasters, but few have explored the issue of minorities and small at-risk communities. To explore this theoretical and methodological gap, this study uses a variety of qualitative ethnographic methods to examine a …

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Belowground Productivity Of Mangrove Forests In Southwest Florida, Beatriz Eugenia Giraldo Sánchez Jan 2005

Belowground Productivity Of Mangrove Forests In Southwest Florida, Beatriz Eugenia Giraldo Sánchez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies in belowground dynamics are limited mainly due to the difficulty of studying roots despite wide recognition of its importance. This dissertation focused on methods for analyzing mangrove roots, root responses to phosphorus and flooding, and variation in root production between forest types. Techniques to separate live and dead roots such as colorimetric, fluorescence, buoyancy, and visual assessment were compared. The traditional method of visual assessment combined with root buoyancy was accurate, fast, and applicable to larger samples. Additionally, techniques such as rhizotrons, root ingrowth cores, and root image analysis were useful to study mangrove roots. Root and litter production, …

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Associations Of Avian And Herpetofauna Communities With Forest Management At Multiple Spatial Scales, Holly Grace Legrand Jan 2005

Associations Of Avian And Herpetofauna Communities With Forest Management At Multiple Spatial Scales, Holly Grace Legrand

LSU Master's Theses

Decline of amphibians, reptiles, and numerous Neotropical migrant birds has been attributed to habitat destruction and alteration, which warrants examination of these groups in managed forests and their association with habitat characteristics at multiple spatial scales. We surveyed avifauna and herpetofauna communities in 3 managed forests in Louisiana during 2003-2004. Study areas included Sherburne Wildlife Management Area (WMA), a bottomland hardwood forest under uneven-aged management, Ben’s Creek WMA, an even-aged, short-rotation loblolly pine plantation, and Sandy Hollow WMA, a longleaf pine-savannah maintained with prescribed fire. Field techniques included surveys consisting of avian point counts, drift fence arrays (PFFT), cover boards, …

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Putting Down Roots In Environmental Literacy: A Study Of Middle School Students' Participation In Louisiana Sea Grant's Coastal Roots Project, Rachel L. Somers Jan 2005

Putting Down Roots In Environmental Literacy: A Study Of Middle School Students' Participation In Louisiana Sea Grant's Coastal Roots Project, Rachel L. Somers

LSU Master's Theses

Few people realize that in Louisiana land is lost to open water at about a rate of 24 square miles a year, faster than anywhere else in the world (Barras, Beville, Britsch, Hartley, Hawes, Jonston, Kemp, Kinler, Martucci, Porthouse, Reed, Roy, Sapkota, & Suhayda, 2003). Not only is the public low to moderately environmentally literate, there is a need to reach students early on to ensure the greatest benefit. This is the main reason why Louisiana Sea Grant¡¦s Coastal Roots Wetland Seedling Nursery Project (Coastal Roots) came into inception. The goal of the project is to improve environmental literacy of …

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Common Sense Philosophy And Politics In America: John Witherspoon, James Mccosh, And William James, Scott Philip Segrest Jan 2005

Common Sense Philosophy And Politics In America: John Witherspoon, James Mccosh, And William James, Scott Philip Segrest

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the political significance of the two leading strains of common sense thought in the history of American philosophy—Scottish Common Sense and Pragmatism—as suggested in the writings of John Witherspoon and James McCosh in the Scottish Common Sense line, and of the more famous co-founder of Pragmatism, William James. These two strains of American common sense are placed in context of the larger Western common sense tradition. Each is shown to aim at finding a solid middle ground epistemologically between skeptical doubt and idealistic certitude that could serve as a stable basis for moral and political life. Witherspoon, …

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Molluscan Taphonomy As A Proxy For Recognizing Fossil Seagrass Beds, Jill Suzanne Leonard-Pingel Jan 2005

Molluscan Taphonomy As A Proxy For Recognizing Fossil Seagrass Beds, Jill Suzanne Leonard-Pingel

