Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding An Indigenous Curriculum In Louisiana Through Listening To Houma Oral Histories, Nicholas Anthony Ng-A-Fook

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Indigenous communities have inhabited Louisiana since time immemorial. However, the national project of teaching the rise of the West as a heroic story remains the curricular centerpiece in elementary and high school history classes in North America. As a curriculum theorist, and former science and history teacher, I am concerned with the ways in which my teachings of colonialism’s cultural, historical, and national narratives suppress and silence the stories of the colonized. Therefore, the purpose of this paper (based on a four-year qualitative study) is to share oral histories of the United Houma Nation in order to illustrate their daily …

Structural Performance Of Approach Slab And Its Effect On Vehicle Induced Bridge Dynamic Response, Xiaomin Shi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Differential settlement often occurs between the bridge abutment and the embankment soil. It causes the approach slab to lose its contacts and supports from the soil and the slab will bend in a concave manner. Meanwhile, loads on the slab will also redistribute to the slab ends, which may result in faulting (or "bump") at the slab ends. Once a bump forms, repeating traffic vehicles can deteriorate the expansion joint in turn. In this case, the vehicle receives an initial disturbance before it reaches the bridge. This excitation introduces an extra impact load on the bridge and affects its dynamic …

The Body Politic: Splitting Gender Medically In Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia, Sarah Sally Carraher

LSU Master's Theses

Before the rise of clinical medicine, Western medicine was undergoing several prerequisite shifts in epistemology and methodology - moving from an eighteenth-century practice of spaces and classes, wherein the symptom is synonymous with the disease, toward a nineteenth-century science of signs and cases, in which symptoms are symbols, or products, of a deeper disease (Foucault 1973). During the former age of classes, about mid-century, a particular shift in the medical perception of sex differences appears in the literature, without any great advances or revisions in human anatomical knowledge or treatment methods. This thesis looks at hospitalization of in-patients at Pennsylvania …

Characterization Of Beta-Amyloid Peptide Aggregation And Acceleration With Non-Fibrillar Forming Peptide-Based Mediators, Nadia J. Edwin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Protein aggregation occurs under many circumstances, from the dynamic assembly of tubulin to form microtubules, the aggregation of actin into filaments, as well as plaque formation by amyloid precipitation. One important requirement in studying the mechanism of amyloid aggregation is the ability to monitor the growth kinetics over a wide range in size scales (10 nm to microns) with time that spans microseconds to seconds. Understanding the mechanisms of the aggregation may then lead to improved design of drugs to help control or suppress the aggregation process. In this dissertation, the physical characterization of the â-amyloid peptide and its interaction …

Separation Anxieties: Representations Of Separatist Communities In Late Twentieth Century Fiction And Film, Brett Alan Riley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the late 20th century and beyond, American social movements advocating equality have increased national attention to issues of exclusion, inclusion, and multiculturalism within communities. As a result, studying the nature of communities—how the term "community" might be defined, who belongs to a given group or social structure, who does not belong, and why—has become increasingly important. American artists have responded by exploring these sites of social, political, and personal change in their works. Separation Anxieties: Representations of Separatist Communities in Late Twentieth Century Fiction and Film analyzes seven fictional works in which some group is philosophically and/or geographically isolated—sometimes …

Federalism, Checks And The Welfare State: A Cross National Analysis, Amanda Louise Beal

LSU Master's Theses

It is often asserted in the institutional literature that there is a trade-off between effective and efficient government. Effective government is often stipulated to be more representative, while efficient government is considered superior at passing legislation. This analysis critiques Arend Lijphart's theory that consensus democracies are more representative, and therefore, result in "kinder, gentler" democracies with more encompassing social policies. I hypothesize that more representative government - operationalized as having higher levels of fractionalization within the legislature, more federalism and more checks within the system - is actually more effective at translating the median voter's preference for occupationally dependent or …

Toward A New Student Insurgency: A Critical Epistolary, Rachel J. Anderson, Marc-Tizoc Gonzalez, Stephen Lee

Scholarly Works

Taking the form of an epistolary (a collection of letters), this law review article explores the relationship between law and social change in the context of student activism at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Berkeley Law formerly Boalt). The author’s contribution to this essay examines the simultaneously linear and circular history of social justice activism at Berkeley Law and discusses the relationship between social crises and resurging waves of activism, focusing on student activism in the sphere of legal scholarship.

