Digital Commons Network^™

What Remains, Cynthia A. Giacheti

LSU Master's Theses

My goal with this body of work was to create an installation that would resemble both a chapel and a shotgun house. The installation was constructed out of mixed media vignettes revealing both memories and constructed commentaries that reflect and document a moment of “real time” for me. The work I have created over the past several years speaks of human frailty and the mystery of existence. My thesis exhibition has allowed me to further develop my own personal symbols, which serve as fragile reminders of hope and transformation in a hostile world. I have created an environment with an …

I Want To Know You I Want To Understand You, Jeane Dos Santos Alves Cooper

LSU Master's Theses

I want to know you I want to understand you is a new media work that uses the World Wide Web to discuss the issues of traditional and new methods of communication, as well as exploring the concepts of collaborative and interactive art.

Chagas In Culture And Place: A Mixed Methods Approach To A New Medical Geography Of Chagas Disease In Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, Frances Heyward Currin Mujica

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project is concerned with a new medical geography approach to investigating Chagas disease in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico which focuses on the intersection of disease risk and place. More specifically this work will describe the domestic cycle of Chagas disease and the cultural factors that perpetuate its transmission in six communities in the Los Tuxtlas region, Municipio San Andres, Veracruz State, Mexico. Using several collection techniques, such as interviews and house type surveys, as well as identifying and collecting the vector Triatoma dimidiata (including testing them for the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi), this dissertation describes the characteristics of the Chagas landscape …

Acoustic Tagging Of Black Drum On Louisiana Oyster Reefs: Movements, Site Fidelity, And Habitat Use, Gerald James George

LSU Master's Theses

The black drum, Pogonias cromis (Sciaenidae), is a molluscivorous, coastal/estuarine species, often associated with oyster reefs, that is sought in recreational and commercial fisheries. I used a radio-acoustic positioning system and an array of moored receivers to monitor movements of 34 black drum around oyster reefs in Barataria Bay, Louisiana from March 2006 to February 2007. Residence time was variable; five fish were detected almost daily for more than 60 days, but others only on the day of release. Daily movements exceeded spatial coverage, and home range sizes could not be determined. Short-term site fidelity to reefs was higher in …

Quantitative And Spatial Analysis Of The Microscopic Bone Structures Of Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Dog (Canis Familiaris), And Pig (Sus Scrofa Domesticus), Zoe Hensley Morris

LSU Master's Theses

Structure and morphology of bone tissue are variable by species. The influence of different factors on structure and morphology is still debated. Qualifying and quantifying these differences are necessary in the evaluation of fragmentary bones in order to identify specific species. To understand the influence of species of origin on the microscopic structure of bone tissue, the influence of developmental and biomechanical forces specific to a skeletal element must also be assessed. This research is a preliminary analysis of the histological bone structures in terms of their area, density and spatial organization. To achieve this research goal, the cross-section of …

A Geographical Investigation Of Chagas' Disease Risk In The Community Of La Brea, Guatemala, Gerardo J. Boquin

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis will display how the use of a GIS is an important tool in understanding geographic patterns of Chagas' disease vector risk in a rural community in Guatemala. This is an important topic of investigation as Chagas' disease is the leading cause of heart failure in rural Latin America, and yet study has been limited due to a prioritization of national resources to urban diseases. Obviously this can have a severe impact on rural areas, especially if they already lack adequate health care provision. As a response to this deficiency, a collaboration between the Laboratory of Entomology and Applied …

Multinational Class Actions Under Federal Securities Law: Managing Jurisdictional Conflict, Hannah Buxbaum

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This article examines a form of securities class action that is growing increasingly popular in U.S. courts: the foreign cubed action, brought against a foreign issuer on behalf of a class that includes foreign investors who purchased securities on a foreign exchange. These cases are becoming an important part of the regulatory landscape (as evidenced by recent high-profile lawsuits involving issuers such as Vivendi, Bayer and Royal Ahold), and they create the potential for particularly severe conflict with other countries on the question of how best to regulate global economic activity. Yet they point out quite clearly that the traditional …

Outsourcing And The Globalizing Legal Profession, Jayanth K. Krishnan

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The issue of outsourcing jobs abroad stirs great emotion among Americans. Economic free-traders fiercely defend outsourcing as a positive for the U.S. economy while critics contend that corporate desire for low wages solely drives this practice. In this study I focus on a specific type of outsourcing, one which has received scant scholarly attention to date - legal outsourcing. Indeed because the work is often paralegal in nature, many see the outsourcing of legal jobs overseas as no different from other types of outsourcing. But by using as my case studies both the United States and India, the latter which …

