Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Sequential Technical Practices Towards Skill Development And Musical Expression In Violin Performance And String Pedagogy Methods, Erin Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes the Erin Kim System, a pedagogical framework designed to support sequential technical development and musical expression in beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of violin performance. This system examines how structured technical progression, guided repertoire sequencing, and a nurturing learning environment with the teacher and parents can foster skill acquisition and long-term musical engagement among violin students. Musical enjoyment and inspiration serve as primary motivators for learning, particularly when students are encouraged to work toward performing aspirational repertoire such as the Sibelius Violin Concerto. By organizing repertoire and supplemental exercises in a clear step-by-step process, this system enables …

Gas Lift Valve Operation Under Elevated Pressure And Temperature Conditions, Pedro O. De Melo Flores

LSU Master's Theses

Gas lift valves are critical components in artificial lift systems, and their performance directly influences well unloading efficiency and long-term production. Current industry models used to correct valve opening and closing pressure for temperature rely on assumptions that have not been extensively validated against experimental data. This study experimentally investigates the opening and closing behavior of injection pressure-operated (IPO) gas lift valves under controlled elevated-temperature conditions. A load rate test bench was modified to include a heating system capable of maintaining valve temperatures up to 220°F. Five gas lift valve designs from multiple manufacturers were tested over a range of …

Effects Of Static Ankle Stretching On Balance And Gait: The Roles Of Age And Parkinson's Disease, Taylor M. Gauss

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation involves the effects of static ankle stretching on balance and gait in adults of different ages and with Parkinson’s disease (PD). A brief introduction in Chapter 1 precedes a detailed literature review in Chapter 2, in which we identify gaps in research on balance and gait following ankle stretching and explain why ankle stretching may serve as a predominant strategy for improving motor performance in aging and PD populations. In Chapter 3, we present the first study identifying whether muscle group selection or stretch duration influences balance in young adults. Results showed that longer durations …

Just City And Racialized Media: How A Non-Profit Provokes Policy And Fights Criminal Injustices, Isabella L. Wollfarth

LSU Master's Theses

This study explored the intersection of racialized media narratives, nonprofits, and penal policy through a case study of Just City, a nonprofit criminal justice organization located in Shelby County, Tennessee. Through the lens of Just City, this study explored how nonprofits resist racialized media narratives regarding crime and how in turn this contributes to penal policy reforms. This is accomplished using a thematic analysis to draw larger conclusions from coding Just City’s Instagram and through extensive interviews with Just City staff and local Shelby County and Tennessee politicians. These methods are guided by framing theory, an ideological framework that explains …

A Pretraining-Based Framework For On-Device Training Of Imu-Based Locomotion Mode Detection For Wearable Active Exoskeletons, Muhammad Tahir Khan

LSU Master's Theses

Active exoskeletons are being developed to support human movement in physically demanding industries such as construction. For these systems to work effectively, they must be able to correctly identify the user’s current activity. This process is known as locomotion mode detection and plays an important role in selecting the appropriate control parameters for exoskeletons. Many existing approaches use inertial measurement units (IMUs) to recognize these activities and have shown strong performance. However, most of these methods depend on large amounts of labeled data collected under specific conditions. As a result, they often do not perform well when applied to new …

Theory, Experiments, And Image Recovery Algorithms For X-Ray Interferometry, Hunter C. Meyer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: X-ray grating interferometry is a form of X-ray phase contrast imaging capable of simultaneously measuring attenuation, differential-phase, and dark-field images arising from X-ray absorption, refraction, and small-angle scattering, respectively. These additional contrast mechanisms have potential clinical and industrial applications, particularly for lung tissue characterization and disease identification. As grating interferometers approach clinical viability, key challenges include reducing X-ray dose, mitigating mechanical instability, and correcting spectral artifacts resulting from beam hardening.

Methods: The modulated phase grating interferometer (MPGI) is a potential solution for reducing X-ray dose by eliminating the analyzer grating used in alternative interferometer designs, including the Talbot-Lau interferometer …

The Power Of Beliefs: Cognitive Pathways Linking Mental Health Literacy To Psychological Distress, Katherine Elise Kirsch

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mental health disorders are prevalent in children and adolescents, and they are accompanied by challenges throughout the lifespan. Mental health literacy (MHL) provides a flexible framework to address child and adolescent mental health. Identifying significant relationships between MHL and mental health outcomes has the potential to inform successful interventions. This study uses a secondary analysis of data gathered for the Study on Attitudes of Adolescents and Young Adults Toward Relevant Health Issues to isolate MHL belief domains that significantly effect psychological distress levels in adolescents.

The Swiss Youth Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Survey was used to assess the MHL, …

Some Modal Insights From A Defense Of The Principle Of Sufficient Reason, Daniel Kim

LSU Master's Theses

The Principle of Sufficient Reason has a long history, but basically put, states that everything that exists has a reason or explanation for its existence. This principle has been a controversial one as it has been used to argue for the existence of God and have been accused of entailing determinism. In this thesis, I will be defending a version of the PSR advocated by Alexander Pruss, that all true contingent propositions need an explanation. I will also argue that the principle of sufficient reason should be restricted to our phenomenal experiences, just like Kant does.