Synthesis, Characterization And Properties Of Cooper(Ii) Beta-Diketonate Macrocycles, Sylvester Burton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation deals with the synthesis and properties of multidentate β-diketone ligands and their transition-metal complexes. (1) We prepared two bis(β-diketones), C₁BAH₂ and p-XBAH₂ (see sketch below), determined their crystal structures, and studied their reactions with copper(II). We envisioned that they would form macrocyclic complexes with 3-6 metal atoms. In both cases, although the initial products are soluble, as expected for the desired molecular products, we were unable to isolate well-behaved molecular solids. In the case of C₁BAH₂, this may be because the cyclic product requires an unusual combination of conformations of …

The Antipodes: On Rebellion, Michael Scott Robinson

LSU Master's Theses

This essay argues that the term rebellion applies to two similar but distinguishable experiences representative of the limits to human action and capacity. The political rebel is a man who rebels against an oppressive political regime. Opposing him is the metaphysical rebel whose action is inspired by a grievance against the nature of existence generally, as a human being, which he has interpreted to be oppressive. These contradicting inspirations are matched by juxtaposing consequences, exemplified through a literary analysis of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels, and a historical analysis of Václav Havel and the Velvet Revolution.

Entering The Academy: Exploring The Socialization Experiences Of African American Male, Dorian L. Mccoy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the socialization experiences of African American male faculty at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominately White institutions (PWIs). Rosch and Reich’s Enculturation Model was used as the theoretical framework. To gain a better understanding of the socialization experiences of African American male faculty, a group that has traditionally been underrepresented and marginalized in academia, Critical Race Theory (CRT) was incorporated into the study. More specifically, counter-storytelling, a basic tenet of CRT, was used to learn the stories that African American male faculty tell about their socialization experiences. A mixed methodology research design was utilized. Interviews …

An Introduction To The Music Of Tania León And A Conductor's Analysis Of Indígena, James Spinazzola

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to provide an introduction to the living American composer, Tania Leon, and a detailed analysis of Indigena, her work for large chamber ensemble. Chapter One includes Leon’s biographical information, focusing on her cultural heritage and her dual careers as a composer and conductor. Chapter Two details her compositional style, illustrated by examples from selected works. Subsections focus on her compositional practices with regard to rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, and form, as well as the prevalence of jazz and Latin American influences in her work. Chapter Three analyzes Indígena from a theoretical perspective and makes …

Learner-Centered E-Learning: An Exploration Of Learner-Centered Practices In Online And Traditional Instruction In Higher Education, Helen Bourgeois Ware

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of students and instructors in regard to learner-centered pedagogy and web-based learning at a regional public university in a southern state. The study focused on recommendations for online learning, studies of learner-centered pedagogy, and online learning practices such as collaboration, problem-based learning, reflection, asynchronous communication, and authentic learning and assessment. The research examined the students’ perceptions of learner-centered practices in online and traditional courses of the same instructors throughout one semester. The students’ perceptions were compared with the instructors’ perceptions of learner-centered practices in the courses. The qualitative investigation examined each instructor’s pedagogical beliefs about …

The Meaning Of Masculinity For Male Baccalaureate Nursing Program Graduates, Kenneth Tillman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Previous researchers have reported that societal definitions of masculinity may act as a barrier to men entering the nursing profession, and that men who do enter nursing may hold a different view of masculinity. The purpose of this study was to describe the meaning of masculinity for recent male baccalaureate nursing program graduates. In addition, the study explored how the participants’ perceived meaning of masculinity shaped or influenced their nursing education experiences, and in turn how their nursing education experiences may have shaped or influenced their perceived meaning of masculinity. A phenomenological research design was used to study eight male …

Distribution And Biogeography Of Central American Howling Monkeys (Alouatta Pigra And A. Palliata), Amrei Baumgarten

LSU Master's Theses

Central America has two howling monkey species: the widespread mantled howling monkey (Alouatta palliata) and the endemic and endangered black howling monkey (A. pigra) limited to southeastern Mexico, northern Guatemala and Belize. Studies that verify the distribution of these species are needed, especially in their contact zones where sympatry is reported. Their evolutionary history remains controversial. My study examines their distribution at a local scale in a potential contact zone in eastern Guatemala through direct observations and interviews and at a regional scale across the entire isthmus using data from museum specimen localities, study sites, historic records and field surveys. …

Battle For The Ruhr: The German Army's Final Defeat In The West, Derek Stephen Zumbro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This chronicle describes the events concerning the retreat of Field Marshal Walter Model’s Army Group B from the invasion of Normandy in June, 1944 to it’s ultimate destruction in the Ruhr Pocket in April, 1945. The author focuses on the German perspective of the Second World War, and describes the experiences of former Wehrmacht soldiers, Volkssturm conscripts, Hitler Youth members, and civilians as they witnessed the collapse of the Third Reich. The study encompasses events in northwest Germany, primarily in the lower Rhineland and the Ruhr Valley, as Model’s army group was encircled and destroyed by Allied forces. Detailed accounts …

