Digital Commons Network^™

Lifestyle Contributors To Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Adam J. Berrones

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Aortic stiffness is an independent risk factor that has prognostic value regarding future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events such as myocardial infarction, strokes, and heart failure. Although death rates due to coronary heart disease have declined in recent years, the leading global killer remains CVD and prevalence is still high. Understanding lifestyle contributors associated with aortic stiffness would provide the public with insight into targeting key health-related behaviors.

The purpose of this observational study was to examine the association of physical activity, physical function, and dietary quality as independent factors contributing to aortic stiffness in apparently healthy middle aged men. Fifty-two …

The Effect Of Curcumin On Cardiovascular Health In Obese Men, Marilyn S. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and conventional treatment often emphasizes pharmaceutical approaches. Research has recently started exploring non-pharmaceutical approaches, including nutritional interventions. This research study was conducted to test the effectiveness of a novel nutritional approach, curcumin, on the improvement of cardiovascular health in young, obese males (BMI≥30 kg/m²). This study included 22 men, matched based on BMI and randomly assigned to the intervention (n=11) or placebo group (n=11). The intervention consisted of 12 weeks of curcumin supplementation (1.0 g/day) with fenugreek added to enhance the curcumin bioavailability; the placebo consisted …

Protection And Enforcement Challenges For Tattoo Copyrights, Yolanda M. King

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This article is based on remarks adapted from the transcript of a talk that was given by the author on October 2, 2015, at the Kernochan Center Annual Symposium at Columbia Law School, summarizing issues surrounding tattoo copyrights in the author's previous articles.

The Right-Of-Publicity Challenges For Tattoo Copyrights, Yolanda M. King

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This Article is the third and final piece of a series of articles that examine the applicability of intellectual property law to tattoos. The second article in the series, The Enforcement Challenges for Tattoo Copyrights, concluded that copyright owners can and should enforce their rights against users outside of the tattoo artist-customer relationship. This Article explores a different source of intellectual property protection for tattoos: the right of publicity. As tattooing has become increasingly prevalent among celebrities, tattoos have become “one” with the persona of the tattoo bearer. A tattoo that carries the meaning of a celebrity tattoo bearer serves …

The Intersection Of Culture And Icf-Cy Personal And Environmental Factors For Alternative And Augmentative Communication, Danai Kasambira Fannin

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Clinicians facilitate successful use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC). The most clinically competent providers, however, address needs that extend beyond technical AAC use to help clients experience full participation. This can only be achieved for all clients by considering individual cultural factors that affect their participation. This article describes how Personal and Environmental Factors of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children & Youth Version (ICF-CY; WHO, 2007) encompass how cultural characteristics (e.g., family/ home, school, recreational, social, or spiritual) impact participation. The ICF-CY can provide a structured way for Speech-Language Pathologists to …

Isolation And Identification Of Foodborne Pathogens And Spoilage Bacteria In Environmental And Food Samples, Myriam Evelyn Gutierrez Barberena

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Escherichia coli O157:H7 has become an important problem for human health in the United States. Scientific studies indicate cattle herds as primary reservoirs of E. coli O157:H7. To diagnose this pathogen, proper isolation and identification methods are crucial. From five different culture media, CT-SMAC and CHROMagar™ O157 results analyzed simultaneously were the best option for an effective detection of environmental E. coli O157. Despite extensive research at feedlots and dairy farms, there is limited information available on the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 at cow/calf operations. From 28 small-scale cow/calf operations in the state of Louisiana, we observed an 8% …

A Study On The Current State Of Contaminants Of Concern Research, With A Focus On Biosolids And Regulations, Maren Mariah Fulton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Wastewater treatment plants are a major source of contaminants of emerging concern, as these facilities are the main receptors of these products via household, commercial, and industrial drains, and transport via stormwater runoff. Biosolids are composed of numerous constituents, with a number of environmentally persistent and potentially toxic contaminants of emerging concern identified as present in large concentrations. Research is needed to understand the transport and fate mechanisms of these compounds in biosolids. Additionally, this research is needed to determine a new priority framework to regulate CECs, both on the national level and regional levels. Wastewater treatment plant influent and …

