Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Security Threats In Cloud, Zhang Xu

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

As cloud computing has become a trend in the computing world, understanding its security concerns becomes essential for improving service quality and expanding business scale. This dissertation studies the security issues in a public cloud from three aspects. First, we investigate a new threat called power attack in the cloud. Second, we perform a systematical measurement on the public cloud to understand how cloud vendors react to existing security threats. Finally, we propose a novel technique to perform data reduction on audit data to improve system capacity, and hence helping to enhance security in cloud. In the power attack, we …

Usufruct In The Land Of Tribute: Property, Coercion, And Sovereignty On Early Colonial Eastern Long Island, Peter Jakob Olsen-Harbich

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In reexamining the early colonial history of Eastern Long Island, this thesis combines archaeological, archival, published records, and oral historical sources to explore the relationship between property, coercion, and sovereignty among the Algonquian-Ninnimissinuok and English settlers of New England. It begins with an overview of historical and contemporary models of political economy among Native groups in the pre-contact and pre-settlement era Northeast, emphasizing the importance of neo-evolutionary anthropology as an instructive corollary to more traditional functionalist and evolutionary theories of Native political economy. Special emphasis is placed on passages from classical ethnographic sources that gesture towards coercive and meaningful inequality …

Selling Race In America: Ideologies Of Labor, Color, And Social Order In Nineteenth- And Twentieth-Century Advertising Imagery, Meghan Bryant

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Scholars have studied American advertising in terms of collectible Americana, histories of printing technology, and consumer culture. These approaches leave a gap in our understanding of American advertising in terms of its role as a powerful carrier of ideological value and a critical participant in national discourses on race and American identity. My study examines nineteenth- and twentieth-century advertising imagery and visual culture—including postcards, prints, and other related ephemera—reading such images as conscious commentary on contemporary racial, social, and economic issues. I employ traditional art historical methods to examine advertising imagery and ephemera, bridging the fields of labor, food, health, …

Influence Of Structural Complexity And Location On The Habitat Value Of Restored Oyster Reefs, Melissa Ann Karp

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In the Chesapeake Bay, < 1% of the historic oyster population remains, and efforts have been increasing to restore oysters and the services they provide. Building reefs that successfully provide ecosystem services–especially habitat and foraging grounds–may require different restoration techniques than those previously used, and success may depend on reef morphology (complexity), location, and environmental conditions. Salinity and habitat complexity are two important factors that may interact to effect benthic communities and predator-prey interactions on restored reefs. The goals of this project were: (1) Characterize the benthic communities on restored oyster reefs in lower Chesapeake Bay, and (2) examine the effects of structural complexity and salinity on benthic communities and predator-prey interactions. A two-year field survey of restored reefs was carried out in four rivers in lower Chesapeake Bay to characterize faunal communities on restored reefs and to quantify the effect of reef complexity on faunal communities. A laboratory mesocosm experiment was conducted to examine the effect of reef complexity on predator foraging. In total, 61 macrofaunal species were identified among all samples, and restored reefs supported on average, 6,169 org/m2 and 67.88 g-AFDW/m2. There were significant differences in the community composition and diversity among the rivers, and salinity was the environmental factor that best explained the observed differences in species composition across the rivers. Salinity and rugosity (i.e., structural complexity) both positively affected diversity, while salinity negatively affected macrofaunal abundance and biomass. Oyster density and rugosity positively affected macrofaunal biomass, and oyster density positively affected mud crab, polychaete, and mussel densities. In the mesocosm experiment, predator foraging, measured by proportion and number of prey consumed, was significantly reduced in the presence of oyster shell structure. However, predators were able to consume more prey when prey density was increased, even in the presence of oyster shell structure. These results combine to enhance our understanding of the benefits of increased habitat complexity for both prey and predators on restored oyster reefs. Increasing complexity worked to increase the abundance, biomass, and diversity of organisms inhabiting restored reefs, and even though predator consumption was reduced in the presence of structure compared to non-structured habitat, predators were able to consume more prey individuals when prey density was increased. Therefore, increasing the structure of oyster reef habitat may benefit prey species by providing refuge habitat, and benefit predators by providing an increased abundance of available prey items.

