Digital Commons Network^™

Sensor Analytics For Subsea Pipeline And Cable Inspection: A Review, Connor R. Vincent

LSU Master's Theses

Submarine pipelines and cables are vital for transmitting physical and digital resources across bodies of water, necessitating regular inspection to assess maintenance needs. The safety of subsea pipelines and cables is paramount for sustaining industries such as telecommunications, power transmission, water supply, waste management, and oil and gas. Incidents like those involving the Nord Stream subsea pipeline and the SEA-ME-WE 4 subsea communications cable exemplify the severe economic and environmental consequences of damage to these critical infrastructures. Existing inspection methods often fail to meet accuracy requirements, emphasizing the need for advancements in inspection technologies. This comprehensive survey covers the sensors …

An Analysis And Ontology Of Teaching Methods In Cybersecurity Education, Sarah Buckley

LSU Master's Theses

The growing cybersecurity workforce gap underscores the urgent need to address deficiencies in cybersecurity education: the current education system is not producing competent cybersecurity professionals, and current efforts are not informing the non-technical general public of basic cybersecurity practices. We argue that this gap is compounded by a fundamental disconnect between cybersecurity education literature and established education theory. Our research addresses this issue by examining the alignment of cybersecurity education literature concerning educational methods and tools with education literature.

In our research, we endeavor to bridge this gap by critically analyzing the alignment of cybersecurity education literature with education theory. …

The Trump Effect: How Partisanship Shapes Perceptions Of The Fbi, Carly A. Watts

LSU Master's Theses

Following the 2016 presidential election, some Republicans viewed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as politically biased because the agency investigated the Trump campaign's possible collusion with the Russian government. Soon after, public opinion polling found that Republicans had diminishing levels of support for the agency. Using the 2020 ANES, I examine how partisanship affects perceptions of the FBI. I hypothesize that the relationship between partisanship and FBI evaluations is conditional on an individual's support for Donald Trump. The results from my analysis suggest that as support for Trump increases, the relationship between Republican partisan strength and FBI evaluations weakens.

Investigation Of Gas Dynamics In Water And Oil-Based Muds Using Das, Dts, And Dss Measurements, Temitayo S. Adeyemi

LSU Master's Theses

Reliable prediction of gas migration velocity, void fraction, and length of gas-affected region in water and oil-based muds is essential for effective planning, control, and optimization of drilling operations. However, there is a gap in our understanding of gas behavior and dynamics in water and oil-based muds. This is a consequence of the use of experimental systems that are not representative of field-scale conditions. This study seeks to bridge the gap via the well-scale deployment of distributed fiber-optic sensors for real-time monitoring of gas behavior and dynamics in water and oil-based mud. The aforementioned parameters were estimated in real-time using …

Language Beliefs And Practices Of Caregivers In The Deep South, Maria Maldonado

LSU Master's Theses

The 30 million word gap refers to the disparity in early language exposure between low socioeconomic status (SES) children and their higher SES peers; a gap that is thought to negatively impact children’s language development and future academic success. Although many early intervention approaches have proven effective in promoting language development among low SES children, they often fall short in terms of cultural responsiveness, which in turn affects caregiver buy-in. Culturally and linguistically diverse children disproportionately live in poverty, as such there is a need for research to inform more responsive interventions that take a strengths- based approach and build …

The Association Between Problematic Drinking And Ends Use In College Students: The Role Of Alcohol Expectancies, Nina Glover

LSU Master's Theses

Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use and alcohol use are prevalent among young adults and college students. Recent data indicate that ENDS use is significantly associated with alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking behavior (e.g., binge drinking). Given the perceived benefits students report that are common across ENDS and alcohol use (e.g., tension reduction), it is important to examine the role these beliefs play in the co-use of alcohol and ENDS, as both behaviors are associated with risks. In the present study, we investigated the relationship among ENDS use, alcohol use, ENDS use motives, and alcohol expectancies in undergraduate college students …

Halosulfuron Plus Prosulfuron And Propanil Interactions For Weed Control In Louisiana Rice Production, John A. Williams

