Digital Commons Network^™

Activist Cartoons Without Borders: The Political Cartoons Of Brazilian Artist Carlos Latuff, Orayb Najjar

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff has been described by Allers in Menassat as `a one-man cartoon wrecking-ball when he hits the ink.' In the last few years of penning sharp cartoons, he `has been alternatively praised and vilified in the press for his depictions of suffering' in places like the Palestinian territories, Iraq, and the slums of Latin America. In this study, I use Latuff's work to illustrate how the artist has formed a global identity based on political affiliation, rather than national origin. I show how the `affordances' of the Internet, namely, the ability of non-mainstream individuals and groups to …

Debate On Southeast Asia – An Idea Whose Time Is Past?, Tharaphi Than, Wilhelm Van Schendel, Robert Cribb, James D. Sidaway

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 40, 2011-2012, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology

Library Instruction As Advocacy, Jo Bell Whitlatch

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Variations In Pore Water Salinities Above And Below Allochthonous Salt Sheets In The Deepwater Gulf Of Mexico: Implications For Mechanisms Of Solute Transport, Miles Alexander Mccammon

LSU Master's Theses

Spatial variations in salinity of pore waters in marine sediments provide useful information on processes and rates of subseafloor fluid flow and solute transport, particularly if there are evaporites in the section. Pore water salinities were determined for 18 drill holes which penetrated allochthonous salt bodies in 12 widely-scattered protraction blocks on the Louisiana offshore continental shelf and slope. Salinities were calculated from Log ASCII Standard-Logging While Drilling (LAS-LWD) logs using the Revil et al. (1998) dual-conductivity technique. The sites represent a wide range of field settings. Water depths range from 30 to 1990 m, depths to the top of …

A Safety Elements Model For The Building Construction Industry, Cliff Dunlap Dunlap

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Abstract was sent to Ms. McKenzie as an attachment to an e-mail

Improving Middle School Math Achievement Using A Web-Based Program And Extended Written Tasks, Sarah Claire Dyer

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis outlines a dual-intensity approach using a web-based program, MyMathLab, for procedural fluency and, in parallel, extended written tasks for helping students improve their reasoning skills, to learn to use multiple representations, and securing mathematical knowledge. The new Common Core State Standards have increased expectations and achievement goals at all grade levels, the required changes being most significant at earlier grade levels (in elementary and middle schools). It is my assertion that a combined approach, one that encompasses both procedure-oriented practice for fluency and extended written tasks designed to stretch thinking and reasoning is needed to meet these goals.

Volunteer Based Organizations: Bridging The Gap Between Political Efficacy And Civic Engagement, Kristin Nicole Marks

LSU Master's Theses

With the declining participation in civic engagement behaviors such as voting, people are turning to other means to demonstrate civic participation. This study examined the role of volunteering as a means to establish civic engagement. Because of this civic participation behavioral shift, the relationship between civic engagement and the communication tactics used by volunteer based organizations was investigated. This study investigated the relationship between civic engagement and political efficacy. Additionally, this study examined the interplay between organizational characteristics (trust, control mutuality, exchange relationship, and commitment) and civic engagement. Lastly, perceptions of new and traditional methods of communications to encourage civic …

Student Perceptions Of The Impact Of Precollege Programs, Kimberly Powell Lesage

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Precollege-to-college outreach is abundant, with programs established on college campuses throughout the nation. Precollege programs provide students with knowledge pertinent to academic success and successful transitions between educational systems. The programs are also viable options in the effort to overcome disadvantage and disparity, and may best serve students who are considered underserved, and who encounter a multitude of barriers that inhibit their pursuit of a college education. A mixed-method, case study methodology was used to explore the perceptions of students who participated in two university precollege engineering programs. The findings of this study suggest that well defined and organized outreach …

Ayahuasca Characterization, Metabolism In Humans, And Relevance To Endogenous N,N-Dimethyltryptamines, Ethan Hamilton Mcilhenny

