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Minimizing The Harm Of State Fiscal Volatility, David Gamage, Jeremy Bearer-Friend

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This report’s primary concern is how U.S. state governments should respond to the fiscal volatility created by their balanced budget constraints. Applying the principles of risk allocation theory to this recurring problem, we conclude that states should primarily adjust the rates of broad-based taxes as their economies cycle, rather than fluctuating public spending.

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.

The Legal Writing Institute: Celebrating 25 Years Of Teaching & Scholarship, Mary Beth Beazley

Scholarly Works

Professor Beazley joins a panel of the elite of legal writing professors at Mercer University, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Legal Writing Institute in this transcript of the proceedings.

Discrimination Out Of Dismissiveness: The Example Of Infertility, David Orentlicher

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of War On Art: The Work Of Mark Rothko, Elizabeth Leigh Doland

LSU Master's Theses

My goal for this thesis was to adequately illustrate the effect war can have on art and artists. I chose to single out one particular artist who lived and worked during a time of war and explore his life and work. My choice of artist was not random: I chose an individual who was particularly concerned about his external environment, and was active in the political and social issues of the time. My subject is Mark Rothko, a Russian-Jewish artist who immigrated from Russia as a boy and spent his life in the hotspot of artistic inspiration, New York City. …

Effective Lesson Planning: Field Trips In The Science Curriculum, Cynthia Rau Rieger

LSU Master's Theses

Science field trips can positively impact students and motivate them into future studies in various science fields. However, if a field trip is not executed properly, it can result in a loss of valuable educational time and could promote misconceptions in the students. This study was undertaken to determine if a classroom lesson before an out-of-the-classroom activity would affect learner gain more or less than a lesson after the activity. The students were divided into two different groups. The groups differed based on the sequence of activities that they received. The activities involved in this study included visiting an immersive …

Is A Student's Conceptual Knowledge Affected By Their Vocabulary Instruction?, Daniel C. Cox

LSU Master's Theses

The following paper explores the possible relationship between the manner in which a student is taught vocabulary in a high school physics classroom and the ability of those students to correctly answer physics conceptual questions. Two high school physics classes taught by the same teacher (eight or nine students in one and seventeen in the other) received identical instruction throughout multiple units with the exception of vocabulary instruction. Differences were observed in the students’ ability to correctly answer conceptual questions in only one topic, heat. The students did not get better at answering a question concerning a phase change or …

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 …

Task And Relationship Conflict In Subordinates And Supervisors Relations: Interaction Effects Of Justice Perceptions And Emotion Management, Sungwon Choi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the antecedents and outcomes of task and relationship conflict in subordinates and supervisors relations. Based on abusive supervision studies and the justice framework, I proposed that the relationship between abusive supervision and task conflict is mediated by procedural justice, and that the relationship between abusive supervision and relationship conflict is mediated by interactional justice. Based on emotional intelligence theory, I also proposed that these mediation processes are moderated by an individual’s emotion management ability (EMA). Finally, I anticipated that relationship conflict elicits more detrimental effect on employees’ organizational citizenship and workplace deviance behaviors. A total of 310 …

Computer Simulation Of Ion-Induced Nucleation In The Presence Of Single Ions And Ion Pairs, Samuel Keasler

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Atmospheric aerosol particles play an important role in climate and human health. Despite their importance, the mechanisms of their formation are still poorly understood. Ion-induced nucleation may play a role in the process, but details are lacking about how the nucleation rate depends on the size, charge, and number of ions in the cluster. In order to better understand the role that ions might play in new particle formation, we have performed a series of AVUS-HR simulations of the water nucleation in the presence of both single ions and ion pairs. These simulations have shown that the location of the …

The Adoption Of Best Management Practices In The Louisiana Crawfish Industry, Narayan P. Nyaupane

