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Articles 3361 - 3390 of 3676

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Characterization Of Native And Bypass Human Coronary Artery Plaque Deposits From The Same Heart: Investigation Of The Chemical Form Of Calcium In Human Coronary Artery Plaque Deposits, Serigne Thiam Jan 2003

Characterization Of Native And Bypass Human Coronary Artery Plaque Deposits From The Same Heart: Investigation Of The Chemical Form Of Calcium In Human Coronary Artery Plaque Deposits, Serigne Thiam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Gradual deposits of lipids, proteins, and calcium on the coronary arterial walls cause atherosclerosis, leading to blockage of the blood flow and possible heart attack. Despite many studies, the mechanism underlying these processes remains unclear. In this research, differences between native and bypass plaque deposits from the same heart were examined. In addition, the crystalline and the amorphous plaques within these native and bypass vessels were characterized. The techniques used to characterize the deposits included inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), etc. The results from the ICPMS technique showed that …


A Comparison Of Finfish Assemblages On Subtidal Oyster Shell (Cultched Oyster Lease) And Mud Bottom In Barataria Bay, Louisiana, John Plunket Jan 2003

A Comparison Of Finfish Assemblages On Subtidal Oyster Shell (Cultched Oyster Lease) And Mud Bottom In Barataria Bay, Louisiana, John Plunket

LSU Master's Theses

Recent research suggests that oyster reefs provide unique three-dimensional hard bottom habitat for many fish species. Along the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, oyster shell bottoms are predominantly flat, subtidal and cultched, lacking the vertical relief and spatial heterogeneity provided by natural reefs. This study compared finfish assemblages, gut contents, and macroinvertebrate assemblages at subtidal oyster shell (cultched oyster lease) and mud bottoms in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Three mud and three shell sites were sampled on seven dates from October 2001 to October 2002, using gill nets and substrate trays. Data from the gill nets were used to …


Gauss' Method Of Least Squares: An Historically-Based Introduction, Belinda B. Brand Jan 2003

Gauss' Method Of Least Squares: An Historically-Based Introduction, Belinda B. Brand

LSU Master's Theses

This work presents Gauss' justification of the method of least squares, following the treatment given by Gauss himself in "Theoria Combinationis Observationum Erroribus Minimis Obnoxiae," where the main idea is to show that the least squares estimate is the unbiased linear estimate of minimum variance. (Actually, we present Gauss' argument both in his terminology and translated into matrix terminology.) We show how this contrasts with Gauss' earlier justfication in "Theoria Motus Corporum Coelestium" which was based on the assumption of a normal distribution of errors, and yielded the estimate of maximum likelihood. We present as a background the development from …


Nitrogen Loading Into An Urban Estuary: Lake Pontchartrain (Louisiana, U.S.A.), R. Eugene Turner, Q. Dortch, Dubravko Justic, Erick M. Swenson Nov 2002

Nitrogen Loading Into An Urban Estuary: Lake Pontchartrain (Louisiana, U.S.A.), R. Eugene Turner, Q. Dortch, Dubravko Justic, Erick M. Swenson

Faculty Publications

We constructed a nitrogen loading budget for the Lake Pontchartrain watershed located north of New Orleans, Louisiana (U.S.A.). Water quality measurements, discharge estimates, and literature values were used to establish the annual and seasonal variations in loading rates for total nitrogen and nitrate. The relatively stable annual loadings (million kg N) are about 10× that of the pre-settlement nitrogen loading, and come from atmosphere (1.3), the watershed (7.8), pumped urban runoff from New Orleans (1.0), and leakage through the Bonnet Carré flood control structure (0.5–0.9). Relatively minor additional amounts come from nitrogen fixation in the Lake. Occasional openings of the …


Modification Of An Injection Molding Machine To Mold Micro Parts With A Liga Mold, Emil John Geiger Oct 2002

Modification Of An Injection Molding Machine To Mold Micro Parts With A Liga Mold, Emil John Geiger

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.


