Digital Commons Network^™

Let Me In: The Right Of Access To Business Disputes Conducted In State Courts, David W. Brown

Journal of Dispute Resolution

After examining the history of the First Amendment right of access to civil proceedings, this note will analyze how the two-pronged historical test applies to arbitrations conducted in a state court. The prongs of the test — experience and logic — provide the framework for the analysis conducted in this note.6 This note argues the analysis conducted in Strine was the correct approach, and suggests the implementation of Sunshine Laws similar to those in other states as a constitutionally permissible alternative that would satisfy the holding in Strine.

Product Parameters Optimization For Double Purge Of C-Magma Integrated With Conventional Three-Boiling Crystallization Scheme To Improve Raw Sugar Whole Color, Luz Stella Polanco

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Efficient crystallization in raw sugar production is the result of a combination of factors and responses that meet specific criteria. Matching a sugar quality standard, maximizing sugar yield, maximizing crystallization equipment capacity and minimizing heat requirement are all necessary optimization criteria. A double centrifugation or purge of C-magma is intended to improve raw sugar whole color by the reduction of color recirculation with the sugar crystal. Combining a three boiling crystallization scheme with a second centrifugation after the last crystallization stage required optimizing the input/output product parameters (purities) and the location of the liquid recycle component (double purge molasses) for …

Vibration Control In High-Rise Buildings For Multi-Hazard, Srinivasa Adithya Sailesh Abburu

LSU Master's Theses

Increasing population and migration of people to cities has led to the construction of high-rise buildings. High-rise buildings have received a renewed interest in many city business locations, where land is scarce, as per their economic, sustainability and other benefits. Taller and taller towers are being built everywhere in the world. However, the increased frequency of multi-hazard disasters makes it challenging to balance between a resilient and sustainable construction. As a saying, ‘with new inventions come new problems’. High-rise buildings usually have issues with increased wind loads brought by, for instance, hurricanes, which can decrease their serviceability and cause failure …

The Skill Of Seasonal Ensemble Low-Flow Forecasts In The Moselle River For Three Different Hydrological Models, Mehmet C. Demirel, Martijn Booij, Arjen Hoekstra

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper investigates the skill of 90-day low-flow forecasts using two conceptual hydrological models and one data-driven model based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for the Moselle River. The three models, i.e. HBV, GR4J and ANN-Ensemble (ANN-E), all use forecasted meteorological inputs (precipitation P and potential evapotranspiration PET), whereby we employ ensemble seasonal meteorological forecasts. We compared low-flow forecasts for five different cases of seasonal meteorological forcing: (1) ensemble P and PET forecasts; (2) ensemble P forecasts and observed climate mean PET; (3) observed climate mean P and ensemble PET forecasts; (4) observed climate mean P and PET and (5) …

Initial Evaluations Of A U.S. Navy Rapidly Relocatable Gulf Of Mexico/Caribbean Ocean Forecast System In The Context Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster, Edward D. Zaron, Patrick J. Fitzpatrick, Scott L. Cross, John M. Harding, Frank L. Bub, Jerry D. Wiggert, Dong S. Ko, Yee Lau, Katharine Woodward, Christopher N.K. Mooers

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In response to the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill event in 2010, the Naval Oceanographic Office deployed a nowcast-forecast system covering the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent Caribbean Sea that was designated Americas Seas, or AMSEAS, which is documented in this manuscript. The DwH disaster provided a challenge to the application of available ocean-forecast capabilities, and also generated a historically large observational dataset. AMSEAS was evaluated by four complementary efforts, each with somewhat different aims and approaches: a university research consortium within an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) testbed; a petroleum industry consortium, the Gulf of Mexico 3-D Operational Ocean …

Evaluating And Increasing The Range Of Reinforcers For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Megan Kliebert Wiggins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Prior research has demonstrated the utility of several preference-assessment methodologies to identify stimuli more likely to function as reinforcers for individuals with limited verbal repertoires. However, differing results have been obtained from studies evaluating the reinforcement effects of stimuli identified as high preference by one assessment method but low preference by another assessment method. The first focus of the project was to evaluate the reinforcing efficacy of edible and leisure items based on predictions from preference assessments. Results indicated that edible and leisure items approached frequently during a single-stimulus preference assessment but infrequently during a paired-stimulus preference assessment produced less …

Investigating The Photorecombination Dynamics In Molecular High-Harmonic Spectra, Benjamin Parker Wilson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The work presented in this dissertation will relate the photorecombination dynamics to photoionization dynamics in SF6 utilizing the self-probing mechanism, high harmonic generation (HHG). This work specifically aims to establish parameters for which the comparison is applicable and the macroscopic complications inherent in HHG do not interfere with the extraction of dynamic information. The first part of this work established the macroscopic experimental apparatus necessary for consistent spectroscopic observation. It is shown that using a gas jet that is an order of magnitude shorter than the Rayleigh length of the driving laser results in more consistent harmonic spatial profiles and …

