Digital Commons Network^™

Social Inequalities In Flooding Inside And Outside Of Floodplains During Hurricane Harvey, Kevin T. Smiley

Faculty Publications

While previous research often finds flood impacts outside of conventional flood risk zones such as FEMA's 100-year floodplain maps, we have less of a sense of the social and demographic composition of the areas outside of floodplains that experience these impacts, even though social inequalities in flood risk and impacts more broadly is well-documented in the United States. Using data on 100-year floodplains, flood impacts, socio-demographic characteristics, and residential parcels, this study focuses on race as a primary marker of socio-spatial inequality to examine flooding inside and outside of floodplains during Hurricane Harvey in Greater Houston. Descriptive findings show that …

Integrative And Quantitative Bioenergetics: Design Of A Study To Assess The Impact Of The Gut Microbiome On Host Energy Balance, Karen D. Corbin, Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Elvis A. Carnero, Christopher Bock, Rita Emerson, Bruce E. Rittmann, Andrew K. Marcus, Taylor Davis, Blake Dirks, Zehra Esra Ilhan, Catherine Champagne, Steven R. Smith

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

The literature is replete with clinical studies that characterize the structure, diversity, and function of the gut microbiome and correlate the results to different disease states, including obesity. Whether the microbiome has a direct impact on obesity has not been established. To address this gap, we asked whether the gut microbiome and its bioenergetics quantitatively change host energy balance. This paper describes the design of a randomized crossover clinical trial that combines outpatient feeding with precisely controlled metabolic phenotyping in an inpatient metabolic ward. The target population was healthy, weight-stable individuals, age 18–45 and with a body mass index ≤30 …

Efficient Solvent-Free Microwave Irradiation Synthesis Of Highly Conductive Polypropylene Nanocomposites With Lowly Loaded Carbon Nanotubes, Xingru Yan, Jingjing Liu, Mojammel Alam Khan, Stephen Sheriff, Sravanthi Vupputuri, Rajib Das, Luyi Sun, David P. Young, Zhanhu Guo

Faculty Publications

It was well established that microwave radiation was utilized initially to enhance the electrical conductivity of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) by introducing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) without using any solvent. High electrical conductivity was obtained in polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites with low CNTs loading levels. Under an inert gas protection, the CNTs were heated through the transformation of electromagnetic energy into mechanical vibrations. The surface of PP was easily molten by the heat generated by CNTs, then a well-formed CNTs network was built under proper microwave treatment period and subsequent hot pressing. CNTs loading levels and processing temperatures played an important role in …

Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation In Swipt Cooperative Wireless Networks, Shengjie Guo, Xiangwei Zhou, Xiangyun Zhou

Faculty Publications

In this article, energy-efficient resource allocation in simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) cooperative wireless networks is studied. With the transferred power, the SWIPT relays are adopted to improve the energy efficiency at the destination node. Two typical relay structures, decode-and-forward (DF) and amplify-and-forward (AF), are exploited for the optimal relay selection and power allocation with a power splitting SWIPT architecture. Nonconvex energy efficiency optimization problems are formulated for both DF and AF relay types. Based on the SNRs at the destination node, closed-form expressions of the optimal power splitting ratios are provided for DF and AF relays, respectively. …

Video Game Development In A Rush: A Survey Of The Global Game Jam Participants, Markus Borg, Vahid Garousi, Anas Mahmoud, Thomas Olsson, Oskar Stalberg

Faculty Publications

Video game development is a complex endeavor, often involving complex software, large organizations, and aggressive release deadlines. Several studies have reported that periods of 'crunch time' are prevalent in the video game industry, but there are few studies on the effects of time pressure. We conducted a survey with participants of the Global Game Jam (GGJ), a 48-h hackathon. Based on 198 responses, the results suggest the following: iterative brainstorming is the most popular method for conceptualizing initial requirements; continuous integration, minimum viable product, scope management, version control, and stand-up meetings are frequently applied development practices; regular communication, internal playtesting, …