Review Of Tuxedo Park, Michael F. Russo May 2002

Review Of Tuxedo Park, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Decentralized And Adaptive Sensor Data Routing, Mengxia Zhu Jan 2002

Decentralized And Adaptive Sensor Data Routing, Mengxia Zhu

LSU Master's Theses

Wireless sensor network (WSN) has been attracting research efforts due to the rapidly increasing applications in military and civilian fields. An important issue in wireless sensor network is how to send information in an efficient and adaptive way. Information can be directly sent back to the base station or through a sequence of intermediate nodes. In the later case, it becomes the problem of routing. Current routing protocols can be categorized into two groups, namely table-drive (proactive) routing protocols and source-initiated on-demand (reactive) routing. For ad hoc wireless sensor network, routing protocols must deal with some unique constraints such as …


Characterization Of The Lower Atoka Formation, Arkoma Basin, Central Arkansas, Kelly R. Lagrange Jan 2002

Characterization Of The Lower Atoka Formation, Arkoma Basin, Central Arkansas, Kelly R. Lagrange

LSU Master's Theses

The Carboniferous Lower Atoka outcrops in the Arkoma Basin of Central Arkansas contain turbidite deposits in a channelized and unchannelized submarine fan setting. The objectives of the study were to determine depositional characteristics and reservoir performance of these fine-grained submarine fan deposits. Four outcrops (Highway 5, Perryville, Chula, and Danville) were studied and described in detail emphasizing sedimentary facies, vertical succession of beds, sedimentary structures, and other small-scaled features that cannot be resolved in subsurface deposits. Five distinct sedimentary facies were recognized: Facies A - massive sandstones, Facies B - thin-bedded sandstones with a mudstone drape, Facies C - interbedded …


Water Discharge Models, Seasonal Effluent Mass Loading, And Best Management Practices For Crawfish Ponds, Landon David Parr Jan 2002

Water Discharge Models, Seasonal Effluent Mass Loading, And Best Management Practices For Crawfish Ponds, Landon David Parr

LSU Master's Theses

Nearly 35,000 ha are used to grow crawfish in southwest and south-central Louisiana, and many of these ponds discharge into impaired water bodies. In 2002, proposed guidelines were published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) assigning effluent limitations and standards for some aquaculture production systems and exempting others (e.g. crawfish ponds). This research had three objectives relative to crawfish ponds: develop water discharge models; final drawdown effluent quality and seasonal mass loading of solids and nutrients; and identification of Best Management Practices (BMPs) that could reduce effluent discharge and improve effluent quality. Models for south-central and southwest Louisiana …


Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of The Upper Cretaceous-Paleocene El Molino Formation, Eastern Cordillera And Altiplano, Central Andes, Bolivia: Implications For The Tectonic Development Of The Central Andes, Richard John Fink Jan 2002

Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of The Upper Cretaceous-Paleocene El Molino Formation, Eastern Cordillera And Altiplano, Central Andes, Bolivia: Implications For The Tectonic Development Of The Central Andes, Richard John Fink

LSU Master's Theses

The Upper Cretaceous-Paleocene El Molino Formation of the Bolivian Central Andes consists of mixed siliciclastic and carbonate strata alternately interpreted as syn-rift, post-rift thermal sag and foreland basin deposits. These deposits can be divided into two lithostratigraphic sequences. The first sequence consists of a carbonate, carbonate sand and mudrock lower member, a middle member consisting entirely of mudrock and an upper member containing carbonates and mudrocks. The second lithostratigraphic sequence contains a lower member composed of carbonate sands, carbonates and mudrocks, and an upper member consisting of a coarsening upwards sequence of sandstones and mudrocks. Within these lithostratigraphic sequences, five …


Implementation Of An Integrated Quality Assurance Program For Ct-Tps Process, Junqing Wu Jan 2002

Implementation Of An Integrated Quality Assurance Program For Ct-Tps Process, Junqing Wu

