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Ephemeral Media, Persistent Action: Public Pedagogies Of Collective Resistance, Jessica Ketcham Weber

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In Ephemeral Media, Persistent Action: Public Pedagogies of Collective Resistance, I argue that representations of contemporary activism against corporate globalization, as analyzed in three different sites of commercially-driven media texts—newspapers, film, and websites—teach people to move away from public forms of collective activism and towards privatized and institutionally-sponsored forms as part of the larger project of neoliberalism. Specifically, this dissertation focuses on the representations of, and responses to the representations of, two events—the protests against the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Seattle, Washington in 1999 and the protests during the Republican National Convention in 2004 in New York City—as …

The Theoretical Learning Impact Of A Summer Engineering Program Curriculum For Underrepresented Middle School Students, Vaneshette Teshawn Henderson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods, exploratory and confirmatory study was designed to evaluate the theoretical learning impact of a innovative summer engineering program curriculum would have on its audience, middle school minority students. Several theories were used to develop the innovative curriculum including Human Constructivism, cultural learning styles of African Americans, visual spatial learning and graphic design learning. This study was completed in two phases: evaluation of existing middle school summer engineering program curriculum for best practices and development of innovative curriculum and expert evaluation of the innovative curriculum. Three existing programs from across the country participated in this study. Five engineering …

East Meets West? Determinants Of Chinese Firms' Response To Pressures Towards International Corporate Governance Standards, Zhengjun Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The diffusion of corporate governance standards globally has received special attention from researchers in an increasingly globalized economy. This topic is particularly significant in emerging economies as they encounter both economic pressures to adopt international governance standards and pressures to conform to local institutional resistance to change in governance. Drawing on multi-theoretical perspectives including agency theory, resource dependence theory and institutional theory, this study examines the role of CEO and board characteristics, ownership structure, prior firm performance, and firm’s selection of accounting standards and auditing firms in determining Chinese publicly listed firms’ responses to pressures to adopt international governance standards. …

Retrotransposon-Mediated Genomic Dynamism, Thomas Joshua Meyer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Retrotransposons, a class of mobile elements, generate new copies in host genomes using RNA intermediates and reverse transcribing new copies into new loci. As such, the copy numbers of many active retrotransposon families increase dramatically over time. For example, ~42% of the human genome is comprised of retrotransposon sequences. The insertion activity of these elements, and the high degree of identity existing between the copies, have been shown to significantly impact the structure and stability of genomes, contributing in various ways from exon shuffling to inversions and from non-allelic homologous recombination to altering gene regulation. The two most successful mobile …

Social Change, Social Capital, And Civic Community: A Qualitative Study Of The Long-Term Effects Of Industrial Restructuring On A Coastal Community, Timothy C. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the link between economic restructuring and patterns of social capital and social control. Although social capital literature frequently examines the consequences of social capital on a variety of outcomes, the key theoretical contribution of my dissertation is a framework to explain how community structure conditions social relations among local residents. Specifically, I examine the effects of changes in economic structure on social capital. Using nine South Louisiana community case studies, I evaluate the effect of restructuring in the offshore oil industry on the development of weak ties among local residents. My central finding is that population turnover …

Fabrication, Characterization, Modeling And Testing Of A Nanostructured Bulk Thermoelectric Cooler, Dinesh Pinisetty

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

New generation micro/nano devices are emerging to monitor, control and act on living systems. Particularly, in the field of cryobiology, there is a need to monitor and control temperature at the cellular level. An important step towards achieving this aim is to fabricate a novel bulk nanostructured thermoelectric cooler (TEC). As a first step towards achieving efficient localized control of temperature in biological systems, Bismuth-telluride (Bi2Te3) and Antimony-Telluride (Sb2Te3) arrays of nanowires and nanotubes were fabricated, characterized and modeled. A thermal conductivity model originally developed by Dames and Chen for superlattice nanowires was extended to nanotubes. Based on this model …

