Digital Commons Network^™

The Moderating Effects Of Perceived Intentionality: Exploring The Relationships Between Ideas Of Reference, Paranoia, And Social Anxiety In Schizotypy, Sean Cameron Morrison

LSU Master's Theses

Ideas of reference (IOR), paranoia, and social anxiety are three common symptoms of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, which appear to be conceptually related. However, the precise nature of these relationships is unclear. A new measure that assesses perceived intentionality (PI), a social-cognitive bias for perceiving the actions of others during unpleasant social situations as being directed at oneself in an intentionally malicious manner, has provided preliminary evidence for a link between PI and paranoia. The primary aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of PI on the relationships between IOR and paranoia, and between IOR and social anxiety amongst …

Experimental Study Of Lean Blowout With Hydrogen Addition In A Swirl-Stabilized Premixed Combustor, Shengrong Zhu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lean premixed combustion is widely used to achieve a better compromise between nitric oxides emissions and combustion efficiency. However, combustor operation near the lean blowout limit can render the flame unstable and lead to oscillations, flashback, or extinction, thereby limiting the potential range of lean combustion. Recent interest in integrated gasification combined cycle plants and syngas combustion requires an improved understanding of the role of hydrogen on the combustion process. Therefore, in present study, combustion of pure methane and blended methane-hydrogen has been conducted in a swirl stabilized premixed combustor. The measurement techniques implemented mainly include particle image velocimetry, CH*/OH* …

Shades Of Grey: Slaveholding Free Women Of Color In Antebellum New Orleans, 1800-1840, Anne Ulentin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the economic opportunities that free women of color could derive from slaveholding, their motivations, and their impact on New Orleans’ antebellum society and economy. Another aim is to find out the role and impact of free women of color from Saint Domingue (later Haiti), whose arrival in New Orleans doubled the number of free women of color in the city. Finally, the analysis of relationships between free women of color and their slaves and with the diverse population of New Orleans plays an important part in this study. Notarial deeds (sales and purchases of slaves, mortgages of …

Impact Of Plug-In Electrical Cars On Energy Demand, On Power System And On Environment, Sital Tiwari

LSU Master's Theses

The use of an electric vehicle (EV) over a gasoline vehicle (GV) is often portrayed as environment friendly or green movement ignoring how the electricity is produced. EVs get credit for preserving green environment and preventing global warming by minimizing the dependency on oil. Most of the time, these assumptions that favor EV are not well justified. Therefore, proper studies on the impact of electric vehicles on energy demand, on environment and on power system are necessary before reaching to any conclusion. This thesis explores the possibility of energy consumption pattern shift within the different sectors of energy use due …

Post-Racialism And Searches Incident To Arrest, Frank Rudy Cooper

Scholarly Works

For 28 years the Court held that an officer's search incident to arrest powers automatically extended to the entire passenger compartment of a vehicle. In 2009, however, the Arizona v. Gant decision held that officers do not get to search a vehicle incident to arrest unless they satisfy (1) the Chimel v. California Court's requirement that the suspect has access to weapons or evanescent evidence therein or (2) the United States v. Rabinowitz Court's requirement that the officer reasonably believe evidence of the crime of arrest will be found therein. While many scholars read Gant as a triumph for civil …

Bacterial Dehalogenation Of Mixtures Of 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, And 1,1,2-Trichloroethane By Dehalogenimonas, Jacob Laddye Dillehay

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of the research presented here was to assess the ability of two bacterial strains, Dehalogenimonas lykanthroporepellens BL-DC-9T and Dehalogenimonas strain IP3-3, to reductively dehalogenate four contaminant mixtures comprised of combinations of the chlorinated solvents 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP), and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA). Both of these bacteria were first isolated from contaminated groundwater at the PetroProcessors of Louisiana, Inc. Superfund site located near Baton Rouge, LA and are of interest because of their novel abilities to transform halogenated alkanes. In previous work (Yan et al., 2009, Bowman et al., 2012), it was demonstrated that both strain IP3-3 and D. lykanthroporepellens …

On Tax Increase Limitations: Part Ii -- Evasion And Transcendence, David Gamage, Darien Shanske

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In this essay, the second of a series, we continue our evaluation of state Tax Increase Limitations (TILs) – special rules that limit state legislatures’ ability to raise taxes, such as by requiring supermajority votes. We analyze two strategies whereby majority parties can evade TILs to the extent they so desire. We further argue that these strategies have some positive normative features. The strategies designed to evade TILs may ultimately lead toward a more effective means for controlling the size of state government than TILs themselves are able to provide.

