Digital Commons Network^™

A Functional Model Of The Aesthetic Response, Daniel Conrad

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

In a process of somatic evolution, the brain semi-randomly generates initially-unstable neural circuits that are selectively stabilized if they succeed in making sense out of raw sensory input. The human aesthetic response serves the function of stabilizing the circuits that successfully mediate perception and interpretation, making those faculties more agile, conferring selective advantage. It is triggered by structures in art and nature that provoke the making of sense. Art is deliberate human action aimed at triggering the aesthetic response in others; thus, if successful, it serves the same function of making perception and interpretation more agile. These few principles initiate …

Prisoners As Human Subjects: A Closer Look At The Institute Of Medicine's Recommendations To Loosen Current Restrictions On Using Prisoners In Scientific Research, Osagie K. Obasogie

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Polyaniline Nanofibers As The Hole Transport Medium In An Inverse Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell, Ian Brock Hesselsweet

Dissertations and Theses

In order to become a viable alternative to silicon photovoltaics, dye-sensitized solar cells must overcome several issues primarily resulting from their use of a liquid electrolyte. Much research has gone into correcting these shortcomings by replacing the liquid electrolyte with solid-state hole-transport media. Using these solid-state materials brings new difficulties, such as completely filling the pores in the TiO₂ nanostructure, and achieving good adhesion with the dye-coated TiO₂. A novel approach to addressing these difficulties is the inverse dye-sensitized solar cell design. In this method the devices are constructed in reverse order, with the solid-state hole-transport medium providing the nanostructure …

Quasi-Preemption: Nervous Breakdown In Our Constitutional System, Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Evidentiary Incommensurability A Preliminary Exploration Of The Problem Of Reasoning From General Scientific Data To Individualized Legal Decision Making, David L. Faigman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Multicultural Family Learning Gardens At The Learning Gardens Laboratory: An Investigation Of Community Collaboration, Madelyn Mickelberry Morris

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

This project explores the role of the small-scale polyculture garden in promoting a resilient community, its importance in helping meet nutritional and medicinal needs, and its role as a site for civic and place-based transformative development. The pedagogical principles of sustainability education address the importance of ecological systems, biocultural diversity, social & economic justice, and multicultural perspectives. Framing the garden as a sustainable solution, I will address the need for vibrant local food networks, particularly in low-income areas; social, ecological, and community resilience; opportunities for ecological education; and increased meaningful opportunities for civic engagement. Using a conceptual framework of the …

12 Eylül'Ü Konu Alan Filmlerde Karşı Anlatı Olarak Ses Ve Hafıza, Pelin Basci

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

During the last three decades, the 1980 military coup has acquired increased visibility in Turkish cinema. Films that treat the 1980 coup record two aspects of it as parts of a cinematographic narrative: some films explore the socio-political reasons behind the coup by capturing the period preceding the takeover, while others explore the human impact of the coup by capturing the period following it. Films in both groups interrupt the silence maintained by the official narrative about the coup, critique the justifications for military intervention, and expose the violence that was perpetrated in the name of the state.

What’S Missing In Theories Of The Residential Energy User, Mithra Moezzi, Loren Lutzenhiser

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Residential energy use has been envisioned in varied ways, each highlighting different factors and capturing a partial truth. This paper outlines assumptions of core theories about household energy use. It gives an abbreviated list of major empirical findings framed by these theories. It then identifies a new set of "blind spots" created by overly-simple reliance on models and by data shortcomings that in combination may block development of a more sophisticated understanding of energy use. Policies and program strategies, in turn, can become oriented toward simplistic approaches to change. We point to the need for improved interpretation and elaboration of …

Governance, Technology, And The Search For Modernity In Kenya, Warigia M. Bowman

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

An ICT policy that produces broad access quickly is better than one that does not. Accordingly, success in ICT policymaking can be measured by three empirical measures: speed of passage, scope of implementation, and distribution, as well as one normative measure, process. "Process" represents an important normative dimension of ICT policymaking. Process measures the extent to which the ICT policymaking involves the citizenry, as represented by individuals, civil society groups, local private sector groups, and ideally, urban and rural residents ("wananchi "). Kenya is a case of slow speed of passage, low scope of implementation, low distribution, but high process. …

