Digital Commons Network^™

Drones In The National Airspace, Timothy T. Takahashi

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Modeling And Control Of Discrete Event Systems Using Finite State Machines With Variables And Their Applications In Power Grids, Junhui Zhao, Le Yi Wang, Zhong Chen, Feng Lin, Hongwei Zhang

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Control theories for discrete event systems modeled as finite state machines have been well developed to address various fundamental control issues. However, finite state machine model has long suffered from the problem of state explosion that renders it unsuitable for some practical applications. In an attempt to mitigate the state explosion problem, we propose an efficient representation that appends finite sets of variables to finite state machines in modeling discrete event systems. We also present the control synthesis techniques for such finite state machines with variables (FSMwV). We first present our notion and means of control under this representation. We …

The Impact Of Worksite Wellness Programs On Employee Productivity, Kacie K. Dielschneider

Graduate Research Papers

In the modem business environment, both employees and managers are faced 1 with numerous pressures to perform to corporate expectations. These pressures are often created by competitive business environments, environments that impose continuous change, and the internal revamping or progressing job responsibilities that create stressful working conditions (Noelcks, 2012). Alongside several other pressures in this high paced business world, it is vital to maintain a highly motivated and productive workforce.

The New Literacies: Transitioning The Secondary Writing Workshop Classroom, Laura Schafer

Graduate Research Papers

The New Literacies are an important aspect of education in the 21 st Century. As with any educational reform, there is some confusion surrounding the terminology of this movement. This paper will review the major components of the new literacies as well as examining the increased use of technology within the secondary writing workshop classroom. With the advancement of technology, students are incorporating more computer use both in and out of the classroom. ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) literacy skills must begin to transition into all classrooms; teaching includes the use of technology as part of instruction rather than a …

Worksite Wellness: Best Practices, Sarah C. Tighe

Graduate Research Papers

This is an overview of the best practices of worksite wellness. It examines how worksite wellness benefits employers through the containment of health care costs, better return on investments, and healthier and more productive employees for companies. It discusses the major themes of best practice workplaces, with three examples of companies that have succeeded in the development of their wellness programs. It concludes with a summary and discussion of the literature followed by a recommendation for employers and a recommendation for future research.

The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Academic Achievement, Annie M. Stoessel

Graduate Research Papers

The relationship between physical activity, physical education and academic achievement has gained increased attention in recent years. The nation's obesity rates keep rising and the nation's students continue to be less active than needed to maintain their health. Complicating the issue is the added pressure that schools have felt to cut physical education and physical activity from the school day in order to include more time for the core curriculum. Recently, new research has been added to the conversation that focuses on the relationship of physical activity and its impact on the brain and specifically student cognition. The focus of …

Invented Spelling And Its Value In Kindergarten, Michelle J. Mcdonald

Graduate Research Papers

This review examined the purpose of invented spelling in kindergarten, and what invented spelling can tell us about a child's development of letter/sound knowledge, phonemic awareness skills, concepts of print, and language skills. Additional examination of literature on invented spelling in a comprehensive literacy program focused on the connection between reading and writing. Several studies included comparisons of writing instructional methods. Invented spelling has value as an assessment tool for various literacy skills. Criticisms and controversies were reviewed, as well as recommendations for the use of invented spelling to optimize its value in the kindergarten curriculum. Findings of the review …

Integrating Literacy Into The Math Classroom : A Staff Development For Innovative Educators, Kathryn Pollina

Graduate Research Papers

With the collaboration and advice of several mentors and practicing teachers, I found using strategies proven to help students during literacy instruction also had the same effect during mathematics instruction. I took various instructional activities, focused around using reading and writing skills in math, and was able to effectively instruct this group of students. This experience piqued my interest in the connection between literacy and mathematics. As a result, I decided to continue my research into how to effectively integrate these two core subject areas, investigating the efficacy of combining mathematics with literacy instruction.

Ay 2011/2012 Forms: Honors And Awards Council Awards List, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Honors And Awards Nominations Schedule, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Ay 2012/2013 Sec Meeting Minutes, 2012-09-05, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Ay 2012/2013 Sec Meeting Minutes, 2012-10-03, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Strategic Planning In Irish Higher Education Institutions, Marion Herlihy

Theses

If Higher Education Institutions are to fulfill their potential and serve the needs of all their stakeholders, then their institutional management capacity must be effective and responsive to changes in the environment. Strategic planning and quality assurance are an integral part of the management of modem higher education institutions worldwide. This study is based on two research questions. Research Question One examines the experiences of strategic planning of twenty higher education institutions in Ireland over a ten year period from 2000 to 2010. The second research question examines how strategic planning has been integrated with quality assurance processes which are …

An Evaluation Of Active8 - A Physical Activity Intervention For Teenage Girls., Aileen Fitzgibbon

Theses

Objectives; To evaluate the Active8 intervention which aimed to increase physical activity participation and knowledge among teenage girls aged 11-14 years.

Design; School based trial conducted from February- May 2010, in the Glen Resource and Sports Centre, Cork. Participants; Participants consisted of seventy three first year girls from an all-girls Secondary School in the North Side of Cork City, aged between 11-14 years. Forty eight transition year girls from the same school acted as mentors in the programme. Parental consent was obtained.

