Digital Commons Network^™

What Female Candidates Need To Know: Current Research On Gender Effects In Campaigns And Elections, Lauren Michele Leist

LSU Master's Theses

Studies show that the vast majority of people have no problem voting for a woman and that when women run they win as often as men, yet female representation remains startlingly low in the U.S. Women are 50.8 percent of the U.S. population, but they account for merely 19.4% of the 535 seats in Congress, 24.5% of statewide executive positions, 24.2% of state legislatures, and 17.6% of mayors in cities with populations over 30,000 (Center for American Women and Politics 2015). There is certainly much research dedicated to gender and politics. But what is missing from current literature is an …

Attachment, Social Support Satisfaction, And Well-Being During Life Transition In Emerging Adulthood, Joel A. Lane, Robert S. Fink

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present study was designed to investigate the relations among attachment, social support satisfaction, and well-being in a cross-sectional sample of emerging adults (N = 213) experiencing one or more normative life transitions. The sample represented a range of educational and vocational backgrounds. The primary hypotheses were that social support satisfaction would mediate the associations between each attachment dimension and well-being. A corresponding theoretical model was tested using structural equation modeling. The model provided an excellent fit to the sample data. Social support satisfaction mediated the association between attachment anxiety and well-being, but not the association between attachment avoidance …

Hearing Voices: Non-Party Stories In Abortion And Gay Rights Advocacy, Linda H. Edwards

Scholarly Works

During the twelve years after Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court considered a number of abortion issues, but Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists was the first case to raise a direct call for Roe’s demise. The issues galvanized interests on all sides. Among the welter of amicus briefs was a remarkable brief destined to create a new, controversial, and potentially powerful form of appellate advocacy. Primarily authored by Lynn M. Paltrow, the brief was submitted on behalf of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Like a Brandeis Brief, the NARAL brief relies on sources outside …

Dean's Column: Unlv Law Students Making Tracks In Carson City, Anne R. Traum

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

A Word Of Warning From A Woman: Arbitrary, Categorical, And Hidden Religious Exemptions Threaten Lgbt Rights, Leslie C. Griffin

Scholarly Works

Religious exemptions have already undermined women’s rights. Now exemptions threaten gays and lesbians. The Constitution protected women’s equality and liberty until religious exemptions eroded them. Today, as gays and lesbians stand on the threshold of marriage equality, religious exemptions threaten to diminish their hard-earned constitutional right. For this reason, I argue it is past time to reject the religious exemption theory of religious liberty, which privileges religion over civil and constitutional rights, in favor of neutral laws that govern all. Religious exemptions pervade American law in numerous ways that are harmful to civil rights.

In this essay, I identify three …

Early Horizon Community Organization And Neighborhoods As Seen Through The Spatial Analysis Of Residential Architecture At The Urban Center Of Caylán, Peru, Ashley Nichols Whitten

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the spatial analysis of monumental, residential compounds at the Early Horizon urban center of Caylán (800-1 B.C.), Nepeña Valley, Peru. The utilization of space parallels the economic, social political and ideological aspects of human cultures. Hence, through the study of architectural space, aspects of the culture such as social organization can be deduced. This thesis focuses on the residential compounds with the objective of reconstructing patterns of social and community organization at Caylán. The monumental, residential compounds located at Caylán are organized into a dense urban core. The enclosures abut one another through a complex system …

Debunking Unequal Burdens, Trivial Violations, Harmless Stereotypes, And Similar Judicial Myths: The Convergence Of Title Vii Literalism, Congressional Intent, And Kantian Dignity Theory, Peter Brandon Bayer

Scholarly Works

Title VII prohibits employers from imposing their racial, sex-based, ethnic, or religiously inspired grooming and appearance standards, even if, in light of widely accepted social conventions, the vast majority would feel exceptionally uncomfortable in the presence of employees who refuse to comport with their employers' discriminatory rules. Indeed, nearly four decades ago, with correct simplicity and directness the Supreme Court recognized Title VII's first principle: "Congress intended to prohibit all practices in whatever form which create inequality in employment opportunity due to discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, or national origin." Therefore, contrary to the harsh dismay expressed …

There Are No Racists Here: The Rise Of Racial Extremism, When No One Is Racist, Jeannine Bell

Articles by Maurer Faculty

At first glance hate murders appear wholly anachronistic in post-racial America. This Article suggests otherwise. The Article begins by analyzing the periodic expansions of the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the protection for racist expression in First Amendment doctrine. The Article then contextualizes the case law by providing evidence of how the First Amendment works on the ground in two separate areas — the enforcement of hate crime law and on university campuses that enact speech codes. In these areas, those using racist expression receive full protection for their beliefs. Part III describes social spaces — social media and employment where …

