Digital Commons Network^™

Cybercompetitions: A Survey Of Competitions, Tools, And Systems To Support Cybersecurity Education, Tyler Balon, Ibrahim (Abe) Baggili

Faculty Publications

Over the last decade, industry and academia have worked towards raising students’ interests in cybersecurity through game-like competitions to fill a shortfall of cybersecurity professionals. Rising interest in video games in combination with gamification techniques make learning fun, easy, and addictive. It is crucial that cybersecurity curricula enhance and expose cybersecurity education to a diversified student body to meet workforce demands. Gamification through cybercompetitions is one method to achieve that. With a vast list of options for competition type, focus areas, learning outcomes, and participant experience levels we need to systematize knowledge of attributes that ameliorate cybercompetitions. In the wake …

Assessing The Threat Of Rosetta 2 On Apple Silicon Devices, Raphaela Mettig, Charles Glass, Andrew Case, Golden G. Richard

Faculty Publications

In November 2020, Apple introduced a new architecture, Apple Silicon, that would power all new laptops and desktops. Based on ARM64 and with many custom features added by Apple, this marked a complete switch from the Intel-based systems that have powered Apple laptops and desktops for many years. With such a radical change, it was obvious that many existing digital forensics and incident response techniques would need to be re-evaluated on the platform. Similarly, several new additions to the operating system are interesting as potential abuse vectors for malware and malicious actors. In this paper, we document our effort to …

Bim And Digital Twins In Infrastructure Projects: An Overview From The Transportation Professional's Perspective, Natállia Mendes

LSU Master's Theses

Transport infrastructure has undergone significant changes in recent years due to the digitalization of construction methods. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for more productive and cost-effective technologies to optimize various aspects such as time, cost, changes, waste, and errors in projects. Notably, technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Digital Twin (DT) hold the potential to enhance the performance of infrastructure projects. While BIM has received substantial attention in recent years, Digital Twin is relatively new to the construction industry. This leads to a scarcity of studies on DT and its integration with other emerging technologies like BIM. …

Design And Implementation Of An Instrument Package For Measuring Process Conditions In An Expeller, Md Masud Rana

LSU Master's Theses

The expeller process variable has gained increasing attention in research to validate process flow models. The expeller process is a mechanical method used to extract oil and water from seeds, nuts and polymers. Various factors, such as the speed of the press, size, and shape of the expeller, temperature, pressure, and moisture content, impact the efficiency and quality of the oil and water extraction process. By understanding these variables, researchers can develop accurate process flow models to predict the efficiency and quality of the oil and water extraction process. In this research, A custom instrumentation package have designed and implemented …

Evaluation Of Organic And Synthetic Herbicides Applications On Indicators Of Soil Health And Weed Suppression In A Conventional Cropping System In Louisiana, Caitlin Denux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Synthetic herbicides, with their varying modes of action, are well known for their efficiency in the suppression and control of weed species in U.S. agriculture. However, the consequences of using synthetic herbicides without attention to the surrounding environment can produce chemical run-off, changes in soil health and soil health conditions, and create herbicide-resistant weeds. These consequences have encouraged growers to find alternatives in their weed management programs. In this study, organic and synthetic herbicides were assessed on how well they performed in weed suppression surveys, and their potential effects on soil health indicators. Commonly used indicators include soil pH, β-glucosidase …

Double Barrier Backward Doubly Stochastic Differential Equations, Tadashi Hayashi

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Physical Exercise On Health-Related Quality Of Life In Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ayokunle T. Abegunde, Daniela Goyes, Umer Farooq, Amy H. Luke, Elizabeth Huggins, Richard S. Cooper, Lara R. Dugas

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows:. Primary objective: to determine the effect of structured physical activity and exercise therapy compared to placebo or normal physical activity on HRQOL of people with IBD (UC, CD, IBDU). Secondary objective: to evaluate the impact of these physical activity interventions on maintenance of remission and fatigue.

Direct Evidence On The Crossover From Bcc To Fcc Stability: A Lattice-Based Aggregation-Volume-Bias Monte Carlo Approach To Polymorphism, Bin Chen

Faculty Publications

A lattice-based version of the aggregation-volume-bias Monte Carlo method that was introduced recently has allowed for the extension of the calculation of the nucleation free energies from liquid clusters to solid clusters. Here, it was used to calculate the nucleation free energies of both bcc and fcc clusters formed by Lennard-Jones particles. Under the simulation conditions considered in this study, a cross-over of the thermodynamic stability from the bcc to the fcc structure was observed directly from the free energy results. In addition, the free energies obtained for both types of clusters were used to extrapolate bulk phase information, including …

A Multi-Aerial Vehicle Platform For Testing Collaborative Mobility Formation Controllers, Matthew Snellgrove

