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2013

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Evaluation Of An Automated Delivery Verification System For Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Treatments, John-Paul Grenier Jan 2013

Evaluation Of An Automated Delivery Verification System For Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Treatments, John-Paul Grenier

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the ability of a treatment delivery verification system to detect clinically significant mechanical errors in VMAT delivery utilizing data contained within a commercial record and verify (RV) system, and to test whether the system can be used to reconstruct dose distributions that agree more closely with measured dose distributions than do the original treatment plans. Methods: VMAT treatment plans from five prostate patients, five head and neck patients, and five post-mastectomy chest wall patients treated at our clinic were selected for this study. Known mechanical errors were introduced into each plan, …


Evaluation Of Thermal Insulation By Coal Beds In The Western Arkoma Basin, Ok And Implications For Large Scale Geothermal Resources, Matthew Freeman Jan 2013

Evaluation Of Thermal Insulation By Coal Beds In The Western Arkoma Basin, Ok And Implications For Large Scale Geothermal Resources, Matthew Freeman

LSU Master's Theses

Weighted average geothermal gradients in the Western Arkoma Basin, Oklahoma are estimated from bottom hole temperatures (BHT) from 158 oil and gas wells. The regional geothermal gradient is 28.8 °C/km. The central and north central portions of the basin have higher gradients than southern and northern portions, especially in large areas of Pittsburg and Haskell counties where geothermal gradients in excess of 36 °C/km exist. These gradients suggest that temperatures suitable for low temperature geothermal power exist at depths of 2-3 km. Coals have very low thermal conductivity (0.15 – 0.5 W/m°K) acting as thermal insulators. This study examines the …


Effect Of Rest Time On Heart Rate, Perceived Exertion, And Strength, Amir Bahador Bahmani Bahman Beiglou Jan 2013

Effect Of Rest Time On Heart Rate, Perceived Exertion, And Strength, Amir Bahador Bahmani Bahman Beiglou

LSU Master's Theses

Finding a proper work/rest schedule is considered an important factor for improved efficiency, safety, and a higher rate of productivity in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum rest period for lifting tasks using heart rate, perceived exertion, and physical strength. First, the maximum acceptable weight of the box to be lifted was determined for each one of 10 participants using a psychophysical approach. Then on separate days, participants were required to repetitively lift the box from knuckle height to shoulder height for 20 minutes. They were then allowed to rest 5, 10, 15, or …


Lifestyle Factors And Risk Of Heart Failure: A Prospective Cohort Study, Yujie Wang Jan 2013

Lifestyle Factors And Risk Of Heart Failure: A Prospective Cohort Study, Yujie Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Heart failure (HF) has become a major health problem with its high prevalence, poor clinical outcomes, and large health-care costs. Compared with medical intervention, the prevention of HF through lifestyle approaches is free of side effect. Therefore, the prevention of HF through lifestyle approaches is of special interest. In this project, we aim to investigate 1) the association of different levels of occupational, commuting and leisure-time physical activity with HF risk; 2) the association of coffee consumption with HF risk; 3) the role of lifestyle factors in explaining the risk of HF; and 4) the association between antihypertensive drug treatment …


The Development Of An Ac Magneto- Optic Kerr Effect System For The Characterization Of Pulsed Laser Deposited Co₂Mnsi-Xal1-X Heusler Alloy Thin Films, Matthew Stephen Champagne Jan 2013

The Development Of An Ac Magneto- Optic Kerr Effect System For The Characterization Of Pulsed Laser Deposited Co₂Mnsi-Xal1-X Heusler Alloy Thin Films, Matthew Stephen Champagne

LSU Master's Theses

The Kerr rotation and Kerr ellipticity of thin films can be measured using an AC magneto-optic Kerr effect (AC-MOKE) system. The longitudinal MOKE measurements were taken for a series of Co2MnSixAl1-x thin films with values of x= 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00. The films were fabricated using ultra high vacuum, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) techniques. The PLD targets were made using conventional arc-melting techniques. Using a Jones matrix analysis, it was shown that the Kerr rotation and Kerr ellipticity can be measured separately using two optical setups by taking advantage of a photoelastic modulator and lock-in techniques. Co2MnAl and Co2MnSi …