Characterization Of Quantitative Traits Using Association Genetics Tetraploid And Genetic Linkage Mapping In Diploid Cotton (Gossypium Spp.), Ashok Badigannavar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is the most extensively used natural fiber in the textile industry. Understanding the genetic diversity, population structure and marker trait associations are of great importance in marker assisted selection. Microsatellite, AFLP and TRAP markers were used to construct a linkage map with 94 F2 diploid individuals derived from a cross between G. arboreum x G. herbaceum. A total of 606 polymorphic markers gave rise to 37 linkage groups covering a total of 1109cM with an average distance of 7.92cM between each loci. Discriminant analysis identified three markers each for petal color and seed fuzziness, and four markers …

Temporal Reframing Of Prices: A Conceptual Framework, Mazen Jaber

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research on consumer’s response to pricing tactics has been plentiful and is still ongoing. One strategy that research has sought to explain and endorse is pennies-a-day (Gourville, 1998), where the cost of a product is expressed as a small ongoing expense. This dissertation tests two competing theories that may explain the effect of PAD on consumer participation intentions. The first theory, marketing exchange (Bagozzi, 1975) predicts different effects across exchange type; in particular, generalized exchange (charity) and restricted exchange (consumer products and services). The second theory, mental budgeting (Heath and Soll, 1996) predicts different effects across expense type; this study …

Factor That Influence The Critical Thinking Skills Of Public School Teachers In A Parish In Southwest Louisiana, Dale Beglis Schanz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of selected personal and professional demographic characteristics on the critical thinking abilities of teachers in a parish in Southwest Louisiana. The study is a correlational design using a descriptive survey technique with questions for the data collection. The examiner looked at attribute independent variables – characteristics that a subject has before a study begins such as gender, age, race, highest level of education completed, and years of teaching experience. Three hundred and twenty-four teachers in twelve public schools (three high schools, four middle schools, and five elementary schools) participated in …

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 …

Gender Differences In Core Symptomatology In Autism Spectrum Disorders Across The Lifespan, Tessa Taylor Rivet

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A preponderance of males with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been evident since the initial writings on the topic. This male predominance has consistently emerged in all ASD research to date in epidemiological as well as clinical populations. Despite this long recognized gender disparity in ASD, surprisingly there is a paucity of research addressing gender as it relates to core ASD symptom presentation. Gender differences may manifest with regard to symptom domains, severity, breadth, and so forth. The present research examined gender differences in ASD symptomatology in three populations: infants and toddlers at risk for developmental disability, children and adolescents, …

Designing A Whey Protein Based Material As A Scaffold For Bone Regeneration, Mia Dvora

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A novel gel material was designed and optimized for use as a bone tissue regeneration scaffold. Whey protein isolate (WPI), the primary component of the material, underwent considerable testing for conformity to a set of known material characteristics required for application in bone regeneration. WPI gels of different compositions were fabricated by thermally inducing gelation of high-concentration protein suspensions, and characterized for compressive strength and modulus, hydration swelling and drying properties, mechanical behavior change due to polysaccharide additives, and intrinsic pore network structure. The gels were also tested for their compatibility with MC3T3-E1 cells, and interactions such as cell adhesion, …

Reflections On Teaching: Dwelling In A Third Space, Sean William Buckreis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

What does it mean to teach well? What does it mean to be a good teacher? These are questions that have been asked for hundreds if not thousands of years; yet, an unequivocal answer has not been reached. Drawing on Thomas Kuhn’s (1962/1996) concept of a paradigm, it is easy to see that the field of curriculum is anything but paradigmatic. Competing philosophical, psychological, and sociological schools of thought, for example, all support differing ideas of what “good teaching” looks like, and teacher education programs often reflect this diversity of thought. The situation does not end at the borders of …

