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2008

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The Reach Of Literal Claim Scope Into After-Arising Technology: On Thing Construction And The Meaning Of Meaning, Kevin Emerson Collins Jan 2008

The Reach Of Literal Claim Scope Into After-Arising Technology: On Thing Construction And The Meaning Of Meaning, Kevin Emerson Collins

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Broadly speaking, courts and commentators have offered two theories to explain the relationship between the literal scope of a patent claim and after-arising technology (AAT), i.e. technology that is not discovered until after a claim has been filed. The fixation theory asserts that claim scope is and/or should be fixed on the date a claim is filed and that this fixation makes it impossible for the claim to encompass AA T because a claim must grow in some sense after the filing date in order to encompass AA T. In stark contrast, the growth theory argues that literal claim scope …


Creating A Blues Playground: A Comparison Of Beale Street In Memphis, Tennessee, And Farish Street In Jackson, Mississippi, Sandor Gulyas Jan 2008

Creating A Blues Playground: A Comparison Of Beale Street In Memphis, Tennessee, And Farish Street In Jackson, Mississippi, Sandor Gulyas

LSU Master's Theses

Are tourists looking for something resembling the landscape described in the music they listen to or are the cities creating a false front to entice tourists to visualize what was (is?) described in folklore and myths of blues music? This paper will focus on the urban landscape of Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee and Fariah Street in Jackson, Mississippi. These cities are part of a trend called "new blues tourism" in which these cities, in the Mississippi Delta are promoting an authentic black heritage landscape. My paper critiques the authenticity of this urban heritage landscape. There have been many studies …


Off-Line Maldi Mass Spectrometry Of Bioaerosols, Jae-Kuk Kim Jan 2008

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 Jan 2008

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 Jan 2008

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 …


The Emerging Importance Of "Social Visibility" In Defining A Particular Social Group And Its Potential Impact On Asylum Claims Related To Sexual Orientation And Gender, Fatma E. Marouf Jan 2008

The Emerging Importance Of "Social Visibility" In Defining A Particular Social Group And Its Potential Impact On Asylum Claims Related To Sexual Orientation And Gender, Fatma E. Marouf

Scholarly Works

An emerging issue in U.S. asylum claims based on "membership in a particular social group" is the relevance of social visibility in determining whether such a group exists. Of the five protected grounds for asylum, "membership in a particular social group" has always generated the most debate. In 2002, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued guidelines that present the "protected characteristic" and "social perception" approaches as alternative ways of establishing a particular social group, instructing States Parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention (the "Convention") to determine first if there is a protected characteristic and, only if no …


Vassilis Alexakis: Exorciser L'Exil Déplacements Autofictionnels, Linguistiques Et Spatiaux, Marianne Bessy Jan 2008

Vassilis Alexakis: Exorciser L'Exil Déplacements Autofictionnels, Linguistiques Et Spatiaux, Marianne Bessy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the writings of contemporary Francophone writer Vassilis Alexakis. I interpret Alexakis’s œuvre as an attempt by the writer to exorcize his own exile. The author left Greece in the 1960s, settled in France, and started to publish novels in French in the mid-1970s. By looking closely at the patterns of cultural dispossession, language loss, estrangement, and identity crisis in his writings, I show that Alexakis constructs an aesthetic of displacement that allows him to free himself cathartically from the angst of exile. A close analysis of Alexakis’s eleven novels, his autobiographical text, and his collection of short …


Evaluating The Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Water Subsidies In Kuwait, Mohammad Alshawaf Jan 2008

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 Jan 2008

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 …


Experimental Investigation Of Unsaturated Soil Stiffness, Ananth Bukkapatnam Tirumala Jan 2008

Experimental Investigation Of Unsaturated Soil Stiffness, Ananth Bukkapatnam Tirumala

LSU Master's Theses

Soil stiffness is a strain dependent non-linear parameter. Stiffness is the measure of soil deformation under a particular working load. It can used for predicting ground deformation in engineering earthworks such as highway embankments and foundations. Non-linear analyses for ground behavior have been widely used for developing models to predict the small –strain characteristics of the soil (Atkinson, 2000). This thesis provides a new insight into the behavior of soil stiffness. We used the wave propagation technique to determine the stiffness and term it as the small strain shear modulus (Gmax) of the soil. The objective of the thesis was …


