Digital Commons Network^™

Place Matters: An Evolutionary Approach To Annie Proulx's "The Half-Skinned Steer"And "Wamsutter Wolf", Erin Walker

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In Annie Proulx's interview with Charlie Rose, she states that her stories come "from place." Ecocriticism has been the predominant lens with which to understand Proulx's work; however, ecocriticism's nebulous tenets and theoretical deficiencies perpetuate sentimental pastoralism of geographical determinism. The shaping impact of Wyoming's environment in Proulx's work lends itself to an evolutionary perspective. Proulx's fiction, like evolutionary theory, examines humanity's unique, reciprocal relationship with nature. The evolutionary approach provides readers with a framework to understand the human relationship to our environment, a theme Proulx's work examines. This approach also augments current criticism that notes the importance of place …

She Vs. Shadow, Danielle Blasko

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Wider Than A Mile, Natalie Parker-Lawrence

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Finding The Man, Husband, Physician & Father: Creating The Role Of Doc Gibbs In Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Patrick Payne

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis serves as documentation of my efforts to define accurately my creative process as an actor in creating the role of Doc Gibbs in Our Town by Thornton Wilder. This includes research, rehearsal journal, character analysis and evaluation of my performance. Our Town was produced by the University of New Orleans Department of Film, Theatre and Communication Arts in New Orleans, Louisiana. The play was performed in the Robert E. Nims Theatre of the Performing Arts Center at 7:30 pm on the evenings of April 22 through April 24, 2010 and April 29 through May 1, 2010 as well …

An Underwater Channel Model And Chirp Slope Keying Modulation Scheme Performance, Brice Zoh

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chirp-Slope Keying (CSK) is a new and innovative digital modulation scheme for underwater data transmission. The underwater environment brings up several challenges to the manufacturing and operation of communication systems. This thesis shows through analysis and simulations the effectiveness of Chirp-Slope Keying (CSK) in providing a satisfying performance in underwater communication. The experiment consists of modulating a chirp slope by binary numbers (representing our data). '0' is represented by a linear- down chirp and '1' is represented by a linear-up chirp. The received data is first processed by a correlator receiver. Then, the detection of either binary symbol is obtained …

Perceptions Of The Glass Ceiling Effect In Community Colleges, Cheryl Myers

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the existence of a glass ceiling effect within community colleges by examining faculty, staff and administrator's perceptions of a glass ceiling as it relates to the advancement of women at their institutions. This was done by using a cross-sectional survey administered electronically to faculty, staff and administrators in community colleges in the United States who were members of the American Association of Community Colleges. Four hundred fifty seven participants provided responses for the study. Results of ANOVA of perceptions of facilitators and barriers to advancement revealed there was a significant difference in …

Street Art: Its Display In Public Space And Issues Within A Municipality, Katherine Gunnell

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hip Hop graffiti has been marking our urban landscapes for decades. However street art, a much less researched topic, has claimed notoriety in recent years. Much of the existing research groups hip-hop graffiti, gang graffiti and street art together and calls for a uniform response from communities, city officials and law enforcement. While street artists have made their mark in the urban landscapes of the United States as well as internationally, it is important to define the terms "street art"and "graffiti" and where they deviate from one another in order for cities to begin to address these expressions with any …

Implementation Of Separable & Steerable Gaussian Smoothers On An Fpga, Arjun Joginipelly

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Smoothing filters have been extensively used for noise removal and image restoration. Directional filters are widely used in computer vision and image processing tasks such as motion analysis, edge detection, line parameter estimation and texture analysis. It is practically impossible to tune the filters to all possible positions and orientations in real time due to huge computation requirement. The efficient way is to design a few basis filters, and express the output of a directional filter as a weighted sum of the basis filter outputs. Directional filters having these properties are called "Steerable Filters." This thesis work emphasis is on …

Implementation Of Directional Median Filtering Using Field Programmable Gate Arrays, Madhuri Gundam

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Median filtering is a non-linear filtering technique which is effective in removing impulsive noise from data. In this thesis, directional median filtering has been implemented using cumulative histogram of samples in several directions. Different methods to implement directional median filtering have been proposed. The filtered images are smoothed along the direction of the filtering window. All implementations aimed to generate outputs in the least amount of time, while reducing the resource utilization on hardware. The implementation methods were designed for Xilinx Virtex 5 FPGA devices but were also attempted on Spartan 3E. The proposed methods used less than 30% of …

Displaying Conflict: The Visitor's Experience At The Kolmakovskii Blockhouse, Salena Kaye Bias

Arctic and Northern Studies

"A blockhouse sits outside of the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks, Alaska. Built in 1841 by the Russian-American Company, the structure has been removed from its original location in the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta, reconstructed, and presented to the public as a part of the museum's collection. However, little information is currently provided about the blockhouse or its history. While the current display lacks sufficient context, the Ethnology & History Department of the museum has received grant funds to improve the preservation and presentation of the Kolmakovskii Blockhouse. This thesis will provide a history of Russian advancement …