Vendor Compensation As An Approach For State "Amazon" Laws: Part 2, David Gamage, Devin J. Heckman

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In this essay, the second of a two-part series, we propose an approach for the U.S. states to tax interstate e-commerce. If the states adequately compensate remote e-commerce vendors for all tax compliance costs, we argue that the states can constitutionally impose use tax collection obligations on the remote vendors in a manner compatible with the Quill framework.

Writing In Geometry With The Common Core State Standards: Developing Mathematical Thinkers, Yvonne Mariki Chimwaza

LSU Master's Theses

The newly released Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted with the goal in mind that in the future our students will leave high school ready and better prepared for college and careers. In particular, the CCSS insists that a faithful implementation of the eight Standard of Mathematical Practices will lead to a generation of mathematical thinkers who have learned how to read, write, model, reason, and solve problems in mathematical terms. Unfortunately, at present, my students and others do not know how to write and reason mathematically. By way of this thesis, I searched for ways to help forty-five …

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 …

The Unaccompanied Choral Works Of Vytautas Miškinis With Texts By Rabindranoth Tagore: A Resource Guide, Nicholaus B. Cummins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document serves as a resource guide for the unaccompanied choral works of Vytautas Miškinis, with texts by Rabindranoth Tagore, including pertinent background information, structural information, and accessibility considerations for the conductor. Additionally, there is a study of Miškinis’s compositional style according to the works in this guide that includes biographical information. Vytautas Miškinis (born 1954) is a Lithuanian conductor and composer currently published by several international music publishing houses. He is also a member of several juries for international choral competitions in addition to his duties as a professor of conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Arts in Vilnius. …

How (Not) To Implement Cost As A Sentencing Factor, Ryan W. Scott

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Extrinsic Rewards In The High School Classroom, Amanda Vargo

LSU Master's Theses

One of the biggest obstacles that a high school teacher faces in the classroom is motivating students to complete work. Traditional ideology focuses on intrinsic rewards as way to encourage students to participate and try in the classroom. Things like valuing education, planning for college, and taking pride in a good report card are used in attempts to motivate. Yet, in the adult world, people expect a concrete extrinsic reward (i.e. a paycheck) for the work that they do. This study takes the idea of extrinsic rewards and brings them into the classroom. This study was conducted over two academic …

Insulin Dose Response Curves And Factors Affecting Insulin Sensitivity In Horses, Jeanne D. Lestelle

LSU Master's Theses

Three experiments were conducted to further study the use of intravenous insulin injection to measure insulin sensitivity in horses. In the first experiment, glucose responses to multiple doses of recombinant human insulin were compared in insulin sensitive and insensitive mares. Regression lines describing the responses in insensitive mares had less (P = 0.003) steep slopes and greater (P = 0.006) effective doses at 50% response (ED50) compared to sensitive mares. Curvilinear regression models provided a good fit (R2 = 0.95) for the prediction of ED50 from the individual responses to 50 mU/kg BW insulin. The second experiment estimated the repeatability …

Applicability Of Periodization To Orchestral Audition Preparation On Trombone: A Case Study, Christopher Evan Green

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The process of auditioning can seem daunting because of the high standards of performance required to win. Brass players have a finite amount of time they can practice each day because of the small muscles of the embouchure. Despite the vast amount of information available on preparing for a brass orchestral audition, little has been written on how to organize a practice schedule leading up to the audition. An analysis of literature in the major brass journals confirm which strategies have been considered to be most important when preparing for an audition, but an important component from the world for …

The Feasibility Of Using Megavoltage Ct For The Treatment Planning Of Hdr Cervical Brachytherapy With Shielded Tandem And Ovoid Applicators, Jeffrey Roger Kemp

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose/Objectives: A drawbackof tandem and ovoid (T&O) ICBT is exposure of the posterior bladder and anterior rectal walls to relatively high isodoses. To mitigate this effect, intra-ovoid shielding may be used to reducedose to these OARs. However, metal artifactspresent in images acquired via kVCT make anatomy segmentation and catheter localization difficult for the purpose of 3D treatment planning. We present a method that combines MVCT-based imaging and applicator modeling to increase the quality of 3D treatment plans for shielded T&O ICBT. Materials/Methods: Using Oncentra’s TPS, 9 participants from multiple institutions performed organ segmentation and catheter reconstruction for KVCT and MVCT …