A Critical Item Analysis Of The Qabf: Development Of A Short Form Assessment Instrument, Ashvind Nand Singh Jan 2008

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 …


A Novel Modulatory Role For Nitric Oxide In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Emily Ann Mcmains Jan 2008

A Novel Modulatory Role For Nitric Oxide In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Emily Ann Mcmains

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nitric oxide is a gaseous signaling molecule that is produced by subsets of each cell type in the vertebrate retina. Though there is evidence that nitric oxide (NO) can affect multiple cellular processes in the retina, much remains unknown, especially with respect to its function in the inner retina. We have used a simplified system of cultured amacrine cells (interneurons that signal in the inner retina) to explore the role of nitric oxide in amacrine cell signaling. We find that physiological concentrations (100’s of nM – low μM) of nitric oxide (NO) transiently invert the sign of voltage responses mediated …


Exhibition Next: The Future Of Exhibition Design, Santanu Majumdar Jan 2008

Exhibition Next: The Future Of Exhibition Design, Santanu Majumdar

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The ubiquitous presence of design guides our day-to-day actions, determining our awareness, configuring our environment, and modifying our lives. We must acknowledge the power and the opportunity of this dynamic force of design. “At the very least,” Peter Lunenfeld says, “design research saves us from reinventing the wheel. At its best, a lively research methodology can reinvigorate the passion that so often fades after designers join the profession.” Lunenfeld inspires me to consider the evolution of exhibition design. My thesis is about the future of exhibition design, enabling me to explore the changes this area of design is now …


Blogs And Law Librarians, L. Cindy Dabney Jan 2008

Blogs And Law Librarians, L. Cindy Dabney

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This column gives advice on starting and maintaining a blog in a law library.


Concentration Of Phosphorylated Proteins Using Modified Pmma Microanalytical Devices, Jowell Guerra Bolivar Jan 2008

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 Jan 2008

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 …


Novel Methods For The Control Of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae), Thomas Michael Mascari Jan 2008

Novel Methods For The Control Of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae), Thomas Michael Mascari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In arid and semi-arid parts of the Old World, Phlebotomus paptasi is a significant biting pest of man and is the primary vector of Leishmania major, the causative agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL). Phlebotomus papatasi exhibits a close association with the burrowing rodents that serve as the reservoirs of L. major. Rodent burrows are considered to be the primary habitat of immature P. papatasi in ZCL foci, and sand fly larvae have been observed feeding on rodent feces. In laboratory studies, five insecticides (diflubenzuron, novaluron, methoprene, pyriproxyfen, or ivermectin) were incorporated into the diet of Syrian hamsters and evaluated …


We Believe In The Systems That Keep Us Alive, Ezra Kellerman Jan 2008

We Believe In The Systems That Keep Us Alive, Ezra Kellerman

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT We Believe In the Systems That Keep Us Alive is a body of work that uses parallels identified between writing and media critique of contemporary events. The parallels are labeled as four specific systems: nutritional, administrative, life-support, and nurturing. Through a combination of interactive and object based sculpture, each system is represented with visual metaphor and allegory to place the viewer in a direct and specialized paradox. Paradoxes audience members encounter are intended to illustrate to the audience what conflicts can arise by being included in a system where governing agency of any sort does not meet with individual …


The Zinc Induction Of Heme Oxygenase-1 Gene Promoter In Mouse Hepa Cells, Salim M. Alawneh Jan 2008

The Zinc Induction Of Heme Oxygenase-1 Gene Promoter In Mouse Hepa Cells, Salim M. Alawneh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) catalyzes the initial and rate-limiting reaction in heme catabolism (yielding equimolar quantities of iron, carbon monoxide, and biliverdin), which is further metabolized to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. HO-1, an important enzyme with antioxidant and cytoprotective properties, functions against oxidative stress generated in response to heme and to various stress stimuli, such as zinc. The cytoprotective function of HO-1 is dependent on both the activities of the reaction products and on the inducibility of the heme oxygenase gene (hmox-1), which is regulated primarily at the level of gene transcription by two distal enhancers, E1 and E2. Characterization of …


Elements Of Mythmaking In Witness Accounts Of Colonial Piracy, Plamen Ivanov Arnaudov Jan 2008

Elements Of Mythmaking In Witness Accounts Of Colonial Piracy, Plamen Ivanov Arnaudov

