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2005

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A Robust Noise Spectral Estimation Algorithm For Speech Enhancement In Voice Devices, Brett Joseph Chessher Jan 2005

A Robust Noise Spectral Estimation Algorithm For Speech Enhancement In Voice Devices, Brett Joseph Chessher

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, a new robust noise spectral estimation algorithm is proposed for the purpose of single-microphone speech enhancement. This algorithm can generate the optimal noise spectral estimates in the Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) sense based on the speech statistics in the noisy environments. Compared to the well-adopted conventional noise spectral estimation method using the single-pole recursion, our proposed scheme is more reliable since the recursion coefficients are adaptable and optimal in the MMSE therein. We also propose a new accurate Resulting Signal-to-Noise Ratio (R-SNR) estimator as a quality measure to benchmark the existing noise spectral estimation techniques. This …


A Radiographic Study Of The Impact Of Race And Sex On 1st And 2nd Molar Development, Suzanne Price Jan 2005

A Radiographic Study Of The Impact Of Race And Sex On 1st And 2nd Molar Development, Suzanne Price

LSU Master's Theses

The assessment of child development requires standards in order to compare an apparent physiologic age to an actual chronological age. In assessing chronological age of an individual, the use of multiple indicators is ideal and important in determining age at death. For individuals under the age of about 21 years, dental development is the most reliable indicator of age. Research aimed at understanding the variation in tooth formation due to race and sex will help to more accurately determine the age at death of remains of subadult individuals. This project examined the impact of race, sex, and time period on …


Patterns Of Self-Expression And Impression Management In Blogs, Ana Keshelashvili Jan 2005

Patterns Of Self-Expression And Impression Management In Blogs, Ana Keshelashvili

LSU Master's Theses

The constant process of technology development offers Internet users new tools, allowing them to enjoy their right of free expression. One of the latest popular tools introduced for use by mass audience on the Internet is a weblog (or blog). There are more than 4.12 million blogs on the Internet maintained by different people with different purposes. Some of the bloggers manage to create an image that makes them "celebrities" among the community of bloggers. These are the people whose blogs are among the most well-known and also regularly linked by other bloggers. Besides, media's view of blogging comes directly …


Development Of An Alternative Approach To Estimate Vehicle Miles Traveled Using A Classification Procedure, Srividya Vadlamani Jan 2005

Development Of An Alternative Approach To Estimate Vehicle Miles Traveled Using A Classification Procedure, Srividya Vadlamani

LSU Master's Theses

In this study a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) classification system method was developed as an alternative to the HPMS conventional method of VMT estimation. Louisiana Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data from Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Louisiana highway network data from Louisiana Department of Transportation (LADOTD) were used to carry out the analysis. The CART classification was derived based on link attributes that effectively distinguished the homogeneous traffic volume sections. VMT estimation on individual links as well for the different systems was calculated using the CART classification system and the values were assigned on each link. The default …


Defining Modernity: Mentality And Ideology Under The French Second Empire, Gavin Murray-Miller Jan 2005

Defining Modernity: Mentality And Ideology Under The French Second Empire, Gavin Murray-Miller

LSU Master's Theses

This study intends to examine the relationship between popular conceptions of modernity and Republican ideology during the Second Empire, 1852-1870. With the advent of the industrial revolution in France, scientific knowledge came to be equated with notions of progress and innovation, leading intellectual elites to design philosophical and social systems predicated upon the authority of scientific analysis and objectivity. Influenced by the intellectual currents under the Second Empire, a new generation of Republican political theorists incorporated notions of science into their ideological outlook, ultimately engendering a moderate brand of Republicanism which played a significant role in the founding of the …


Java As A Western Construct: An Examination Of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles' "The History Of Java", Natalie A. Mault Jan 2005

Java As A Western Construct: An Examination Of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles' "The History Of Java", Natalie A. Mault

LSU Master's Theses

Among nineteenth-century books on Indonesia published in England, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles’ "The History of Java" holds a unique position. While serving as Lieutenant Governor in Indonesia, Raffles went to great length in documenting the island’s history, culture, architecture and contemporary civilization. His observations were published in a two-volume study entitled "The History of Java," whose most outstanding feature is the sixty-six engravings it includes. Ten of these engravings are colored aquatints by William Daniell, illustrating Javanese life and costume. Published in 1817, Raffles’ "History of Java" is considered, to the present day, a highly important work, particularly because of …


