Digital Commons Network^™

Thinking About Technology - Cybersecurity: Breaches And Heartbleed To Byod—Are Bankers, Entertainment Company Executives, Celebrities, Postal Workers, Ice Cream Lovers, Home Builders, And Cios The Only Ones Who Should Be Concerned?, Darla Jackson

Other Faculty Publications

In 2013 and 2014, we have continually heard about data security breaches and cybersecurity has become a major concern for the legal community. Reports of information leakage and security breach concerns at legal information vendors, firms, universities, and even courts continued to increase. Ms. Jackson addresses the increasing cybersecurity concerns and suggests some considerations for law librarian, legal information professionals, and the organizations they serve in determining the measures to address security threats.

Poverty And Homelessness : A Content Analysis Of Children's Nonfiction Literature, Christine Newell

Graduate Research Papers

Units taught in social studies and language arts that address family issues, neighborhoods, communities, economic diversity, and social issues need to address the struggles, challenges, and fears of children living in poverty or who are homeless. Depictions of poverty and homelessness should be handled with accuracy and sensitivity. Connections made through the use of literature can help all students develop an understanding about the world around them and help them begin to realize the struggles of those who live in poverty.

This study of K-6 nonfiction books about poverty and homelessness investigated how these social problems were depicted in the …

The Faa's Interpretation Of The Special Rule For Model Aircraft, Drew Palmer

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Flying In The Dark: How A Legal Loophole Endangers Critical Infrastructure, Michelle Tonelli

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Ay 2015/2016 Sec Meeting Minutes, 2015-12-02, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Chemically Patterned Surfaces As Test Platforms To Study Magnetic And Solvent-Responsive Properties At The Nanoscale: Investigations Using Scanning Probe Microscopy, Shalaka Kulkarni

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chemically patterned surfaces were fabricated using a combination of molecular self-assembly and particle lithography to generate billions of nanostructures of organosilane self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Monodisperse mesospheres were used as surface masks to prepare nanostructures on flat surfaces using the simple benchtop chemistry steps of mixing, centrifuging, evaporation, and drying. Periodic arrays of well-defined organosilane nanostructures serve as discrete surface sites for the selective deposition of polymers and magnetic nanoparticles.

In this dissertation, particle lithography approaches for surface patterning provide new directions for studying surface chemistry at the molecular-level using high resolution investigations with scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Atomic force microscopy …

Seismic Velocity Characteristics Of Partially Saturated Unconsolidated Sediments, Jie Shen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Seismic velocity models of the near-surface (< 30 m) better explain seismic velocities when all elements of total effective stress are considered, particularly in materials with large cohesive and soil suction stress such as clays. Traditional constitutive elastic models assume interparticle and soil suction stresses are negligible. This study proposes a new methodology which corrects total effective stress in Hertz-Mindlin theory for interparticle and soil suction and calculates the elastic moduli by extending Biot-Gassmann theory to include pressure effects induced by water saturation changes and cohesion. The proposed model predicts seismic velocities that correlate well with measured field velocities from the literature. Soil density, porosity, elastic moduli and the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) are important properties for soil characterization. Currently, geotechnical and laboratory tests for soil properties are costly and limited to point sampling sites. Seismic surveys can potentially provide laterally continuous soil property values that may complement geotechnical borehole tests with low cost. We propose a new method to invert for soil properties and the SWCC from seismic P- and S-wave velocity-vs.-depth profiles interpreted from shallow (< 25 m depth) unconsolidated sediments under conditions of near-full saturation (> 99%). The results from seismic soil property inversion are validated by comparison to geotechnical and laboratory results conducted independently in the same area as the seismic survey. Knowledge of homogeneous and heterogeneous fluid-distribution patterns is important for the estimation of oil reserves, reservoir simulation, the interpretation of time-lapse seismic, and the selection of remediation techniques for groundwater contamination. Problems exist in determining in-situ fluid-distribution patterns in unconsolidated sediments because laboratory tests on core samples may not be representative of in-situ conditions. We propose a new method to determine in-situ fluid-distribution patterns by inverting …

Gender Stereotypes And The Strategic Use Of Emotions In The 2008 Elections, Newly Paul

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scholars examining gender bias in elections have found that voters’ stereotypical expectations of women and men candidates affect their vote choice. This dissertation examines gender stereotypes from the perspective of campaigns. Specifically, I examine how ad, candidate and election variables interact with gender stereotypes to determine the use of emotions in political ads. My analysis contains ad data for the 2008 Senate, House and gubernatorial races gathered from the Wisconsin Advertising Project, combined with original content analysis of 1,170,728 ad airings (3,424 unique ads). The results indicate that campaigns’ use of fear, anger, enthusiasm and hope appeals depends to a …