Lowbrow Art : The Unlikely Defender Of Art History's Tradition, Joseph R. Givens Jan 2013

Lowbrow Art : The Unlikely Defender Of Art History's Tradition, Joseph R. Givens

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis has as twofold purpose. First, it will show that Lowbrow Art fits into the framework of art history and is worthy of art history’s attention. Second, it will argue for a revalidation of “traditional” art historical methods by proving that the methods are applicable to a marginalized contemporary art movement. Lowbrow Art is one of the most distinctive and vibrant art movements in the world, but there has yet to be a thorough examination of this style. Despite the undeniable worldwide success of the Lowbrow Art movement, it remains relatively obscure in academic discourse. Perhaps one reason why …


Molecular-Level Investigations Combining Nanoscale Lithography And Atomic Force Microscopy, Chamarra Karmelia Saner Jan 2013

Molecular-Level Investigations Combining Nanoscale Lithography And Atomic Force Microscopy, Chamarra Karmelia Saner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, nanostructures of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and were prepared using particle lithography and evaluated using characterizations with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nanostructures of OTS were used as a resist for patterning fibronectin, an extracellular matrix protein. Particle lithography provides a practical and reproducible approach to generate billions of nanostructures comprised of organic thin films or nanomaterials. A film of mesospheres can be applied as a surface mask to define the periodicity and size of nanopatterns using processes of self-assembly. A close-packed arrangement of mesospheres is produced spontaneously when monodisperse solutions of latex or silica are dried on a …


Influence Of Various Health Beneficial Spices On Some Characteristics Of Yogurt Culture Bacteria Lactobacillus Acidophilus, And Sensor Acceptability Of Spicy Probiotic Yogurt, Margie Michelle Sanchez-Vega Jan 2013

Influence Of Various Health Beneficial Spices On Some Characteristics Of Yogurt Culture Bacteria Lactobacillus Acidophilus, And Sensor Acceptability Of Spicy Probiotic Yogurt, Margie Michelle Sanchez-Vega

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There is a pronounced public awareness about herbal remedies. Garlic and ginger have antibacterial properties and prevent cardiovascular diseases. Onion and turmeric decrease the risk of diabetes and like garlic, they have anticancer properties. Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Lactobacillus acidophilus are lactic acid bacteria that produce lactase and reduce the symptoms of malabsorption. Earlier work has shown the influence of spice extracts but the influence of pure spice juice on yogurt culture bacteria is not known. Characteristics of yogurt culture bacteria were measured by suspending freshly thawed cultures in 0.1% peptone water (growth), acidified MRS broth (acid tolerance), MRS-Thio …


Optimizing Peak Gust And Maximum Sustained Wind Speed Estimates From Mid-Latitude Wave Cyclones, Timothy Andrew Joyner Jan 2013

Optimizing Peak Gust And Maximum Sustained Wind Speed Estimates From Mid-Latitude Wave Cyclones, Timothy Andrew Joyner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wind storms cause significant damage and economic loss and are a major recurring threat in many countries. Maximum sustained and peak gust weather station data from multiple historic wind storms occurring over more than three decades across Europe were analyzed to identify storm tracks, intensities, and areas of frequent high wind speeds. Wind surfaces for maximum sustained and peak gust winds were estimated based on an anisotropic (directionally-dependent) kriging interpolation methodology. Overall, wind speed magnitudes and high intensity locations were identified accurately for each storm. Directional trends and wind swaths were also consistently located in appropriate locations based on known …


The Art Of Charles H. Reinike : Lagniappes Of Louisiana's Landscapes And People, Lauren J. Barnett Jan 2013

The Art Of Charles H. Reinike : Lagniappes Of Louisiana's Landscapes And People, Lauren J. Barnett