Intervention; First year students engaged in weekly one hour physical activity sessions, during their Physical Education classes, for …

Southern Bellas: The Construction Of Mestiza Identity In Southern Narratives, Wendy Aimee Braun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project analyzes representations and self-representations of Mestizas living in areas of the Deep South that lack a significant Latino presence. Incorporating a range of media, I take a comparative approach to Southern cultural narratives and propose a re-reading of these works through an examination of identity formation and cultural negotiation. By centering the Southern Mestiza, this dissertation advances concepts of intersectionality to address the role of region, as well as race and gender, in the representation and experiences of women often overlooked in Southern and U.S. Latino studies. The Introductory chapter summarizes the theoretical framework for the study, including …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Nutrients Dynamics In Restored Wetlands Of The Mississippi River Basin, Christopher Lundberg

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Greenhouse gases were sampled during spring and summer months in 2010 and 2011 at two sites in the Mississippi River Basin: a riparian forested wetland under restored flood pulsing near Memphis, TN and a coastal estuarine marsh complex impacted by a river diversion at Caernarvon, LA. Mean methane fluxes at Caernarvon (-0.09 g CH4-C m-2 d-1) were lower than those at Memphis (0.53 g CH4-C m-2 d-1), and did not differ between seasons. Nitrous oxide fluxes were generally below detection limits. Fluxes were uncorrelated with water depth, soil temperature, and ambient air temperature, though sampling occurred over a narrow range …

Semantically-Aware Data Discovery And Placement In Collaborative Computing Environments, Xinqi Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As the size of scientific datasets and the demand for interdisciplinary collaboration grow in modern science, it becomes imperative that better ways of discovering and placing datasets generated across multiple disciplines be developed to facilitate interdisciplinary scientific research.

For discovering relevant data out of large-scale interdisciplinary datasets. The development and integration of cross-domain metadata is critical as metadata serves as the key guideline for organizing data. To develop and integrate cross-domain metadata management systems in interdisciplinary collaborative computing environment, three key issues need to be addressed: the development of a cross-domain metadata schema; the implementation of a metadata management system …

An Evaluation Of Alternative Approaches For Simulating Animal Movement In Spatially-Explicit Individual-Based Models, Katherine Shepard Watkins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Simulating animal movement in spatially-explicit individual-based models (IBMs) is both challenging and critically important to accurately estimating population dynamics. I compared four distinct movement approaches or sub-models (restricted-area search, kinesis, event-based, and run and tumble) in a series of simulation experiments. I used an IBM loosely based on a small pelagic fish that simulated growth, mortality, and movement of a cohort on a 2-dimensional grid. First, I tested the sub-models calibrated (i.e., trained) with a genetic algorithm in one set of environmental conditions in three other novel environments. The sub-models performed well, except restricted-area search and event-based that needed to …

Negotiating Cultural Transitions: Contemporary Student Veterans And Louisiana Institutions Of Higher Education, Kay Harrison Maurin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Student veterans are flooding colleges and universities in numbers not seen since the end of World War II. Little is known about how these contemporary student veterans navigate the transition from military life to campus life. Few studies have documented the transition experiences of these student veterans by institution type or cultural region of the country. In Louisiana, nearly 7,000 students receive military benefits for higher education with this number steadily increasing (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2009, June). This study explores the transition experience of student veterans from military life to university life at four institutions of higher education …

Study On Permanent Magnet Transverse Flux Machine, Oleksandr Dobzhanskyi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is concentrated mainly on the newest PMTF machine topology proposed and patented by Jacek F. Gieras in March 4, 2010. Such a topology (topology of 2010) is an object of this dissertation. A prototype that was built with 3D Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling of PMTF generator proves that the generator that was built on the basis of topology of 2010 has several significant disadvantages among which the greatest impact have high leakage flux losses. Applying FEM modeling, various steps to improve machine performance have been undertaken. Results obtained from modeling show, that keeping the same diameter and …

A Comparison Of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin And Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone On The Induction Of Spermiation And Amplexus In The American Toad (Anaxyrus Americanus), Andrew J. Kouba, Javier Delbarco-Trillo, Carrie K. Vance, Callie Milam, Meghan Carr

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Background: Captive breeding programs for endangered amphibian species often utilize exogenous hormones for species that are difficult to breed. The purpose of our study was to compare the efficacy of two different hormones at various concentrations on sperm production, quantity and quality over time in order to optimize assisted breeding. Methods: Male American toads (Anaxyrus americanus) were divided into three separate treatment groups, with animals in each group rotated through different concentrations of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analog (LHRH; 0.1, 1.0, 4.0 and 32 micrograms/toad), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; 50, 100, 200, and 300 IU), or the control over 24 …

