Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of Adversity In Christian Living And Proposal For Discipleship Response, Christopher Payne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With numerous ministries teaching a cultural gospel comprised of prosperity and pleasure, people have the impression that a saving faith limits personal hardships. Jesus taught his disciples the truth about hardship and how to struggle well and the Church is called to do likewise. This thesis will present five key biblical truths to equip Christians for growing their faith through personal struggle. Moreover, the project will give leaders a guide for discipling hurting church members. The author will research current and historical discipleship materials and models, examine current teachings on faith and struggle, explore relevant biblical teachings, and survey fifty …

High Fedelity Simulation: Its Impact On Self-Confidence And Satisfaction In Learning Among Sophomore And Senior Students, Kim Simoneaux Hurst

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of selected aspects of high fidelity simulation among students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program and the influence of these perceptions on students’ satisfaction and self-confidence in learning. In order to collect the necessary data, the Satisfaction and Self-confidence in Learning and Simulation Design Scale instruments were used. These instruments were completed by both sophomore and senior baccalaureate nursing students following simulation lab experiences. The majority of students surveyed was female of the Millennial Generation and averaged a GPA of 3.14. There were approximately equal numbers of sophomore and senior …

Field Instrumentation And Testing To Study Set-Up Phenomenon Of Driven Piles And Its Implementation In Lrfd Design Methodology, Md Nafiul Haque

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research study investigates the pile set-up phenomenon for clayey soils and develops the models to predict pile set-up resistance at a certain time after the end of driving (EOD). The increase of pile resistance after EOD is known as “pile set-up”. To fulfill this objective, a total number of twelve prestressed concrete (PSC) test piles were driven in different soil conditions of Louisiana. In addition, dynamic load tests (DLT) and static load tests (SLT) were usually performed to verify the axial resistances of piles at specific times after EOD, as well as to quantify the amount of increase in …

Comparative Population Genomics Of Neotropical Forest Birds, Michael Gaston Harvey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The causes and implications of differences in geographic variation across species are generally poorly understood, but comparative studies have the potential to provide better understanding of what factors predispose species to undergo population divergence and whether population divergence has lasting evolutionary impacts. Here, I examined geographic variation in birds using molecular data from across the genome. I characterized genetic diversity, estimated population history, and tested for impacts of landscape history as well as ecological traits on genetic parameters. I found evidence that diverse historical processes have led to present-day genetic variation in Neotropical bird species, including divergence, population expansion, migration, …

Artificial Magnetic Conductor Integrated Textile Monopole Antenna, Ala Alemaryeen

Theses and Dissertations

Wearable antenna is a fast growing field in application-oriented research, which introduced a new generation of garments capable of monitoring wear health, as well as environmental states. This thesis is concerned with the design and fabrication of a compact textile wearable antenna at operating frequency within the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band, intended for integration into a flight jacket of the astronaut inside the habitat. The antenna is integrated with artificial material known as High Impedance Surface (HIS) for performance enhancement. The purpose of the system is to constantly monitor vital signals of the astronauts.

The entire design cycle …

Geologic And Petrophysical Analysis Of The Three Forks Formation: Charlson Field, Williston Basin - North Dakota, Bailey Jo Bubach

Theses and Dissertations

With recent advancements in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies, there has been an increase in the production of hydrocarbons from unconventional reservoirs in the Williston Basin. The basin underlies parts of North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota in the U.S. The Three Forks Formation in Williston Basin is an example of an unconventional reservoir that, according to the United States Geological Survey (Gaswirth, et al., 2013), has a potential of yield of 3.7 billion barrels of unrecovered oil. Charlson Field, located in McKenzie County, is a primary target for the Three Forks Formation, which has shown high potential for …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Mitochondrial Genomes Of Filarial Nematodes In The Subfamily Waltonellinae, Sarina Marie Bauer

Theses and Dissertations

The family Onchocercidae is a group of parasitic vector born nematodes that are split up into eight subfamilies. Although the subfamilies containing species that parasitize humans and livestock (e.g., Onchocercinae) have been well-studied, there is a considerable lack of information for the lesser studied subfamilies in Onchocercidae (e.g. Waltonellinae). This uncertainty leaves some doubt as to the phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships among the different taxonomic groupings of filarioid nematodes.

