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2015

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Image-Based Modeling Of Porous Media Using Fem And Lagrangian Particle Tracking, Paula Cysneiros Sanematsu Jan 2015

Image-Based Modeling Of Porous Media Using Fem And Lagrangian Particle Tracking, Paula Cysneiros Sanematsu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of fundamental flow and transport processes at the pore scale is essential to understanding how the mechanisms affect larger, field-scale, processes that occur in oil and gas recovery, groundwater flow, contaminant transport, and CO2 sequestration. Pore-scale imaging and modeling is one of the techniques used to investigate these fundamental mechanisms. Although extensive development of pore-scale imaging and modeling has occurred recently, some areas still need further advances. In this work, we address two areas: (1) imaging of bulk proppants and proppant-filled fractures under varying loading stress and flow simulation in these systems and (2) nanoparticle (NP) transport modeling …


Nest Defense And Attendance Patterns Of Piping Plovers (Charadrius Melodus) On The Upper Missouri River In North Dakota, Leila Mohsenian Jan 2015

Nest Defense And Attendance Patterns Of Piping Plovers (Charadrius Melodus) On The Upper Missouri River In North Dakota, Leila Mohsenian

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.


The Cost Of Design: A Life-Cycle Assessment Of Green Infrastructure Technology, Cheryl Kaye Lough Jan 2015

The Cost Of Design: A Life-Cycle Assessment Of Green Infrastructure Technology, Cheryl Kaye Lough

LSU Master's Theses

Landscape architectural research of green infrastructural practices has increased dramatically over the last decade. Due to this research, many designers are suggesting some form of green infrastructure within their projects. Much of the present-day research focuses on function and not long term impacts of individual materials. The current rate of implementation of green infrastructures might not produce a drastic impact upon the environment, but with installations being realized at an ever-increasing and larger scales, even minute elements within the construction of these structures begin to influence the overall ecological footprint produced by our designs. Designers must re-evaluate the materiality of …


Nationalization And Regionalism In 1920s College Football, Bennett Jeffery Koerber Jan 2015

Nationalization And Regionalism In 1920s College Football, Bennett Jeffery Koerber

LSU Master's Theses

By illuminating the complexities of 1920s American society, college football serves as a remarkably insightful cultural device. At the commencement of the decade, a national business community – one that had been developing since the late nineteenth century – appeared to have come to fruition. The more connected nature of the country served to homogenize the United States economically, politically, and even socially. Citizens who had once lived autonomously found themselves more interconnected with neighboring regions of the country, and thus increasingly defined by national characteristics. This served as an internal crisis of sorts because regional identity operated as a …


Paraguay As A Holy Land: From The Guarani Indians To Reverend Sun Myung Moon, Ronald J. Brown Jan 2015

Paraguay As A Holy Land: From The Guarani Indians To Reverend Sun Myung Moon, Ronald J. Brown

New York School for Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) Publications and Research

The author details the history of the various groups that settled in Paraguay, including Jesuits, Mennonites, and European refugees. He also discusses the rule of President Francisco Solano Lopez.


Language Processing And The Artificial Mind: Teaching Code Literacy In The Humanities, Jerry Scott Weltman Jan 2015

Language Processing And The Artificial Mind: Teaching Code Literacy In The Humanities, Jerry Scott Weltman

LSU Master's Theses

Humanities majors often find themselves in jobs where they either manage programmers or work with them in close collaboration. These interactions often pose difficulties because specialists in literature, history, philosophy, and so on are not usually "code literate." They do not understand what tasks computers are best suited to, or how programmers solve problems. Learning code literacy would be a great benefit to humanities majors, but the traditional computer science curriculum is heavily math oriented, and students outside of science and technology majors are often math averse. Yet they are often interested in language, linguistics, and science fiction. This thesis …


The Impact Of Financial Knowledge On Student Retention From The Second To The Third Year At A Public Research University, Eric N. Monday Jan 2015

The Impact Of Financial Knowledge On Student Retention From The Second To The Third Year At A Public Research University, Eric N. Monday

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of financial knowledge and selected demographic characteristics on student retention from the second to the third year at a public research university in the southern region of the United States. The accessible population was defined as students in the Fall 2013 entering freshman cohort who were enrolled in the Spring 2015 semester. Measurements including the independent variable represented by the financial knowledge score and 17 other independent variables were collected using a survey instrument and downloaded data from the university’s electronic student information system. A total of 695 students …