LSU Master's Theses

For Louisiana artist Charles Henry Reinike II, environment acted as a stimulating force and stirred his artistic emotion. Although he began his career in New Orleans during the shock of the Great Depression, Reinike managed to thrive and was a leader in the arts community from the early 1930s until his death in 1983. Although most widely regarded for his watercolors rendered in the plein-air tradition, Reinike worked in an impressively varied range of mediums and excelled in many of them. As a poetic artist, Reinike held great passion for Louisiana, and his lyrical paintings read like odes to the …


Memory For Elements Of A Complex Scene : Binding And The Influence Of Attention, Stephanie L. Martin Jan 2013

Memory For Elements Of A Complex Scene : Binding And The Influence Of Attention, Stephanie L. Martin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Memory of a complex event includes a multitude of features (e.g., objects, people, and actions) as well as the overall context (e.g., going to a picnic). To recall a complex event you must bind together these features and context into an episodic memory representation. This process of binding creates the subjective experience that certain details belong together. In two experiments, I examined whether particular types of information are bound together (object-to-object, object-to-context) within a memory representation of a scene and how attention may influence this process. Participants viewed a series of scenes and their attention was drawn to some objects …


An Acoustic Description Of Vowels Spoken By Speakers With Cajun Ethnicity In Southern Louisiana, Ali Beslin Jan 2013

An Acoustic Description Of Vowels Spoken By Speakers With Cajun Ethnicity In Southern Louisiana, Ali Beslin

LSU Master's Theses

This study aimed to provide selected acoustic data for vowels of one portion of the southern region (Southern LA) in recognition that a variety of Southern dialects have not been recognized on the American English dialect map. To examine dialectical variations in vowel acoustics, this study included a relatively greater number of acoustic parameters including: vowel duration, F1 and F2 from the temporal midpoint of the vowel, trajectory length, and F2 slope. Ten participants between the ages of 18 to 24 were selected from the Southern Louisiana dialect region. Speech stimuli, which have been used in prior research regarding dialect, …


Transcription And Analysis Of Ravi Shankar's Morning Love For Western Flute, Sitar, Tabla And Tanpura, Bethany Padgett Jan 2013

Transcription And Analysis Of Ravi Shankar's Morning Love For Western Flute, Sitar, Tabla And Tanpura, Bethany Padgett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to provide a transcription and musical analysis of Ravi Shankar’s Morning Love for Western flute, sitar, tabla and tanpura. This document provides a discussion of Ravi Shankar’s biography, a theoretical context for the piece including an introduction to Hindustani musical characteristics, and prescriptive transcriptions of Morning Love in Western and Indian notation. A detailed analysis of the piece applies the Hindustani classical musical characteristics discussed. Morning Love is one of only two pieces for Western flute composed by Ravi Shankar as a result of his collaboration with French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal. Prior to this …


Predictors Of Practice Approaches And Activitives Of Louisiana School Social Workers : Toward A Model Of Practice, Laura Richard Jan 2013

Predictors Of Practice Approaches And Activitives Of Louisiana School Social Workers : Toward A Model Of Practice, Laura Richard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current exploratory-descriptive study was to examine the role of school social workers in Louisiana (N = 378) and the relationship of roles in different school settings and with different caseload sizes. The information gained was used to develop a conceptual model of practice and a job description for Louisiana school social workers. In addition, predictors of the types of practice approaches and practice activities used in the different school employment settings and with different caseload sizes were also included. The school social workers were employed in school districts in Louisiana and completed an online or …


Exploring Student Perseverance In Problem Solving, Angelique Renee (Treadway) Duncker Jan 2013

Exploring Student Perseverance In Problem Solving, Angelique Renee (Treadway) Duncker

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT Many high school Geometry students lack the perseverance required to complete complex and time-consuming problems. This project tests the hypothesis that if students were provided with a means of organizing their problem solving work they will be less apt to quit when faced with complex and time-consuming mathematical problems. This study involved students enrolled in 10th grade Geometry and 10th grade Honors Geometry in two similar high schools. After trying unsuccessfully to implement methods adapted from an engineering workshop, I designed a graphic organizer that was simple to use and acceptable to the students. Ultimately, I did not detect …


