Digital Commons Network^™

A Positive Theory Of Strict Liability, Keith N. Hylton

Faculty Scholarship

In spite of its tenure as the prevailing economic theory of strict liability, the proposition that strict liability should be preferred to negligence when it is desirable to reduce injurers' activity levels rather than victims' activity levels raises a few questions. First, when should we prefer to reduce injurers' activity levels rather than victims'? Second, why should we not hold both victim and injurer strictly liable? This paper provides a model that answers these questions more effectively than the prevailing economic model. The model presented here offers specific predictions that are consistent with the detailed law on strict liability and …

Growth And Properties Of Metal-On-Metal Nanostructures: Ag On Cu(110) And Co On Ag(110), Indrajith Chandima Senevirathne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Heteroepitaxial nanostructures have a diverse array of applications and show novel phenomena that arise from the exotic physics exhibited in reduced dimensions. We have investigated two nano-structured systems in order to gain insights into the dynamics of their nucleation, growth and have observed striking differences, due in part to a competition between lattice strain, surface and interfacial free energies. When Ag is deposited on clean, single-crystal Cu(110), it initially wets the surface with a (111) monolayer, and spontaneously nucleates nanowires as the coverage is increased. The nanowires nucleate at defects and step edges and grow aligned along the [1–10] direction. …

Effects Of Burning On Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus Henslowii) Density And Habitat Quality In Louisiana, Laura M. Palasz

LSU Master's Theses

The Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) is a grassland species of concern that winters in prairies and open pine savannas across the Gulf Coastal Plain. Previous studies have indicated that these birds occur at higher densities in recently burned habitats in winter, but this has never been examined over a large geographic area containing multiple habitat types. The objectives of the study were to identify areas of important winter habitat in Louisiana, to examine the relationship between time since burn, bird density, and bird condition, and to determine vegetation structure and composition used by birds. We found most of the new …

Representation & Its Limit, Neal Anderson Hebert

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is an investigation into traditional accounts of aesthetic representation. Using the work of Noel Carroll as an exemplar of the definition put forward in canonical philosophical accounts of aesthetic representation, I look at how Carroll’s account must work. By examining both the definition in abstract and how this definition is instantiated into existent and hypothetical works of art, it becomes apparent that Carroll’s definition is overly stringent and relies upon a counterintuitive distinction between aesthetic representation and aesthetic expression. This distinction is problematic insofar as the distinction seems to be a largely semantic distinction: the mechanism by which …

Chemical Analysis Of Polymer Blends Via Synchrotron X-Ray Tomography, Heath Alan Barnett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Material properties of industrial polymer blends are of great importance. X-ray tomography has been used to obtain spatial chemical information about various polymer blends. The spatial images are acquired with synchrotron X-ray tomography because of its rapidity, good spatial resolution, large field-of-view, and elemental sensitivity. The spatial absorption data acquired from X-ray tomography experiments is converted to spatial chemical information via a linear least squares fit of multi-spectral X-ray absorption data. A fiberglass-reinforced polymer blend with a new-generation flame retardant is studied with multi-energy synchrotron X-ray tomography to assess the blend homogeneity. Relative to other composite materials, this sample is …

Dactyls Reveal Evolutionary Patterns In Decapod Crustaceans, Jeffrey Guy Agnew

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Because of their high preservation potential and uses in foraging and defense, decapod crustacean dactyls (movable fingers of claws) are potentially excellent test subjects for an ongoing debate concerning the relative importance of top-down (predators) and bottom-up (prey) controls on morphologic diversification and evolution. The utility of dactyls for inferring evolutionary patterns were evaluated using living and subfossil xanthoid crabs sampled from the southeast U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, and were used to: (1) distinguish the roles of selection and constraint on dactyl morphology through allometric and shape comparisons in the context of the crab’s phylogenetic relationships and …

Academic Impropriety: Violation Of Normative Teaching Behaviors As Identified By Nursing Educators, Melanie Hilburn Green

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With public criticism of American higher education on the rise, it is prudent for those in the academy to reflect upon their responsibilities to their students. Of particular salience is an examination of what constitutes misconduct within the faculty role. This dissertation reports the results of a study designed to identify what nursing educators believe to be the violation of normative teaching behaviors. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was utilized to develop an understanding of the actions that constitute academic impropriety. The College Teaching Behaviors Inventory, a survey instrument designed by Braxton and Bayer (1999), was distributed to deans …

Measurement Of Nutrient Availability In Feedstuffs For Florida Pompano And Development Of Formulated Diets For Pompano Aquaculture, Craig Gothreaux