Citizens United And The Threat To The Regulatory State, Tamara Piety

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

The World Health Organization’S Framework Convention On Tobacco Control: An Analysis Of Guidelines Adopted By The Conference Of The Parties, Sam Halabi

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Seventh-Grade Curriculum In Probability (A Guide For Teachers), David Nganga Njenga

LSU Master's Theses

A review of the literature indicates that teachers try to make connections between experimental and theoretical probabilities while teaching their students, but these connections are often not very clear. This greatly increases misconceptions students have about probability. This thesis presents a treatment of teaching probability that is geared for seventh grade and intended to minimize the misconceptions that both teachers and students may have. We present a concise mathematical exposition of finite probability models as well as collection of examples and activities, so as to help teachers and students organize their thinking and minimize misconceptions. The various examples and activities …

Effects Of Serum Addition To Culture Medium On Gene Expression In Day-7 And Day-14 Bovine Embryos, Jaime Manuel Angulo Campos

LSU Master's Theses

The addition of serum to embryo culture media may alter gene expression and trigger development of Large Offspring Syndrome. The objectives of this study were to determine gene expression levels in embryos cultured in the absence or presence of 5% calf serum and compare these expression patterns to in vivo derived embryos (IVD), and to determine the effects of serum on the length of day-14 embryos. Abattoir derived oocytes were fertilized and cultured in mSOFaa. At 72 hours post-insemination (hpi), embryos were randomly allocated into two treatments: mSOFaa without and with 5% calf serum. Embryos were then cultured to 168 …

Post-Arrival Performance Interventions That Assist Expatriates' Adjustment And Performance, Evan D. Wood

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examined the relationship between post-arrival performance interventions and the adjustment and performance of North American expatriates working and living in Hong Kong. The focus was on an integrated view of multiple post-arrival performance interventions in order to examine their combined impact. This research provides information to organizations regarding strategies to improve the adjustment and performance of expatriates. A multivariate design was used to describe the dynamics underlying the dimensions of adjustment and performance by indicating which interventions in combination might be more strongly associated with adjustment and performance. A questionnaire comprised of several existing constructs derived from the …

Extracellular Matrix Proteins: Implications For Angiogenesis, Kent Edward Williams

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an essential requirement for maintaining permanent shape and rigidity in multicellular organisms. The ECM serves two main functions: scaffolding and signaling. Insoluble collagen and soluble proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and glycoproteins allow for water retention and flexibility. The signaling role of the ECM is essential for a multitude of events including vascular development and angiogenesis. Via interactions with vascular endothelial cells, proteins of the ECM can induce or repress angiogenesis.

Characterization Of The Effects Of The Human Head On Communication With Implanted Antennas, Michael A. Pecoraro

Theses

Cranially implanted sensors and electrodes have been used in practice for several years; their applications range from the recording of neural signals for use in Brain-Computer Interfaces to help the disabled, to the treatment of diseases and conditions ranging from Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, depression, etc. Current communication methods with implants, however, are lacking; they run the gamut from physical, percutaneous connections that increase the risk of infection, to wireless links that are slow and uncomfortable for patients. The present work focuses on the characterization of the effects of the human head on communication with cranially implanted antennas for its …

Pan Gongkai: Reflections On Beginnings, Opposites, Changes Re: Contemporary Chinese Art, Curtis Carter

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Library Services In U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities, Stephanie Lan Chin

Master's Theses

The thesis explores the current state of library services in facilities in which U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) houses immigrant detainees, including (1) Bureau of Prison (BOP) facilities, (2) contracted detention facilities (CDF), (3) ICE-owned facilities (often called Service Processing Centers, or SPC's), and (4) Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSA) facilities. The study was based on a survey that was mailed to 356 facilities that detain immigrants by or on behalf of ICE. The results of the survey were used to determine the current status of library services in immigration detention facilities as well as to identify issues or problems …