Volatile Congregations : Crisis Sensemaking In A Southern Baptist Church, Brandon Douglas Bannon Jan 2013

Volatile Congregations : Crisis Sensemaking In A Southern Baptist Church, Brandon Douglas Bannon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to test the assertion that Sensemaking Theory is an appropriate lens to understand church crisis by highlighting the role of communication as a central aspect of the sensemaking process. In addition, through the application of Sensemaking Theory, the secondary goal was to assist congregations as they try to avoid the negative consequences of church splits. The analysis utilized in the current study was specifically selected to develop a history of participant interpretation within a church in order to determine how members made sense of the crisis. To that end, this study followed the …


Enculturational Practices In The Teaching Of Proof In Mathematics, Indira Venkata Chillara Jan 2013

Enculturational Practices In The Teaching Of Proof In Mathematics, Indira Venkata Chillara

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mathematics education reform is informed by constructivist theories that forefront student learning of concepts, and by sociocultural theories whose focus is on students’ mastery of mathematical practices. As Cobb (1994) pointed out, these theorizations are inconsistent with one another, leading to conflict as some theorists seek to promote their approach as the correct one. Alternatively, Cobb, and many others in the social constructivism or the situated cognition camps, seek some sort of integration or balancing of these priorities in pedagogical theorizing. Kirshner (2002, 2004, 2008) argued that instead of either selecting one theory or balancing/coordinating the two theories, we should …


Advancing The Field Of Polypeptoids Through The Synthesis Of Novel Architectures And Thermoresponsive Polymers, Samuel Henry Lahasky Jan 2013

Advancing The Field Of Polypeptoids Through The Synthesis Of Novel Architectures And Thermoresponsive Polymers, Samuel Henry Lahasky

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Peptidomimetic polymers are an emerging class of polymers that are structurally related to polypeptides. Due to their structural similarities, these polymers can be used to study some of the physical aspects of polypeptides (for example, protein folding). They are also increasingly being used in the fields of biology and drug-delivery. Some members of peptidomimetic polymers include polyacrylamides, polyoxazolines and polypeptoids. Polymer synthesis and characterization has been performed for both polyacrylamides and polyoxazolines, with research dating back to the 1950s and 1980s respectively. Research in the field of polypeptoids has not been as extensive; however, emerging synthetic strategies are allowing for …


Deflection Based Condition Assessment For Rolling Wheel Deflectometer At Network Level, Karthik Venkatesh Dasari Jan 2013

Deflection Based Condition Assessment For Rolling Wheel Deflectometer At Network Level, Karthik Venkatesh Dasari

LSU Master's Theses

The Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) is capable of measuring pavement deflection at high speeds without traffic interruption or compromising safety along tested road segments. To optimize the use of RWD at the network level, an assessment tool is needed to incorporate RWD data into current Pavement Management System (PMS) and to identify pavements in need of maintenance or rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to present the development of a screening tool, referred to as the pavement assessment triangular model, to predict pavement overall conditions based on RWD deflection, roughness measurements, and surface conditions as described by the Pavement …


Performing Folk Punk : Agonistic Performances Of Intersectionality, Benjamin D. Haas Jan 2013

Performing Folk Punk : Agonistic Performances Of Intersectionality, Benjamin D. Haas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The overarching goal of this project is to argue that folk punk performances offer spaces where a listening audience is exposed to a radical and intersectional politics, and enable that audience to identify with those views. By considering the performances of Inky Skulls, Pussy Riot!, and Against Me!, this study looks to the ways in which these folk punk exemplars highlight elements of the radical politics of the American left and in the history of folk and punk music. In particular, this project considers the intersections of race and class, women and nonhuman animals, and queerness and anarchism, as intersecting …


Sustainable Natural Resource Management In Regional Ecosystems : Case Studies In Semi-Arid And Humid Regions, Noura Bakr Jan 2013