LSU Master's Theses

Consistently high market demand combined with low commercial catches have made Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, one of the highest valued finfish from the Gulf of Mexico. Economic incentive has spurred interest in pompano culture since the 1950s, yet the body of nutritional research on pompano is still sparse. This study was conducted to measure the apparent digestibility of nutrients among a selection of common feed ingredients, and determine the optimum dietary protein level for juvenile Florida pompano at a fixed protein-to-energy ratio, in order to formulate nutritionally complete, cost-effective diets. The four ingredients tested in the digestibility trial were soybean …

Searching For Gravitational Waves From Binary Systems In Non-Stationary Data, Chad Hanna

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The gravitational wave detectors at the LIGO Observatories have achieved record sensitivity to gravitational-waves produced by astrophysical systems. The LIGO Scientific Collaboration has analyzed data taken in several science runs, searching for different signals. We describe a search for black holes with less than a solar mass in the LIGO data taken from February 22 to March 24, 2005. No gravitational waves were found, and an upper limit was set on the rate of mergers of such binary systems. This search, as well as other searches for binary systems, are affected by non-stationary noise. We describe the sophisticated pipeline that …

Digital Storytelling As A Literacy-Based Intervention For A Sixth Grade Student With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Case Study, Brent A. Daigle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the use of Digital Storytelling as an intervention to improve the academic performance and social interactions of a sixth grade student with High-Functioning Autism. Qualitative methodology, using an inductive approach informed by grounded theory, was employed throughout this exploratory case study. Three separate data sources, consisting of document analysis, interviews, and participant observation, contributed to the findings of this study. Triangulation of inquiry methods enhanced the validity and rigor of this investigation. The findings from this inquiry indicate that Digital Storytelling was beneficial to the participant in this exploratory case study. Engaged student processes and critical analysis …

Numerical Modeling Of Continuous Flow Microwave Heating - Coupling Of High Frequency Electromagnetism With Fluid Flow And Heat Transfer, Deepti Salvi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study focused on numerical and experimental investigation of continuous flow microwave heating. A numerical model was developed to predict the temperature of a liquid product heated in a continuous-flow focused microwave system by coupling electromagnetism, fluid flow, and heat transfer in two different software packages (ANSYS Multiphysics 9.0 and COMSOL Multiphysics 3.4). The temperature and energy distributions simulated in ANSYS were verified against other numerical studies published in the literature. Comparison of the simulated temperature in ANSYS with experimental data for salt water of two different salinities showed good agreement. To simulate the experimental conditions more accurately, a comprehensive …

Effect Of Hydrology On The Structure And Function Of Mangrove Ecosystems In The Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam, Loi Tan Le

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The influence of hydrology on the mangrove forests of Vietnam has received little scientific attention, even though hydrology is recognized as the primary forcing function in mangrove ecosystems worldwide. The purpose of this dissertation research was to determine the effects of hydrology on specific structural attributes and functional processes within the mangrove forests of Can Gio, a province in southeastern Vietnam. Khe Vinh (KV) and Mui O (MO), two locations within compartment 17 of the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, were chosen as study sites. This research addressed two questions: (1) What are the characteristics of the hydrological regime at …

A Study Of Regret And Rejoicing And A New Mcdm Method Based On Them, Xiaoting Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is one of the most widely used decision methodologies in the sciences, business, and engineering worlds. MCDM methods aim at improving the quality of decisions by making the process more explicit, rational, and efficient. One controversial problem is that some well-known MCDM methods, like the additive AHP methods and the ELECTRE II and III methods, may cause some types of rank reversal problems. Rank reversal means that the ranking between two alternatives might be reversed after some variation occurs to the decision problem, like adding a new alternative, dropping an old alternative or replacing a non-optimal alternative …

Claims To Information Qua Information And A Structural Theory Of Section 101, Kevin Emerson Collins

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In this article, I start from the premises that claims to inventive information qua information are not and should not be patentable, and I pursue two lines of inquiry. First, I argue that a structural theory of Section l0l of the Patent Act provides a policy-driven, conceptually coherent and statutorily justified interpretation that explains why claims to inventive information qua information should be excluded from the realm of patentable subject matter. In brief, patentable subject matter must be restricted in this manner to preserve the duality of claiming and disclosing upon which the entire patent regime is constructed.

Second, I …

Off-Line Maldi Mass Spectrometry Of Bioaerosols, Jae-Kuk Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used for off-line analysis of bioaerosols. The overall goal of the work is to develop methods and instrumentation to minimize sample treatment and maximize sensitivity and selectivity for bioaerosol analysis. This work is divided into three parts: sample preparation, test bioaerosol analysis, and instrument development. Untreated silicon wafer substrates were used as an alternate to conventional stainless steel targets and proved to be excellent substrates for large molecule analyses as well as small molecule analyses with excellent spot-to-spot and shot-to-shot reproducibility, which is useful for high-throughput and automated sample analysis. MALDI sample preparation …

Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus Pileatus) And Saproxylic Beetles In Partial Cut And Uncut Bottomland Hardwood Forests, Patricia Jean Newell

