Digital Commons Network^™

"Les Miserables: The Twitter Revolution" : A Study Of Fan Activity, Parasocial Relationships, And Audience-Persona Interactions, Lance Stephen Bordelon

LSU Master's Theses

This study simulated a fan extension of the Broadway-renowned musical Les Miserables on a community level and measured the effects of fan interactions—both online and with the characters’ narratives as performed at Theatre Baton Rouge during summer 2013. The stimulus materials in this study were Tweets distributed via Twitter identities for each of the lead characters whereby their thoughts and narratives were communicated with audiences and Twitter followers—coinciding with the opening of the live theatrical production. Patrons of Theatre Baton Rouge were surveyed online after the closing of the production. This study served as a practical use of Twitter for …

Restraint Moments Due To Thermal Gradients In Continuous Prestressed Concrete Girder Bridges, Sushovan Ghimire

LSU Master's Theses

This research is motivated by the need to develop new bridges, using new materials and construction details to achieve the goal of building longer span bridges that are safe and durable. The study of precast/prestressed concrete bridges made continuous started early in the 1960’s. Continuous bridges have many advantages compared to simple span bridges such as reduction in structural depth, riding comfort and reserve load capacity under overload conditions. They also eliminate joints that require a lot of maintenance and cause deterioration in some cases. The design and construction of continuous bridges requires the consideration of many factors that are …

Infusion Of Gerontological Competencies In Social Work, Jessica Marie Rawls

LSU Master's Theses

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Graduate Certificate in Gerontology Program (GCGP) at Louisiana State University School of Social Work (LSUSSW). Thirty advanced year students participating in the GCGP in the 2012-2013 academic year participated in the study. All of the participants were female, and the majority (n=25) identified as Caucasian. The mean age of the participants was twenty-seven years. The study utilized a pre-experimental, one group pretest-posttest design. Participants were surveyed pre-certificate program and upon completion of the program using a two-part, self-report survey which utilized the Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II. Participants reported their …

Earthy Concreteness And Anti-Hypotheticalism In Amazonian Quichua Discourse, Janis B. Nuckolls, Tod D, Swanson

Faculty Publications

This paper attempts to weave together a number of strands of research conducted by the authors among Amazonian Quichua-speaking people in the Napo and Pastaza provinces of eastern Ecuador. We are attempting to elucidate something that we have both observed, which we are calling an earthy concreteness in the orientation of Runa, which privileges the contextualization of utterances, thoughts, and ideas to such an extent that statements about typical behaviors and generalizations are perceived to be both morally and aesthetically objectionable. This orientation is therefore highly problematic for hypothetical questioning, which is a major tool for social scientific research. In …

Determining The Location Of Congestion Hot Spots In Urban Areas Using Image Analysis, Aditya Mokkapati

LSU Master's Theses

The identification of congestion hot spots plays an important role in congestion monitoring of highway and arterial systems. Traditionally, vehicle detection systems or probe vehicles are used to measure travel time and identify congestion hot spots. This approach is time-consuming and resource intensive. With the advent of new technologies like crowdsourcing, travel time can be collected more cost-effectively using fewer resources. The research presented in this paper develops a new methodology to identify congestion hot spots in an urban area using freely available historical speed data gathered by Google and published as a traffic layer in Google maps. The methodology …

Partial Least Squares (Pls) Structural Equation Modeling (Sem) For Building And Testing Behavioral Causal Theory: When To Choose It And How To Use It, Paul Benjamin Lowry, James Gaskin

Faculty Publications

Problem: Partial least squares (PLS), a form of structural equation modeling (SEM), can provide much value for causal inquiry in communication-related and behavioral research fields. Despite the wide availability of technical information on PLS, many behavioral and communication researchers often do not use PLS in situations in which it could provide unique theoretical insights. Moreover, complex models comprising formative (causal) and reflective (consequent) constructs are now common in behavioral research, but they are often misspecified in statistical models, resulting in erroneous tests. Key concepts: First-generation (1G) techniques, such as correlations, regressions, or difference of means tests (such as ANOVA or …

Perceptions Of Collegiate And Professional Black Male Athletes Based On The Media, Dionell Mcneal

LSU Master's Theses

This study focuses on how media usage can affect one’s perceptions of Black collegiate and professional male athletes. While early research focused solely on traditional media, this study focuses on social media as well. This study investigates the relationships between the amounts of time spent using traditional and social media, and the perceptions of athletes in regards to their physical capability, the likelihood of being criminals, and prevalence of committing violent crimes. To explore relationships, this study utilized a total of 145 White participants. Findings showed a positive relationship existed between social media usage and perceptions of criminal-like characteristics. It …

Language Use In Six Study Abroad Programs: An Exploratory Analysis Of Possible Predictors, Dan Dewey, Jennifer Brown, Wendy Baker, Rob A. Martinsen, Carrie Gold, Dennis Eggett