Sustainable Natural Resource Management In Regional Ecosystems : Case Studies In Semi-Arid And Humid Regions, Noura Bakr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sustainability calls for policies that meet current societal needs without compromising the needs of future generations; thus, a dual relationship between human and natural resources is required. The main goal of the current research was to introduce up-to-date environmental techniques for sustainable natural resource utilization in semiarid and humid ecosystems in short and long term. To achieve this goal, two studies were implemented. First, sustainable land use management was evaluated in a newly reclaimed, semiarid region in the Bustan 3 area (341.27 km2), Egypt. To achieve sustainable management in this agro-ecosystem; detection of land cover change, assessment of the most …


The Relationship Between Forgiveness, Imagined Interactions, Empathy And Relational Satisfaction Among Long-Distance Romantic Couples, Christopher Michael Mapp Jan 2013

The Relationship Between Forgiveness, Imagined Interactions, Empathy And Relational Satisfaction Among Long-Distance Romantic Couples, Christopher Michael Mapp

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Forgiveness is viewed as a major factor in maintaining healthy romantic relationships. But couples involved in long-distance relationships experience a different set of challenges than geographically-close couples when it comes to maintaining and enjoying satisfying and stable relationships. Many long-distance couples rely on increased empathy and intrapersonal communication – in the form of imagined interactions – to release tension, rehearse conversations, and review and analyze conflicts. While forgiveness has been studied extensively in a variety of interpersonal settings, it has not been explicitly studied in relation to the usage of imagined interactions or in maintaining long-distance relationships. Moreover, even though …


How Native American Women Perceive Their Unique Lived Experiences : Three Women Tell Their Stories, Marjorie Larson Kopacsi Jan 2013

How Native American Women Perceive Their Unique Lived Experiences : Three Women Tell Their Stories, Marjorie Larson Kopacsi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Qualitative research that explores and further examines the lived experiences of Native American women is an important, yet a frequently neglected, part of the history of the United States (US). This is an important avenue of investigation, as historians have traditionally marginalized many groups within U.S. society, including women and groups that can be viewed as part of the fabric of U.S. culture, yet exist as subcultures. Native Americans (indigenous peoples, ‘Indians’) should share a special place within U.S. society as First Americans; however, qualitative studies of Native American women, offered through a feminist lens as keepers of tradition …


Tensions Between Abstraction And Replication In Early-Twentieth-Century Design : Norman Bel Geddes' Designs For Broadway's The Miracle, John Thomas-Hood Mabry Jan 2013

Tensions Between Abstraction And Replication In Early-Twentieth-Century Design : Norman Bel Geddes' Designs For Broadway's The Miracle, John Thomas-Hood Mabry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

I make a major contribution to American scenographic historiography with this revised account of Norman Bel Geddes’ set for Max Reinhardt’s 1924 Broadway production of The Miracle, a design theatre scholars have consistently used not only to define Geddes’ aesthetic “versatility,” but also as a prime exemplar of New Stagecraft style. Based on both secondary and primary research material, I contend that the cathedral setting was neither indicative of Geddes’ fundamental aesthetic principles, nor of the aesthetic principles of the New Stagecraft. I firmly establish the principles of the latter within the first definitive, concise demarcation of what constitutes New …


Simple And Fast Reconstruction Of 6 Mv Radiotherapy Doses To The Whole Body, Lydia Joyce Wilson Jan 2013

Simple And Fast Reconstruction Of 6 Mv Radiotherapy Doses To The Whole Body, Lydia Joyce Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

Background: State-of-the-art radiotherapy medical records include reliable estimates of the therapeutic radiation but are known to underestimate the stray radiation exposures by 40% away from the treatment field. Most commonly, stray radiation exposures are reconstructed using empirical formulas and/or lookup tables containing machine-specific dose measurements. The purpose of this study was to develop a physics-based model to calculate exposures to the whole body of patients who receive external beam photon radiotherapy. Methods: We developed a physics-based analytic algorithm to predict absorbed dose from therapeutic, scatter, and leakage radiation. The model includes separate terms to characterize photon production, attenuation, and scattering …