LSU Master's Theses

Multi-agent systems have potential applications in a multitude of fields due to their ability to perform complex tasks with a high degree of robustness. Decentralized systems are multi-agent systems where sensing, control, and communication responsibilities are distributed amongst the agents giving this scheme a particularly high potential for robustness, adaptability, and complexity; however, this comes with its own list of challenges. Formation control is a topic in multi-agent systems that aims to have the agents moving as a virtual rigid body through space. In the literature, there have been successful implementation of formation control algorithms on robot agents in both …

Symmetric Functions Algebras (Sfa) Iii: Stochastic And Constant Row Sum Matrices, Philip Feinsilver

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Measurement Invariance And The Influence Of Psychosocial Factors In Reporting Subjective Cognition Across Race/Ethnicity, Erika A. Pugh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The detection of cognitive decline is crucial for early intervention and management. However, there is a lack of research on detecting early cognitive decline and measuring bias in instruments among African Americans (AAs), who are at a heightened risk for dementia development. Additionally, the impact of psychosocial factors on perceived cognitive efficacy in this population is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to assess measurement bias in a measure of subjective memory concerns (SMC) among older AA adults, examine ethnoracial differences in the relationship between mood-related factors and SMC, and explore the impact of psychosocial variables on the report …

Autonomous Shipwreck Detection & Mapping, William Ard

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents the development and testing of Bruce, a low-cost hybrid Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) / Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) system for the optical survey of marine archaeological sites, as well as a novel sonar image augmentation strategy for semantic segmentation of shipwrecks. This approach takes side-scan sonar and bathymetry data collected using an EdgeTech 2205 AUV sensor integrated with an Harris Iver3, and generates augmented image data to be used for the semantic segmentation of shipwrecks. It is shown that, due to the feature enhancement capabilities of the proposed shipwreck detection strategy, correctly identified areas have a 15% …

Narrative Infidelity And White Resentment In The Rhetorical Mobilization Of The Anti-Crt Movement, Julien Burns

LSU Master's Theses

Beginning in the summer of 2020, an activist movement has arisen in opposition to Critical Race Theory (CRT). This movement has mobilized tens of thousands of Americans and passed policy curtailing the discussion of race in classrooms despite a lack of evidence that CRT has any meaningful presence in many of the public institutions targeted. This movement challenges logic-based conceptions of rhetorical persuasion and demands an alternative model. In this thesis, I propose that a narrative conception of rhetoric provides a framework for understanding how this movement is rational, despite the falsifiability of its foundation. Specifically, I respond to Walter …

Successful But Exhausted: The Effect Of Tokenism On Black Employees, Sydney Green

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite organizations' efforts to reduce racial inequality in the workplace, White employees continue to outnumber Black employees in many organizations and workgroups. The present research investigates the cognitive performance of Black and White men experiencing different degrees of group racial representation and explores whether keeping their performance private reduces the effect of group racial representation. A sample recruited via Prolific included 491 men, (50.50% White and 49.50% Black), aged 18 to 65 years (M = 39.3, SD = 10.4) working in the U.S. at least 31 hours per week (M = 42.2, SD = 6.7). Using an online …

An Occupant-Centric Energy Modeling And Simulation In Office Buildings, Seddigheh Norouziasl

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Building energy use is highly sensitive to occupants’ energy-related behaviors, including their presence and interaction with different building systems. Modeling and simulation of occupants’ energy-related behavior play an essential role in accurately predicting building energy consumption. Simplifying occupancy parameters in building performance simulation tools can lead to discrepancies between the simulated and actual building energy performance. The main goal of this research is to simulate the occupants’ energy-related behavior in office buildings and utilize the occupancy data to accurately predict building energy performance. Our objective is to increase building energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption while ensuring occupants' comfort, especially …

The Vagus Nerve Mediates Gut-Brain Response To Duodenal Nutrient Administration, Robert C. Ross, Yanlin He, R. Leigh Townsend, Philip R. Schauer, Hans Rudolph Berthoud, Christopher D. Morrison, Vance L. Albaugh

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Background: Obesity contributes significant disease burden worldwide, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. While bariatric surgery is the most effective and durable obesity treatment, the mechanisms underlying its effects remain unknown. Although neuro-hormonal mechanisms have been suspected to mediate at least some of the gut-brain axis changes following bariatric surgery, studies examining the intestine and its regionally specific post-gastric alterations to these signals remain unclear. Materials and methods: Vagus nerve recording was performed following the implantation of duodenal feeding tubes in mice. Testing conditions and measurements were made under anesthesia during baseline, nutrient or vehicle solution delivery, and post-delivery. Solutions …

Pharmacological Inhibition Of Lipolysis Prevents Adverse Metabolic Outcomes During Glucocorticoid Administration, Melissa A. Linden, Susan J. Burke, Humza A. Pirzadah, Tai Yu Huang, Heidi M. Batdorf, Walid K. Mohammed, Katarina A. Jones, Sujoy Ghosh, Shawn R. Campagna, J. Jason Collier, Robert C. Noland

