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2009

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The Agricultural Industry As Percieved By Members Of The General Public Of Louisiana, Julie Baker Richard Jan 2009

The Agricultural Industry As Percieved By Members Of The General Public Of Louisiana, Julie Baker Richard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of the animal, plant, environmental, and food sciences by the adult residents of Louisiana. This study was conducted using a survey research design. This survey utilized random telephone dialing techniques in order to survey 547 residents of Louisiana. The survey instrument consisted of fifty-five questions divided into three sections: demographic characteristics, agriculture knowledge, and perception of agriculture. The overall mean agriculture knowledge score of adult residents of Louisiana for the twenty items included in the survey instrument equaled 13.60 (SD = 2.743) or 68%. Perceptions of agriculture results …

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Psychopathology In Person With And Without Co-Morbid Autism, Martin Nicholas Ancona Jan 2009

Psychopathology In Person With And Without Co-Morbid Autism, Martin Nicholas Ancona

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Autism and intellectual disability are frequently co-occurring. In addition, a diagnosis of mild, moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability increases the risk for co-occurring Axis I psychiatric disorders. This study utilized multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) to determine whether mean differences exist across three diagnostic groups: ID only, ID and autism, and ID and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) on the linear combination of subscales present on the Diagnostic Assessment of the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II), a psychometrically sound measure that assesses psychopathology in those with ID. The results of this study supported an association between the presence of …

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Mathematics Grade 8 Leap Scores: A Predictor Of Student Success In Dimensional Analysis?, Martha Lauren Baggett Jan 2009

Mathematics Grade 8 Leap Scores: A Predictor Of Student Success In Dimensional Analysis?, Martha Lauren Baggett

LSU Master's Theses

This study investigates whether the Mathematics Grade 8 LEAP score can be used to predict student success in a key concept of chemistry, dimensional analysis. Mathematics Grade 8 LEAP scores of 106 ninth grade students enrolled in physical science during the 2008-09 school year were tested for correlations with student performance on a pre-test of dimensional analysis, a post-test of dimensional analysis, and student learning gain. Significant, positive correlations were observed between the Mathematics Grade 8 LEAP scores and the pre-test scores of dimensional analysis scores, the post-test scores of dimensional analysis scores, and the dimensional analysis student learning gain. …

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The Efficacy Of Positive Peer Reporting Procedures For Use With Neglected-Status Students In General Education Classrooms, Lisa Libster Jan 2009

The Efficacy Of Positive Peer Reporting Procedures For Use With Neglected-Status Students In General Education Classrooms, Lisa Libster

LSU Master's Theses

Children who are neglected or rejected by their peers may require social skill interventions in order to develop the social competencies needed to establish satisfactory interpersonal relationships. One promising social skill intervention is Positive Peer Reporting, which has been shown to produce increases in positive social interaction and peer acceptance for these groups of children. As most previous investigations were conducted in residential or special education settings, further research is needed to support the use of this intervention in general education settings. Therefore, the present study examined the efficacy of Positive Peer Reporting with two neglected-status children in general education …

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Particle-Chemical Interactions And Environmental Chemodynamics Of Fine And Ultrafine Particles In A Natural Disaster Scenario, Nicholas A. Ashley Jan 2009

Particle-Chemical Interactions And Environmental Chemodynamics Of Fine And Ultrafine Particles In A Natural Disaster Scenario, Nicholas A. Ashley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The interactions of fine and ultrafine particles with chemicals play a dominant role in determining the mobility and availability of pollutants in the environment. Fine particles in sediments can sequester chemicals from the water column, and release volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds to the gas phase upon exposure to air. Ultrafine particles which are photoreactive can degrade these vapor-phase contaminants, and may transform the molecules into species which are more toxic or hazardous than the parent. As the widespread, commercial use of ultrafine particles becomes more common, understanding the chemodynamics of these particles and their interactions with chemicals in the …