Toward Digitizing The Human Experience : A New Resource For Natural Language Processing, Jerry Scott Weltman Jan 2013

Toward Digitizing The Human Experience : A New Resource For Natural Language Processing, Jerry Scott Weltman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A long-standing goal of Artificial Intelligence is to program computers that understand natural language. A basic obstacle is that computers lack the common sense that even small children acquire simply by experiencing life, and no one has devised a way to program this experience into a computer. This dissertation presents a methodology and proof-of-concept software system that enables non-experts, with some training, to create simple experiences. For the purposes of this dissertation, an experience is a series of time-ordered comic frames, annotated with the changing intentional and physical states of the characters and objects in each frame. Each frame represents …


Proteomics-Based Study Of Host-Fungus Interaction Between Soybean And Phakopsora Pachyrhizi Using Recombinant Inbred Line (Ril) Derived Sister Lines, Mala Ganiger Jan 2013

Proteomics-Based Study Of Host-Fungus Interaction Between Soybean And Phakopsora Pachyrhizi Using Recombinant Inbred Line (Ril) Derived Sister Lines, Mala Ganiger

LSU Master's Theses

Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the causal agent of Asian soybean rust (ASR), has the potential to cause severe yield losses as all United States commercial soybean varieties are susceptible. In this study, 10 soybean recombinant inbred line (RIL) derived sibling lines of two populations (RN06-32-2 and RN06-16-1) were evaluated for differences in response to infection by P. pachyrhizi. These lines, which had previously shown differential responses to Florida soybean rust isolates, were evaluated using Louisiana soybean rust isolates under both detached leaf assay and greenhouse in planta inoculation conditions. Sibling lines showed significant differences in response to P. pachyrhizi infection under both …


Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry For Identificaiton Of Shrimp, Venkatesulu Salla Jan 2013

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry For Identificaiton Of Shrimp, Venkatesulu Salla

LSU Master's Theses

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time of flight mass spectrometry was used to identify shrimp at the species level using commercial mass spectral fingerprint matching software (Bruker Biotyper). In the first step, a mass spectrum reference database was constructed from the analysis of six shrimp species that are commercially important in the United States: L. setiferus, F. azticus, S. brevirostris, P. robustus, P. dispar and P. platyceros. In the second step, the reference database was tested using 74 unknown shrimp samples from these six species. Correct identification was achieved for 72 of the 74 samples (97 percent): 72 samples were …


Zoltán Kodály's Sonata For Unaccompanied Cello, Op. 8 : One Cellist's Path To Performance, Celeste Power Jan 2013

Zoltán Kodály's Sonata For Unaccompanied Cello, Op. 8 : One Cellist's Path To Performance, Celeste Power

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My purpose in writing this document is to simply present my experience in learning and performing Zoltán Kodály’s Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello, Op. 8. My intent is not to instruct cellists on the interpretation of this piece. Each musician must decide how to play it in a way that suits his or her own conception of the piece. Rather I intend to go through each movement and discuss the problems I faced and how I endeavored to solved them, why some solutions worked and others did not, how I prepared for a recital performance of the piece, and what I …


Investigating "Experimentalism" : A Case Study Of The Tuba And Its Repertoire, Andrew Brian Larson Jan 2013

Investigating "Experimentalism" : A Case Study Of The Tuba And Its Repertoire, Andrew Brian Larson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The extant repertoire for the tuba serves as a landmark for how the tuba was perceived at that moment in time by that composer. This document contains a brief analysis of the tuba “experiment” that has been ongoing since its invention. In addition, it contains a brief parallel case study of the saxophone and how this instrument, invented at about the same time as the tuba, has embraced experimentalism and modern performance. This document contains five major sections. The first provides a brief history of the tuba and its predecessors. The second introduces numerical data representing the performance frequency of …