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2010

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Hamilton-Jacobi Theory For Optimal Control Problems On Stratified Domains, Richard Charles Barnard Jan 2010

Hamilton-Jacobi Theory For Optimal Control Problems On Stratified Domains, Richard Charles Barnard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis studies optimal control problems on stratified domains. We first establish a known proximal Hamilton-Jacobi characterization of the value function for problems with Lipschitz dynamics. This background gives the motivation for our results for systems over stratified domains, which is a system with non-Lipschitz dynamics that were introduced by Bressan and Hong. We provide an example that shows their attempt to derive a Hamilton-Jacobi characterization of the value function is incorrect, and discuss the nature of their error. A new construction of a multifunction is introduced that possesses properties similar to those of a Lipschitz multifunction, and is used …

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Post-Diaster Family Resilience: The Use Of Humor As A Coping Strategy, Bridgette Boe O'Connor Jan 2010

Post-Diaster Family Resilience: The Use Of Humor As A Coping Strategy, Bridgette Boe O'Connor

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of humor as a coping strategy among Hurricane Katrina survivors. The data for this study were collected in the first wave of a larger project on families and disasters. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by combining Census data with storm damage estimates and purposive sampling, 50 participants affected by Hurricane Katrina from a single suburban community in Southern Louisiana in early spring 2006 were recruited and interviewed. When the interviews were qualitatively analyzed with a focus on humor, it became clear that families used humor even at such a devastating …

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The Feminization Of Private Investigation: A Sociological Analysis, Jessica Simpson Pearce Jan 2010

The Feminization Of Private Investigation: A Sociological Analysis, Jessica Simpson Pearce

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation outlines the occupation of private investigation and the role that females play within that profession. The difficulties women experience in male-oriented occupations remains noteworthy in sociological research today. Progress has been made, yet many barriers still exist for women. These include structural, social, and cultural factors that influence women and/or the jobs that they hold. With the completion of interviews with twenty-six female private investigators, I was able to analyze the existing structural, interactional, and gender barriers which moderate the number of women that work as private investigators. Few studies have examined this occupation and this gap may …

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Panel Ii: The Global Contours Of Ip Protection For Trade Dress, Industrial Design, Applied Art, And Project Configuration, Mark D. Janis, Susan Scafidi, Orit Fischman Afori, Wendy J. Gordon, Jonathan Moskin Jan 2010

Panel Ii: The Global Contours Of Ip Protection For Trade Dress, Industrial Design, Applied Art, And Project Configuration, Mark D. Janis, Susan Scafidi, Orit Fischman Afori, Wendy J. Gordon, Jonathan Moskin

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

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Stereotype And Representation Of Near And Middle Eastern Peoples In La Bande Dessinee, Brandon Matthew Thomas Jan 2010

Stereotype And Representation Of Near And Middle Eastern Peoples In La Bande Dessinee, Brandon Matthew Thomas

LSU Master's Theses

Representation of social groups in the comics is serious. In 2006, a series of twelve cartoons published in a Danish newspaper sparked a controversy that precipitated the deaths of hundreds of people. The images depicted Mohammed and other images that supposedly mocked Islam. All across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa protesters paraded through the streets, some calling for the death of the cartoonists. Trials in Europe over the publication of these cartoons resulted in several firings. Counter protests have also arisen. These protesters found grievance with the firings, claiming that the freedom of the press was being violated …

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Low Co-Cultivation Temperature At 20oc Improved Agrobacterium Tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation Of Tobacco Leaf Disks, Guiying Su Jan 2010

Low Co-Cultivation Temperature At 20oc Improved Agrobacterium Tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation Of Tobacco Leaf Disks, Guiying Su

LSU Master's Theses

I investigated the effect of co-cultivation temperature and binary Ti vectors on the fresh weight yield of leaf disks of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Xanthi (nn, Smith) after Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. I concluded that the temperature at 20ºC during co-cultivation of leaf disks with A. tumefaciens was the most critical factor on the reproducible enhancement of fresh weight yield. The highest fresh weight increase and presumably transformation efficiency was achieved under the following experimental conditions: A. tumefaciens strain LBA4404 containing pLSU binary Ti vector was grown overnight at 28oC in liquid Agrobacterium medium and the concentration was adjusted to …

