Digital Commons Network^™

High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction Analysis Of Cb1 Receptor Antagonists As A Means To Explore Binding Affinity, Steven P. Fournet

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Charge density studies have been conducted on ten CB₁ cannabinoid receptor antagonists via high resolution x-ray crystallography. Bond critical point values and various other properties derived from these studies including the electrostatic potential were analyzed in correlation to the affinity of each compound with the CB₁ receptor. Correlation/anti-correlation was found between several properties and K_i. The data was also interpreted by principal component analysis with three principal components accounting for 85% of the data variation. Data mining was limit due to the low sample count and the requirements set for the inclusion of correlated/anti-correlated variables …

Anxiety Sensitivity And Its Association With Parenting Behaviors, Rebecca Graham

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to examine the association between parent and child anxiety sensitivity in the context of parenting behaviors, specifically by testing parenting behaviors as moderators or mediators of the association between parent and child anxiety sensitivity. Past research implies that parent anxiety sensitivity may be more related to child anxiety sensitivity (moderation) in girls and in the context of certain parenting. Alternatively, parenting behaviors may better account for the association (mediate) between parent and child anxiety sensitivity. To test the hypotheses 191 families (n = 255 youth aged 6-17 and their parents) completed measures of …

Hostile Attributional Bias In Aggression And Anxiety: The Role Of Perceived Provocateur Motivation, Melissa M. Kunimatsu

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Although internalizing and externalizing problems are often considered in isolation from one another, the frequently co-occur in individuals leading to unique behavior profiles. The current study examined the associations between the forms, functions, and subtypes of aggression, anxiety, hostile attributional bias (HAB), and perceived (proactive or reactive) provocateur motivation in a sample of youth (mean age = 13.84 years, 51% male, 37.5% Caucasian). Results indicated that only reactive relational aggression significantly predicted anxiety, while relational and reactive aggression did not. HAB was not significantly associated with either anxiety or any type of aggression. Perceived proactive provocateur motivation was significantly associated …

Wastewater Disinfection In Enclosed Recirculation Systems With Electromagnetic Waves, Luis G. Mosquera

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Finding the most cost-effective and environmental friendly way to treat and disinfect wastewater has been raising concerns around the world. Failure in performing disinfection of wastewater before returning it to the environment could have terrible consequences to human health and the ecosystem. The risks associated to continue with current practices have led to the creation of stringent regulations.

In this research the HYDROPATH technology is tested while attaching a HydroFlow 60i unit to a reactor that works as a closed recirculation system. To determine the feasibility of the HydroFlow 60i unit as an alternative method to chlorine, the EPA method …

Analysis Of Investment Strategies: A New Look At Investment Returns, Jose F. Rubio

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1:

Intuition suggests that constraint investment strategies will result in losses due to a limited portfolio allocation. Yet prior research has shown that this is not the case for a particular set of constraint mutual funds so-called Socially Responsible Investing, SRI. In this paper I show that such assets do face loses to portfolio efficiency due to their limited asset universe. I contribute to the literature by employing two techniques to estimate asset performance. First, I estimate a DEA based efficiency score that allows for direct comparison between ex-post efficiency rankings and test the ex-ante relevance of such scores …

Am800, James Madison Roe

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I will detail the film making techniques that my crew and I employed while making AM800, my thesis film at the University of New Orleans. I will detail the creative and technical steps we took, from the earliest stages of idea conceptualization to the final phases of post-production and screening. During my recounting of this process, I will discuss our creative goals, the challenges that we faced while achieving these goals, and the resulting product's effectiveness as a narrative short film. The quality of the final product will be gauged through the results of test screenings …

Experimental Investigation Of Mist Film Cooling And Feasibility Study Of Mist Transport In Gas Turbines, Reda M. Ragab

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the modern advanced gas turbines, the turbine inlet temperature may exceed 1500°C as a requirement to increase power output and thermal efficiency. Therefore, it is imperative that the blades and vanes are cooled so they can withstand these extreme temperatures. Film cooling is a cooling technique widely used in high-performance gas turbines. However, the film cooling effectiveness has almost reached plateau, resulting in a bottleneck for continuous improvement of gas turbines' efficiency.

