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2016

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The Effects Of Carbon Nanotubes On Cells In A Synthetic Oxygen Carrier Enriched Alginate Scaffold, Joshua Paul Tate Jan 2016

The Effects Of Carbon Nanotubes On Cells In A Synthetic Oxygen Carrier Enriched Alginate Scaffold, Joshua Paul Tate

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract Huge progress has been made in the development of three dimensionally printed tissue structures. With the use of cells, three dimensional printers, and CAD drawing software, donor identical structures can be fabricated. However, cell scaffolds currently lack significant mechanical integrity which can result in reduced cellular survival, attachment, and nutrient delivery. For this reason, multiple strategies have been developed to increase and improve mechanical stability within engineered constructs without having to sacrifice cell viability. The hypothesis of this paper was that incorporating Perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), a greenhouse gas, with single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), a allotrope of carbon with a …

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Oxyhalogen-Sulfur Chemistry: Kinetics And Mechanism Of Oxidation Of N-Acetylthiourea By Aqueous Bromate And Acidified Bromate, Kudzanai Chipiso, Wilbes Mbiya, Thai Tran, Reuben H. Simoyi Jan 2016

Oxyhalogen-Sulfur Chemistry: Kinetics And Mechanism Of Oxidation Of N-Acetylthiourea By Aqueous Bromate And Acidified Bromate, Kudzanai Chipiso, Wilbes Mbiya, Thai Tran, Reuben H. Simoyi

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The oxidation of N-acetylthiourea (ACTU) by acidic bromate has been studied by observing formation of bromine in excess bromate conditions. The reaction displays an induction period before formation of bromine. The stoichiometry of the reaction was determined to be 4:3: 4BrO 3 – +3(CH 3 CO)NH(NH 2 )C=S+3H 2 O®4Br – +3(CH 3 CO)NH(NH 2 )C=O+3SO 4 2– +6H + (A) with a complete desulfurization of ACTU to its urea analogue. In excess bromate conditions the stoichiometry was 8:5: 8BrO 3 – + 5(CH 3 CO)NH(NH 2 )C=S + H 2 O ® 4Br 2 + 5(CH 3 CO)NH(NH 2 …

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Vegetation Influences Microbial Community Structure And Methane Emissions In Southeastern Louisiana Wetlands, Anthony Jason Rietl Jan 2016

Vegetation Influences Microbial Community Structure And Methane Emissions In Southeastern Louisiana Wetlands, Anthony Jason Rietl

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Methane has a warming potential 28 times that of carbon dioxide and has been increasing in the Earth’s atmosphere since 1750. An understanding of the dynamics of methane emissions from natural sources is becoming increasingly important as we may need to mitigate emissions from these sources in the future to help reduce the effects of climate change. Wetlands are the single largest natural source of methane; however, little attention has been given to how plant species, biota, and interactions between above and belowground communities and microbial communities may affect methane emissions. First, microbial community structure and function was assessed for …

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Synthesis Of Functional Polypeptides And Development Of New Synthetic Strategies Toward Polypeptides, Jinbao Cao Jan 2016

Synthesis Of Functional Polypeptides And Development Of New Synthetic Strategies Toward Polypeptides, Jinbao Cao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this work is to develop a new synthetic strategy for synthesizing advanced functional polypeptides or polypeptides in general. Polypeptides are amino acids based polymers with appealing properties for different applications. One of the key challenges in polypeptide research is the synthesis of functional polypeptides under mild conditions. We developed a system based on ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-thiocarboxyanhydrosulfides (NTAs) to synthesize polypeptides with wide range of molecular weights under mild conditions. Owing to NTAs’ good stability, our system serves as an excellent alternative to the traditional ROP of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA). In Chapter 1, the fundamental knowledge and …

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Spatiotemporal Distribution Of The Himalayan Leucogranite: Implications For Mountain-Building As A Function Of Indian Slab Dynamics, Hongcheng Guo Jan 2016

Spatiotemporal Distribution Of The Himalayan Leucogranite: Implications For Mountain-Building As A Function Of Indian Slab Dynamics, Hongcheng Guo