LSU Master's Theses

Relative abundance and species richness of saproxylic beetles and nesting, roosting, and foraging ecology of pileated woodpeckers were studied in recent partial cuts and uncut forest during the summers of 2006 and 2007. Relative abundance of saproxylic beetles was greater in one-year old cuts than uncut forest during 2006 but was not consistent during 2007. The number of dead trees, period of capture, and trapping year also influenced beetle abundance. Species richness was similar in partial cuts and uncut forest. Characteristics of habitat used by pileated woodpeckers for nesting and roosting in one-year-old and two-year-old partial cuts and uncut forest …

Influences On Effective Local Wildfire Mitigation Programs, Kimberly Ann Geaghan

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to identify key components of community wildfire risk reduction programs and potential influences on the adoption of these program elements. Community wildfire programs have been developed to educate and encourage property owners to adopt “vegetation management” practices such as creating defensible space around structures, landscaping with fire-resistant plants, and removing potential wildfire fuels such as trees and shrubs. The analyses are based on a survey conducted by investigators from Louisiana State University in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service. This survey was distributed to wildfire mitigation program managers listed on the National Wildfire Programs …

Novel Devices And Protocols Enabling Isolation And Enumeration Of Low Abundant Biological Cells From Complex Matrices, Andre Antonio Adams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The dimensions of microfluidic devices closely parallel those of biological cells; thusly, they are excellent platforms for the speciation, transport, manipulation, and analysis of cells. Electrokinetic transport of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was evaluated in microfluidic devices fabricated in pristine and UV-modified poly(methylmethacrylate) and polycarbonate. The magnitude and direction of transport of the cells was dictated by the buffer composition, conduit surface chemistry, and intrinsic cellular electrical properties. Baker’s yeast in all devices migrated toward the cathode, because of their smaller electrophoretic mobility compared to the electroosmotic flow of the polymer. E. coli cells suspended in 20 mM PBS …

Rational Approximation Schemes For Solutions Of Abstract Cauchy Problems And Evolution Equations, Patricio Gabriel Jara

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we study time and space discretization methods for approximating solutions of abstract Cauchy problems and evolution equations in a Banach space setting. Two extensions of the Hille-Phillips functional calculus are developed. The first result is the Hille-Phillips functional calculus for generators of bi-continuous semigroups, and the second is a C-regularized version of the Hille-Phillips functional calculus for generators of C-regularized semigroups. These results are used in order to study time discretization schemes for abstract Cauchy problems associated with generators of bi-continuous semigroups as well as C-regularized semigoups. Stability, convergence results, and error estimates for rational approximation schemes …

Development Of An Algorithm For Switching Compensator Control Based On The Currents' Physical Components Theory, Samuel Pearce

LSU Master's Theses

Development of a three-phase switching compensator algorithm, based on the Currents’ Physical Components (CPC) power theory and capable of performing in real time, is the subject of this thesis. The compensator algorithm could be implemented to control a PWM Inverter, which would perform as a shunt switching compensator of harmonic, reactive and unbalanced currents or a customizable combination of the three. The hardware used to demonstrate the ability of the algorithm to perform within the restraints or real time operation is a Motorola DSP56F807 evaluation mode DSP board and a set of voltage and current sensors. The Evaluation Board was …

Evaluating The Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Water Subsidies In Kuwait, Mohammad Alshawaf

LSU Master's Theses

Kuwait and the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have experienced rapid growth in population coupled with a rise in the standards of living and acceleration in social, agricultural, and industrial growths, which greatly increased the demand for water supplies. Due to the scarcity of water resources in the region, non-conventional water supplies such as seawater desalination are and have been the main water resource. Kuwait has so far been able to meet demand by using its access to both the sea and abundant oil needed in the desalination plants. The quantity of water consumed per capita in Kuwait is …

The Effect Of An Inshore Artificial Reef On The Community Structure And Feeding Ecology Of Estuarine Fishes In Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Kirsten A. Simonsen

LSU Master's Theses

Recently we have begun to understand the importance of inshore hard-bottom substrate, including oyster reefs, to estuarine fish communities in the Gulf of Mexico, especially in the context of identifying Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). However, problems such as habitat loss, disease, overharvest, and failure to replace shell have severely decreased the amount of high-relief oyster reef habitat available to finfish. The purpose of this project was to establish an artificial high-relief mimic-oyster reef in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, and monitor its use by economically and ecologically important finfish, including spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus). The finfish and …

Multiscale Analysis Of Heterogeneous Media For Local And Nonlocal Continuum Theories, Bacim Alali

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation provides new multiscale methods for the analysis of heterogeneous media. The first part of the dissertation treats heterogeneous media using the theory of linear elasticity. In this context, a methodology is presented for bounding the higher order moments of the local stress and strain fields inside random elastic media. Optimal lower bounds that are given in terms of the applied loading and the volume (area) fractions for random two-phase composites are presented. These bounds provide a means to measure load transfer across length scales relating the excursions of the local fields to applied loads. The second part of …

