Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Validity Of Scores Obtained With The Home And Family Questionnaire And Their Reliability With Scores Obtained With The Home Observation For The Measurement Of The Environment-Middle Childhood, Holly Marie Bell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of home environments and their relationships to child outcomes has become common practice among researchers of child development. As such, having a reliable instrument for measuring home environments that is also cost and time efficient is of primary interest to researchers. The most widely used instrument for measuring home environments is the Home Observation Measurement of the Environment (HOME) developed by Caldwell and Bradley in 1984. Use of the HOME is prevalent among researchers, yet it is costly to implement both in time and in money. An alternative tool for home environment measurement is the Home and Family …

Birth Matters: Discourses Of Childbirth In Contemporary American Culture, Jennifer Ellis West

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this project, I use a rhetorical-cultural approach to examine the multiple and often-contradictory messages circulating in contemporary American culture about the event of childbirth. Though many feminist scholars have shown how professional obstetrics’ view of physiological birth shapes medical practice and women’s experiences in hospitals, few have asked what the American public is learning about birth outside of the hospital, or why that knowledge might matter. In order to fill that gap, I trace a dominant narrative that positions institutionalized biomedical knowledge and technology as the exclusive producers of health and safety for birthing women and their babies in …

Finding Inspiration In Invitation To A Beheading: A Thesis On The Creation And Development Of A One-Person Play, Joshua Ryan Dawes

LSU Master's Theses

Writing and performing a one-person play was selected as the basis for a thesis project in the spring semester of 2010 to be presented to to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Theatre. The thesis will include an introduction, a review of the literature that inspired the original production, the full text of both scripts that were used, a chapter on the process of discovering a new play, a section about future plans for the …

An Exploration Of Secondary Level Instrumental Music Educators' Receptiveness To Select Philosophical Writings, Robert Neil Nelson

LSU Master's Theses

Prior research suggests the existence of a general divide between educators in the field and scholarly research writings; however, the extent to which this divide extends into writings associated with areas of philosophy and curricular construction has not been thoroughly investigated in the field of music education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate secondary level music educators’ (N=3) perceptions of and receptiveness to two journal articles derived from contrasting philosophical stances in music education. Data collection included a combination of on-site observations to ascertain current teaching practices of participants, completion of a survey designed to measure self-reported …

Designing Graphic Design History: Teaching For The 21st Century Classroom, Phillip Peter Winfield

LSU Master's Theses

Designing Graphic Design History: Teaching for the 21st Century Classroom undertakes the development of a web-based Graphic Design History interactive timeline (GDHit), intended as a user-generated online database for potentially all graphic design enthusiasts, but specifically faculty and students within the traditional graphic design history course. GDHit seeks to continue the implementation of new media and emerging digital technologies in a traditional, lecture-oriented environment by inviting the user (or audience) to contribute the content for the timeline, while fostering new forms of course engagement for students in this digital age. In keeping with the tenets of the digital age and …

Simulation Study Of Sweep Improvement In Heavy Oil Co2 Floods, Venu Gopal Rao Nagineni

LSU Master's Theses

Enhanced oil recovery by CO2 injection is a common application used for light oil reservoirs since CO2 is relatively easily miscible with light oils. CO2 flooding in heavy oil reservoirs is often uneconomic due to unfavorable mobility ratios. Reservoir heterogeneity further complicates the process as CO2 channels through high permeability layers leading to premature breakthrough. However, this can be controlled by choosing a suitable modification to the CO2 injection process enabling better sweep efficiencies, and making the process economic. The current work focuses on two such methods; water-alternating-gas injection (WAG) and profile modification by blocking gas flow in the high …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Communication And Socialization Deficits In Infants And Toddlers With Autism And Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (Pdd_Nos), Megan Alice Hattier