In this study, an innovative cooling scheme, mist film cooling is investigated through experiments. A small amount of tiny water droplets with an average diameter about 10-15 …

Last Known Tomorrow, Larry J. Wormington

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

N/A

Missing Persons, Ho-Kyung Whang

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Numerical Study Of High Temperature And High Velocity Gaseous Hydrogen Flow In A Cooling Channel Of A Ntr Core, Sajan B. Singh

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Two mathematical models (a one and a three-dimensional) were adopted to study, numerically, the thermal hydrodynamic behavior of flow inside a single cooling channel of a Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) engine. The first model assumes the flow in the cooling channel to be one-dimensional, unsteady, compressible, turbulent, and subsonic. The working fluid (GH₂) is assumed to be compressible. The governing equations of the 1-D model are discretized using a second order accurate finite difference scheme. Also, a commercial CFD code is used to study the same problem. Numerical experiments, using both codes, simulated the flow and heat transfer …

4d Evolution Of Fluvial System And Channel-Fill Architecture Of The Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation, Wasatch Plateau, Utah: An Integrated Fluvial Rock Record Analysis, Hiranya Sahoo

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Using an integrated dataset comprising outcrop, core, GPR and LiDAR data, this study targets a high-quality outcrop "window" of the upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation in the eastern Wasatch Plateau in central Utah, spanning a fairly large spatial (~30 km² area comprising eight contiguous, and vertical cliff faces) and temporal (~4 my) range. This research provides field-validation and -calibration of a wider range of fluvial heterogeneity: 1) large-scale heterogeneity (10’s of m vertically and 100’s of m laterally), 2) intermediate-scale heterogeneity (1’s of m vertically and 10’s of m laterally), and 3) small-scale heterogeneity (10’s of cm vertically and 1’s …

A Generalization Of The Partition Problem In Statistics, Jie Zhou

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, the problem of partitioning a set of treatments with respect to a control treatment is considered. Starting in 1950's a number of researchers have worked on this problem and have proposed alternative solutions. In Tong (1979), the authors proposed a formulation to solve this problem and hundreds of researchers and practitioners have used that formulation for the partition problem. However, Tong's formulation is somewhat rigid and misleading for the practitioners, if the distance between the ``good'' and the ``bad'' populations is large. In this case, the indifference zone gets quite large and the undesirable feature of the …

Buckling, Postbuckling And Imperfection Sensitivity Analysis Of Different Type Of Cylindrical Shells By Hui's Postbuckling Method, Hailan Xu

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hui and Chen (1986) were the first to show that the well-known Koiter’s General Theory of Elastic Stability of 1945 can be significantly improved by evaluating the postbuckling b coefficient at the actual applied load, rather than at the classical buckling load. Such improvement method was demonstrated to be (1) very simple to apply with no tedious algebra, (2) significant reduction in imperfection sensitivity and (3) although it is still asymptotically valid, there exists a significant extension of the range of validity involving larger imperfection amplitudes. Strictly speaking, Koiter’s theory of 1945 is valid only for vanishingly small imperfection amplitudes. …

Communities Of Practice, Cailin B. Hochradel

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Communities of Practice (CoP) are groups where users who share the same interests can discuss a particular practice while sharing resources, tools, and work arounds. With a unique business model and product line as well as a significant portion of Mabey Inc. employees in remote locations, a CoP will bridge the communication and distance gap to make learning and development easier and more fluid. Mabey Inc. chose to install Yammer to facilitate their CoP. With this initiative all employees were enrolled in the system and encouraged to use it but not given any directive on how or how often to …

Using Contemporary Art To Guide Curriculum Design:A Contemporary Jewelry Workshop, Kathryn C. Smurthwaite

Theses and Dissertations

There is currently need for reform in art programs of all kinds, in regards to use of and focus on contemporary art and current practices. Teaching about art of our time and place enables students to understand and make connections to their world, and facilitates art making that is creative and relevant. This thesis describes theory and rationale for basing curriculum on contemporary art practices and presents a jewelry workshop, for all skill levels, that teaches contemporary art themes and practices. There are two units. The first teaches metal texturing, shaping and simple soldering skills while, focusing on art that …

Long Term Observations Of B2 1215+30 With Veritas, E. Aliu, S. Archambault, T. Arlen, T. Aune, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, R. Bird, A. Bouvier, J. H. Buckley, V. Bugaev, A. Cesarini, L. Ciupik, M. P. Connolly, W. Cui, J. Dumm, M. Errando, A. Falcone, S. Federici, Q. Feng, J. P. Finley, P. Fortin, L. Fortson, A. Furniss, N. Galante, L. Gerard, G. H. Gillanders, S. Griffin, J. Grube, G. Gyuk, D. Hanna, J. Holder, G. Hughes, T. B. Humensky, P. Kaaret, M. Kertzman, Y. Khassen, D. Kieda, H. Krawczynski, F. Krennrich, M. J. Lang, A. S. Madhavan, G. Maier, P. Majumdar, S. Mcarthur, A. Mccann, P. Moriarty, R. Mukherjee, D. Nieto, A. O’Faolain De Bhroithe, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