LSU Master's Theses

Agricultural production can have result in environmental deterioration in cases where proper management practices have not been implemented. Louisiana, one of the tropical states, has a significant agricultural base with more than 1,600 farmers raising crawfish. Large volumes of waste water containing environmental pollutants result significant environmental problem in the state. Voluntary adoption of a number of best management practices (BMPs) that are considered to be environmentally and economically beneficial is encouraged in Louisiana. The major objectives of this study are to investigate farmer adoption of 18 selected Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share eligible BMPs and the reasons …

Country Natural Beef: A Maturing Co-Op At The Crossroads, Madeleine E. Pullman, Victoria Villa-Lobos, Zhaohui Wu

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

A Business Base Study of a Group of Northwest Cattle Ranchers that Formed a Co-op to Market Natural Beef Products, in the Face of economic uncertainty and the rise of corporate farms and ranches. Provides an overview of the cattle ranching industry, the history of the co-op, its economic outlook, and future challenges.

The Influence Of A State Law Enforcement Training Academy On Future Performance Of Law Enforcement Officers In A Southeastern State Of The United States, Cary Allen Caro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the influence of the state police law enforcement academy on the performance of commissioned officers in the field training officer (FTO) program in a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The law enforcement training academy is paramount in preparing cadets for the roles, responsibilities, and activities that graduates assume independently in the field. As such, it is important to understand the value added to future performance in the field through adequate preparation in the training academy. This dissertation analyzes a sample of officers in the Southeastern region of the United States and explores the …

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 …

Scientific Understandings Of Postpartum Illness: Improving Health Law And Policy?, Stacey A. Tovino

Scholarly Works

In its broadest sense, the Article examines the relationship between science and the law in the context of postpartum illness. From classical antiquity to the present day, physicians and scientists have investigated the causes, correlates, and consequences of the depressions and psychoses that develop in some women following their transition to motherhood. The scientific investigation of postpartum illness has been characterized by an open-ended search for knowledge with the recgonition that scientific findings published one day are subject to revision the next. Legislators and judges also have sought to understand postpartum illness as necessary to make laws that affect and …

Press Independence In Newspaper Coverage Of The 2009 Health Care Debate, Matthew Holt Barnidge

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines press independence from the government in the 2009 national health care debate. Through a content analysis examining source expressions, or the words journalists attribute to various people in the news, the study captures the essence of the discourse represented in the news about the debate. This paper also outlines a distinction between various types of autonomy, and offers a new conceptualization of independence. Procedural autonomy, which is autonomy in journalistic norms and routines, does not necessarily result in content autonomy, which is autonomy of viewpoints expressed in the news. In other words, if non-governmental sources say substantially …

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. …

University Admissions Officers' Perceptions Of Student Performance Within The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, Emily Trabona Tarver

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study sought to provide a general perception of admissions offices of secondary institutions have toward the Diploma Program through a grounded theory approach. The first goal of the study investigated the nature of credit awards for a student’s high school academic performance. Specific attention was paid to the processes institutions use for determining credit awards, policies associated with credit awards, and perceptions related credit awards. The second goal investigated admissions policies, processes, and perceptions associated with credit awards and the DP specifically. Finally, the third goal sought to illustrate the development and/or changes in the perceptions and actions …

Antisense Silver Nanoparticles For Photo-Activated Gene Silencing, Paige Kathleen Brown

LSU Master's Theses

The unique properties of noble metal nanoparticles, which include tunable electronic and photonic characteristics, contribute to their potential as novel delivery vectors with enhanced drug stability, cell uptake, and photo-activated functionalities. Silver, as one of best surface-enhancing substrates available for bulk nanostructure synthesis, is a prime choice for investigations of metal nanohybrids as antisense therapy vehicles with special surface plasmon resonance (SPR) enabled functional attributes. The singular photonic properties of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) may contribute to ease of delivery confirmation and in situ photo-activation of protected cargo packed on particle surfaces. Here we show the synthesis and characterization of 40-80nm …

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 …

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Informal Science Education Through Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis: Ocean Commotion, Catherine Angela Sutera