Reimagining Assessments In The Postpandemic Era: Creating A Blueprint For The Future, Keena Arbuthnot

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Signaling Theory Approach To Relationship Recovery, Hunsi Kharouf, Donald J. Lund, Alexandra Krallman, Chris Pullig

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Drawing on signaling theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the strength and framing of firm signals sent to repair relationships following relationship violations. Design/methodology/approach: Three 2 × 2 scenario-based experiments (total n = 527) manipulate signal strength × violation type (Study 1); signal frame × violation type (Study 2); and signal strength × brand familiarity (Study 3) to examine their dynamic impacts on relationship recovery efforts. Findings: Stronger signals are more effective at relationship repair and are especially important following integrity (vs competence) violations. Signals framed as customer gains (vs firm costs) lead …

The Effects Of Relational And Social Behaviors Exhibited By Construction Project Team Members On Relationship Quality And Project Outcomes, James Ogechi Kereri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Relational and social behaviors of construction project team members explain team relationships. Whereas relational behaviors have often been studied in construction project team relationships, the current literature is deficient on the social behaviors. The literature review revealed seven relational behaviors (i.e., harmonization of conflict, propriety of means, restraint of power, reliance and expectation, contractual solidarity, flexibility, and reciprocity) and three social behaviors (i.e., past experience, benevolence, and integrity) commonly exhibited by construction project team members. Through a binomial logistic regression, research findings revealed that past experience was a significant (p < 0.01) predictor for five of the seven relational behaviors while benevolence and integrity were each significant (p < 0.01) predictors for three of the seven relational behaviors. Overall, out of the seven relational behaviors, only propriety of means is predicted by all the three social behaviors. Through multinomial regression, the results indicated that there is not enough evidence to show a relationship between the dimensions of relationship quality and project outcomes. However, there is a relationship between relationship embeddedness and project outcomes. Through internal and external validation, the prediction models performed well based on both positive predictive values and negative predictive values.

From a relationship management standpoint, this research introduces relational and …

Nonparametric Recursive Method For Kernel-Type Function Estimators For Censored Data, Salim Bouzebda, Yousri Slaoui

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Computer Implemented System And Method For High Performance Visual Tracking, Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Saikat Basu, Malcolm Stagg, Robert Dibiano, Manohar Karki, Jerry Weltman

College of the Coast & Environment Patents

A computer implemented system and method of tracking objects and motion in video using techniques for agile switching between a number of tracking techniques, detecting and analyzing periodic motion, and using regular expression techniques for identifying patterns.

Modeling Anatomic Changes For Adaptive Radiotherapy In Locally Advanced Lung Cancer Patient Population, James Alexander Kavanaugh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Anatomic changes occurring mid-treatment for patients undergoing radiation therapy for locally advanced lung cancer can degrade the quality of the intended treatment plan. These changes include tumor regression, geometric misalignment, and lung density changes (atelectasis and pleural effusion), and are visible on the daily 3D cone beam CT (CBCT). To maintain the intended treatment quality, adaptive radiotherapy (ART) can be employed to modify the treatment plan to account for these anatomic changes. However, the evaluation on when to adapt is currently completed manually by the treating clinicians, resulting in a subjective and inconsistent application. To address these limitations, a series …

Moderators Of Academic Performance And Symptom Severity In Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Ryan Nicole Cummins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research has documented the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom severity and poor academic outcomes. However, few studies have focused on identifying moderating variables of academic performance specific to adolescents, especially those with ADHD. The current study seeks to address these limitations, further exploring moderators of academic outcomes in a clinical sample of adolescents with ADHD. Specifically, the present study examined adolescent ratings of routines, parent-adolescent conflict, perceptions of parental involvement, and school engagement, on the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and academic performance (GPA). The sample consisted of a total of 140 caregiver-adolescent dyads ranging from ages 11- to …

