Digital Commons Network^™

Crafting Comment Letters: Teach Policy, Develop Skills, And Shape Pending Regulation, Benjamin P. Edwards, Nicole G. Iannarone

Scholarly Works

Professor Benjamin Edwards joins his colleague, Professor Nicole Iannarone, in this essay, unpacking the regulatory comment letter process and how to incorporate it into the law school curriculum. Participating in live rulemaking offers unique opportunities for students including mastering the substantive area of law, developing critical thinking skills, and developing their professional identities. The authors describe their own experiences in incorporating students into the regulatory rulemaking process. Because of the focus on securities law, their students review and comment on proposed actions by securities regulators - the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After providing …

Systematics Of Targeted Flat Sedges (Cyperus, Cyperaceae) Of The Americas, Including A Floristic Analysis Of An Imperiled Sedge-Rich Prairie Community, Christopher Simon Reid

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The sedge family, Cyperaceae, is a large group with approximately 5,000 species distributed among ca. 100 genera. Sedges are economically and ethnobotanically important. They are conspicuous members of many floras around the world and provide vital food and cover for wildlife. The focus of this dissertation is on the genus Cyperus, which includes about 900 species. Due to its large size, advancements in knowledge of Cyperus are made in small “bites”. The molecular phylogenetics component of this research focused on New World Cyperus. Chapter 2 presents a phylogentic analysis employing sequences from the nuclear ITS region. Chapter 3 presents a …

Molecular Simulation Studies Of Hydrophobins Near Gas, Oil And Water Interfaces, Yuwu Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation contains fundamental, classical molecular simulation studies of the properties of hydrophobins (a unique family of surface-active proteins produced by filamentous fungi in soil) near interfaces involving gas, oil, water, organic solvents and polymers. These studies are relevant to possibly using hydrophobins as natural oil dispersants and in processing of polymers. Preliminary studies by the Russo group suggest that these small surface-active proteins can encapsulate oil, gases and polymers in cylindrical structures. We have performed classic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and potential of mean force (PMF) calculations of a class I hydrophobin EAS using both all-atom and coarse-grained representations. …

Shrinking The Post-Plenary Power Problem, Michael Kagan

Scholarly Works

In this essay, Professor Michael Kagan responds to Professor Matthew J. Lindsay's article, Disaggregating “Immigration Law.” Professor Kagan posits a majority of Supreme Court justices appear to be at least occasionally uneasy with the plenary power doctrine that has shaped immigration law since the Chinese Exclusion Case, but they are not all sure how to live without it either. He argues so long as this remains the case, the Court’s immigration jurisprudence is likely to be incrementally favorable to immigrants on the whole, but tentative, inconsistent, and incoherent in some important ways. He concludes the importance of Professor Lindsay’s intervention …

Thiol-Acrylate Polymerization Kinetics And Applications In Microfluidics, Michael Perrin Tullier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The reaction kinetics and some applications in the field of microfluidics for thiol-acrylate Michael addition polymerizations using multifunctional monomers have been researched and are presented here. The polymerization rate constants for base-catalyzed systems were found to increase with increasing thiol and acrylate functionality, which was attributed to the intramolecular interactions between functional groups. The nucleophile-initiated thiol-acrylate Michael addition polymerization kinetics were monitored via FTIR, and it was determined that the increase in the rate of reaction in these multifunctional systems was significantly less dramatic than the increase observed in monofunctional systems. While no radical polymerization was observed during most typical …

Buyers In The Baby Market: Toward A Transparent Consumerism, Jody L. Madeira, June Carbone

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This Article assesses the forces on the horizon remaking the fertility industry, including greater consolidation in the health care industry, the prospects for expanding (or contracting) insurance coverage, the likely sources of funding for future innovation in the industry, and the impact of globalization and fertility tourism. It concludes that concentration in the American market, in contrast with other medical services, may not necessarily raise prices, and price differentiation may proceed more from fertility tourism than from competition within a single geographic region. The largest challenge may be linking those who would fund innovation, whether innovation that produces new high …

Caregiver Choice In Autism Intervention: Selections And Influential Factors, Hilary Lynn Adams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Although research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continues to increase, there is not yet a “cure” for the disorder. There is a lack of consensus regarding most effective treatments, much less an accepted treatment plan or course. Families may feel alone and lost in the treatment decision process. In order to best assist caregivers, psychologists must understand the selections caregivers make, their sources of information, and what influences them in their decision-making process. With this knowledge, clinicians may best effect change in caregiver choice by encouraging informed decision-making and use of empirically-based interventions. Thus, the purpose of the current study …

