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2013

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Factors Influencing Glycogen Branching Enzyme Activity In Mouse Liver, Scott Fuller Jan 2013

Factors Influencing Glycogen Branching Enzyme Activity In Mouse Liver, Scott Fuller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Glycogen is the storage polysaccharide in a spectrum of organisms ranging from yeast to humans. Glycogen has a highly branched structure somewhat resembling a tree or shrub, with the branch points formed by glucose molecules being joined by α 1,6-glycosidic linkages. These linkages are formed by the action of branching enzyme. Branching of glycogen is critical to health, with a lack of branching causing glycogen storage disease type IV, which is fatal in humans by age 2. While glycogen branching enzyme has been studied in clinical medicine, modulation of the enzyme has received comparatively little attention. This dissertation undertook three …

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Natural Fracture Characterization In The Haynesville Shale, East Texas: A Core Study, Frank Leslie Morgan Jan 2013

Natural Fracture Characterization In The Haynesville Shale, East Texas: A Core Study, Frank Leslie Morgan

LSU Master's Theses

The Haynesville Shale in East Texas and Northwest Louisiana is one of the most studied and explored shale-gas plays in the United States. With new horizontal drilling and completion strategies, energy companies can produce hydrocarbons directly from the source rock making the Haynesville Shale an attractive resource. A key component of enhanced hydrocarbon production is the presence of natural fractures. They may serve as permeable pathways for hydrocarbon flow, especially in tight shales such as in the Haynesville Shale, where the matrix permeability is very low. In the case of the Haynesville Shale, little is known about the occurrence of …

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Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Classwide Social Skills Intervention With Preschoolers And Kindergarteners, Haley E. York Jan 2013

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Classwide Social Skills Intervention With Preschoolers And Kindergarteners, Haley E. York

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of a manualized, universal social skills intervention for young students. Past research on the use of universal interventions within the domain of social skills has shown great promise, and the importance of social skills has been demonstrated through their empirical relation to academic and behavioral outcomes. Additional research has shown that, overall, social skills training interventions for young children are successful and have lasting effects. These findings convey the importance and need for effective, efficient, and early social skills training interventions. As such, this study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest …

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Placed Residue, Thomas Lapann Jan 2013

Placed Residue, Thomas Lapann

LSU Master's Theses

“Placed Residue” is a series of eight works that highlight nature and its transformative quality. The video, photos, and sculptural objects, contained in the show, call attention to different materials and how they undergo growth and decay. Using various resources ranging from Kinect to video projection I incorporate the unnatural in order to depict a natural narrative involving the viewer. In order to emulate these natural processes, a cause and effect system had been developed where nature completes the final object. These systems activate the material providing for behaviors to be visible through their tactile qualities and allowing for their …

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All-Women's Flat Track Roller Derby : Gender, Psychoanalysis, And Meaning, Matthew Newsom Jan 2013

All-Women's Flat Track Roller Derby : Gender, Psychoanalysis, And Meaning, Matthew Newsom

LSU Master's Theses

For over a decade, women’s flat track roller derby has grown to reach thousands of women in various countries around the world. Through roller derby, these women are engaging in a full-contact sport that has no comparable male counterpart, making this rapidly-growing sport an interesting arena for gender and cultural research. This thesis uses ethnographic information collected from two U.S. derby teams in order to demonstrate the dynamic interplay of culture and psychology in the making of cultural and personal meaning. In so doing, this research validates the role that psychology—and specifically, psychoanalysis—can play in cultural anthropology, and demonstrates a …

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Geodatabase-Assisted Storm Surge Modeling, Sait Ahmet Binselam Jan 2013

