Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Agile Software Development Assimilation Beyond Acceptance, Corey Wayne Baham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Agile software development methods represent a departure from the heavily regimented and document-driven procedures of traditional, waterfall approaches. Despite the highly touted benefits of employing agile ISD methods and the growth of agile adoption rates over the past two decades, it is not clear why some organizations fail to routinize agile methods, while others do so and realize their promised benefits. Motivated by the need to understand the factors that influence agile routinization, this study empirically examines the deep contextual factors that impact the extent to which agile methods are proliferated throughout an organization. Findings indicate that project success from …

Cuban Routes Of Avant-Garde Theatre: Havana, New York, Miami, 1965-1991., Eric Mayer-Garcia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My dissertation interrogates how the movement of artists between Havana, New York, and Miami shaped experimental theatre aesthetics, formed a shared discourse of theatrical thought, and introduced a particular vein of experimental practices into U.S. American avant-garde theatre, especially as it intersects with U.S. Latina/o theatre and LGBTQ theatre. I interrogate the theatre history of these three cities as horizontal and contiguous, challenging historical narratives of U.S. American neocolonial dominance and superiority, as well as narratives of diaspora that position Havana as an authentic origin. The central contribution of my dissertation is to synthesize the archival evidence that documents connections …

Nationalisme Et Littérature Francophone Au Maroc: Genèse D'Une Littérature Indépendante, Nadia Miskowiec

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Morocco was under French protectorate between 1912 and 1956 when it gained its independence. This colonization left traces in literature, notably the beginnings of a Moroccan literature written in French. However, while written in French these works include specifically Moroccan features that reflect the diversity and complexity of that nation. I argue that the works written by Moroccan authors such as Abdellatif Laâbi, Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, Mohammed Choukri, Mohammed Leftah, Ahmed Sefrioui and Tahar Ben Jelloun, post-independence, have significantly contributed to building a decolonized identity for Moroccans. By focusing on the literary tools deployed by these authors the research highlights aspects …

Toward An Advanced System Of Accountability For Improved Student Learning Outcomes: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Test-Based Accountability In Louisiana, Susan Nicole Kahn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The nature of federal and state policies regarding accountability testing narrows the taught curriculum to content tested, thereby changing what is officially valued as student learning. The over-emphasis on standardized test scores has narrowed the curriculum to content that is tested (Amrein & Berliner, 2002; Baker, 2008; Herman, 2008; Koretz & Hamilton, 2003; Linn, 2000). In Louisiana, test-based accountability defines local school quality through a letter grade rating scale that uses an index for school performance scores (SPS), which in turn impacts traditional and nontraditional (e.g. charter) school expansion, closure, and takeover, administration of opportunity scholarships (e.g. voucher) for private …

Application Of The Finite Element Method To Solve Coupled Multiphysics Problems For Subsurface Energy Extraction, Milad Ahmadi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fractures are a source of extra compliance in the rock mass. Fracture compliance can estimate the fracture roughness and the type of fluid filling the fracture. The focus of this research study in chapter 2 is to illustrate how the compliance ratio of rough fractures can diverge from the compliance ratio of smooth fractures. The imperfect interface of the fracture is modeled with saw-tooth-like structures. The defined saw-tooth-like structures of contact asperities impose an in-plane asymmetry in the shear direction. The compliance ratio of the rough fracture is larger than the compliance ratio of the smooth fracture. Interlocking and riding …

Analysis And Management Of The Price Volatility In The Construction Industry, Alireza Joukar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The problem of price volatility as it pertains to material and labor is a major source of risk and financial distress for all the participants in the construction industry. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to address this problem from both viewpoints of risk analysis and risk management. This dissertation offers three independent papers addressing this goal. In the first paper using the Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index (ENR CCI), a predictive model is developed. The model uses General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) approach which facilitates both forecasting of the future values of the CCI, and capturing and …