LSU Master's Theses

Seagrass beds, important marine ecosystems both economically and environmentally, have a poor fossil record. As a result, little is known about the geographic distribution of seagrasses over historic and geologic time, or their abundance when unaltered by anthropogenic effects. The purpose of this study is to define a taphonomic signature unique to seagrass beds that can be used as a proxy for identifying the seagrass habitat in the fossil record. In order to develop this proxy, sediment samples from Recent seagrass and non-seagrass environments were collected, and the molluscan bioclasts from these samples were categorically ranked for the following taphonomic …

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Designing Online Instruction For Postsecondary Students With Learning Disabilities, Andrew Patrick Simoncelli Jan 2005

Designing Online Instruction For Postsecondary Students With Learning Disabilities, Andrew Patrick Simoncelli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This case study investigates the methodologies used to deliver online course content to postsecondary students with varying learning disabilities. The research provides a holistic picture of the students in their actual learning environment. Two college students diagnosed as learning disabled were studied with three non-disabled classmates in an online college learning environment. The purpose was to attempt to explain how the design of the course affects the students’ attitudes and performance. The design of the course featured instructional methods that research has shown to be beneficial to students with learning disabilities. Some of these included digitally delivered instructional audio, various …

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Growth Of A Slash Pine Spacing Study Five Years After Thinning, Jamie Camille Schexnayder Jan 2005

Growth Of A Slash Pine Spacing Study Five Years After Thinning, Jamie Camille Schexnayder

LSU Master's Theses

In 1994, a 17 yr old, slash pine spacing study was thinned to 35% of the maximum stand density to evaluate the influence of prethinning stand conditions on postthinning growth after thinning to a common stand density. It was expected that plots thinned to a common growing stock level should have equal growth increments and if growth was not equal then the difference was related to prethinning stand conditions. Stand growth variables of quadratic mean diameter increment, stand-level basal area increment, and gross-volume increment were evaluated to determine the influence of initial spacing, stand density, and prethinning crown size before …

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Musculoskeletal Disorders In Dentistry, Frank Maurice Pitts Jan 2005

Musculoskeletal Disorders In Dentistry, Frank Maurice Pitts

LSU Master's Theses

Because of the common occurrence of pain experienced by dental professionals during the course of a workday and throughout their career, an epidemiological and a field study were performed in an effort to contribute to the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in dentistry. The aim of the thesis is two fold: to assess the perception of occupational pain and discomfort felt by dentists through a perception based survey and to assess the muscle behavior of dentists during isotonic postures while performing various dental procedures on their first and last patients in a given work day. One hundred (100) dentists participated in …

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Modeling The Flow Of Non-Newtonian Fluids In Packed Beds At The Pore Scale, Matthew Balhoff Jan 2005

Modeling The Flow Of Non-Newtonian Fluids In Packed Beds At The Pore Scale, Matthew Balhoff

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Flow and transport in porous media are important in many science and engineering applications such as composite materials, subsurface water contamination, packed-bed reactors, and enhanced oil recovery. The general approach to modeling such processes is at the continuum scale. Semi-empirical expressions, such as Darcy's law, are substituted for velocity in the continuity equation, which is then coupled with a momentum, mass, and energy balance. While a continuum approach is acceptable in some cases, additional modeling is required for certain non-linear flows, such as multi-phase flows, inertial flows, non-Newtonian flows, and reactive flows. Pore-scale modeling is a first-principles approach to modeling …

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Laguerre Functions Associated To Euclidean Jordan Algebras, Michael Aristidou Jan 2005

Laguerre Functions Associated To Euclidean Jordan Algebras, Michael Aristidou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Certain differential recursion relations for the Laguerre functions, defined on a symmetric cone Ω, can be derived from the representations of a specific Lie algebra on L2(Ω,dμv). This Lie algebra is the corresponding Lie algebra of the Lie group G that acts on the tube domain T(Ω)=Ω+iV, where V is the associated Euclidean Jordan algebra of Ω. The representations involved are the highest weight representations of G on L2(Ω,dμv). To obtain these representations, we start from the highest weight representations of G on Hv(T(Ω)), the Hilbert space of holomorphic functions …