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ayahuasca denotes an Amazonian psychotropic plant tea obtained from Banisteriopsis caapi, which contains beta-carboline (b-carboline) alkaloids, chiefly harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine. The tea usually incorporates the leaves of Psychotria viridis, which are rich in N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychoactive 5-HT2A agonist. The beta-carbolines reversibly inhibit monoamine-oxidase (MAO), effectively preventing oxidative deamination of the orally inactive DMT and allowing its absorption and access to the central nervous system. Despite increased use of the tea worldwide, easy to perform and validated methods for its characterization do not exist and the metabolism and excretion of DMT and the b-carbolines has not been studied systematically …

It Outsourcing Governance: A Conceptual Framework For Theory And Practice, Santiago Pena

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of IT Outsourcing Governance, which has become an increasingly significant topic in recent years. In order to gain an understanding of this topic, an extensive literature review was performed and analyzed with argument mapping. The data yielded from the argument maps was used to create a comprehensive framework for IT Outsourcing Governance. What resulted was a new conceptualization of IT Outsourcing Governance, focused not only on governance structures and decision rights, but also on relationship management. This conceptualization not only provides a better understanding, but also presents a sharp contrast …

Biomass And Mass Balance Isotope Content Of Mussel Seep Populations, Philip Martin Riekenberg

LSU Master's Theses

Cold seep mussels, Bathymodiolus childressi, are common cold seep constituents that form large populations at upper continental slope (500-1000 m) cold seep sites in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. These mussels utilize methane present through symbiotic relationships with methanotrophic bacteria. This study uses a coupled isotope technique to determine the relative incorporation of respiratory carbon in the shell as a measure of the availability of methane between different seep sites. This method indicates a higher abundance of methane at the Brine Pool site than at the Bush Hill site which appears significantly more resource limited and that changes in methane …

"Faith Is Life": A Qualitative Study Of Christian Faith And Chinese Immigrant Families, Yaxin Lu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research on religion and family in the United States has increased in the last two decades. With the increasing immigrant population, studies on minorities including Chinese immigrant families are also important. Religious faith has significant influences on some Chinese immigrant families. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between Christianity and Chinese immigrant families. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-two highly religious Chinese Christian couples in the Southern United States. Twenty-two open-ended questions were asked to understand their conversion processes and how the Christian faith influenced the participants’ marriage and family life. Most of the participants …

Composing A Method: Écriture Féminine As Performance Practice, Brianne Waychoff

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The overall aim of this project is to theorize and invent a method of performance based on écriture féminine. This method is meant to be useable, generative, and transferable to other practitioners. Following a heuretic practice of reading selected texts for what they suggest about making new texts, writerly method that invites expansion in future research is revealed. This project is but a beginning of an articulation and proposes only one path through these texts. The tracking of the process of reading and experimenting with performance provides a space for reflection that illuminates gaps to be explored in future work. …

Simulations Of The Primary Cement Placement In Annular Geometries During Well Completion Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd), Muhammad Zulqarnain

LSU Master's Theses

Effective zonal isolation during primary cementing is only possible when drilling mud in the annulus is completely displaced with cement, while the spacers aid in this process. During the displacement process the rheological properties of fluids used and the operating conditions control the motion of different fluids interfaces; desired stable interfacial displacement leads to piston like motion. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool with the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) has been validated against experimental and used to conduct numerical experiments in a virtual well model consisting of 50 ft vertical section of 8.765" x 12.5" annulus having initially mud and this mud is …

Consensusability Of Discrete-Time Multi-Agent Systems, Abhishek Pandey

LSU Master's Theses

The study of multi-agent systems (MAS) focuses on systems in which many intelligent agents interact within an environment. The agents are considered to be autonomous entities. MAS can be used to solve problems that are difficult or impossible for an individual agent to solve. The main feature which is achieved when developing MAS, if they work, is flexibility, since MAS can be added to, modified and reconstructed, without the need for detailed rewriting of the application. MAS can manifest self-organization as well as self-steering related complex behaviors even when the individual strategies of all their agents are simple. The goal …