Scholarly Discourse, Public Perceptions, And The Cementing Of Norms: The Case Of The Indian Supreme Court And A Plea For Research, Jayanth K. Krishnan

Articles by Maurer Faculty

For economic and nuclear reasons, India has received considerable attention over the last decade from observers in the United States. But attuned Americans are well-aware of India's rich culture and status as a shining constitutional democracy for most of its post-1947 independent history. For all that India has accomplished, however, its public has long viewed its government officials with great disdain. At the same time, a fascinating norm exists in this society which holds one institution in exceedingly high regard - the Indian Supreme Court.

In this article, I seek to examine what accounts for this counter-intuitive norm. As opposed …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Derivatives And Analogs Of Xanthene Dyes, Xiangyang Xu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Xanthene dyes are one of the oldest synthetic dyes. Fluorescein was first synthesized by von Baeyer in 1871. Since its discovery, it has been extensively studied. Fluorescein can exist as four different ionic forms (cationic form, neutral form, monoanionic form and dianionic form). Under physiological conditions (pH 7.4), fluorescein mainly exists as the dianionic form which grants it large quantum yield and excellent solubility in water. This renders fluorescein and its derivatives useful for studies in biological media. Cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy) are of the few amino acids which contain sulfur and both of them are believed to be …

Architecture Amidst Anarchy: Global Health's Quest For Governance, David Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Increased concern about global health has focused attention on governance questions, and calls for new governance architecture for global health have appeared. This article examines the growing demand for such architecture and argues that the architecture metaphor is inapt for understanding the challenges global health faces. In addition to traditional problems experienced in coordinating State behavior, global health governance faces a new problem, what I call “open-source anarchy.” The dynamics of open-source anarchy are such that States and non-State actors resist governance reforms that would restrict their freedom of action. In this context, what is emerging is not governance architecture …

Rna:Dna As An Indicator Of Nutritional Condition And Growth In Larval Naked Goby, Gobiosoma Bosc, Michelle C. Satterwhite

LSU Master's Theses

Developing organism-based metrics for assessing habitat quality is an important tool in conservation and restoration of aquatic habitats. The use of the RNA:DNA ratio as an early indicator of habitat effects on growth of nekton species has been suggested, but requires species-specific laboratory assessment prior to field application. We used food availability in laboratory treatments to simulate differences in habitat quality. Wild Gobiosoma bosc eggs were collected using nest-traps constructed of PVC pipe. Eggs from several different nests collected in the field were hatched in the lab, yielding larvae that were randomly assigned to three feeding treatments in two replicate …

A Study Examining The Impact Of Scaffolding Young Children's Acquisition Of Literacy In Primary Grades, Judith Rollins Burch

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This case study explores the implementation of scaffolding in literacy learning in a first grade classroom setting. The complexities and nuisances of scaffolding present in the elementary school classroom context during reading and writing instruction are examined. Ten first graders, five from a pilot study an five from the case study, are followed in reading and writing in a public school classroom. Themes indicate that students in lower elementary grades benefit from reading and writing instruction that include the following strategic elements: 1) leveled predictable texts; 2) small group guided reading and writing instruction; 3) systematic, strategic instruction based upon …

Effects Of The Menstrual Cycle On The Vibratory Characteristics Of The Vocal Folds, Aimee Michelle Bonnette

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to obtain preliminary data on several factors that may influence the vibratory patterns of the vocal folds in addition to the hormonal fluctuations present during the menstrual cycle. These factors included patient reports of severity of reflux symptoms, severity of premenstrual symptoms, and severity of negative vocal hygiene behaviors prior to each evaluation. Ten subjects who did not experience complaints of their voice participated in the study. Data from four subjects who were not on birth control and four on birth control were analyzed for the first cycle, which included self-perception, acoustic analysis, and …

Channel Modeling And Resource Allocation In Ofdm Systems, Xiang Gao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The increasing demand for high data rate in wireless communication systems gives rise to broadband communication systems. The radio channel is plagued by multipath propagation, which causes frequency-selective fading in broadband signals. Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a modulation scheme specifically designed to facilitate high-speed data transmission over frequency-selective fading channels. The problem of channel modeling in the frequency domain is first investigated for the wideband and ultra wideband wireless channels. The channel is converted into an equivalent discrete channel by uniformly sampling the continuous channel frequency response (CFR), which results in a discrete CFR. A necessary and sufficient condition …