A Performance Guide To Etüden Für Flöte(N) Solo By Isang Yun, Brian Dunbar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Born in Korea, Isang Yun (1917-1995) became one of the most prominent avant-garde composers in the world. Yun made use of a distinctive musical language that synthesized Far East Asian philosophy, especially Chinese Taoism, with Western techniques and Korean traditional instrumental idioms. Isang Yun left more that 100 works, including twelve works that feature the flute. This essay will discuss Yun’s five Etüden für Flöte(n) solo (Etudes for solo flute(s)), which are highly representative of Yun’s solo music for flute. The document will include a discussion and performance guide for each of the five etudes. This document will present an …

Phylogeography Of Oculina Corals And Their Algal Symbionts: Insights Into The Origin And Expansion Of Oculina Patagonica In The Mediterranean, Karine Eliane Posbic Leydet

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In a world of rapidly changing environmental conditions, species must effectively respond to their changing habitat or risk extinction. The goal of my dissertation is to elucidate the origins and mechanisms underlying the recent successful population expansion of the invasive coral Oculina patagonica in the Mediterranean Sea. To do this, I have utilized nuclear markers and next-generation sequencing data for the coral host and its algal symbiont as well as environmental data. Although only recently first described from the waters of the Mediterranean, genetic, historical demographic, and fossil evidence suggests that O. patagonica has not been anthropogenically introduced from the …

Role Of An Adenylyl Cyclase Isoform In Alcohol's Effect On Cyclic Amp Regulated Gene Expression In Mammalian Cells, Rebecca Ann Hill

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research suggests that the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathway including CREB-CRE regulated expression of various genes is implicated in the predisposition to and development of alcoholism in humans. Alcohol also induces changes in inflammatory and immune responses; these changes increase the incidence of pneumonias and other infections, which can negatively affect recovery from infections. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is known for its immunosuppressive effects and is also required for proper development of the immune system. Previous work in our laboratory has demonstrated that ethanol enhances the activity of adenylyl cyclase (AC) in an isoform-specific manner; type 7 AC (AC7) is most …

Estimated Grass Grazing Removal Rate In A Semiarid Eurasian Steppe Watershed As Influenced By Climate, Xixi Wang, Shohreh Pedram, Tingxi Liu, Ruizhong Gao, Fengling Li, Yanyun Luo

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Grazing removal rate of grasses needs to be determined for various climate conditions to address eco-environmental concerns (e.g., desertification) related to steppe grassland degradation. The conventional approach, which requires survey data on animal species and heads as well as grass consumption per individual animal, is too costly and time-consuming to be applied at a watershed scale. The objective of this study was to present a new approach that can be used to estimate grazing removal rate with no requirement of animal-related data. The application of this new approach was demonstrated in a Eurasian semiarid typical-steppe watershed for an analysis period …

Java Computer Animation For Effective Learning Of The Cholesky Algorithm With Transportation Engineering Applications, Ivan Makohon, Duc T. Nguyen, Mecit Cetin

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, the well-known Cholesky Algorithm (for solving simultaneous linear equations, or SLE) is re-visited, with the ultimate goal of developing a simple, user-friendly, attractive, and useful Java Visualization and Animation Graphical User Inter-face (GUI) software as an additional teaching tool for students to learn the Cholesky factorization in a step-by-step fashion with computer voice and animation. A demo video of the Cholesky Decomposition (or factorization) animation and result can be viewed online from the website: http://www.lions.odu.edu/~imako001/cholesky/demo/index.html. The software tool developed from this work can be used for both students and their instructors not only to master this technical …

Efficient Generalized Inverse For Solving Simultaneous Linear Equations, S. Kadiam Bose, D. T. Nguyen

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Solving large scale system of Simultaneous Linear Equations (SLE) has been (and continue to be) a major challenging problem for many real-world engineering and science applications. Solving SLE with singular coefficient matrices arises from various engineering and sciences applications [1]-[6]. In this paper, efficient numerical procedures for finding the generalized (or pseudo) inverse of a general (square/rectangle, symmetrical/unsymmetrical, non-singular/singular) matrix and solving systems of Simultaneous Linear Equations (SLE) are formulated and explained. The developed procedures and its associated computer software (under MATLAB [7] computer environment) have been based on "special Cholesky factorization schemes" (for a singular matrix). Test matrices from …

