Digital Commons Network^™

Direct Manipulation Tablet Apps For Education: How Should We Understand Them?, Rich Burkhard, Timothy Hill, Shailaja Venkatsubramanyan, Chang Kim

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

As the iPad and its competitors create a new product category – apps for mobile, multimedia tablets with touch and gesture interfaces – many are convinced that tablet apps will revolutionize education. For example, hand-controlled, direct manipulation features offer new ways to convey both spatial and abstract concepts, and progressive storylines can adapt to users in real-time. While the effectiveness of tablet apps for learning may seem obvious to new users, how and why particular apps might be effective is new research territory, and the relevance of existing learning theory is unknown. We describe a research program that will explore …

Comprehensive Planning And Resilience: A Study Of Louisiana Parishes After Hurricane Katrina, Mary Paille

LSU Master's Theses

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005, widespread devastation was felt in over half of the parishes in the state. More than 200,000 homes were damaged and more than 1500 people lost their lives. During this transitionary period, communities were vulnerable and looked for rebuilding leadership. As part of a post-catastrophe resilience movement, the Louisiana Recovery Authority formulated a 50-year regional plan for recovering south Louisiana called Louisiana Speaks. This planning process opened up an opportunity to reach those communities that otherwise may not have considered planning or how it could help them prepare for future events. This places …

The Distribution And Diversity Of Functional Gene Pathways Controlling Sulfur Speciation In Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, Audrey Tarlton Paterson

LSU Master's Theses

Defining the linkages between microbial metabolic activity and environmental geochemistry can be used to understand how carbonate dissolution in sulfidic karst systems proceeds. In Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, sulfidic springs support taxonomically distinct microbial communities that are also associated with putative sulfur metabolisms (e.g., oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds, sulfate reduction, and sulfur disproportionation) that influence carbonate dissolution. The distribution of diverse microbial groups in other terrestrial subsurface environments is not well understood, making Lower Kane Cave ideal for study. Molecular genetics techniques were used to uncover diversity of 16S rRNA genes and bacterial soxB and aprA functional genes. Aqueous …

Interventions In The Middle School Mathematics Classroom: Raising Standardized Test Scores By Diminishing Stereotype Threat, Elizabeth Stockwell Kirkindoll

LSU Master's Theses

Stereotype threat is a situational concern in which persons have uneasiness or worries about confirming a negative presumption about their social group. This apprehension affects the performance of those suffering this threat in recursive cycles, causing continuing underperformance in the threatened domain. This document reviews the research on stereotype threat, its causes, characteristics and effects, and describes how stereotype threat affects learning and undermines academic performance. Attention is focused on the role that stereotype threat plays in the underachievement of females in mathematics. A report on an experiment that attempted to reduce math-related stereotype threat among middle school females is …

Advanced Nanohybrid Materials: Surface Modification And Applications, Li-Hung Liu, Rémi Métivier, Shanfeng Wang, Hui Wang

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The field of functional nanoscale hybrid materials is one of the most promising and rapidly emerging research areas in materials chemistry. Nanoscale hybrid materials can be broadly defined as synthetic materials with organic and inorganic components that are linked together by noncovalent bonds (Class I, linked by hydrogen bond, electrostatic force, or van der Waals force) or covalent bonds (Class II) at nanometer scale. The unlimited possible combinations of the distinct properties of inorganic, organic, or even bioactive components in a single material, either in molecular or nanoscale dimensions, have attracted considerable attention. This approach provides an opportunity to create …

Spatial Variation Analysis Of Salinity To Determine Fluid Flow Pathways And Reservoir Compartmentalization In A Deepwater Gulf Of Mexico Field, William Jacob Daugherty

