Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Energy Sustainability In Electrical Vehicle Energy Networks And Internet Of Things, Abdurrahman Arikan

Doctoral Dissertations

Energy sustainability is a pressing issue facing the modern society. The twin pillars of sustainable energy are renewable energy and energy efficiency. In this dissertation, we propose novel architectures and approaches to improve energy sustainability in two application domains: transportation and the Internet of Things. Transporta- tion is one of the major sources of energy consumption and environmental pollution. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) present many opportunities in improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, with batteries and built-in mobility, PHEVs can form a mobile and distributed energy network, where energy can be conveniently transported from place …

Temperature Dependent Characterization And Crystallization Dynamics Of Ge2sb2te5 Thin Films And Nanoscale Structures, Kadir Cil

Doctoral Dissertations

Phase change memory (PCM) is currently seen as the most promising candidate for a future storage-class memory with the potential to be as fast as Dynamic Random-Access Memory but with much longer retention times, and as dense as flash memory but significantly faster due to unique material properties which include strong electrical resistivity contrast, fast crystallization and high crystallization temperature. PCM devices utilize chalcogenide materials (most commonly Ge₂Sb₂Te₅, or GST) that can be reversibly and rapidly switched between amorphous and crystalline phases (enabling storage of information) with orders of magnitude difference in electrical resistivity. …

Flame Combustion Synthesis Of Nano-Materials For Catalysts And Sensors, Rishabh Jain

Doctoral Dissertations

Synthesis of functional nanomaterial thin films using a scalable flame combustion technique called Reactive Spray Deposition Technology (RSDT) was explored. Nanomaterials were used as sensing film for local gas monitoring and human breath analysis for medical diagnosis (different phases of WO₃) and catalysts for water-gas shift (WGS) reaction (Pt supported on ceria). Areas of application include: handheld portable devices for immediate breath composition monitoring, medical diagnosis, and environment monitoring (workplace, residence and automobile). Two case studies will be explained in detail: (1) acetone sensing in human breath for blood glucose monitoring and (2) NO₂ sensing for air …

Designing Safer Sex Infographics: Framing Data With Emotional And Rational Appeals, Yi Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

This study compares the effects of two safer sex infographic message strategies on American college students: the traditional social cognitive intervention approach (SC) versus the SC plus emotional intervention approach (SCE). An experiment was conducted to examine how message framing (gain-framed versus loss-framed) and data representation (rational versus emotional) embedded in the infographics influence health message processing, perceived severity of not using a condom, and condom use intention. Across all conditions, sexually inactive participants reported a significantly higher intention to use a condom compared to the sexually active participants. Among sexually active participants, SCE approach led to significantly higher condom …

Cooperative, Cognitive And Coordinated Communications For Underwater Acoustic Networks, Yu Luo

Doctoral Dissertations

Underwater acoustic networks (UANs) have a wide range of applications. However, UANs face grand challenges on the narrow communication bandwidth. To tackle this issue, in this dissertation, I explore three critical techniques: cooperative communications (COP-COM), cognitive communications (COG-COM) and coordinated communications (COD-COM), to improve acoustic spectrum usage.

In the first research thread, I propose a new relay selection criterion, called cooperative best relay assessment (COBRA), for underwater COP-COM. COBRA takes into account not only the spectral efficiency but also the long propagation delays of acoustic signals. In addition to COBRA, I develop a new cooperative scheme, called mirror node assisted …

Real System Features And Implications In Underwater Acoustic Networks, Lina Pu

Doctoral Dissertations

As an emerging research area, underwater acoustic network (UAN) has attracted tremendous interests from both academia and industry in recent years. However, little work has been conducted to test algorithms and protocols in real sea experiments. Due to the complexity of acoustic environments and the uncertainties in acoustic systems, it is difficult for theoretical studies or simulations to evaluate UANs in the real world. Studying real system features of UANs has become crucial in the field.

In this dissertation, I study the real system features revealed in sea tests and analyze their impact on underwater media access control (MAC), time …

American Cosmologies: Race And Revolution In The Nineteenth Century, Gordon D. Fraser

Doctoral Dissertations

“American Cosmologies” brings together the study of nineteenth-century print culture and the study of metaphor by examining how revolutionary political groups distributed, circulated, and serialized cosmological language in order to materialize political action. Challenging cultural histories that present revolutionary ideals as part of a genuinely universal discourse, this project demonstrates that writers and political actors throughout the nineteenth century deployed the language of cosmic movement – of celestial revolution as political revolution, for instance – as a means of legitimizing and materializing acts of political violence. In attributing political transformation to cosmic forces, writers and revolutionaries rendered in print their …

Mother Tongue Interference In English Language Pronunciation Of The Chinese Immigrant In The United States, Chaowei Hu

Master's Projects and Capstones

English is one of the most widely used languages in the world. As an unofficial lingua franca, it serves a key role in cross-cultural communication. Chinese immigrants in the US will certainly encounter many difficulties in acquiring L2 proficiency. Some of these challenges are tied to 1) Chinese immigrants’ history in the US and the variety of Chinese dialects; 2) distinctions between Chinese and English phonological systems; 3) diversity among Chinese Americans; 3) mother tongue influence on English language learning; and 4) foreign language anxiety.

