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Script, Commencement Convocation, December 15, 2012, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg

USF St. Petersburg Graduations and Commencements

A script for the University of South Florida St. Petersburg commencement ceremony on December 15, 2012.

Daring To Dream, Michelle Carreon

Honors Theses

Many people are unaware of the DREAM Act and its benefits; however, many scholars agree that the DREAM Act at the federal level is potentially beneficial to those undocumented students and to the United States. These scholars have researched the various benefits of the DREAM Act, such as an increase in human capital, increase in education revenue, and increase in taxable income. The DREAM Act can potentially give students the opportunity to obtain a higher education and ultimately a job and a better life. Most likely, ignorance of the DREAM Act has obscured the benefits it provides. People are more …

Of Frightened Horses And Autonomous Vehicles: Tort Law And Its Assimilation Of Innovations, Kyle Graham

Santa Clara Law Review

No abstract provided.

Cityland – Vol. 9, No. 10, Center For New York City Law

CityLand - 2012

This issue of CityLand explores legal, planning, and preservation developments in New York City as of December 2012. It features a student article on the legal distinctions between accessory and advertising signs, and the regulatory frameworks governing signage in residential, commercial, and manufacturing districts. The City Council rejected the sale of 22 Reade Street to preserve its potential use for an African Burial Ground Museum, while approving the sale of 49–51 Chambers Street. The Brinckerhoff Cemetery in Queens was designated a landmark despite opposition from the property owner. The Council also approved reduced parking requirements for Downtown Brooklyn to encourage …

Emerging Media In 18th Century Literature: How Jane Austen Invented Facebook, Rebecca Shaver

Honors Theses

The focus on the downfalls and misunderstandings of the Austen anthology has allowed critics to ignore her incredible ability to scientifically dissect the intricate workings of social circles and networks comprised of psychologically accurate characters and interactions. For instance, her portrayals of gender roles (heterosocial/sexual and homosocial/sexual) within those circles were so apt that they often still true today. The transcendental human nature of individuals like Emma's Emma Woodhouse and Mansfield Park's Fanny Price causes us to question how Austen amplifies and enlightens our understanding of how modern social networks, like Facebook or Twitter, stem directly from historically complex affective …

Who's Allowed To Ride The Short Bus?: Un-Defining Disability, Hannah Widdifield

Honors Theses

However easy it may be to do, criminalizing - or less maliciously, categorizing - disability does not make it easier to accommodate. Clumping people with "special needs" together does not meet those needs any more efficiently and labeling those needs as "special" is vague and ineffective. The disabled aren't pegged into their roles for practical reasons, but because of inherited stigmas that are continuously encouraged by institutional policies, popular culture, and art. My thesis is in part an attempt to uncover and articulate a personal and social history of disability. In it I try to puzzle out how misconceptions regarding …

Creation And Testing Of A Semi-Automated Digital Triage Process Model, Gary Dewayne Cantrell

Theses and Dissertations

Digital forensics examiners have a growing problem caused by their own success. The need for digital forensics is increasing and so are the devices that need examining. Not only are the number of devices growing, but so is the amount of information those devices can hold. One result of this problem is a growing backlog that could soon overwhelm digital forensics labs across the country. One way to combat this growing problem is to use digital triage to find the most pertinent information first. Unfortunately, although several digital forensics models have been created, very few digital triage models have been …

2012 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 15.

Commencement Speaker: John Reese

Contemporary Confucian And Islamic Approaches To Democracy And Human Rights, Stephen Angle

Comparative Philosophy

Both Confucian and Islamic traditions stand in fraught and internally contested relationships with democracy and human rights. It can easily appear that the two traditions are in analogous positions with respect to the values associated with modernity, but a central contention of this essay is that Islam and Confucianism are not analogous in this way. Positions taken by advocates of the traditions are often similar, but the reasoning used to justify these positions differs in crucial ways. Whether one approaches these questions from an intra-traditional, cross-traditional, or multi-traditional perspective, the essay shows that there is great value in getting clear …