Geodatabase-Assisted Storm Surge Modeling, Sait Ahmet Binselam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Tropical cyclone-generated storm surge frequently causes catastrophic damage in communities along the Gulf of Mexico. The prediction of landfalling or hypothetical storm surge magnitudes in U.S. Gulf Coast regions remains problematic, in part, because of the dearth of historic event parameter data, including accurate records of storm surge magnitude (elevation) at locations along the coast from hurricanes. While detailed historical records exist that describe hurricane tracks, these data have rarely been correlated with the resulting storm surge, limiting our ability to make statistical inferences, which are needed to fully understand the vulnerability of the U.S. Gulf Coast to hurricane-induced storm …

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Controversy Trend Detection In Social Media, Rajshekhar Vishwanath Chimmalgi Jan 2013

Controversy Trend Detection In Social Media, Rajshekhar Vishwanath Chimmalgi

LSU Master's Theses

In this research, we focus on the early prediction of whether topics are likely to generate significant controversy (in the form of social media such as comments, blogs, etc.). Controversy trend detection is important to companies, governments, national security agencies, and marketing groups because it can be used to identify which issues the public is having problems with and develop strategies to remedy them. For example, companies can monitor their press release to find out how the public is reacting and to decide if any additional public relations action is required, social media moderators can moderate discussions if the discussions …

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Looking The Part : Examining The Transcendence Of Gender In The Portraits Of Agrippina The Younger, Kristin Michelle Hébert Jan 2013

Looking The Part : Examining The Transcendence Of Gender In The Portraits Of Agrippina The Younger, Kristin Michelle Hébert

LSU Master's Theses

The propagandist art of the Roman Empire typically used images of the imperial women as a type of political icon. These women were often displayed in reliefs or portrait groups as symbols of morality, fecundity, femininity, and the continuation of the dynasty. While scholars have discussed this issue in great detail, they have often overlooked the fact that the portrait images of these very same women often contradict the feminine virtues that they are meant to convey. For instance, the portraits of Agrippina the Younger are divided into typologies based on, among other things, the incorporation of physiognomic features of …

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An Alu Element-Based Model Of Human Genome Instability, George Wyndham Cook, Jr. Jan 2013

An Alu Element-Based Model Of Human Genome Instability, George Wyndham Cook, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The human genome is strewn with repetitive sequence. An early estimate derived from the draft human genome sequence placed this repetitive content at ~45%. More detailed recent analyses have advanced the idea that the human repetitive and repeat derived contribution to the genome may be closer to 66-69%. The most commonly repeated sequence in the human genome is the Alu element. Alus make up 10.6 percent of all human DNA and have expanded to over one million copies in the human genome reproducing through a copy and paste mechanism. New Alu germline insertions are estimated to occur at a rate …

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Study On The Performance Of Tcp Over 10gbps High Speed Networks, Cheng Cui Jan 2013

Study On The Performance Of Tcp Over 10gbps High Speed Networks, Cheng Cui

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Internet traffic is expected to grow phenomenally over the next five to ten years. To cope with such large traffic volumes, high-speed networks are expected to scale to capacities of terabits-per-second and beyond. Increasing the role of optics for packet forwarding and transmission inside the high-speed networks seems to be the most promising way to accomplish this capacity scaling. Unfortunately, unlike electronic memory, it remains a formidable challenge to build even a few dozen packets of integrated all-optical buffers. On the other hand, many high-speed networks depend on the TCP/IP protocol for reliability which is typically implemented in software and …

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Model For Acid-Base Chemistry In Nanoparticle Growth (Mabnag), Taina Yli-Juuti, Kelley Barsanti, L. Hildebrandt Ruiz, Antti-Jussi Kieloaho, U. Makkonen, Tuukka Petäjä, Taina Ruuskanen, Markku Kulmala, Ilona Riipinen Jan 2013