Java Based Visualization And Animation For Teaching The Dijkstra Shortest Path Algorithm In Transportation Networks, Ivan Makohon, Duc T. Nguyen, Masha Sosonkina, Yuzhong Shen, Manwo Ng

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Shortest path (SP) algorithms, such as the popular Dijkstra algorithm has been considered as the "basic building blocks" for many advanced transportation network models. Dijkstra algorithm will find the shortest time (ST) and the corresponding SP to travel from a source node to a destination node. Applications of SP algorithms include real-time GPS and the Frank-Wolfe network equilibrium.

For transportation engineering students, the Dijkstra algorithm is not easily understood. This paper discusses the design and development of a software that will help the students to fully understand the key components involved in the Dijkstra SP algorithm. The software presents an …

Matteo Garrone's Reality:The Big Brother Spectacle And Its Rupture, Anna Paparcone Bronner

Faculty Journal Articles

In Garrone’s film, Reality, the protagonist Luciano Ciotola becomes obsessed with his participation in the reality TV show Big Brother to the point that his whole life turns into a spectacle. In Italian cinema studies no other scholar had yet analyzed this film, despite its success and the very engaging and up-to-date topic. In my article, at the diegetic level, I show that the spectator experiences an overlap and a (con)fusion between Luciano’s everyday reality and his life as a member of the reality TV show. However, keeping in mind Guy Debord’s seminal work The Society of the Spectacle and …

Sex And The Perceived Effectiveness Of Flirtation Techniques, T. Joel Wade, Andrea Feldman

Faculty Journal Articles

Three studies were implemented in order to ascertain how men and women flirt with potential partners, and whether or not there are sex differences in which flirtatious actions are considered most effective. Study 1 (n = 40) and Study 2 (n = 60) sought to discover the actions that men and women, respectively, engage in to indicate romantic interest to a partner. Study 3 (n = 126) sought to determine which flirtatious acts from women and men are perceived as most effective. Men were expected to rate women’s flirtations that suggest sexual access as most effective and women were expected …

Evidence Of Rock Kangaroo Seed Dispersal Via Faecal Seed Storage In A Tropical Monsoon Community, Chris Martine, Ally Boni, Elizabeth Capaldi, Gemma Lionheart, Ingrid E. Jordon-Thaden

Faculty Journal Articles

While some of the plant species of the ‘Sandstone Country’ along the escarpment of western Arnhem Land produce fleshy fruits and appear to rely on biotic methods of seed dispersal, little is known about the methods by which this is achieved – and few potential dispersers co-occur in the sandstone outcrop communities. For the present study, scat collections were made on outcrops in the northeastern area of Kakadu National Park with the hope of uncovering relationships between local frugivores and fruit-producers, and providing evidence for seasonal storage of mammal-dispersed seeds in scat prior to germination. The goals of the present …

That Infinite Sphere’: Paradox, Paralepsis, And Parody In Les Guérillères, Chase Gregory

Faculty Journal Articles

I begin this project in medias res, with a question that may seem somewhat auxiliary, but that nonetheless proved fundamental to my primary question: how do we define “shape?” More specifically, I feel that before I begin to answer my question, “What is the shape of Les guérillères?,” I need to know the difference between “shape” and “form,” a distinction made in class while discussing this question, and one that I still haven’t quite pinned down. A quick online search yielded both definitions. Shape, I learned, is “the external form or appearance characteristic of something”; form, on the other hand, …

The Prominence Of Affect In Creativity: Expanding The Conception Of Creativity In Mathematical Problem Solving, Eric L. Mann, Scott A. Chamberlin, Amy K. Graefe

Faculty Publications

Constructs such as fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration have been accepted as integral components of creativity. In this chapter, the authors discuss affect (Leder GC, Pehkonen E, Törner G (eds), Beliefs: a hidden variable in mathematics education? Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 2002; McLeod DB, J Res Math Educ 25:637–647, 1994; McLeod DB, Adams VM, Affect and mathematical problem solving: a new perspective. Springer, New York, 1989) as it relates to the production of creative outcomes in mathematical problem solving episodes. The saliency of affect in creativity cannot be underestimated, as problem solvers require an appropriate state of mind in order …