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Dissipative Lipschitz Dynamics, Vinicio Rafael Rios Jan 2005

Dissipative Lipschitz Dynamics, Vinicio Rafael Rios

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we study two related important issues in control theory: invariance of dynamical systems and Hamilton-Jacobi theory associated with optimal control theory. Given a control system modelled as a differential inclusion, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the strong invariance property of the system when the dynamic satisfies a dissipative Lipschitz condition. We show that when the dynamic is almost upper semicontinuous and satisfies the dissipative Lipschitz property, these conditions can be expressed in terms of approximate Hamilton-Jacobi inequalities, which subsumes the classic infinitesimal characterization of strongly invariant systems given under the Lipschitz assumtion. In the important …

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An Application Of Parallel Computation To Collaborative Optimization, Shahab Nayyer Jan 2005

An Application Of Parallel Computation To Collaborative Optimization, Shahab Nayyer

LSU Master's Theses

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) has evolved as a discipline which provides a body of methods and techniques to assist engineers in solving large scale design problems. There are many frameworks for formulating MDO problems. These frameworks can be broadly classified as single-level or bi-level formulations. Collaborative Optimization (CO) is one of the popular bi-level formulations to solve an MDO problem. There are numerous design optimization problems which are highly CPU time intensive and require a long simulation time. With the advent of cheaper and faster available PC’s, distributed parallel computer clusters have become very popular. These clusters provide large computing …

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Environmental Benefits Realized From Eradication Of The Non-Indigenous Insect Anthonomus Grandis Boheman, The Cotton Boll Weevil, Marc Stephen Bordelon Jan 2005

Environmental Benefits Realized From Eradication Of The Non-Indigenous Insect Anthonomus Grandis Boheman, The Cotton Boll Weevil, Marc Stephen Bordelon

LSU Master's Theses

At least one third of the insecticide used in agriculture has been used to control the boll weevil in cotton. Historically, these insecticides have been toxic to humans and harsh on the environment. In addition, the intensive use of chemical insecticides to control the boll weevil results in the disruption of naturally occurring biological control factors that regulate other insect pest populations causing a chain reaction of secondary pest populations that require treatment followed by resurgence and repeat treatment. This situation has resulted in the development of resistance to insecticides, high control costs and unacceptable levels of chemical insecticide contamination …

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Long-Term Freshwater Input And Sediment Load From Three Tributaries To Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Kangsheng Wu Jan 2005

Long-Term Freshwater Input And Sediment Load From Three Tributaries To Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Kangsheng Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lake Pontchartrain and the drainage basin have experienced environmental degradation because of human settlement, land use and climate changes. A thorough understanding of hydrologic trends and variability associated with the changes is critical for sustainable water resources management and ecosystem restoration in the region. This study examined freshwater inflow (1940-2002) and suspended solids loadings (1978-2001) from three upper Lake Pontchartrain watersheds that contribute to the lake estuary: the Amite, Tickfaw, and Tangipahoa river watersheds. The relationships of freshwater inflow and suspended solids loadings with climate variables and population growth were investigated. Using observed daily discharge, a spatially-distributed hydrologic model (SWAT) …

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The Stable Isotope Stratigraphy And Paleosols Of North America's Most Southern Exposure Of Late Paleocene/Early Eocene Fossiliferous Continental Deposits: Documenting The Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum In Big Bend National Park, Texas, Paul David White Jan 2005

The Stable Isotope Stratigraphy And Paleosols Of North America's Most Southern Exposure Of Late Paleocene/Early Eocene Fossiliferous Continental Deposits: Documenting The Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum In Big Bend National Park, Texas, Paul David White

