Digital Commons Network^™

The Legal Challenge Of Protecting Animal Migrations As Phenomena Of Abundance, Robert L. Fischman, Jeffrey B. Hyman

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Animal migrations are as familiar as geese in the sky on a fall afternoon and as mysterious as the peregrinations of sea turtles across thousands of miles of open ocean. This article discusses the distinguishing attributes of animal migrations, why they are important to biodiversity conservation, and the legal challenges posed by migration conservation. In particular, the article focuses on those aspects of migration conservation that existing law, dominated by imperiled species protection, fails to address. It consequently suggests law reforms that would better conserve animal migrations. A step toward serious legal efforts to protect the process and function of …

Analysis Of Consumer Preferences Toward 100% Fruit Juice Packages And Labels, Tatiana Bonilla

LSU Master's Theses

A national web survey was used to collected data from 253 households in the United States. Choice-based conjoint analysis was used to investigate which packaging and labeling attributes U.S. consumers consider important when choosing 100% fruit juices, and to estimate their willingness-to-pay. The attributes were packaging material, nutritional and health claims, presence of organic ingredients and whether the product was produced locally. Factor analysis, cluster analysis and a median split technique were used to identify market segments based on consumer preferences, behavior, and lifestyles. Differences between the segments were analyzed. A conditional logit model was used to estimate relative of …

Public Perception And The Oil Industry: An Analysis Of Oil Employees' And Nigerians' Opinions Regarding Exxon Mobil And Shell Oil's Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts, Liana L. Narcisse

LSU Master's Theses

This study looked at oil industry employees’ and Nigerians’ perceptions of Exxon Mobil and Shell Oil as socially responsible corporations and the role the two-step flow model of communication plays in shaping these publics’ impressions of the companies. Measures of participants’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) were developed using Carroll’s 1971 three-dimensional model of CSR and Ketola’s (2008) holistic model of CSR. This study found that for both companies participants had average to less-than-favorable perceptions of the companies’ socially responsible behavior, according to the various categories of CSR. However, employees were more likely to view the companies more favorably …

Designing Irishness: Ethnicity, Heritage, And Imagined Connection To Place Through Language, Thomas James Sullivan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In North America, those who are descended from "old world" immigrant groups—for example Germans, Greeks, Italians, Poles, and Irish—are thought to be assimilated or acculturated into the mainstream American culture. Since the late 1970s, however, sociologists have observed how a number of white ethnics, particularly those descended from third- and fourth-generation (and beyond) immigrants, continue to maintain a link to an ethnic group. This phenomenon—labeled symbolic or optional ethnicity—is now seen as a latter-stage development in the larger process of assimilation and ethnic-group identification. In this dissertation I show how the meaning of Irish identity has evolved in North America …

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Validation Of The Autism Spectrum Disorders - Problem Behavior For Children (Asd-Pbc), Relationship Between Age And Challenging Behaviors, Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders Compared To Typically Developing Controls On The Behavioral Assessment For Children, Second Edition (Basc-2), Sara Rebecca Mahan

LSU Master's Theses

Researchers found that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a predictor for challenging behaviors. Since challenging behaviors are obstacles for social development and learning, it is important to determine if and what challenging behaviors are exhibited and how to best treat them. The Autism Spectrum Disorder – Problem Behavior for Children (ASD-PBC) is an 18 item informant based questionnaire specifically designed to measure challenging behaviors in children with ASD. Convergent and discriminant validity against the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2), demonstrated the preliminary validity for the ASD-PBC for use among children and adolescents with ASD. Study 2 examined …

The Joint Law Venture: A Pilot Study, Jayanth K. Krishnan

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This pilot study evaluates the effectiveness of law firms entering into joint ventures, an increasingly eyed business model particularly by American and British lawyers seeking to expand into promising financial markets. One country at the center of the joint venture experiment has been Singapore. With the strong encouragement of the Singaporean government (which has long embraced foreign investment), various elite law firms from the United States and Britain have been partnering with domestic Singaporean law firms for over the past decade. Because these foreign firms were traditionally barred from practicing Singaporean law on their own, the ‘joint law venture,’ or …