LSU Master's Theses

Informal science education serves as an important source for science education for both individuals and school groups. However, the effectiveness of school visits to informal science education events outside of either museums or science centers has received little investigation. This study explores the short-term effects of a hands-on learning experience on students’ attitude and content knowledge. Specifically, it investigates the impact of Ocean Commotion, a one-day event where exhibitors present information and hands-on demonstrations about marine environments and products, especially those important to Louisiana. Pre-tests were utilized to document students’ initial knowledge of and attitude toward wetlands and the ocean, …

The Achievement Of Business Education Students On High School Core Subjects, Mohd Khata Bin Jabor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The importance of academic courses taken during high school has been well documented. It could determine the students’ achievement in high school, affect the students’ ability to transition to postsecondary education and expand the students’ choice of postsecondary majors and degree options (Laird, Chen, & Levesque, 2006). This study examined whether enrollment in business education is related to achievements in high school core subjects. The rationale for the study is to determine if business education contributes to the academic achievement of high school students. This study used the data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript …

The Influence Of Program Participation In Business Education Courses On Standardized Test Performance Among Secondary Students In Louisiana, Debra A. Wilkerson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement, as measured by scores on the English and math portions of the Graduate Exit Examination (GEE), of public high school students in Louisiana by whether or not they were identified as business education students. The GEE is a high-stakes test that is administered to high school students in Louisiana. Students must pass specific portions of the test to obtain a diploma. Academic achievement data on the GEE was obtained from the Louisiana Department of Education. The sample for the study was all 10th and 11th grade students enrolled …

Payments Data Security Breaches And Oil Spills: What Lessons Can Payments Security Learn From The Laws Governing Remediation Of The Exxon Valdez, Deepwater Horizon, And Other Oil Spills?, Sarah Jane Hughes

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing Male Involvement In Reproductive Health During Pregnancy, Childbirth And The Postnatal Period In Rural Districts Of Malawi, Jane Dzumbila-Namasasu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis focuses on socio cultural factors influencing male involvement in reproductive health during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period in rural districts of Malawi. This research stems from my fourteen years of experience in designing and overseeing the implementation of reproductive health services in Malawi, which led me to question why men as partners/husbands are not considered in the design and implementation of such services. Men as partners/husbands bear witness to most of the reproductive health problems that women go through and they are in a position of power, making decisions for their families‟ welfare. In addition to men‟s …

Improving The Aesthetic And Other Experiential Design Aspects Of Bicycle Paths In Western Australia, Anthony W. Stephens

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Governments around Australia are in the process of promoting cycling as both a sustainable form of transport that can be a viable alternative to the motor vehicle, particularly for shorter trips, and as a healthy recreational pursuit that can play an important role in addressing the growing problem of obesity and illnesses associated with a sedentary lifestyle in the community. As part of this initiative, the development of effective and efficient infrastructure for bicycles is seen as a vital step for achieving higher participation rates.

A major component of the nation’s bicycle infrastructure is the growing networks of paved paths …

Impact Of Static Stretch And Muscular Contractions On Force Production Within The Human Triceps Surae Muscle-Tendon Complex, Anthony D. Kay

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Pre-performance routines commonly include stretching and intense muscular contractions in an attempt to optimise muscular performance and reduce injury risk. However, the isolated and combined effects of stretching and muscle contractions on neuromuscular performance are not well described. The aims of this research were to examine the effects of acute static stretch and intense muscular contractions on force production of the human plantarflexors and to examine possible mechanical and neuromuscular mechanisms underpinning any changes. Techniques including isokinetic dynamometry, electromyography (EMG), sonography and motion analysis were used in three studies on recreationally active human volunteers (n=20). In the first study, three …

A Model For The Measurement And Presentation Of Participation Awareness In Online Groupware Systems, Greg Baatard

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The need to support effective group work in online environments has become a prominent issue in both education and enterprise. Universities continue to adopt constructivist-based learning strategies which see learners engage in group work to build knowledge, coupled with an increase in online and distance learners. In enterprise, where group or team based work is commonplace, the prevalence of the Internet has seen the emergence of teams that collaborate wholly or partially online.

In response to this emergent need, groupware, software used to support online group work, has become widely used in both education and enterprise. Although based upon sound …