Multilayer Inse-Te Van Der Waals Heterostructures With An Ultrahigh Rectification Ratio And Ultrasensitive Photoresponse, Fanglu Qin, Feng Gao, Mingjin Dai, Yunxia Hu, Miaomiao Yu, Lifeng Wang, Wei Feng, Bin Li, Ping An Hu

Faculty Publications

Multilayer van der Waals (vdWs) semiconductors have promising applications in high-performance optoelectronic devices. However, photoconductive photodetectors based on layered semiconductors often suffer from sizeable dark currents and high external driving bias voltages. Here, we report vertical van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) consisting of multilayer indium selenide (InSe) and tellurium (Te). The multilayer InSe-Te vdWH device shows a record high forward rectification ratio greater than 107 at room temperature. The vdWH device achieves an ultrasensitive and broadband photoresponse photodetector with an ultrahigh photo/dark current ratio over 104 and a high detectivity of 1013 Jones under visible light illumination with weak incident …

General Product Formula Of Multiple Integrals Of Lévy Process, Nishant Agrawal, Yaozhong Hu, Neha Sharma

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Continuous Dependence On The Coefficients For Mean-Field Fractional Stochastic Delay Evolution Equations, Brahim Boufoussi, Salah Hajji

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Information Under Partial Information For Exponential Utility, Farai Julius Mhlanga, Mbakisi Dube

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Antarctica And The Southern Ocean, Jessica Blunden, Derek S. Arndt, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Sandra Barreira, Cecilia M. Bitz, Amy Butler, Kyle R. Clem, Steve Colwell, Lawrence Coy, Jos De Laat, Marcel D. Du Plessis, Ryan L. Fogt, Helen Amanda Fricker, John Fyfe, Alex S. Gardner, Sarah T. Gille, Tessa Gorte, L. Gregor, Will Hobbs, Bryan Johnson, Eric Keenan, Linda M. Keller, Natalya A. Kramarova, Matthew A. Lazzara, Jan T.M. Lenaerts, Jan L. Lieser, Hongxing Liu, Craig S. Long, Michelle Maclennan, Robert A. Massom, François Massonnet, Matthew R. Mazloff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Global Health In Preconception, Pregnancy And Postpartum Alliance: Development Of An International Consumer And Community Involvement Framework, Heidi J. Bergmeier, Virginia Vandall-Walker, Magdalena Skrybant, Helena J. Teede, Cate Bailey, Jo Anna B. Baxter, Ana Luiza Vilela Borges, Jacqueline A. Boyle, Ayesha Everitt, Cheryce L. Harrison, Margely Herrera, Briony Hill, Brian Jack, Samuel Jones, Laura Jorgensen, Siew Lim, Cynthia Montanaro, Leanne M. Redman, Judith Stephenson, Hildrun Sundseth, Shakila Thangaratinam, Paula Thynne, Ruth Walker, Helen Skouteris

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: The goal of the Global Health in Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum (HiPPP) Alliance, comprising consumers and leading international multidisciplinary academics and clinicians, is to generate research and translation priorities and build international collaboration around healthy lifestyle and obesity prevention among women across the reproductive years. In doing so, we actively seek to involve consumers in research, implementation and translation initiatives. There are limited frameworks specifically designed to involve women across the key obesity prevention windows before (preconception), during and after pregnancy (postpartum). The aim of this paper is to outline our strategy for the development of the HiPPP Consumer …

Data Quality And Reliability Assessment Of Wearable Emg And Imu Sensor For Construction Activity Recognition, Srikanth Sagar Bangaru, Chao Wang, Fereydoun Aghazadeh

Faculty Publications

The workforce shortage is one of the significant problems in the construction industry. To overcome the challenges due to workforce shortage, various researchers have proposed wearable sensor-based systems in the area of construction safety and health. Although sensors provide rich and detailed information, not all sensors can be used for construction applications. This study evaluates the data quality and reliability of forearm electromyography (EMG) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) of armband sensors for construction activity classification. To achieve the proposed objective, the forearm EMG and IMU data collected from eight participants while performing construction activities such as screwing, wrenching, lifting, …