A Comparison Of Two Self-Managed Spelling Interventions: Cover, Copy, And Compare And Taped Spelling Intervention, Menas Zannikos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cover, copy, and compare (CCC) is an effective academic intervention for many academic subjects, but most often implemented as a spelling intervention. Taped interventions (TI) have also been found to be effective in increasing academic performance (Freeman & McLaughlin, 1984), but are most often implemented as math interventions. Recently, a Taped Spelling Intervention (TSI) was developed and found to be effective in improving the spelling of middle school students with learning disabilities (McCallum, Schmitt, Evans, Schaffner, & Long, 2014). CCC and TSI are self-managed interventions that include error self-correction components and high rates of opportunities to respond. Both interventions are …

The Influence Of Selected Demographic And Perceptual Characteristics On The Perceptions Of Distance Education Among Faculty At A Research Extensive University In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, J Gerard Richard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic and perceptual characteristics on the culture and desirability of Distance Education among faculty at a research extensive university in the southeastern region of the United States. The study was conducted using a survey research design. The electronic survey was distributed to full and part time faculty of the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University using faculty email addresses provided by the college. The survey instrument consisted of questions concerning demographic characteristics, perception of Distance Education, culture of Distance Education, desirability of Distance Education and extent …

Examining Male Infertility; The Association Between Age, Environment, And Reproductive Success In Male Patients That Have Participated In Assisted Reproductive Technology, Jeanne Lee Glaser

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As the number and age of human couples turning to assisted reproductive technology (ART) continues to increase, it is essential for clinicians to understand infertility threats related to both female and male patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between age, environment, and reproductive success in male patients having participated in assisted reproductive technology. In corresponding experiments, male infertility variables such as; age, lifestyle exposures, body mass index (BMI), and infertility length with current partner (ILCP) were investigated. A retrospective collection of clinical male patient data from 2011 to 2014 was evaluated. Thirty-five variables were collected …

Southeast Asian Youth Chamber Orchestra (Seayco): A Musical Bridge Within The Southeast Asian Region, Paraschos Paraschoudis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is presented from the perspective of the project manager of the Southeast Asian Youth Chamber Orchestra (SEAYCO) and will analyze all the necessary steps from the initial idea to the selecting of the musicians, and through the rehearsal and preparation until its first performance. The College of Music, Mahidol University in Thailand and the Goethe-Institut network of Southeast Asia formed a partnership in order to make this project possible. The sponsor of this unique endeavor was Merck KGaA, a German multinational chemical, pharmaceutical, and life-sciences company that was generous enough to fund part of this project. The main …

Treatment Efficacy Of Manual Therapy On Speech Outcomes In Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Single-Subject Experimental Design, Chantelle B. Varnado

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Objective – The present study aimed to determine if a treatment effect is present on speech outcomes in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) given 5 sessions of a manual therapy treatment protocol. Methods – A single-subject experimental design (ABAB) study was devised to establish the treatment efficacy of a manual therapy protocol on speech outcomes in children with spastic CP. The protocol was administered to 5 participants, 4-6 years old. It included five intercostal stretches administered in 15-minute sessions for five sessions. During the withdrawal phase, a sham treatment was administered that included an equal dosage of treatment. …

Familial Relationships Among Muslim Couples And Parents In The United States: A Qualitative Study, Zahra Aqeel Alghafli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since September 11, 2001, Islam has been the center of many debates, discussions, parodies, and publications. Many Muslims feel that their religion has been portrayed unfairly in Western media. The topics that seem to generate the most criticism relate to gender roles and the treatment of women, both inside the home and in society. The purpose of this project is to employ a qualitative, in-depth interview approach to examine the perceived role of Islam on marital and familial relationships from insiders’ perspectives and to present participants’ reflections on sensitive issues, including gender roles, women’s rights, the concept of Hijab, religious …

Toll-Like Receptor 4 (Tlr4) In Acute And Chronic Renal Diseases, Anand R. Nair

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite advances in its treatment, the incidence of renal diseases has been consistently increasing. Hence, there is a need to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of the progression of kidney diseases. Recent research implicates inflammation as an important mediator of renal injury. We hypothesized that inhibiting Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), an upstream modulator of several inflammatory pathways, would prevent the progression of renal diseases. First, we determined the mechanism by which AngiotensinII (AngII)-induced inflammation is modulated by TLR4 using an in vitro model of rat tubulo-epithelial cells. We blocked TLR4 using gene silencing strategy in NRK52E cells. In TLR4-silenced cells, …