Generally Covariant Quantum Information, Stephan Jay Olson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The formalism of covariant quantum theory, introduced by Reisenberger and Rovelli, casts the description of quantum states and evolution into a framework compatible with the principles of general relativity. The leap to this covariant formalism, however, outstripped the standard interpretation used to connect quantum theory to experimental predictions, leaving the predictions of the theory ambiguous. In particular, the absence of a pre-defined time variable or background causal structure resulted in an ``order of projections" ambiguity, in which the usual rule for multiple-measurement probabilities (obtained by time-ordered projections) is not defined. Equally troublesome, the probability postulate of Reisenberger and Rovelli fails …

A Critical Item Analysis Of The Qabf: Development Of A Short Form Assessment Instrument, Ashvind Nand Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Due to the relative inability of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) to provide an accurate and reliable self-report, assessment in this population is more difficult than with individuals in the general population. As such, assessment procedures must be adjusted to compensate for the relative lack of information that the individual can provide and rely more on the behavioral expression of communication. One method commonly used is the indirect functional assessment that utilizes behavior rating scales that have been developed to gather behavioral data in a short time. One of the few empirically derived and psychometrically sound is the QABF, a …

Feasibility Testing For Salsa Neutrino Astrophysics Project, Jarrod Christopher Marsh

LSU Master's Theses

Research is presented that was performed to determine possible locations for a full scale Salt Dome Shower Array (SalSA) neutrino telescope sensitive to energies from TeV ($10^{12}$ eV), PeV ($10^{15}$ eV), and EeV ($10^{18}$ eV) neutrinos. A detector to test possible site locations was designed around a half-Watt Ham radio to transmit short pulses of 145.500 MHz radiation. The research began by designing the system. Several phases of design took place as the system was refined and calibrated. Once finished, it was taken into a field and tested. The objective was to determine how the signals depended on distance. In …

Concentration Of Phosphorylated Proteins Using Modified Pmma Microanalytical Devices, Jowell Guerra Bolivar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work describes the application of PMMA-based microanalytical devices for the affinity-type preconcentration of posttranslational modified proteins (PTMs). The choice of poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, is based on its biocompatibility, its functional methyl ester group for potential modification, and its extensive applications to create biological microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS). Developing methodologies for preconcentration of PTMs is important for cancer diagnosis due to PTMs’ influence in the regulatory mechanism underlying the early stage of apoptosis or regulated cell death. Towards this goal, nitroavidin which can reversibly binds to biotin (and biotinylated proteins), was prepared using reported procedure and was characterized using several techniques …

Solid-Phase Synthesis Of Asymmetrically Substituted Phthalocyanines, Sultan Sibel Erdem

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Phthalocyanines (Pcs) are excellent candidates for use as fluorophores for near-infrared (near-IR) fluorescent tagging of biomolecules and as photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents. Synthesis of Pcs with asymmetrical substitution on the periphery is often difficult due to the problems during the purification of the Pc mixtures obtained. The objective of this project is to design and synthesize chemically robust near-IR fluorophores for bioanalytical applications and to develop new synthetic methods for rapid synthesis of the target compounds. A novel synthetic route was developed utilizing a hydrophilic, polyethylene glycol-based (PEG) support with different types of linkers. The Pcs were functionalized with either …

Stochastic Demand Forecast And Inventory Management Of A Seasonal Product A Supply Chain System, Mohammad Anwar Ashek Rahman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Estimation of seasonal demand prior to an active demand season is essential in supply chain management. The business cycle of the seasonal demand is divided into two stages: stage-1, the slow-demand period, and stage-2, the peak-demand period. The focus here is to determine an appropriate demand forecast for the peak-demand period. In the first set of forecasting model, a standard gamma and an inverse gamma prior distribution are used to forecast demand. The parameters of the prior model are estimated and updated based on current observation using Bayesian technique. The forecasts are derived for both complete and incomplete datasets. The …

Coarse Woody Debris Characteristics Of Managed And Unmanaged Bottomland Hardwood Forests, John Wesley Cochran

LSU Master's Theses

Increasingly, attention is being paid to the role coarse woody debris (CWD) plays in forest ecosystems. CWD has been shown to provide valuable wildlife habitat, support food webs and contribute to nutrient storage and cycling, and mediate hydrological and geomorphic process. Timber management may be altering CWD dynamics by replacing aging stands with younger, more vigorous ones. The specific objectives of this study were 1) to quantify differences in coarse woody debris characteristics among bottomland hardwood forest stands with different management histories, and 2) to determine how differences in tree species composition and forest structure in bottomland hardwood forests influence …