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A chemostratigraphic section across the Paleocene/Eocene boundary, using the stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen, has been developed for North America's most southern exposure of early Paleogene continental deposits in which the boundary is constrained by fossil mammals. A negative carbon excursion has been identified within C24r. The range in d13C values is from -8.1 to -13.2‰. Until the development of the chemostratigraphic section it was uncertain if the earliest Eocene was recorded in Big Bend. An early Wasatchian (Wa1) fossil site occurs stratigraphically higher than the carbon excursion and has yielded the stratigraphically lowest Hyracotherium in the …

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Simulation Study Of Routing Protocols In Wireless Sensor Networks, Vatsalya Kunchakarra Jan 2005

Simulation Study Of Routing Protocols In Wireless Sensor Networks, Vatsalya Kunchakarra

LSU Master's Theses

Wireless sensor networks, a distributed network of sensor nodes perform critical tasks in many application areas such as target tracking in military applications, detection of catastrophic events, environment monitoring, health applications etc. The routing protocols developed for these distributed sensor networks need to be energy efficient and scalable. To create a better understanding of the performance of various routing protocols proposed it is very important to perform a detailed analysis of them. Network simulators enable us to study the performance and behavior of these protocols on various network topologies. Many Sensor Network frameworks were developed to explore both the networking …

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Synthesis, Characterization And Application Of Polymeric Surfactants In Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography: Use Of Ionic Liquids As Modifiers, Simon M. Mwongela Jan 2005

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. …

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Comparative Study Of The Physical And Mechanistic Properties Of Hma Mixture: Field Vs Laboratory, Chenggang Zhang Jan 2005

Comparative Study Of The Physical And Mechanistic Properties Of Hma Mixture: Field Vs Laboratory, Chenggang Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

The objectives of this study were to investigate the variability in the physical and mechanistic properties of HMA due to production, characterize and compare the mechanistic properties of roadway cores and laboratory compacted samples, develop the relationship between modulus from in situ NDT and those obtained from laboratory tests on roadway cores, and compare air voids measurements between laboratory and field test methods. Six ongoing rehabilitation projects in Louisiana were selected, in each of which several test sections were tested. Comparative analyses were conducted on density measurements between two laboratory (AASHTO T-166 and ASTM D6752-02, or Vacuum sealing) and one …

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Thermal Management Of The Lsu Micro Gas Chromatograph, Praveen K. Pasupuleti Jan 2005

Thermal Management Of The Lsu Micro Gas Chromatograph, Praveen K. Pasupuleti

LSU Master's Theses

Gas chromatography is a technique widely used for the separation and analysis of gas samples. Gas chromatographs are used for environmental maintenance, monitoring sophisticated biological analyses, and to separate components from a mixture of gases for mass spectrometer analysis. There has been a tremendous interest in miniaturization of gas chromatograph systems because of the potential for portability, faster response time, lower dead volume, lower power consumption, and lower cost of operation. Conventional gas chromatography keeps the column at a constant temperature during separation, which is called isothermal analysis. Temperature programming is a mode of gas chromatography in which the column …

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Nutrient Interactions, Plant Productivity, Soil Accretion, And Policy Implications Of Wetland Enhancements In Coastal Louisiana, Christopher Brantley Jan 2005

Nutrient Interactions, Plant Productivity, Soil Accretion, And Policy Implications Of Wetland Enhancements In Coastal Louisiana, Christopher Brantley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ecosystem response, stakeholder interactions, and the policy implications to a wetland assimilation project are reported here for the City of Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Between September 1998 and October 2004, input of secondarily treated wastewater effluent was found to have a net positive effect on the downstream wetland receiving basin. The major hydrologic inputs to the system are the effluent, precipitation, and back water flooding from Lake Pontchartrain. Nutrient levels were generally low except in the immediate vicinity of the outfall and removal efficiencies of N and P ranged from 44% to 87% and 25% to 93%, respectively. On …

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