A Study Of The Impact Of Instructional Approach On Community College Students’ Problem Solving And Metacognitive Abilities In The Developmental Mathematics Course, Introductory Algebra, Sandra T. Landry

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the cognitive, metacognitive, affective and instructional constructs that influence students’ problem solving development in a community college Introductory Algebra course. The study addressed the lack of success that developmental mathematics students in a community college have in the Introductory Algebra course and in subsequent curriculum mathematics courses. Research suggests that the prevalent procedural-oriented instructional methodology used in most mathematics classrooms may be contributing to the lack of student success. The community college students (N = 140) in this study were enrolled in an Introductory Algebra course. The study investigated the relationships …

Factors Associated With Play Therapists' Use Of Family-Systems Play Therapy Interventions, Jaime K. Parker

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Four hundred fifty-six (456) members of the Association for Play Therapy responded to the researcher-developed survey, the Play Therapists' Decision-Making Inventory-Revised (PTDI-R). The instrument assessed play therapists’ perceptions of the role of attachment in the treatment process, the frequency with which play therapists feel competent to use family-systems play therapy, and the frequency with which they utilize these interventions. Items from the PTDI-R were analyzed using a principal component analysis to assess the underlying structure of six items that addressed participants’ frequency of use of FSPTI relative to their understanding of the attachment relationship. This factor accounted for …

Exploring The Relationship Between English Composition Teachers' Beliefs About Written Feedback And Their Written Feedback Practices, Sandra Vandercook

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

For teachers of freshman English composition, the most time-consuming aspect of teaching is responding to student papers (Anson, 2012; Straub, 2000b). Teachers respond in various ways, but most teachers agree that they should offer written feedback to students (Beach & Friedrich, 2006). However, little research has been conducted to determine how teachers’ written feedback practices reflect their beliefs about the purpose of such feedback. This qualitative study explores the relationship between English composition teachers’ beliefs about written feedback and their actual written feedback practices.

The participants were a sample of four instructors of freshman English composition at a mid-sized metropolitan …

Blow-Up Of Solutions To The Generalized Inviscid Proudman-Johnson Equation, Alejandro Sarria

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The generalized inviscid Proudman-Johnson equation serves as a model for n-dimensional incompressible Euler flow, gas dynamics, high-frequency waves in shallow waters, and orientation of waves in a massive director field of a nematic liquid crystal. Furthermore, the equation also serves as a tool for studying the role that the natural fluid processes of convection and stretching play in the formation of spontaneous singularities, or of their absence.

In this work, we study blow-up, and blow-up properties, in solutions to the generalized, inviscid Proudman-Johnson equation endowed with periodic or Dirichlet boundary conditions. More particularly,regularity of solutions in an Lp setting will …

Application Of Digital Forensic Science To Electronic Discovery In Civil Litigation, Brian Roux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Following changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in 2006 dealing with the role of Electronically Stored Information, digital forensics is becoming necessary to the discovery process in civil litigation. The development of case law interpreting the rule changes since their enactment defines how digital forensics can be applied to the discovery process, the scope of discovery, and the duties imposed on parties. Herein, pertinent cases are examined to determine what trends exist and how they effect the field. These observations buttress case studies involving discovery failures in large corporate contexts along with insights on the technical reasons those …

The Use Of Re-Authoring To Reconcile Fundamentalist Religious Beliefs With Sexual Orientation: A Narrative Study, Karen Parker

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A narrative qualitative research design was used to understand the journeys of three lesbians with Oneness Pentecostal backgrounds who have reconciled their religious beliefs with their sexual orientation. Three participants were selected who met the following criteria: (a) the participant is a lesbian female who (b) grew up in a Oneness Pentecostal church and (c) has reconciled being a lesbian with her religious beliefs, and who is (d) willing to discuss her outing process. These participants were interviewed. The interview questions were submitted to participants prior to the scheduled interviews. The interviews began with an open-ended inquiry. In answer to …

They Took My Bedroom: A Case Study Of Eminent Domain In New Orleans, Jared E. Munster