LSU Master's Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are characterized by pervasive impairments in repetitive behaviors or interests, communication, and socialization. As the onset of these features occurs at a very young age, early detection is of the utmost importance. In an attempt to better clarify the behavioral presentation of communication and socialization deficits to aid in early assessment and intervention, impairments in these areas were examined among infants and toddlers (17-37 months) with Autistic Disorder (AD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and non-ASD related developmental delay. The Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part1 (BISCUIT-Part1) and the Battelle …

Evaluation Of Knowledge Transfer In An Immersive Virtual Learning Environment For The Transportation Community, Mary Leah Caillier Coco

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the year 2009, 667 individuals lost their lives in a highway construction or maintenance work zone (National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, 2010). Since the year 2003, 6,438 individuals have been killed in a highway construction or maintenance work zone, which is approximately 805 deaths per calendar year (National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, 2010). This eye-opening and unfortunate statistic points to the need for a re-evaluation of training methodology as it relates to work zone safety. This study reports on the use of virtual learning technology for work-zone training. This research tested the use of an Immersive Virtual …

Old Europe Versus New Europe: Cultural Similarity Tolerance, Religion And Anti-Americanism In A Divided European Union, Madalina Cristina Hanes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research focuses on anti-Americanism in Europe. Old Europe, including countries like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, is significantly more anti-American than New Europe, which includes countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary. In this project, however, I have made a number of observations that go beyond than this simple conclusion. I examined factors that could be behind these different levels of anti-Americanism in Old Europe and New Europe, and one key answer that emerged was “cultural similarity.” There are, of course, other factors that impact attitudes towards the United States and Americans, such as the …

La Ola Verde: Female, Hispanic Consumers And The Green Movement, Stefanie Ann Ramirez

LSU Master's Theses

Due to their impact on the environment, apparel companies have gradually begun to change manufacturing and production processes and provide consumers with environmentally responsible apparel product options. Among these consumers are Hispanics, a consumer group which research has shown to have a strong purchasing power and astounding population increase. Between 2000 and 2010, the total population in the United States increased by 23.7million people, with Hispanics accounting for over 50% of that total increase (Humes, Jones, & Ramirez, 2011). It is estimated that by 2125 Hispanics will account for 50% of the total U.S. population (Day, 1996). Additionally, between 1990 …

The Lower Ninth Ward: Resistance, Recovery, And Renewal, Alexandra Giancarlo

LSU Master's Theses

After Hurricane Katrina of 2005, New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward became an icon for the failure of recovery efforts and the persistence of inequality and poverty in American society. However, for as long as this community has been marginalized it has been creating advocacy organizations and counter-narratives that battled discrimination and imbued its cultural practices with meaning. Residents often speak of a profound sense of community attachment, a commitment to educational prospects, and a deep historic and cultural identity. Historically, this area has been home to various social and legal campaigns, mirroring the contemporary protests that arose when residents encountered …

Efficient Replica-Exchange Across Distributed Production Infrastructure, Abhinav S. Thota

LSU Master's Theses

Replica-Exchange (RE) methods represent a class of algorithms that involve a large number of loosely-coupled ensembles and are used to understand physical phenomena -- ranging from protein folding dynamics to binding affinity calculations. We develop a framework for RE that supports different replica pairing and coordination mechanisms, that can use a wide range of production cyberinfrastructure concurrently. Additionally, our framework uses a flexible pilot-job implementation, which enables effective resource allocation for multiple replicas. We characterize the performance of two different RE algorithms - synchronous and asynchronous - at unprecedented scales on production distributed infrastructure (Teragrid and LONI). The synchronous RE …

Cognitive Radio Network With A Distributed Control Channel And Quality-Of-Service Solution, Urban Terrell Wiggins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The proliferation of wireless access and applications to the Internet and the advent of a myriad of highly evolved portable communication devices; creates the need for an efficiently utilized radio spectrum. This is paramount in the licensed and unlicensed radio frequency bands, that spawn an exponential growth in Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) research, Cognitive Radio (CR) and Cognitive Radio Networks (CRN) research. DSA research has given way to the paradigm shift toward CR with its dynamic changes in transmission schemas. This paradigm shift from a fixed and centralized frequency spectrum environment has morphed into a dynamic and decentralized one. CR …