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Objective: Glucocorticoids are one of the most commonly prescribed classes of anti-inflammatory drugs; however, chronic treatment promotes iatrogenic (drug-induced) diabetes. As part of their physiological role, glucocorticoids stimulate lipolysis to spare glucose. We hypothesized that persistent stimulation of lipolysis during glucocorticoid therapy plays a causative role in the development of iatrogenic diabetes. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were given 100 μg/mL corticosterone (Cort) in the drinking water for two weeks and were fed either normal chow (TekLad 8640) or the same diet supplemented with an adipose triglyceride lipase inhibitor (Atglistatin - 2 g/kg diet) to inhibit the first step of lipolysis. …

Gdf15 Mediates The Effect Of Skeletal Muscle Contraction On Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion, Hui Zhang, Anny Mulya, Stephan Nieuwoudt, Bolormaa Vandanmagsar, Ruth Mcdowell, Elizabeth C. Heintz, Elizabeth R.M. Zunica, J. Jason Collier, Nadejda Bozadjieva-Kramer, Randy J. Seeley, Christopher L. Axelrod, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Exercise is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes and preserves b-cell function by hitherto unknown mechanisms. We postulated that proteins fromcontracting skeletalmuscle may act as cellular signals to regulate pancreatic b-cell function. We used electric pulse stimulation (EPS) to induce contraction in C2C12myotubes and found that treatment of b-cells with EPS-conditioned medium enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Transcriptomics and subsequent targeted validation revealed growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) as a central component of the skeletal muscle secretome. Exposure to recombinant GDF15 enhanced GSIS in cells, islets, andmice. GDF15 enhanced GSIS by upregulating the insulin secretion pathway in b-cells,whichwas abrogated …

A High-Quality De Novo Genome Assembly For Clapper Rail (Rallus Crepitans), Elisa C. Elizondo, Brant C. Faircloth, Robb T. Brumfield, Subir B. Shakya, Vincenzo A. Ellis, Carl J. Schmidt, Adrienne I. Kovach, W. Gregory Shriver

Faculty Publications

The clapper rail (Rallus crepitans), of the family Rallidae, is a secretive marsh bird species that is adapted for high salinity habitats. They are very similar in appearance to the closely related king rail (R. elegans), but while king rails are limited primarily to freshwater marshes, clapper rails are highly adapted to tolerate salt marshes. Both species can be found in brackish marshes where they freely hybridize, but the distribution of their respective habitats precludes the formation of a continuous hybrid zone and secondary contact can occur repeatedly. This system, thus, provides unique opportunities to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving …

Science Diplomacy From The Global South: The Case Of Intergovernmental Science Organizations, Anna Lena Rüland, Nicolas Rüffin, Katharina Cramer, Prosper Ngabonziza, Manoj Saxena, Stefan Skupien

Faculty Publications

Intergovernmental science organizations (IGSOs) address many challenges of the 21st century. Several countries of the Global South have joined established IGSOs or have created new ones. Yet we know little about their interests in IGSOs. Our study addresses this blind spot by investigating which objectives Southern actors pursue in IGSOs and under which conditions they are likely to achieve their objectives. Using insights from three strands of literature, we compare four IGSOs with Southern participation: the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, the Square Kilometer Array, and the African Lightsource. We show that countries of the …

Unlocking The Potential Of Kinase Targets In Cancer: Insights From Canceromicsnet, An Ai-Driven Approach To Drug Response Prediction In Cancer, Manali Singha, Limeng Pu, Gopal Srivastava, Xialong Ni, Brent A. Stanfield, Ifeanyi K. Uche, Paul J.F. Rider, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, J. Ramanujam, Michal Brylinski

Faculty Publications

Deregulated protein kinases are crucial in promoting cancer cell proliferation and driving malignant cell signaling. Although these kinases are essential targets for cancer therapy due to their involvement in cell development and proliferation, only a small part of the human kinome has been targeted by drugs. A comprehensive scoring system is needed to evaluate and prioritize clinically relevant kinases. We recently developed CancerOmicsNet, an artificial intelligence model employing graph-based algorithms to predict the cancer cell response to treatment with kinase inhibitors. The performance of this approach has been evaluated in large-scale benchmarking calculations, followed by the experimental validation of selected …

Editorial Introduction: Exploring Theories And Subtleties Of The Policy Process, Geoboo Song, Melissa K. Merry, Nataliia Borozdina, Ben Galloway, Gwen Arnold, Aaron Smith-Walter, Holly L. Peterson, Creed Tumlison

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mining Chinese Consumer Minds: Motivations For Selling Unwanted Fashion Items In Online Resale Marketplaces, Zhongjie Wang, Chuanlan Liu