Developments In The Law Affecting Electronic Payments And Financial Services, Sarah Jane Hughes, Stephen T. Middlebrook

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

The Same-Actor Inference Of Nondiscrimination: Moral Credentialing And The Psychological And Legal Licensing Of Bias, Victor D. Quintanilla, Cheryl R. Kaiser

Articles by Maurer Faculty

One of the most egregious examples of the tension between federal employment discrimination law and psychological science is the federal common law doctrine known as the same-actor inference.

When originally elaborated by the Fourth Circuit in Proud v. Stone, the same-actor doctrine applied only when an “employee was hired and fired by the same person within a relatively short time span.” In the two decades since, the doctrine has widened and broadened in scope. It now subsumes many employment contexts well beyond hiring and firing, to scenarios in which the “same person” entails different groups of decision makers, and the …

An Investigation Of Environmentally Persistent Free Radical (Epfr) Formation In Contaminated Soils Using Surrogate-Based Model Systems, Ugwumsinachi Godwin Nwosu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have recently attracted attention due to their properties that detrimental to the health of living organisms. Earlier studies devoted to the formation of combustion generated particulate matter (PM) showed that EPFRs formed as a result of the association of aromatic chlorinated hydrocarbons with transition metal centers. Based on our previous studies, the amounts of EPFRs formed at Superfund soil sites contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP) are ~30 times higher compared to those formed at the neighboring uncontaminated soil sites, showing that EPFR formation is not confined to combustion generated particle. In order to design viable remediation …

Beyond Dirks: Gratuitous Tipping And Insider Trading, Donna M. Nagy

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Did an investment banker who gratuitously shared material nonpublic information with his brother, with no expectation of receiving anything in return, commit securities fraud? And is the investment banker's brother-in-law jointly liable for trading securities on the basis of what he knew to be gratuitous tips? The Supreme Court is poised to answer those questions in Salman v. United States, after steering clear of insider trading law for nearly two decades. It has been even longer still since the Court last addressed securities fraud liability relating to stock trading tips-it articulated a "personal benefit" test for joint tipper-tippee liability in …

Websites Vs. Apps: A Comparison Of Consumer Acceptance Of Apparel Mass-Customization Across Channels, Yuli Liang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

After 20 years of industrial practice, consumers now can shop for mass-customized apparel in various channels including websites and smart device applications (apps). Online apparel mass-customization (OAMC), which provides platforms and convenience for customers to communicate with retailers effectively, provides retailers with a growing opportunity in today’s evolving omni-channel environment. Meanwhile, product value and experiential value delivered to consumers will help increase customer satisfaction and lower the return rate. However, little is known about consumers’ beliefs, attitudes, and purchase intentions of mass-customized apparels when using different channels. Two studies were intended to fill the research gap. Study 1 is an …

Evaluation Of Ammonia Volatilization And Zinc Nutrition Of Experimental Zinc Sulfate Coated Urea Fertilizers In A Drill-Seeded Delayed Flood Rice Production System, Nutifafa Adotey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Approaches in controlling nitrogen (N) loss from preflood fertilizer applications in delayed flood rice (Oryza stiva) production in the mid-southern U.S.A. typically involves treating urea with urease inhibitors like N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT). Limited research exists on managing N utilizing the combined effects of treating urea with a urease inhibitor and subsequently adding a physical zinc (Zn) sulfate coating. Zinc deficiency is also a major soil fertility constraint in flooded rice production. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the ammonia volatilization potential of experimental zinc sulfate coated urea (ZSCU) fertilizers on four rice soils in a controlled …

Immune Gene Variation And Susceptibility To Upper Respiratory Tract Disease In Gopher Tortoises, Jean Pierre Elbers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The immune system defends the host from bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. The immune system is partially under genetic control through immune response genes, such as those of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) whose nucleotide variation influences the host’s ability to recognize foreign pathogens and can influence disease susceptibility. Populations of threatened species generally possess low levels of genetic variation, and genetically depauperate hosts may be at greater risk of infectious disease contributing to extirpations because they also possess low immunogenetic variation. My dissertation examines the relationship between immunogenetic variation and disease susceptibility and the factors that influence innate immune …