Microelectromechanical Systems Coulter Counter For Cell Monitoring And Counting, James D. Benson, Yifan Wu, John K. Critser, Mahmoud Almasri

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This note describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a novel microelectromechanical systems Coulter counter. The Coulter counter will be used to detect and monitor impedance changes of cells as a function of time in response to different experimental extracellular environments. The device consists of SU-8 (negative photoresist ) microchannels, vertical electroplated electrodes, polydimethylsiloxane cover, and is divided into a passive mixing region, a focusing region using negative dielectrophoretic forces, and a measuring region defined by multiple electroplated electrode pairs. The devices were tested using both microbeads in saline water and fibroblast cells in phosphate buffered saline solution. The results …

Modeling The Impacts Of Pulsed Riverine Inflows On Hydrodynamics And Water Quality In The Barataria Bay Estuary, Anindita Das

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Eutrophication and coastal wetland loss are the major environmental problems affecting estuaries around the world. In Louisiana, controlled diversions of the Mississippi River water back into coastal wetlands are thought to be an important engineering solution that could reverse coastal land loss. There are concerns, however, that freshwater diversions may increase nutrient inputs and create severe eutrophication problems in estuaries and wetlands adjacent to the diversion sites. My dissertation research concerns modeling the effects of the observed and hypothetical freshwater diversion discharges on the hydrodynamics, salinity and water quality in the Barataria estuary, a deltaic estuary in south Louisiana. This …

Resistant Starch And Sodium Butyrate Reduce Body Fat In Rodents, Kirk Adam Vidrine

LSU Master's Theses

Introduction: Obesity levels in the United States have significantly increased in the last forty years. Lifestyle and pharmacological treatments have been largely ineffective in treating obesity for most people. Both Resistant Starch (RS) and Dietary Sodium Butyrate (SB) are bioactivties which have shown the ability to decrease body fat levels of rodents without increasing physical activity or decreasing energy intake. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) are gut hormones that may be involved in increased energy expenditure at a cellular level with dietary RS and SB. Objective: To discern if SB and RS both work through the increase …

1337 W4yz Of {Dollar}P34king: Toward A Unifying Pragmatic Theory Of Virtual Speech Community Building, Tracy Rene Leblanc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Building a speech community requires building a shared history of communicative interaction. Within a virtual medium, speech community members employ accommodations for the lack of shared physical space that face-to-face interactions provide. These accommodations, amassing through extended discourse, bring to light the communicative strategies that virtual interlocutors employ in order to build community. Drawing from a corpus of unscripted, naturally occurring discourse of a particular virtual speech community, I engage three frames of linguistic analysis in order to recognize the communicative strategies that constitute speech community building. Relevance Theory (Sperber and Wilson 1995) accounts for the individual cognitive work involved …

Branding The Bear, Veni Harlan

LSU Master's Theses

Harlan, Veni S, B.F.A., Louisiana State University, 1981 Master of Fine Arts, Fall Commencement, 2010 Major: Graphic Design Branding the Bear Dissertation directed by Professor Rod Parker Pages in dissertation, 64. Words in abstract, 350. ABSTRACT Currently due to successful restoration efforts, the Louisiana Black Bear sub-species is rebounding. Correspondingly this increase in numbers accompanies the rise of human-bear conflict. Fiction, misinformation, resentment, and devaluation of the bear as a valuable asset stand to undermine the tremendous strides made by multiple public and private agencies over the course of twenty years. Discovery revealed a lack of knowledge by the public …

Revealing The Role Of Receptor Wsx1: A Double-Edged Sword In Tumor Progession, Denada Dibra