LSU Master's Theses

A greenhouse study was conducted on November 18, and December 2, 2020 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to evaluate the interaction between a pre-packaged mixture of halosulfuron plus prosulfuron mixed with propanil for alligatorweed control. Antagonism occurred when halosulfuron plus prosulfuron at 55 g ha-1 was mixed with propanil at 2,242 g ha-1 at all evaluation dates and antagonism was also observed with halosulfuron plus prosulfuron at 83 g ha-1 mixed with propanil at 2,242 g ha-1 at all evaluation dates except 14 DAT with observed controls of 69 to 77% compared with expected controls of 94 …

Examining The Effects Of Differential Reinforcement And Time-Out On Unsafe Playground Behavior, Elizabeth K. Linton

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of differential reinforcement (DRO) without extinction, and then the additive effects of time-out, on reducing unsafe playground behavior. The results of the DRO in isolation phase indicated that DRO alone was only consistently effective in reducing or eliminating unsafe behavior for one out of four participants. The other three participants moved on to the multielement comparison where the combination of DRO and time-out (DRO+TO) condition was added. The DRO+TO condition reduced and eliminated unsafe playground behavior for all participants who experienced the condition. Those participants engaged in higher levels of …

If You Build It, Will They Come? Assessing Habitat Quality For Marsh Birds At Created Marshes In Southeastern Louisiana, Katherine Aylett Lipford

LSU Master's Theses

Wetland loss occurs at an alarming pace globally, with extremely high rates along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana loses a football field of wetland every 100 minutes: that is 77,000 m² of wetland bird habitat lost daily. In Louisiana, marsh creation projects combat wetland loss, and while wildlife habitat is often used as a justification for restoration, wildlife receives little to no consideration during and after construction. Habitat characteristics such as site-specific hydrology, vegetation composition, and habitat structure affect the abundance of wetland birds and understanding these features is crucial to creating habitat that will benefit birds. My …

The Ecological Responses To Hydroperiod Of Wetland Plant Species Determined By Manipulated Soil Surface Elevation (Marsh Organs), Brandon Wolff

LSU Master's Theses

As sea level rise, subsidence, and abandonment of natural deltaic processes due to a highly engineered Mississippi River continue to threaten Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, the need for a system-wide understanding of natural wetland land-building and preservation processes has never been greater. A key component of any wetland is the ever-changing water environment that periodically floods and dries the marsh platforms. The flooding depth, duration, and frequency, known as the hydroperiod, along with salinity and soil fertility are key determining factors of vegetation and marsh types at a particular location. Different types of vegetation will have different growth characteristics such as …

Machine Learning-Based Soybean Yield Prediction And Optimizing Lidar-Mounted Uav Efficiency, Leticia Santos

LSU Master's Theses

The first chapter of this thesis explores the predictive capabilities of random forests algorithm on datasets obtained from field plot experiments on crop management systems in soybean. Furthermore, the chapter presents a complementary analysis of model performance according to dataset sizes and two techniques on how to impute and deal with missing data. Random forests are being compared with standard statistical techniques such as linear regression on a well-structured, information-rich agronomic experiment. The key findings of this chapter includes the best hyperparameters adjustment and the identification of the dataset threshold for optimal algorithms performance. The second chapter has a research …

An Intersection Of Science & Art: Vitrification Approaches And Open-Fabricated Tools For The Biomedical Model Sea Hare, Aplysia Californica, Allyssa M. Oune

LSU Master's Theses

The California sea hare (Aplysia californica) is an important biomedical model for molecular neurobiology, electrophysiology, learning, and memory due to their well-mapped and large neurons and well-characterized learning capabilities. The National Resource for Aplysia (NRA, University of Miami) maintains large stocks of live animals and relies on regular shipments of wild-caught individuals to maintain genetic diversity. This is labor and cost-intensive, and environmental changes could alter the availability of wild animals increasing the need to preserve this genetic resource. One solution is vitrification, ultra-fast cooling which produces an amorphous glass that minimizes damage to cells. Aplysia californica presents …

Surrogate-Assisted Simulation-Optimization Framework For Groundwater Management In A Multi-Aquifer System, Melika Mani