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Influences On Public Support For Green Infrastructure: An Examination Of Urban Wetland Restoration In Post-Katrina New Orleans, Lynette C. Overholser Jan 2010

Influences On Public Support For Green Infrastructure: An Examination Of Urban Wetland Restoration In Post-Katrina New Orleans, Lynette C. Overholser

LSU Master's Theses

The research examines patterns of likely support for urban wetland restoration in the Greater New Orleans area. Through multi-variate statistical analysis of responses derived from an original survey of homeowners in New Orleans, key factors are identified that explain variation in residents’ willingness to accept such areas and their perceptions of ecological benefits associated with a theoretical wetlands restoration design for the Gentilly area. Further, the analysis determines the extent to which direct experience with Hurricane Katrina may influence public support for this and other green infrastructure projects. The results of the data collected show that many people in New …

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Creating Brands Online: Third Party Opinions And Their Effect On Consumers' Trust In Brands And Purchase Intentions, Pavel Mrazek Jan 2010

Creating Brands Online: Third Party Opinions And Their Effect On Consumers' Trust In Brands And Purchase Intentions, Pavel Mrazek

LSU Master's Theses

Consumer lack of trust in online vendors and brands is identified as one of the biggest obstacles in the growth of e-commerce. This study examined how third-party product reviews help in building consumers’ trust, in consumers’ perception of product quality, their brand attitudes and consumers’ purchase intention. The six cell experimental design tested the effect of consumer and expert online product reviews on fictitious web sites for high-involvement and low-involvement products. The findings indicate that online consumer product reviews perform better than online expert product reviews and no product reviews. Online product reviews affected visitors to a web site with …

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Paths Of Most Resistance: Navigating The Culture Industry In William Faulkner, Richard Wright, Delmore Schwartz, And Eudora Welty, Jason Dupuy Jan 2010

Paths Of Most Resistance: Navigating The Culture Industry In William Faulkner, Richard Wright, Delmore Schwartz, And Eudora Welty, Jason Dupuy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores how four modernist writers of the 1930s and 1940s—William Faulkner, Richard Wright, Delmore Schwartz, and Eudora Welty—used their works to present ways to resist and navigate what they present as the frequently reductive worldview offered by the culture industry. Faulkner tends to show the culture industry as selling easy answers that focus on the end result, which allows his characters to approach the culture industry with a sense of fatalism. To resist this, Faulkner stresses a step-by-step, complex dialectical understanding of the culture industry, one that shows the fissures in its seemingly straightforward narratives and allows the …

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Social Shopping For Fashion, Jiyun Kang Jan 2010

Social Shopping For Fashion, Jiyun Kang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In spite of the significance of social shopping in the context of fashion consumption, its definitions, boundaries, and explanations have not yet been systematically established in literature. The purpose of Study 1 was to develop a reliable and valid scale of social shopping for fashion. With the scale, Study 2 aimed to develop and test a structural model of social shopping process. In Study 1, a three-step procedure for scale development was followed: item generation, scale purification, and scale validation. As a result, a five-dimensional scale, along with sixteen behavioral items, was developed representing distinctive dimension of social shopping for …

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In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of A Brucella Putative Hemagglutinin, Lauren E. Duhon Jan 2010

In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of A Brucella Putative Hemagglutinin, Lauren E. Duhon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Brucellosis, a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp., presents both health and economic difficulties for livestock, wildlife, and humans. While brucellosis is nearly eradicated in the United States, the disease remains detrimental in many countries worldwide. Attempts to produce a safe and effective small ruminant vaccine have been met with limited success. The current vaccine for bovine brucellosis in the United States is B. abortus RB51. This strain transiently colonizes the host and induces a cell-mediated immune response. Levels of protection have not been demonstrated in goats and thus it is considered a relatively poor caprine vaccine that probably does …

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Revitalizing The Suburban Dream: Disaster, Displacement And Resilience In Eastern Orleans Parish, Meredith Morgan Feike Jan 2010

Revitalizing The Suburban Dream: Disaster, Displacement And Resilience In Eastern Orleans Parish, Meredith Morgan Feike

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hurricane Katrina tested the disaster resiliency of communities throughout the city of New Orleans. More than four years after breaches in levees led to the flooding of one hundred forty square miles of the Crescent City, some residents are still struggling to reclaim their neighborhoods one block at a time. Eastern Orleans Parish is a portion of the local landscape whose long-term sustainability remains uncertain. Rebuilding is extremely slow with only a fraction of residents returning to the area. Development in New Orleans East began after World War II as a result of urban sprawl. Many New Orleanians desired a …