Police "Science" In The Interrogation Room: Seventy Years Of Psuedo-Psychological Interrogation Methods To Obtain Inadmissible Confessions, Brian R. Gallini

UC Law Journal

Nearly all confessions obtained by interrogators nationwide are inadmissible, but nonetheless admitted. In the process, police arrest the wrong suspect and allow the guilty to go free. An unshakeable addiction to pseudo-scientific interrogation methods-initially created in the 1940s-is to blame. The so-called "Reid technique" of interrogation was initially a welcome and revolutionary change from the violent "third degree" method it replaced. But we no longer live in the 1940s and, not surprisingly, we no longer drive 1940s automobiles, practice early-twentieth-century medicine, or dial rotary phones. Why, then, are police still using 1940s methods of interrogation?

Moreover, the outdated Reid technique …

One Is The Loneliest Number: The Single Taxpayer In A Joint Return World, Lily Kahng

UC Law Journal

The United States is one of the few developed countries to retain the joint income tax return, available for heterosexual married couples only. Since its adoption in 1948, its underlying assumptions have been challenged on many valid grounds, and yet it remains firmly embedded in mainstream political and policy discourse. In recent years, most of the debate surrounding the joint return has focused on reducing marriage penalties, bonuses, and determining who among the universe of couples ought to be extended the benefit of the marriage bonuses. The treatment of single people has received almost no attention.

The scant attention paid …

Benchmark Legislation: A Measured Approach In The Fight Against Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals, Adam Powell

UC Law Journal

Pharmaceutical counterfeiting is unique in the field of counterfeiting because criminals only attempt to copy the appearance of a drug, not its actual effect. Because such counterfeit drugs are cheap to make and ineffective or dangerous, counterfeiters see immense profits without regard for the potential for injury or death. Furthermore, the complexity of distribution channels and lax penalties result in little risk for criminals.

One potential tool to address this problem is an electronic pedigree system that would track shipments of drugs and reduce the opportunity for counterfeiters to infiltrate the supply chain. Unfortunately, such a system is years away …

Investigations Of Structure / Property Interrelationships Of Organic Thin Films Using Scanning Probe Microscopy And Nanolithography, Zorabel Mallorca Lejeune

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies of the surface assembly and molecular organization of organic thin films were studied using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and scanning probe lithography (SPL). Systems of organic thin films such as n-alkanethiols and pyridyl functionalized porphyrins were characterized at the molecular level, and measurements of the conductive properties of polythiophenes containing in-chain cobaltabisdicarbollides were accomplished. Understanding the self-organization and mechanisms of self-assembly of organic molecules provides fundamental insight for structure/property interrelationships. Investigations of the surface assembly of 5,10-diphenyl-15,20-di-pyridin-4-yl-porphyrin (DPP) on Au(111) were done using SPL methods of nanoshaving and nanografting. Automated computer designs were developed for nanofabrication to provide local …

"Blessed Be The Critics Of Newspapers": Journalistic Criticism Of Journalism 1865-1930, Yasmine Tarek Dabbous

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined journalistic press criticism between 1865 and 1930. It sought to understand how the first modern journalists conceived of their profession in a period of great transitions. As the study revealed, journalists writing about journalism between 1865 and 1930 discussed recurring themes such as commercialization, sensationalism, advertising, and ethics. They expressed ambivalence toward the rise of big business in their field and the consequences it could have on the quality of the work. In the process, journalists also defined journalism as a profession providing a public service or as a business aiming solely for circulation and profit. Definitions …

Three Essays On The Role Of Amenities As An Economic Development Strategy, Junpyo Hong