Scientists And Journalists: Framing The Interaction, Marie E. Gilbert

Communication

"Humans have sent fellow beings into space, created cyberspace, determined the likely origins of our universe, and identified the genetic origins of ourselves. As members of a variety of broader, general publics, each of us likely came to know about these scientific outcomes as the result of a journalist talking to a scientist, followed by the journalists' work reaching us through television, radio, a print medium, or the Web. Few members of the public are reported to understand much about science and scientists are portrayed as unable to communicate to the everyday person. The media, as the primary source of …

The Impact Of Parent And Student Access Of Student Information Management Systems On Student Achievement, Catherine Marie Kershner

Education

"The introduction of online student information systems (SISs) has provided parents and students the opportunity to more closely monitor student academic performance. Two years after the implementation of an SIS, PowerSchool, in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, data indicates no significant increase in grade point average (GPA) despite significant increases in SIS utilization. System contacts increased during academic years 2008/'09 and 2009/' 10 among populations of middle school and high school students while average GPAs remained essentially unchanged. However, comparisons between SIS contacts and GPAs revealed statistically significant correlations between the two variables, indicating some degree of connection …

Today - December 17, 2010, Loma Linda University

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Camp Good Grief offers bereaved kids and teens a chance to heal
-- Study takes ischemic pre-conditioning to new heights
-- Nutrition students granted Nestlé Foundation research funds
-- The study of forensic bite marks
-- Public health alumna appointed to air pollution agency
-- Faculty from allied health and medicine honored as Harvard Macy Scholars
-- Medicine professor discusses AIDS with community group
-- 'Conversations with authors' continues with December program
-- School of Public Health partners with United Way
-- Loma Linda University opens Center for Dentistry and Orthodontics
-- Physical therapy students begin …

Racial Disparities In Healthcare: Challenges Faced By Hispanic Populations, Kaitlin Mcdowell

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Picture Prompts To Generalize Play Skills And Parallel Play For Children With Autism, Cameron Groenwoud

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Connecting Religion And Work: Patterns And Influences Of Work-Faith Integration, Monty Lynn, Michael J. Naughton, Steve Vanderveen

Management Sciences

Religiosity can significantly impact human behavior yet little is known about how religious belief and practice integrate with work. Using the Faith at Work Scale, we surveyed Christian workers in the United States (n = 374) and found that work-faith integration was positively associated with faith maturity, church attendance, age and denominational strictness, and negatively associated with organizational size. Denominational groups varied in their degree of integration but displayed similar patterns across dimensions of integration.Work-faith integration was manifest most strongly in integration related to the self, and somewhat less so in areas related to others and in transcendent aspects of …

Judicial System Rises To Challenges Of Times, Kevin Washburn

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Abnormalities Caused By Left Bundle Branch Block, James F. Ginter, Patrick Loftis

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Improving The Enabling Environment For Electronic Communications And Ict Development In Kosova : [Presentation Given On November 17, 2010], Agim Kukaj

Theses

This Capstone Project addresses an important problem hampering growth and development in the Kosova electronic communications sector, namely that its legislative enabling environment is seriously out of phase with current communications technology convergence, modern competition-based regulatory practices, and European Union (EU) information society policies. This is because the existing Law on Telecommunications is eight years old and urgently requires updating, and at the urging of the European Commission (EC), has led Government to commit to completing a new Electronic Communications Law based on EU legislation by end 2010. Specifically, of the many issues to be addressed by a new legislative …

Costs Of Treating Depression With Individual Versus Family Therapy, Sareta Dobbs Head

Theses and Dissertations

Marital discord contributes to the development and continuation of depression and to the recurrence of depressive episodes for those in troubled relationships. Early research suggests that family therapy may reduce the severity and frequency of depressive episodes through modification of family interactional patterns. This would result in a reduction in the cost of treating depression. This study summarizes the literature linking family dynamics with depression. Then,using a sample taken from a large health maintenance organization, data was statistically analyzed to measure the effectiveness of both individual and family therapy as delivered by different types of mental health professionals. Results indicated …

Ontogenetic Considerations In The Trophic Level Of Commercial Groundfish Species In The Gulf Of Alaska, Jennifer Marie Marsh

Fisheries

"Trends in trophic level (TL) estimates of commercial fishery catches are used as ecosystem-based indicators for sustainability, but these estimates often do not incorporate species-specific interannual and ontogenetic feeding patterns. This study provides a finer resolution of ontogenetic and temporal variations in the trophic position of four groundfish species in the central Gulf of Alaska (GOA), walleye pollock (Theragra chaleogramma), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), and Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), using stable isotope analysis to assess TL and diet source. Samples were collected from the northeastern side of Kodiak Island, Alaska, from 2000-2004. Several Analysis of Covariance …

Variation In The Trophic Position Of Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) In The Northeastern Pacific Ocean: An Approach Using Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes, Alexander George Andrews