Sulfur And Oxygen Isotope Characterization Of An Eocene Playa Deposit, Northern High Plains, And Rainwater Sulfate, Baton Rouge, Usa, Kathryn Ann Jenkins Jan 2005

Sulfur And Oxygen Isotope Characterization Of An Eocene Playa Deposit, Northern High Plains, And Rainwater Sulfate, Baton Rouge, Usa, Kathryn Ann Jenkins

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is composed of two independent chapters which are linked through the application of multiple stable isotope measurements of sulfate. Chapter 1 compares two Cenozoic playa deposits in the northern High Plains. Anomalous playa sulfate was discovered at Scotts Bluff which is speculated to have originated via the oxidation of volcanically emitted reduced sulfur gases. A question arises, then, is a volcanic origin of sulfate common for other Cenozoic playa deposits in the region. A complete stable isotope characterization was performed on the gypsum sulfate collected at Wolf Butte (nearby apparent playa setting) to determine if the sulfate has …


An Investigation Of Time Since Injury: A Radiographic Study Of Fracture Healing, Kevin Benjamin Hufnagl Jan 2005

An Investigation Of Time Since Injury: A Radiographic Study Of Fracture Healing, Kevin Benjamin Hufnagl

LSU Master's Theses

Working at the junction of medicine and physical anthropology, this research investigates the rate of fracture healing. The ability to assign ages to fractures based on the degree of remodeling could be a valuable tool for identifying skeletal remains. This ability could differentiate between individuals with similar fractures and could also narrow the search of medical records for matches. Multiple radiographic images from 62 individuals were collected from the Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic, including information on sex, ancestry, age of the individual, and age of the fracture. Breaks in the x-rays are categorized into one of six stages, defined on …


The Electrodeposition And Property Study Of Nickel-Rhenium Alloy, Shirong Wen Jan 2005

The Electrodeposition And Property Study Of Nickel-Rhenium Alloy, Shirong Wen

LSU Master's Theses

The electrodeposition of nickel-rhenium alloys from Ni(II) and Re(VII) solution was studies in an aqueous acidic solution. Different plating current density and pH have been carried out, and the effect of them on the composition of the deposited Ni-Re alloy was studied. Wavelength-dispersive spectrometer (WDS) was used to measure the composition of Ni-Re alloy. The thermal stability of nickel-rhenium alloy system has been investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests have been conducted for the electroplated Ni-Re samples in order to find the possible heating initiated interactions at elevated temperatures. To investigate the thermal stability of Ni-Re alloys, the samples were …


Skepticism About Contextualism, William Galloway Osborne Iii Jan 2005

Skepticism About Contextualism, William Galloway Osborne Iii

LSU Master's Theses

Contextualism is the epistemological thesis that holds context to significantly affect the truth value of claims such as “S knows that p.” A shift in context can lead to a shift in the standards by which we evaluate propositional knowledge claims, and thus a shift in the truth values of these claims: a statement “S knows that p” may be true when evaluated in one context while simultaneously false when evaluated in another context. A contextualist says it is by playing on these shifting standards that the skeptic manages to destroy knowledge with her skeptical arguments. Once this is understood, …


Food Security Status, Nutrient Intake At The Beginning And End Of The Monthly Resource Cycle, And Body Mass Index In Female Food Stamp Recipients, Caroline C. Burke Jan 2005

Food Security Status, Nutrient Intake At The Beginning And End Of The Monthly Resource Cycle, And Body Mass Index In Female Food Stamp Recipients, Caroline C. Burke

LSU Master's Theses

Diets are typically poorer and risk of chronic disease (e.g. obesity) is greatest in low-income populations. Food security status, nutrient intake, and Body Mass Index were assessed in 64 female food stamp recipients in Southeast Louisiana. One 24-hour dietary recall was collected at the beginning of the month (Day 1) and one at the end of the month (Day 2). Food security status was: 29 food secure (FS), 26 food insecure (FIS), and nine food insecure with hunger (FISH). Sixty-two % (n=39) of our study participants were obese. Mean % energy from protein (p=0.03); total fat (p=0.029), % saturated fatty …