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is well known that an amenity is a key driving engine to regional economic growth. However, the site-specific nature of an amenity can characterize them as public goods. Due to this characteristic, local governments have difficulty optimally supplying amenities. This dissertation tries to find relationships between an amenity and economic growth. Three empirical papers comprise the original research in this dissertation. The findings of the meta-analysis in the first essay suggest little methodological diversity exists among researchers linking amenities to economic growth., I do find that employment growth is more likely related to man-made amenities even in research on …

Chemistry Of Rhenium(I) Tricarbonyl Complexes Of Biomedical Relevance, Theshini Perera

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

fac-[Re^I(CO)₃L]ⁿ complexes serve as models for short-lived fac-[^99mTc^I(CO)₃L] imaging tracers. Dangling groups on L, needed to achieve desirable biodistribution, complicate the NMR spectra, which are not readily understood. In fac-[Re^I(CO)₃L]⁺ with less complicated L, NH groups (exo-NH) projecting toward the L face sometimes showed an upfield shift attributable to steric shielding of the exo-NH group from the solvent by the chelate rings. To investigate whether exo-NH groups in six-membered rings exhibit the same effect and whether the …

Play Pretty, Brad Wreyford

LSU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Computer User Knowledge And Selected Demographic Characteristics The Academic Achievement Of High School Seniors, Michael E. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the influence of computer user knowledge as measured by the Computer User Knowledge Survey (CUKS), and the personal demographic characteristics of Gender, Age, and Race on academic achievement as measured by the Graduation Exit Examination-21 (GEE-21), among high school seniors in public schools in a parish in South Louisiana. The CUKS and the Gender and Race data were collected from the self-perceived CUKS survey administered to 295 seniors registered in English IV classes at a school in South Louisiana. The academic achievement data and the ages of the student subjects were …

Probing The Finance Gap Theory: Does Gender Affect Campaign Contributions?, Rhonda Wrzenski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In our field, scholarly literature contends that women win a similar percentage of the vote and raise a similar amount of money as their male opponents when they campaign (Newman 1994; Burrell 1994; Seltzer et al. 1997; Dolan 2006; Darcy et al. 1994; Wilhite and Theilmann 1986; Burrell 1985; Uhlaner and Schlozman 1986; Welch et al. 1985). However, women are still underrepresented at all levels of government and this may be a function of biases in the campaign finance network that have gone largely undetected. Differences may be more readily apparent at the sub-national level and among particular classes of …

Dry Event Trends And Frequencies In The South Central United States, Michael Roberts

LSU Master's Theses

In this study, dry spells in the southern United States are analyzed. Dry spells are defined as consecutive days with no recorded rainfall. Seventy (70) weather stations are researched in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Daily precipitation for each station identifies potential trends in consecutive dry days. Stations were selected for their completeness, longevity, and their proximity to one another. Only stations with five percent or less missing data were allowed. All 70 stations will be analyzed from 1950-2008. Twenty-four stations possess over 100 years of data and will be analyzed. The best geographical indicator for consecutive dry …

An Analysis Of Predictors Of Exclusionary Discipline Practices And The Relationship With Student Achievement Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Amanda Dahir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

School discipline plays an important role in maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment for students. Disruptive behavior in the classroom interferes with classroom learning time making it difficult to accomplish academic goals. A common method of handling discipline problems within schools is removing the disruptive student from their classroom (e.g. suspension or expulsion). There is a great need to study and understand the differences between school disciplinary practices and to allow research findings to guide the way in which discipline is administered. The current study examined a large database for the entire state of Louisiana to determine the relationship …

Recreating The Image Of Women In Mexico: A Genealogy Of Resistance In Mexican Narrative Set During The Revolution, Julia Maria Schneider

LSU Master's Theses

Traditionally, women have been relegated to the margins of society, history, and culture in male-dominated environments. Patriarchal systems have long denied women to play an appropriate role in nation building and to enter the public sphere, as is the case in Mexico. The female participation during one of the country’s most critical periods, the Mexican Revolution, has largely been ignored. Through situating their narratives into the context of the Revolution and describing the obstacles and limiting conditions that women experience, Mexican writers such as Elena Poniatowska and Laura Esquivel criticize the status quo of social and gender politics in Mexico …