Forest Stakeholders, Policies And Trade In India's Forest Sector, Joy Das

LSU Master's Theses

The thesis examines a panel of trade flows during 2009-2013, exploring the influence of regulatory quality on the pattern of forest products imports by India from 143 partner countries. The study applies a pooled regression model followed by Generalized Least Squared (GLS) technique and a more robust Feasible Generalized Least Squared (FGLS) method of estimation with regulatory quality, distance between the partner country and India, total forest area of partner country, GDP and population indicators to assess the impact of partner country’s regulatory quality and other trade-related factors on imports of forest products by India. The results support the notion …

Does The Bicycle Detector Symbol Change Cyclist Queuing Position At Signalized Intersections?, Stefan W. Bussey, Christopher M. Monsere, Peter Koonce

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Manual of Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) includes a bicycle detector pavement marking (Section 9C-05) and accompanying explanatory sign (R10-22) which may encourage cyclists to position themselves over detection at traffic signals. This paper presents the results of an observational and survey- based study evaluating the bicycle detector marking. Three minor actuated approaches at signalized intersections with significant bicycle volumes and without bicycle detector markings were selected for treatment. Three configurations were compared: 1) bicycle detector marking only 2) bicycle detector marking with the R10-22 explanatory sign, and 3) an alternative bicycle detector installed over a contrasting green rectangle. Analysis …

Hydrological Influences On Catahoula Lake In An Altered Floodplain, Lincoln Dugue

LSU Master's Theses

Floodplain lakes in floodplains of large rivers undergoing intensive alterations are subject to hydrologic alteration. One example is in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) and pivotal habitat for wildlife. Catahoula Lake has experienced hydrologic regime alterations over the past ~150 years that may be contribute to changes in the habitat with expansion of woody plants. A Diversion Channel was constructed in 1972 to provide the natural, annual de-watering of the lake to maintain its ecological integrity, but ecologic changes are still occurring. Our general goal is to understand the hydrologic regime of the lake, particularly the historical hydrologic regime …

Different Approaches To Investigatory Journalism In The Muckraking Era, Tim Vest Klein

LSU Master's Theses

The muckraking era is seen as a golden age of investigatory journalism. This thesis argues that within the muckraking era, there were a number of distinct types of journalism. To understand the muckrakers, we must recognize these different types of investigatory journalism and the potential influence the different types of storytelling can have on public opinion. Fourteen of the preeminent muckrakers are analyzed based on their most important investigatory journalism articles

Booker T. Washington And The Historians: How Changing Views On Race Relations, Economics, And Education Shaped Washington Historiography, 1915-2010, Joshua Thomas Zeringue

LSU Master's Theses

“Booker T. Washington and the Historians” analyzes the past century of scholarly writings on Booker T. Washington and seeks to describe the major paradigms used to explain his life and work. Between 1915 and 2010 four major paradigms emerged. The hagiographic paradigm, which offered an uncritical and triumphal account, dominated Washington scholarship from 1915 to 1950. In the 1950s the critical paradigm became widely accepted among historians; Washington was viewed as a compromiser with white supremacists and Northern industrialists. In the 1990s and 2000s the educational paradigm, which focused on Washington’s pedagogy and educational achievements, developed as an alternative to …

Social Anxiety And Cannabis-Related Impairment: The Roles Of Anxiety Sensitivity And Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Emily Robin Jeffries

LSU Master's Theses

Cannabis use is associated with many negative consequences. Identification of factors associated with cannabis could inform prevention and treatment efforts. Social anxiety appears to be one risk factor for cannabis-related problems. Thus, it is important to identify malleable cognitive vulnerability factors that may play a role in the social anxiety-cannabis problems relationship. Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety-related bodily sensations and is composed of three subfacets: physical, cognitive, and social concerns. AS is associated with greater social anxiety and may play a role in cannabis-related impairment. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) refers to a tendency to respond negatively to …

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 …

Neodymium Isotope Ratios And A Positive Δ13c Excursion: Connecting Oceanographic And Climate Changes Near The M4-M5 Sequence Boundary Of The Late Ordovician, Zachary Wright