The Effects Of Fantasy Football Participation On Team Identification And Nfl Fandom, Jeremy Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Nearly 27 million people in North America played fantasy sports in 2009. This quantitative study examined how a person’s level of participation in fantasy football affects team identification, team loyalty, fandom of the National Football League (NFL), and consumer behavior. I also looked at whether fantasy football participants prefer a win by their fantasy team or their favorite team. An online survey was conducted using a snowball sample. I found higher participation levels result in higher team identification, higher team loyalty, and higher fandom, where fandom of the NFL is higher than team identification. Higher levels of participation also led …

The Four Color Theorem, Jordan Stein

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Nonsuicidal Self-Injuring Behavior : Applications To Family Therapy For Adolescents, Laura J. Foley

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Goodhealthtv : A Viewer's Perspective, Sierra A. Davis

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

[Alpha]₁A Adrenergic Receptors Enhance Learning And Memory In Adult Mice, Mariaha Lyons

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Population Characteristics Of A White-Tailed Deer Herd In An Industrial Pine Forest Of North-Central Louisiana, John Henry Harrelson

LSU Master's Theses

White-tailed deer are the most important game species in Louisiana, and throughout the southeastern United States. Likewise, the forest products industry represents the most important agricultural commodity in Louisiana, and industrial landowners frequently lease their properties to sportsmen specifically for white-tailed deer hunting. I conducted research assessing survival, space use, and habitat selection of white-tailed deer on a 3885 ha industrial forest owned by Plum Creek Timber Company. I captured 61 deer in Union Parish, Louisiana in 2009-2010, radio-marked 24 females and 23 males, and ear-tagged 7 females and 6 males. Season and sex interacted to affect home range and …

We Are What We Eat : Discovering The Key To Preventive Healthcare, Megan Riederer

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Self-Presentation Through Facebook Status Updates, Paige Wold

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Development And Validation Of Biomechanical Models To Quantify Horse Back Forces At The Walk In Three Horse Breeds, Laxmi Raghunandana Kaidapuram

LSU Master's Theses

Therapeutic horseback riding is a common component of physical therapy programs. Quantification of the horse back forces will provide vital information to match therapeutic riders with equine partners. To meet this medical need, a model to quantify the horse back forces from ground reaction forces was developed to test the hypothesis that the forces transferred to a static weight on the horse’s back can be predicted given horse breed and weight. Simultaneous, real time kinetic, kinematic, and back force data on a static weight were collected from 7 adult horses: 3 thoroughbreds, 3 quarter horses, and 1 paso fino. An …

An Aloha State Of Mind: Performing Hawaiian Cultural Identities, Kirsten E. Ogden

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There are many Hawaiian identities currently in effect. This dissertation explores several representative and contested Hawaiian identities, and how these identities develop through key performances, plays, and other representational practices by Hawaiians and by Locals. Due to its unique situation as one of only two U.S. states formerly with its own government, and as one of only two U.S. states not connected to the main land-mass of the United States, Hawaiian identity is complicated by multiple factors: sanitized historical constructions, sovereignty, intermingling ethnic identities, tourism, and reclaimed cultural practices. Additionally, Hawaiians as a native people hold a unique place in …

I Can Has Thesis? A Linguistic Analysis Of Lolspeak, Jordan Lefler

LSU Master's Theses

Lolspeak, which I characterize as an internet dialect of English that is used in conjunction with images of cats, exhibits distinctive variations and patterns which differ from those of standard English. Lolspeak has influenced other language use and may have a significant impact on the English language, due in part to the internet’s role in the evolution of English (Crystal “Language and the Internet,” 2006:26-27). To approach this data, I created a multi-modal discourse transcription technique for analyzing Lolspeak utterances within the context of their images based on Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss “The Discovery of Grounded Theory” 2007:9). I …