Rubin V. Islamic Republic Of Iran, 1997-2015, Gabrielle Goodwin

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The case of Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran reads like a blockbuster movie with an all-star cast. A terrorist organization blows up a crowded shopping mall in Jerusalem, killing and injuring Americans in the process. Some of those severely injured sue the nation of Iran for their part in supporting Hamas, who carried out the bombing. Iran never makes a court appearance, so the plaintiffs win a default judgment for hundreds of millions of dollars. However, in trying to get some money out of Iran, the plaintiffs try to attach property in the United States, which may or may …

Are These Game Changers? Developments In The Law Affecting Virtual Currencies, Prepaid Payroll Cards, Online Tribal Lending, And Payday Lenders, Sarah Jane Hughes, Stephen T. Middlebrook

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In the year since our last survey, there have been significant legal developments in the areas of virtual currencies, prepaid payroll cards, online tribal lending, and payday lending. What connects some of these topics is an increasingly common strategy by federal banking regulators to influence and control the actions of entities that are not directly subject to their supervision through the relationships such entities have with regulated financial institutions. These developments also demonstrate robust state legislative and regulatory action relating to the provision of electronic payments and financial services, and document class actions alleging violations of federal and state laws. …

Organizational Twitter Use: A Qualitative Analysis Of Tweets During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Pratiti Diddi

LSU Master's Theses

One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The best-known awareness event to fight the health issue is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). Twitter is a growing source of health information amongst users; however, little research exists into understanding how various organizations use their Twitter accounts to communicate about breast cancer during BCAM, as well as implications of this use for the health information consumers. In this context, there is also a dearth of research about if, and how organizations use behavioral change theories to tailor their social media content or not. The paper explored through qualitative …

Effects Of Traditional Versus Electronic Note Taking In A High School Biology Classroom, Chelsea Ann Duhon

LSU Master's Theses

This study investigated the effect of traditional and electronic note taking on student achievement and engagement in a Louisiana high school biology classroom. Over a 20-week period, traditional students (n= 58) took notes using pencil and paper and electronic note takers (n=46) used their laptop computers. Each group of students was given identical pre and posttests covering three units and a practice End of Course exam. Normalized learning gains were compared for each unit and suggest there is no significant difference in academic achievement between the traditional note takers and the electronic note takers. An attitudinal survey was also administered …

Navigating The Law Of Defense Counsel Ex Parte Interviews Of Treating Physicians, Joseph Regalia, V. Andrew Cass

Scholarly Works

This article explores the issue of defense counsel ex parte interviews with treating physicians, and proposes a resolution to standardize the practice that is equitable for all parties involved. Courts and legal scholars have commonly recognized that treating physicians in personal injury litigation are usually fact witnesses, albeit with special expertise, and allow plaintiffs unfettered access while defendants are relegated to a formal deposition which creates a fundamental imbalance in informational power. Moreover, there are significant arguments raised by the defense bar concerning efficiency and fairness. However, allowing defense counsel unlimited and unregulated access to treating physicians creates clear risks …

Indiana's Government Information Day Focuses On Change, Access & Continuity, Jennifer Morgan, Sally Holterhoff

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Enhanced Efficiency Nitrogen Fertilizers On Corn Production Systems In The Mid-South, Shanice M. Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Nitrogen (N) is often the most yield limiting nutrient, particularly in corn (Zea mays L.) production systems. In the Mid-South, high N application rates have the potential to lead to high N loss. To minimize this loss, proper N management should focus on improving N use efficiency (NUE) while optimizing productivity. The potential to achieve both tasks can be met using enhanced efficiency N fertilizer (EENF). However, limited research has directly compared the active chemicals in EENFs for corn production in the Mid-South. A study was conducted in 2013 and 2014 at two locations in Louisiana to determine the effectiveness …

Sub-Marine Sediment Instability Near Southwest Pass Of The Mississippi River: Evidence Of Mass Movements From Raciochemistry And Other Proxies, Gregory Paul Keller