“It Is The Promiscuous Woman Who Is Giving Us The Most Trouble”: The Internal War On Prostitution In New Orleans During World War Ii, Allison Baffoni

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

When the United States entered World War II, federal officials began planning a war on prostitution and decided to make New Orleans the poster city for reform. New Orleans held a reputation for being a destination for prostitution tin the U.S. A federally appointed group aptly named the Social Protection Division began a repression campaign in militarily dense areas throughout the United States. The goal was to protect soldiers by eliminating the threat from venereal disease carrying prostitutes. The Social Protection Division created a campaign with the New Orleans Health Department and the New Orleans Police Department to repression prostitution. …

Here Goes Nothing: Creating The Role Of Timothy Allgood In "Noises Off.", Justin G. Bupp

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Noises Off is the epitome of farce. Doors everywhere, mistaken identities, and unrequited love. The characters push themselves to the limit, both mentally and physically. They stop at nothing to put on their production and their stage manager, Timothy Allgood, becomes the babysitter of the group, which at times becomes comparable to herding cats.

This document describes the journey made from casting to final bows. It contains biographical research on the playwright, Michael Frayn, as well as a historical look at the genre of farce, techniques pioneered by Sanford Meisner and Konstantin Stanislavski, along with materials, including a scored script, …

Fighting Spirit: A History Of St. Henry's Catholic Church New Orleans 1871-1929, Alvah J. Green Iii

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In 2009, the Archdiocese of New Orleans went through a reorganization that resulted in the closure of numerous parishes under its direction. This thesis will look at how one of the parishes closed during this reorganization, St. Henry’s, had already faced, and survived, numerous attempts at closure. A study of these previous attempts reveals that internal church politics were often on display and the driving force behind the decisions. Using documents from the Archdiocesan Archives of New Orleans, this thesis looks at the history and leadership of St. Henry’s parish, and examines how the survival of a church often has …

Restoring The Mississippi River Delta In Louisiana Ecological Tradeoffs And Barriers To Action, Alison Maulhardt

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the Louisiana 2012 Coastal Master Plan’s ability to reconcile conflicting economic and ecological demands on coastal resources. The Louisiana Coastal Master Plan was unique in combining flood control and coastal restoration under one authority. However, the objectives of flood control and coastal restoration can be in conflict. The plan was also unique in its approach of restoration from a working coast perspective. However, the objectives of ecological restoration and economic productivity do not always agree. By conducting semi-structured interviews with major coastal stakeholders, this research will explore how the planning process has accommodated the views and values …

Are Physically Active College Students More Successful Academically Than Their Inactive Peers?, Jared T. Meacham

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research project intended to explore the possible relationship between physical activity and academic achievement in college students. Using an anonymous online survey, data was collected over two semesters. Ten thousand currently-enrolled college students ages eighteen and older from all states and recognized territories of the United States participated. The survey gathered data concerning a student’s age, gender, race, body weight, height, geographic region of college attendance, cumulative GPA, and physical activity level. The FIT Index of Kasari was used to classify each student’s physical activity level. A quintile split by FIT score was conducted to determine if physically active …

Antiviral Peptide Nanocomplexes As Potential Therapeutics For The Treatment Of Infectious Diseases, Jinjin Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is recognized as a major burden in global public health, which can be further exacerbated by several cofactors such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Currently, there is no vaccine for HCV. The emergence of potent and highly specific direct-acting antivirals (DAA) has marked a new era in HCV therapy, however, the remaining issues like affordability, genotype dependency, and potential resistance still necessitate the development of additional therapeutic approaches to be used instead or in combination with DAA.