Incentives, Risk, And The Role Of Private Investments In Louisiana Coastal Wetland Restoration, Cheikhna Ould Dedah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The coast of Louisiana, with more than three million wetland acres, accounts for about 40 percent of the nation’s total wetlands. Louisiana is estimated to have lost more than 1.2 million acres of its coastal wetland in the last century. Although 75% of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are privately owned, little has been done to encourage private landowners to undertake wetland restoration projects. This dissertation examines the factors that influence the decisions of the landowners to undertake wetland restoration projects. We develop a theoretical framework for understanding the landowner’s decision-making process in the presence of high uncertainty and increasing restoration costs. …

Writing About The South "In Her Own Way": Gender And Region In The Work Of Southern Women Playwrights, Casey Kayser

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines how identity—gender, race, sexuality, regional affiliation—intersects with considerations of the dramatic genre, commercial and critical factors in the American theatre, and understandings about the American South to complicate how contemporary southern women playwrights represent region. In light of the always-already "performative" nature of the South, and geographical, commercial, and ideological factors that set the South in opposition to the North, southern women playwrights face additional difficulties in navigating issues of authenticity and simulacra, the universal versus the specific, ideas about southern "backwardness" versus northern sophistication, and audience participation in fetishizing or distancing the South. Using drama as …

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 …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Academic Achievement And Traumatic Stress Following Hurricane Katrina, Audrey Baumeister

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hurricane Katrina inflicted traumatic experiences on many children in New Orleans and the surrounding area. The literature has shown a significant relationship between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and lowered academic achievement in children. This longitudinal study investigated the relationships between attendance, academic achievement, and PTSD symptoms following Hurricane Katrina. Participants were 343 mother-child dyads recruited from public and private schools within Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, and East Baton Rouge Parish 4-7 months following Hurricane Katrina. Children completed the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index, the BASC-2 Self Report of Personality, and the Hurricane-Related Traumatic Experiences (HURTE). Mothers completed the Childhood …

White Faculty As Racial Justice Allies At A Predominantly White Institution, Jennifer Kristine Loftin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study uses the conceptual framework of critical race theory to examine the experiences of White faculty as racial justice allies at a predominantly White institution. Kobrak (1992) has emphasized the significant role that socially concerned White faculty may play on our campuses, describing these faculty as the “missing link” in institutional efforts for diversity. However, little is known about the experiences of White faculty allies. The current study addresses this void through the primary research question: What are the experiences of White faculty at a predominantly White institution who participate in the campus community as racial justice allies? …

Retention Of Students In A Diploma Nursing Program In The Southern United States, Carol Ann Tingle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Registered Nurses comprise the largest group of healthcare professionals in the United States, and forecasts predict a nursing shortage of epic proportions on the horizon. Significant factors include approaching retirement of Baby Boomer RNs, increased demand for care for aging Baby Boomers in the population, approaching retirement of nurse educators, and rejection of qualified applicants secondary to enrollment restrictions in nursing programs. Nursing student attrition further contributes to the pending shortage. Successful retention programs promote best-practice utilization of scarce resources. Understanding student characteristics serves as a basis for effective selection and retention programs. This study described characteristics of nursing students …

Studies Of Small Systems In Quantum Information, Sai Vinjanampathy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

I study two topics in quantum information theory from the perspective of algebra and geometry. The first relates to exploring the geometry of unitary operators for small quantum systems, specifically three-level systems. Such an understanding of the space over which quantum systems evolve is central to understanding the detailed dynamics of quantum systems and to understand the correlation properties of subsystems that compose a given quantum system. The geometry of unitary operators also allows for the calculation of path-dependent phases called geometric phases. These geometric phases are central to understanding a variety of experiments. I present a general technique, called …

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 …

Early American Self-Reflexive Writing: Revising The Tradition, Susie Scifres Kuilan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study focuses on self- reflexivity in early American texts. This self-reflexivity demonstrates that these early American authors were attempting to define “American fiction” and were participating in a new literary tradition that was developing simultaneously with the development of the new country. After the introduction, Chapter One lays the groundwork for my study by exploring current views of these texts and what led to these views. Chapter Two explores the difficulties facing post-Revolutionary authors and their reactions to these obstacles as reflected in their prefaces and their other writings. I show the way these authors self-consciously respond to the …