Estimated Impact Of Left Lane Truck Restriction On Louisiana Highway Pavement Using Mepdg, Mini Radhakrishnan

LSU Master's Theses

Truck lane restriction strategies (TLRS) are strategies used to manage truck traffic on highways by prohibiting trucks from using certain lanes in order to minimize interaction between trucks and other vehicles and currently it is under consideration for implementation in Louisiana’s multi-lane highways. One of the serious impacts of a truck lane restriction on highways is accelerated pavement damage on unrestricted lanes due to the increased truck traffic on them. The purpose of this study is to estimate the increased pavement damage on the right lane in terms of various distress caused by imposing left lane truck restriction on trucks …

A Comparison Of Soil And Corn Kernel Aspergillus Flavus Populations: Evidence For Niche Specialization, Rebecca Ruth Sweany

LSU Master's Theses

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that infects peanuts, cotton, corn and tree nuts. Aspergillus flavus is a major problem globally due to the production of acutely toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins. Louisiana climatic conditions lead to annual threats of corn aflatoxin contamination. The purpose of this study was to determine the specific ability of different strains of A. flavus to infect corn. Five soil samples and 10 corn ears were collected from each of seven corn fields throughout Louisiana. In addition, Francis Deville of Monsanto Company collected 7, 6, 2, and 4 soil samples and corn ears from four …

Examining Spiritual Development In Collegiate Athletes Participating In Individual And Team Sports, Jessica Lauder Clarke

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory study was to examine levels of spirituality self-reported by collegiate student-athletes participating in individual and team sports. Student-athletes’ levels of spirituality were measured using Astin’s (2004) College Students’ Beliefs and Values Survey (CSBV). Conceptually, this study was grounded in the works of Fowler (1981) and Parks (2000), leading researchers in measuring spiritual development. The sample of student-athletes was taken from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a large, doctoral granting, high research activity, NCAA Division I institution. The data for this study was collected at the end of the spring semester on April 27, 2009 …

Analysis Of Media Agenda-Setting Effect On Consumer Confidence In The Safety Of The U.S. Food System Across Consumer Segments, Abhishek Bhagwat Bharad

LSU Master's Theses

Recent food recalls and food scares in the United States have increased consumers’ risk perceptions about food borne illness and decreased their confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply. Results from a continuous tracking of consumer confidence and media coverage of food safety events over a 67 week period between May 2008 and August 2009 are reported in the study. Factor analysis is performed on consumer characteristic statements to identify seven factors. Factor scores for these seven factors are used as inputs in a consumer segmentation procedure. A two step segmentation approach, hierarchical cluster analysis followed by partition …

Student Perspectives On Study Abroad: The Case Of Louisiana State University's Summer Internships In The French Alps, Terri Lee Schroth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While many studies have been conducted on study abroad programs, few have sought to examine the inner workings of a short-term, non-traditional (non-classroom based) program, particularly from the participants’ point-of-view. This in-depth case study explores a short-term (4-week) cultural and linguistic internship program, “LSU in the French Alps,” as well as the perspectives of four program participants. This research was conducted during four phases of the study abroad experience: the pre-departure orientation (4 days on LSU’s main campus), the in-country stay (4 weeks in the French Alps), re-entry into the United States (first 10 days upon return), and post study …

Isolation And Cultivation Of Equine Corneal Keratocytes, Fibroblasts And Myofibroblasts, Dylan G. Buss, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Ajay Sharma, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—To establish an in vitro model for the investigation of equine corneal wound healing. To accomplish this goal, a protocol to isolate and culture equine corneal keratocytes, fibroblasts and myofibroblasts was developed.