Evolution And Usage Of The Portal Data Archive: 10-Year Retrospective, Kristin A. Tufte, Robert Bertini, Morgan Harvey Jan 2015

Evolution And Usage Of The Portal Data Archive: 10-Year Retrospective, Kristin A. Tufte, Robert Bertini, Morgan Harvey

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Portal transportation data archive (http://portal.its.pdx.edu/) was begun in June 2004 in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Transportation, with a single data source: freeway loop detector data. In 10 years, Portal has grown to contain approximately 3 TB of transportation-related data from a wide variety of systems and sources, including freeway data, arterial signal data, travel times from Bluetooth detection systems, transit data, and bicycle count data. Over its 10-year existence, Portal has expanded both in the type of data that it receives and in the geographic regions from which it gets data. This paper discusses the …


Supervisory Ratings As A Measure Of Training Transfer: Testing The Predictive Validity Of The Learning Transfer System Inventory, Vicky Katsioloudes Jan 2015

Supervisory Ratings As A Measure Of Training Transfer: Testing The Predictive Validity Of The Learning Transfer System Inventory, Vicky Katsioloudes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this dissertation was to examine the criterion-related validity of all 16 LTSI General and Specific Scales in relation to training transfer. Using an ex-post facto design the researcher analyzed secondary data that included measures of key transfer system variables, as captured by the LTSI scales, and individual training transfer as indicated by supervisory ratings. The dataset comprised of employees from diverse organizations who had participated in different types of organizational instructor-led classroom training programs. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the construct validity of the LTSI General and Specific Scales (N = 619). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis measured …


A Study Of After-School And Summer Programs: The Effectiveness Of Law-Related Youth Educational Programs For Adolescents In Marginalized Communities, Pamela Anne Labbe Jan 2015

A Study Of After-School And Summer Programs: The Effectiveness Of Law-Related Youth Educational Programs For Adolescents In Marginalized Communities, Pamela Anne Labbe

LSU Master's Theses

It was the interest of this project to determine if law-related educational activities – when incorporated into after-school and summer programs that are rooted in marginalized communities – were effective when applied to adolescent residents. The current study is informed by theories of place, social class, social disorganization and juvenile delinquency. Using ethnographical methods, this project followed after-school and summer programs developed for youth in a South Louisiana black community characterized by pockets of poverty, blight and disorder. Through qualitative data analysis, the themes of how community operated in the target neighborhoods, how community members responded to neighborhood disorder and …


Automated Conversion Of Text Instructions To Human Motion Animation, Ravikumar Vishwanath Chimmalgi Jan 2015

Automated Conversion Of Text Instructions To Human Motion Animation, Ravikumar Vishwanath Chimmalgi

LSU Master's Theses

Text to animation is the conversion of textual instructions to animations following and depicting those instructions. Text to animation is important to fields such as crime scene investigation, military special operations and storytelling where text is utilized. It is also useful for physical therapy where a doctor can factor in disability parameters in the 3D models and determine the safest therapy exercises for patients. It can be used in robotics, where robot assistants can be instructed to perform tasks through text instructions. In this research, a system was created to generate 3D animation of workouts from their textual instructions. An …


A Test Of General Strain Theory: Suicidal Ideation And Attempt Among Adolescents In Istanbul, Turkey, Muhammed Yildiz Jan 2015

A Test Of General Strain Theory: Suicidal Ideation And Attempt Among Adolescents In Istanbul, Turkey, Muhammed Yildiz

LSU Master's Theses

Previous suicidal ideation and attempt are the strongest predictors of subsequent completed suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among youth today. Research shows that the risk factors for adolescent suicidal behaviors can be grouped into demographic, social, and psychological categories, so a broad theoretical framework is needed to examine the range of these factors’ effects. In this study, Agnew’s general strain theory is tested to explain those suicidal behaviors among adolescents in Istanbul, Turkey. Agnew argued that specific strains were more likely to lead to deviance, therefore a corresponding set of strains are selected. He also argued …


Metamorphoses Of The Pygmalion Myth In French Literature 1771 – 1886, Carrie L. O'Connor Jan 2015

Metamorphoses Of The Pygmalion Myth In French Literature 1771 – 1886, Carrie L. O'Connor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Writers have long explored and attempted to portray the visual artist’s challenge of creating the ideal in the real world through art. My thesis asserts that the Pygmalion myth, originally told in written form in Ovid’s 8 A.D. Metamorphoses, is the quintessential model to explore the changing, and sometimes problematic, relationships between the artist, the creation, and the creative process. The three main characters in the Pygmalion myth – the sculptor, the sculpture, and the divine intervention – each appear, albeit in different manifestations, in its later adaptations. Throughout the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in French literature, authors explored …