Perceptions Of Criminality: An Experiment On Race, Class, And Gender Stereotypes, Patricia Davis

LSU Master's Theses

The study of perceptions of criminality is significant in sociology due to its sociopolitical implications for our criminal justice system. Race, class, and gender disparities in this system influence prejudices in the American public, which in turn allows the perpetuation of inequality. Using an intersectional approach, this research seeks to interpret how race, class, and gender intersect to create and shape perceptions of criminality. Conducting an experiment on approximately 500 undergraduate students at a southern university during the Spring 2015 semester, subjects are shown a series of photographs and asked to select who, out of the individuals depicted, they believe …

Exploring Organizational Resilience Asset And Its Antecedents For Effective Internal Crisis Communication, Young Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nowadays crises are omnipresent with daily news headlines as reminders. The public continues to see or experience many different crises that affect numerous individuals and organizations as well as society in general. Against this backdrop, corporate communication professionals, for effective crisis management, are expected to help the organizations and their leaders make decisions, as well as communicate clearly when crises arise. Considering a fast changing media environment, recent scholars have called for new approaches to crisis communication to enhance theoretical developments. They suggested that researchers should take a broader context beyond the dominant crisis communication research perspectives based on the …

Exploring Intermedia Agenda Setting Effects Of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Andrew Abad

LSU Master's Theses

The HBO television program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is a new and unique take on the typical political comedy show popularized by programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Uninterrupted by commercial breaks and with full creative control, host John Oliver and his team spend 30 minutes on Sunday nights discussing a typically underreported story at length, abandoning the monologue and interview portions reminiscent of traditional political comedy shows in favor of a long-form style investigation into a particular issue or topic. The main segment of each episode is then uploaded to the social media website, …

Reactivity Of Iron-Sulfur Proteins With Nitric Oxide, Md Julkernine Julfiker

LSU Master's Theses

Iron-sulfur ([Fe-S]) proteins are widely distributed in the biological systems. These proteins are involved in diverse fundamental life processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, ribosome biogenesis, DNA synthesis, and repair. Dysfunction of these proteins or their biogenesis has been implicated in causing cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and various cancers. Iron-sulfur proteins are highly sensitive to nitric oxide (NO) and readily form dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) upon exposure. Restoration of the iron-sulfur cluster in the NO-modified protein requires a two-step repair process. The first step is to remove DNICs from proteins. The second step is to re-assemble the iron-sulfur cluster in proteins. …

Black Girl Magic: How Black Women Administrators Navigate The Intersection Of Race And Gender In Workspace Silos At Predominantly White Institutions, Allison Michelle Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In choosing to look at the impact of white racially homogeneous work environments, if any, in relation to Black women higher education administrators, this research was grounded in Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought. Utilizing Black Feminist Thought, rooted in intersectionality, provided a sturdy foundation for one interested in conducting research specific to Black women, whether the discourse is race, gender, and/or any other intersecting identities. Black Feminist Thought conveys the message that Black women have similar yet different experiences from White women and similar yet different experiences from Black men, while simultaneously having shared yet different experiences than other …

Nucleobindin-2: A Novel Regulator Of Immune-Metabolic Interactions, Anthony Ravussin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past half century, obesity has become a widespread concern to human health. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index above 30 and is accompanied by altered metabolic physiology. Obesity is one of the leading causes of mortality in the United States and in the world. The prevalence of obesity has increased over the past few decades. High body fat in adipose, excess calorie intake, low aerobic fitness are all associated with the comorbidities of obesity. Recently, an emphasis has been given to increased leukocytes in adipose tissue and the resulting low-grade systemic inflammation on the development …

Contemporary Organic Transformations Enabled By Novel Cationic Processes, Caitlan Elizabeth Ayala

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the development of synthetic methodologies in organic synthesis in two different areas. Chapter 1 discusses the more recent examples of transforming alcohols to their corresponding alkyl chlorides. The first area of our group’s research interest is the development of a mild chlorination method from unactivated alcohols, detailed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 provides an insight into the history of oxyallyl cations, the basis of the second methodology development project in our laboratory. This chapter focuses on the traditional reactions that utilize these reactive intermediates, and it also showcases the concept of direct nucleophilic addition and the …