Model For Acid-Base Chemistry In Nanoparticle Growth (Mabnag), Taina Yli-Juuti, Kelley Barsanti, L. Hildebrandt Ruiz, Antti-Jussi Kieloaho, U. Makkonen, Tuukka Petäjä, Taina Ruuskanen, Markku Kulmala, Ilona Riipinen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climatic effects of newly-formed atmospheric secondary aerosol particles are to a large extent determined by their condensational growth rates. However, all the vapours condensing on atmospheric nanoparticles and growing them to climatically relevant sizes are not identified yet and the effects of particle phase processes on particle growth rates are poorly known. Besides sulfuric acid, organic compounds are known to contribute significantly to atmospheric nanoparticle growth. In this study a particle growth model MABNAG (Model for Acid-Base chemistry in NAnoparticle Growth) was developed to study the effect of salt formation on nanoparticle growth, which has been proposed as a potential …

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The Tyrants Within Us And The Thread Of History : The Creation Of "Sic Semper Tyrannis," A One-Person Play, Benjamin Todd Koucherik Jan 2013

The Tyrants Within Us And The Thread Of History : The Creation Of "Sic Semper Tyrannis," A One-Person Play, Benjamin Todd Koucherik

LSU Master's Theses

The assigned task was to create and perform a 20-40 minute long one-person play, with no other guidelines or restrictions offered. Having never performed in or written a full one-person play, my challenge was two-fold: create a cohesive and coherent script, and craft the production and performance of that script. From several inspirational sources, I was spurred on to explore the dynamics of revolutionaries, fanatics, and vigilantes through the lens of presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Through the combination of Booth’s infamy and the modern day realities of fame-seeking, political divisiveness, and tragically pervasive “spectacle killing” events, I was ultimately …

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March Madness For Men, Gabrielle P. Jones Jan 2013

March Madness For Men, Gabrielle P. Jones

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the manner in which the media covers men’s and women’s athletics and how it may affect the public’s perception of women’s athletics. The study also seeks to examine how the hegemonic devices and primes that the sports media use can affect viewers’ enjoyment of women’s athletic coverage as well as the effect that sports fandom plays on viewers perceptions. Using an experiment exposing participants to heavy men’s college and women’s college basketball coverage, the results showed that sports media coverage did not elicit negative perceptions toward women’s athletics.

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Sport Team Fandom, Arousal, And Communication : A Multimethod Comparison Of Sport Team Identification With Psychological, Cognitive, Behavioral, Affective, And Physiological Measures, Shaughan Alan Keaton Jan 2013

Sport Team Fandom, Arousal, And Communication : A Multimethod Comparison Of Sport Team Identification With Psychological, Cognitive, Behavioral, Affective, And Physiological Measures, Shaughan Alan Keaton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of sport fandom is undertaken in a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to communication, psychology, sociology, economics, marketing and business. These investigations are significant because of the ubiquitous presence of sport fandom in world culture and its interdisciplinary adaptability in academia. To date however, there has not been a consistent conceptual or operational definition of sport fandom and related factors such as spectatorship, involvement and identification. Consequently, this lack of cohesiveness has serious ramifications, including lack of comparability in results and an inability to generate consistent evidence of the validity and reliability of the various self-report …

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Dynamic Modeling Of Channel Formation During Fluid Injection Into Unconsolidated Sands, Sayamik Ameen Jan 2013

Dynamic Modeling Of Channel Formation During Fluid Injection Into Unconsolidated Sands, Sayamik Ameen

LSU Master's Theses

Water injection is widely used for sweeping hydrocarbons in waterflooding operations, and also for maintaining reservoir pressure or disposing waste water. Injection at a high rate is required to maintain the economy of waterflooding projects; however, loss of injectivity is a quite common problem in unconsolidated sand formations like deep water Gulf of Mexico. Well intervention operations, hurricanes, and other issues require frequent shut-downs during the life of offshore wells; in order to minimize deteriorating effect of these shutdowns on wellbore injectivity more accurate modeling of the injection process is needed. Injection of water into a saturated, granular, porous medium …

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An Examination Of The Relationship Between Measurement Methods Of Treatment Integrity Using The Good Behavior Game Classroom Intervention, Kristen Colleen O'Leary Jan 2013