LSU Master's Theses

Mass wasting events are an important geomorphic control on the Mississippi River Delta Front. Short multicores (<50cm) and longer gravity cores (<3m) were collected seaward of the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River Delta and were analyzed to assess the frequency, extent, and potential causes of submarine mass wasting events. Cores were analyzed for radionuclide activity, grain size, and density at 2cm resolution. Short-term sedimentation rates calculated from 7-Be are 2-16cm/y, while longer-term accumulation from 210-Pb are only 1.3-7.3 cm/y. In most cores, 210-Pb activity steadily decreases downcore without displaying a “stairstep” nature. However, seven cores have layers of low 210-Pb activity stratigraphically above layers with higher activity. In a gravity core from a mudflow gully, 210-Pb steadily decreases for the upper 70 cm before stabilizing for the remaining 150 cm. Clay content generally ranges between 25-40% and sand ranges between 5-15% with silt making up the rest of each sample. Sediment accumulation rates derived from 210-Pb in the short cores indicate that proximity to the river mouth has stronger influence than depositional environment (mudflow gully, depositional lobe, prodelta). This finding may be explained by rapid sedimentation rates coupled with a reduced tropical cyclone activity over the delta in the last seven years (2006-2013) which is a known cause of mass wasting events. The regions of decreased 210-Pb activity may be evidence of scavenging effects of plume sedimentation because they do not correspond with decreases in clay fraction. The layer of homogenized activity below 70cm in the gully core corresponds with a layer of decreased density. This layer occurs at a depth equivalent to 9-18 years, indicating mixing on a decadal scale from mudflows. These results may be explained by a lack of recent mass failures corresponding with lulls in tropical cyclone activity over the delta, preceded by a period of more active hurricane-driven mudflow activity.

A Model-Based Framework To Control The Crystal Size Distribution, Navid Ghadipasha

LSU Master's Theses

Crystallization is an old unit operation in the industry which is widely used as a separation process due to its ability to produce highly valued chemical with high purity. Despite the long history of batch crystallization, industry still relies on rule of- thumb techniques for their crystallization processes. Thus, any method to improve the products characteristics such as size and morphology will be highly valued. Advances in robustness and accuracy of automated in situ sensors give the possibility to move towards an engineering based approach by implementing the real-time monitoring and control of the process. The research undertaken here investigates …

'Of Whims And Fancies': A Study Of English Recusants Under Elizabeth, 1570-1595, Michael David Lane

LSU Master's Theses

The following study examines the political, economic, social, and religious lives of a variety of lay Catholic recusants in the context of their relationship with the monarch and royal government. The thrust of this thesis is to explore how this relationship affected both the individuals and the continued existence and form of Catholicism in a Protestant country. The legislation and political maneuverings against English Catholics were not a unique experience for a minority faith during the 16th and 17th centuries. During Elizabeth’s reign, English Catholics faced inconsistent legislation, outright persecution, and disinterested government action against the practice of the Catholic …

Treating Acute Migraines: Triptans Vs. Antiemetics, Samuel Reisman

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Influential American medical organizations and publications have published guidelines for the treatment of acute migraine headaches that omit antiemetics, usually suggesting triptans as the first line of treatment. A review of the few comparative studies directly contrasting clinical outcomes of triptans and antiemetics in the treatment of acute migraines suggest that both treatment options are relatively equal in efficaciousness. The added burden of triptan usage, including an added risk of adverse effects and a high cost per dose, would seem to warrant an antiemetic-first approach to migraine treatment, as recommended by several international health communities. Possible reasons for the prominent …

Vigorous Exercise Effect On Cardiovascular Health, Aryeh Mahana

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Many studies examine the effects of vigorous cardiovascular exercise on the heart. Intense exercise causes frequent muscle contractions in the heart and specific biomarkers that usually signify a myocardial infarction are released into the bloodstream. However, studies indicate that there might not be a correlation between the release of biomarkers and cardiac function. Another study shows that long term vigorous exercise negatively affects the heart by dramatically increasing the mass and volume of the right and left ventricles, thereby resulting in hypertrophy. The cardiac hypertrophy is still evident even after the subjects have stopped exercising. Cardiac hypertrophy results in myocardial …

Noise Induced Hearing Loss: The Impact Of Acoustic Trauma On The Ear, Aviva Levihaiem

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a pervasive disability that affects millions of people across the world. It is characterized by a decrease in hearing sensitivity to sounds that fall between 3000–6000 Hz(known as the “notch”). NIHL is caused by either a sudden acoustic trauma or long-term exposure to noise levels above 85 dB. The noise exposure induces overproduction of free radicals within the cells of the cochlea, overpowering of the ear’s antioxidant defense systems. The free radicals then destroy cell membranes and hair cell nuclei, causing necrosis and apoptosis, leading to hair cell death. This upsets the mechanical structure and …

What Are The Possible Causes For Autism Spectrum Disorder?, Rochel Preiserowicz

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Ever since the mid 1980’s when Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) started to become increasingly prevalent, researchers have been trying to find a possible cause for it. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that manifests itself in children who are between 18-30 months old. People with autism have reduced social skills, and they have a difficult time communicating verbally and non-verbally. Autism is diagnosed through a questionnaire and other instruments that allow psychologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, neurologists and many other doctors to determine if a child has a form of ASD. There are many theories about what causes autism. It …

Is The Neuraminidase Inhibitor Tamiflu Effective In The Treatment Of Influenza?, Eliyakim Hershkop