Staging Polemics: Charles Palissot, Voltaire, And The "Theatrical Event" In Eighteenth-Century France, Logan James Connors

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the exciting world of eighteenth-century French dramatic writing, performance and criticism from the point of view of the theatrical spectator. Instead of focusing on one single genre or writer, I assemble the textual creation, performance, and criticism of certain “polemical” plays into what I term a “theatrical event.” This optic provides a holistic vision of theater and an accurate view of how drama underwent noticeable change due to playwrights’ political associations, public reactions to performance, and the emerging power of the periodical press. In sum, this project differs from previous studies by focusing on the increasing rhetorical …

The Effect Of Anisotropic Surface Energy On The Stability Of Micro And Nano Wires, Ping Du

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A liquid thread of radius R will break up into drops if the axial wavelength of the surface perturbation L > 2πR. If L < 2πR, the thread is stable and will remain intact. This is Rayleigh’s stability criterion based on a continuum model. We use molecular dynamics to simulate the evolution of Lennard-Jones liquid threads with equilibrium radius R = 2.3-6.6, where R has been non-dimensionalized by the distance at which the Lennard-Jones potential equals zero. We find that if R is fixed, the wavelength L is bounded by L_min and L_max. For L > L_max the thread always breaks up and stays as drops, and for L < L_min the thread remains intact. However, for L_min < L < L_max, the thread oscillates continuously among several shapes. The appearance of various shapes can be explained by the energy fluctuation of the system.

We also simulate the evolution of Lennard-Jones nanowires with equilibrium radius R = 1.57, 2.58, 3.59, and 4.60 by molecular dynamics. The wires …

Fabrication Of Receptor-Modified Microfluidic Surfaces For Applications In Glycoprotein Screening, Jennifer Macalindong De Guzman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Glycoproteins have long been identified to have a profound association with human pathological processes, and they are much sought after as potential biomarkers to aid in the early diagnosis and clinical prognosis of cancers and diseases. There is currently high demand for high-throughput and low–limit–of–detection techniques that can afford profiling of the glycoproteome. Micro-total analysis systems (µTAS) based on microfluidics have the potential to fulfill these requirements, but in order to reduce the complexity of the protein pool, the µTAS devices must contain a pre-isolation and enrichment component. The research project undertaken here involved derivatization of microfluidic …

Positive Connection Leads To Student Success, Diane C. Leavitt Ma

All Student Scholarship

This study focuses on the impact of positive adult connections on high school students’ success. The data is from of one southern Maine high school with a population of 1,050 students. The data includes overall school-wide results of student connectedness, as well as in-depth results from nine student interviews. The researcher’s intent was to demonstrate the need for continued mentoring efforts for high school students. It does appear from this study that adult mentoring programs have a positive effect on student success. The study also indicates that further research regarding the impact of student mentoring programs in high schools is …

Restructuring Introductory Physics By Adapting An Active Learning Studio Model, Delena Bell Gatch

Physics & Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Despite efforts to engage students in the traditional lecture environment, faculty in Georgia Southern University’s Physics Department became dissatisfied with lecture as the primary means of instruction. During the fall semester of 2006, our department began adapting the studio model to suit the needs of introductory calculus-based physics students at our institution. A studio course seamlessly integrates the lecture and laboratory courses into a single course, devoting much of the class time to active, collaborative, student-centered learning. An emphasis was placed on replacing traditional lectures with interactive, technology enriched class periods designed around the various learning styles. New teaching materials …

Admissions Viewbook, 2010-2011, Illinois State University, Office Of Admissions

Admissions Viewbook

Recruitment booklet created by Illinois State University's Office of Admissions

Useful Tips For The First Year Science Teacher, Kate Ellen Harken

Graduate Research Papers

First-year science teachers can face daunting challenges in and out of the classroom. Determining your personal teaching style, establishing a classroom routine and becoming accustomed to your new job and surroundings can take a toll on teachers.