Advanced Monte Carlo Methods For The Study Of Nucleation, Troy David Loeffler

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The process of nucleation is an essential part of understanding and controlling phase changes in a wide array of systems. In the past theories such as Classical Nucleation Theory have been used as a tool to aid experimentalist in the study of phase mechanisms. However, recent studies have shown in detail that theories such as this are not reliable, given that it can mispredict nucleation rates by several orders of magnitude. As a result newer methodologies must be developed into order to improve upon these deficiencies. In this study we use atomistic simulations to examine the non-ideal deviations from classical …

The Bread She Earns With Her Own Hands: An Examination Of Lincoln's Political Economy, Rodolfo K. Hernandez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on how Abraham Lincoln’s idea of “liberty to all” affected his political thought about the intersection of government and the economy. It is a search for Lincoln’s political economy. While contemporary economists focus on a single aspect of the person such as self-interest, Lincoln following thinkers such as Francis Wayland viewed economics as a moral science. I do this by examining the speeches and deeds of Abraham Lincoln. I explore topics such as what he meant by “liberty to all”, his valuing of a commercial society over an agrarian one, and his understanding of the importance of …

Ceramic Technology, Production, And Exchange As Seen Through Macroscopic Analysis Of Pottery Fragments From The Early Horizon Center Caylán, Nepeña Valley, Peru, Michelle Nicole Miller

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, I examine the production, use, and decoration of ceramic vessels at the Early Horizon center of Caylán (800-1 B. C. E.) on the Peruvian North Central-Coast. Pottery sherds are artifacts ubiquitously recovered at archaeological sites, especially in sedentary agrarian societies. Most studies of ceramics in Peru have focused on typological sequences. Recently investigators in the Nepeña Valley have focused on ceramic pastes and technologies. The materials examined in this thesis were excavated from Caylán. Caylán is an incipient urban center, which developed during the Early Horizon (900-200 B. C. E.). Caylán’s dense urban core consists in 43 …

La Philosophie Poétique D'Édouard Glissant, Un Monisme Vitaliste, David Llorca

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Édouard Glissant (1928-2011) is a world famous poet and novelist from French Island Martinique who, following the footsteps of Aimé Césaire, tried to heal the traumatic disruption and resolve the identity crisis of Creole people after the abominations of slavery and colonization by poetic sublimation and engaged thoughts. How is Glissant a philosopher? How does he articu-late poetry and philosophy together? What does he understand by “Relation”, why is it central in his thought and how does the articulation of all his concepts around it make a philosophical en-semble? How original and cohesive is this ensemble? Also, as we know …

The Mechanisms Of Auditory Distraction: The Roles Of Interference-By-Process And Attention Capture, Danielle A. Lutfi-Proctor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is generally believed that there are two main mechanisms of auditory distraction: attention capture and interference-by-process. Attention capture is said to occur when sounds drag your attention away from what you are attempting to focus on and harm performance as a consequence. Interference-by-process, meanwhile, states that the processing of the sounds can conflict with the processing needed to complete the task of interest. Whether or not the two mechanisms can jointly lead to distraction is unclear at this time. The following dissertation examined the roles of both distraction mechanisms in a cross-modal variant of the Stroop task, in which …

Spectral Properties Of Photonic Crystals: Bloch Waves And Band Gaps, Robert Paul Viator Jr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The author of this dissertation studies the spectral properties of high-contrast photonic crystals, i.e. periodic electromagnetic waveguides made of two materials (a connected phase and included phase) whose electromagnetic material properties are in large contrast. A spectral analysis of 2nd-order divergence-form partial differential operators (with a coupling constant k) is provided. A result of this analysis is a uniformly convergent power series representation of Bloch-wave eigenvalues in terms of the coupling constant k in the high-contrast limit k -> infinity. An explicit radius of convergence for this power series is obtained, and can be written explicitly in terms of the …

Walter Lippmann's Search For A Sustainable Liberalism, Eric Schmidt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Walter Lippmann’s intellectual journey represents the journey of American liberalism in the 20th century: an attempted return from infatuation with the progressive ideals of inevitable historical development and scientific progress to the stability of human rights and freedom. America’s path to defining its brand of liberalism finds expression in the philosophical works of Lippmann, who was at the center of this struggle. Lippmann was a defender of the liberal democratic state whose value as a thinker derives from his attempt to understand the problem of political freedom (are people competent to self-rule in a mass democracy?) throughout this critical time …