LSU Master's Theses

The Himalayan orogen, as a natural laboratory for continental collision, has attracted intense research attention for decades. However, the question of how the orogen was built is still debated, and potential answers are few when considering how and why along-strike variations of the mountain-building processes occurred. Various tectonic models have been proposed to explain the kinematics of the mountain-building. These models include two dimensional models, such as wedge extrusion (Burchfiel and Royden, 1985; Grujic et al., 1996; Kohn, 2008), channel flow coupled to focused denudation (Beaumont et al., 2001; Hodges et al., 2001), tectonic wedging (Yin, 2006; Webb et al., …

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Using Wavelet Transforms To Detect Small-Scale Features Within The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, Louisiana & Mississippi, Samiha Naseem Jan 2016

Using Wavelet Transforms To Detect Small-Scale Features Within The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, Louisiana & Mississippi, Samiha Naseem

LSU Master's Theses

The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) is an unconventional play of central Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi. Previous studies divide the TMS into an upper low resistivity section and a lower high resistivity section or an upper calcite poor section, middle calcite rich section and a basal siliceous section. On the basis of core, TMS has been found to consist of different facies on very small scales, which are indiscernible from the open-hole wireline logs. Cores are not acquired in each and every well and therefore there is a need of a technique that could detect features hidden in the wireline logs …

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Feeding Ecology Of Red Snapper And Greater Amberjack At Standing Platforms In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Disentangling The Effects Of Artificial Light, Kristin Leanne Foss Jan 2016

Feeding Ecology Of Red Snapper And Greater Amberjack At Standing Platforms In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Disentangling The Effects Of Artificial Light, Kristin Leanne Foss

LSU Master's Theses

Approximately 2,300 petroleum platforms are currently operating in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), and are estimated to provide an additional 4 to 12 km2 of artificial reef habitat. The ecological role of platforms has often been overlooked and little is known about the effect of artificial light from the active platforms on surrounding fish communities. This is the first study to address the potential impacts of artificial light on the trophic ecology of fish communities surrounding offshore platforms through gut content (GCA) and stable isotope (SIA) analyses. Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) were collected quarterly from February 2014 to November 2015 …

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Relative Resistance To Breaking Of Pinus Taeda L. And Pinus Palustris, Cory Glenn Garms Jan 2016

Relative Resistance To Breaking Of Pinus Taeda L. And Pinus Palustris, Cory Glenn Garms

LSU Master's Theses

Patterns from hurricane damage give an indication that longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is more windfirm than loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Tree windfirmess has been attributed to many factors including species and material properties like wood strength and stiffness. Because longleaf pine wood is stronger and stiffer than loblolly pine wood, this study used static winching methodology to see if these properties account for differences in windfirmness by measuring bending force required to break stems (MMAX). Stress-strain diagrams were constructed for pulled trees to explore how they behave under increasing loads. Based on these diagrams, it appears that living trees can …

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Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency After Major Disturbances, Giovanna Mcclenachan Jan 2016

Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency After Major Disturbances, Giovanna Mcclenachan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Disturbances are a common occurrence in coastal ecosystems and can provide opportunity for adaptation and renewal in healthy systems; hurricanes bring mineral accretion to a marsh, floods provide a pulse of freshwater and nutrients to estuaries, and fires increase species diversity and abundance in forests. Humans, however, have depleted the resiliency of many coastal systems via top down and bottom up mechanisms, leaving these ecosystems more vulnerable to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Louisiana’s wetlands have been modified for centuries via canals, levees, agricultural impoundments, etc., leading to a decreased resiliency to land loss. The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill …

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Optimal Configuration Of Inspection And Rework Stations In A Multistage Flexible Flowline, Md. Shahriar Jahan Hossain Jan 2016

Optimal Configuration Of Inspection And Rework Stations In A Multistage Flexible Flowline, Md. Shahriar Jahan Hossain

LSU Master's Theses

Inspection and rework are two important issues of quality control. In this research, an N-stage flowline is considered to make decisions on these two issues. When defective items are detected at the inspection station the items are either scrapped or reworked. A reworkable item may be repaired at the regular defect-creating workstation or at a dedicated off-line rework station. Two problems (end-of-line and multistage inspections) are considered here to deal with this situation. The end-of-line inspection (ELI) problem considers an inspection station located at the end of the line while the multistage inspection (MSI) problem deals with multiple in-line inspection …

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The Effect Of Artificial Light On The Community Structure And Distribution Of Reef-Associated Fishes At Oil And Gas Platforms In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Victoria Anne Barker Jan 2016