LSU Master's Theses

Systematic constancy and accuracy of a treatment planning system (TPS) are crucial for the entire radiation treatment planning process (TPP). The Quality Assurance (QA) of individual components does not necessarily lead to satisfying performance of the whole process due to the possible errors introduced by the data transfer process between components and other fluctuations. However, most of current QA for TPS is confined to the treatment planning computers. In this study, a time efficient and integrated CT-TPS QA procedure is presented, which starts at the beginning of the TPS input --- Computer Tomograhpy (CT). The whole QA procedure is based …


The Effects Of Fall Coldfront Passages On The Nekton Community In A Tidal Creek In Port Fourchon, La, As Monitored By Hydroacoustics, David J. Harmon Jan 2002

The Effects Of Fall Coldfront Passages On The Nekton Community In A Tidal Creek In Port Fourchon, La, As Monitored By Hydroacoustics, David J. Harmon

LSU Master's Theses

Split-beam hydroacoustic sampling with two, 420 KHz, 2x6 degree elliptical transducers was evaluated as a tool to quantify nekton movements in a Louisiana estuary. I measured the effects of atmospheric cold front passages on nekton in a tidal creek in Port Fourchon, LA during the fall of 2000. Six “fronts” were sampled between October 6 and December 18, 2000. Nekton density ranged from 0 to 24.4 fish/m3 with an overall mean of 2.44 fish/m3. Net samples were taken to supplement the acoustic data with species composition data. Species composition changed from October to December. A higher number …


X-Ray Spectroscopy Of Geometrically Constrained Systems, Edward Earl Doomes Jan 2002

X-Ray Spectroscopy Of Geometrically Constrained Systems, Edward Earl Doomes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hard X-rays (2 KeV or greater) are used as spectroscopic tools in the characterization of chemical systems. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy is used to characterize multiple groups of chemicals in a systematic fashion. This thesis focuses on chemical systems that in some context have geometrical constraints on their structure. They include self-assembled n-alkanethiol monolayers that are tethered to silver substrates, cyclic sulfides, and (Bis(diphenylphosphino) alkane tetracarbonyl metal complexes. The study of n-alkanethiol monolayers on Ag(111) contains the first observation in the literature of an anomalous resonance in the 18 carbon monolayer. A new interpretation of a subthreshold …


Scientific And Management Perspectives In Wetland Groundwater Hydrology, Lorna Veronica Inniss Jan 2002

Scientific And Management Perspectives In Wetland Groundwater Hydrology, Lorna Veronica Inniss

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wetland groundwater hydrology was investigated at different spatial scales to assess the usefulness of the information to coastal managers. Specific objectives were to: (1) review studies related to coastal groundwater discharge, evaluating techniques and identifying controls; (2) understand regional trends in groundwater flow along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts; (3) evaluate the applicability of naturally occurring radioisotopes as indicators of groundwater in a shallow deltaic system; and (4) evaluate groundwater-surface water exchange within Barataria Basin, Louisiana. Results of the review confirmed discharge estimates vary over several orders of magnitude, due to differences in precipitation and tidal prisms. In addition, …


Precursors For Copper Chemical Vapor Deposition, Muna Bufaroosha Jan 2002

Precursors For Copper Chemical Vapor Deposition, Muna Bufaroosha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The main objective of this study was to synthesize precursors that are capable of producing copper films of high quality by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). We investigated some copper(I) and copper(II) complexes as precursors for chemical or photochemical vapor deposition. In chapter 2, we synthesized a series of Cu(hfac)2(amine) adducts, where hfac- is hexafluoroacetylacetonate and the amines are: dimethylamine, isopropylamine, allylamine, pyrrolidine, and piperidine. The efficiency of these adducts compared to Cu(hfac)2(H2O) as Cu-CVD precursors was examined under hydrogen. We found that among these amine adducts, Cu(hfac)2(allylamine)2 gave the best …