Finding Their Place In An American City: Perspectives On African Americans And French Creoles In Antebellum St. Louis, Anna K. Roberts

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

“The Valor and Spirit of Bygone Times”: The Memory of the Battle of St. Louis and the Persistence of St. Louis’s Creole Community, 1820-1847 In the context of the American Revolution, the Battle of St. Louis is a mere footnote, resulting in under 100 casualties. But to the St. Louisans who experienced it – mostly French civilians living in a Spanish territory, many of whom lost loved ones in the battle – it was the defining event of their lifetimes. This paper focuses on two antebellum tellings of the battle story - Thomas Hart Benton's speech in the United States …

Contact And Explicit And Implicit Bias Towards Latinos/As, Jasmine Maria Koech

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The positive effects of intergroup contact on prejudice reduction have been well established, with prior research demonstrating that real or imagined contact with outgroup members can reduce implicit and explicit racial bias (e.g., Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006; Turner, Crisp, & Lambert, 2007). The current research assessed non-Latinos’ to more closely examine the relationship between contact and explicit bias (Study 1) and implicit bias (Study 2) towards Latinos. Additionally, this work examined if imagining a contact scenario with a Latino stranger was sufficient in reducing bias compared to those imagining contact with a stranger of unspecified race/ethnicity and if this effect …

Expanding The Scope Of Terminal Alkynes In Chemical Biology, Johnathan Charles Maza

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The terminal alkyne is one of the most widely used chemical moieties in chemical biology. Thanks to the relative absence of this functional group in biology, it has become a widespread functional handle for a plethora of biorthogonal chemistries. Our group has extended the scope of this functionality by developing a biological variant of the Glaser-Hay coupling, which brings together two terminal alkynes to form a diyne linkage. However, our initial findings revealed that the chemistry is plagued by protein degradation due to a deleterious copper(II) hydroxyl intermediate. Herein we extend the scope of the terimanl alkyne be developing a …

Dye-Sensitized Tio2 Modified With Iron Polypyridyl Catalyst For Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution, Wanji Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Artificial Photosynthesis (AP) focuses on finding a way to harness solar energy to generate a chemical fuel. TiO2 semiconductors are of interest to AP research due to its relatively low cost and widespread use as an efficient charge-separating support. This research focuses on the development of a device for photocatalytic hydrogen generation. Our approach utilizes the immobilization of iron polypyridyl catalysts and ruthenium chromophores on TiO2 through stable phosphonic acid anchoring groups.

Thyroid Hormone Receptor Nucleocytoplasmic Transport, Zhang Jibo

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The thyroid hormone receptor α1 (TRα1) and the thyroid hormone receptor β1 (TRβ1) are transcription factors that modulate the expression of target genes that are important in metabolism and development in response to thyroid hormone. Although primarily localized to the nucleus, prior studies have shown that TRα1 and TRβ1 shuttle rapidly between the nucleus and cytoplasm, and that nuclear import of TRα1 is directed by two nuclear localization signal (NLS) motifs: NLS-1 in the hinge domain, and NLS-2 in the N-terminal A/B domain. In contrast, TRβ1 lacks NLS-2. Previous studies also characterized two nuclear export signal (NES) motifs, NES-H3/H6 and …

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 …

The Darkest Nation: American Melancholia In Modernist Narratives Of The First World War, Michael Von Cannon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My dissertation, entitled The Darkest Nation: American Melancholia in Modernist Narratives of the First World War, re-conceptualizes U.S. modernism by attending to how the historical event of WWI inaugurated melancholia, or sustained grief, as the cornerstone of a new form of nationalism. Scholars have focused either on how consolatory mourning bolstered patriotism or how melancholia led to the demise of such an imagined community and to the growth of cosmopolitanism. I consider, however, an American modernist commitment to the nation of loss expressed, surprisingly enough, in narratives about noncombatants. For a country that entered the military conflict near its end, …

An Integrated Approach To Ambrosia Beetle Management In Ornamental Tree Nurseries: Biology Of And Control Measures For Exotic Xyleborina, Christopher Werle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ambrosia beetles have been a challenge to profitable nursery production for decades, with management recommendations focused on population monitoring and properly-timed insecticidal applications. Beetles disperse from forests starting in early spring, but few studies have determined the extent of this flight period, or how far they will fly into a nursery. And while the use of semiochemicals by ambrosia beetles has been widely examined, their use of visual cues including colors represents another gap in our knowledge. In addition to these under-studied behavioral traits, the available chemical control measures for ambrosia beetles are not completely effective, and repeated applications become …

Identification Of Genes Associated With Resistance To Brown Rust In Sugarcane And Prevalence Of One Major Gene, Mavir Carolina Avellaneda Barbosa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Development of resistant cultivars is the main control measure against sugarcane brown rust caused by Puccinia melanocephala. Durability is uncertain, since the pathogen possesses adaptive ability to overcome host plant resistance. A differential gene expression study utilizing suppressive subtraction hybridization was conducted to improve understanding of brown rust resistance mechanisms in sugarcane. The expression patterns of 11 unigenes representing biosynthetic pathways, defense-related genes, and signaling genes were analyzed in L 99-233, a cultivar exhibiting quantitative resistance, L 01-299, a resistant cultivar with the major resistance gene Bru1, and two susceptible cultivars, Ho 95-988 and L 09-125, at 24 h, 48 …