I worked with two species of the subfamily Waltonellinae, Foleyellides n. sp. and F. flexicauda. The primers used in this study for polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and DNA sequencing reactions were …

Determination Of Aldehydes In Particulate Matter Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Manikyala Rao Chintapalli

Theses and Dissertations

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method has been developed for the determination of a broad range of aldehydes (including, hydroxylated and aromatic aldehydes) in particulate matter (PM). In this method, the aldehydes are derivatized with O-2, 3, 4, 5-pentafluorobenzyl hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) using various solvents for extraction and derivatization including acetonitrile, water, methanol, and acetonitrile/dichloromethane/methanol. An ACN/DCM/MeOH mixture with sonication was shown to be optimal as it increased the derivatization efficiency in addition to efficient extraction for all tested aldehydes. The optimal derivatization conditions were determined and then tested on a variety of oxy-PAHs which resulted in a complete derivatization …

Statistical Downscaling For The Northern Great Plains: A Comparison Of Bias Correction And Redundancy Analysis, Jacob Coburn

Theses and Dissertations

The climate of the Earth is changing, and is primarily a result of our rampant industrialization over the past two centuries. These changes have manifested themselves in many ways over the whole of the Earth’s surface and sub-systems, leading to the need to understand the changes and predict future outcomes. Coupled climate and general circulation - Earth system models (GCMs) allow for the analysis of dynamically active simulations over the whole of the planet, yet are limited by computational power. The model grids are coarse by design to perform within these computational constraints, which enables them to function and provide …

Are Larger Recalls More Damaging For Shareholders? Evidence From U.S. Automotive Recalls, 2005-2014, Christopher J. Crow

Theses and Dissertations

Motor vehicle recalls occur frequently in the United States. The number of motor vehicles being recalled has been increasing substantially over time. This paper examines whether the number of vehicles recalled per month has an effect on the shareholder’s monthly abnormal return. Monthly abnormal return is the return which cannot be explained by the overall movement of the market. Five major auto manufacturers are included in this analysis with data ranging from April 2005 to December 2014. Two techniques are used in this paper; first, I use a series of ordinary least squares models followed by a series of mean …

Rhetoric And Food: The Rise Of The Food Truck Movement, Bryan W. Moe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This analysis is an attempt to study the rise of a new mobile food medium the food truck. I examine the movement of rhetorical actors, the situation, the audiences, and discourses created and sustained through rhetorical practices. These include looking into contemporary controversies, the history and storytelling that helps to convey identity, a new aesthetic experience created by the medium, and specifically their sophistic character and rhetoric helping them speak on issues of social justice and change. To understand these texts, I examine each of them in light of their rhetorical situation and the convergence of a multitude of kairotic …

Identifying "Bad" Asteroid Spectra: A Cross-Correlative Database Study, Iva Gerasimenko

Theses and Dissertations

The SMASS I, SMASS II and S3OS2 asteroid spectral survey data sets as well as those collected by Sawyer (1991) and Vilas (1992) were examined for compositionally significant inconsistencies between spectra taken for the same asteroids. Data was obtained from Small Bodies Node Planetary Data System. Thirty four asteroid spectra were determined to display drastic differences which would affect the mineralogical interpretation of the spectra. Including 354 Eleonora, which prompted the original question, these asteroids were further examined for possible causes of inconsistencies to determine if they were prompted by actual differences in the surface composition or were due to …

Evaluating Sedimentary Basins For Geothermal Power Production Potential And Bottom-Hole Temperature Corrections, Anna Marguerite Crowell

Theses and Dissertations

At present, the risks and costs associated with geothermal energy wildcat exploration are prohibitive. With improved technology, the future may be brighter, and a play fairway analysis, for geothermal exploration can guide development. Comparing geophysical data with geothermal gradient allows identification of potentially economic areas of interest. The play fairway analysis is a common tool used by the petroleum industry to identify areas for potential exploration. The analysis identifies areas in the Denver, Illinois, Michigan, and Williston Basins with the highest development potential. A great deal of data have potential for a play fairway analysis, but data quality is problematic …

Geochemical Modeling Of Electron Donors For Denitrification In The Oruanui Ignimbrite Near Lake Taupo, Nz, Laura Ann Gelles

Theses and Dissertations

Lake Taupo, a lake in New Zealand valued for its clear blue waters, is increasingly under the threat of degraded water clarity. Understanding the fate of nitrate entering the lake from surrounding pastoral lands is critical to maintaining the water quality.

Electron donor contributions to denitrification in the Oruanui ignimbrite were estimated using an in situ mesocosm, water quality data, and the geochemical modeling software PHREEQC. The geochemical results were modeled using denitrification reactions for electron donors and compared to measured water quality data. A successful model was defined as the best match of measured and modeled values of major …

Understanding And Predicting Bagging Performance Through The Use Of Cfd And Dem Simulations, Matthew Perry Leone

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will focus on rear discharge bagging performance for Rear Discharge Rear Collect (RDRC), Select Series Lawn & Garden tractors. The problem under investigation pertains to adequately transporting cut grass from the mower deck to the dedicated hopper, without the plugging of the rear discharge chute or the deck mounted chute. The most problematic weather related factors are dew and rain, with the former being the most severe. Conditions creating this problem typically occur during the spring months and when the grass is at its healthiest state.