Evaluation Of The Thermal Performance And Cost Effectiveness Of Radiant Barrier Thermal Insulation Materials In Residential Construction, Somayeh Asadi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Reducing heating and cooling systems loads in buildings is a cost effective way to decrease energy consumption in residential houses. This reduction can be achieved in many ways including proper insulation of the building envelope. In recent years, considerable attention was given to the use of radiant reflective insulating barriers. Over the past years, reflective barrier insulation companies nationwide have experienced significant growth resulting in an industry average growth rate of 26.8%. This significant growth is expected to continue as a result of increased cooling demands and pressure from the energy sector and the economy. Growth is also predicted to …

Fixing Mechanics: A Study In Cross-Curricular Use Of Rubrics To Grade Writing, Jeanette Martin Miller

LSU Master's Theses

Teachers who assign and grade writing sometimes use rubrics to assist in this process. A rubric usually consists of a set of rules, guidelines, or criteria that must be met for students to obtain a passing grade. Rubrics are intended to take the subjectivity out of grading writing and to give feedback to the student for further improvement. Because even English teachers disagree about the use of rubrics to grade writing, and the criteria that is most important within the rubrics, hearing from teachers in other subject areas could help all teachers better understand how to grade writing assignments. This …

Single-Molecule Detection Of Molecular Beacons Generated From Ldr On Thermoplastic Microfluidic Device For Bioanalysis, Zhiyong Peng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Current clinical techniques for nucleic acid detection and analysis often involve PCR, lacking adequate specificity or sensitivity to meet the stringent requirements in certain applications. This research aims to develop an innovative molecular assay and the associated hardware to rapidly signal the presence of certain targets using reporter sequence found in their genome without requiring PCR. This assay coupled the sensitivity of single-pair fluorescence resonance energy transfer (spFRET) with the specificity of ligase detection reaction (LDR) to provide near real-time readout of target biomarkers. Heightened concerns on potential bioterrorism threats, such as rapid dissemination of pathogenic bacteria or viruses into …

Ionic Materials For Applications In Sensing And Optoelectronics, Sergio L. De Rooy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Organic salts consist of bulky anions and/or cations whose properties can be tailored for specific purposes. Ionic liquids (ILs) are (semi)organic salts with melting points below 100 ºC. They typically exhibit neglible vapor pressures, high thermal stability, wide liquidus range, and tunable solubility. Moreover specific functions can be built into their respective ions. The first part of the dissertation involves discussions of chiral ionic liquids with additional protic, magnetic, and magneto-luminescent properties, respectively. In addition to their enantioselective sensing capabilities, the ILs may find use in chiral separations and catalysis. The second part of the dissertation involves discussions of fluorescent …

A 2-D, Variable-Density Numerical Model Of Subsurface Fluid Flow Through The Edwards Aquifer, New Braunfels, Tx: Mechanisms Inhibiting Flow Across The Freshwater/Saline-Water Interface, Scott Ryan Tipple

LSU Master's Theses

The Edwards aquifer in south-central Texas, U.S., composed of faulted carbonate bedrock, contains freshwater and saline water. In aquifers that are used as a source of drinking water and that contain fresh and saline waters, saline-water intrusion can result in degradation of water quality. Yet, in the Edwards aquifer, limited saline-water intrusion has occurred. The questions addressed are “Why is the saline-water intrusion less than expected,” and “Is there a trigger that will result in saline-water intrusion into the freshwater reservoir?” Three hypotheses were tested. One: an extremely saline water density might prevent mixing across the interface. Two: faults could …

The Effects Of Teaching Style On Student Learning Of Dna, Rebecca Branton

LSU Master's Theses

New methods and practices are constantly being introduced in education due to new research that emerges as a push for student achievement increases. We as teachers must adapt to these new ideas to ensure student success. This study was completed to determine if inquiry-based teaching methods would be more beneficial in learning Biology concepts than traditional lecture instruction. The students were divided into two groups, which differed based solely on their instructional format. The activities involved in this study included inquiry-based activities and traditional activities, i.e. PowerPoints, guided notes, experiments and worksheets. The participants in this study, students in a …

Design, Synthesis, Characterization, And Application Of Peptides As Different Medical Treatment, Krystal Renee Fontenot

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A peptide is defined, as a molecule that contains less than fifty amino acids; anything larger is a protein. Peptides are important molecules because they have diverse uses. Peptides were utilized in two ways: 1) Peptide bioconjugates containing a fluorescent porphyrin or phthalocyanine macrocycle were designed and investigated, with or without a PEG moiety for selective targeting of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). 2) Amyloid aggregating mitigating peptides (AAMPs) was synthesized and investigated containing polar amino acids, MiniPEGs, and/or ααAAs that have the ability to inhibit and disrupt Amyloid Beta (Aβ). The peptide bioconjugates containing a porphyrin or phthalocyanine …