Recently, the antiviral peptide C5A (in our studies designated as p1) and its cationic derivative p41 have been identified …

Design, Construction, And Optimization Of The Energy Resolution Of A Xenon Tpc Detector, Nicholas E. Destefano

Doctoral Dissertations

PIXeY (Particle Identification in Xenon at Yale) is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon prototype detector with 3-kg active mass. The two-phase xenon technology has many applications that include gamma-ray imaging, neutrinoless double beta decay searches, dark matter searches, and medical imaging PET scanners. PIXeY was built to optimize energy resolution, with a number of technological improvements over previous work. Parallel-wire grids, which control the drift and proportional-scintillation fields, are optimized both for light-collection efficiency and field uniformity with optical transparencies between 92% and 97%. High voltage epoxy feedthroughs have been installed with stable operating voltages better than 5 kV on the …

Strengthening Public Health Through Web-Based Data Query Systems, Manik Ahuja

Doctoral Dissertations

Archival abstract submitted.

Embedding Elements Of Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Pbis) In A Summer Program, Laura Ruberto

Doctoral Dissertations

Summer programs are one of many out-of-school time opportunities offered to students. Out-of-school time programs are valuable to communities as they offer a supervised environment during times when risky behaviors can be prevalent and have potential to promote academic and socio-emotional growth in the nation’s youth (Zief & Lauver, 2006). Although federal mandates highlight a multitude of academic, enrichment, and family engagement objectives, less emphasis is placed on behavioral needs of students in out-of-school time programs (Afterschool Alliance, 2012). Furthermore, evidence suggests that behavioral support is needed in out-of-school time programs (Connecticut Commissioner on Education, 2008); yet, staff are often …

Hearing Officers' Perceptions Of Their Roles In Welfare Organizations, Karen R. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

Little is known about the officials who conduct administrative hearings for aggrieved welfare clients. Hearing officers are charged with ensuring due process for welfare clients, called appellants in the hearing process, who believe that mistakes have been made in their cases and who wish to challenge those decisions. Administrative hearings are one of the few vehicles that afford clients the opportunity to contest welfare policies and procedures. This study explored welfare hearing officers and their perceptions of their roles in conducting hearings.

The concepts of role theory, organizational climate and aspects of professional training were used to examine the role …

Improving Inpatient Influenza Compliance Rates With A Standing Orders Program, Marlee E. Gruber

Master's Projects and Capstones

Influenza vaccinations are recommended yearly as part of a primary care performance measure to prevent and control seasonal influenza. Rates of influenza are steadily increasing and can lead to severe negative impacts and even fatalities with patients. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC)’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), less than 40 percent of the U.S. population receives the flu vaccine yearly. It is suggested by the CDC that Annual vaccination is the most effective method for preventing influenza virus infection and its complications. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2020 includes a goal of …

First Report Of Invasive Crane Fly, Tipula Oleracea, In Utah, A Van Dyke, Ricardo A. Ramirez, B A. Mcgraw

Biology Faculty Publications

The known range of the common crane fly (Tipula oleracea L.) is expanding in the western US, as adults were captured (by me) in Utah while emerging and flying over golf course rough. Adults were collected at The Ridge Golf Course in West Valley City on 15 September, 2014, and identified by Dr. Benjamin McGraw at the Pennsylvania State University Turfgrass Entomology Lab in University Park, PA. Crane fly larvae (known as leather jackets for their tough skin) were previously found (again, by me) with the help of golf course superintendent Brian Roth on 4 August, 2012 damaging putting greens …

Improving Patient Satisfaction, Wait Times, And Access To Care In A College Health Setting; Expanding The Rn Role As Prescribing Agent With Standardized Procedures, Kimberly D. Perris

Master's Projects and Capstones

The CNL theme for this project is Nursing Leadership, Advocate for the Profession and is inspired by the Institute of Medicine’s call for all nurses to work to the maximum scope of their practice. The specific aim was to demonstrate RN confidence working independently, and proficiency using one RN protocol to provide hormonal contraception with an overall aim of improving patient satisfaction and access to care. This project took place in a rural university student health center where family planning and contraception services are the number one service provided.

The RN visit project has been multidisciplinary and collaborative in creating …

Enhancing Education Of Medication Side Effects To Improve Patient Outcomes, Kyle R. Woolley

Master's Projects and Capstones

Patient satisfaction scores regarding how effectively staff educates patients about possible side effects of new medications are not consistently above the national average at a large metropolitan hospital in California (MHC). The results of these patient satisfaction scores shed light on the need for evidence-based strategies to improve a patient’s perception of the medication education provided to them. The basis of the incentive to improve care is ultimately increased safety and better patient outcomes. From the Root Cause Analysis, it became apparent that a few common barriers need to be addressed, but the one most frequently reported by everyone that …

Beyond Access To Education: Using Collaborative Learning To Promote Agency In Unauthorized Latinos Entering Community College, Amanda C. Price

Master's Projects and Capstones

The US is widely recognized as a nation of immigrants; however, when an estimated 70,000 unaccompanied child migrants arrived from Central America in 2014, unauthorized immigration became a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Unauthorized immigrants, 71% of whom come from Mexico and Central America, make up an increasingly significant portion of the population. This is particularly true in California, where 28% of unauthorized immigrants reside. However, despite the overwhelming consensus that command of English is paramount to a successful life in the US, an alarming 51% of unauthorized immigrants speak English “not well” or “not at all”.