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Ricci V. Destefano: A Masculinities Theory Analysis, Ann C. Mcginley Jan 2010

Ricci V. Destefano: A Masculinities Theory Analysis, Ann C. Mcginley

Scholarly Works

This Article applies masculinity theory to explore the aspects Ricci v. Destefano and its political reverberations. Empirical evidence showed that virtually all written tests have a disparate impact on minorities, that a neighboring city had reached less discriminatory results using a different weighting system, and that other fire departments used assessment centers to judge firefighters' qualifications for promotions. While the black male and all female firefighters were made invisible by the case and the testimony, the fact that Ricci's and Vargas' testimony lionized a particularly traditional form of heterosexual masculinity was also invisible. While the command presence required of a …

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Dynamic Trip Distribution Models For Hurricane Evacuation, Guangxiang Cheng Jan 2010

Dynamic Trip Distribution Models For Hurricane Evacuation, Guangxiang Cheng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation presents several methods to estimate time-dependent origin-destination (O-D) trip tables for hurricane evacuation using survey data from hurricane Floyd in South Carolina in 1999. A static disaggregate destination choice model in multinomial logit form was developed considering household characteristics, hurricane threats, and destination socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Models were developed for persons evacuating to friends or relatives, and hotels or motels separately. None of the household characteristics of evacuees were found to be significant in distinguishing destination choice but destination characteristics were. The model was tested by comparing the observed destination choices with predicted values via trip length …

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Reliability And Validity Study Of The Motiviation For Fear (Motif) Survey, Marie S. Nebel-Schwalm Jan 2010

Reliability And Validity Study Of The Motiviation For Fear (Motif) Survey, Marie S. Nebel-Schwalm

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this study was to determine psychometric properties of a newly created, 24-item functional measure of fear and anxiety for typically-developing adults (the Motivation for Fear; MOTIF). Participants initially included 1,277 college students ranging in age from 18-35. Participants were asked to complete the MOTIF, the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF), the Sensation Seeking Scale- Form V, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS). Analyses were conducted on those scoring above a minimum threshold on a well-normed measure of anxiety (the DASS). An exploratory factory analysis, using scree plot and parallel analysis, as well as oblique rotation was …

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Community College Success: A Multi-Site Program Evaluation Of Postsecondary Career And Technical Education, Kimberly Tynes Jan 2010

Community College Success: A Multi-Site Program Evaluation Of Postsecondary Career And Technical Education, Kimberly Tynes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Postsecondary career and technical institutions are required to follow a set list of performance indicators in order to receive federal Carl Perkins funding (Perkins IV Accountability, 2009). Within those indicators includes measuring technical skills attainment, which the state of Mississippi chooses to utilize program-specific standardized assessments known as the MS- CPAS2 assessment. The purpose of this multi-site program evaluation was to determine which programs are meeting the assessment passing requirements and to determine how they are achieving success. The rationale for this study was to evaluate the components inherent in successful programs in order to aid other programs who may …

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Depolarization By Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 4 In Pancreatic Alpha-Cells Regulates Glucagon Secretion, Piper Lynn Nelson Jan 2010

Depolarization By Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 4 In Pancreatic Alpha-Cells Regulates Glucagon Secretion, Piper Lynn Nelson

LSU Master's Theses

The Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 4 protein (TRPM4) is a member of the TRP family of ion channels that is expressed in both electrically excitable and non-excitable cells. Functional studies revealed that TRPM4 significantly impacts Ca2+ signals in both immune and pancreatic β-cells, which is important for cellular processes such as hormone secretion. However, its role in glucagon secreting α-cells has not been reported. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is often associated with increased glucagon levels; yet, the exact mechanism controlling its secretion is not known. In pancreatic α-cells, an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration causes glucagon secretion. We hypothesize that …

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Reading Out Of Doors: How Nature Becomes Text And Vice-Versa, Richmond Minor Eustis Jan 2010