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Focusing on historical accounts (1684-1734) by English, French, and Spanish witnesses, this dissertation establishes a continuity in fictionalized representations of anti-heroic pirates from the buccaneering period to the Golden Age of Piracy. Informed by history, literary, myth, and performance theory, the analysis identifies significant distortions in reports by observers and participants. The distortions that pertain to mythmaking patterns are classified and analyzed further. Conflicting and ambivalent representations of the pirate as an anti-hero are resolved through the positing of a literary scapegoat hypothesis drawing from René Girard and Joseph Roach. While demonstrating mythical archetypes at work in the construction of …


The Madden-Julian Oscillation And Tropical Cyclone Frequency Variability, Stephen Caparotta Jan 2008

The Madden-Julian Oscillation And Tropical Cyclone Frequency Variability, Stephen Caparotta

LSU Master's Theses

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in monetary losses from hurricanes along the U.S. coastline. The vast majority of the damage resulted from major hurricanes (Category 3-5), with 2005’s Katrina, Rita, and Wilma producing an estimated $60 billion in insured losses alone (Insurance Information Institute, 2008). In light of these record damages, it is crucial to have a better understanding of the atmospheric and oceanic conditions that produce the most powerful hurricanes. Prior research has focused on interseasonal variability in tropical cyclones, but much less attention has been devoted to intraseasonal variability. Maloney and Hartmann (2000a) showed that hurricanes …


The Principal As Technology Leader: The Skills E-Learners Consider Essential To The Creation Of A Technology-Rich School Community, Tammy Sue Seneca Jan 2008

The Principal As Technology Leader: The Skills E-Learners Consider Essential To The Creation Of A Technology-Rich School Community, Tammy Sue Seneca

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the skills that e-learners considered essential to the creation of a technology-rich school community. The focus was upon the skills that acting district and school administrators deemed essential to becoming an effective e-leader. The quantitative investigation associated with this study consisted of a researcher created survey based upon the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). The intent of this survey was to obtain a list of skills that the participants felt were necessary for administrators to obtain in order to be effective leaders. These skills are categorized into both theory-based …


An Embarrassment Of Riches: The Enzymology Of Rna Modification, Dirk Iwata-Reuyl Jan 2008

An Embarrassment Of Riches: The Enzymology Of Rna Modification, Dirk Iwata-Reuyl

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The maturation of transfer RNA (tRNA) involves extensive chemical modification of the constituent nucleosides and results in the introduction of significant chemical diversity to tRNA. Many of the pathways to these modified nucleosides are characterized by chemically complex transformations, some of which are unprecedented in other areas of biology. To illustrate the scope of the field, recent progress in understanding the enzymology leading to the formation of two distinct classes of modified nucleosides, the thiouridines and queuosine, a 7-deazaguanosine, is reviewed. In particular, recent data validating the involvement of several proposed intermediates in the formation of thiouridines are discussed, including …


Resistance To Bacillus Thuringiensis In Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea Saccharalis (F.), Xiaoyi Wu Jan 2008

Resistance To Bacillus Thuringiensis In Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea Saccharalis (F.), Xiaoyi Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), is a dominant corn stack boring pest and a major target of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-corn in many areas of the mid-southern region of the United States. A Cry1Ab-resistant strain of D. saccharalis, capable of survival on commercial Bt corn plants, was established using an F2 screening procedure. Larval survival of Cry1Ab-resistant, -susceptible, and -heterozygous genotypes was evaluated on five non-Bt and seven Bt field corn hybrids at two plant stages. During the vegetative stages, all seven Bt corn hybrids were highly efficacious against the three genotypes, while 8-18% of the heterozygous genotype survived on …


Distance As A Barrier To Child And Adolescent Mental Health Service Access In Post-Katrina Orleans Parish, Rob Harrison Jan 2008

Distance As A Barrier To Child And Adolescent Mental Health Service Access In Post-Katrina Orleans Parish, Rob Harrison

LSU Master's Theses

Socially vulnerable populations are more susceptible to the impacts of natural disasters than other groups. An aspect of social vulnerability is lack of access to resources following a disaster. Distance is one barrier that prevents socially vulnerable populations from accessing services. Using 2000 U.S. Census Bureau data and current outpatient child and adolescent mental health facilities in post-Katrina Orleans Parish, Louisiana, this thesis seek to understand if those facilities are located farther from block groups with higher percentages of demographically disadvantaged residents than from block groups with lower percentages of demographically disadvantaged residents. Block group demographic disadvantage is defined in …