Time-Resolved Investigations Of Continuous Flow Synthesis Of Nanomaterials And Catalysis Using Millifluidic Reactors For Biomass Conversion Reactors, Chelliah V Navin Jan 2015

Time-Resolved Investigations Of Continuous Flow Synthesis Of Nanomaterials And Catalysis Using Millifluidic Reactors For Biomass Conversion Reactors, Chelliah V Navin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Millifluidics can be used as a simple tool and convenient platform to perform in-situ investigations on nanoparticles synthesis to generate real-time information in a continuous flow fashion. These investigations can be used to observe the relationship between the structure and performance of nanoparticles for catalytic applications as a function of space and time. These improvements in nanoparticles research offer unique advantages to develop catalysts with molecular strategies. In order to showcase these advantages of the millifluidic reactors, here we: A. Extensively covered a complete literature review on Lab-on-a-chip devices for gold nanoparticle synthesis and as a catalyst support for continuous …


Impact Of The S.T.R.I.P.E.S. Leadership And Extended Orientation Program On Philanthropic Giving, Beverly Brooks Thompson Jan 2015

Impact Of The S.T.R.I.P.E.S. Leadership And Extended Orientation Program On Philanthropic Giving, Beverly Brooks Thompson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the impact participating in S.T.R.I.P.E.S., a leadership and extended orientation program, had on the philanthropic giving of recent alumni at a research university in the Southeastern United States. The dependent variable for this study was philanthropic giving to the institution during the three years immediately following graduation, as defined by their personal donations as recorded in cumulative giving by the university’s foundation. The goal of the study was to determine to what extent, if any, school leadership development, loyalty, and engagement taught through leadership and extended orientation programs influence the donation behavior of recent graduates. The target …


The Unattainable Ideal: Walter Lippmann And The Limits Of The Press And Public Opinion, Amy Solomon Whitehead Jan 2015

The Unattainable Ideal: Walter Lippmann And The Limits Of The Press And Public Opinion, Amy Solomon Whitehead

LSU Master's Theses

Walter Lippmann’s classic work, Public Opinion, crystallized thinking about the dynamic relationship between the press and public opinion, and clarified the role of each in democracy. Evaluations of that book, however, tend to be one-dimensional. Public Opinion captured just one iteration of his thinking on the subject, not his final statement on the matter. A comprehensive survey of his writing reveals Lippmann’s views on the press and public opinion were not static, yet the attention Public Opinion receives continues to overshadow his other works; his evolving views on the press and public opinion are rarely mentioned. Although his views shifted …


The Implementation Of Two Cooperative Learning Structures, Rally Coach And Teams-Games-Tournaments, In High School Chemistry Courses, Joanna Miketinas Stewart Jan 2015

The Implementation Of Two Cooperative Learning Structures, Rally Coach And Teams-Games-Tournaments, In High School Chemistry Courses, Joanna Miketinas Stewart

LSU Master's Theses

To combat the obstacles that students experience in chemistry, two cooperative learning strategies, Rally Coach and Teams-Games-Tournaments, were implemented in five chemistry courses at East Ascension High School. Rally Coach called for two students to work as a pair and peer tutor to successfully complete practice problems for each lesson. Teams-Games-Tournaments required students to work in groups of four to complete practice problems and compete for team points as a review. Every student experienced both learning strategies. A comparison was made to see which cooperative learning strategy better helped student performance, including comparisons of effects on different student demographics and …


Using Stormwater Modeling In Iterative Site Design: An Integration Of Techniques From Engineering And Landscape Architecture, Brooke Erin Morris Jan 2015

Using Stormwater Modeling In Iterative Site Design: An Integration Of Techniques From Engineering And Landscape Architecture, Brooke Erin Morris

LSU Master's Theses

Landscape Architects currently do not have an efficient method for including stormwater quantities in early stages of their design process. With stormwater control infrastructure and theory rapidly shifting in favor of stormwater management with Green Infrastructure or Low Impact Development technologies (LIDs), landscape architects and planners are increasingly making layout and sizing decisions for stormwater design. Due to the development of modeling tools, it is now possible to rapidly produce quantifiable stormwater values for complex site designs at a range of scales. This paper proposes a methodology for the utilization of the EPA – Stormwater Management Model (SWMM), in conjunction …