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Influenza is a disease that has caused the deaths of tens of millions people in the last century alone. The influenza neuraminidase protein is essential in the mechanism infection. It enables the virus to leave the infected cell and proliferate. Antiviral neuraminidase inhibitor drugs can be used for treatment. The drug Tamiflu is the standard of care for both treatment and prophylaxis of influenza. The Cochrane reports of 2009 and 2014 conclude that evidence is lacking to support this. Numerous bodies disagree. Cochrane also question the accuracy and credibility of many studies and agencies in support of Tamiflu. This paper …

Effects Of Particulate Matter And Antioxidant Dietary Intake On Blood Pressure, Amy J. Schulz, J. Tomothy Dvonch, Angela G. Reyes, Betty T. Izumi

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives—We assessed 2 pathways through which dietary antioxidants may counter adverse effects of exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) on blood pressure (BP): main (compensatory) and modifying (protective) models. Methods—We used 2002 to 2003 data from the Detroit Healthy Environments Partnership community survey conducted with a multiethnic sample of adults (n = 347) in low- to moderate-income, predominantly Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan. We used generalized estimating equations to test the effects of ambient exposure to PM2.5 and dietary antioxidant intake on BP, with adjustment for multiple confounders. Results—Dietary antioxidant intake was …

Technology And The Law On The Use Of Force: New Security Challenges In The Twenty-First Century, By Jackson Maogoto, Asaf Lubin

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Review of:

Technology and the Law on the Use of Force: New Security Challenges in the Twenty-First Century. By Jackson Maogoto. Oxford, UK: Routledge, 2015. Pp xviii, 111. Price: $117.71 (Hardcover).

The Keyes To Reclaiming The Racial History Of The Roberts Court, Tom I. Romero Ii

Scholarly Works

This Article advocates for a fundamental re-understanding about the way that the history of race is understood by the current Supreme Court. Represented by the racial rights opinions of Justice John Roberts that celebrate racial progress, the Supreme Court has equivocated and rendered obsolete the historical experiences of people of color in the United States. This jurisprudence has in turn reified the notion of color-blindness, consigning racial discrimination to a distant and discredited past that has little bearing to how race and inequality is experienced today.

The racial history of the Roberts Court is centrally informed by the context and …

Consumer Cloud Robotics And The Fair Information Practice Principles: Recognizing The Challenges And Opportunities Ahead, Andrew Proia, Drew Simshaw, Kris Hauser

Scholarly Works

Rapid technological innovation has made commercially accessible consumer robotics a reality. At the same time, individuals and organizations are turning to "the cloud" for more convenient and cost-effective data storage and management. It seemed only inevitable that these two technologies would merge to create cloud robotics, "a new approach to robotics that takes advantage of the Internet as a resource for massively parallel computation and sharing of vast data resources." By making robots lighter, cheaper, and more efficient, cloud robotics could be the catalyst for a mainstream consumer robotics marketplace. However, this new industry would join a host of modern …

When ‘Seeking Love Is Travel By Bus’: Deliberate Metaphors, Stories And Humor In A Romanian Song, Elena Negrea-Busuioc, L. David Ritchie

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Drawing on a song by Romanian blues rock singer and satirist Alexandru Andrieș, Transport în comun, we argue that both listeners and metaphor researchers must sometimes assume that a metaphor has been deliberately used and transformed in order to make sense of a metaphorical story, particularly when the metaphor is embedded in a particular cultural and political context. On the face of it Transport în comun is a song about seeking love, but it opens with a decidedly unromantic metaphor, “women are buses,” then develops this song into a story that is intelligible only on the assumption …

“Nixon Stonewalled The Investigation”: Potential Contributions Of Grammatical Metaphor To Conceptual Metaphor Theory And Analysis, L. David Ritchie, Min Zhu

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Halliday’s (1985; 1998) theory of grammatical metaphor (GM) has been quite influential among scholars who study structural approaches to language but has received little attention among researchers in cognitive linguistics. In this paper we summarize the aspects of Halliday’s approach that are most relevant to cognitive linguists, and show how key aspects of grammatical metaphor are related to the analysis of lexical and conceptual metaphors. Using an example of scientific writing analyzed by Halliday (1998) as well as examples from discourse previously subjected to conceptual metaphor analysis, we show how the two approaches might usefully be combined to yield new …

When The Bough Breaks: The U.S. Tax Court's Branch Difficulties, Leandra Lederman

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This essay highlights the confusion over which of the three branches of government (if any) is home to the U.S. Tax Court, which hears over 95% of litigated federal tax cases. This uncertainty recently resulted in a separation of powers challenge to the Tax Court. There is a pressing need for the Tax Court’s status to be resolved, to decrease its insularity and increase transparency and accountability.