Digital Commons Network^™

Peforming Louisiana: The History Of Cajun Dialect Humor And Its Impact On The Cajun Cultural Identity, Debrah Royer Richardson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cajuns, the descendants of the Acadian diaspora begun in 1755, chose to live a largely isolated existence in Louisiana until elements in the nineteenth century began concerted efforts to assimilate the Cajuns. By the beginnings of the twentieth century, the dual challenges of enforced schooling and the prohibition of spoken French affected the Cajun sense of pride. Around the same time, outsiders (satirists from Louisiana who were not of Cajun descent) used the Cajun dialect, in publications and on the radio, to humorously skewer Louisiana politics. Over the last century, Cajun dialect humor has evolved along specific lines that have …

Tourmalinities In Neoproterzoic Metaevaporitic Deposit Of Duruchas Formation, Damar Belt, Central Namibia, Haiting Sun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Tourmalinites from a well-developed meta-evaporite sequence in the Neoproterozoic Duruchaus Formation of central Namibia contain tourmalines with chemical and textural features that are excellent recorders of their environment of formation. Unlike most other meta-evaporitic deposits, this tourmalinite locality exhibits only minor deformation. The tourmalinites form as finely laminated units ca. 1 m thick within a sequence of quartzites, mica schists, dolomitic marbles, and carbonate breccias. Well-preserved pseudomorphs are considered to replace a variety of evaporitic minerals. The meta-sedimentary rocks of the Duruchaus Formation have been interpreted as representing lacustrine, playa lake, fluvial, and non-marine evaporite deposition in an intracontinental rift …

Strategies For Establishing Spartina Alterniflora On Newly Constructed Marsh Terraces In Coastal Louisiana, Ashley Wilson Mullens

LSU Master's Theses

Marsh terracing is an innovative restoration technique being used in shallow, open water marshes in coastal Louisiana. When properly constructed and planted with an applicable plant species, terraces promote sediment deposition and accumulation by reducing wave energy. Although used extensively for marsh creation, little published information is available on techniques for establishing vegetation on marsh terraces. The goal of this research was to determine the optimal planting season and most effective plant growth form of Spartina alterniflora for establishing vegetation on newly constructed marsh terraces. Study objectives were to: 1) compare survival and growth rates of different plant growth forms …

Design, Synthesis, And Conformational Studies Of Peptides Containing α,α-Disubstituted Amino Acids, Jia Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

C^α,α-disubstituted amino acids (ααAAs) are widely utilized to conformationally constrain peptides. Several pentapeptides containing dipropylglycine (Dpg) at alternating positions and their α-amino acid counterpart L-norvaline (Nva) analogues were synthesized to fully investigate the impact of Dpg on peptide backbone structure in aqueous solution. CD, VCD and NMR spectral analysis suggest that Dpg containing peptides adopt more ordered structures relative to their Nva containing analogues. The central residues (Ala, Thr, Tyr, Val) and the charged side-chains of Glu and Lys play important roles in the degree of peptide folding. Hydrophobic and branched residues (Val, Tyr) at the …

Can I Play Too? A Look At Minor Party Entrance And Success In U.S. Gubernatorial Elections, Jay Douglas Ducote

LSU Master's Theses

New minor political parties and their candidates face many challenges. Most of challenges have been examined on the national level in the previous literature. By examining ballot access laws and campaign finance regulations in all 50 U.S. states, this thesis argues that differences in the restriction to ballot access and campaign finance laws account for some of the variation in the number of new minor party candidates who run for governor in each state as well as the percentage of the vote they receive. Using a coding for ballot access laws and campaign finance stringency, as well as several control …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Solar Radiation In Louisiana, Michael Ulric Kemp

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine temporal and spatial trends in surface global horizontal solar radiation in Louisiana using a 30-year dataset (1961-1990) of the four stations in Louisiana from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRD) and a 6-year dataset (2001-2006) of the 25 stations in the Louisiana Agriclimatic Information System (LAIS). Three of the four NSRD stations exhibit a downward linear trend in surface solar radiation over the 30-year period of record, similar to the global trends uncovered in previous studies. Only one station exhibits a slightly upward trend. Surface solar radiation exhibits a positive correlation with …