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Measurement Methods Of Treatment Integrity Using The Good Behavior Game Classroom Intervention, Kristen Colleen O'Leary

LSU Master's Theses

School psychologists must often hand over the interventions they plan to be carried out by others. Collecting treatment integrity is a way to ensure that the interventions are being properly implemented according to the treatment plan. Treatment integrity can be measured in a variety of ways: direct observation, self-report, and permanent product, to name a few. However, little research has been done to see if these different methods are capturing the same information about the accuracy with which interventions are being implemented. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to collect all three types of integrity for a single intervention, …

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When Your Good Friends Wear Prada : A Study Of Parasocial Relationships, Attractiveness, And Life Satisfaction, Kristen Marie Higdon Jan 2013

When Your Good Friends Wear Prada : A Study Of Parasocial Relationships, Attractiveness, And Life Satisfaction, Kristen Marie Higdon

LSU Master's Theses

This study focuses on how viewers’ relationships with their favorite media characters can impact their outlook on their own lives. Through the examination of parasocial relationships (PSRs), attractiveness, and the traits of materialism and envy, this study looks at the consequences of such traits on one’s life satisfaction. Overall, the theoretical model presented argues to make the connection from one’s PSR to his or her life satisfaction. Using a sample of undergraduate students, participants were asked to complete a survey that examined individuals' relationships with their favorite fictional media character through the study of various characteristics, habits, and media uses. …

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Impact Of The S.T.R.I.P.E.S. Extended Orientation Program On Student Satisfaction And Retention, Melissa Megan Korduner Jan 2013

Impact Of The S.T.R.I.P.E.S. Extended Orientation Program On Student Satisfaction And Retention, Melissa Megan Korduner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the impact participating in S.T.R.I.P.E.S., an extended orientation program, had on student satisfaction and retention. Student satisfaction was determined through a calculated total score on the College Student Satisfaction Evaluation. Retention was determined based on a student’s enrollment status beginning with their first fall semester and continued to the beginning of their second fall semester. In addition, the study investigated the relationship between student satisfaction and retention. Finally, the study sought to determine if selected variables explained a substantial portion of student satisfaction and contributed to the predictability of retention. The target population was all first time, …

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Polygamy Is Creepy, Wrong, And Sick! (However, I Find It Fascinating) : Parasocial Comparison, Parasocial Processing, Parasocial Contact Hypothesis, And Polygamy, Thomas Phillip Madison Jan 2013

Polygamy Is Creepy, Wrong, And Sick! (However, I Find It Fascinating) : Parasocial Comparison, Parasocial Processing, Parasocial Contact Hypothesis, And Polygamy, Thomas Phillip Madison

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examined tolerance of polygamists as a result of exposure to television programming. Specifically, it looked at how audiences form attitudes toward the practice of polygamy and its participants in light of viewing its portrayals in popular television entertainment. Using historical research, semi-structured interviews, surveys of viewers and students, and an experiment, I explored the issue of tolerance among different types of Americans. The findings in these studies demonstrate that Americans never cared for polygamy and continue to find little appeal for its practice. Yet, we are captivated by television shows that focus on polygamy. Part of our habit …

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An Evaluation Of Oyster Stocks, Grow-Out Conditions, And Off-Bottom Culture Methods For Increasing Commercial Production Of Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Justin Morgan Leonhardt Jan 2013

An Evaluation Of Oyster Stocks, Grow-Out Conditions, And Off-Bottom Culture Methods For Increasing Commercial Production Of Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Justin Morgan Leonhardt