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Of the many powers granted to federal, state, and local governments through the Constitution of theUnited States, eminent domain is possibly the strongest and most imposing, at least as it relates to citizens’ property rights. This dissertation explores several large-scale public undertakings inNew Orleansduring the period from 1929 to 2011 in which the application of eminent domain was necessary to accomplish the government’s goals. This research window will allow the analysis of eminent domain applications from the construction of the Municipal Auditorium through the new medical center projects spurred by the flooding associated with Hurricane Katrina. This timeframe also allows …

Geochemical Evidence For Vertical Migration Of Deep Formation Fluids Through The Baton Rouge -Denham Springs Fault System, Lesley C. Prochaska

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Accumulations of brackish groundwater exist across south Louisiana within the shallow, south-dipping Pleistocene to Upper Miocene Baton Rouge Aquifer System (BRAS). This research investigates the source of brackish groundwater through geochemical analysis of representative groundwater samples by comparing the following geochemical ratios along with other trace elements. Low Bromide (Br)/Chloride (Cl) and Potassium (K) /Cl ratios, high Sodium (Na) /Cl ratios, trace Magnesium (Mg) concentrations, and low Strontium (Sr) ⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ in brackish waters from the BRAS are inconsistent with in situ saline water from marine formation fluids of similar age. The ratios are consistent with in situ saline-water …

Cloning, Expression, And Characterization Of Ara H 3, A Major Peanut Allergen, Cathryn E. Garvey

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract There are eight foods that contribute to food allergies in the western world and peanut is the most common. Currently, there are no medical treatments that can cure an individual of food allergy, so avoidance of the allergic food is the only option. In the United States, there are three immunodominant allergic proteins accountable for patient sensitization to peanut, Arachis hypogea 1, 2, and 3 (Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3). Therefore, research into why peanuts are more allergic than other foods that have homologous proteins is critical and may be obtained by studying the structural …

Localization And Mutational Analysis Of The Nuclear And Aggregation-Prone Ime4 Protein In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Patricia M. Dehon

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ime4 is a protein that is induced during meiosis and has a primary role in regulating sporulation in starving diploids. One function of Ime4 is methylation of adenosine residues within mRNA transcripts. Recent studies have shown Ime4 to be induced in haploids during the mating response, although its role in mating has not been determined. In this report, I identify the subcellular localization of Ime4 during the mating response through treatment with alpha factor. A plasmid containing IME4-GFP under the control of the medium strength promoter CYC1 was created in order to express the protein in a …

Application Of Web Mashup Technology To Oyster Information Services, Christian Chuindja Ngniah

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Web mashup is a lightweight technology used to integrate data from remote sources without direct access to their databases. As a data consumer, a Web mashup application creates new contents by retrieving data through the Web application programming interface (API) provided by the external sources. As a data provider, the service program publishes its Web API and implements the specified functions.

In the project reported by this thesis, we have implemented two Web mashup applications to enhance the Web site oystersentinel.org: the Perkinsus marinus model and the Oil Spill model. Each model overlay geospatial data from a local database …

An Examination Of A Process Model Of Physical Child Abuse: Considering Direct, Indirect, And Interactive Effects Of Cumulative Socio-Contextual Risk On Markers Of Physical Child Abuse In Mothers Of Young Children, Kathleen Mcgoron

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Understanding pathways to physical child abuse may aid in creating and implementing abuse prevention services. Yet studying child abuse in community samples of parents is fraught with challenges. One solution to these challenges is to examine markers of physical child abuse, rather than asking about abuse directly. The goal of the current investigation is to test a theoretical model of processes that increase the presence of four proximal risk factors, or markers, which have been linked to increased risk for physical child abuse in mothers of young children. The four markers of physical child abuse include: child abuse potential, over-reactive …

Measuring The Sustainability Of U.S. Public Bicycle Systems, Max W. Williamson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

As cities worldwide plan for increasing urbanization levels, new challenges in mobility will arise. Any approach taken to address these new issues will need to consider how to move more people with declining resources, thus the need for a sustainable solution arises. This thesis examines the growing trend of cities creating public bicycle systems as a means to add sustainability to a transportation system and identifies what are the criteria and indicators of a sustainable public bicycle. The criteria and indicators are used to examine data collection techniques of three Public Bicycle Systems in the United States: Capital Bikeshare in …