We report on VERITAS observations of the BL Lac object B2 1215+30 between 2008 and 2012. During this period, the source was detected at very high energies (VHEs; E > 100 GeV) by VERITAS with a significance of 8.9σ and showed clear variability on timescales larger than months. In 2011, the source was found to be in a relatively bright state and a power-law fit to the differential photon spectrum yields a spectral index of 3.6 ± 0.4stat ± 0.3syst with an integral flux above 200 GeV of (8.0 ± 0.9stat ± 3.2syst) × 10−12 cm−2 s−1. No short term variability …

Effects Of A Cross-Age Peer Tutoring Program On Reading Performance Of Hispanic Title I Second And Third Grade Students, Ana Isabel Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Hispanic students are falling behind their peers in reading fluency and are struggling to close the gap. This study examined the reading fluency influence on 73 Hispanic second and third grade students while receiving reading fluency support from middle school Hispanic tutors. These students were compared to Hispanic second and third grade students not receiving tutoring reading support. All students were assessed before the tutors gave reading support, mid-year and after the reading support finished using a school district fluency measurement. Findings found that students made rapid growth in reading fluency from the beginning of the tutoring support to mid-year. …

Toni Morrison’S Depiction Of Beauty Standards In Relation To Class, Politics Of Respectability, And Consumerism In Song Of Solomon, Karen Jensen

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In Song of Solomon, published during a transitional moment in the history of U.S. feminism, Toni Morrison portrays the destructive forces of hegemonic female beauty standards, materialism, and consumerism in a Midwestern African-American community from the 1930s to the 1960s. She reveals a hierarchy in which men define standards of beauty and respectability that enforce white bourgeois ideals. Focusing on five female characters, this thesis examines this hierarchy; the agents who maintain it; and the ways in which it affects female characters who accept and/or reject it. While one of the characters, Hagar, perishes in her attempt to live …

An Examination Of The Perceptions Of Educational Leaders On The Ensuring Literacy For All Initiative’S Impact On Student Reading Achievement In Louisiana, Khanh Kim Nguyen-Dufour

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of Louisiana’s Ensuring Literacy For All (ELFA) initiative from the perspective of

educational administrators in order to identify: (a) the factors within ELFA that contributed to student reading performance; (b) the effects of the perceptions of ELFA administrators on student achievement; and (c) the components of effective leadership that attributed to the success of ELFA implementation. Bandura‘s (1993) socio-psychological theory of self efficacy was used to frame this study, which included six ELFA administrators from the state, district, and school level. The five findings of this study revealed …

Two Essays In Empirical Asset Pricing, Abdullah M. Noman

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation consists of two essays. The first essay investigates the ability of prior returns, relative to some aggregate market returns, to predict future returns on industry style portfolios. By pooling time series of returns across industries for the period between July 1969 and June 2012, we find that prior returns differential predicts one month ahead returns negatively, even in the presence of a set of popular state variables. The predictability remains significant and negative for up to 5 month ahead returns. The predictability is shown to be robust to alternative specifications, estimation methodology and industry classifications. A possible explanation …

Six Sigma, Firm Performance And Returns Predictability In Emerging Real Estate Market, Bora Ozkan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays. First essay investigates Fortune 500 companies that implemented Six Sigma. Since the 1980s, industrial organizations have adopted practices such as Six Sigma to maintain and enhance competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to look at the long run stock price and the operating performance of Fortune 500 companies that were identified to have implemented Six Sigma compared to the overall market performance as well as the performance of industry and size matched firms. Even though our sample firms improved several variables after implementing Six Sigma, their operating performances were not quite close to …

The Interaction Of Post-Partum Depression And Maternal Knowledge Of Infant Development On Change In Sensitive And Responsive Parenting During Early Infancy, Julie Weiss

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Sensitive and responsive parenting during early infancy is highly understudied, particularly in families with a low socioeconomic status. Longitudinal data from 41 mothers and their 4 to 16 week old infants found that accurate maternal knowledge of infant development positively affected parenting contemporaneously and over time while depression did not affect parenting in this sample. Implications for intervention and research are discussed.