A Tale Of Two Palmettos: The Foundation Of Ecosystems, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii

Faculty Journal Articles

Fruits of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) provide crucial, high-quality resources to wildlife while providing a matrix for many southeastern US ecosystems. As a foundation species, saw palmetto plays a major role in structuring fire-maintained plant communities. Often living on nutrient-poor soil conditions, the thick leaves of saw palmetto are long lived, up to 2.8 years in shaded sand pine scrub.

How Much Versus Who: Which Social Norms Information Is More Effective?, Andrew G. Meyer, Guanyi Yang

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We conduct an experiment to investigate how different types of information about social norms affect individuals’ stated contributions to a specific pro-environment program, a student ‘green fee’, in the context of a referendum. Compared to students that receive no information about peer contributions, on average, students that receive information about the dollar value range of contributions at peer institutions contribute less while students that learn about the high percentage of students voting ‘yes’ on green fee programs at peer institutions contribute more. The results are economically significant as the absolute values of both effects represent approximately 25% of average contributions. …

Individual Attitudes Toward The Impact Of Multinational Corporations On Domestic Businesses: How Important Are Individual Characteristics And Country-Level Traits?, Joseph P. Daniels, Miao Grace Wang, M.C. Sunny Wong

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We study the importance of individual characteristics and national factors influencing individual attitudes towards the impact of multinational corporations on local businesses. Our sample includes more than 40 000 respondents in 29 countries from the 2003 National Identity Survey conducted by the International Social Survey Programme. We find that individual demographic factors and socioeconomic status, such as gender, age, income and education, are strong predictors of their attitudes. For example, income and education are positively associated with favourable attitudes towards the impact of multinational corporations (MNCs) on local businesses while age is negatively associated with individual attitudes towards MNCs. In …

Review Of Economics Imperialism Versus Multidisciplinarity, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper examines the implications of Chicago School economist Edward Lazear’s 2000 defense of economics imperialism using standard trade theory. It associates that defense with interdisciplinarity or the idea that the sciences are relatively autonomous, but treats this defense as a mask for a more conventional imperialist strategy of promoting Chicago School neoclassicism. Lazear’s argument actually created a dilemma for Chicago regarding how it could espouse interdisciplinarity while operating in a contrary way. I argue that the solution to this dilemma was for neoclassicism to rebuild economics imperialism around neoclassicism as a theory that sees the world in its own …

Exchange Rate Volatility And Its Effect On Stock Market Volatility, K. Kennedy, Farrokh Nourzad

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper investigates empirically the effect of volatility of the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar vis-à-vis the euro on U.S. stock market volatility while controlling for a number of drivers of stock return volatility. Using a GARCH(1, 1) model and using weekly data covering the period from the week of January 1, 1999 through the week of January 25, 2010, it is found that the 9/11 terrorist attack, bear markets, fluctuations in jobless claims, and negative equity market returns increase financial volatility. On the other hand, no conclusive results are found regarding the effect of fluctuations in M2, or …

Regression Analysis Of Pem Fuel Cell Transient Response, Russell L. Edwards, Ayodeji Demuren

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

To develop operating strategies in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell-powered applications, precise computationally efficient models of the fuel cell stack voltage are required. Models are needed for all operating conditions, including transients. In this work, transient evolutions of voltage, in response to load changes, are modeled with a sum of three exponential decay functions. Amplitude factors are correlated to steady-state operating data (temperature, humidity, average current, resistance, and voltage). The obtained time constants reflect known processes of the membrane heat/water transport. These model parameters can form the basis for the prediction of voltage overshoot/undershoot used in computational-based control systems, …

Electrokinetic Phenomena In Pencil Lead-Based Microfluidics, Yashar Bashirzadeh, Venkat Maruthamuthu, Shizhi Qian