Faculty Publications

A common predictor of language gains during study abroad (SA) is amount of language use. Yet little attention has been given to determining what factors influence the extent of language use while abroad. Studies in this area have mainly been case studies of learners in single locations. In this larger study, we seek to determine variables connected with language use by examining 118 learners studying abroad in Madrid, M´erida (Mexico), Paris, Moscow, Nanjing, or Cairo. These learners reported their second language (L2) use over a 1-week period during their stay. Significant predictors of reported L2 use include SA program, age, …

Assessing The Validity Of Can‐Do Statements In Retrospective (Then‐Now) Self‐Assessment, Troy L. Cox, N. Anthony Brown, Dan P. Dewey

Faculty Publications

In this study, the authors evaluated the strengths and limitations of a self‐ assessment based on ACTFL Can‐Do statements (ACTFL, 2013) as a tool for measuring linguistic gains over an internship abroad in Russia. They assessed its reliability, determined how its items mapped with the ACTFL scale, and measured the degree to which students’ self‐evaluations matched oral proficiency interview (OPI) test results (i.e., predictive validity). Data revealed a high level of reliability. Furthermore, self‐ assessment items ascended in the order of difficulty expected (i.e., Superior items were the most difficult, followed by Advanced), but differences between the means for items …

Effects Of Storm Surge And Nutrient Loading On Coastal Wetland Soil Processes: Implications For Ecosystem Function, Morgan Mckee

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal Louisiana is at risk from increases in salinity from storm surge and nutrient loading from the Mississippi River. Increased salinity causes plant death, decreases in microbial productivity, and shifts in biogeochemical processes. Eutrophication is linked to shifts in plant communities and changes in wetland biogeochemical properties. We hypothesized that 1) storm surge would increase soil porewater salinity and decrease extractable ammonium (NH4), and 2) long-term nutrient loading would decrease soil extracellular enzyme activity and increase total nutrients. Intact soil cores from two sites in the Wax Lake Delta were continually flooded with 35 g L-1 salt water for 1, …

Chariot Élévateur : Comment Choisir La Ceinture De Sécurité : Grille Interactive (Pdf Interactif), Sylvie Beaugrand, Christian Larue, Denis Rancourt

Fiches

No abstract provided.

Lift Trucks: How To Choose The Right Safety Belt? (Interactive Pdf), Sylvie Beaugrand, Christian Larue, Denis Rancourt

Fiches

No abstract provided.

A Particle Swarm Optimization For The Vehicle Routing Problem, Choosak Pornsing

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is a study on the use of swarm methods for optimization, and is divided into three main parts. In the first part, two novel swarm metaheuristic algorithms -- named Survival Sub-swarms Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization (SSS-APSO) and Survival Sub-swarms Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization with velocity-line bouncing (SSS-APSO-vb) -- are developed. These new algorithms present self-adaptive inertia weight and time-varying adaptive swarm topology techniques. The objective of these new approaches is to avoid premature convergence by executing the exploration and exploitation stages simultaneously. Although proposed PSOs are fundamentally based on commonly modeled behaviors of swarming creatures, the novelty is …

Horizontal Violence Among Nurses: Experiences, Responses And Job Performance, Elizabeth M. Bloom

Open Access Dissertations

Horizontal violence (HV), or non-physical intergroup conflict that is expressed in overt and covert behaviors of hostility, is pervasive in nursing and has been discussed in the literature for more than two decades. It is costly and has potentially devastating effects including high nurse turnover rates, increased illness, decreased productivity, and decreased quality of patient care. Recognizing how these behaviors are established and sustained is necessary if nurses are to overcome these types of behaviors. This mixed methods study used an online survey to examine 78 hospital nurse’s experiences and responses to episodes of HV as well as its effect …

Decision-Making For Strategic Spare Parts Pricing Levels: An Evaluation Of Consumer Products Sustainability, Masoud Vaziri

Open Access Dissertations

The aftermarket business is a highly profitable activity for companies, and they can earn considerable profits from selling spare parts. Spare parts demands are more uncertain and intermittent in comparison with finished goods and associated work in progress parts. In the aftermarket, the demand uncertainty of the spare parts for the OEMs is complicated by the fact that the other competitors, known as market players or will-fitters, supply substitutable parts usually with lower cost of production and deliver them to the market at cheaper prices. This uncertainty makes spare parts management challenging, and this study develops strategic approaches for spare …

Molecular Interaction In Carboxylesterases-Based Catalysis: Ontogenic Expression And Induction Through A Novel Element, Yi-Tzai Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Carboxylesterases (CES) catalyze both hydrolytic and synthetic reactions and play important roles in drug metabolism and lipid mobilization. Many factors such as age and dietary supplements have been shown to regulate the CES expression. The expression of CES1 shows the developmental regulation and is highly induced by antioxidants. The goals of this project were to determine whether CES2, like CES1, is developmentally regulated and to investigate how antioxidants induced the expression of CES1 at the molecular level.