Pathogenic Enteric Viruses In Louisiana Oysters And Environmental Waters, Naim Montazeri Djouybari Jan 2015

Pathogenic Enteric Viruses In Louisiana Oysters And Environmental Waters, Naim Montazeri Djouybari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Norovirus (NoV) and pathogenic enteroviruses are the major causes of gastroenteritis in humans worldwide, and are usually transmitted through direct or indirect exposure to raw or partially treated sewage. Filter-feeding shellfish concentrate virus particles from the water and transmit them to humans. The occurrence of norovirus GI and GII and fecal indicators in Louisiana eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and harvest water were investigated on a biweekly basis for almost one year. Only one oyster sample was positive for NoV GII at 3.5 log10 genomic copies/g digestive tissues. A stool specimen obtained from an infected individual associated with a norovirus outbreak …


A Distributed Diffusion-Driven Algorithm For Load Balancing In An Electrical Power Grid, Isaac Abhilash Ayyala Jan 2015

A Distributed Diffusion-Driven Algorithm For Load Balancing In An Electrical Power Grid, Isaac Abhilash Ayyala

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis we propose a distributed algorithm, based on diffusion, to balance loads on an electrical power grid, while maintaining stable operation (system’s ability to maintain bus voltages within preset bounds). This algorithm, called the Diffusion-driven Distributed Load Balancing (DDLB) algorithm, is implemented on the OMNET++ Discrete Event Simulator and the response of the physical grid is simulated on a load flow program, which together simulate a deployment of the DDLB algorithm on the grid. The electrical grid is represented as a graph whose nodes are buses and whose edges are power lines connecting buses. Each node (except the …


Investigation Of Potentially Hazardous Particulate Matter In Homes: Designing A Particle Filtration System, John Scott Young Jan 2015

Investigation Of Potentially Hazardous Particulate Matter In Homes: Designing A Particle Filtration System, John Scott Young

LSU Master's Theses

This research documents the process of designing a technique, materials, and method to filter particulate matter (PM) deposited on surfaces in homes. PM collected from homes in a known industrial corridor, Baton Rouge, was tested for key pollutants sorbed to their surface in an investigation of household air depositions. This research successfully designed a collection method for bulk samples and a filtration apparatus and method for collecting sized laboratory testable samples using porous membrane filtration technology. This research found relatively high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the presence of some metals. This research also found the presence of …


Metacommunity Dynamics And The Biogeography Of Central Louisiana Crayfishes, William Robert Budnick Jan 2015

Metacommunity Dynamics And The Biogeography Of Central Louisiana Crayfishes, William Robert Budnick

LSU Master's Theses

The greatest diversity of crayfishes, especially of rare Orconectes species, is found in the central Louisiana watersheds (Red River, Mermentau, Calcasieu, and Vermillion-Teche), and most species are widely distributed among the drainages. The purpose of this research was to lay groundwork for species distribution and metacommunity modelling for crayfishes in this region. To address this goal, two field studies were performed in the summers of 2013 and 2014, as well as an indoor laboratory study. Analyses of broadly distributed species indicated no significant correlations between species abundances and habitat variables nor any significant environmental gradients for those species. Within-drainage variability …


La Grad Act’S Effects On Developmental Faculty: A Case Study, Patricia Kuhlman Van Brunt Jan 2015

La Grad Act’S Effects On Developmental Faculty: A Case Study, Patricia Kuhlman Van Brunt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past 50 years, state legislatures have placed mandates on higher education institutions to lower attrition, thereby increasing student retention and completion. This study investigated and sought to understand the relationship between the Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomy for Diplomas Act, or the LA GRAD Act (2010), and developmental education. More specifically, it focused on the perceptions of the mandate held by developmental education faculty who are employed at a public, urban Louisiana community college. This study utilized the four-framework approach by Bolman and Deal (2013) to decipher how developmental classrooms, academic departments, and a higher education institution as …


The Plagues Of Colonialism: Representations Of Suffering In The Colonial And Postcolonial Francophone Algerian Novel From 1950-1966, Benjamin Jack Sparks Jan 2015

The Plagues Of Colonialism: Representations Of Suffering In The Colonial And Postcolonial Francophone Algerian Novel From 1950-1966, Benjamin Jack Sparks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The indigenous Francophone Algerian novel dates from the early 1950s and since then has been a political manifestation of uneasiness. The anticolonial undertones of this literature demonstrate the sufferings and harsh realities of life under an oppressive colonial regime; meanwhile the postcolonial novel continues the representation of this suffering through the residual effects of colonialism and the impact of the bloody decolonization war. This dissertation contributes to the discourse regarding suffering as a result of French colonial oppression in light of François Hollande’s official recognition of the trauma of colonialism and the acceptance of the events from 1954-1962 as a …