Clinical Probe Utilizing Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (Sers) For In-Situ Molecular Imaging Applications, Jeonghwan Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this research, a clinical probe utilizing Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) is developed for molecular imaging application which is a visualizing technology to support early diagnosis by providing images in molecular level. In addition to other molecular imaging applications using magnetic resonance, light, and ultrasound, Raman spectroscopy has great potential in terms of non-invasiveness, safety, imaging agent-free, and scanning multiple molecules at a time. However, the critical limitation of Raman spectroscopy using in-vivo molecular imaging application is the inherent low sensitivity of Raman effect. The challenge is overcome by employing SERS enhancing Raman scattering with concentrated electromagnetic oscillation in nanometallic …

Use Of Copula And Auxiliary Be By African American Children With Gullah/Geechee Heritage, Jessica Richardson Berry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document the auxiliary and copula BE system of African American (AA) children with Gullah/Geechee (GG) heritage and to compare the findings to those from African American English (AAE)-speaking children without this heritage and to what has been documented in previous studies of Gullah and AAE. The data came from 38 children, aged five to six years. Nineteen were from rural South Carolina and classified as GG, and 19 were from rural Louisiana and classified as AAE. All were developing language typically, and the groups were matched on a number of socio-demographic variables and …

Study Of Factors Affecting Growth And Development Of Narrow Brown Leaf Spot Of Rice Caused By Cercospora Janseana (Racib.) O. Const., Kirandeep Kaur Mani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies evaluated the effects of planting date, cultivar susceptibility, fungicide application timing, nitrogen management, and tillage practices on the severity of narrow brown leaf spot of rice (NBLS) caused by Cercospora janseana. All factors evaluated affected NBLS severity. The mid-April planted rice had less NBLS as compared to mid-May, late planted rice. Propiconazole fungicide (Tilt) application at panicle initiation or early boot stage was found equally effective in terms of disease reduction in mid-April planting while panicle initiation stage was the best time to apply fungicide in the late planting (mid-May). Early onset and higher severity of NBLS was observed …

The Effects Of Post-Exercise Consumption Of A Kefir Beverage On Performance And Recovery During Intensive Endurance Training, Keely Virginia O'Brien

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study was designed to determine whether kefir accentuates the positive health benefits assessed by measures in fitness and/or body composition, as a measure of cardiovascular disease risk as well as the biomarker c-reactive protein. Sixty-seven adult males and females aged 18-35 years were assigned to one of four groups: 1) endurance training + control beverage, 2) endurance training + kefir beverage, 3) active control + control beverage or 4) active control + kefir beverage. The exercise groups completed 15 weeks of structured endurance training while the active control groups maintained their usual exercise routine. Baseline physiological and exercise measurements …

Obesity In America, Ihsane Boualaoui

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The question that imposes itself is that why the previous steps taken by all Americans, whether on the institutional or individual level, were relatively unsuccessful in decreasing the obesity rate or at least keep it steady? If awareness campaigns in health care facilities, public transportation and schools were relatively inefficient in lowering the rate of obesity for the past years, what else could be done to alleviate the acuity of the problem? Is the problem directly related to individuals, health or education institutions, the whole society or a combination of all? As health care professional, patients' advocates and educators, what …

From With–In The Black Diamond: The Intersections Of Masculinity, Ethnicity, And Identity–An Epistolary Autoethnographic Exploration Into The Lived Experiences Of A Black Male Graduate Student, Vincent Tarrell Harris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

From With-In The Black Diamond: (Black Diamond) autoethnographically explores the lived experiences of a Black male who navigates his way through a predominately white higher education institutions while existing within marginalized spaces related to his gender, ethnicity, and identity. Black Diamond uses epistolary writing techniques to explore question research question: 1. How has a Black Gay male graduate student studying Higher Education negotiated his way to and through predominately white higher education institutions? In order to support the answering of this question I will argue that the most influential reasons higher education literature rarely addresses controversial topics related to GLBTQ …

Communicating Sustainability With Visuals: Issue Perception And Issue Engagement, Zeynep Melis Altinay

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Today the list of environmental disasters threatening lives and natural resources has expanded to include many causes. Even though sustainable solutions have never been so urgent, public still issues low priority to many of these serious threats. Many impacts of environmental deprivation, such as coastal land loss, are invisible to the untrained eye, causing individuals to distance themselves psychologically from the risks. The slow pace of environmental degradation constitutes one of the biggest challenges in sustainability communication. The success of sustainable development will require the public to undergo a significant shift in thinking about environmental issues. This dissertation systemically investigates …

Stimulation Of Escherichia Coli Dna Damage Inducible Dna Helicase Ding By The Single-Stranded Dna Binding Protein Ssb, Zishuo Cheng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We investigate the regulation of an E.coli iron-sulfur protein DNA damage inducible DNA helicase (DinG) by single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB). We find that SSB can form a stable protein complex with DinG and stimulate the DinG DNA helicase activity. On the other hand, SSB mutant that retains the single-stranded DNA binding activity but fails to form a protein complex with DinG becomes a potent inhibitor for the DinG DNA helicase. The results indicate SSB stimulates the DinG DNA helicase activity via direct protein-protein interaction. The results from these studies suggest that iron-sulfur proteins are regulated not only by intracellular …