Analysis Of Trade On El Salvador Post Dollarization, Jorge Raul Rivera

LSU Master's Theses

Dollarization has been suggested as an option for emerging economies. This policy might, among other goals, promote trade between a country adopting the dollar and the United States. Recent research suggests that adopting a common currency increases bilateral trade. Those findings have been widely critiqued for the lack of consistency over different currencies specially the case of dollarization. This thesis is primarily concerned with the impact of dollarization in El Salvador regarding bilateral trade flows. Utilizing the framework of the Gravity Model, bilateral trade flows for 13 trading partners of El Salvador were examined. This study found that dollarization has …

Population Change And Social Vulnerability In The Wake Of Disaster: The Case Of Hurricanes Katrina And Rita, Candice A. Myers

LSU Master's Theses

Previous sociological research on natural disasters has highlighted how various dimensions of social vulnerability influence the impact of, and recovery from, such disasters. This research contributes to the literature by examining population change in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with an explicit focus on how social vulnerability moderates this relationship. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, I construct a macro-level Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the impacted region and then use regression analysis to explore how various dimensions of social vulnerability are related to population change in the six months following the storms. The results reveal a …

An Original Composition, Galleria Armonica, Theme And Variations For Piano, Harpsichord, Harp And Orchestra And A Comparative Study Between The Pedagogical Methodologies Of Arnold Schoenberg And Nadia Boulanger Regarding Training The Composer, Barrett Ashley Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Part one of this dissertation is an original music composition, Galleria Armonica, Theme and Variations for Piano, Harpsichord, Harp and Orchestra in fantasia variation form. The orchestra is divided into four groups: Strings (8/8/6/6/4), Winds (2/2/2/2/), Brass (4/3/3/1), and Percussion (Percussion I: Celesta, Timpani, Vibraphone, & Snare Drum; Percussion II: Suspended Cymbal, Orchestra Bells, Tam-Tam; Percussion III: Bass Drum, Side Drum, Triangle, & Tam-Tam.) Each solo instrument (Piano, Harpsichord & Harp) is physically associated with a specified group: Piano with Brass; Harpsichord with Strings: Harp with Winds, thus three primary groups. The percussion is employed as a crossover, unifying ensemble. …

Uncomfortable Performances: Discovering A Subversive Scenario For Rape Discourse, Annamaria Ruffino

LSU Master's Theses

Current trends in representations of rape show a new fascination with a rape scenario, a fascination that puts a normative slant on discourse surrounding rape. Normalizing the rape scenario carries various consequences for women; the first and foremost is that it turns the experience of rape into an entertainment commodity, thus causing women’s voices to be appropriated into dominant discourses and the capitalist project. One possible way to circumvent this normalization is to look toward feminist performance strategies in order to subvert this rape scenario and the discourses surrounding it from within. In this thesis, I explore ways to accomplish …

Characterization Of Advanced Composites- A Nondestructive Approach, Phani Surya Kiran Mylavarapu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Adhesively bonded sandwich structures comprising of particulate composites as core and graphite epoxy skins as stiffeners are widely used for various applications in the marine and aerospace industry. The core material and the stiffener are held together by an adhesive bond. Particulate composites are made from a mixture of a polymer resin and hollow or solid particles. Hollow particulate composites are known as syntactic foams. Particulate composites possess attractive mechanical and physical properties such as high compressive strength etc, making them attractive materials for use in structural applications. Characterization of the adhesive bondline and core material in sandwich structures is …

Blakely's Silver Lining; Sentencing Guidelines, Judicial Discretion, And Crime, Joanna Shepherd

UC Law Journal

The Supreme Court's recent decisions in United States v. Booker and Blakely v. Washington, invalidating mandatory criminal sentencing guidelines, could have the unexpected benefit of reducing crime. This Article is the first to use regression analysis to explore the relationship between sentencing guidelines and crime. It shows that adoption of guidelines is associated with significant increases in crime, contrary to the expectations of many of the original supporters of sentencing guidelines.