Peptidomimetic Polymers: Advances In Monomer Design And Polymerization Methods, Brandon Andrew Chan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work is focused on the design, synthesis and characterization of polypeptide and polypeptoid polymers. The former are composed of amino acid repeat units and possess intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions allowing for the self-assembly into well-defined secondary structures (e.g. α-helix). Polypeptoids are based on N-alkyl substituted glycine and lack intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions, resulting in enhanced proteolytic stability and thermal processability. Physicochemical properties of polypeptoids are strongly dependent on the side chain structures, allow for control of the solubility, crystallinity, and conformation of the polymers. Well-defined polypeptides and polypeptoids are synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of their corresponding N-carboxyanhydride …

Circumstellar Dust Shells: Clues To The Evolution Of R Coronae Borealis Stars, Edward Joseph Montiel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The existence of extended, cold dust envelopes surrounding R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars has been known about for over 30 years. RCB stars are an exotic group of extremely hydrogen-deficient, carbon-rich supergiants that are known for their spectacular declines in brightness (up to 8 mags) at irregular intervals. There are three possible origins of these envelopes: (1) they are fossil planetary nebulae (PNe), indicating that RCB stars formed via a final Helium-shell flash; (2) they are the remnant material from the merger of a CO and a He white dwarf binary, (3) they have been constructed from dust ejection events …

Growth Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons During The Supercritical Pyrolysis Of N-Decane, Subramanian Venkateswaran Kalpathy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In order to serve a dual role as a propellant and as a coolant, fuels in the pre-combustion environment of future high-speed aircraft will be exposed to temperatures and pressures of up to 700 °C and 130 atm—conditions that are supercritical for jet fuels. Under such conditions, fuel can undergo pyrolytic reactions leading to the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which are precursors to fuel-line solid deposits that can hinder safe operation of the aircraft. Therefore, to prevent solid deposit formation, it is extremely important to understand the PAH formation pathways in the supercritical fuel pyrolysis environment. To better …

The Characterization Of Alpha- And Beta-Carbonic Anhydrases Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Robert John Dimario

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are zinc-metalloenzymes that interconvert two inorganic carbon (Ci) species, CO2 and HCO3-. In Arabidopsis thaliana, there are eight Alpha-CA genes, six Beta-CA genes, three Gamma-CA genes, and two Gamma-CA-like genes. The majority of CA research in plants has focused on finding a link between CA activity and photosynthesis rates. Since the CA genes are expressed in different plant tissues and multiple CA isoforms are distributed among various organelles of the plant cell, I hypothesize that CAs facilitate CO2 diffusion among cell compartments and maintain Ci pools for carbon-requiring reactions by interconverting CO2 and HCO3-. This thesis focuses …

Physical Activity Promotion From The Social Cognitive Theory Perspective: An Examination Of Mobile Fitness Apps, Steven L. Maberry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study has expanded the scientific understanding of physical activity motivation through the use of smartphone mobile technology. With the emergent popularity of social media, software developers have begun incorporating components of social media into mobile fitness apps, which allow users to easily engage with peer support networks to obtain motivation for continued participation. Grounded in Bandura’s (1977) social cognitive theory, the study has also extended the physical activity knowledge base related to self-efficacy and peer and family support systems.

Four hundred sixty-seven adults (mean age: 35.8 years) completed an online survey, the results of which were used to …

Interactions Between Local Magnetic Moments And Itinerant Charge Carriers In Fe-Based Systems, Yan Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The interactions between magnetic moments and electrons are essential in creating many of the unique properties of magnetic systems. In this thesis, I focused on two Fe-based systems employing multiple experimental techniques to investigate the coupling between localized magnetic moments and conducting charge carriers in two systems with tendencies to order into itinerant magnetic phases.\\ With systematic investigations of Fe$_{1-y}$Co$_y$Si, we discovered a field depended non-Fermi-Liquid (non-FL) behavior near its insulator-metal-transition (IMT) that appears to share the same mechanism as previously discovered in Mn doped FeSi - the underscreened Kondo effect.\\ A similar interaction of the charge carrier moments screening …

2016 Series A & 2016 Series B & 2016 Refunding Series C (Federally Taxable), Tennessee. State Government Finance., Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury

General Obligation Bonds

No abstract provided.