Wetland Mitigation Banks And The No-Net-Loss Requirement: An Evaluation Of The Section 404 Permit Program In Southeast Louisiana, Abbey Anne Tyrna Jan 2008

Wetland Mitigation Banks And The No-Net-Loss Requirement: An Evaluation Of The Section 404 Permit Program In Southeast Louisiana, Abbey Anne Tyrna

LSU Master's Theses

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act provides regulatory oversight for wetland conservation. One goal of the Section 404 program is to achieve a no-net-loss of the remaining wetland acres and functions. Wetland mitigation banks have been incorporated into wetland policy because of their potential advantage in achieving the no-net-loss requirements. This study analyzed four wetland mitigation banks with credits sold between 1991 and 2007 in southeastern Louisiana to determine if they were contributing to the goal of no-net-loss. The goal of no-net-loss is reached when there is complete compensation of wetland structure and function. The study area for this …


Participant Positioning And The Positioning Of Participatory Pronouns In The Academic Lecture, Robert Thomas Connor Jan 2008

Participant Positioning And The Positioning Of Participatory Pronouns In The Academic Lecture, Robert Thomas Connor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Through a research approach of emergence applied to a corpus of academic letures, I developed a theory to explicate the referents of a class of frequently used pronouns (I, you, and we), which I term the Participatory Pronouns. My theory of the Positioning of Participatory Pronouns resolves the main practical concern of the research participants, which is to place their utterances in contexts for authoritative, intellectually sound, and socially relevant interpretation. At the theoretical level, my theory is a specification of Relevance Theory and resolves disparate previous analyses of pronouns. Overall, my work provides a new paradigm for how referents …


Séances, Ciénegas, And Slop: Can Collaboration Revive The Colorado Delta?, Bret C. Birdsong Jan 2008

Séances, Ciénegas, And Slop: Can Collaboration Revive The Colorado Delta?, Bret C. Birdsong

Scholarly Works

Issues of transboundary allocation of water resources and its environmental effects are, virtually by their very nature, ones that require collaborative solutions. In the absence of international law norms and institutions to resolve sovereign claims to the waters of international rivers, much of the decisionmaking is left to the collaborative, or negotiated, arrangements between the countries involved and their respective domestic stakeholders. This Article examines collaborative efforts to allocate waters in the Colorado River basin as they relate to the lowest reaches of that great river, the ecologically important but very fragile Colorado River Delta in Mexico. Collaboration is sometimes …


Degradation And Water Quality Dynamics Of Sugarcane Residue In South Louisiana, Jose Roberto Deras Jan 2008

Degradation And Water Quality Dynamics Of Sugarcane Residue In South Louisiana, Jose Roberto Deras

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

PURPOSE: This research was conducted to assess methods to manage the residue blanket to avoid open field burning in sugarcane. Experiments were conducted in the state of Louisiana to evaluate methods to asses and potentially reduce water quality issues. METHODS: Concentrations and frequencies of biological compost tea were sprayed on sugarcane combine-harvester residue blanket to increase degradation rate and reduce potential for runoff water to transport nutrients and sediments that may impair water bodies, while sustaining suitable sugarcane yield. Carbon dioxide evolution rate (mg CO2-C) and CO2 fluxes were measured in laboratory and in open field conditions; as an index …


The Case Of Human Plurality: Hannah Arendt's Critique Of Individualism In Enlightenment And Romantic Thinking, Joshua Luke Yoder Jan 2008

The Case Of Human Plurality: Hannah Arendt's Critique Of Individualism In Enlightenment And Romantic Thinking, Joshua Luke Yoder

LSU Master's Theses

The theme of this thesis is Hannah Arendt’s critique and ultimate rejection of the ideas of individualism developed during the Enlightenment and the Romantic periods. She rejects the Enlightenment notion of the “abstract man,” but equally rejects the notion of Romantic introspection that followed. Such a critique is important to Arendt because she makes human plurality the center for her entire system of thought. Using the French Revolution, Jewish history, and totalitarianism as her examples, Arendt explains the effects of such overtly individualistic thinking in both society and politics. The goal of this thesis is not a comprehensive look at …