LSU Master's Theses

Uncontrolled groundwater exploitation can lead to aquifer depletion, land subsidence, and saltwater intrusion. Effective groundwater management is challenging due to the intricate nature of subsurface hydrogeology and spatiotemporally variable pumping, especially in a multi-aquifer system. To ensure sustainable withdrawal, multi-objective optimization is an effective tool for balancing management goals and drawdown effects. However, running simulation-optimization using detailed groundwater models is computationally expensive, pushing decision-makers to decide based on limited scenarios. In this study, a hydrogeological framework was constructed for the Capital Area, Louisiana, allowing for individual assessment of each unit to better understand each aquifer's condition. Moreover, a surrogate-assisted simulation-optimization …

A Dance Of Resistance: The Puerto Rican Bomba As A Means To Challenge Intersections Of Discrimination On The Island, Daniel Loving

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the Puerto Rican Bomba as a multifaceted cultural and political phenomenon, focusing on its pivotal role in challenging and subverting the enduring issues of racial and gender discrimination on the Island. Drawing from an interdisciplinary framework that encompasses cultural studies, anthropology, history, performance and film studies, this research elucidates the complex interplay between Bomba's rhythmic and choreographic elements, its historical evolution, and its contemporary significance in the context of Puerto Rico's sociopolitical landscape. By analyzing Bomba's historical roots in African and indigenous traditions, its adaptation during colonial and post-colonial eras, and its ongoing relevance in the struggle …

Investing In Farmland And Farmland Derivatives, Damilola Stephen Adebayo

LSU Master's Theses

Investing in farmland has evolved from the traditional ownership of farmland for farming to alternatives such as direct farmland purchases for rental income, farmland real estate investment trusts (Farmland REITs), investing in farmland stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, and crowdfunding platforms. This study analyzes the dynamic relationship between physical farmland values, farmland derivative prices, and the S&P 500 using annual data from 1970 to 2021. Cointegration methods are used to analyze dynamics and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and Sharpe ratios to measure risk-return properties of farmland assets. It is found that real farmland values, derivatives prices, and the S&P …

Carbonate Precipitation Behavior In Co2 Mea Electrolyzers With Cu Electrocatalyst, John C. Hendershot

LSU Master's Theses

Annually, over 35 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) are emitted into Earth’s atmosphere. The accumulated CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere over the last century drive climate change. CO₂ electroreduction (CO₂ER) is an emerging technology that aims to recycle carbon emissions from the industrial sector by using CO₂, H₂O, and electricity as a feedstock to produce ethylene (C₂H₄) at current densities as high as 1 A cm^-2 and Faradaic efficiencies (FE) of 60%. However, CO₂ electrolyzers currently demonstrate poor durability at industrially relevant …

Translation Speed Influence On Tropical Cyclone Storm Tide And Surge Generation Along The Gulf Of Mexico Coast, Samantha L. Camarda

LSU Master's Theses

This research examines tropical cyclone translation speed as a factor in storm tide and surge height upon landfall on the United States Gulf Coast. Understanding the effect of translation speed on peak storm tide/surge height is needed to better prepare for and predict future damage from tropical cyclone events. Tropical cyclone data are taken from hourly interpolated best-track HURDAT2 data from 1970–2021. This study uses the HURDAT2 hourly interpolated observation data points (24-hours) pre-landfall to landfall. Translation speed is calculated based on the distance traversed between hourly points. Peak storm tide and storm surge data are taken from SURGEDAT from …

Uavs And Deep Neural Networks: An Alternative Approach To Monitoring Waterfowl At The Site Level, Zachary J. Loken

LSU Master's Theses

Understanding how waterfowl respond to habitat restoration and management activities is crucial for evaluating and refining conservation delivery programs. However, site-specific waterfowl monitoring is challenging, especially in heavily forested systems such as the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV)—a primary wintering region for ducks in North America. I hypothesized that using uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) coupled with deep learning-based methods for object detection would provide an efficient and effective means for surveying non-breeding waterfowl on difficult-to-access restored wetland sites. Accordingly, during the winters of 2021 and 2022, I surveyed wetland restoration easements in the MAV using a UAV equipped with a dual …