The Effect Of Artificial Light On The Community Structure And Distribution Of Reef-Associated Fishes At Oil And Gas Platforms In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Victoria Anne Barker

LSU Master's Theses

The northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) contains approximately 2,500 oil and gas platforms, resulting in one of the largest de facto artificial reef systems in the world. As of 2013, 1,227 additional structures had ceased to produce oil and gas and have been decommissioned and removed. While active platforms are lit by high-pressure mercury vapor lights, inactive platforms are only minimally lit for navigation. The positively phototaxic behavior of many fish species causes lit oil platforms to act as fish attraction devices, especially at night. Though a variety of fish species have been reported near these structures, changes in fish …

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Review Of Chase Wrenn's Truth, David J. Buller Jan 2016

Review Of Chase Wrenn's Truth, David J. Buller

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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Variability Of Optical Counterparts To X-Ray Sources Within The Galactic Bulge Survey, Christopher Bradley Johnson Jan 2016

Variability Of Optical Counterparts To X-Ray Sources Within The Galactic Bulge Survey, Christopher Bradley Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Chandra Galactic Bulge Survey (GBS) is a shallow, wide field survey to search for and classify X-ray sources in the Galactic Bulge. Specifically, we are looking for Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs): systems containing either a neutron star or black hole that is accreting matter from a roughly stellar mass companion via Roche-Lobe overflow. My research uses optical, time-series photometry from the DECam instrument on the Blanco 4.0 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory to identify counterparts to new X-ray sources in the GBS. For the systems that are variable in brightness in the optical, I use …

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In Situ Geochemistry Of Middle Ordovician Dolomites Of The Upper Mississippi Valley: Evaluation Of The Dorag Model And New Implications For Dolomitizing Fluids, John Michael Callen Jan 2016

In Situ Geochemistry Of Middle Ordovician Dolomites Of The Upper Mississippi Valley: Evaluation Of The Dorag Model And New Implications For Dolomitizing Fluids, John Michael Callen

LSU Master's Theses

The dolomitization and diagenetic history of Ordovician carbonates of southern Wisconsin has been studied for over a century. Previous studies attributed dolomitization to various single or multiple diagenetic factors and environments. The goal of the study was to resolve arguments regarding dolomitization models, including Badiozamani’s often cited but recently questioned mixing zone model, using LA-ICP-MS focusing on REE to determine the nature of dolomitizing fluids. Analysis revealed that particulate material incorporated into the dolomite affected the geochemical results of many of the samples. Integrating geochemical data with petrographic evidence for diagenetic history, the studied Decorah Formation dolomites were assigned to …

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Dispositions In Evolutionary Biology: A Metaphysically Realist Account, Daniel Glyn Swaim Jan 2016

Dispositions In Evolutionary Biology: A Metaphysically Realist Account, Daniel Glyn Swaim

LSU Master's Theses

In the last several decades, philosophers of biology have published countless books and articles on the causal mechanisms underlying evolutionary change. There has been scant effort devoted, however, to detailed analysis of what these mechanisms mean for the relationship between our best interpretations of evolutionary change and our metaphysical picture of the world. This thesis addresses some key aspects of that metaphysical picture. I argue for a metaphysically realist interpretation of dispositions as causally active in evolutionary biology. I address fitness and evolvability in particular, as they present two of the best possible case studies for a metaphysically realist interpretation …

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Scanning Probe Investigations Of Multidentate Thiol And Spatially Confined Porphyrin Nanoassemblies Using Nanoscale Lithography, Xianglin Zhai Zhai Jan 2016

Scanning Probe Investigations Of Multidentate Thiol And Spatially Confined Porphyrin Nanoassemblies Using Nanoscale Lithography, Xianglin Zhai Zhai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Approaches to prepare spatially selective surfaces were developed in this dissertation for constructing nanopatterns of organic thin film materials. Nanoscale surface patterns were prepared using immersion particle lithography and scanning probe lithography combined with organothiol chemistry. Organic thin films and nanomaterials can be patterned with tunable periodicities and designed shapes by selecting the diameter of mesospheres used as surface masks or scanning probe lithography, respectively. The surface platforms of well-defined nanopatterns are ideal for high resolution investigations using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Local measurements of surface properties and conductive properties combined with nanolithography were accomplished at the molecular level. Sample …