Faculty Publications

With the development of China’s fashion resale market, sustainable consumption patterns have gradually become popular in China. Although the prospects of China’s fashion resale market are recognized, more and more consumers are also actively participating in the circular consumption model. Consumers have multiple identities in participating in resale, and can be sellers or buyers. However, the sales intention of Chinese consumers to participate in resale as sellers is still unclear. We need to understand what value Chinese consumers are looking for in resale as sellers. The focus of this exploratory study is to understand the intention of Chinese consumers to …

Countering The Pursuit Of “Magic Bullet” Solutions, Joseph B. Ryan, Paul Mooney

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Thermophysical Properties Of Additively Manufactured (Am) Grcop-42 And Grcop-84, Yehong Chen, Congyuan Zeng, Huan Ding, Selami Emanet, Paul R. Gradl, David L. Ellis, Shengmin Guo

Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing (AM) has enabled new opportunities of high-performance alloys for use in complex components across the aerospace, industrial, automotive, and energy industries. These industries have growing interest in copper alloys and AM for high-performance heat exchangers such as rocket engine combustion chambers. GRCop copper alloys, such as GRCop-84 (Cu-8Cr-4 Nb at%) and GRCop-42 (Cu-4Cr-2 Nb at%), have high thermal conductivity and high mechanical properties at elevated operating temperatures. In this paper, thermophysical properties for GRCop-84 and GRCop-42 produced using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) are examined. While L-PBF parameters and resulting microstructures can be achieved in a laboratory environment, …

Cyberinet: Integrated Semi-Modular Sensors For The Computer-Augmented Clarinet, Matthew Bardin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Cyberinet is a new Augmented instrument designed to easily and intuitively provide a method of computer-enhanced performance to the Clarinetist to allow for greater control and expressiveness in a performance. A performer utilizing the Cyberinet is able to seamlessly switch between a traditional performance setting and an augmented one. Towards this, the Cyberinet is a hardware replacement for a portion of a Clarinet containing a variety of sensors embedded within the unit. These sensors collect various real time data motion data of the performer and air fow within the instrument. Additional sensors can be connected to the Cyberinet to …

Managing Student Behavior: Occupational And Discrimination-Related Stress As Moderated By Coping Resources, Madeline S. Blocker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Student behavior management is a critical component of efficacious teaching and a leading contributor to teachers’ stress. Prior research has shown that teachers experiencing greater levels of workplace stress may utilize more punitive and exclusionary disciplinary techniques. However, these strategies often do not effectively manage student problem behavior and are associated with adverse student outcomes. In contrast, positive behavior management techniques have shown efficacy in managing student behavior while promoting students’ success and wellbeing. This study explored the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of workplace stress (i.e., work-related and discrimination-related) and their use of positive or punitive behavior management techniques. Additionally, …

An Observed Increase In Cardiovascular And Respiratory-Disease Related Hospitalizations And Mortality In An Area Surrounding A Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment Plant, Liana Isabelle Dela Torre Baconguis

LSU Master's Theses

Particulate matter (PM) pollution is highly correlated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease incidence. The generation of oxidative stress is a major way by which PM can damage the body. Environmentally persistent free radical-containing PM are generated by combustion processes and are capable of exerting increased damage on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems due to their ability to remain stable and regenerate reactive oxygen species for up to five years. Clean Harbors, LLC operates a thermal treatment plant near the city of Colfax, LA in Central Louisiana. Its regular open burning of explosives causes disturbances to the community, such as loud …

Institutional Rhetoric And Campus Reactions: A Multi-Method Case Study Exploring University Communication And Social Responsibility In A Racial Crisis, Rockia K. Harris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This case study explores how an institution in the southeastern conference (SEC) responded to racial reckonings before and after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, how students came to perceive the institution's responses and commitment to diversity and inclusion. To understand this phenomenon beyond apologia and image repair theory, the discourse of renewal theoretical framework and university social responsibility guides this dissertation. This work fills a gap in the literature on crisis communication in response to racism in higher education spaces. Using critical discourse analysis and an open-ended survey, this dissertation further explores the idea of social responsibility of institutions …

A "Rock To Lean On": Young Singers' Experiences In A Community Choir In Louisiana, Yulene Velásquez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to investigate young singers’ experiences in the Livingston Parish Children’s Choirs organization (LPCC), a community-based children’s choir program in Denham Springs, Louisiana. I investigated the impact of those experiences on the children’s lives inside and outside of the ensemble from the perspective of the artistic director and co-director, parents, and the singers themselves.

The LPCC was founded in 1991 by Barbara Walker and her mother, Regina Walker. According to Barbara Walker, the mission of the organization is “to prepare children to go out and be lifelong singers.” This choral community is characterized …