The Influence Of Transdermally Administered Fentanyl On Isoflurane Requirements In Normothermic And Hypothermic Dogs, Diane Wilson Jan 2005

The Influence Of Transdermally Administered Fentanyl On Isoflurane Requirements In Normothermic And Hypothermic Dogs, Diane Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

Intraoperative reductions in serum fentanyl levels in dogs with induced moderate hypothermia and transdermal fentanyl patches (TDF) in place has been documented. The impact of such reductions has not been evaluated nor has the anesthetic sparing effect of the TDF. Reductions in serum levels may be the result of either a decreased uptake of fentanyl from the dermal depot, or a biophase shift. The objective of this investigation was to determine whether the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane was altered in the presence of TDF in normothermic and hypothermic dogs. Six mature, healthy, mixed breed dogs were anesthetized on …


Multiscale Strain Analysis, Timothy Donald Breitzman Jan 2005

Multiscale Strain Analysis, Timothy Donald Breitzman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The mathematical homogenization and corrector theory relevant to prestressed heterogeneous materials in the linear-elastic regime is discussed. A suitable corrector theory is derived to reconstruct the local strain field inside the composite. Based on this theory, we develop an inexpensive numerical method for multi scale strain analysis within a prestressed heterogeneous material. The theory also provides a characterization of the macroscopic strength domain. The strength domain places constraints on the homogenized strain field which guarantee that the actual strain in the heterogeneous material lies inside the strength domain of each material participating in the structure.


Report Regarding The Pacific Mcgeorge Workshop On Globalizing The Law School Curriculum, Thomas O. Main Jan 2005

Report Regarding The Pacific Mcgeorge Workshop On Globalizing The Law School Curriculum, Thomas O. Main

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.


Comparative Studies Of Sperm Cryopreservation Of Diploid And Tetraploid Pacific Oysters, Qiaoxiang Dong Jan 2005

Comparative Studies Of Sperm Cryopreservation Of Diploid And Tetraploid Pacific Oysters, Qiaoxiang Dong

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addressed comparative studies of sperm cryopreservation of diploid and tetraploid Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, with an emphasis on the development of standardized and optimized protocols. This includes comparative ultrastructural differences between sperm from diploid and tetraploid oysters, methods for the rapid estimation of sperm concentration, optimization of cryopreservation, and evaluation of the mechanisms for sperm agglutination (formation of clumps or elongated "noodles") in thawed samples. Currently, cryopreserved sperm has not been commercialized in any aquatic species, and standardization and optimization could greatly benefit the potential commercialization of its use. In oysters specifically, cryopreserved sperm from tetraploids would facilitate …


The Asymptotic Z-Transform, Scott Jude Champagne Jan 2005

The Asymptotic Z-Transform, Scott Jude Champagne

LSU Master's Theses

Sequences of numbers and transformations from sequences to functions have been studied extensively, including the multiplication of two sequences through convolution and the equivalent multiplication of functions. The focal points of this thesis are the convolution field of causal sequences and their Z-transforms. Classically, the treatment of the Z-transform has been limited to those causal sequences for which the power series has a nontrivial radius of convergence. In this thesis it is shown that the Z-transform can be extended to all causal sequences without compromising any of the operational properties of the classical Z-transform.