Fisheries

"Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) are among the most abundant shark species in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). An increase in relative biomass of spiny dogfish in 2003 and 2007 inspired interest in this species as a commercial resource. However, very little was known about the ecology of this species in the GOA. This study investigated the trophic role of spiny dogfish in the GOA, British Columbia (BC), and Washington using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen. Specifically, we examined the trophic position (TP) of spiny dogfish in relation to length, sex, and geographic region. Weathervane scallops (Patinopecten caurinus) were …

"I Wonder When We'll Be In Civilization Again": Women, Alaska And The 1910 Seattle To Ophir Travel Letter Of Cinthia "Addie" Rieck, Lillian Anderson Misel

Arctic and Northern Studies

Mainstream Alaskan history has largely ignored women's role in the development of the state during the early 20th century. Although mainly a male endeavor, the multiple Alaskan gold stampedes from 1899 to 1914 brought a migration of women, and they played a role in the development of the territory. The current literature of women in the north focuses primarily on the Canadian Klondike stampede of 1897-98 which saw women traveling to the gold fields for a variety of reasons, such as to support their husbands in their ventures, seek their own business opportunities, or just seek adventure. The same reasons …

Numerical Modeling For In-Stream Hydrokinetic Resources Assessment, Paul Xavier Duvoy

Engineering

"During recent years the viability of extracting river energy using hydrokinetic devices became a topic that brought in national attention due to higher fuel costs, and an increased demand of electric energy. A tool for hydrokinetic energy potential assessment in rivers, HYDROKAL, which stands for Hydrokinetic Calculator, was developed. This tool was generated in Fortran 90 programming language as an external module for the CCHE2D, an existing two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model developed by researchers at the National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering, University of Mississippi. Velocity outputs generated by the CCHE2D model are used by HYDROKAL to estimate instantaneous …

Newsroom: Rwu Law Team To Lead National Center For Victims Of Crime, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Permafrost Degradation On Soil Carbon Dynamics In Alaska's Boreal Region, Jonathan A. O'Donnell

Biological Sciences

High-latitude regions store large quantities of organic carbon (C) in permafrost soils and peatlands, accounting for nearly half of the global belowground C pool. Projected climate warming over the next century will likely drive widespread thawing of near-surface permafrost and mobilization of soil C from deep soil horizons. However, the processes controlling soil C accumulation and loss following permafrost thaw are not well understood. To improve our understanding of these processes, I examined the effects of permafrost thaw on soil C dynamics in forested upland and peatland ecosystems of Alaska's boreal region. In upland forests, soil C accumulation and loss …

Ecology Of Prince Of Wales Spruce Grouse, Aleya R. Nelson

Biological Sciences

Recently, spruce grouse on Prince of Wales Island (POW) in southeast Alaska have been proposed as a separate subspecies. Furthermore, life-history of spruce grouse on POW, which is temperate coastal rainforest, varies sufficiently from birds in mainland areas, mostly boreal forest, to warrant specific management. Therefore, I examined the ecology of spruce grouse on POW to determine how timber harvest influences their survival and habitat selection and ultimately to provide recommendations for their conservation. During 2007-2009, we found that the greatest variation in survival probability was attributed to breeding status. The annual survival of non-breeding birds was 0.72±0.082 (S±) while …

Crisis: Capitalism, Economics And The Environment, Raj Navanit Patel Mr

Undergraduate Economic Review

The basic thesis of this paper is that there is an undeniable tension between maximization of individual welfare and a sustainable and healthy environment in a finite world. Following from this, the further claim is that our current capitalist system of private production and ownership is fundamentally in tension with the environment and should be changed. Without a change in attitude toward our conceptualization of these problems, that is, without contextualizing these problems outside of the market-based solutions and free market solutions, crisis is inevitable. Homo economicus needs to be replaced by homo environmentus.

Scanning Laser Registration And Structural Energy Density Based Active Structural Acoustic Control, Daniel Alan Manwill

Theses and Dissertations

To simplify the measurement of energy-based structural metrics, a general registration process for the scanning laser doppler vibrometer (SLDV) has been developed. Existing registration techniques, also known as pose estimation or position registration, suffer from mathematical complexity, instrument specificity, and the need for correct optimization initialization. These difficulties have been addressed through development of a general linear laser model and hybrid registration algorithm. These are applicable to any SLDV and allow the registration problem to be solved using straightforward mathematics. Additionally, the hybrid registration algorithm eliminates the need for correct optimization initialization by separating the optimization process from solution selection. …

Weather Radar Image Based Forecasting Using Joint Series Prediction, Sravanthi Kattekola

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Accurate rainfall forecasting using weather radar imagery has always been a crucial and predominant task in the field of meteorology [1], [2], [3] and [4]. Competitive Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (CRBFNN) [5] is one of the methods used for weather radar image based forecasting. Recently, an alternative CRBFNN based approach [6] was introduced to model the precipitation events. The difference between the techniques presented in [5] and [6] is in the approach used to model the rainfall image. Overall, it was shown that the modified CRBFNN approach [6] is more computationally efficient compared to the CRBFNN approach [5]. However, …