Field research and data have been collected to gain a better understanding …

Bank Efficiency Ratios - Can They Be Used To Reliably Predict Future Bank Performance?, Michael James Loebach

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to assess the predictive ability of the bank efficiency ratio. The popular press, analysts and investors (individuals, institutions and other bank‘s looking for M&A targets) often use the bank efficiency ratio as a current measure of how efficiently a bank earns a dollar of profit for each dollar of expenditure. Implied in the usage of the ratio is that a bank that is performing well today will continue to perform better than peers in the future. To assess the predictive ability of the ratio, I grouped banks into quintiles of profit performance and used …

Developing Novel 3d Antennas Using Advanced Additive Manufacturing Technology, Milad Mirzaee

Theses and Dissertations

In today’s world of wireless communication systems, antenna engineering is rapidly advancing as the wireless services continue to expand in support of emerging commercial applications. Antennas play a key role in the performance of advanced transceiver systems where they serve to convert electric power to electromagnetic waves and vice versa. Researchers have held significant interest in developing this crucial component for wireless communication systems by employing a variety of design techniques. In the past few years, demands for electrically small antennas continues to increase, particularly among portable and mobile wireless devices, medical electronics and aerospace systems.

This trend toward smaller …

Factors Affecting Unsatisfactory Performance During Air-To-Air Refueling In The C-17 Pilot Checkout Course, Richard Smith

Theses and Dissertations

In 2014, the USAF reduced its personnel by approximately 20,000. One of the areas hit hardest by the cuts were the faculty at the USAF C-17 formal training unit, where students are trained to fly the C-17 transport plane. Due to the reduction in forces, faculty staffing dropped by 30% though the number of students remained the same. Air-to-air refueling during the Pilot Checkout Course is the most commonly failed syllabus event. When a student fails to progress on a syllabus event, it requires additional instructor, simulator, and aircraft resources. In an effort to reduce the amount of failures and …

The Impact Of Victim Age And Religious Affiliation On Perceptions Of Cleric Sex Offenders, Kaylee Ann Stone

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined perceptions of sex offenders using a 2 (victim age: 11-year-old vs. 15-year-old) X 2 (type of sexual offense: rape vs. statutory rape) X 3 (affiliation of the perpetrator: public school teacher vs. Catholic priest teacher vs. Lutheran pastor teacher) factorial design. Participants (N = 286) were asked to read one of 12 vignettes describing charges of improper sexual activity between a male teacher and his male student. Results indicated that participants recommended a shorter sentence and registry level, attributed more blame to the victim and less to the offender, and found the victim more mentally unstable …

Nonword Repetition And Sentence Repetition In Preschool Children: A Comparison Of Speech And Language Screening Measures, Rachel Therrien

Theses and Dissertations

Nonword repetition tasks and sentence repetition tasks have been shown to accurately differentiate children with speech and/or language disorders from their typically developing peers (Dollaghan & Campbell, 1998; Archibald & Gathercole, 2006). Additionally, they provide information on semantic, syntactical, and phonological processing as well as memory and acoustic perceptual skills (Vance, Stackhouse, & Wells, 2005). Despite their utility as a screening measure, their use in clinical practice has been minimal. Instead, practicing speech-language pathologists often choose to use publisher-provided screening measures or their own developed measures, rather than using research-based screening methods that have recognized differential diagnosis ability (Nash, Leavett, …

Disaggregating Tree And Grass Phenology In Tropical Savannas, Qiang Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Savannas are mixed tree-grass systems and as one of the world’s largest biomes represent an important component of the Earth system affecting water and energy balances, carbon sequestration and biodiversity as well as supporting large human populations. Savanna vegetation structure and its distribution, however, may change because of major anthropogenic disturbances from climate change, wildfire, agriculture, and livestock production. The overstory and understory may have different water use strategies, different nutrient requirements and have different responses to fire and climate variation. The accurate measurement of the spatial distribution and structure of the overstory and understory are essential for understanding the …

Powwow As Spaces Of Public: Circulated Meanings Of A Native Practice For Non-Natives, Joshua Eugene Young

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the status of the relationship between Natives and non-Natives utilizing powwow as the representative anecdote of the intercultural space of interaction between these two groups. Where most scholars ask how Native Americans use powwow to reclaim Native identity, I shift the focus to non-Natives, whose relationship to powwow has gone largely unexamined. I argue that powwow serves as a public space for staging diversity for non-Natives, a fact that has wide-ranging implications for Natives, too. Utilizing rhetorical theories of ritual communication and publicity as a way to interrogate this relationship, I argue that the publics attending to …

Beyond Batterers: A Primary Prevention And Adult Learning Approach To Engage Well-Meaning Men To Prevent Violence Against Women, Lorett Sturgill Swank