Detection And Evaluation Of Temperature Effects On Cell Proliferation In Somatic Tissues Of The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, By Flow Cytometry, Fernando Jimenez Jan 2005

Detection And Evaluation Of Temperature Effects On Cell Proliferation In Somatic Tissues Of The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, By Flow Cytometry, Fernando Jimenez

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of this thesis was to evaluate temperature effects on cell proliferation of eastern oyster somatic tissues for the development of an oyster cell line. Understanding the in vivo cell proliferation of an organism is essential for the development of cell culture. Cell proliferation can be measured by identifying nuclear cellular proteins involved in growth regulation and cellular transformation. The primary objectives of this study were to: 1) develop an assay to evaluate cell proliferation, 2) develop an assay to analyze nuclear RNA content, and 3) evaluate temperature effects on cell proliferation in somatic tissues. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen …


Mesoscopic Simulation Of Grain Boundary Diffusion Creep In Inhomogeneous Microstructures, Kanishk Rastogi Jan 2005

Mesoscopic Simulation Of Grain Boundary Diffusion Creep In Inhomogeneous Microstructures, Kanishk Rastogi

LSU Master's Theses

At high temperatures, stresses well below the material’s tensile yield strength can induce permanent deformation over a period of time. This time-dependent progressive deformation of a material at constant stress is called Creep and is observed in both crystalline and non-crystalline solids. The principal deformation processes contributing to creep deformation are slip, sub-grain formation and grain-boundary sliding. Mechanisms involving creep of crystalline materials involve either dislocation motion or diffusional flow of atoms or both. Extensive studies have been done to ascertain the creep mechanism in various regimes of temperature and applied stresses. At low stresses and high temperatures, grain boundary …


Deposition Of Carbon Layers From Cyclohexane By Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition, Bharath Thiruvengadachari Jan 2005

Deposition Of Carbon Layers From Cyclohexane By Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition, Bharath Thiruvengadachari

LSU Master's Theses

The overall aim of this thesis is to deposit carbon layers by thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and investigate the effects of process parameters on the morphology and structure of the deposited carbon layers. Cyclohexane (C6H12) hydrocarbon is the precursor material used as the source of carbon. A 20% Cu- 80% Ni alloy, deposited by RF magnetron sputtering and annealed at the growth temperature either in an argon flow or in 10% hydrogen-90% argon flow, is used as a catalyst prior to carbon film deposition by CVD. The CVD temperature is varied between 550 0C and 800 0C. The Cu-Ni …


Weight Concern And Smoking In Children, Darla E. Kendzor Jan 2005

Weight Concern And Smoking In Children, Darla E. Kendzor

LSU Master's Theses

Studies have shown that weight concern is prevalent in children and that many children believe smoking can be used to control appetite and weight. However, little is known about the impact of the combination of these factors on smoking initiation in children. Initial research has indicated that weight concern predicts smoking initiation in adolescents, but these studies have not addressed the role of weight control outcome expectancies. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the relationship between weight concern and smoking initiation, and to evaluate weight control outcome expectancies as a moderator of this relationship in children. Cross-sectional …


Martin Heidegger's Phenomenology And The Science Of Mind, Charles Dale Hollingsworth Jan 2005

Martin Heidegger's Phenomenology And The Science Of Mind, Charles Dale Hollingsworth

LSU Master's Theses

Phenomenology and cognitive science present two very different ways of looking at mental activity. Recently, however, there have been some attempts to incorporate phenomenological insights and methods into cognitive science, drawing especially on the works of Martin Heidegger. The purpose of this thesis is to determine if a useful combination of cognitive science with Heidegger’s phenomenology is possible, and to determine the form such a combination might take. This thesis begins with a brief overview of the field of cognitive science, and of some of the problems within the field that might benefit from a phenomenological analysis. It then reviews …


Fairness And Farmland Preservation: A Response To Professor Richardson, Mark W. Cordes Jan 2005

Fairness And Farmland Preservation: A Response To Professor Richardson, Mark W. Cordes

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

In a recent article published in this Journal, Professor Jesse Richardson attempted to refute the arguments proposed by myself and others that support the fairness of downzoning land without compensation to property owners. Central to most farmland preservation efforts is agricultural zoning, which typically involves downzoning farmland to agricultural use, precluding more intensive development. Part IV will briefly comment on the role compensatory programs like PDRs and TDRs should play in effective farmland preservation programs. This is true even if downzoning results in substantial diminution of land values, which means that local governments can pursue farmland preservation by putting the …


Glacial Deposits, Vol. 33, 2004-2005, Department Of Geography-Geology Jan 2005

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 33, 2004-2005, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology


Semantic Classification Of Rural And Urban Images Using Learning Vector Quantization, Prakash Thulasiraman Jan 2005