Unauthorized immigrants face unique challenges …

The Battle Against Childhood Obesity, Allison Fox

Capstones

When 16-year-old Eric Foy came home from high school one weeknight in the fall of 2005, his life changed forever. His mother, Claudia, was resting on the tan couch in the living room, but she was slumped over to the left, towards the end table that held a dozen framed photos of his extended family. “Get me juice,” Claudia whispered to her son. Immediately, Eric knew what was happening –his mother’s blood sugar level was crashing. As he ran to the kitchen to pour a glass of orange juice, he started to panic.

The Effects Of Income Inequality On Service Sector Growth, Jeeten K. Giri

Research Papers

The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of income inequality on the service sector growth of 45 countries from the period 1971 to 2010. The countries are divided into low, middle and high income groups, and the analysis is carried out in two sub-time periods, 1971 to 1990 and 1991 to 2010. The analysis reveals that during 1971-1990, the effect of income inequality on service sector growth is negative and significant for low and middle income countries, whereas it is insignificant for high income countries. During 1991-2010 the effect of income inequality on service sector growth is …

Dislocation And Adjustment Of International Student-Athletes, Thiago Brito Lopes

Master's Theses

One reason that attracts international student-athletes to American universities could be the interest in earning high quality education with the possibility of playing high performance sports. However, when compared to other international students, differences are seen: Other foreign students who look for a degree in the US desire not only an international education, but also potentially staying in the country. The University of San Francisco, where a cosmopolitan city meets education, fits it best. At USF, 82 countries are represented, reaching a number of 1708 students. Approximately ¼ of the whole student population is international. The ratio with student-athletes is …

Photooxidation Reactions Of Small-Chain Methyl Esters, Aerosol Photoelectron Spectroscopy, And The Photodissociation Of Ethylenediamine, Giel Muller

Master's Theses

Research conducted at the University of San Francisco is presented within this masters thesis, including the Cl-initiated photooxidation reactions of methyl propanoate, methyl butanoate, and methyl valerate (pentanoate), the aerosol photoelectron spectroscopy of isoprene and gamma-valerolactone, and the TPEPICO investigation of ethylenediamine. Experiments were conducted at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Advanced Light Source (ALS), the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center in Hsinchu City (NSRRC), and the University of Stockton in California, respectively.

Power, Subjectivity, And Life In Spain: A Continuation Of Elite Power, Matthew Mason

Master's Theses

On December 20, Spain will hold national elections to determine the new prime minister and national and local parliaments. These elections will be another crossroads in the long history of Spain. The elections come about in a political and social atmosphere of ‘change’ and ‘regeneration,’ marked by the rise of two new political parties, Podemos and Ciudanos. These parties are the new forces in the political scene in Spain. This atmosphere of change is the result of the 2008 economic crisis. The economic crisis of 2008 was not only an economic crisis in Spain, but it provoked a political and …

The Multidimensionality Of Schoolgirl Dropouts In Rural Bangladesh, Tiffany Yancey

Master's Theses

This thesis outlines the underlying causes for girl dropouts in the secondary school system of rural Bangladesh and assesses the barriers that affect adolescent girls and their families. The complex dynamics of the historical context within the patriarchal-dominant structure of society creates a system that hinders girls’ education and forces them into marriage at an early age. Poverty and lack of parental involvement in schools, as well as societal traditions and lack of government infrastructure play an enormous role and are the main structural factors that are linked to schoolgirl dropouts in this study. This thesis also analyzes previous education …

Cognitive Castles: Place And The Castle Of Otranto, Kevin I. Flotte

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This article analyzes The Castle of Otranto from a biocultural perspective. Firstly, the theoretical landscape of Gothic horror is explored. This is followed by some suggestions on how evolutionary approaches might add to the conversation about Gothic horror. The last section applies evolutionary and cognitive approaches to The Castle of Otranto in a reading of the novel. Attention is paid to the varied ways in which Gothic horror subverts and undermines evolved strategies for the creation of meaning and understanding. Gothic tropes such as the Gothic tunnel or labyrinth undercut the dynamic and ongoing creation of place that is essential …