On The Stabilization And Regularization Of Rational Approximation Schemes For Semigroups, Simone Flory Jan 2002

On The Stabilization And Regularization Of Rational Approximation Schemes For Semigroups, Simone Flory

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this work we discuss consistency, stability and convergence of rational approximation methods for strongly continuous semigroups on Banach spaces. The Lax-Chernoff theorem shows that in this setting consistency and stability assumptions are necessary to obtain strong uniform convergence of approximation methods. We investigate rational approximation methods for strongly continuous semigroups and their consistency properties, with special emphasis on A-stable methods and Padé-type approximations. In particular, we discuss the stability and convergence properties of these schemes, including the stability of the well-known and widely used Backward-Euler and Crank-Nicolson Schemes. Furthermore, we modify stabilization techniques developed by Hansbo, Larsson, Luskin, Rannacher, …


Ontogeny And Intervals Of Development In Five Reef-Associated Species Of Blenny From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico (Teleostei: Blenniidae), James G. Ditty Jan 2002

Ontogeny And Intervals Of Development In Five Reef-Associated Species Of Blenny From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico (Teleostei: Blenniidae), James G. Ditty

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

I examined patterns and timing of ontogeny and relative growth in five species of blenny (Teleostei: Blenniidae) from the northern Gulf of Mexico by assigning a suite of discrete character state scores to ontogenetic events (10 external traits; 218 total specimens). This is the first study to evaluate developmental patterns in reef-associated fishes relative to the timing of metamorphosis and settlement by applying scaling techniques and statistical methods to quantify, differentiate, and select criteria for defining intervals of development across taxa. Blennies settle at a common state of ontogeny and share a common pattern of body and fin/cirrus growth. Three …


Efficient Parallel Computation On Multiprocessors With Optical Interconnection Networks, Min He Jan 2002

Efficient Parallel Computation On Multiprocessors With Optical Interconnection Networks, Min He

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies optical interconnection networks, their architecture, address schemes, and computation and communication capabilities. We focus on a simple but powerful optical interconnection network model - the Linear Array with Reconfigurable pipelined Bus System (LARPBS). We extend the LARPBS model to a simplified higher dimensional LAPRBS and provide a set of basic computation operations. We then study the following two groups of parallel computation problems on both one dimensional LARPBS's as well as multi-dimensional LARPBS's: parallel comparison problems, including sorting, merging, and selection; Boolean matrix multiplication, transitive closure and their applications to connected component problems. We implement an optimal …


Peroxynitrite-Mediated Oxidations: Nitration And Nitrosation, Rachel Bolzan Jan 2002

Peroxynitrite-Mediated Oxidations: Nitration And Nitrosation, Rachel Bolzan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Using a direct ultraviolet second-derivative spectroscopy method, three peroxynitrite preparative methods were investigated for the nitrite and nitrate present either as impurities or produced during peroxynitrite decomposition: (I) ozonation of azide, reaction of hydrogen peroxide with (II) isoamyl nitrite and (III) nitrous acid. The oxidation of morpholine by peroxynitrite in the presence and absence of added carbonate gives N-nitromorpholine and N-nitrosomorpholine. Nitration and nitrosation of morpholine are catalyzed by low levels of CO2; however, excess CO2 dramatically reduces the yields of nitrosation but not nitration, and the combined yields of the products are about the same under …


The Combined Effects Of Salinity And Sulfide On The Growth And Physiology Of The Freshwater Marsh Plant Pancium Hemitomon J.A. Schultes, James Wesley Pahl Jan 2002

The Combined Effects Of Salinity And Sulfide On The Growth And Physiology Of The Freshwater Marsh Plant Pancium Hemitomon J.A. Schultes, James Wesley Pahl