LSU Master's Theses

Variations in salinity have been documented in previous studies onshore Louisiana in the Wilcox group (Funayama and Hanor 1995) as well as offshore Louisiana on the continental shelf (Bruno and Hanor 2003 and Steen et al. 2011). These studies were conducted using various methods to estimate pore water salinity and make inferences about possible fluid flow pathways and compartmentalization of reservoirs in order to better understand the complex hydrogeology of the Gulf of Mexico. Similar variations in salinity were documented in this study located in a deepwater salt withdrawal minibasin located on the upper slope of the Gulf of Mexico. …

Operational Methods For Evolution Equations, Lee Gregory Windsperger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation refines and further develops numerical methods for the inversion of the classical Laplace transform and explores the effectiveness of these methods when applied (a) to an asymptotic generalization of the Laplace transform for generalized functions and (b) to the numerical approximation of solutions of ill-posed evolution equations (e.g. backwards in time problems).

Chapter 1 of the dissertation reviews some of the key features of asymptotic Laplace transform theory and its application to evolution equations. Although some of the statements and results contain slight modifications and improvements, the material presented in Chapter 1 is known …

Minimizing Epicormic Branch Formation On Louisiana Leading Commercial Bottomland Red Oaks, Denton William Culpepper

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of this study was to isolate biological, natural, and silvicultural factors that encourage the production of epicormic branches on bottomland red oak saw-timber trees and to use this information to help landowners and forest managers reduce epicormic branches in stands dominated by bottomland red oaks. Quercus nigra, Q. pagoda, Q. phellos, and Q. texana, the most common commercial bottomland red oaks in Louisiana, were evaluated in this study. Both qualitative and quantitative variables were assessed in this study. The following attributes were collected from each sample tree and primary competitor: site class, basal area, crown class DBH, presence …

Risk Of Well Integrity Failure Due Sustained Casing Pressure, Koray Kinik

LSU Master's Theses

Sustained casing pressure (SCP) is considered a well integrity problem. The approach of this study is to look at SCP as environmental risk due hydrocarbon release. Currently, the risk is qualified by the value of surface pressure (Pcsg) that may cause failure of casing head. However, the resulting rate of gas emission to the atmosphere is not considered. Also not considered is a possibility of breaching the casing shoe due transmission of Pcsg downhole. The objective of this study is to develop methods for maximum possible air emission rates (MER) and risk of subsurface well integrity failure due SCP. Mathematical …

Effect Of Hurricane Forward Speed And Approach Angle On Coastal Storm Surge, Chenguang Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

Hurricane induced storm surges can be destructive and can pose great threats to coastal communities. There are many factors affecting storm surges, including the hurricane’s intensity and movement, the bathymetry and coastline of affected area, rainfall, tide, and river stage. This thesis focuses on the effects of hurricane approach angle (θ) and forward speed (U), which together describe the hurricane’s motion. The problem is approached through several numerical experiments with increasing complexity. First are some process studies of long wave propagations near the coast, followed by examination of the generation of long waves by a traveling wind field. The central …

Early Behavior Problems In School, Juvenile Delinquency, And Adult Incarceration: A Longitudinal Examination Of Pathways To Crime Among A Ten-Year Birth Cohort In Louisiana, Xian Guan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study utilizes data resources from three state-level departments in Louisiana, Department of Education (DOE), Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ), and Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC), during the period 1996-2008. The sample involves 7th- 12th graders in DOE who were born between 1980 and 1989, with a sample size of N = 408,700 in total. There are two major parts in this study: (1) examining the school-level risk factors among four different offending patterns and making two comparisons among them: the early starters of crime (n = 14,346) vs. late starters (n = 17,107), and the adolescent-limiteds (n …

Paradoxes And Consumer Decision-Making, Carolyn Popp Garity

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Consumers often find themselves faced with conflicting evaluations in which they identify both positive and negative aspects of a purchase or consumption experience. A paradox occurs when the individual is aware of the conflicting evaluations and experiences tension as a result. While there are strong potential implications of paradox, marketing research has been slow to study consumption paradoxes. As a result, many deficiencies exist in the literature, including no consensus as to the definition of consumer paradox, insufficient quantitative measurement, and limited knowledge of the antecedents and consequences of paradox. This dissertation was conducted to address these shortcomings. Essay one …