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Prioritization Of Safety Countermeasures For The State Of Louisiana Using Fuzzy Inference Systems, Meisam Akbarzadeh Jan 2009

Prioritization Of Safety Countermeasures For The State Of Louisiana Using Fuzzy Inference Systems, Meisam Akbarzadeh

LSU Master's Theses

In this study a fuzzy inference system is proposed for prioritization of countermeasures aimed at improving safety in the state of Louisiana. Countermeasures are prioritized based on their collective performance on cost, expected crash reduction and the severity of the problem they address. These three decision parameters can have six permutations in terms of their relative importance in decision making. In order to make the prioritization procedure handier for decision makers, the inference system is capable of being run under all six possible cases. Current safety standards influence the importance attached to crash reduction performance and severity of the problem …

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Nutrient And Sediment Losses From Surface Runoff During Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon L.) Establishment On A Levee Embankment, Robert Wilson Burwell, Jr. Jan 2009

Nutrient And Sediment Losses From Surface Runoff During Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon L.) Establishment On A Levee Embankment, Robert Wilson Burwell, Jr.

LSU Master's Theses

Fertilizer applications to newly constructed levee embankments during soft armor establishment may pose an increased threat to water quality. Potential nutrient and sediment loading can impact human and aquatic organisms that rely on water resources. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the effect of grass coverage on surface runoff 2) evaluate bermudagrass establishment between water-soluble and insoluble N sources and 3) quantify nutrient and sediment losses from surface runoff during grass establishment. In 2008, fertilizer treatments consisted of sulfur-coated urea (SCU) or urea applied at 50 kg ha-1 to runoff collection trays installed on a 30% sloped …

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U.S. Public Diplomacy Toward Iran: Structures, Actors, And Policy Communities, Foad Izadi Jan 2009

U.S. Public Diplomacy Toward Iran: Structures, Actors, And Policy Communities, Foad Izadi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is an in depth study of the structures, actors, and policy communities associated with U.S. public diplomacy toward Iran. Since 2006, the U.S. government has spent more than $200 million for its Iran-related public diplomacy via State Department "democracy promotion" programs, National Endowment for Democracy, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. These initiatives promoted regime change in Iran, ignoring a substantial majority of Iran’s population opposed to U.S.-sponsored interventions. The study finds U.S. public diplomacy as it relates to Iran fits with the two-way asymmetrical model of public relations. The dissertation identifies 182 individuals who participated in the …

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The Fate And Transport Of Light Petroleum Hydrocarbons In The Lower Mississippi River Delta, Samantha Nicole Danchuk Jan 2009

The Fate And Transport Of Light Petroleum Hydrocarbons In The Lower Mississippi River Delta, Samantha Nicole Danchuk

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Important processes governing the fate and transport of light petroleum hydrocarbons in the Lower Mississippi River and other river delta systems are not adequately represented in existing oil spill models. In response, three methods were introduced to include the effects of dynamic annual discharges and variation of shoreline type on shoreline retention and re-floatation and the potential of oil- mineral aggregate formation based contributing environmental factors. Parcel tracking was used, in conjunction with detailed shoreline types correlated to flow rate, to evaluate the benefits of using multiple shoreline re-floatation half lives correlated to shoreline type instead of a single half …

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Children Of Men: The American Jeremiad In Twentieth And Twenty-First Century Science Fiction And Film, Joseph Franklin Brown Jr. Jan 2009

Children Of Men: The American Jeremiad In Twentieth And Twenty-First Century Science Fiction And Film, Joseph Franklin Brown Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation considers the dynamic and resilient influence of the jeremiad, an early American religious and literary mode, on contemporary American literature and culture. It argues that the polemical, dystopian, and apocalyptic narratives so abundant in twentieth-century literature and film participate in an ingrained literary tradition that accounts for society's misfortunes as penalty for its social and moral evils while, at the same time, emphasizing an American exceptionalism born out of a belief in the society's election through its covenant with God. The project makes connections between early-American texts and related works of twentieth and twenty-first century American literature and …