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Vegetative response to saltwater intrusion into coastal freshwater wetlands is governed by the combined effects of increased salinity and porewater sulfide concentrations. I conducted a series of experiments to address the primary hypothesis that growth of Panicum hemitomon is adversely affected by an interaction between salinity and sulfide stresses associated with saltwater intrusion, and the mechanisms for decreased growth are alterations in the metabolic and morphological adaptations needed for a plant to survive in a flooded environment. I exposed marsh sods to a factorial treatment arrangement of three salinities (0, 2, and 4 ppt) and three porewater sulfide concentrations (0, …


Branch, Crown, Tree And Stand Water Flux In An 180-Year-Old Loblolly Pine Plantation After Thinning, Fertilization, And Throughfall Exclusion Treatments, Shufang Yu Jan 2002

Branch, Crown, Tree And Stand Water Flux In An 180-Year-Old Loblolly Pine Plantation After Thinning, Fertilization, And Throughfall Exclusion Treatments, Shufang Yu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Branch and tree sap flux density (SFD) was measured to evaluate the effects of thinning, fertilization, and throughfall exclusion treatments on water use by loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) trees. Variations in SFD at different radial xylem depths were also examined to improve estimates of tree water use from sap flux density measured in the outer sapwood. This study was conducted in an 18-year-old loblolly pine plantation in central Louisiana in 1999. The results revealed that SFD was higher in the outer xylem than in the inner xylem and large trees had higher SFD than small trees. Thinning increased daily …


Explicit Multiplicative Relations Between Gauss Sums, Brian J. Murray Jan 2002

Explicit Multiplicative Relations Between Gauss Sums, Brian J. Murray

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

H.Hasse conjectured that all multiplicative relations between Gauss sums essentially follow from the Davenport-Hasse product formula and the norm relation for Gauss sums. While this is known to be false, very few counterexamples, now known as sign ambiguities, have been given. Here, we provide an explicit product formula giving an infinite class of new sign ambiguities and resolve the ambiguous sign in terms of the order of the ideal class of quadratic primes.


Exotic Integral Witt Equivalence Of Algebraic Number Fields, Changheon Kang Jan 2002

Exotic Integral Witt Equivalence Of Algebraic Number Fields, Changheon Kang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Two algebraic number fields K and L are said to be exotically integrally Witt equivalent if there is a ring isomorphism W(OK) ~ W(OL) between the Witt rings of the number rings OK and OL of K and L, respectively. This dissertation studies exotic integral Witt equivalence for totally complex number fields and gives necessary and sufficient conditions for exotic integral equivalence in two special classes of totally complex number fields.


Fabricating Microfluidic Devices In Polymers For Bioanalytica Applications, Sean M. Ford Jan 2002

Fabricating Microfluidic Devices In Polymers For Bioanalytica Applications, Sean M. Ford

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research presented in this document focuses on the fabrication, characterization and application of microfluidic systems fabricated in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with the emphasis focused on the fabrication processing steps. Microfluidic devices were produced in PMMA using X-ray lithography. The fabrication methods investigated were sacrificial mask, polyimide membrane mask and embossing techniques. PMMA microfluidic devices fabricated using X-ray lithography were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy, while analytical techniques such as electroosmotic flow determination, separations, and fluorescent microscopy were used to characterize fluid transport in these devices. A novel method for the heat annealing of PMMA to …


Mixed-Symmetry Shell-Model Calculations In Nuclear Physics, Vesselin Gueorguiev Gueorguiev Jan 2002

Mixed-Symmetry Shell-Model Calculations In Nuclear Physics, Vesselin Gueorguiev Gueorguiev

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Advances in computer technologies allow calculations in ever larger model spaces. To keep our understanding growing along with this growth in computational power, we consider a novel approach to the nuclear shell model. The one-dimensional harmonic oscillator in a box is used to introduce the concept of an oblique-basis shell-model theory. By implementing the Lanczos method for diagonalization of large matrices, and the Cholesky algorithm for solving generalized eigenvalue problems, the method is applied to nuclei. The mixed-symmetry basis combines traditional spherical shell-model states with SU(3) collective configurations. We test the validity of this mixed-symmetry scheme on 24Mg and …