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Tumor initiation and progression are dependent on both aberrant gene expression in tumor cells and the communication between tumor cells and its micro- and systemic microenvironment. Many tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes have been characterized to suppress or promote tumor growth, but fewer genes in tumors are well-characterized as interacting with immune cells in the host to promote or inhibit tumor growth. The interleukin (IL) 27 receptor WSX1 is expressed in immune cells and induces an IL27-dependent immune response. Opposing this conventional dogma, our initial results reveal a much higher level of WSX1 expression in multiple types of epithelial tumor …

Transnational Legal Practice 2009, Carole Silver, Laurel S. Terry, Ellyn S. Rosen

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This article identifies some of the most important U.S. and international developments in transnational legal practice and provides citations for further research. The article begins by briefly reviewing the impact of the recession on legal services. The second section focuses on international developments. It identifies some of the ongoing efforts to implement the 2007 U.K. Legal Services Act, including the issuance of the influential Hunt and Smedley reports. It also provides information about law reform initiatives in France, Scotland and Korea. This section of the article also provides information about Canadian and Australian developments regarding admission of foreign applicants and …

Managing Fiscal Volatility By Redefining "Tax Cuts" And "Tax Hikes", David Gamage, Jeremy Bearer-Friend

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This report analyzes how states should cope with fiscal volatility at the level of institutional-design policy. We propose that states reconsider how they define terms like ‘‘tax cuts’’ and ‘‘tax hikes.’’ By adopting a new baseline for defining those terms, states can increase the likelihood of using tax rate adjustments to cope with fiscal volatility rather than more harmful spending fluctuations.

Ethnic Composition And The Dynamics Of Civil War: A Subnational Analysis Of India And Pakistan, Caroline Lee Payne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scholars, policymakers, and the media present a conflicting picture of the relationship between ethnicity and civil conflict. In order to clear up the confusion and better establish this relationship, I argue that it is necessary to: (1) distinguish between different types of ethnic composition; (2) conceptualize and measure ethnic composition as not only a static phenomenon but a dynamic one in which population changes alter group security calculations and therefore their decision making; (3) consider the unique mobilization capacity of ethnic groups; and (4) examine the effect of ethnic composition at the subnational level of analysis. In doing so, this …

Functional Characterization Of A Zinc Finger Protein Aebp2, Hana Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

AEBP2 is a zinc finger protein that has been shown to interact with the mammalian Polycomb Repression Complex 2 (PRC2). I characterized this unknown protein and tested its potential targeting roles for the PRC2. AEBP2 is an evolutionarily well-conserved gene that is found in animals ranging from flying insects to mammals. The transcription of mammalian AEBP2 is driven by two alternative promoters and produces multiple transcripts that give rise to at least two isoforms of the protein. These isoforms show developmental stage-specific expression patterns: the larger adult-specific form (52 kDa) and the smaller embryo-specific form (31 kDa). The AEBP2 protein …

Exercise-Induced Alterations In Melanocortin Receptor Expression And Inflammation, Tara Michelle Henagan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Inflammatory cytokines play a significant role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases and have been implicated as integral factors in both early and late phases of atherosclerosis. Lifestyle modifications such as increasing physical activity and making dietary changes to induce weight loss are part of the primary prescription for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Additionally, physical activity has been implicated as a potentially effective regimen for the control of inflammation, yet little is known about the anti-inflammatory mechanistic alterations induced by physical activity.

Exercise training causes acute changes in inflammation immediately post exercise, evidenced by upregulation of inflammatory cytokines and …

Portland Roasting Company: Farm Friendly Direct, Madeleine E. Pullman, Brandon Arends, Mark Langston, Greg Price, Greg Stokes

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This case describes the issues and dilemmas facing a company in their efforts to differentiate their product through a social sustainability programme. Over the years, the company has built a strong reputation with their sustainability efforts, particularly amongst their peers in the specialty coffee industry. There is some question as to whether this reputation has been visible to consumers and if consumers see the value-proposition. The case covers the history of coffee, the specialty coffee industry, the supply chain and roles of different participants, and the competitive landscape.

Furthermore, most of the competitive eco-labels and certification schemes are discussed. The …