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Proxy Records Of Paleohurricanes For The Western And Southern Caribbean, Terrence Allen Mccloskey Jan 2009

Proxy Records Of Paleohurricanes For The Western And Southern Caribbean, Terrence Allen Mccloskey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation evaluates the hypothesis that hurricane activity levels in the North Atlantic during the late Holocene have been driven by latitudinal movements of the North Atlantic circulation system. Multi-millennial sedimentary proxy records, based on the occurrence of overwash clastic layers, provide clear evidence of abruptly alternating periods of hurricane landfall frequency for Nicaragua and Belize. Three Belizean transects exhibit an Active period (hyperactivity) occurring from ~2000-6000 cal yr BP, although dating is inconsistent across the transects. An Active period covering the last 500 years is found at one location. The Nicaraguan record, derived from three transects covering >90 km …

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Neck Muscles Activity And Upper Body Extremity Angles In Dynamic Overhead Lifting, Mohamed Wassim Mokrani Jan 2009

Neck Muscles Activity And Upper Body Extremity Angles In Dynamic Overhead Lifting, Mohamed Wassim Mokrani

LSU Master's Theses

Injuries of the neck and shoulders are common among workers who perform overhead tasks. In order to develop an injury-free working environment with regards to occupational musculoskeletal stress, it is pivotal to understand the pathophysiology of mechanical stress on the musculoskeletal system. The objective of this research was to study the effect of overhead lifting on the sternocleidomastoid and upper Trapezius muscles. Upper body joint angles were also analyzed using APAS during the overhead lifting. This study was conducted using two devices. The set of equipment incorporates an electromyography device, and the APAS. Two electrodes were placed at the muscle …

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Three Essays On Environmental Issues Associated With Broiler Production In Louisiana, Nirmala Adhikari Devkota Jan 2009

Three Essays On Environmental Issues Associated With Broiler Production In Louisiana, Nirmala Adhikari Devkota

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The increasing trends of integrated and concentrated broiler production results in a serious threat to environment through excessive litter production and lack of its proper disposal. Production concentration in limited area is a major source of surface as well as ground water pollution. Nonpoint source pollution from broiler litter applied on land remains a major concern in Louisiana and elsewhere in Southeastern USA. This study examines alternative approaches to reduce pollution originating from broiler production. First, I evaluate why some producers adopt BMP faster than others and what kind of factors affect the time to adoption decision. The duration model …

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Mightier Than The Sword: Writing 19th-Century Crime, Megan Lawrence Jan 2009

Mightier Than The Sword: Writing 19th-Century Crime, Megan Lawrence

LSU Master's Theses

Nineteenth-century France, obsessed with personal property, strained under multiple changes in government and the new 1804 Code Napoléon, becomes fascinated with criminal literature. Victor Hugo, Eugène Sue, and Emile Zola span the century with their criminal literature and fascinate their audience. Taking advantage of this nineteenth-century French interest in crime, these popular authors also spread political commentary through their novels. Theft, rape and murder are each treated differently in the nineteenth-century French Penal Code, and I suggest that Hugo, Sue and Zola mirror this inconsistency on the part of the law and its resulting effect on society so well that …

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Chondrocyte Death In Canine Osteochondral Explants Exposed To 0.5 Percent Bupivacaine, Geoffrey Stuart Hennig Jan 2009

Chondrocyte Death In Canine Osteochondral Explants Exposed To 0.5 Percent Bupivacaine, Geoffrey Stuart Hennig

LSU Master's Theses

Objective: Our in vitro study evaluated chondrocyte death in canine articular cartilage exposed to 0.5% bupivacaine without (B) and with methylparaben (BP) and compared the viability with intact (SI) and mechanically debrided surfaces (SR). We hypothesized that B or BP would cause chondrocyte death in vitro in a time dependent manner and that chondrocyte death would be increased in SI osteochondral cores compared to SR. Materials and Methods: Intact cartilage cores with underlying subchondral bone were collected aseptically from both humeral heads of 16 fresh canine cadavers. Joints from each dog were randomly assigned to SI or SR. Ten osteochondral …