Animal material—Equine corneal buttons were aseptically harvested from healthy research horses undergoing humane euthanasia for reasons unrelated to this study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy was performed prior to euthanasia by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist to ensure that all samples were harvested from horses free of anterior segment disease.

Procedure—Equine corneal stroma was isolated using mechanical techniques and stromal subsections were then cultured. Customized media at different culture conditions was used …

The Relationship Among Self-Efficacy, Negative Self-Statements, And Social Anxiety In Children: A Mediation, Brittany Nicole Moree

LSU Master's Theses

Evidence suggests that general self-efficacy, one’s beliefs about his or her global abilities, and social self-efficacy, one’s beliefs in his or her ability to navigate social situations, are strongly connected to levels of social anxiety. Negative self-statements, also known as negative self-referent cognitions, have also been linked with levels of social anxiety. Although self-efficacy and negative self-statements have been shown to be important variables in the phenomenology and maintenance of social anxiety in children, they have yet to be examined in conjunction with one another. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between negative self-statements and selfefficacy …

Optimized Extraction Of Soluble Defatted Rice Bran Fiber And Its Application For Microencapsulation Of Fish Oil, Yuting Wan

LSU Master's Theses

Defatted rice bran (DRB) is a byproduct of rice milling and rice bran oil extraction. Soluble rice bran fiber (SRBF) extracted from defatted rice bran is known for its antioxidant activity and hypocholesterolemic effects in human, while purified menhaden oil (PMO) is a good source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The goal of the study was to estimate optimum extraction conditions to extract SRBF from DRB, develop a cost effective method to purify SRBF and produce microencapsulated PMO with SRBF. The response surface methodology showed that an estimated optimum yield of SRBF (7.89%) could be extracted from …

Itraconazole Loaded Poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic) Acid Nanoparticles For Improved Antifungal Activity, Nipur Rajan Patel

LSU Master's Theses

PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles containing the hydrophobic antifungal Itraconazole (ITZ) were developed to address the need for more efficient means of treating fungal infections. PLGA-ITZ nanoparticles were synthesized using an oil-in-water emulsion evaporation method. The nanoparticles morphology (TEM), size and size distribution, zeta potential (DLS), encapsulation efficiency (UV-VIS), release profile, and antifungal activity were characterized. The blank NPs and loaded PLGA-ITZ NPs were spherical with diameters of 201±5 nm, 232±1 nm and 223±36 nm at 0%, 12.5% and 25% loadings, respectively. All synthesized particles measured a negative zeta potential ranging from -28 to -33 mV. The maximum encapsulation efficiency of …

Transactional Distance Theory: The Effect Of Disseminating Educational Messages To Frontline Nurses In An Acute Care Hospital Setting, Wanda G. Hughes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Registered nurses (RNs)working in acute care hospitals that provide services 24 hours a day 7 days a week with a variety of schedules are a challenge for Nurse Managers to communicate rapidly changing, important educational messages in a timely and efficient manner. These RNs can be considered dispersed, or distanced, employees from their Nurse Managers. Moore’s (1972) Theory of Transactional Distance was the theoretical framework to explore the effects of disseminating educational messages via email from Nurse Managers to frontline RNs working in an acute care hospital that provides services 24 hours a day 7 days a week. A researcher-developed …

The Expansion Of The St. Joseph Altar In South Louisiana, Nara Maria Ersilia Crowley

LSU Master's Theses

Crowley, Nara Maria Ersilia, B.A., The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 2001. Master of Arts in Liberal Arts, Spring Commencement 2010 Major: Liberal Arts The Expansion of the St. Joseph Altar in South Louisiana Thesis directed by Professor Mary Jill Brody Page in thesis,113. Words in abstract, 146 ABSTRACT According to folklore, the Catholic St. Joseph Altar tradition dates back to the Fifteenth century droughts in Sicily. The famine that ensued resulted in prayers to the patron saint of protection, St. Joseph. Two legends evolved from the cessation of the drought - one of thanks for ending the famine, the …