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Arsenic Speciation And Phytoremediation Modeling For Environmental Management, Sidney Joseph Marlborough Jan 2016

Arsenic Speciation And Phytoremediation Modeling For Environmental Management, Sidney Joseph Marlborough

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Arsenic has been used throughout recorded history but during the industrial revolution widespread use led to global environmental impact. The two forms that should be considered in environment management are arsenate and arsenite. The calculations of environmental risk for arsenic exposure relies the toxicity of arsenite however, in well aeriated surface soils arsenate may be the predominate form. Ecological risk assessments based on arsenite studies will lead to restrictive remediation requirements that do not adequately reflect the level of risk. Arsenate resembles phosphate and as such has a greater affinity for phytoremediation. Phytoremediation is one of the most viable and …

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Advances In Quantum Metrology: Continuous Variables In Phase Space, Bryan Tomas Gard Jan 2016

Advances In Quantum Metrology: Continuous Variables In Phase Space, Bryan Tomas Gard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation serves as a general introduction to Wigner functions, phase space, and quantum metrology but also strives to be useful as a how-to guide for those who wish to delve into the realm of using continuous variables, to describe quantum states of light and optical interferometry. We include many of the introductory elements one needs to appreciate the advantages of this treatment as well as show many examples in an effort to make this dissertation more friendly. In the initial segment of this dissertation, we focus on the advantages of Wigner functions and their use to describe many quantum …

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The Design, Fabrication, And Validation Of A Film Cooled Rotating Turbine Cascade With An Actively Cooled Shroud In A Closed Loop Wind Tunnel, Christopher Michael Drewes Jan 2016

The Design, Fabrication, And Validation Of A Film Cooled Rotating Turbine Cascade With An Actively Cooled Shroud In A Closed Loop Wind Tunnel, Christopher Michael Drewes

LSU Master's Theses

To test shroud and blade cooling effectiveness, a closed loop, heated wind tunnel housing a film cooled rotating turbine cascade with prescribed blade and vane geometry surrounded by a fully cooled shroud with a leading edge gap were designed and assembled on Louisiana State University’s campus. Heat transfer coefficients and film cooling effectiveness results were computed using a 1-D semi-infinite solid conduction analysis of material temperatures obtained with liquid crystal thermography. Proper analysis required a step change in air temperature; so a bypass loop provided mainstream air heating while maintaining the shroud and blades at ambient temperature. Also, analysis required …

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Hybrid Ant Colony Optimization For Fuzzy Unrelated Parallel Machine Scheduling Problems, Po An Su Jan 2016

Hybrid Ant Colony Optimization For Fuzzy Unrelated Parallel Machine Scheduling Problems, Po An Su

LSU Master's Theses

This study extends the best hybrid ant colony optimization variant developed by Liao et al. (2014) for crisp unrelated parallel machine scheduling problems to solve fuzzy unrelated parallel machine scheduling problems in consideration of trapezoidal fuzzy processing times, trapezoidal fuzzy sequencing dependent setup times and trapezoidal fuzzy release times. The objective is to find the best schedule taking minimum fuzzy makespan in completing all jobs. In this study, fuzzy arithmetic is used to determine fuzzy completion times of jobs and defuzzification function is used to convert fuzzy numbers back to crisp numbers for ranking. Eight fuzzy ranking methods are tested …

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A Novel Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network For Ocean And Weather Forecasting, Robert James Firth Jan 2016

A Novel Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network For Ocean And Weather Forecasting, Robert James Firth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Numerical weather prediction is a computationally expensive task that requires not only the numerical solution to a complex set of non-linear partial differential equations, but also the creation of a parameterization scheme to estimate sub-grid scale phenomenon. The proposed method is an alternative approach to developing a mesoscale meteorological model – a modified recurrent convolutional neural network that learns to simulate the solution to these equations. Along with an appropriate time integration scheme and learning algorithm, this method can be used to create multi-day forecasts for a large region. The learning method presented is an extended form of Backpropagation Through …

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Synthetic Approach Towards P3eht-B-Pss Conjugated And Ionic Block Copolymer, Zhaoyuan Liu Jan 2016

Synthetic Approach Towards P3eht-B-Pss Conjugated And Ionic Block Copolymer, Zhaoyuan Liu