Reinhold Niebuhr's Ethics Of Rhetoric, Joseph E. Rhodes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the writings of the American public intellectual and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971). My project is a unique contribution to Niebuhrian studies in that I approach these works from the perspective of a rhetorical theorist. My intention is to parse from Niebuhr’s editorial commentaries, his philosophical inquiries and lectures, his theological treatises, and his sermonic essays an specifically “Niebuhrian ethics of rhetoric.” In order to accomplish this task I investigate the rhetorical situation Niebuhr was embedded in and to which he was responding to at the turn of the twentieth century. Part of the analysis of his rhetorical …

Natural Hazards, Risk Analysis And Emergency Preparedness: Applying Spatial Methods In Disaster Risk Management Applying Spatial Methods In Disaster Risk Management, Henrike Brecht

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Losses from natural hazards have been increasing steadily over the last decades. Yet, tools exist that can reduce risks to disasters and prevent hazards from turning into disasters. This study is intended to contribute to a reversal of the staggering economic losses by advancing the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the field of disaster risk management. Organized as a series of papers for publication, the dissertation first sets the stage by presenting a case study on Louisiana and its vulnerability to hurricanes. Thereafter, it examines and contributes to two fields that have proven to save lives and lower …

Molecular Approaches To Detect And Control Cercospora Kikuchii In Soybeans, Ashok Kumar Chanda

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cercospora leaf blight (CLB) caused by Cercospora kikuchii, has become a troublesome disease in the southern United States. C. kikuchii produces a non-hostspecific phytotoxin and a pathogenicity factor known as cercosporin during infection of soybean. A quantitative real-time PCR assay was developed for detection and quantification of C. kikuchii. The sensitivity of detection is 1 pg of genomic DNA. The assay detected the presence of C. kikuchii in soybean leaves long before the appearance of disease symptoms. C. kikuchii DNA levels in soybean leaves increased slowly during early soybean development, followed by a quick increase at late reproductive stages. Results …

An Exploration Of Reading Methods In First-Grade: Comparing The Basal Approach And Balanced Literacy, Richelle Leblanc Acosta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Few topics in education have sparked as much interest and debate as the teaching of reading. Throughout the past century, instructional approaches have come and gone but one thing has remained constant: the teacher. Behind every effective classroom lies a teacher. It is ultimately the teacher’s decisions that drive daily instruction in the classroom. But what is the best way for teachers to teach children how to read? For decades, researchers have plagued studies seeking to find the best method for accomplishing this. Just as students’ physical characteristics are very diverse, so too are their academic abilities. Reading teachers must …

A New Model For Coalition Formation Games, Alfred Samman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We present two broad categories of games, namely, group matching games and bottleneck routing games on grids. Borrowing ideas from coalition formation games, we introduce a new category of games which we call group matching games. We investigate how these games perform when agents are allowed to make selfish decisions that increase their individual payoffs versus when agents act towards the social benefit of the game as a whole. The Price of Anarchy (PoA) and Price of Stability (PoS) metrics are used to quantify these comparisons. We show that the PoA for a group matching game is at most kα …

A Permutational Triadic Approach To Jazz Harmony And The Chord/Scale Relationship, John Bishop

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study provides an original triadic theory that combines existing jazz theory, in particular the chord/scale relationship, and mathematical permutation group theory to analyze repertoire, act as a pedagogical tool, and provide a system to create new music. Permutations are defined as group actions on sets, and the sets used here are the constituent consonant triads derived from certain scales. Group structures provide a model by which to understand the relationships held between the triadic set elements as defined by the generating functions. The findings are both descriptive and prescriptive, as triadic permutations offer new insights into existing repertoire. Further, …

Defense Gland Protein From Coptotermes Formosanus, Ioan-Horia Negulescu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki is the most invasive termite species and has the largest economic impact of all the subterranean termites in the US. Although a lot of work has been done on the determination of chemical composition of frontal gland secretion from different families of termites, the protein component of those secretions was relatively overlooked. This study started with the observation that proteins are present in the frontal gland secretion of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki soldiers. The goal was to characterize one of these proteins by identifying its DNA sequence which would lead to protein sequence, function, structure and role it …

Training Evaluation In Virtual Worlds: Development Of A Model, Richard N. Landers, Rachel C. Callan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Many organizations have adopted virtual worlds (VWs) as a setting for training programs; however, research on appropriate evaluation of training in this new setting is incomplete. In this article, we address this gap by first exploring the unique issues relevant to evaluation faced by training designers working in VWs. At the macro-organizational level, the primary issue faced is an organizational culture unreceptive to or otherwise skeptical of VWs. At the micro-organizational level, two major issues are identified: individual trainees unreceptive to VWs and general lack of experience navigating VWs. All three of these challenges and their interrelationships may lead to …

Programmable Cmos Analog-To-Digital Converter Design And Testability, Rajiv Soundararajan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, a programmable second order oversampling CMOS delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter (ADC) design in 0.5µm n-well CMOS processes is presented for integration in sensor nodes for wireless sensor networks. The digital cascaded integrator comb (CIC) decimation filter is designed to operate at three different oversampling ratios of 16, 32 and 64 to give three different resolutions of 9, 12 and 14 bits, respectively which impact the power consumption of the sensor nodes. Since the major part of power consumed in the CIC decimator is by the integrators, an alternate design is introduced by inserting coder circuits and reusing the …