Wave Transformation At A Saltmarsh Edge And Resulting Marsh Edge Erosion: Observations And Modeling, Kevin J. Trosclair

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examines wind generated waves during winter storms, their transformation/attenuation near the marsh edge, and the resulting saltmarsh edge erosion. A simple numerical model for wave generation, transmission and marsh edge erosion was developed and validated against observations from Lake Borgne, Louisiana. Results suggest that meteorological conditions modify the local water depth via wind or wave setup and atmospheric pressure, thus exerting a first order control on the location of wave attack, which in turn determines the type of wave forces (shear vs. impact) that dominate the erosion process. Scarp failure follows, at a location determined by water level, …

Semantic Services For Enterprise Data Exchange, James A. Sauvinet

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Data exchange between different information systems is a complex issue. Each system, designed for a specific purpose, is defined using a vocabulary of the specific business. While Web services allow interoperations and data communications between multiple systems, the clients of the services must understand the vocabulary of the targeting data resources to select services or to construct queries. In this thesis we explore an ontology-based approach to facilitate clients’ queries in the vocabulary of the clients’ own domain, and to automate the query processing. A governmental inter-department data query process has been used to illustrate the capability of the semantic …

Techniques For The Visualization Of Positional Geospatial Uncertainty, Brent A. Barré

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Geospatial data almost always contains some amount of uncertainty due to inaccuracies in its acquisition and transformation. While the data is commonly visualized (e.g. on digital maps), there are unanswered needs for visualizing uncertainty along with it. Most research on effectively doing this addresses uncertainty in data values at geospatial positions, e.g. water depth, human population, or land-cover classification. Uncertainty in the data’s geospatial positions themselves (positional uncertainty) has not been previously focused on in this regard. In this thesis, techniques were created for visualizing positional uncertainty using World Vector Shoreline as an example dataset. The techniques consist of a …

Utilizing Economic And Environmental Data From The Desalination Industry As A Progressive Approach To Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (Otec) Commercialization, Michael R. Eller

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a renewable energy technology that has to overcome several key challenges before achieving its ultimate goal of producing baseload power on a commercial scale. The economic challenge of deploying an OTEC plant remains the biggest barrier to implementation. Although small OTEC demonstration plants and recent advances in subsystem technologies have proven OTEC’s technical merits, the process still lacks the crucial operational data required to justify investments in large commercial OTEC plants on the order of 50-100 megawatts of net electrical power (MWe-net). A pre-commercial pilot plant on the order of 5-10 MWe-net is required …

Curated Reasoning By Formal Modeling Of Provenance, Kevin B. Shaw

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The core problem addressed in this research is the current lack of an ability to repurpose and curate scientific data among interdisciplinary scientists within a research enterprise environment. Explosive growth in sensor technology as well as the cost of collecting ocean data and airborne measurements has allowed for exponential increases in scientific data collection as well as substantial enterprise resources required for data collection. There is currently no framework for efficiently curating this scientific data for repurposing or intergenerational use.

There are several reasons why this problem has eluded solution to date to include the competitive requirements for funding and …

Modeling Reliability Growth In Accelerated Stress Testing, Jason K. Freels

Theses and Dissertations

Qualitative accelerated test methods improve system reliability by identifying and removing initial design flaws. However, schedule and cost constraints often preclude sufficient testing to generate a meaningful reliability estimate from the data obtained in these tests. In this dissertation a modified accelerated life test is proposed to assess the likelihood of attaining a reliability requirement based on tests of early system prototypes. Assuming each prototype contains an unknown number of independent competing failure modes whose respective times to occurrence are governed by a distinct Weibull law, the observed failure data from this qualitative test are shown to follow a poly-Weibull …

Sustaining Scholarship: Librarians And The Political Economy Of Print, Emily Drabinski

Urban Library Journal

As workers in the knowledge industry, librarians have particular insight into the implications of the tectonic shifts wrought by the decline of print. Drawing on work to make the journal Radical Teacher open access, this paper discusses how librarians can mobilize our insider knowledge to transform our communities of practice.

Who Edits The Editors? Snake Hill And Archaeological Reports, Al B. Wesolowsky

Northeast Historical Archaeology

A review of Snake Hill: An Investigation of a Military Cemetery from the War of 1812, edited by Susan Pfeiffer and Ronald F. Williamson, provides a coign of vantage regarding two aspects of particular concern to historical archaeologists. One is the increasing number of historical cemeteries that, because of recent legislation and a broadening of research domains, are being investiagted by archaeologists. The other, closely related, aspect is the need for strong editorial oversight in preparing for the press reports that comprise the contributions of diverse specialists. Snake Hill was a good project that resulted in a report that, while …