Reading Out Of Doors: How Nature Becomes Text And Vice-Versa, Richmond Minor Eustis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The tensions between city and country, the artificial and the natural, the real and the fake are at the heart of attempts to render nature in writing. In many such texts, nature—especially wilderness—is the realm of the real, authentic, and pure, while the city is the realm of the artificial and corrupt. This placement of value in nature, members of the critical theory camp tend to counter, is misguided. Any effort to render nature in text is by its “nature” artificial—far more about human values embedded in language itself than about some extra-textual world. With an approach derived from theorists …

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Social Networking Tools In The Modern Era Of Human Rights Protection, Odessa Balumbu, Richard Fazio, Mera Geis, Michael Karsy Jan 2010

Social Networking Tools In The Modern Era Of Human Rights Protection, Odessa Balumbu, Richard Fazio, Mera Geis, Michael Karsy

Quill & Scope

Human rights are fundamental liberties that should be guaranteed to all human beings. These include things such as access to education and health care, food security, freedom from persecution and access to shelter, safety and security. Human rights promotion and international development have become popular philanthropic efforts and new technology is helping younger generations participate more easily. Whether through activism, fundraising or volunteering, there are many ways to make a difference. Pro- moting the awareness of and access to human rights is a job everyone can and should be a part of.

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Nir Dyes For Bioimaging Applications, Jorge O. Escobedo, Oleksandr Rusin, Soojin Lim, Robert M. Strongin Jan 2010

Nir Dyes For Bioimaging Applications, Jorge O. Escobedo, Oleksandr Rusin, Soojin Lim, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fluorescent dyes based on small organic molecules that function in the near infra red (NIR) region are of great current interest in chemical biology. They allow for imaging with minimal autofluorescence from biological samples, reduced light scattering and high tissue penetration. Herein, examples of ongoing NIR fluorophore design strategies as well as their properties and anticipated applications relevant to the bioimaging are presented.

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Antidepressants Misrepresented, Steve Rockoff Jan 2010

Antidepressants Misrepresented, Steve Rockoff

Quill & Scope

In a January 2010 study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, investigators determined that for patients who had less than “very severe depression”, antidepressants have no measurable effect on de- pressive symptoms when compared to placebo. This resounding statement was widely circulated by every major national media outlet. If true, it has powerful implications for the millions of Americans who are currently prescribed antidepressants. The commentary at hand highlights several glaring flaws in the design and conclusions of these researchers’ meta-analysis, in an attempt to portray their findings in a less alarming and more realistic light.

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An Examination Of Three Model Healthcare Delivery Systems, Gavin Stern Jan 2010

An Examination Of Three Model Healthcare Delivery Systems, Gavin Stern

Quill & Scope

The United States is just now beginning its journey into a universal healthcare delivery system. On March 30, 2010, President Obama signed into law the “Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010” (H.R. 4872), which completed the work of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (H.R. 3590) signed on March 23, 2010. The effects of this legislation are phased in over the course of this new decade, but the final product is far from certain. Implementation could be legislated away with one election cycle. This article examines three model healthcare delivery systems that the United States could look …

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Detect Live Salmonella Cells In Produce By Coupling Propidium Monoazide With Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (Pma-Lamp), Siyi Chen Jan 2010

Detect Live Salmonella Cells In Produce By Coupling Propidium Monoazide With Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (Pma-Lamp), Siyi Chen

LSU Master's Theses

Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illnesses worldwide. In recent years, an increasing number of Salmonella-related outbreaks in produce has been reported. It is therefore important that the produce industry be equipped with rapid, sensitive, specific detection methods for live Salmonella cells in produce to better ensure the produce safety. In this study, we first designed and optimized a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for Salmonella detection by targeting the invasion gene (invA). Then we incorporated a chemical reagent, propidium monoazide (PMA) into the sample preparation step to prevent LAMP amplification of dead Salmonella cells. To our knowledge, this …

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Oxidation Of Reduced Sulfur Compounds: A Triple-Oxygen-Isotope Perspective, Issaku E. Kohl Jan 2010

Oxidation Of Reduced Sulfur Compounds: A Triple-Oxygen-Isotope Perspective, Issaku E. Kohl

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Earth’s geochemical evolution is recorded in the rocks that compose its lithosphere. Specifically, sulfate minerals have been identified as being repositories of information concerning the past hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. This is due to the non-labile nature of SO42- and its ability to store a record of the oxidative reactions and oxygen sources involved in its formation. Microbial dissimilatory sulfate reduction (MDSR) and sulfide oxidation cause oxygen from H2O and O2 to be trapped to varying degrees in ambient, dissolved SO42-. In order to better interpret the H2O and O2 signals in SO42-, we must deepen our understanding of …