Active Vision For Navigation And Control, Gina Garman

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Design Of An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Detect, Sense And Avoid System, Brian Lee Berseth

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Public Relations And Political Controversy: A Case Study Of The Assembly Of Turkish American Associations' Public Relations Campaign Regarding The Ottoman Empire's Deportation Of The Armenians, Tamar Grace Meguerditchian

LSU Master's Theses

An organization will almost always use persuasive communication tactics to influence public opinion. Persuasive communication tactics can be either pubic relations or propaganda. The definitions of both public relations and propaganda, as well as a study of the relevant models, reveals that neither practice heavily stresses the importance of social responsibility. Using the importance of social responsibility in honest persuasive communication tactics, this qualitative case study of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations’ (ATAA) determined that the efforts of the ATAA’s persuasive communication efforts are in line with the methods of propaganda, as stated in the operational definition of propaganda …

Community College Students' Plant Biodiversity Learning Experience In An Introductory Biology Course: Exploring The Value Added By Using A Cd-Rom To Develop Inquiry Lessons, Sandra M. Guzman-Rodriguez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the value added to standard textbook-based instruction of plant biodiversity by the use of the exemplary interactive CD-ROM, Conserving Earth’s Biodiversity. This CD-ROM features renowned conservation figure E.O. Wilson. The setting of the research was an introductory biology course in a rural public community college in the Deep South. Six participants were purposively selected to represent three levels of achievement and two groups, the CD-ROM group (exposed to CD-ROM in addition to the textbook) and the textbook group (only course textbook). Students experienced lecture-based, textual, virtual, and real experiences, and examined their ability to understand biodiversity-related concepts …

The Formation Of A Style: Selected Early Works By Hugo Wolf, Jure Rozman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hugo Wolf’s (1860–1903) most pronounced talent was in marrying music and poetry in novel ways, which is clearly demonstrated by his more than 240 art songs. In his early years Wolf composed a series of works for piano solo, published for the first time in 1974 by the Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag in Vienna. This paper explores these and other formative works in detail, focusing on music-theoretical issues, but also placing them in historical context by means of a brief biography which includes recent discoveries regarding Wolf’s Slovene lineage.

Rate Change Effects On Acoustic Duration Measures On An Adolescent Who Stutters, Valerie Jean Courville

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if reduced rate techniques have an effect on speech motor coordination of an adolescent. A literature review revealed that a reduced rate technique consistently promoted more fluent speech; however, the cause of that increase in fluency is not known. This study proposed three specific questions to determine if there was a shortening of the /s/ phoneme in clustered contexts when compared to singletons, if reducing the rate would cause the adolescent to produce more adult-like shortening patterns, and if the reduced rate technique caused a decrease in stuttering events. One eleven year …

Visualizing The Menstrual Cycle: Effects Of A Redesigned Cycle Diagram On Community College Biology Students' Learning, Francesca Maria Mellieon-Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods, exploratory study investigated the importance of the menstrual cycle diagram for understanding human reproduction. Several theories were used to support this study including Visual Design Theory (Tufte, 1990, 1997, 2001), and Human Constructivist Theory (Mintzes, Wandersee, Novak 1998). The two sexuality education programs used by society, abstinence-only programs and comprehensive sex education programs were compared to illustrate how this study applies to the current state of sexuality education in the United States. Community college students from two institutions in the southern region of the United States, registered in five introductory biological science courses, participated in a unit …

A Non-Traditional Traditionalist: Rev. A. H. Sayce And His Intellectual Approach To Biblical Authenticity And Biblical History In Late-Victorian Britain, Roshunda Lashae Belton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The relationship between science and religion was a dominant topic in late-Victorian Britain. This is exemplified in the debate over biblical authenticity and bible history. After 1860 higher criticism, the textual examination of the biblical texts became a prominent issue of discussion in British society. Higher critics brought into question the authorship and authenticity of the Pentateuch, particularly that of Genesis. One significant contributor to this debate was Oxford educator and Assyriologist Rev. Archibald Henry Sayce, who firmly believed that philology, history and, particularly, archeology provided the evidence necessary to validate the accuracy of biblical texts. Supporters of orthodoxy embraced …