Containerized Satsuma Mandarin Production Under Protective Screens As A Management Strategy, Anna Timmerman

LSU Master's Theses

Many of the world’s citrus growing regions are experiencing challenges related to citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB) caused by the presumed bacterial agent Candidatus Liberibacter spp. HLB is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and through propagation of infected citrus material. HLB impacts tree health as well as fruit development, ripening, and quality of the resulting citrus fruit, often leading to an unmarketable product. Producers are growing citrus in high density orchards underneath protective screening material that excludes the Asian citrus psyllid, preventing new HLB infections. Four ultra-high containerized tree spacings of 2 feet …

Evaluating Attack Surface Management In An Industrial Control System (Ics) Environment: Leveraging A Recon Ftw For Threat Classification And Incident Response, Nathalia De Sa Soares

LSU Master's Theses

Protecting Industrial Control Systems (ICS) from cyber threats is paramount to
ensure the reliability and security of critical infrastructure. Organizations must proactively identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their incident response capabilities as attack vectors evolve. This research explores implementing an Attack Surface Management (ASM) approach, utilizing Recon FTW, to assess an operating ICS environment’s security posture comprehensively.
The primary objective of this research is to develop a tool for performing recon-
naissance in an ICS environment with a non-intrusive approach, enabling the realistic simulation of potential threat scenarios and the identification of critical areas requiring immediate attention and remediation. We aim …

A Descriptive Study Of Louisiana 4-H 8th Through 12th Graders' Perceptions Of Career And College Readiness, Carrie M. Lane

LSU Master's Theses

As youth leave primary education and enter college or a career path, preparing those youth to ensure success has fallen, in large part, upon formal and non-formal youth educators. Encouraging students to apply and complete college has been a focus of education professionals for many years. Historically, gauging college and career readiness (CCR), academic institutions have relied on academic performance in areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics (Mattern, et. al, 2014). The use of academic focused measures instead of student-based evaluation had its drawbacks. While core education is important, measuring soft skills needed for the workforce and college environment …

Integrating The Concept Of Complete Streets Into Pavement Preservation, Sirisha Gangireddy

LSU Master's Theses

This study is motivated by the evident gap in integrating Complete Streets principles into pavement preservation. Complete Streets opportunities, which aim to accommodate all road users, are typically encouraged in all kinds of projects including new construction, reconstruction, preservation, and rehabilitation. While the concept of Complete Streets is understood in terms of new construction (e.g., building sidewalks), its application through pavement preservation programs is not well-developed. To bridge the gap between the Complete Streets and pavement preservation, this study conducted a comprehensive review on how state Department of Transportation (DOTs) are currently incorporating Complete Streets into pavement preservation and identified …

Effects Of Fertigation Versus Palletized Fertilizer On Height And Caliper Growth In Oaks, Zachary M. Davis

LSU Master's Theses

The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns led to an increase in revenue and production for green industry products in early 2020. In Study 1. an evaluation of fertigation (liquid feed, quick release) and controlled release fertilizers (CRFs, slow release) were applied to container-grown (7 gallon) live oak (Quercus virginiana) and Nutall oak (Quercus nuttallii) trees (100% Liquid feed, 0% CRF, 67% Liquid feed, 33% CRF, 33% Liquid feed, 67% CRF, 100% Liquid feed, 0% CRF). Live oak trees fertilized with CRFs had increased stem calipers (>30%). Nuttall stem caliper and height were significantly increased by …

Multichannel Low-Cost Sensor For Iaq Monitoring: Implementation And Guidelines, Isaac Ntiamoah

LSU Master's Theses

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is adversely affected by both indoor and outdoor environments, and rental homes occupied by low-income families suffer the most. Poor indoor air can be detrimental to the health of occupants, especially for susceptible populations like those with respiratory diseases such as asthma. Although IAQ monitoring is necessary, it is a challenging, costly, and time-intensive task. Moreover, the protocol for assessing IAQ in residential settings varies, and additional research is needed to establish a standard operating procedure that incorporates new monitoring technologies, such as low-cost air sensors. However, there is a dearth of comprehensive, evidence-based protocols for …