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Finding The Originals: A Study Of The Roman Copies Of The Tyrannicides And The Amazon Group, Courtney Ann Rader Jan 2010

Finding The Originals: A Study Of The Roman Copies Of The Tyrannicides And The Amazon Group, Courtney Ann Rader

LSU Master's Theses

Very few bronze original Greek sculptures from the fifth-century BCE are extant today. It is through marble Roman copies that lost Greek originals are studied today. Along with the Roman copies, other media and ancient literary sources can be used to study Greek sculpture. My goal for this thesis is to study the previous scholarship and Roman copies of the Tyrannicides and the Amazon Group. When studying copies, scholars must first answer: Is it a copy? Of what is it a copy? If it is a copy, what can the copy tell about the Greek artist? To better answer these …

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Fighting The New Wars Of Religion: The Need For A Tolerant First Amendment, Leslie C. Griffin Jan 2010

Fighting The New Wars Of Religion: The Need For A Tolerant First Amendment, Leslie C. Griffin

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

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Betties And Broads: A Qualitative Examination Of The Maiden And Whore Archetypes In "The Golden Girls," "Designing Women," And "Sex And The City", Crystal Jackson Jan 2010

Betties And Broads: A Qualitative Examination Of The Maiden And Whore Archetypes In "The Golden Girls," "Designing Women," And "Sex And The City", Crystal Jackson

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined the maiden and whore characters in “The Golden Girls,” “Designing Women,” and “Sex and the City.” Using a textual analysis and discourse analysis approach, I examined the two characters comparing them to the definitions of archetype and stereotype provided by Jungian theory and feminist film theory. I analyzed ten randomly selected episodes from the second season excluding both the premier and the finale. Three of the research questions were rooted in central ideas found in the shows: outward appearance, language and conversation, and sexual relationships. The last research question determined whether or not the characters were archetypes …

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Play It Loud: Hip Hop In The Language Arts Classroom, B Cord Mckeithen Jan 2010

Play It Loud: Hip Hop In The Language Arts Classroom, B Cord Mckeithen

LSU Master's Theses

Hip-hop music and its place in education has been thoroughly researched over the last two decades by many scholars and educators from all over the world. This research paper discusses hip-hop’s merit in the classroom, building upon prior research from books and journal articles, along with my own research that I conducted with students at a southern Louisiana high school. Educators in the field of language arts must find new methods when it comes to teaching our youth and leave behind many of the traditional ways that previous generations were accustomed to. The idea of hip-hop in education, in this …

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In Vivo And In Vitro Pathogenesis Of Francisella Asiatica In Tilapia Nilotica (Oreochromis Niloticus), Esteban Soto Jan 2010

In Vivo And In Vitro Pathogenesis Of Francisella Asiatica In Tilapia Nilotica (Oreochromis Niloticus), Esteban Soto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Francisella asiatica is a Gram negative, facultative intracellular pathogen that causes fish francisellosis. In this project, homologues to the F. tularensis iglABCD genes were found present in F. asiatica. As few as 23 F. asiatica bacteria injected in the peritoneum were found capable of causing mortalities in tilapia nilotica (Oreochromis niloticus), and even fewer were enough to cause pathological changes. We examined the in vivo and in vitro interaction of F. asiatica wild type (WT) and a ÄiglC strain with tilapia and tilapia head kidney derived macrophages (HKDM). The ÄiglC was found to be attenuated following intraperitoneal and immersion challenges …

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A Taxometric Analysis Of Autism Spectrum Disorders In Toddlers, Jessica Ann Boisjoli Jan 2010

A Taxometric Analysis Of Autism Spectrum Disorders In Toddlers, Jessica Ann Boisjoli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that are generally first diagnosed in childhood. With the advances in technology to identify this group of disorders, children are being identified at younger and younger ages. Early identification of ASD is critical due to the beneficial effects of early intensive behavioral interventions. While children are being diagnosed with the disorder at very high rates, etiology and definitions of the disorders are still being investigated. Great variability exists with regard to symptoms between individuals. Additionally, less is known about symptom expression in individuals without ASD and symptoms of ASD occurring …

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