Simmering In The Tombs: The Role Of The Zombie In Patrick Chamoiseau's Chronique Des Sept Misères And Simone Schwarz-Bart's Ti Jean L'Horizon, Andrew Walton Hill

LSU Master's Theses

The figure of the zombie is a recurring trope for writers in the French Antilles. Two of the most influential and popular authors in modern French-Antillean literature are Patrick Chamoiseau from Martinique and Simone Schwarz-Bart from Guadeloupe. Both of these authors use the figure of the zombie as representations of colonization and the lingering trauma of slavery in Antillean society. In this thesis, I examine two of the most well-known works by these authors, Chamoiseau’s Chronique des Sept Misères (1986) and Schwarz-Bart’s Ti Jean L’horizon (1979), and how these texts use the nature of the zombie in an effort to …

The Problem And Possibility Of Animal Minds In Brandom's Work: Revisiting Heidegger, Rationality And Normativity, Joel David Musser

LSU Master's Theses

Robert Brandom denies animals implicit reasoning by emphasizing their inability to make inferences explicit, and in so doing, denigrates animals by likening their behavior to that of machines and artifacts. I contest, however, that animals are paradigmatically more than any similarity or analogy to mechanical processing, just as humans are paradigmatically more than any reductive analogy to animals. The human/animal distinction need not come at the cost of ignoring the difference between animals and artifacts, and I believe we can largely subscribe to Brandom’s differentiation of the human in terms of expressionism if we allow that animals can make implicit …

Social Influences On Sculpted Romanesque Corbels In The Eleventh And Twelfth Centuries, Chelsea Buras

LSU Master's Theses

Sculpted corbels of the Romanesque period are often categorized as obscene or grotesque, and frequently dismissed as medieval humor or an individual artist’s imagination. Common themes on corbels include images of debauchery and obscenity, as well as depictions of the effects of sin. These themes are usually communicated through the image of entertainers (acrobats, musicians, and dancers), acts of excess such as overindulgence in alcohol or sexual vice, threatening gestures, monstrous animals, or the human visage transformed by idiocy. As titillating and lowbrow as the images on corbels may seem, they should not be relegated to categories of absurdity or …

Dynamics Of The Sweetpotato Potyvirus Aphid Pathosystem In Louisiana, Everlyne Nafula Wosula

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sweetpotato potyviruses [Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), Sweet potato virus G (SPVG) and Sweet potato virus 2 (SPV2)] commonly infect sweetpotato and weedy morning glories in the USA. These viruses are transmitted in a non-persistent manner by various aphid species and cause up to 15% yield loss. Sweetpotato is vegetatively propagated, and in the USA growers are supplied with virus tested propagation material to minimize impact of viruses. However the rapid re-infection of these materials with viruses warranted further studies to determine factors that influence the epidemiology of these viruses. The objectives of this study were: (i) to determine …

Principals Matter- Principal Technology Proficiency: Creating A Culture Of Technology Competence, Tiffanye Renee' Mccoy-Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the role of leadership in developing a culture of technology competence within a school. Additionally, because research identifies the significance instructional leadership has on school performance, as defined by student achievement, the study sought to examine the impact principal technology proficiency has on school performance. To examine the associations amongst variables regression analyses were conducted. Quantitative study was conducted with 150 school principals and their faculties. Results indicated a strong correlation between principals that were technologically proficient, as defined by the Louisiana Department of Education’s Administrator Self-Assessment, and the percentage of …

Economic And Attitudinal Perspectives Of The Recreational For-Hire Fishing Industry In The U.S. Gulf Of Mexico, Michelle Savolainen

LSU Master's Theses

Socioeconomic and policy information is important to fisheries management in order to assess potential social and economic impacts of proposed fishing regulations. Previous surveys which collect this type of data for the recreational for-hire (RFH) fishing industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico were conducted in 1987 and 1997. The third Gulf-wide survey was conducted in 2010 to update the socioeconomic and policy data available on the RFH industry. More specifically, the survey collected captain, vessel, and trip characteristics, firm and trip financial data, targeted species, and opinions on policy issues and hurricane impacts. State license information indicated that 3,315 …