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Comorbid Psychopathology In Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Intellectual Disabilities, Santino Vincent Lovullo Jan 2009

Comorbid Psychopathology In Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Intellectual Disabilities, Santino Vincent Lovullo

LSU Master's Theses

While there has been an abundance of research investigating Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in children, very little emphasis has been placed on ASD in adults, especially in regards to comorbid psychopathology. This is of great concern considering that ASD often co-occurs with intellectual disability (ID), and that both may serve as risk factors for additional psychopathology. While instruments exist that measure comorbid psychopathology in adults with ID, these scales are not targeted to the unique expression of comorbidity in adults with ID and ASD. The Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for Adults (ASD-CA) was devised for this reason. This paper begins with …

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"It Takes A Lot Out Of You": Ethnography Of Secondary English Teachers' Writing Pedagogy, Lisa F. Morales Jan 2009

"It Takes A Lot Out Of You": Ethnography Of Secondary English Teachers' Writing Pedagogy, Lisa F. Morales

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted in two case-study teachers’ public middle school classrooms in south Louisiana and a survey in three public school districts. A qualitative research focus with the research design taken from work of Michael Patton’s (2002) Qualitative Research Evaluation Methods and James Spradley and David McCurdy’s (1975) Anthropology: The Cultural Perspective. The survey was developed from the work of Tourangeau, Rips, and Rasinski’s (2002) The Psychology of Survey Responses. The researcher assumed the role of participant observer for three months which resulted in two themes: first, traditional teaching methods in the teaching of writing, and secondly, teacher perceptions …

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Compilation And Scheduling Techniques For Embedded Systems, Hassan Salamy Jan 2009

Compilation And Scheduling Techniques For Embedded Systems, Hassan Salamy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Embedded applications are constantly increasing in size, which has resulted in increasing demand on designers of digital signal processors (DSPs) to meet the tight memory, size and cost constraints. With this trend, memory requirement reduction through code compaction and variable coalescing techniques are gaining more ground. Also, as the current trend in complex embedded systems of using multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) grows, problems like mapping, memory management and scheduling are gaining more attention. The first part of the dissertation deals with problems related to digital signal processors. Most modern DSPs provide multiple address registers and a dedicated address generation unit (AGU) …

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Writers On Writing Instruction: Experiences And Advice From Professional Writers, Sheri Allen Jan 2009

Writers On Writing Instruction: Experiences And Advice From Professional Writers, Sheri Allen

LSU Master's Theses

In examining the childhood experiences of professional authors, this qualitative research found some similarities: voracious reading, writing for pleasure, early awards and publishing, mentors, meaningful lessons from teachers, and journal writing. Common areas were found among the participants’ advice for writing teachers as well, and the suggestions were organized into six general themes: teaching the fundamentals, getting ideas down before revising, focusing on creativity, teaching the reading-writing relationship, providing rewards like positive feedback, and being a writing role model. Suggestions were offered on how to bring this advice into the classroom.

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Evaluation Of Pectin Methylesterase And Lactobacillus Spp. Isolated From Tabasco Peppers (Capsicum Frutescens L.), Sonja Tanee Jones Jan 2009

Evaluation Of Pectin Methylesterase And Lactobacillus Spp. Isolated From Tabasco Peppers (Capsicum Frutescens L.), Sonja Tanee Jones

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One of the major concerns of the hot sauce manufacturers is separation of sediments and layering of the sauce. Separation is an undesirable production condition because consumers view this as a defect which consequently increases manufacturing costs. Pectins play an important role in pepper processing since it forms gels and influences the final viscosity of the sauce. Hence, its integrity during processing influences the quality of the final product. Failures in pectin stability can sometimes be related to the presence of enzymes. Understanding how the pectin enzymes function during fermentation of pepper sauce is a necessary step in controlling the …