LSU Master's Theses

This work is focused on the design, synthesis and characterization of block copolymers (BCPs) containing both conjugated and polyelectrolyte blocks. This type of rod-coil BCP is considered to have microphase separation which is different compared to coil-coil BCPs. The conjugated block used for studies is regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophene) (P3AT), which can be synthesized by Grignard metathesis (GRIM) polymerization. The polyelectrolyte block used is polystyrene sulfonate with well-defined structure, which can be synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Chapter II is focused on evaluation of synthetic routes for P3EHT-b-PSS, including using bifunctional initiator to synthesize both blocks, and separately synthesizing end-functionalized …

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Theory And Utility Of The Three Isotope Fractionation Relationship, Justin Alan Hayles Jan 2016

Theory And Utility Of The Three Isotope Fractionation Relationship, Justin Alan Hayles

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The field of isotope geochemistry began with the study of oxygen isotope geothermometry, most famously for carbonates. Traditionally oxygen isotope studies are only concerned with the relationship between one rare isotope, oxygen-18, and the common isotope, oxygen-16. In these cases, the abundance of the third stable isotope, oxygen-17 is ignored because for almost all terrestrial processes the 17O-16O relationship roughly scales with the 18O-16O relationship through a fractionation processes and is thought to not provide any new information. However, the discovery of large “mass independent” isotope effects for ozone chemistry has driven a multitude of uses for triple isotope relationships. …

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Evolution Semigroups For Well-Posed, Non-Autonomous Evolution Families, Austin Keith Scirratt Jan 2016

Evolution Semigroups For Well-Posed, Non-Autonomous Evolution Families, Austin Keith Scirratt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to expand Berhard Koopman's operator theoretic global linearization approach to the study of nonautonomous flows. Given a system with states x in a set \Omega (the state space), a map t\to \gamma(t,s,x) (t\geq s \geq 0) is called a global flow if it describes the time evolution of a system with the initial state x \in \Omega at time t \geq s \geq 0. Koopman's approach to the study of flows is to look at the dynamics of the observables of the states instead of studying the dynamics of the states directly. To do …

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Fishes Associated With Oil And Gas Platforms In Louisiana's River-Influenced Nearshore Waters, Ryan Thomas Munnelly Jan 2016

Fishes Associated With Oil And Gas Platforms In Louisiana's River-Influenced Nearshore Waters, Ryan Thomas Munnelly

LSU Master's Theses

A distinctive feature of coastal Louisiana is the unrivaled network of oil and gas installations (platforms) extending from inshore waters to the deep Gulf of Mexico. Since 2007 there has been a 38% reduction in platform numbers with the highest removal rates occurring in shallow (< 18 m) nearshore waters. Many fishes and invertebrates are attracted to platforms, presenting a unique opportunity to study detailed species-specific responses to the river-influenced hydrographic characteristics of Louisiana’s nearshore zone (5–25 km water depth). Prior studies of fishes around platforms focused on a few relatively large platforms in water depths ≥ 18 m. However, about one-third of all platforms are small, unmanned and non-drilling platforms located in waters < 18 m depth. Paired video and hydrographic data were collected at 150 small platforms in < 18 m water depth during the summers of 2013–2014. Fifty-four species of fishes were associated with small platforms. The assemblage(s) included juveniles of 29 species, indicating the importance of nearshore platforms as diverse nursery habitat. The coastal zone was divided into three regions based on broad-scale interactions between freshwater input and bathymetry driving major distinctions in interregional hydrography and fish assemblages. Co-occurring within this expansive artificial reef network is the second largest hypoxic area (dissolved oxygen (DO) < 2.0 mg l−1) on Earth. Platforms offer reef-like habitat features in the upper water column that may offer refugia for some reef-associated species during hypoxic events. Significant intraregional differences in physicochemical features were related to the presence of hypoxia (defined as DO < 50% saturation), as well as the distribution of sandy shoals. Eleven species accounted for most of the assemblage dissimilarities, composing ~93% of fishes observed. Habitat suitability indices for these 11 species provided information about habitat selection across horizontal and vertical physicochemical gradients throughout the coastal zone, and within hypoxic and well-oxygenated stratified water columns. East Bay, near the outlet of the Mississippi River, exhibited less hypoxia and a distinct fauna that included four adult goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara). This endangered fish was observed during spawning season (summer), suggesting that East Bay might support a spawning aggregation.