Amortized Channel Divergence For Asymptotic Quantum Channel Discrimination, Mark M. Wilde, Mario Berta, Christoph Hirche, Eneet Kaur

Faculty Publications

It is well known that for the discrimination of classical and quantum channels in the finite, non-asymptotic regime, adaptive strategies can give an advantage over non-adaptive strategies. However, Hayashi (IEEE Trans Inf Theory 55(8):3807–3820, 2009. arXiv:0804.0686) showed that in the asymptotic regime, the exponential error rate for the discrimination of classical channels is not improved in the adaptive setting. We extend this result in several ways. First, we establish the strong Stein’s lemma for classical–quantum channels by showing that asymptotically the exponential error rate for classical–quantum channel discrimination is not improved by adaptive strategies. Second, we recover many other classes …

Volume I. Introduction To Dune, B. Abi, R. Acciarri, M. A. Acero, G. Adamov, D. Adams, M. Adinolfi, Z. Ahmad, J. Ahmed, T. Alion, S. Alonso Monsalve, C. Alt, J. Anderson, C. Andreopoulos, M. Andrews, F. Andrianala, S. Andringa, A. Ankowski, M. Antonova, S. Antusch, A. Aranda-Fernandez, A. Ariga, L. O. Arnold, M. A. Arroyave, J. Asaadi, A. Aurisano, V. Aushev, D. Autiero, F. Azfar

Faculty Publications

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay-these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying …

Volume Iii. Dune Far Detector Technical Coordination, B. Abi, R. Acciarri, M. A. Acero, G. Adamov, D. Adams, M. Adinolfi, Z. Ahmad, J. Ahmed, T. Alion, S. Alonso Monsalve, C. Alt, J. Anderson, C. Andreopoulos, M. Andrews, F. Andrianala, S. Andringa, A. Ankowski, M. Antonova, S. Antusch, A. Aranda-Fernandez, A. Ariga, L. O. Arnold, M. A. Arroyave, J. Asaadi, A. Aurisano, V. Aushev, D. Autiero, F. Azfar

Faculty Publications

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay-these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying …

Overlapping But Distinct Sequences Play Roles In The Insulator And Promoter Activities Of The Drosophila Beaf-Dependent Scs⇔ Insulator, Mukesh Maharjan, J. Keller Mckowen, Craig M. Hart

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2020 by the Genetics Society of America. Chromatin domain insulators are thought to help partition the genome into genetic units called topologically associating domains (TADs). In Drosophila, TADs are often separated by inter-TAD regions containing active housekeeping genes and associated insulator binding proteins. This raises the question of whether insulator binding proteins are involved primarily in chromosomal TAD architecture or gene activation, or if these two activities are linked. The Boundary Element-Associated Factor of 32 kDa (BEAF-32, or BEAF for short) is usually found in inter-TADs. BEAF was discovered based on binding to the scs’ insulator, and is …

Birds In Fragmented Amazonian Rainforest: Lessons From 40 Years At The Biological Dynamics Of Forest Fragments Project, Philip C. Stouffer

Faculty Publications

For decades, ecologists have studied fundamental questions of how Amazonian biodiversity is maintained, and whether that diversity can persist following deforestation. The long history of avian research at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, near Manaus, Brazil, has helped advance this understanding in the context of a broader research program focused on rainforest fragments embedded in a dynamic matrix. By sampling birds beginning before fragments were isolated, in the late 1970s, and continuing the protocol to the present, our work has revealed community dynamics driven not just by area and isolation, but also by larger landscape patterns, particularly second …