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Fabrication of microchannels and associated electrodes to generate electrokinetic phenomena often involves costly materials and considerable effort. In this study, we used graphite pencil-leads as low cost, disposable 3D electrodes to investigate various electrokinetic phenomena in straight cylindrical microchannels, which were themselves fabricated by using a graphite rod as the microchannel mold. Individual pencil-leads were employed as the micro-electrodes arranged along the side walls of the microchannel. Efficient electrokinetic phenomena provided by the 3D electrodes, including alternating current electroosmosis (ACEO), induced-charge electroosmosis (ICEO), and dielectrophoresis (DEP), were demonstrated by the introduced pencil-lead based microfluidic devices. The electrokinetic phenomena were characterized …

Conserved Intramolecular Interactions Maintain Myosin Interacting-Heads Motifs Explaining Tarantula Muscle Super-Relaxed State Structural Basis, Lorenzo Alamo, Dan Qi, Willy Wriggers, Antonio Pinto, Jingui Zhu, Aivett Bilbao, Richard E. Gillilan, Songnian Hu, Raúl Padrón

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Tarantula striated muscle is an outstanding system for understanding the molecular organization of myosin filaments. Three-dimensional reconstruction based on cryo-electron microscopy images and single-particle image processing revealed that, in a relaxed state, myosin molecules undergo intramolecular head head interactions, explaining why head activity switches off. The filament model obtained by rigidly docking a chicken smooth muscle myosin structure to the reconstruction was improved by flexibly fitting an atomic model built by mixing structures from different species to a tilt-corrected 2-nm three-dimensional map of frozen-hydrated tarantula thick filament. We used heavy and light chain sequences from tarantula myosin to build a …

Locus Of Control, Academic Achievement, And Discipline Referrals, Rachel Hill

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine the relationship among locus of control, academic functioning, and discipline problems in a sample of public high school seniors in the mid-West. Participants completed Rotter’s locus of control measure; their state-wide test scores and discipline records were obtained from archives. Contrary to expectations, there were no statistically significant associations between locus of control and discipline, although there was a statistically significant negative correlation between test scores and discipline referrals. The implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Effects Of Stream Degradation On Ecosystem Function Are Mediated By Local Microbial And Macroinvertebrate Leaf Litter Processing, Carla Rothenbuecher

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Riparian areas are fundamental to aquatic ecosystems by regulating temperature and light regimes, and providing allochthonous subsidies critical to the survival of aquatic and terrestrial species. On a global scale, increased rates of anthropogenic disturbance from agricultural activities and urbanization have caused the degradation of aquatic habitats. As a result, billions of dollars have been spent on stream restoration projects to protect aquatic resources; however, fundamental ecosystem processes like litter decomposition are rarely addressed. We conducted a litterbag experiment in a degraded high desert stream proposed for large-scale restoration to test the effects of reach location, canopy cover, and temperature …

Secondhand Exposure To Problematic Drinking: The Lingering Effects Of Family Behaviors On Emotion, Lillie M. Holcomb

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Previous research regarding alcohol-related visual cues has focused on the effects of imagery on those affected by personal alcohol use and abuse. The viewing of such imagery among these individuals provokes a number of both emotional and physiological responses and provides important information about the multiple components of addiction. This area of research is important because alcohol use and abuse is a widespread problem. Personal users, however, are not the only people to experience the consequences of alcohol. Problematic drinking behaviors pose risk to both the users and those exposed to the users. More specifically, family members exposed to drinkers’ …

The Effects Of Mortality Salience And Team Identification On Sports Fans' Willingness To Consider Anonymous Acts Of Aggression, Sagan L. Ladd

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to understand if mortality salience and identification with the University of Kentucky men’s varsity basketball team (UK) would interact in such a way as to influence participants’ willingness to engage in anonymous acts of aggression toward fans, coaches and players of rival sport teams. A research question was also evaluated which asked if mortality salience might be a potential mediator between participants’ identification and their likelihood to engage in anonymous acts of aggression. Results indicated that mortality salience was not a significant predictor and there was no significant interaction between identification and mortality salience. As a …