The Impact Of Participation In 4-H Camp On The Connectedness To Nature Of Urban 4-H Members, Derek S. Landrum

LSU Master's Theses

Overnight summer camps are beneficial experiences that provide 4-H members from urbanized areas the chance to experience the outdoors and appreciate nature. Previous research shows that time in the outdoors can increase connection to nature. Furthermore, connection to nature is associated with adoption of pro‑environmental behavior, lowering of negative emotions, and positive general well-being. For this thesis, the researcher is interested in finding out if participation in 4-H summer camp has a significant effect on participant’s connection to nature as measured by the Children’s Environmental Perceptions Scale (CEPS) and the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (INS). Previous work has …

Becoming Avian: Amazonian Featherworks From The John P. O’Neill Collection, Madeline R. Blanchard

LSU Master's Theses

In 1998 ornithologist John P. O’Neill donated an ethnographic collection of 434 objects he was gifted from researcher Charles Fugler or purchased from persons in Pucallpa, Peru, during his time there studying Amazonian birds. I evaluate 18 feathered objects. According to O’Neill, the cultures responsible for the items are the Cashinahua, Aguaruna, Achual, and Arawak. Eighteen of these items are beautifully crafted arrangements of feathered clothing and objects. The collection includes five headdresses, five bouquets, a hat, a necklace, three tassels, a backrack, a scarf, and a hair tie.

The objects and the seventeen species of bird used are active …

The Effects Of Disruption Type, Trip Purpose, Gender, And Age On Driver Diversion Willingness In The United States Of America, James D. Fuller

LSU Master's Theses

When drivers encounter traffic congestion, one of the most common ways to avoid excessive delays is to divert to an alternate route. Despite the commonplace nature of such routing decisions, relatively little is known about the specific influencers, motivators, and preferences that affect diversion choices under disrupted conditions. Understanding these driver motivations is important for improving the ability of transportation authorities to plan, design, operate, and maintain transportation networks. The research described in this thesis utilizes a driver survey to investigate the situational factors and personal characteristics that may play a significant role in determining a decision to divert or …

Do Fishery Meeting Attendees Represent The Fishing Industries?, Dominique Seibert

LSU Master's Theses

Public meetings are a highly utilized tool for disseminating important or useful information. Many agencies rely on them to reach various stakeholders and community representation at these meetings is important. A substantial amount of research has been conducted on various aspects of public meetings including different techniques, factors impacting attendance, and representativeness, that is attendees’ opinions representing the opinions at-large. A noticeable gap in the research includes information on public fishery meetings, commercial fishing industries, and their members’ participation. With the U.S. commercial fishing industries supporting more than a million jobs and providing more than a 200-billion-dollar economic impact annually, …

Secondary Traumatic Stress And Other Contributors To Teacher Burnout And Attrition, Mary Snellings W. Inabnett

LSU Master's Theses

Teachers are the most important factor in eliciting positive student outcomes. Yet, teacher attrition is an increasing problem, due to the demands of the profession. These demands are exacerbated in high-needs schools, which serve students who are exposed to higher levels of stress and trauma. It is understood that, because of the populations high-needs schools serve, teachers who work in these schools are exposed to secondary traumatic stress (STS) at higher rates than other teachers. What is less clear is if STS exposure contributes to teacher attrition, beyond other known factors. The current study surveyed 104 teachers from a school …

Rangewide Migratory Connectivity And Migration Ecology In Swainson's Warblers (Limnothlypis Swainsonii) Derived From Multisensor Geolocators, Garrett Rhyne

LSU Master's Theses

Successful conservation of Neotropical migratory passerines requires a detailed understanding of their annual cycle ecology, including wintering and breeding distributions, migratory pathways and stopovers, and migratory phenology. It is also important to evaluate the extent of geographic isolation between separate breeding populations during the nonbreeding season, known as migratory connectivity. Swainson’s Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii) is a species of conservation concern that, due to their secretive nature and selection of dense forest habitats, is poorly studied and lacks migratory information. Our objective was to track Swainson’s Warblers across their breeding populations (Mississippi Valley, Coastal Plains, and Appalachian) to detail …