Synthesis And Study Of New Materials For The Visual Detection Of Biomolecules, Ming He Jan 2002

Synthesis And Study Of New Materials For The Visual Detection Of Biomolecules, Ming He

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The visual determination of saccharides has been of interest for well over a century. Sugars are a relatively challenging class of compounds to analyze. They exhibit great structural similarity as well as transparency in the visible region. The sensing of specific saccharides could aid the monitoring of disease or industrial fermentation products. Herein I present new methods allowing for simple and rapid visual detection of sialic acid, fructose and a homologous series of prototypical neutral oligosaccharides, the linear maltodextrins, containing up to seven glucose residues. The new methods allow for selective color detection of fructose in a large excess of …


Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications Of Novel Pseudostationary Phases In Micellar Capillary Electrophoresis For Separation Of Chiral And Archiral Compounds H[Electronic Resource], Cevdet Akbay Jan 2002

Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications Of Novel Pseudostationary Phases In Micellar Capillary Electrophoresis For Separation Of Chiral And Archiral Compounds H[Electronic Resource], Cevdet Akbay

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation involves the synthesis, characterization, and the use of novel surfactants, including both micelles and vesicles, as pseudostationary phases in micellar capillary electrophoresis (MCE) for the separation of achiral and chiral compounds. Separation of environmental pollutants such as 2 to 6-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was achieved using poly(sodium undecylenic sulfate). A baseline separation of all 16 PAHs was possible for the first time in MCE by a single-surfactant system. In addition, a surfactant with a phosphated head group, i.e., di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate (DEHP), was also introduced as a novel pseudostationary phase for separation of 21 weakly …


Experience-Based Language Acquisition: A Computational Model Of Human Language Acquisition, Brian Edward Pangburn Jan 2002

Experience-Based Language Acquisition: A Computational Model Of Human Language Acquisition, Brian Edward Pangburn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Almost from the very beginning of the digital age, people have sought better ways to communicate with computers. This research investigates how computers might be enabled to understand natural language in a more humanlike way. Based, in part, on cognitive development in infants, we introduce an open computational framework for visual perception and grounded language acquisition called Experience-Based Language Acquisition (EBLA). EBLA can “watch” a series of short videos and acquire a simple language of nouns and verbs corresponding to the objects and object-object relations in those videos. Upon acquiring this protolanguage, EBLA can perform basic scene analysis to generate …


Complexity And Heuristics In Ruled-Based Algorithmic Music Composition, Nigel Gwee Jan 2002

Complexity And Heuristics In Ruled-Based Algorithmic Music Composition, Nigel Gwee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Successful algorithmic music composition requires the efficient creation of works that reflect human preferences. In examining this key issue, we make two main contributions in this dissertation: analysis of the computational complexity of algorithmic music composition, and methods to produce music that approximates a commendable human effort. We use species counterpoint as our compositional model, wherein a set of stylistic and grammatical rules governs the search for suitable countermelodies to match a given melody. Our analysis of the complexity of rule-based music composition considers four different types of computational problems: decision, enumeration, number, and optimization. For restricted versions of the …


A Monotone Follower Control Problem With A Nonconvex Functional And Some Related Problems, Jamiiru Luttamaguzi Jan 2002

A Monotone Follower Control Problem With A Nonconvex Functional And Some Related Problems, Jamiiru Luttamaguzi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A generalized one-dimensional monotone follower control problem with a nonconvex functional is considered. The controls are assumed to be nonnegative progressively measurable processes. The verification theorem for this problem is presented. A specific monotone follower control problem with a nonconvex functional is then considered in which the diffusion term is constant. The optimal control for this problem, which is explicitly given, can be viewed as tracking a standard Wiener process by a non anticipating process starting at 0. For some parameters values, the value function for this monotone follower control problem is shown to be C2 and for other …