The Scrivener's Dilemma In Divorce Mediation: Promulgating Progressive Professional Parameters, Robert K. Collins

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Their Relation To Parenting Stress And Parenting Practices, Brittany Lange

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Trauma represents a significant public health issue that has been associated with a number of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Additionally, parenting practices have been found to be affected by trauma. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), one conceptualization of trauma, are also associated with adverse outcomes. However, limited research has been done on ACEs and their association to parenting stress and practices. As such, this study aims to understand this relationship. Methods: Surveys (n=1985) were administered to a population of low-income, parenting women to determine community needs and eligibility for a mental health intervention. At the baseline visit, measures …

E-Cigarette Use Among Urban Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study Of Prevalence And Predictors Of Use, Melody Kingsley

Public Health Theses

Purpose: In a study of middle school students, the objectives were to (1) document prevalence of early e-cigarette use and characteristics of users, and (2) identify psychosocial and behavioral factors that predict susceptibility and uptake.

Methods: Students in 12 randomly selected public schools in New Haven, Connecticut, completed health and behavior surveys in grades 7 and 8 (N=490). Descriptive statistics were calculated to assess the prevalence of e-cigarette susceptibility (considering e-cigarette use) and e-cigarette uptake among students at grade 7 and grade 8. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations between psychosocial and behavioral characteristics measured at grade …

Hcv And Drug Transition In Ct Nonurban Injection Drug Users, Maria Ma

Public Health Theses

Aims: We sought to determine if age of first substance initiation (alcohol intoxication, marijuana use, pharmaceutical opioid use, polysubstance) was associated with faster rates of transition to injection drug use or heroin use. Subsequently, we examined if transition time was a predictor for hepatitis C infection.

Methods: From 2008-2012, 462 active injection drug users were recruited using respondent-driven sampling. Participants were interviewed about their injection-associated risk, and serological testing of HIV, HCV and HBV was performed. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to examine the rate of transition from first substance event to initiation of heroin use or first injection. A Cox …

Chesapeake Coastal Community Flood Vulnerability--Prediction And Verification, Alexander D. Renaud

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Fast moving hurricanes and stationary nor’easters have resulted in significant flood damage in Chesapeake tidewater communities. The Chesapeake Bay region is one of A m erica’s most vulnerable regions with respect to sea-level rise, which will only increase storm surge impacts over upcoming decades. While the general trends are well documented, there is limited information relevant to specific communities’ relative flood risk and response. The dearth o f data is especially troublesome given the lengthy period o f time generally needed for communities to plan and implement adaptive action. This study contributes to the regional understanding of flood and sea-level …

Professional Wrestling: Local Performance History, Global Performance Praxis, Neal Anderson Hebert

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Professional Wrestling: Local Performance History, Global Performance Praxis, is a work of interdisciplinary scholarship (combining elements of theatre history, performance studies, and philosophy) that addresses an area of performance currently under-researched within the liberal arts and humanities: professional wrestling. My dissertation directs much-needed attention to the fact that professional wrestling is the only kind of live drama many Americans ever see (or even want to see). Although it is no doubt easy for theatre historians and performance theorists to dismiss this performance practice because of its location somewhere between “illegitimate sport” and “lowbrow popular entertainment,” I contend that United States …

Probabilistic And Deep Learning Algorithms For The Analysis Of Imagery Data, Saikat Basu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Accurate object classification is a challenging problem for various low to high resolution imagery data. This applies to both natural as well as synthetic image datasets. However, each object recognition dataset poses its own distinct set of domain-specific problems. In order to address these issues, we need to devise intelligent learning algorithms which require a deep understanding and careful analysis of the feature space. In this thesis, we introduce three new learning frameworks for the analysis of both airborne images (NAIP dataset) and handwritten digit datasets without and with noise (MNIST and n-MNIST respectively). First, we propose a probabilistic framework …

"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.

La Philosophie Poétique D'Édouard Glissant, Un Monisme Vitaliste, David Llorca

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Édouard Glissant (1928-2011) is a world famous poet and novelist from French Island Martinique who, following the footsteps of Aimé Césaire, tried to heal the traumatic disruption and resolve the identity crisis of Creole people after the abominations of slavery and colonization by poetic sublimation and engaged thoughts. How is Glissant a philosopher? How does he articu-late poetry and philosophy together? What does he understand by “Relation”, why is it central in his thought and how does the articulation of all his concepts around it make a philosophical en-semble? How original and cohesive is this ensemble? Also, as we know …

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% …