Deepwater Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill Scenarios Development And Their Associated Risk Assessment, Muhammad Zulqarnain

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

World’s growing energy demand has pushed oil companies to explore and produce hydrocarbons in complex and technologically challenging deepwater environments. These difficult and complex operations involve the risk of major accidents as well, demonstrated by disasters such as the explosion and fire on the UK production platform Piper Alpha and capsizing of the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Accidents cause death, suffering, pollution of the environment, disruption of business and bad reputation to oil industry. A quantitative risk analysis technique has been used in this study to identify and categorize risk associated with different life phases …

Examining The Supervisor-Similarity And Work-Family Conflict Relationship: Is Family-Supportive Supervision A Mediator?, Chela M. White-Ramsey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To say that interest in work-family conflict has increased is an understatement. With the number of dual-earner households increasing, the diversification of the workforce, and women quickly moving into industries that were once primarily male-dominated, the work-family literature is filled with various intonations of the concept. Drawing on insights from social identity and self-categorization theories, this dissertation examined how supervisor-subordinate demographic similarity might relate to the provision of family-supportive supervision and work-family conflict. 102 members of a professional organization dedicated to women who work in technology were surveyed to evaluate whether or not supervisor-subordinate racial and gender similarity would predict …

Online Multimedia Learning: Predicting Learner Media Selections In The Visual And Verbal Domains, Natalie Toomey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate visualizer-verbalizer tendencies through the prediction of learner selection of online, multimedia learning options based on the characteristics of cognitive ability, spatial ability, cognitive style, and learning preference. These characteristics were used to predict the selection of text only, labeled image, and image and narration learning options in two, multimedia learning behavior tests via multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results of this study found that the factor of spatial ability influenced multimedia learning options such that as spatial ability increases, the likelihood of choosing labeled image learning option increases while the likelihood of choosing …

Bioplastic Production In Cyanobacteria And Consensus Degenerate Pcr Probe Design, Courtney Edward Lane

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cyanobacteria show much promise in reducing biodegradable thermoplastic production costs; however, most currently characterized strains are ill-equipped to do so. The result of Objective I produced a high-throughput assay designed to discover existing cyanobacterial strains and rapidly characterize them as PHA-producers or potential PHA-producers. This assay will play an instrumental role in the attainment of a novel cyanobacteria environmental isolate capable of accumulating high levels of PHA naturally. Objective II produced an open source computer program which dramatically speeds the design of similar assays for any arbitrary genetic screening purpose. The program is not limited to this implementation alone. In …

The Measurement Of Counselors' Emotional Intelligence And Client Treatment Outcomes In Addiction Treatment Settings, Vonzell Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Residential adult drug and alcohol treatment centers have yet to investigate the relationship between counselors' emotional intelligence and client success. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between the emotional intelligence as well as the personal and professional characteristics of counselors working in residential drug and alcohol treatment centers and client success in treatment. Suggestions for future research include clarifying the relevance of emotional intelligence for a larger sample size, and developing a greater knowledge of risk factors that can contribute towards unsuccessful client treatment stays.

Thiol-Ene Scaffolds As Synthetic Augments And Silicate Ceramics As Osteogenic Components For Bone Tissue Engineering Applications, Cong Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bone tissue engineering approaches using polymer/ceramic composites show promise as effective biocompatible, absorbable, and osteoinductive materials. A novel class of in situ polymerizing thiol-acrylate based copolymers synthesized via an amine-catalyzed Michael addition was studied for its potential to be used in bone defect repair. Both pentaerythritol triacrylate-co-trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) (PETA-co-TMPTMP) and PETA-co-TMPTMP with hydroxyapatite composites were fabricated in solid cast and foamed forms. These materials were characterized chemically and mechanically followed by an in vitro evaluation of the biocompatibility and chemical stability in conjunction with human adipose-derived mesenchymal pluripotent stem cells (hASC). The solid PETA-co-TMPTMP with and without hydroxyapatite (HA) exhibited …

Regulation Of The Chloride Store In The Retinal Amacrine Cells, Vijai Krishnan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nitric Oxide (NO) is a key gaseous messenger that has been shown to be produced by multiple cell types in the vertebrate retina. Research in our lab is aimed at unlocking critical synaptic functions of NO. A major finding from our lab is that NO affects synaptic responses in amacrine cells by altering the plasma membrane gradient for Cl-. This is due to release of Cl- from an internal store and this in turn dependent on a decrease in cytosolic pH. Determining the factors regulating cytosolic Cl- in neurons is fundamental to our understanding of the function of GABAergic and …