The ontogenic studies showed the mRNA levels of CES2 exhibited a postnatal surge (1-31 days versus 35-70 days) in both liver and duodenum. …

Evaluation Of Field Based Liquefaction Approaches For Calcareous Sands Using Shear Wave Velocity, Alesandra Cristina Morales-Velez

Open Access Dissertations

The objective of this research is to assess the applicability of current field-based liquefaction approaches for calcareous sands. This is of importance because a.) there are many coastal communities in areas of high seismicity founded on calcareous sands (e.g. Haiti, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Dubai, etc.), and b.) existing field-based approaches were developed almost entirely for case studies in silica sands. Recent earthquakes in Guam (1993), Hawaii (2006) and Haiti (2010) caused significant damage to coastal infrastructure, in part, because of liquefaction of calcareous sand deposits. Despite this field evidence, a review of existing research involving laboratory studies shows contradictory results …

Investigation Into 3d Earth Structure And Sources Using Full Seismic Waveforms, Brian M. Covellone

Open Access Dissertations

Seismograms are the result of the complex interactions between a seismic source, a propagation medium and the seismograph's response. Through the use of 3-dimensional modeling and full seismic waveform data, we quantify and minimize errors associated with the source and propagation medium within our data sets. We compile a new and unique earthquake catalog for the Middle East that is openly available to the public. We quantify the benefits of using a 3-dimensional model relative to a 1-dimensional model to minimizing error in earthquake moment tensors and identify where in the waveform 3-dimensional models outperform 1-dimensional models. Two new and …

Assessing Engagement And Satisfaction In Two Relational Agent Interventions For Physical Activity And Sun Protection, Marie Aline Sillice

Open Access Dissertations

Relational agent (RA) health interventions are slowly becoming part of the health behavior change field. The current assessed participants’ experience in a 12-month long internet and RA intervention for physical activity (PA) and sun protection, using primarily a qualitative approach. Two groups were recruited. Group 1 consisted of participants who completed the intervention. Group 2 consisted of participants who accessed the intervention only two or three times. Thirty-four participants were recruited for group1 and eight participants for group 2. A standardized semi-structured open-ended interview was used for data collection. Two interview scripts were developed and consisted of twenty-five questions (group1) …

Formation And Stability Of Emulsions: Effect Of Surfactant-Particle Interactions And Particle Shape, Hari Katepalli

Open Access Dissertations

Formation and stability of emulsions is one of the important topics in the field of colloids and interfacial science. Surfactants and colloidal particles are often used to stabilize emulsions. Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules; they minimize the energy required for the emulsion formation by reducing oil-water interfacial tension. Colloidal particles are not amphiphilic, but partially wettable particles favors the adsorption at oil-water interface with a desorption energy well above thermal energy. With sufficient coverage at the interface, they act as barriers against droplet coalescence and enhance the emulsion stability. In this work, the response of particle-stabilized (Pickering) emulsions to the addition …

Sustainability Modeling And Assessment Of Product Recovery Systems - An Engineering Approach To A Sustainable Future, Sirine A. Saleem

Open Access Dissertations

Sustainability is defined as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (WCED, 1987). This is a concept that was developed to counteract the negative consequences of the culture of disposability and consumption based economy on the environment. Many policy makers have the perception that pursuing policies that embrace sustainability would compromise countries economic prosperity. Therefore, this dissertation introduces the new index of sustainable prosperity. This is a novel multiattribute measure that comprehensively assesses sustainable prosperity (SPI) for systems such as countries, hospitals, and products…etc. This index ensures that …

“. . . Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace . . .” —The Influence Of Constitutional Argument On Same-Sex Marriage Legislation Debates In Australia, Neville Rochow

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Masthead

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Unnecessary And Restrictive Constitutional Amendments Concerning Religious Freedom In Mexico, Javier Saldaña Serrano

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Shinto Cases: Religion, Culture, Or Both—The Japanese Supreme Court And Establishment Of Religion Jurisprudence, Frank S. Ravitch

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Freedom Of Religion In China Under The Current Legal Framework And Foreign Religious Bodies, Ping Xiong

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Municipal Manifest Destiny: Constitutionality Of Unilateral Municipal Annexations, Dustin Cammack

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Liberal Democracy And The Right To Religious Freedom, Aldir Guedes Soriano

BYU Law Review

Foremost, this paper examines the current situation of the rights to religious freedom and democracy around the world, which deserve attention and concern. Civil liberties are currently in crossfire. This article examines the foundations of the right to religious freedom. Depending on the philosophical foundations, there are two different rationales for the right to religious freedom: liberal and anti-liberal. According to the liberal tradition, the best reason to protect religious freedom rests upon the autonomy of the individual conscience. It is clear that a constitutional democracy does not allow the establishment of any religion by the government, using either executive …

Nepa And Indirect Effects Of Foreign Activity: Limiting Principles From The Presumption Against Extraterritoriality And Transnational Lawmaking, David Heywood

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.