Degradation And Fatigue Involving Dissipated Processes, Md Liakat Ali Jan 2015

Degradation And Fatigue Involving Dissipated Processes, Md Liakat Ali

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Irreversible material degradation due to cyclic mechanical loading is investigated utilizing the concept of thermodynamic entropy, plastic strain energy, and temperature slope measurement. Uniaxial tension-compression and fully-reversed bending fatigue tests are performed over a wide range of loading conditions with metallic and composite materials subject to both constant- and variable-amplitude loading. A methodology is developed for the estimation of the fatigue fracture entropy (FFE) and fatigue toughness of metallic specimens in a rapid fashion. It is found that the FFE and the fatigue toughness of each material tested are within a small band. The value of FFE is found to …


Beyond Batterers: A Primary Prevention And Adult Learning Approach To Engage Well-Meaning Men To Prevent Violence Against Women, Lorett Sturgill Swank Jan 2015

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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


A Test Of The Effectiveness Of The Active Learning Technique Think-Pair-Share In A High School Science Classroom, Michael Francis Lowe Jan 2015

A Test Of The Effectiveness Of The Active Learning Technique Think-Pair-Share In A High School Science Classroom, Michael Francis Lowe

LSU Master's Theses

In this study, the active learning technique think-pair-share was tested in an independent high school non-honors chemistry classroom to see if it was more effective than teaching techniques already being used in the chemistry classes. Two classes of tenth grade chemistry students were combined as a test group and a third class of tenth grade chemistry students acted as the control. Learning gains for pre and post-tests from three different chemistry units were analyzed and no significant difference was found between the results of the control and test groups, indicating that think-pair-share was as effective as teaching methods already in …


A Quantitative Study Using Constructist Learning Activities To Connect Biology Concepts To Local Environmental Issues In A Non-Major Introductory College Biology Course, Michaelyn Broussard Jan 2015

A Quantitative Study Using Constructist Learning Activities To Connect Biology Concepts To Local Environmental Issues In A Non-Major Introductory College Biology Course, Michaelyn Broussard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Among the general population, there has continued to be a struggle to improve environmental literacy with the knowledge, attitude, and awareness of basic environmental issues locally and nationally. Despite efforts through many formal and informal programs, the result nationally has indicated little to no understanding of basic environmental issues (Coyle, 2005). Many educators such as Sobel (1996, 2004) and Louv (2005) have documented the lack of positive outdoor experiences or environmental behaviors. The purpose of this study was to incorporate local environmental examples through constructivist learning techniques within a general biology non-major course to promote an increase in environmental literacy …


In The Shadow Of Big Oil A Media Content Analysis Of The 'Big Oil' Stigma, Camille Nicole Ivy-O'Donnell Jan 2015

In The Shadow Of Big Oil A Media Content Analysis Of The 'Big Oil' Stigma, Camille Nicole Ivy-O'Donnell

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined media frames newspapers use in their coverage of the oil and gas industry. A content analysis was conducted to analyze if the oil and gas industry was portrayed positively or negatively in Louisiana newspapers compared to Texas newspapers and how the coverage between states differs. This comprehensive content analysis of print media coverage analyzed newspaper articles and provided a detailed explanation of results about how the oil and gas industry was portrayed over a five-year period of time as compared to other studies, which only analyzed the industry during a crisis period. Through categorization of the frames …


Social Media Networks: The Social Influence Of Sentiment Content In Online Conversations On Dynamic Patterns Of Adoption And Diffusion, Tung Cu Jan 2015

Social Media Networks: The Social Influence Of Sentiment Content In Online Conversations On Dynamic Patterns Of Adoption And Diffusion, Tung Cu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study is focusing on diffusion and adoption of new digital artifacts. The goal is to explore the social role of user-generated content (UGC) during the diffusion process of digital artifacts in the context of online social networks. The study spans a wide range of analytics methods and tools such as predictive modeling, latent sentiment analysis, data retrieval, and other tools of time-series analysis & visualization. Data collection is conducted on 260 new digital products and more than 105 thousand social network nodes. Results of the study provide a deeper insight into the influence of textual UGC sentiment on …