Rapid Identification Of Oil Contaminated Soils Using Visible Near Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, Somsubhra Chakraborty

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Initially, 46 petroleum contaminated and non-contaminated soil samples were collected and scanned using visible near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (VisNIR DRS) at three combinations of moisture content and pretreatment. The VisNIR spectra of soil samples were used to predict total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content using partial least squares (PLS) regression and boosted regression tree (BRT) models. The field-moist intact scan proved best for predicting TPH content with a validation r2 of 0.64 and relative percent difference (RPD) of 1.70. Those 46 samples were used to calibrate a penalized spline (PS) model. Subsequently, the PS model was used to predict soil TPH …

Data-Aware Workflow Scheduling In Heterogeneous Distributed Systems, Dengpan Yin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Data transferring in scientific workflows gradually attracts more attention due to large amounts of data generated by complex scientific workflows will significantly increase the turnaround time of the whole workflow. It is almost impossible to make an optimal or approximate optimal scheduling for the end-to-end workflow without considering the intermediate data movement. In order to reduce the complexity of the workflow-scheduling problem, most researches done so far are constrained by many unrealistic assumptions, which result in non-optimal scheduling in practice. A constraint imposed by most researchers in their algorithms is that a computation site can only start the execution of …

Secure Distributed Detection In Bandwidth-Constrained Wireless Sensor Networks, Reza Soosahabi

LSU Master's Theses

Utilizing wireless sensor network (WSN) is a novel idea in a variety of applications. However, the limited resources allocated to the sensor nodes make the design of WSNs a challenging problem. We consider the problem of hypothesis testing in a bandwidth-constrained, low-power wireless sensor network operating over insecure links. Sensors quantize their observations and transmit their decisions to an intended (ally) fusion center (AFC) which combines the received messages to detect the state of an unknown hypothesis.

In many applications the sensor messages are vulnerable to unauthorized eavesdropping. The scarce bandwidth and processing power for the sensors rule out the …

Catalytic Process For The Conversion Of Synthesis Gas To Ethanol For Use As An Alternative Fuel, Nitin Kumar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Higher alcohols are increasing as a proportion of the transportation fuel market, and can be used as neat fuels, or as blends with conventional fuels. For a number of reasons, these C2+-alcohols will be of interest in the foreseeable future. Large-scale production of higher alcohols will likely be carried out via syngas, which can be produced from a number of feedstocks, including coal, natural gas and biomass. Rhodium-based catalysts have been found to be the most active/selective for higher alcohols. However, the literature shows that the yields of C2+-alcohols that can be achieved with current catalysts, even the most active/selective, …

Social Vulnerability In Louisiana's Upper Industrial Corridor: Spatial Distribution And Linkages With Cumulative Pollution - A Zip Code Level Analysis, María Belén Toscano

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana’s industrial corridor, the stretch of the lower Mississippi River from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, is one of the areas with the highest concentration of petrochemical facilities and chemical plants in the United States, as well as one of the most heavily polluted. In particular, the present study examined the associations of social vulnerability and potential exposure to environmental pollution in the upper section of the industrial corridor, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The study was based on the methodology developed by Cutter et al. (2003) to construct an empirically derived index to measure social vulnerability to …

Accountability Models For Alternative Schools, Belinda B. Brand

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Using historical test data from the standardized testing program (LEAP, iLEAP) in the state of Louisiana, this sequential mixed methods study utilized hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and a logistic regression method to test alternate measures of school performance (student achievement model, growth model, and transition to 9th grade) applied to alternative middle schools serving students who are academically behind. These schools are defined as those serving students who have not yet been able to transition to high school due to grade retention and are substantially older than their grade peers (Aron, 2003). The quantitative study sample included both students attending …