Ben Moore's "Dear Theo," For Tenor Voice And Piano: A Performer's Guide, Gregory Michael Gallagher

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

American composer Ben Moore (b. 1960) is a well-regarded painter, pianist, and composer whose compositions have been sung by leading singers of the Metropolitan Opera. This document serves as a performer’s guide to Moore’s song cycle Dear Theo. The song cycle utilizes Moore’s own text adaptations of letters written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo. Chapter 1 presents a biographical sketch of Vincent van Gogh and his path to becoming a painter. Chapter 2 provides a brief life history of Ben Moore based on personal interview. Chapter 3 details the process of creating the song cycle Dear Theo. …

Old Testament History, Steelman Library, Gerry White Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Western Art Appreciation, Steelman Library, Jon Seals

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Drawing 2, Steelman Library, Jon Seals

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Student Learning By Narrowing The Gap Between Feedback Giving And Feedback Receiving, Eileen Goold

Conference Papers

Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement. However the mere provision of feedback to students does not necessarily lead to improved learning. Feedback is ineffective if it does not close the gap between learning goals and students’ performance. Often students do not have clear goals and they do not know what learning activities will improve their learning performance. Consequently the opportunity to learn from the feedback is lost. Learning is a social process and while young people have increasingly strong social needs they struggle with academic language. This study investigates the influence of lecturers’ feedback …

Compositional Changes For Reduction Of Polymerisation-Induced Shrinkage In Holo, Dervil Cody, Mohesh Moothanchery, Emilia Mihaylova, Vincent Toal, Svetlana Mintova, Izabela Naydenova

Doctoral

Polymerisation-induced shrinkage is one of the main reasons why many photopolymer materials are not used for certain applications including holographic optical elements and holographic data storage. Here, two compositional changes for the reduction of shrinkage in an acrylamide-based photopolymer are reported. A holographic interferometric technique was used to study changes in the dynamics of the shrinkage processes occurring in the modified photopolymer during holographic recording in real time. Firstly, the effect of the replacement of the acrylamide monomer in the photopolymer composition with a larger monomer molecule, diacetone acrylamide, on polymerisation-induced shrinkage has been studied. A reduction in relative shrinkage …

Frankenfolk: Distinctiveness And Attractiveness Of Voice And Motion, Jan Ondřej, Cathy Ennis, Niamh Merriman, Carol O'Sullivan

Articles

It is common practice in movies and games to use different actors for the voice and body/face motion of a virtual character. What effect does the combination of these different modalities have on the perception of the viewer? In this article, we conduct a series of experiments to evaluate the distinctiveness and attractiveness of human motions (face and body) and voices. We also create combination characters called FrankenFolks, where we mix and match the voice, body motion, face motion, and avatar of different actors and ask which modality is most dominant when determining distinctiveness and attractiveness or whether the effects …

The Impact Of Soft Cl Wear On Corneal Curvature And Thickness And On The Outcomes Of Refractive Laser Surgery, Aoife Lloyd Mckernan

Doctoral

Introduction: Soft CL (SCL) wear can alter the cornea and have significant effects on vision quality (Hardten and Gosavi, 2009; Pflugfelder et al., 2002; Ryan and Jacob, 1996; Tseng et al., 2007). This may have implications for visual outcomes following corneal refractive surgery (CRS) (Tang et al., 2005). The time required for resolution of these SCL-induced changes can vary (González-Méijome et al., 2003a; Hashemi et al., 2008; Ng et al., 2007; Nourouzi et al., 2006; Schornack, 2003; Wang et al., 2002b). Despite this, current guidelines relating to cessation of SCL wear prior to CRS vary greatly, and are lacking in …

Resolving Perception Based Problems In Human-Computer Dialogue, Niels Schütte

Doctoral

We investigate the effect of sensor errors on situated human­ computer dialogues. If a human user instructs a robot to perform a task in a spatial environment, errors in the robot's sensor based perception of the environment may result in divergences between the user's and the robot's understanding of the environment. If the user and the robot communicate through a language based interface, these problems may result in complex misunderstand­ ings. In this work we investigate such situations. We set up a simulation based scenario in which a human user instructs a robot to perform a series of manipulation tasks, …