Tribological Aspects Of Journal Bearings Focusing On The Stribeck Curve, Xiaobin Lu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation focuses on the frictional characteristics of journal bearings as represented by the Stribeck curve. The behavior of lift-off speed and the factors that affect it are explored. An equation is proposed for predicting the lift-off speed. The comparison between the experimental results of oil- and grease-lubricated journal bearings with a mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication model for line contacts is indicative of good agreement in the mixed lubrication regime. Efforts are made to modify the surface profile of bushing by putting dimples on its surface. Experimental results show that with proper dimensions of dimples, the friction performance of journal bearings …

New Programs In The Old Asylum: The Deinstitutionalization Of Long-Term Psychiatric Hospital Patients In Argentina, Erica Dillon

LSU Master's Theses

Large psychiatric hospitals with inpatients interned for decades are still the norm in Argentina, where deinstitutionalization and community-based mental health care is almost inexistent. This thesis focuses on some changes taking place in a centenary psychiatric hospital in Buenos Aires province: the externación of long-term psychiatric patients through new programs planned and run from inside the institution by health professionals compromised in making a change in the old asylum. Can long-term inpatients with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia leave the asylum and integrate in the society having a recovered life? Do the new externación programs make this possible? What …

The Effects Of Mini-Conferencing Prior To Iep Meetings On Parental Involvement In The Iep Process, Beth Ashby Jones

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to extend the literature on parent participation in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process by implementing an intervention aimed at fostering parent participation in IEP meetings and comparing its results to those obtained using one school district’s standard IEP meeting procedures. This study also sought to determine the effects of SES and disability on parent participation in IEP meetings. Specifically, a mini-conference between parent(s) and special education teachers prior to the IEP meeting informed parents of their child’s competencies and allowed for collaboration on a proposed IEP. A control group of parents was exposed to routine procedures …

Datum Is Only Skin Deep: In Vivo Measurements Of Facial Tissue Thickness In Chimpanzees, Julia Rose Hanebrink

LSU Master's Theses

This study is an ultrasonic investigation of chimpanzee (Pan troglodyte) facial tissue depth variability as well as a comparison between chimpanzee tissue depth standards and modern human (Homo sapiens) tissue depth standards. This research intends to broaden the extent of knowledge available regarding nonhuman primate anatomy. In addition, this research hopes to provide valuable information regarding facial reconstructions of early hominins. The subjects utilized for this study were 44 male and female chimpanzees between the ages of two to forty-five years. The chimpanzees were made available by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) in New …

Mimo-Ofdm Communication Systems: Channel Estimation And Wireless Location, Zhongshan Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this new information age, high data rate and strong reliability features our wireless communication systems and is becoming the dominant factor for a successful deployment of commercial networks. MIMO-OFDM (multiple input multiple output-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing), a new wireless broadband technology, has gained great popularity for its capability of high rate transmission and its robustness against multi-path fading and other channel impairments. A major challenge to MIMO-OFDM systems is how to obtain the channel state information accurately and promptly for coherent detection of information symbols and channel synchronization. In the first part, this dissertation formulates the channel estimation problem …

Genetic Effects Influencing Salinity And Cold Tolerance In Tilapia, Alvaro M. Armas-Rosales

LSU Master's Theses

Genetic effects influencing salinity tolerance (ST) and cold tolerance (CT) were evaluated in two full diallel mating designs using six tilapia varieties: Oreochromis aureus (BL), O. mossambicus (MO), O. niloticus (NI), O. niloticus crossbreds (RE), Mississippi commercial strain (MC) and Florida red tilapia (FL). Statistical analyses provided estimates of direct heterosis (h_i), cross heterosis (h_ij), maternal effects (m_i), line effects (l_i), reciprocal and specific reciprocal effects (r_ij and r**_ij), and general and specific combining abilities (GCA and S_ij). Analysis of genetic effects for ST indicated that FL …

Mothers Grimm And Other House Held Tales, Holly Kay Streekstra

LSU Master's Theses

Mothers Grimm and Other House Held Tales is a body of work that uses fairy tale archetypes and narrative traditions to comment upon tensions and conflicts in sexual self-understanding. This is achieved through a reflection on attitudes that women adopt regarding their own sexuality. Such a reflection is instigated through a presentation of prominent cultural archetypes that exist, no longer as received ideas, but as a bold and entertaining expression of how sex can change our attitude towards those ideas that we often take for granted. Through an assemblage of objects and video, this body of work evokes a domestic …

Lock'em Up And Throw Away The Key: Racial Attitudes And The Structural Determinants Of Support For Crime Policy Among White Americans, Amanda J. Abraham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates support for the death penalty and federal crime spending among white Americans. Data from the American National Election Studies (ANES) series (1992-2000) are matched with census tract level indicators of demographic and community characteristics from the 1990 and 2000 Census Bureau Summary File Tape 3A and county level crime data supplied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation�s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). Ordered logistic regression is used to investigate five general research questions: (1) Are racial attitudes the most salient individual level predictors of support for crime policy among whites as suggested by prior research? (2) Are whites� …