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Factors Influencing The Perceived Usefulness Of An Information Delivery Website Among The United States Resident Viewership, Frederick Joseph Piazza Jan 2009

Factors Influencing The Perceived Usefulness Of An Information Delivery Website Among The United States Resident Viewership, Frederick Joseph Piazza

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the World Wide Web (Web) has become a major media outlet for disseminating information. Government and Higher Education institutions have both embraced Web technologies to serve the needs of their clientele. Thus, a method of developing targeted Web-based material that is optimized for the viewer to provide the greatest impact in terms of usefulness is needed. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic characteristics on the perception of usefulness among United States resident viewers of an information delivery website. The accessible population for this study was all viewers …

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Laboratory Characterization Of Geogrid-Reinforced Unbound Granular Material For Use In Flexible Pavement Structures, Gael Souci Jan 2009

Laboratory Characterization Of Geogrid-Reinforced Unbound Granular Material For Use In Flexible Pavement Structures, Gael Souci

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis documents and summarizes research and background information carried on geogrid reinforced base course in pavement design. Research was experimental carried through Repeated Load Triaxial (RLT) tests at the Louisiana Transportation Research Center. The experimental tests were performed to observe the benefit of the geogrid as well as to differentiate between geogrid location, geometry and tensile modulus of the various geogrid. Experiments were also carried to further describe the Shakedown Theory and its use for characterization of base course materials. The experimental results showed that there was a benefit in placing the geogrid within the aggregate specimen. There were …

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Nutrition And Eating Habits In Adolescent Television Programs: A Content Analysis Of Food And Beverage Consumption On Popular Teen Television, Carly Nicole Dickson Jan 2009

Nutrition And Eating Habits In Adolescent Television Programs: A Content Analysis Of Food And Beverage Consumption On Popular Teen Television, Carly Nicole Dickson

LSU Master's Theses

Media research often argues that viewing certain media can significantly increase the likelihood someone will develop an eating disorder or become obese. This study uses social cognitive and drama theory to discuss how adolescents may learn nutrition information and eating habits by watching television programs. Since adolescence is when people form eating habits, this exploratory study will analyze the nutrition content in three top teen television shows. This quantitative content analysis found that the characters in teen television primarily have a healthy body size but consume unhealthy items. This may be sending a message to adolescents that unhealthy nutrition maintains …

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Joseph Messner's Organ Music: Evolution Of A Style, Julie Powell Rozman Jan 2009

Joseph Messner's Organ Music: Evolution Of A Style, Julie Powell Rozman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Joseph Messner (1893-1969) achieved fame in Europe for his contributions to the sacred concerts of the Salzburg Festspiele following World War II. In his early career, however, Messner earned initial acclaim as a recitalist and renowned improviser on the organ. Messner composed and published several organ works prior to World War II which contain style elements of late-romanticism and an emerging neoclassicism. This paper analyses the works in regards to form, stylistic elements, and performance issues in addition to establishing the historical contexts from which they originated.

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Source(S) Of Salinity In The Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer, Iberville Parish, Louisiana, Stephanie Erin Welch Jan 2009

Source(S) Of Salinity In The Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer, Iberville Parish, Louisiana, Stephanie Erin Welch

LSU Master's Theses

The Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer extends from Southern Illinois to the mouth of the Mississippi and is comprised of fluvial sands and gravels of Late Pleistocene age. Several areas of the aquifer in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana are affected by elevated levels of salinity. One such area occurs in Iberville Parish, LA, where the aquifer is 150-240 m in thickness and is capped by 23-38 m of clay. Recharge of the aquifer from the Mississippi River on the east is fresh, but salinity is high in the western portions of the aquifer and chloride levels are as high as 1,000 …

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An Integrated Agent-Based Microsimulation Model For Hurricane Evacuation In New Orleans, Wei Liang Jan 2009