LSU Master's Theses

A significant positive carbon isotope excursion first described from the Guttenberg Member of the Decorah Formation in Iowa called the GICE is a defining feature of Late Ordovician chemostratigraphy. It occurs near the M4-M5 sequence boundary of the Late Ordovician and has been correlated across the globe using prominent K-bentonite ash beds and conodont biomarkers. The cause of the GICE has been debated, with some arguing that it represents the initiation of a glacial period in a greenhouse climate 10 Ma before the end Ordovician glaciation and extinction. A variety of cooling signals have been identified across the M4-M5 sequence …

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 …

Modelling Of Channelization In Unconsolidated Formations Due To Liquid Injection, Juan Felipe Bautista Barake

LSU Master's Theses

Fluid injection has been increasingly implemented in oil and gas producing fields to optimize hydrocarbon production in both young and mature oil fields across the globe. This situation arises from the realization that early planning of second and tertiary recovery methods may improve project economics significantly. Injectors are then intended to perform at high injection rates with low bottomhole flowing pressures for as long as possible. In the case of injectors drilled in unconsolidated formations, deficient performance often times seems to be the norm. With a majority of these fields being offshore developments in which capital expenditures are high, a …

Community Assessment Of African Maternal Health In The Portland Region: Drivers For Community, Health Services And Institutional Change, Marie-Elena Reyes, Ann Curry-Stevens

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

This community needs assessment surfaces a range of health priorities faced by the African community. While the scope of the study is limited by time and resources, and strategically focused on maternal health, there are a wider set of upstream and downstream health challenges that impede the community’s wellbeing. We encourage policy makers to remember these whenever health policies, and in fact all manner of policies and programs tied to the social determinants of health, are being considered.

The main body of this report contains the insights of the 56 African women who participated in six focus groups. Their voices …

Child And Maternal Health In The Slavic Community: Insights On Assets And Priorities, Marie-Elena Reyes, Ann Curry-Stevens

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

The Slavic community’s health is impacted by race and ethnicity, and also by issues that flow from being a newcomer community, and also from their status as refugees. They also bring to the U.S.A. cultural orientation that is collectivist, and shared experiences of persecution and deep distrust of the government. As is detailed in this report, these experiences have an impact on health and wellbeing, and simultaneously have a detrimental effect on the economic stature of the community.

This Community Needs Assessment on the Health of Slavic Children (ages 0-5 years) was conducted to produce a “needs assessment” report outlining …

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 …

Natural Order: The Case For Applying Biomimetic Design Principles To Mass Communication Technology Design, William Glass

LSU Master's Theses

In this paper I tested the effectiveness of a biomimetically designed classifier algorithm in an effort to support a new argument for the systemic application of biomimetic design principles to mass communication technology. To supplement the purely system-level test, I conducted a series of interviews with interface-level designers regarding their own design strategies, generally accepted design strategies in the field of mass communication technology design, new design strategies, and the landscape of the field in general. The findings of my test lend strong credence to biomimicry's potential systemic contribution to mass communication technology design, and the tone of the interview …

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 …

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 …

Writing In The Geometry Classroom, Amy Lynn Rome

LSU Master's Theses

This study sought a time-efficient way to implement writing in ninth-grade Geometry. Students wrote responses to five expository writing prompts spread out over the spring semester of the 2014-2015 school year. Students’ first attempts were graded and returned to them along with feedback in the form of a teacher-written exemplar. Students rewrote assignments to improve their grades. All first and second attempts were collected and evaluated. We found that students were more successful after seeing the exemplar. Moreover, on assignments occurring later in the semester, more students were able to score in the top categories of the writing assignments on …

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, …

To Begin Anew: Federalism And Power In The Confederate States Of America, Geoffrey D. Cunningham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The leaders of the Confederate States of America proved eager and desirous of the power of the federal government. Rather than constituting an anomalous, ironical, or revolutionary episode in American political history, the Confederacy sought to conserve their definition of American liberty and democracy, with its racial grants, privileges, and sanction of slavery, through the power of government. The embrace of federal power was an intentional, central, and desirable feature of government, and one that Confederates embraced in order to sustain and project their nation and its vision of American democracy.

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 …

Is Downsizing Prisons Dangerous? The Effect Of California’S Realignment Act On Public Safety, Jody Sundt, Emily Salisbury, Mark G. Harmon

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research Summary: Recent declines in imprisonment raise a critical question: Can prison populations be reduced without endangering the public? This question is examined by testing the effect of California’s dramatic efforts to comply with court-mandated targets to reduce prison overcrowding using a pretest-posttest design. The results showed that California’s Realignment Act had no effect on violent or property crime rates in 2012, 2013, or 2014. When crime types were disaggregated, a moderately large, statistically significant association between Realignment and auto theft rates was observed in 2012. By 2014, however, this effect had decayed and auto theft rates returned to pre-Realignment …