Semantic Classification Of Rural And Urban Images Using Learning Vector Quantization, Prakash Thulasiraman

LSU Master's Theses

One of the major hurdles in semantic image classification is that only low-level features can be reliably extracted from images as opposed to higher level features (objects present in the scene and their inter-relationships). The main challenge lies in grouping images into semantically meaningful categories based on the available low-level visual features of the images. It is important that we have a classification method that will handle a complex image dataset with not so well defined boundaries between clusters. Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) neural networks offer a great deal of robustness in clustering complex datasets. This study presents a semantic …


Comparative Analysis Of Conventional And Ici-Self-Cancellation Digital Video Broadcasting Transceivers, Khaled Z. Matarneh Jan 2005

Comparative Analysis Of Conventional And Ici-Self-Cancellation Digital Video Broadcasting Transceivers, Khaled Z. Matarneh

LSU Master's Theses

Digital video broadcasting–terrestrial (DVB-T) is one of the important technologies in the communication area because of its capability of high data-rate multimedia transmission. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been the backbone technique in the current DVB-T systems adopted by Europe and Japan. However, since the OFDM system is very sensitive to the frequency synchronization and phase errors, which will induce the intercarrier interference (ICI), the ongoing research has been dedicated to this ICI problem in the presence of the Doppler frequency drift and the fading channels. A means to deal with the ICI problem is called the ICI self-cancellation …


Good To Be Gone, Robert George Bloom Jan 2005

Good To Be Gone, Robert George Bloom

LSU Master's Theses

n/a


Export-Led Growth In Honduras And The Central American Region, Hermann Castro Zuniga Jan 2005

Export-Led Growth In Honduras And The Central American Region, Hermann Castro Zuniga

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the validity of the export-led growth (ELG) hypothesis in Honduras and compares the Honduran experience to that of other Central American countries, specifically Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. It further evaluates the ELG hypothesis for the agricultural sector of Honduras. The conceptual model incorporates exports into a Cobb-Douglas production function and formulates dynamic econometric models of real gross domestic product (GDP), real gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), labor and real exports for the 1970-2000 period. To test for the validity of the ELG hypothesis, Granger-causality was tested on the export coefficients of the growth equation …


A Hellenistic Masterpiece: The Medici Aphrodite, Angel D. Arvello Jan 2005

A Hellenistic Masterpiece: The Medici Aphrodite, Angel D. Arvello

LSU Master's Theses

Numerous copies of both the Medici and Capitoline Aphrodite were produced in the Roman period. Judging only from the number of copies, it is generally accepted that the Capitoline was the most popular type followed by the Knidia and finally the Medici. First an examination of the copies, variants and quotations of each type is given to provide some background on the Medici and Capitoline. Next is a discussion of the dating of the pieces which has typically ranged from the fourth to the first centuries BC. An overview of a second century trend is presented to place both pieces …


The Role Of Pridamant In Tony Kushner's Adaptation Of The Illusion: A Production Thesis In Acting, Brace Easton Harris Jan 2005

The Role Of Pridamant In Tony Kushner's Adaptation Of The Illusion: A Production Thesis In Acting, Brace Easton Harris

LSU Master's Theses

The role of Pridamant in Tony Kushner’s adaptation of The Illusion was performed in the Fall of 2004 and elected as a thesis role at that time. This thesis is a written record of the actor’s interpretation of the character. The thesis includes pre-production work, Character Analysis, and Four Column Score.


Too Fast, Too Tight, Too Loud, Too Bright, David Martin Storlie Jan 2005

Too Fast, Too Tight, Too Loud, Too Bright, David Martin Storlie

LSU Master's Theses

It is difficult to imagine that others do not perceive and react to the cultural stimuli as I do when dealing with everyday sensory situations. Unlike most, I have struggled with many different responses to commonplace sensory events during my life. A recent diagnosis of certain symptoms has helped to explain not only my lifelong reactions to sensory stimuli, but also the resulting environments I have created for myself in which I live and work. The four terms I use that most fully describe the affects of this condition are; too fast, too tight, too loud and too bright. Although …