After developing several economic theories about the relationship between guidelines and crime, the author investigates this relationship empirically using a large, state-level data set. The analysis shows that guidelines …

Family Conflicts: The Role Of Religion In Refusing Medical Treatment For Minors, Jennifer E. Chen

UC Law Journal

Traditionally, minors are subject to their parents' will when it comes to their own healthcare treatment. While most parents make decisions consistent with societal values that they should obtain the best medical treatment available when their child is critically ill, cases exist where parents have refused medical treatment for their child because of their religious beliefs. Based on constitutional rights, parents have some leeway to make these treatment refusal decisions, and in no published case to date has a child asserted a treatment preference contrary to that of his or parents refusing treatment on religious grounds. Thus, courts have yet …

The Consumer Class Action Bill Of Rights: A Policy And Political Mistake, Laurens Walker

UC Law Journal

This Article discusses the significance of the Consumer Class Action Bill of Rights, found in section 3 of the 2005 Class Action Fairness Act. The author argues that this section is the most significant provision of the law. In addition to expounding upon the notice provision of the Bill of Rights Section, the Article explores the possible responses that public officials could make. Additionally, the author predicts a strong degree of public participation in class action settlements, especially by the Attorneys General of the states. The Article also considers the Act's substantive regulation of settlement terms, including ''coupon settlements," as …

Informal Closing Of The Bypass: Minors' Petitions To Bypass Parental Consent For Abortion In An Age Of Increasing Judicial Refusals, Lauren Treadwell

UC Law Journal

The presence of an effective judicial bypass mechanism for minors seeking an abortion is fundamental to the validity of parental consent statutes. Following the United States Supreme Court's decision in Bellotti v. Baird H, states now have the flexibility to restrict minors' access to abortion by requiring parental consent for the procedure, provided an effective judicial bypass mechanism exists to handle situations where the minor does not want to involve her parents. Under Bellotti II, the minor must have the opportunity to petition the court for a waiver of the relevant parental consent law, which if granted, would allow her …

An Oracle Without Foresight - Plaintiffs' Arduous Burdens Under U.S. V. Oracle, Amanda J. Parkison Hassid

UC Law Journal

The decision in United States v. Oracle Corp. has the potential to obliterate the government's ability to successfully block certain mergers. The unique set of circumstances in Oracle created little binding precedent on Judge Vaughn Walker, who did not shy away from using this freedom. The court set forth requirements for the government that differed drastically from those proposed in Merger Guidelines promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice -requirements that effectively .increased the burden of proof for the government. In addition, the Oracle court disregarded volumes of the government's evidence, requesting instead evidence that would …

Duress: A Perplexing Barrier To Relief From Joint And Several Liability, M. Meghan Kerns

UC Law Journal

The majority of married taxpayers do not fully appreciate the legal ramifications of executing a joint tax return. Regardless of the actual division of combined income, upon filing a joint return, each spouse is responsible for the accuracy of the entire return and liable for the full amount of any tax deficiency arising from the return. To avoid joint and several liability, a couple could file separate returns; however, this often results in a greater total tax liability. Alternatively, a spouse who qualifies as "innocent" of the erroneous items reported by his or her spouse may claim relief under Internal …

Moving Towards A Very Long Engagement: The Effects Of Interactivity On Prolonging Engagement With Online Movie Advertisements, Jesse T. Hoggard

LSU Master's Theses

An experiment with 421 participants aged 18-45 was conducted to measure the effects of interactivity in an online movie advertising setting, and the effects of interactivity on consumer engagement and other brand metrics. Results from a post-test survey revealed insight into participants’ perceived level of interactivity, and reflected varying levels of attitude towards ad messages, ad recall, mood, and factors in purchasing habits. Results suggested that while interactivity can sometimes hinder advertising recall rates, it can also increase positive attitudes toward the advertisement, click-through rate, intent to purchase, and mood. Practical implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