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This purpose of this research is to examine the critical issue of intimate partner violence and to explore a how non-battering “well-meaning men” can help to end this violence against women. Domestic violence has been primarily considered a women’s issue, and current efforts to prevent this violence have been led mostly by women. In spite of these efforts, violence against women still persists and “well-meaning men” have not been part of a proactive solution. This growing movement to engage men in preventing violence against women, empowers men to learn about and identify the issues that support a culture that tolerates …

I. Synthesis Of Ascarosides For Chemical Biology Studies In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Ii. A Photochemical Approach To Delavayine, And Iii. Remote Hydroxylation By Radical Translocation And Polar Crossover, Kyle Allen Hollister

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The foci of this dissertation are the synthesis of analogs for chemical biology studies, synthetic chemistry method development (with an emphasis on photochemistry), and the application of these methods toward total synthesis. Chapter 1 outlines the synthesis of an array of pheromone analogs that are derivatives of the dideoxy sugar ascarylose. Referred to as ascarosides, such compounds have recently been shown to influence important biological processes in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans secretes ascarosides into its environment, where the compounds then act as signaling molecules by providing information on factors like population density. Chapter 2 describes the biological …

Straight Ahead: The Life, Pedagogy, And Influence Of Dennis L. Schneider, Louie Colton Sperry Eckhardt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The career of Dennis L. ‘Denny’ Schneider, Professor of Trumpet at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1961-1996, was expansive. From small town Nebraska, Schneider graduated from the University of Nebraska and Indiana University. After serving in the USAF Strategic Air Command Band, and teaching public school music, Schneider began teaching at the University of Nebraska. He served as principal trumpet of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra for decades. Schneider also served as principal trumpet for the Cabrillo Summer Festival Orchestra, and performed and recorded with the Summit Brass. He was the recipient of …

New Identification And Decoding Techniques For Low-Density Parity-Check Codes, Tian Xia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Error-correction coding schemes are indispensable for high-capacity high data-rate communication systems nowadays. Among various channel coding schemes, low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes introduced by pioneer Robert G. Gallager are prominent due to the capacity-approaching and superior error-correcting properties. There is no hard constraint on the code rate of LDPC codes. Consequently, it is ideal to incorporate LDPC codes with various code rate and codeword length in the adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) systems which change the encoder and the modulator adaptively to improve the system throughput. In conventional AMC systems, a dedicated control channel is assigned to coordinate the encoder/decoder changes. …

Development Of Satellite-Assisted Forecasting System For Oyster Norovirus Outbreaks, Jiao Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Norovirus outbreaks can cause the closure of oyster harvesting waters and acute gastroenteritis in humans associated with consumption of contaminated raw oysters. The overall goal of this study was to develop a satellite-assisted forecasting system for oyster norovirus outbreaks. The forecasting system is comprised of three components: (1) satellite algorithms for retrieval of environmental variables, including salinity, temperature, and gage height, (2) an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based model, called NORF model, for predicting relative risk levels of oyster norovirus outbreaks, and (3) a mapping method for visualizing spatial distributions of norovirus outbreak risks in oyster harvest areas along Louisiana …

Analysis Of Nonlinear Dispersive Model Equations, Jacob Grey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this work we begin with a brief survey of the classical fluid dynamics problem of water waves, and then proceed to derive well known evolution equations via a Hamiltonian Variational approach. This method was first introduced in the seminal work of Walter Craig, et al. \cite{CG}. The distinguishing feature of this scheme is that the Dirichlet-Neumann operator of the fluid domain appears explicitly in the Hamiltonian. In the second and third chapters, we utilize the Hamiltonian perturbation theory introduced in \cite{CG} to derive the Benjamin-Bona-Mahony (BBM) and Benjamin-Bona-Mahony-Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (BBM-KP)equations. Finally, we briefly review the existence theory for their corresponding …

String Searching With Ranking Constraints And Uncertainty, Sudip Biswas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Strings play an important role in many areas of computer science. Searching pattern in a string or string collection is one of the most classic problems. Different variations of this problem such as document retrieval, ranked document retrieval, dictionary matching has been well studied. Enormous growth of internet, large genomic projects, sensor networks, digital libraries necessitates not just efficient algorithms and data structures for the general string indexing, but indexes for texts with fuzzy information and support for queries with different constraints. This dissertation addresses some of these problems and proposes indexing solutions. One such variation is document retrieval query …

Essays On Sub-National Economic Growth: Evidence From A Global Sample, Dachao Ruan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I make three important contributions to the literature on regional economics. In Chapter 2, I construct a measure of early development, urban population density (urban population relative to total land area), that is novel to the growth literature, and apply GIS techniques to define and locate regions/cities and obtain geographic and historical measures across regions and cities. Chapter 3 investigates the persistence in sub-national development over the past 150 years. I find that regions that had a relatively higher urban population density in 1850 tend to be relatively more developed today. Geographic and climatic characteristics are significantly …