Investigations Into The Role Of Natural Organic Matter As An Interface Between Aquatic Organisms And Environmental Pollutants, Caroline Lillian Schneider

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The impact of the continuous pollution of freshwater environments by multiple pollutants has not been well-studied. The goal of this research was to evaluate the toxicity of several modern pollutants in a model environment. The prokaryotic, unicellular blue-green algae Synechocystis WT6803 and the eukaryotic, multicellular Utterbackia imbecillis mussel larvae were studied along with Suwannee River natural organic matter (NOM). The toxicity response of the blue-green algae Synechocystis sp. was measured through changes in growth rates. The inorganic pollutant silver nanoparticles (0.044 μM) were toxic. Gold nanoparticles did not affect the growth rate. The addition of 15 mg/L NOM partially inhibited …

Mathematical Modeling In The High School Classroom, Selena Oswalt

LSU Master's Theses

Mathematical modeling is the procedure whereby students apply mathematical concepts learned in class to new and unfamiliar situations. A modeling task is a mathematically-rich problem that engages students in mathematical thinking, drawing upon their previously learned knowledge and supporting their understanding of the mathematical concepts currently being covered. Modeling requires students to assign meaning to the mathematical concepts and to extend the concepts beyond rote learning. In order for students to be successful in a classroom that is centered around the idea of mathematical modeling, the students must be taught how to collaborate with other students, persevere through challenging problems, …

Design And Analysis Of Peer 2 Peer Operating System, Anudeep Meka

LSU Master's Theses

The peer to peer computing paradigm has become a popular paradigm for deploying distributed applications. Examples: Kadmelia, Chord, Skype, Kazaa, Big Table. Multiagent systems have become a dominant paradigm within AI for deploying reasoning and analytics applications. Such applications are compute-intensive. In disadvantaged networks the ad-hoc architecture is the most suitable one. Examples: military scenarios, disaster scenarios. We combine the paradigms of peer-to-peer computing, multiagent systems, cloud computing, and ad-hoc networks to create the new paradigm of ad-hoc peer-to-peer mobile agent cloud (APMA cloud) that can provide the computing power of a cloud in “disadvantaged” regions (e.g., through RF using …

A High-Resolution Palynological Analysis Of The St. Stephens Quarry, Alabama: Locating The Eocene-Oligocene Boundary And Characterizing The Environmental Changes Across The Margin, Kevin Jensen

LSU Master's Theses

The Eocene-Oligocene (E-O) transition is a key interval in geological history because it marks a major change in Earth’s climate and because these strata are also popular oil targets in the Gulf Coast. E-O sequences in Alabama are stratigraphically complex. The St. Stephens Quarry (SSQ) in Alabama is one of the few accessible quarries along the Gulf Coast where the E-O boundary is visible in outcrop. Despite the abundance of research projects conducted in the SSQ, many controversies still surround the E-O boundary placement and correlation to the Global Stratotype in the Massignano section in Italy that is based on …

An Alternative To Intellectual Property Theories Of Locke And Utilitarian Economics, Michael Morrissey

LSU Master's Theses

In this paper, I examine two standard theories of intellectual property, voice criticisms of each theory from within their own perspectives, and offer an alternative approach to intellectual property. In the first chapter, I explicate Locke’s original property theory and provide a modern account of Lockean intellectual property as an extension of the original theory. I argue this extension is not compatible with Locke’s original thought on property rights. In the second chapter, I dissect the mainstream economic approach to intellectual property, an approach which employs utilitarianism to justify the intellectual property regime of first world, western nations. I argue …