Modelling Hydraulic Fracturing Propagation In Heterogeneous Reservoirs Using Cohesive Zone Methods, Miguel Alejandro Gonzalez-Chavez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The recent success in exploiting low permeability shale reservoirs has heavily relied on hydraulic fracturing to produce hydrocarbons economically in disadvantaged reservoir conditions. Although horizontal drilling significantly increases the contact area between the wellbore and the reservoir, the objective of hydraulic fracturing is set on creating further expanded conductive flow paths into the reservoir. This research uses cohesive zone method to numerically simulate hydraulic fracture propagation in the presence of natural fractures in two- and three-dimensional model. The Cohesive element approach limits fracture propagation to some predefined paths. However, in highly fractured formations since hydraulic fractures are growing through a …

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 …

Buying In And Selling Out: African-American Ownership Of Record Labels In The Twentieth Century, Stuart Lucas Tully

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout the twentieth century, African-American owned record labels seemingly served as embodiments of entrepreneurialism’s capacity to generate social uplift for the race as well as wealth. However, an examination of Black Swan Records, Motown, and Def Jam Records, demonstrates how this assertion is undermined by the actions of their owners. Harry Pace founded Black Swan Records in 1921 not only to showcase black artists, but also prove the African-American audience was capable of appreciating classical music and other high culture. However, faced with financial pressures, Pace expanded the genres recorded on Black Swan to include jazz and other genres deemed …

Attitudes Toward Police Among College Students: Differences Among Race, Social Work Status, And University History, Lisa Marie Lewis

LSU Master's Theses

Minority populations often have more negative attitudes toward the police than their White counterparts. This study explored the differences between Black college students’ attitudes towards the police in comparison to White college students. Using a sample of 1,108 students from a traditional flagship university and a Historically Black College University, the study sought to seek out differences in attitudes toward the police based on race, social work student status, and university history. Results indicated a significant difference between Black students’ attitudes toward the police when compared with their White student counterparts. Results also indicated a significant difference in attitudes toward …

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 …

21st Century Transformational Leadership: The Neo-Stereotypical Phenomenon Of A Black Female Principal, Terri Valentine Wallis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership perceptions of a Black female first year principal in a predominantly White private Christian school. For years, educational research and leadership models for school principals were theorized and constructed based on White men or those in the dominant group. This study is significant in that it sought to explore the perception of the leadership behaviors and dispositions of a Black female to determine if there was a correlation between the Transformational Leadership Theory and the emergent leadership style. In the qualitative tradition, this autoethnographic study used narrative inquiry to explore …

"I Listen To Their Story, They Listen To My Comments, And Then I Pocket My Fee:" Sherlock Holmes As Rhetorical Equipment For Living, Andrew Cessna Jones

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study argues that Sherlock Holmes serves as rhetorical equipment for living. Using Kenneth Burke’s theory of symbolic appeal and the critical tool proposed in the essay “Literature as Equipment for Living,” I explore how Holmes responds to the rhetorical situation of early nineteenth century England and consider why the Holmes symbol continues to appeal to audiences. I conclude that rhetoric is a necessary component of the Sherlock Holmes symbol and suggest that Holmes’s famous method is rhetorical rather than syllogistic.

The Ability Of Bull And Stallion Thawed Spermatozoa Refrozen Without Cryoprotectants To Activate Intra- And Interspecies Oocytes, Jose Len Yin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Semen cryopreservation has allowed the establishment of genome banks and the large scale propagation of species. The development of simple techniques to cryopreserve semen or alternatives to efficiently use cryopreserved semen from males of valuable genetics that have become infertile will permit continuous propagation of the genetics from these males and may serve as a model for preservation and propagation of endangered species. Sperm cryopreservation without cryoprotectants is a simple process, and offspring have been produced following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI); however the ability of frozen-thawed sperm refrozen without the addition of cryoprotectants to activate oocytes following ICSI was unknown. …

National Alliance On Mental Illness (Nami) New Orleans Helpline Analysis, Deborah Ann De La Houssaye