“'They Was Things Past The Tellin’: A Reconsideration Of Sexuality And Memory In The Ex-Slave Narratives Of The Federal Writers’ Project", Lynn Cowles Wartberg

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In 1936, Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) employees began interviewing formerly enslaved men and women, allowing them to speak publicly of their experiences under slavery. Defying racism and the repressions of Jim Crow, ex-slaves discussed intimate details of their lives. Many researchers considered these interviews unreliable, but if viewed through the lens of gender and analyzed using recent scholarship on slavery and sexuality, FWP interviews offer new insights into the lives of enslaved men and women. Using a small number of ex-slave interviews, most of them drawn from Louisiana, this thesis demonstrates the value of these oral histories for understanding the …

Little Town Blues, Jeannette Brown

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

"Little Town Blues" is a novel about a woman burdened by a childhood accident and surviver's guilt. She sneaks into a vacation house on Friday nights to read a novel. Bored with her marriage and her work as a hairdresser, her behavior becomes increasingly riskier.

The Snow Globe, Sara Crawford

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Odor Monitoring At Wastewater Treatment Plants, Natasha Halageri

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is notable for its toxicity and corrosion is one of the major sources of odor in wastewater treatment plants. Evaluation of existing or potential odor problems requires knowledge of the type of compounds likely to cause such problems and the mechanism of their formation in wastewater systems which is discussed in this paper. For the present study, the East Bank wastewater treatment plant was chosen since it is the largest wastewater treatment facility within Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. To combat the odor problems in this facility, a monitoring program was designed and developed to characterize the …

Death By Design: Giving Life To Mark Twain’S Posthumous Success, Is He Dead?, Mignon Charvet

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The following thesis documents the costume design process and execution for the staged production of Mark Twain’s Is He Dead? as adapted by David Ives. It was produced at the University of New Orleans as part of the Film, Theatre, and Communication Arts Department 2011-2012 season in collaboration with New Orleans theatre company, The NOLA Project.

In conjunction with the director and the design team, it is the role of the costume designer to support the overall concept of the production. The documentation of this process begins with the textual, historical, and visual research pertaining to the design concept. …

Employment Decentralization And Bus Rapid Transit In An Edge City Corridor: Veterans Boulevard In Greater New Orleans, Taylor A. Marcantel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The continued decentralization of employment in U.S. regions has led to the emergence of large employment centers outside of traditional Central Business Districts. Edge Cities in particular, with their high office space densities, significantly influence surrounding land uses and regional commuting patterns. However, existing transit systems tend to be oriented to historic Central Business Districts and the level of service for transit in suburban areas remains considerably below that of central cities. Adequately serving suburban Edge Cities with transit is critical in maintaining and improving access to jobs by transit and mitigating automobile congestion.

This study explores the suitability of …

The Feasibility Of Closing Vehicle Crossings Along St. Charles Avenue: A Study Of Transit Safety And Performance, Vivek B. Shah

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The St. Charles streetcar is an important transit line in the city of New Orleans, with about 65,000 people living within a ½ mile walking distance from it. However, the line experiences a very high streetcar/automobile crash rate due in large part to the large number of grade vehicle crossings over the tracks that lack signalization. Through traffic modeling, the closure of many of these vehicle crossings and the diversion of automotive traffic to the remaining, signalized crossings is analyzed to determine traffic impacts on street network. The result is a modest increase in traffic, about 7-8%, at the remaining …

Metamorphosis: An Original Theatrical, Virtual, And Psychological Experience., Kristin E. Goins

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Everyday we find ourselves making hundreds of decisions, often without noticing the relevance of even the most miniscule choice that can grow and form into a life altering state of mind. The human brain is the most elaborately complex structure in existence, enabling us to be able to function and comprehend our surroundings. With complexity, also comes malfunctions, which will inevitably occur occasionally ranging in a wide variety of defects from mental illnesses, to super genius abilities. What a certain individual may see as reality, may be completely opposite of the reality you or I see. This poses the question, …