LSU Master's Theses

This project examined the ecologically and economically valuable eastern oyster (Crassotrea virginica) in Louisiana with two field experiments. Little information has been gathered on the performance of local Louisiana oyster stocks and no study has focused on a comparison of stocks among variable estuarine conditions. Additionally, the use of alternative grow-out methods and intensive cage aquaculture has never been evaluated in Louisiana. For the first study, a dermo-resistant stock of oysters (LSU-OYS: ‘OBOY’) was compared to three wild oyster stocks along a salinity gradient. The objectives of this study were to determine the optimal oyster stock(s) and the ideal grow-out …

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Networked Learning : Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Distance Education In Comparison To Traditional Education, Tireka Patrice Cobb Jan 2013

Networked Learning : Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Distance Education In Comparison To Traditional Education, Tireka Patrice Cobb

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative course delivery methods, which can ultimately help higher education stakeholders make informed decisions for present and future educational endeavors. Emerging systems of educational technology, such as ‘networked learning’ and the increasing development of online courses have created many questions concerning the effectiveness of online learning relative to face-to-face learning. More research supporting online as an effective alternative to traditional education is needed as an evaluative tool to potentially mitigate the budgetary constraints, which pose a threat to the institution’s ability to fulfill their mission of providing a quality …

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Using A Multi-Level Model To Examine The Fidelity Of Implementation Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support And Its Relationship To Academic Achievement In Louisiana, Michelle Farnsworth Botos Jan 2013

Using A Multi-Level Model To Examine The Fidelity Of Implementation Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support And Its Relationship To Academic Achievement In Louisiana, Michelle Farnsworth Botos

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study is to examine if implementation of the universal level of PBS is related to student achievement on the LEAP and iLEAP examinations administered as part of the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program. A second purpose is to examine whether identified student/ school characteristics contribute to any difference in academic performance. To address this question, it is necessary to take into consideration individual as well as school level factors that may act to facilitate or impede student achievement. Multilevel statistical models are ideally suited for research problems of this nature and will be the approach taken for this study. The …

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The Diagnosis Of Well Control Complications During Managed Pressure Drilling, Brian Piccolo Jan 2013

The Diagnosis Of Well Control Complications During Managed Pressure Drilling, Brian Piccolo

LSU Master's Theses

The constant bottom-hole pressure method of managed pressure drilling is generally expected to reduce well control risks and apply well understood concepts when a kick is taken. Nevertheless, complications, such as operator error, leaks, plugging, equipment failures, and exceeding kick tolerance, can occur during kick circulation. By not properly interpreting the symptoms of a complication, a driller risks the consequences of additional influx, lost circulation or the simultaneous occurrence of both. To address the challenge of diagnosing complications, the implied pit gain (IPG) method is being evaluated as an enhancement to established industry practices. Traditional diagnostic methods attempt to match …

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An Examination Of Induced Anxiety And Its Interaction With Trait Anxiety On Executive Functioning Tasks, Joseph Harris Jan 2013

An Examination Of Induced Anxiety And Its Interaction With Trait Anxiety On Executive Functioning Tasks, Joseph Harris

LSU Master's Theses

Anxiety is a common human experience which has been shown to have detrimental effects on cognitive abilities, particularly the executive abilities of inhibition, shifting and updating. Previous studies in this area have been highly specific in their focus, leaving gaps in the literature. As a result, the general nature of anxiety’s effect on executive functioning has yet to be fully defined. The current study attempted to establish such a definition by exploring the effects of state anxiety and trait anxiety on each of the executive functions, both in terms of task performance and efficiency. In addition, because working memory has …

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In Spite Of Yourself : The Asignifying Force Of Humor And Laughter, Kevin Michael Casper Jan 2013

In Spite Of Yourself : The Asignifying Force Of Humor And Laughter, Kevin Michael Casper

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In Spite of Yourself: The Asignifying Force of Humor and Laughter calls upon the interruptive moments of uncontrollable laughter to challenge rhetoric’s historical treatment of humor and laughter. Anyone who has ever suffered a fit of hysterical laughter at precisely the wrong moment, or has begun to laugh spontaneously at an inappropriate joke before stopping short, can attest to laughter’s uniquely uncontrollable force. Beyond all reason and control, laughter interrupts us and reminds us of the limits of the human subject. Because laughter does not signify meaning in the traditional communicative sense, it exerts an asignifying force irreducible to the …