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT This study built on prior research about helplines that focused on descriptive accounts of caller profiles (frequent callers, children callers, male/female, reason for calls, help seeking intentions/beliefs, attitudes and expectations of callers); counselor profiles (active listening skills, motivation, empathy, altruism, family peer advocates); and helpline profiles (advantages and limitations of telephone, chat rooms, emails, and texting). The intention of this study was to assess the needs of the organization in order to build a helpline that meets the needs of the clients. It assessed existing data from calls made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Orleans …

An Ideal-Type Through Innovation Diffusion: Recording The Construction History Of Football Stadiums In The National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Fbs), Patrick Michael Tutka

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Dr. John Bale (1984) argued sport scholars need to examine whether innovation diffusion occurred in sport. Rogers (1962, 2003) argued innovation diffusion process involves the following: 1) an innovation; 2) an available communication system(s); and occurs 3) over time; and 4) among members of a social system (p. 11). This project also adds geography as suggested by Bale (1984) and Hagerstrand (1952, 1953) to the study of innovation diffusion. The purpose of the current project is to examine whether innovation diffusion exists within the strong social system of college football. The study involves the collection of data on college football …

Music In Virtual Space: Theories And Techniques For Sound Spatialization And Virtual Reality-Based Stage Performance, Zachary Andrew Berkowitz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research explores virtual reality as a medium for live concert performance. I have realized compositions in which the individual performing on stage uses a VR head-mounted display complemented by other performance controllers to explore a composed virtual space. Movements and objects within the space are used to influence and control sound spatialization and diffusion, musical form, and sonic content. Audience members observe this in real-time, watching the performer's journey through the virtual space on a screen while listening to spatialized audio on loudspeakers variable in number and position. The major artistic challenge I will explore through this activity is …

Challenging Roman Domination: The End Of Hellenistic Rule And The Rise Of The Parthian State From The Third To The First Centuries Bce, Nikolaus Leo Overtoom

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the influences of systemic pressures and spatial perspectives on state decision-making through a multi-layered study of the rise of the Parthian state within the Hellenistic Middle East (3rd-2nd centuries BCE) and of the military conflicts within the Hellenistic Near East (1st century BCE) in two parts. By examining domestic policy and international relations in this period through this theoretical and methodological approach, this study clarifies the process by which the Parthians and Romans became the two remaining powers of the ancient world and eventual rivals. It uses two major research strategies: (1) a reevaluation of the available …

Louisiana School Leaders’ Perceptions Of K-12 Online Technology Readiness, Jeffery Andrew Hand

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to gain perspective of Louisiana public school leaders’ perceptions of their levels of preparedness to effectively integrate technology into their schools as a major component of their educational program. This research was guided by two overarching questions: (1) What is the perceived technology leadership preparedness level of Louisiana public school leaders as measured by their responses to the 2009 ISTE NETS-A standards? (2) Are there significant differences in how school leaders’ self-report on NETS-A standards by BESE state region? Results of this study indicate that school leaders, throughout all eight Louisiana BESE …

The Regulatory Contract In The Marketplace, Emily Hammond, David B. Spence

Vanderbilt Law Review

For decades, energy policy has struggled to reconcile two distinct visions for the future: the first seeks ever-more-competitive, efficient, and dynamic electricity markets, while the second seeks an ever-greener mix of electricity generation sources. Caught within this push-and-pull dynamic is the regulatory contract--a nineteenth-century concept that stands more for ordered regulation than competitive markets. This Article examines how piecemeal pursuit of two energy visions has produced mismatches between rapidly evolving markets and governance institutions that cannot change as quickly. To better evaluate these mismatches, the Article develops a framework that accounts not just for market operation and environmental externalities, but …

Ancient And Comely Order: The Use And Disuse Of Arbitration By New York Quakers Symposium, F. Peter Phillips

Journal of Dispute Resolution

From the late 17th century, the Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers") observed a method of resolving disputes arising within congregations that was scripturally based, and culminated in final and binding arbitration. The practice of Quaker arbitration gradually disappeared during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and few modern Quakers are even aware of it. This article traces that decline and notes similarities with mercantile arbitration. In both religious and mercantile arbitration, a defined community valued the goal of avoiding group disruption more than the goal of vindicating individual legal rights. In both cases, members of the community applied distinct …

Explaining Scotus Repeaters, Richard M. Re

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.