The Politics Of Deference And Inclusion: Toward A Uniform Framework For The Analysis Of Fundamental Alteration Under The Ada, Kerri Lynn Stone

UC Law Journal

This Article discusses a number of federal court opinions which have dealt with the "fundamental alteration" query, posed by Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, in the five years after the Supreme Court decision in PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin. The author identifies problems inherent in the approach taken in Martin and discusses the Court's lack of clear guidance on the issue. She then sets forth a proposed framework and suggested considerations for courts undertaking the fundamental alteration query. The Article declares that only after establishing such a framework may a court distinguish between compelling a …

Generalized Grievances And Judicial Discretion, Mark Gabel

UC Law Journal

Few scholars have questioned the common assumption that the generalized grievances doctrine is simply a prohibition on obtaining federal court standing based on one's status as a taxpayer or a citizen. This Note attempts to show that the current doctrine is actually somewhat broader than that, although the Supreme Court has refused to define its outer limits precisely.

This Note traces the history of the generalized grievances principle from its origins in the 1920s to today, arguing that the concept was not originally intended to be a stand-alone limitation on federal court standing. Rather, it was simply a facet of …

Analysis Of The Association Between Socio-Demographic Variables, Juvenile Offending, And Formal Vs. Informal Juvenile Justice System Handling In A Non-Urban Sample, Stephen W. Phillippi, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

PURPOSE: This study compares and contrasts first-time juvenile offenders enrolled in a community-based intervention program whose cases were processed either informally or formally, and examines empirically- and conceptually-relevant contributors to re-offending. METHODS: This is a longitudinal, secondary analysis of 1072 male and female offenders. The study includes descriptive univariate analyses; chi-square bivariate analyses of each independent variable with the dependent variables (level of processing and recidivism at both one and three years); and binary logistic regression analyses to identify significant predictors of the dependent variables. Independent variables include age, gender, race, family structure, marital status of biological parents, family income, …

Initiative Funding Through Targeted Taxes: Proposition 63, Mental Health, And The Crossroads Of Direct Democracy, Andrew M. Holmes

UC Law Journal

It took over forty-one years, but on November 2, 2004, President John F. Kennedy's vision of mental health care became a reality in California when 53.8% of the voters of California ratified Proposition 63. Proposition 63 (the Proposition) was criticized, however, the proponents of sought to bring relief to California's mental health system after decades of broken promises. The controversy surrounding Proposition 63 is not whether treatment for the mentally ill is a priority of the State but whether the novel funding structure is abusive.

The Note will first trace the roots of the controversy through a historical analysis of …

The Genealogy Of Morals: Contemporary Empirical Accounts, Franklin Donald Worrell

LSU Master's Theses

In the late twentieth century, moral realists began to resurrect a type of argument that emerged during the Enlightenment. These realists appealed to moral progress as evidence for moral facts, and their arguments took the form of inferences to the best explanation. Recently, the argument style has emerged again. This time, the inference to the best explanation is being used by empirically-informed sentimentalists to argue that their theories can provide accounts of moral evolution that have greater explanatory and predictive power than the accounts offered by the moral realists. This thesis examines the arguments to the best explanation of such …

Effects Of Amino Acids On The Properties Of White-Fleshed And Orange-Fleshed Beauregard Sweet Potato Starch, Stephanie Helen Lockwood

LSU Master's Theses

This study assessed the effects of amino acid additives, aspartic acid, leucine, lysine, and methionine, on the pasting and thermal characteristics of white-fleshed and orange-fleshed Beauregard sweet potato starches. Also, the white-fleshed and the orange-fleshed sweet potato starches were compared for any differences in their resistant starch and crystalline properties. This study was performed using Differential Scanning Calorimetery (DSC), Rapid Visco Analysis (RVA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Resistant Starch Determination. The orange-fleshed starch granules began to gelatinize at a lower temperature (56.8°C) than the white-fleshed starch (70.1°C), but the two starches needed the same amount of energy to gelatinize. Lysine …