Comparing Symptoms Of Autism Spectrum Disorders Using The Current Dsm-Iv-Tr Diagnostic Criteria And The Proposed Dsm-V Diagnostic Criteria, Julie A. Worley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder (AD), Asperger’s Disorder (AS), and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) share overlapping diagnostic criteria. As a result, there has been an enduring debate regarding the appropriateness of the current categorical classification system used to diagnose this group of disorders, commonly referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Ongoing research examining the boundaries of the disorders comprising the spectrum have yielded inconsistent findings in symptom differences; therefore, the American Psychiatric Association has proposed revisions for the upcoming version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (i.e., DSM-5). Revisions include dropping all subcategories …

High-Throughput Sperm Cryopreservation Of Aquatic Species, E Hu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to integrate multiple disciplines for application of high-throughput sperm cryopreservation to aquatic species. The blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus was selected for research due to its role in production of hybrid catfish with eggs from channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. A high-throughput cryopreservation pathway was developed by systematically evaluating each process factor and using automated processing systems. Large quantities of cryopreserved sperm produced from this protocol were evaluated in commercial-scale hatcheries in cooperation with aquaculture producers. To develop production for commercial requirements, quality characteristics of materials and products were identified and recorded during processing and analyzed …

Examining The Use Of Social Media Among Four-H Alumni In Louisiana, Kali Boudreaux Zammit

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the use and determine the preferred method of social media among 4-H alumni in Louisiana. Based on a review of literature, communicating with youth through social media has become a major trend and necessity, especially among 4-H Youth Development and Cooperative Extension Service professionals. The Zammit Social Media Questionnaire, a 24-item instrument that includes multiple choice, multiple answer, open-ended, ranking, and Likert scale questions, was developed and administered online to 161 Louisiana 4-H alumni who received the 2011 Louisiana 4-H Senior Honor Cord and provided usable e-mails. The final response count was …

Optimal Actuation In Active Vibration Control Using Pole-Placement, Carla Ann Guzzardo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to find and demonstrate a method of optimal actuation in a mechanical system to control its vibration response. The overall aim is to develop an active vibration control method with a minimum control effort, allowing the smallest actuators and lowest control input. Mechanical systems were approximated by discrete masses connected with springs and dampers. Both numerical and analytical methods were used to determine the optimum force selection vector, or input vector, to accomplish the pole placement, finding the optimal location of actuators and their relative gain so that the control effort is minimized. The …

Deductive Formal Verification Of Embedded Systems, Zheng Lu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We combine static analysis techniques with model-based deductive verification using SMT solvers to provide a framework that, given an analysis aspect of the source code, automatically generates an analyzer capable of inferring information about that aspect.

The analyzer is generated by translating the collecting semantics of a program to a formula in first order logic over multiple underlying theories. We import the semantics of the API invocations as first order logic assertions. These assertions constitute the models used by the analyzer. Logical specification of the desired program behavior is incorporated as a first order logic formula. An SMT-LIB solver treats …

The Use Of Discrete Computer Simulation Modeling To Estimate The Direct And Diffusion Effects Of Leadership Development Intervention On The Return On Investment, Brett Wayne Richard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Organizational leaders seek monetary returns on their investments (ROI). Thus, making decisions to invest in human capital, such as in leadership development interventions, are often difficult due to the lack of research demonstrating monetary returns on development investment (RODI). Further, little research has been conducted on the diffusion effects of leadership development intervention, or returns on leadership diffusion (ROLD). This research expands on previous research conducted by Avolio, Avey & Quinsenberry (2010), which was the first attempt to estimate RODI using utility analysis. This study is unique in that it uses computer simulation modeling along with current research data to …

Is Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor A Central Nervous System Alarmin?, Anthony Johnson

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

To Veil Or Not To Veil : That Is Not The Question ; A Comparative Analysis Of The Implicit Assumptions Driving Veiling Discourse, Erin E. Barta

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.