La "Guerra Sucia" Argentina: Nombrar Lo Innombrable Y Hablar Del Horror Para No Olvidar Ni Repetir, John Edmund Baron

LSU Master's Theses

The last Argentine dictatorship, officially known as the Process of National Reorganization (PNR), lasted nearly eight years (1976-1983) but the change that it produced in the subjectivity of the citizenry did not disappear when the military dictatorship left power. The fear of being denounced by friends, neighbors, or even family members resulted in apathy and ultimately, in "ignorance" of the events and in the taboo of speaking of them in private settings. The novelists and filmmakers that have begun to name the unnamable of that horror have done more for the comprehension and "healing" of that citizenry than all of …

Clear And Present Danger: Brandenburg Test After September 11, 2001, James Connor Best

LSU Master's Theses

In a post-September 11, 2001 America and in light of the very real threat posed by radical Islamic terrorist, the courts must rethink the line between protected speech and incitement to violence. The Brandenburg test, which was previously understood to be the modern test to distinguish protected from unprotected advocacy, should be questioned. By examining the development of the Court's First Amendment doctrine leading up to Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), I establish that Brandenburg is ill fitted to be applied to advocacy of terrorism. In Brandenburg, the Court actually conflated two previously distinct speech tests-Judge Learned Hand's incitement test and …

Dr. Frankenstein Was A Designer: Methods For Educating Gen H--The Hybrid Design Student, Patricia Ferguson Vining

LSU Master's Theses

Business Week recently launched an innovation and design quarterly entitled In, as well as a Website section specifically dedicated to design and innovation. Fast Company, with its Third Annual Masters of Design issue, and Fortune have also added significant design content to their publications. The business world appears to have discovered design as a vital strategic tool and economic force. Globalization and the Internet knowledge explosion have changed our world in unprecedented ways. Design thinking, which was previously relegated to dealing with issues such as form and function, has become the twenty-first century methodology for the development of new business …

Engineering A Photo-Control Mechanism For Rna Interference, Richard Andrew Blidner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

RNA interference (RNAi) is a phenomenon in which RNA molecules elicit potent and sequence-specific post-transcriptional gene silencing. Nucleic acid chemical modifications have been incorporated to improve their pharmacological properties. Despite numerous developments in chemical modifications for increased stability, safety, and efficiency of these therapeutic agents, they still face challenges of spatial and temporal targeting. One potential targeting strategy uses photocaging techniques, which involves the covalent attachment of photolabile compounds to the effector NA species that blocks bioactivity until exposed to near UV-light. This work demonstrates that fully-2’-fluorinated nucleic acids (FNAs) can elicit RNAi and that these effectors are resistant to …

Relationship Between Problem Behaviors, Function, And Adaptive Skills In Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Noha Farrah Minshawi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The problem behaviors of self-injury, aggression, and stereotypies are among the most troubling and difficult to treat behaviors in individuals with intellectual disability (ID). One factor that has been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of problem behaviors in individuals with ID is adaptive skills deficits. However, the nature of the relationship between problem behaviors and adaptive skills deficits is not well understood. This relationship was assessed in two experiments. In Experiment 1, the researcher found an inverse, curvilinear relationship between problem behaviors (as identified by the Behavior Problems Inventory; BPI), and adaptive skills (as measured by the Vineland Adaptive …

Prevalence Of Family History Of Speech-Language Impairment In An African American Sample, Tricia Mccully Rodrigue

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of a positive family history of speech and/or language impairments in an African American sample. The first phase of the study used questionnaires from the primary caregivers of 161 children. The questionnaires allowed for an examination of family history as a function of a child’s socioeconomic level (+/- high school level of maternal education), educational placement (+/- receipt of services by a speech language clinician), and clinical status (+/- profile consistent with a diagnosis of SLI). The second phase of the study included interviews that were collected from 17 families …

Sensory Characteristics And Optimization Of A Low-Sodium Salt Formulation And Its Food Application, Armen Khachatryan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Excessive consumption of sodium is associated with high blood pressure in people. Reduction of sodium intake and replacement of salt with salt substitutes are an essential component of the primary prevention of hypertension. Potassium chloride is the most widely used salt substitute. However, when used in large amounts, it imparts bitterness and metallic aftertaste. Therefore, bitterness masking agents need to be used in salt substitute formulations. L-Arginine has been reported to have bitterness masking properties. No research has yet been conducted to investigate the effects of KCl and L-Arginine on the perception of saltiness and bitterness in the mixture of …