Palladio's Religious Architecture In Venice, Katherine Fresina

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the three churches designed by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in Venice: San Francesco della Vigna, San Giorgio Maggiore, and Il Redentore. Separate chapters devoted to each of these buildings explore multiple issues, among them Palladio’s awareness of the city, its civic rituals, and architectural traditions; his sources of inspiration in the buildings of classical antiquity, especially ancient Roman baths and temple façades; his relationship to the architecture of the recent past, especially in Venice but also on the terraferma; and his ability to adapt his style to suit the requirements of private, public, and monastic …

Nitrogen Biogeochemistry In A Restored Mississippi River Delta: A Modeling Approach, Benjamin Lee Branoff

LSU Master's Theses

There is evidence that significant reductions (about 50%) in surface water nitrate concentrations within coastal deltaic wetlands receiving diverted Mississippi River water can be contributed to denitrification. Yet there is also contrasting evidence that other processes could be responsible for this nitrate reduction. As Louisiana plans the implementation of major Mississippi River sediment diversions, a thorough understanding of nitrogen dynamics is necessary to reduce risks of coastal eutrophication and offshore hypoxia. A mechanistic numerical computer model has been developed to simulate nitrogen biogeochemistry within the wetlands of the prograding Wax Lake Delta. This model is calibrated to observed fluxes within …

An Extensible And Scalable Pilot-Mapreduce Framework For Data Intensive Applications On Distributed Cyberinfrastructure, Pradeep Kumar Mantha

LSU Master's Theses

The volume and complexity of data that must be analyzed in scientific applications is increasing exponentially. Often, this data is distributed; thus, the ability to analyze data by localizing it will yield limited returns. Therefore, an efficient processing of large distributed datasets is required, whilst ideally not introducing fundamentally new programming models or methods. For example, extending MapReduce - a proven effective programming model for processing large datasets, to work more effectively on distributed data and on different infrastructure (such as non-Hadoop, general-purpose clusters) is desirable. We posit that this can be achieved with an effective and efficient runtime environment …

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 …

Direction Of Mistuning, Magnitude Of Cent Deviation, And Timbre As Factors In Musicians' Pitch Discrimination In Simultaneous And Sequential Listening Conditions, Norman Alan Clark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to investigate high school and college wind instrumentalists’ pitch discrimination when judging pitch pairs separated by 0, 5, 7.5, and 10 cents. Participants listened via headphones to a pre-recorded two section perception test; each section (one sequential and one simultaneous) containing 56 tone pairs. Each pair consisted of an in-tune reference tone followed by a test tone of the same pitch (B-flat4 or E4), which was either identical in tuning or altered to one of six mistunings. Tones also varied in timbre (square or sawtooth wave) with the reference and test tones being …

Changing The Modal Law School: Rethinking U.S. Legal Education In (Most) Schools, Nancy B. Rapoport

Scholarly Works

This essay argues that discussions of educational reform in U.S. law schools have suffered from a fundamental misconception: that the education provided in all of the American Bar Association-accredited schools is roughly the same. A better description of the educational opportunities provided by ABA-accredited law schools would group the schools into three rough clusters: the “elite” law schools, the modal (most frequently occurring) law schools, and the precarious law schools. Because the elite law schools do not need much “reforming,” the better focus of reform would concentrate on the modal and precarious schools; however, both elite and modal law schools …

The “Ethical” Surplus Of The War On Illegal Immigration, Francis J. Mootz Iii, Leticia M. Saucedo

Scholarly Works

The Aristotelian philosopher, Gene Garver, suggests that rhetorical claims have an "ethical surplus" that extends beyond the specific claim being advanced at the moment. This follows from the fact that rhetoric includes not only logos, but also pathos and ethos. We adopt the thesis of "ethical surplus," but in a negative context. The "war on illegal immigration" has generated an ethical surplus that leads its promoters beyond the specific claim of securing borders against unlawful entry. After demonstrating that there is an express rhetoric of "war" used in connection with Arizona's adoption of recent anti-immigrant legislation, we explore …