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Influences On The Successful Implementation Of The Convention On Wetlands Of International Importance (Ramsar) Among Member Countries, Aziza Saud Al Adhoobi Jan 2016

Influences On The Successful Implementation Of The Convention On Wetlands Of International Importance (Ramsar) Among Member Countries, Aziza Saud Al Adhoobi

LSU Master's Theses

Wetlands are very dynamic ecosystems and are featured all over the world’s landscape. Recent studies suggested that wetlands are in continuous decline, both and quantity and quality and between 64-71% is the estimated global wetland loss in the 20th century (Davidson 2014; Gardner et al., 2015). Therefore, as wetland loss increases around the world, more effort to protect and restore wetland habitat, values, and services become crucial. For this reason, the Ramsar Convention was established four decades ago to highlight the severity of wetland loss and to produce guidelines that aim to guide Contracting Parties toward sustainable and efficient management …

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Biomedical Applications Of Thiol-Acrylate Polymers, Leah Alyce Garber Jan 2016

Biomedical Applications Of Thiol-Acrylate Polymers, Leah Alyce Garber

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The development of biocompatible polymers using thiol-acrylate Michael addition reactions between not only acrylates and thiols but also between amines and acrylates were demonstrated. The synthesis of an in situ tertiary amine catalyst initiates the propagation steps of the polymerization process by subsequently reacting with trimethylolpropane tris (3-mercaptopropionate) (TMPTMP). A few notable characteristics of this reaction are tunable gel times, the capability of reaching high polymer conversion and suitable mechanical strength. With addition of hydroxyapatite to the polymeric phase and foaming, a porous bone composite was produced. Further osteogenisis and in vivo work using the PETA-co-TMPTMP (HA) composite material was …

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Characterization And Modeling Of Sediment Settling, Consolidation And Suspension To Optimize The Retention Rate Of Sediment Diversions For Coastal Restoration, Xiaoyu Sha Jan 2016

Characterization And Modeling Of Sediment Settling, Consolidation And Suspension To Optimize The Retention Rate Of Sediment Diversions For Coastal Restoration, Xiaoyu Sha

LSU Master's Theses

Many research efforts have been made to the Mississippi coastal restoration, but long-term rheological and sedimentological experiments for sediment erosion, deposition and consolidation in diversion receiving basins are still lacking. Push cores and sediment samples were collected from West Bay, a semi-enclosed bay located on the Mississippi River Delta, and Big Mar pond, a receiving basin of the Caernarvon freshwater diversion from the Mississippi River, Louisiana. A dual-core Gust Erosion Microcosm System was used to measure time-series (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-month after initial settling) erodibility at seven shear stress regimes (0.01-0.60 Pa) using experimental cores prepared …

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The Thomism Of Bartolomé De Las Casas And The Indians Of The New World, Thomas Francis Xavier Varacalli Jan 2016

The Thomism Of Bartolomé De Las Casas And The Indians Of The New World, Thomas Francis Xavier Varacalli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines Bartolomé de Las Casas as a Thomistic political philosopher. It argues that Las Casas intentionally drew upon the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas in order to provide a robust philosophical anthropology that was able to defend Amerindian rationality and self-rule. He uses Thomas and the Classical tradition to disprove the notion that the Amerindians are natural slaves, to uphold the inherent goodness of politics, to protect Amerindian kingdoms from imperial claims and the direct power of the papacy, and to condemn the unjust wars of the Spanish Conquest of the Americas. Las Casas’ Thomism is particularly important because …

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Living On The Edge: An Assessment Of The Habitat Use Of Waterbirds In Estuarine Wetlands Of Barataria Basin, La, Brett Ashley Patton Jan 2016

Living On The Edge: An Assessment Of The Habitat Use Of Waterbirds In Estuarine Wetlands Of Barataria Basin, La, Brett Ashley Patton

LSU Master's Theses

The wetlands of Louisiana are losing area at the rapid rate of 42.9 km2 yr-1 and the trend is expected to continue. This combined with expected sea-level rise will likely cause large shifts in vegetation and salinity regimes that will affect the wildlife species reliant on these ecosystems. Waterbirds serve as indicator species of ecosystem health in estuarine wetland habitats; therefore, these species are often the targets of wetland management goals in Louisiana. However, many proposed wetland restoration projects are focused primarily on social impacts with only a few specific waterbird species designated for management. The majority of these waterbird …

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