Identification Of Molecular Markers And Association Mapping Of Selected Loci Associated With Agronomic Traits In Rice, Suresh Babu Kadaru

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Discriminate Analysis as a procedure was evaluated to select molecular markers associated with complex traits in US rice germplasm. Markers for percent head rice, percent total rice, and grain yield were identified with high levels of correct classification that mapped within or near traditional Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). Mixed model-regression procedure to identify molecular markers that predict phenotypic variance associated with four agronomic traits was created and validated in two distinct rice inbred populations. Main and epistatic effects were identified by standard hypothesis testing and Bayesian information criteria in a multivariate format. The new procedure increased power and enhanced prediction …

Evaluation Of Allochthonous And Autochthonous Microbial Populations In The In-Situ Remediation Of Weathered Oil In A Coastal Freshwater Habitat, Kyle Alan Schmidt

LSU Master's Theses

Use of bioremedial technologies has gained popularity in recent decades for application at oil spill sites. While much research has been done on specific case studies along marine shores, such as with the spill of the Exxon Valdez, there still remain questions as to the advantage of active biological treatment vs. natural attenuation in freshwater environments. To examine this question, a comparative study of allochthonous and autochthonous microbial communities ability to degrade weathered oil residuals was implemented at the CITGO Petroleum Refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana following a spill of approximately 40,000 barrels of slop oil on June 19th, 2006 …

Influence Of Temperature On The Performance Of Wetlands Treating Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds, Maria G. Murillo

LSU Master's Theses

Various studies have presented models to predict the performance of constructed wetlands at different temperatures focused on the removal of conventional pollutants, and common configuration of constructed wetlands. Investigations on the effect of temperature on the performance of constructed wetlands treating chlorinated volatile organic compounds are limited to microcosm studies. This study is meant to come up with kinetic and energy balance input data for mathematical models that can be used to predict the performance of upflow constructed treatment wetlands treating chlorinated ethenes and ethanes at different ambient temperatures. Bench scale continuous upflow columns will be conducted to investigate the …

Characteristics Of Four Highly-Regarded Literacy Teachers In Rural And Urban Elementary Schools, Evan Thomas Ortlieb

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

How does geography play a role in student learning and teacher instruction? Limited research efforts reveal that the needs of students in rural areas are quite distinct from other settings (Muijs & Reynolds, 2003; Rice, 2003). It is not until exclusive qualities are determined in both rural and urban environments that instructional plans can be geared to each student body. Addressing these sociocultural issues is crucial with an increasingly diverse population of students nationwide. Spradley’s (1980) Developmental Research Sequence and ethnographic interviews of four classroom teachers within rural and urban schools are the primary methods utilized throughout this inquiry. The …

Reducing False Alarms In Searches For Gravitational Waves From Coalescing Binary Systems, Andres Rodri­Guez

LSU Master's Theses

LIGO observatories in Livingston, LA and Hanford, WA may detect gravitational waves emitted from coalescing binary systems composed of two compact objects. In order to detect compact binary coalescence (CBC) events, LIGO searches utilize matched filtering techniques. Matched filtering is the optimal detection strategy for stationary, Gaussian noise, however, LIGO noise is often non-stationary, non-Gaussian. Non-stationary noise result in an excess of false candidate events, commonly known as false alarms. This thesis develops the r² test to reduce the false alarm rate for LIGO CBC searches. Results of the search for primordial black hole binary systems (where each object …

Impingement Heat Transfer In The Leading Edge Cavity Of A Gas Turbine Vane, Amar Jeetendra Panchangam Nivarthi

LSU Master's Theses

Jet Impingement Cooling is an internal cooling technique used in the leading edge cavities of Turbine Vanes. This involves a series of jets impinging onto the internal surfaces of a turbine vane/blade through the impingement plate. For the model tested here, the area around the blade/vane leading edge was studied for both heat transfer performance and aerodynamics losses. The performance of an Impingement cooling system depends on parameters like the spent flow effect on the downstream jet, film cooling configuration, and tip flow condition. The present study focuses on analyzing the effect of these parameters on a unique impingement cooling …