Biomass Energy Production In Louisiana: A Gis Study On The Supply Chain, Anil Raj Kizhakkepurakkal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One major drawback of biomass fuel is its bulky nature and the resulting high cost of transporting the fuel to the facility where the energy is being produced. Hence, supply chain of biomass residues plays a crucial role in determining the financial viability of bioenergy production. Transporting biomass for energy purposes more than 50 miles (80 km) is not considered economically feasible in most conditions. In the wood energy scenario, the maximum distance is more often restricted to distances of less than 200 km between production and consumption (via road). A study was done to determine logging residues and agricultural …

The Effects Of Oyster Harvest On Resident Oyster Reef Communities And Reef Structure In Coastal Louisiana Proper, Steven Lee Beck

LSU Master's Theses

Harvest of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a primary contributor to oyster reef habitat disturbance in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The impacts of oyster dredging on reef substrate and resident fauna have not been thoroughly examined on the extensive sub-tidal oyster reefs of Louisiana. Several reef structure and resident community metrics were compared on unharvested and harvested reefs during the spring, summer, and fall of 2010. Unharvested reefs had higher amounts of oyster clusters, solid reef substrate, and more large oysters, while harvested reefs had higher amounts of loose shell, mixed shell/mud substrate, and elevated chlorophyll-a levels. Overall, …

Law, Politics, And Cost-Benefit Analysis, Daniel H. Cole

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This Article explores the significant role cost–benefit analysis (CBA) plays in facilitating or impeding legislative and regulatory policy decisions. The Article centers around three case studies of CBAs the EPA prepared under three different presidents: (1) Clinton Administration changes to Clean Air Act air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter; (2) President Obama’s recent decision to suspend the EPA’s reconsideration of the Bush Administration’s air quality standard for ozone; and (3) the George W. Bush Administration’s “Clear Skies” legislative initiative. The first two case studies demonstrate, between them, how well-constructed CBAs can facilitate social-welfare-enhancing and impede welfare-reducing rules, even …

Examining The Relationship Between The Exchange Rate, Foreign Direct Investment And Trade, Shanta Parajuli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Extensive research has been carried out on the relationships among foreign direct investment (FDI), exports, the exchange rate, and economic growth. However, these research findings are mixed and inconclusive. Therefore, further research and discussion are needed on this topic. This study focused on Mexico, since it is one of the major FDI recipient countries in Latin America and much of its trade is a result of its free trade agreements. This study examines the relationship between FDI, exports, and economic growth in the context of FDI from developed to developing countries (Mexico). The second chapter analyzes the relationship of FDI …

Climb To The Ice, Richard Vaughan

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The article, originally presented as a lecture, discusses George Bird Grinnell's 1887 climb of the Montana glacier that eventually become known as Grinnell Glacier. Grinnell’s efforts to establish Glacier National Park are detailed. Grinnell's previously unpublished descriptions of the glacier and its surrounding area are analyzed by the author.

Originally delivered as a lecture at the Montana History Conference, October 2, 2010. Full issue available at: http://issuu.com/um_crown_gye/docs/crownofthecontinent-autumn2012

Beta-Diketone And Beta-Ketoenamine Based Molecular Squares, Jackson Kiplagat Cherutoi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract This dissertation focuses on synthesis of β-diketone and β-ketoenamine ligands for molecular polygons. Previous work with the bis(β-diketone) m-pbaH2 showed that it can be converted to a copper molecular square, Cu4(m-pba)4, but its use in host-guest reactions was limited by its low solubility in most organic solvents. Accordingly, in the present work, the m-pbhxH2 ligand, with pentyl chains replacing the methyl groups in the β-diketone moieties of m-pbaH2, was successfully prepared beginning with 6-dodecyne. This ligand reacts with Cu2+ to make the molecular square Cu4(m-pbhx)4, which is soluble in a wider range of solvents. Host-guest reactions of Cu4(m-pbhx)4 with …