The Other Side Of The Tracks: Railroads, Race, And The Performance Of Unity In Nineteenth-Century American Entertainment, Elissa Sartwell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nineteenth-century Americans took great pride in the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. This pride was not solely grounded in the knowledge that a grand, technological feat had been accomplished. When placed in its historical context, the celebration surrounding the completion of the railroad suggests a clear and visible statement of unity following a bitter and divisive civil war. The transcontinental railroad of 1869 undeniably unified the States. But any railroad simultaneously unites and divides, for while the tracks serve to link distant locations, they also produce a literal and metaphorical division in the communities through which they …

Re-Examining The Subculture Of Violence In The South, Timothy Curt Hayes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Southern region of the United States historically has a high rate of violent crime, especially homicide. This has led to a number of studies tackling the issue by relying on subcultural theory or by using structural correlates of crime to account for the South versus non-South difference in homicide. Macro level research has focused on pitting culture (usually measured by a dummy variable for South) against structural characteristics such as poverty and measures of income inequality, but suffers from a lack of direct cultural measures needed to successfully evaluate the subcultural thesis. Micro level research tends to focus on …

System Optimization For Realizing A Miniaturized Gas Chromatograph Sensor For Rapid Chemical Analysis, Abhinav Bhushan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rapid and comprehensive on-site analysis of chemicals in applications ranging from industrial process control to homeland security is of significant importance to improve the environment and save human life. The need for sensors that are fast, reliable, and portable has never been greater. For the challenging task of on-site instrumentation, where power sources can be limited, shrinking the size of the device is the most effective way to conserve power. Although gas chromatography is a mature technique well suited for these applications, current instrumentation has deficiencies that limit its usage. Speed of analysis and non portability are severe hindrances to …

Retention And Transport Of Arsenic In Soils, Hua Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Arsenic transport in soils and aquifers is highly dependent on the adsorption-desorption reactions in the solid phase. Results from our kinetic batch experiments indicated that adsorption of arsenate [As(V)] was highly nonlinear and strongly kinetic. Desorption of As(V) were hysteretic in nature and a significant amount of As(V) was irreversibly adsorbed on all soils. Results from column experiments indicated strong As(V) retardation followed by slow release or extensive tailing of the breakthrough curves (BTCs). Sharp decrease in As(V) concentration during flow interruption verified the extensive non-equilibrium condition which was likely due to the dominance of kinetic retention processes. We evaluated …

Cultivar, Juice Extraction, Ultra Violet Irradiation And Storage Influence The Stilbene Content Of Muscadine Grapes (Vitis Rotundifolia Michx.), Mark Rene' Leblanc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Stilbene concentration was analyzed in juice and tissue of muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.) and bunch grape (Vitis labrusca L.) from fresh fruit, after processing and after postharvest treatments. Five filter types were evaluated for percent resveratrol recovery when filtering standard and spiked juice samples in preparation for HPLC analysis. Only two (polycarbonate and Anopore) of the five filter types had more than 90 percent recovery. Polycarbonate was chosen for sample preparation since it was more durable during handling. Eight muscadine grape cultivars and three bunch grape cultivars were evaluated. Skin tissue had approximately 100 times higher stilbene concentration than …

Assessing The Coverage Carnage: Asbestos Liability And Insurance After Three Decades Of Dispute, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Often overlooked are the insurance issues related to asbestos and the degree to which the asbestos mass tort has changed the face of liability insurance and liability insurance law. The asbestos mass tort brought insurance coverage litigation into the big leagues of litigation, adjudication, and scholarly examination (although even the most rabid insurance coverage junkie would concede this is not much silver lining to the asbestos cloud). But after 30 years of big-time liability insurance coverage litigation involving asbestos or influenced by asbestos, what is the outcome? My assessment is:

1. Despite their protestations, insurers have not been unfairly treated …

Differential Expression And Detection Of Transcripts In Sweetpotato (Ipomoea Batatas (L.) Lam.) Using Cdna Microarrays, Cecilia E. Mcgregor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Microarray protocols were developed for sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) and then used to study issues of importance in sweetpotato physiology and production. The effect of replication number and image analysis software was compared with results obtained by quantitative real-time PCR. The results indicated that reliable results could be obtained using six replicates and UCSF Spot image analysis software. These methodologies were employed to elucidate aspects of sweetpotato development, physiology and response to virus infection. Storage root formation is the most economically important process in sweetpotato development. Gene expression levels were compared between fibrous and storage roots of the cultivar …