Do Menopausal Status And Apoe4 Genotype Alter The Long-Term Effects Of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention On Cognitive Function In Women With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?, Hussein N. Yassine, Andrea Anderson, Roberta Brinton, Owen Carmichael, Mark A. Espeland, Siobhan Hoscheidt, Christina E. Hugenschmidt, Jeffrey N. Keller, Anne Peters, Xavier Pi-Sunyer

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

In the Look AHEAD trial, randomization to Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) or Diabetes Support and Education (DSE) did not result in differences in cognitive outcomes. However, menopause and APOE genotype are factors that affect the response to this intervention. The effect of this intervention on a single cognitive assessment was examined in 3 groups of women: premenopausal or < 5 years postmenopausal (N = 594), within 5–10 years (n = 388), and ≥10 years postmenopausal (n = 963), and as a function of continuous years since menopause. The late postmenopausal group in the ILI had worse composite z-scores compared to those in the DSE, whereas the younger premenopausal or early postmenopausal women in the ILI had better composite z-scores than the DSE. A significant interaction between years since menopause and intervention arm, but not baseline age, was observed on executive function domains. ILI appeared only to benefit cognitive function among non-APOE4 carriers during premenopause or early postmenopause. These findings emphasize the importance of assessing menopause and APOE status to understand how weight loss impacts cognition.

Using Public Databases For Genomic Prediction Of Tropical Maize Lines, Pedro Patric Pinho Morais, Deniz Akdemir, Luciano Rogério Braatz De Andrade, Jean Luc Jannink, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Aluízio Borém, Filipe Couto Alves, Danilo Hottis Lyra, Ítalo Stefanine Correia Granato

Faculty Publications

In this paper, the aims were (a) to test the usefulness of using genomic and phenotypic information from public databases (open access) to predict genetic values for tropical maize inbred lines regarding plant and ear height; (b) to identify how the population structure, the use of optimized training sets (OTSs) and the amount of information originating from public databases affect the predictive ability. Thus, 29 training sets (TSs) were defined considering three diversity panels: the University of São Paulo (USP—validation set (VS)) and the ASSO and USDA North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS) (external public panels—predictors), which were divided …

The Criminal Justice Response To The Opioid Crisis In East Baton Rouge Parish, Elizabeth Winchester, Kristina Little, Timothy T. Reling, Gabriele Richardson, Judith F. Rhodes

Reports

This report describes: 1) the history and current state of the opioid crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish; 2) the current and planned efforts of the Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combating Violent Crime and Illegal Opioids (IPS) grant to respond to the crisis; and 3) recommendations for criminal justice practitioners regarding the opioid crisis in our community. The goal of the IPS grant is to reduce opioid-related deaths by fostering interagency collaboration to disrupt local opioid supply chains, educate the community about the dangers of opioid abuse and addiction, and provide support for individuals with opioid use disorder.

The rising …

Mercury Concentrations In Store‐Bought Shrimp, Angelle Mccormick, Matthew D. Robertson, Rebecka Brasso, Stephen R. Midway

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Attosecond Synchronization Of Extreme Ultraviolet High Harmonics From Crystals, Giulio Vampa, Jian Lu, Yong Sing You, Denitsa R. Baykusheva, Mengxi Wu, Hanzhe Liu, Kenneth J. Schafer, Mette B. Gaarde, David A. Reis, Shambhu Ghimire

Faculty Publications

The interaction of strong near-infrared (NIR) laser pulses with wide-bandgap dielectrics produces high harmonics in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) wavelength range. These observations have opened up the possibility of attosecond metrology in solids, which would benefit from a precise measurement of the emission times of individual harmonics with respect to the NIR laser field. Here we show that, when high-harmonics are detected from the input surface of a magnesium oxide crystal, a bichromatic probing of the XUV emission shows a clear synchronization largely consistent with a semiclassical model of electron-hole recollisions in bulk solids. On the other hand, the bichromatic …

Exploring Students’ Cultural Competence Development During A Short-Term International Experience: A Q-Sort Study, Shelli Rampold, Bradley Coleman, J. C. Bunch, Richie Roberts

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.