An Integrated Agent-Based Microsimulation Model For Hurricane Evacuation In New Orleans, Wei Liang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mass evacuation of urban areas due to hurricanes is a critical problem that requires extensive basic and applied research. Knowing the accurate evacuation time needed for the entire region in advance such that the evacuation order can be issued on a timely basis is crucial for the officials. Microsimulation modeling, which focuses on the characteristics of individual motorists and travel behavior, has been used widely in traffic simulation as it can lead to the most accurate result. However, because detailed driver response modeling and path processing must be incorporated, vehicle-based microscopic models have always been used only to simulate small …

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Factors That Influence Course Completion Of Individuals Enrolled In Craft-Training Courses Offered By A Large Organization Of Member Construction Companies, Alvin James Justelien, Iii Jan 2009

Factors That Influence Course Completion Of Individuals Enrolled In Craft-Training Courses Offered By A Large Organization Of Member Construction Companies, Alvin James Justelien, Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The construction industry is one of the largest providers of jobs in the United States. Between 2009 and 2013, approximately 20% of the 7.7 million Americans employed in construction related jobs (Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2009) would be eligible to retire. The industrial construction industry must attract, train, and retain a significant number of people to the construction industry. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected personal demographic characteristics and academic behaviors of individuals participating in craft training courses offered by a large organization of member construction companies who successfully completed or left …

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Atom-Based Computer Simulation Studies Of Gas-To-Liquid Nucleation In Atmospherically Relevant Systems: Clarifying Discrepancies And Elucidating Mechanisms, Ricky Bendanillo Nellas Jan 2009

Atom-Based Computer Simulation Studies Of Gas-To-Liquid Nucleation In Atmospherically Relevant Systems: Clarifying Discrepancies And Elucidating Mechanisms, Ricky Bendanillo Nellas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For over a century, nucleation for all systems was thought simplistically to be a process that advances through the formation of critical clusters with a well-defined composition. Our results show intriguing nucleation mechanisms that challenge the aforementioned notion. We employed the simple TraPPE-UA (transferable potential for phase equilibria – united atom) force field and the AVUS-HR approach (a combination of aggregation-volume-bias Monte Carlo, umbrella sampling, and histogram reweighting), to investigate the homogeneous vapor-to-liquid nucleation of various nucleating systems. We found out that these systems could nucleate through a variety of unique non-ideal mechanisms. Alongside existing experimental investigations, this dissertation presents …

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Development And Initial Validation Of The Family Eating And Activity Questionnnaire, Jennette Lea Palcic Jan 2009

Development And Initial Validation Of The Family Eating And Activity Questionnnaire, Jennette Lea Palcic

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pediatric overweight is a growing public health concern in the United States. According to the CDC approximately 17% of children are currently obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) ¡Ý 95th percentile) and the percentage of obese children has tripled since the 1970¡¯s. Both eating and physical activity behaviors have been shown to be related to increased rates of obesity; however, there is a lack of assessment tools to measure these behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to develop a psychometrically sound, parent-report measure of family and child behaviors related to obesity in children between 5- and 12- years-old. Item …

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Dispositional Influences On The Intent To Transfer Learning: A Test Of A Structural Equation Model, Bogdan Vladimirovich Yamkovenko Jan 2009

Dispositional Influences On The Intent To Transfer Learning: A Test Of A Structural Equation Model, Bogdan Vladimirovich Yamkovenko

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The transfer research has evolved to a significant body of works during the last two decades. Many relationships however remain unexplored and unexplained. Among these are dispositional characteristics, which are rarely studied in combination with transfer because of difficulties and inconsistencies in measurement. In addition dispositional characteristic are so numerous that it is often difficult to identify a set of such variable that explain the most variance in transfer of training. This study explores the hypothesized relationship between dimensions of the Five Factor model of personality, goal orientation, self-efficacy and intent to transfer training on the job. Most research articles …

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