Social Policy, Social Action And The Black Church: A Praxis For Social Vision, Errol K. Domingue

LSU Master's Theses

Given the nature of the current political, social, and economic climates in the United States with home foreclosures, jobless rates, and high-school dropout rates hovering around record numbers, those who are indigenous to the plight of the people must play a role in securing policies and actions that will support better opportunities for better living. The faith community, especially the Black Church, can play a role by engaging in the development and maintenance of social policy and a responsibility to engage in social action that will energize and empower people in order to improve the quality of living. While there …

Technology In The Classroom: Effect Of Student Blogging On Learning Gains In A High School Classroom, Mandy Lynn Lebourgeois

LSU Master's Theses

This study explores the benefits of student use of web logs (blogs) in a high school Biology classroom. Students were assigned to blog by answering questions on topics from the Miller and Levine (2010) Biology textbook, which correlated to the Louisiana Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs), benchmarks that should be familiar to students at the end of a course. Raw gains (from pretest to posttest) were compared for the study group of 124 ninth and tenth grade students to determine if blogging increased student learning gains by increasing student accountability. The Louisiana Enhanced Assessment of Grade-Level Expectations (EAGLE) test bank was used …

Non-Rigid Registration Of 2-D/3-D Dynamic Data With Feature Alignment, Huanhuan Xu

LSU Master's Theses

In this work, we are computing the matching between 2D manifolds and 3D manifolds with temporal constraints, that is we are computing the matching among a time sequence of 2D/3D manifolds. It is solved by mapping all the manifolds to a common domain, then build their matching by composing the forward mapping and the inverse mapping. At first, we solve the matching problem between 2D manifolds with temporal constraints by using mesh-based registration method. We propose a surface parameterization method to compute the mapping between the 2D manifold and the common 2D planar domain. We can compute the matching among …

Perpetual Requirements Engineering, Manuel Alfonso Peralta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation attempts to make a contribution within the fields of distributed systems, security, and formal verification. We provide a way to formally assess the impact of a given change in three different contexts. We have developed a logic based on Lewis’s Counterfactual Logic. First we show how our approach is applied to a standard sequential programming setting. Then, we show how a modified version of the logic can be used in the context of reactive systems and sensor networks. Last but not least we show how this logic can be used in the context of security systems. Traditionally, change …

How Faith And Leadership Are Connected: A Study Of Catholic Women Administrators In A Southern Public Institution Of Higher Education, Mary Blanchard Wallace

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies concerning spirituality and higher education, particularly for the college student, are beginning to appear in journals, conference papers, and presentations. However, there is little research conducted with professionals in higher education on the construct of spirituality. Spirituality has so many different definitions in the literature, it is difficult to define, and perhaps even more complex to study academically. Using a research-based conceptual model for religious faith, developed within the study of family sciences, this study examines the lived experience of how and why Catholic women administrators connect their faith and leadership in a setting of public institutions of higher …

Dynamic Route Choice In Hurricane Evacuation, Meisam Akbarzadeh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this research a framework is developed for modeling route choice in hurricane evacuation. Two behavioral hypotheses are evaluated which together with the route choice model, constitute the contributions of the research. The first hypothesis states that beside congestion, other variables such as familiarity with the route, availability of fuel and shelter, facility class, and length of route have an effect on an evacuees' route choice. The second hypothesis states that as time passes and storm conditions change, the impact each variable has on route choice changes. The logit structure was used for modeling the choice process and stated choice …

Flow Distribution And Heat Transfer Coefficients Inside Gas Holes Discharging, Amirhossein Eshtiaghi

LSU Master's Theses

Fluid flow and heat transfer coefficient associated with flow inside short holes (L/D=1) discharging orthogonally into a crossflow was investigated experimentally and numerically for (Re) ̅ ranging from 0.5×105 to 2×105, and blowing ratio ranging from 1.3 to 3.2. The basic configuration studied consists of a feed tube with five orthogonally located gas holes. Four different hole configurations were studied. The transient heat transfer study employs an IR-camera to determine the local heat transfer coefficient inside each hole. Velocity measurements and numerical flow simulation were used to better understand the measured heat transfer distribution inside the hole. The Nusselt number …