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Segmentation In Hispanic-Targeted Marketing, Silvia Irene Medrano Jan 2013

Segmentation In Hispanic-Targeted Marketing, Silvia Irene Medrano

LSU Master's Theses

Hispanic-oriented advertising is a growing area in the advertising industry. Findings reported in this research examined agency strategies for advertising in Hispanic-oriented advertising. Interviews with agency practitioners involved in the planning, creation and media selection provided insight into agency best practices in Hispanic-oriented advertising. In-depth interviews at two Hispanic-oriented agencies revealed that a focus on cultural understanding, client relationships, and opposition of common stereotypes and segmentation practices were key in creating successful advertising that connected to Hispanic mindsets. Research results suggest that growth in the U.S. Hispanic population will not only affect the advertising industry, but will also create changes …

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An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Returned Mormon Missionaries, Errol Douglas Bordelon Jan 2013

An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Returned Mormon Missionaries, Errol Douglas Bordelon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mormon missionaries face numerous challenges throughout the course of their mission. They serve in multiple capacities; they provide numerous types of services; and they work an average of 12 hours a day, six days a week. Missionaries encounter nearly constant rejection and hostility. In most cases, these missionaries serve in areas that are unfamiliar to them and they have limited contact with their family and friends. Despite these challenges, most missionaries not only successfully complete their mission, but they also have a positive view of their mission. According to Bjorck and Kim (2009), not much research has been conducted in …

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Perception, Practice, And Theory : A Case Study Of Leadership In An Urban Middle School, Marcia Lynette Speed Jan 2013

Perception, Practice, And Theory : A Case Study Of Leadership In An Urban Middle School, Marcia Lynette Speed

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Explaining the complex nature of how leadership works within the school has proven difficult; consequently, many studies have shown little or no effects of leadership on student outcomes and school performance (Leithwood & Jantzi, 1999; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). Furthermore, researchers acknowledge that a gap exists in the literature between explaining models of leadership and describing the effective actions of leadership (Grissom & Loeb, 2011; Kruger et al, 2007; Robinson, 2006; Robinson et al 2008; Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2004). Of the research that does link leadership practices to student outcomes and school performance, the assumed indicators of …

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Epidemiology And Molecular Characterization Of Human And Canine Hookworm, Ntombi B. Mudenda Jan 2013

Epidemiology And Molecular Characterization Of Human And Canine Hookworm, Ntombi B. Mudenda

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Among the soil-transmitted helminths (STH), hookworms are a worldwide problem in both humans and animals. They cause non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms, and in young children and animals, they can cause stunting, malnutrition and anemia. Canine hookworms have significant zoonotic potential as a cause of cutaneous larvae migrans and eosinophilic enteritis in humans. To determine the ecological niche of human hookworm in Brazil, two risk models were developed based on the Growing Degree Day-Water Budget (GDD-WB) concept, one based on accumulation of monthly temperatures above a base temperature of 15oC and threshold WB value >0.4. The second was based on a ‘gradient …

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Stopping The Tenture Clock : University Support On Scorn?, Margaret Singer Ruebsamen Jan 2013

Stopping The Tenture Clock : University Support On Scorn?, Margaret Singer Ruebsamen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe university Academic Administrators, Tenured Faculty, and Tenure-track Faculty at “RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity)” universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation in the southeastern region of the United States based on demographic characteristics, as well as determine the knowledge and the perceptions of the three aforementioned groups regarding Stopping the Tenure Clock. Researcher-designed surveys were used to collect data. There were 49 participants identified as Academic Administrators, defined as employees who have administrative decision making authority over an academic unit at the level of department chair, director, or dean. Additionally, …

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