This is in response …

The Living Archive: Photography, Social Media, And The New Frontier Of Activism, Lundyn C. Herring

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis seeks to analyze the discursive field and technology of photography and its multi-faceted role in the oppression of colonized people under Western imperialism. Among the main collection highlights of many established state-run archival institutions are photographic records consisting of surveillance images, mugshots, and other visual media as representations of the political hegemony that is exerted over governed peoples. From the mid-19th century to 2026, much has shifted in the realm of photography with the introduction of smartphones, accessible technology, and social media platforms during the beginning of the twenty-first century. As states and powerholders apply the technology of …

Wearable Sensor System Used To Measure Linear And Angular Acceleration Of The Head Of American Football Players, David A. Emerson

LSU Master's Theses

American football players are repeatedly subject to high-velocity impacts; collisions can exceed 100 g in the NFL [1]. Rotational accelerations of the head caused by high-velocity collisions have been proven to be extremely damaging to the highly organized brain fibers at the brain-skull interface [2]. The sensor system (SS) measures the nonplanar acceleration at four locations on a chin strap using ADXL314 accelerometers and utilizes rigid-body kinematics to estimate the head rotational state from the measured acceleration of the SS [3]. The SS was validated through progressive testing, including steady-state, linear impact, and rotational impact testing. The ADLX314 sensor exhibited …

Effect Of Light Elements On The Melting Behavior Of Liquid Iron Alloys Under Earth’S Inner Core Boundary Conditions, Olaniyi Anisere

LSU Master's Theses

The temperature at Earth’s inner core boundary (ICB) is set by the melting temperature of the iron-rich outer core at core pressures, yet this remains uncertain because melting depends strongly on composition and pressure. Light elements are required to explain the core’s density deficit, but the identity, abundance, and combined influence of these elements on melting under ICB conditions are still debated. This thesis quantifies how candidate light elements modify the melting behavior of iron alloys at ICB-relevant pressures and uses these composition-dependent melting relations to constrain ICB temperature.

Melting relations were determined using molecular dynamics simulations in VASP accelerated …

Acquiring Egypt: Napoleon, Joséphine, And The Formation Of France’S Collections Of Egyptian Antiquities, 1792-1822, Anna E. Dow

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the seizure and acquisition of Egyptian antiquities by the French government between 1792 and 1822. During this period, the French government seized antiquities for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was to benefit the French people politically and financially and to support the French ideals of art and civilization. Egyptian antiquities were collected almost accidentally, as French armies confiscated the collections of the wealthy in Paris and the aristocratic collections in Italy. But the presence of the art prompted the curiosity of the French, which led to a greater interest in Egyptian antiquities. However, …

Curriculum For A Two Semester Calculus Course Specializing In Life Science And Data Science, Patrick Mcclain

LSU Master's Theses

Traditionally, introductory calculus has been designed for engineering and physics students, often leaving students majoring in data science or life sciences with a curriculum that lacks professional relevance and is overly reliant on problems that focus on computational fluency. This thesis proposes a two-semester sequence, called MATH 153X and MATH 154X, specifically tailored for the Louisiana State University (LSU) Dual Enrollment program and university-level data science and life sciences majors. By integrating modern computational tools—such as symbolic calculators and artificial intelligence (AI) tools—the proposed curriculum shifts the pedagogical focus from procedural symbolic manipulation toward conceptual literacy.

Through a series …

Making The Right Decisions For Adaptive Radiotherapy, Chloe C.F. Ditusa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: Daily anatomical changes can invalidate the geometric, dosimetric, and biological assumptions of reference radiotherapy plans, yet quantitative evidence describing fraction-level deviations across disease sites remains limited. This work developed and evaluated a metric-based framework for daily dose assessment to characterize temporal treatment behavior and inform adaptive decision-making in Head and Neck (H&N) radiotherapy and Prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Methods: A web-based Dashboard was created to compute geometric, dosimetric, and radiobiological metrics from daily dose recalculations. Calculations were first verified against a commercial treatment-planning analysis platform. Daily dose on anatomy-of-the-day was reconstructed using CBCT-based pseudo-CTs for H&N and daily …

Secondary English Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences With The Ela Guidebooks Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study, Bodie Dufrene

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As standards-based curriculum reforms expand across the United States, school districts have increasingly adopted scripted curricular materials to promote coherence across classroom practice and strengthen alignment to standardized assessments. Within Louisiana, efforts to align English instruction to the Common Core State Standards manifested in the creation of the ELA Guidebooks curriculum by the Louisiana Department of Education. Guidebooks provides teachers with sequenced units of instruction organized around a central novel, explicit directions, pacing guidance, and cumulative writing tasks aligned to central unit questions. This qualitative study explored how secondary (i.e., grades 6-12) English teachers perceived and described their experiences implementing …

Comparison Of Sampling Methods For Estimation Of Aquatic Insect Diversity And Abundance Across Seasonal Gradients In A Southern U.S. River System, Albert Henry Gasperecz

LSU Master's Theses

Determination of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage composition plays a vital role in assessment and management of lotic systems throughout the U.S. However, the validity of biomonitoring programs depends on accurate and precise measures of macroinvertebrate abundance, which in turn are dependent on sampling gears and protocols. The goal of this project was to assess how gear selection influences estimates of aquatic insect abundance and diversity, and how this selection can affect biological monitoring practices. I used 4 different gears in 3 southern Mississippi streams to aquatically and terrestrially collect aquatic insects seasonally throughout 2024. I identified and recorded all genera present …

Distributed Graph Computation In C++ Using Hpx, Panagiotis Syskakis

LSU Master's Theses

Graph analytics are central to applications, ranging from scientific computing to social-network analysis. Many large graph workloads exceed the memory capacity and performance capabilities of a single machine. Existing distributed graph systems often force a trade-off between programmability and performance: high-level platforms can incur substantial runtime overheads, while lower-level distributed libraries frequently expose complex or fragile programming models. This thesis investigates whether modern C++ can support generic distributed graph algorithms that remain both expressive and efficient. We present a prototype distributed graph library in C++ built on the HPX runtime system and guided by the abstractions of the NWGraph library. …

An Analysis And Performer's Guide Of Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam By Clark Hubbard, Tyler Hawk

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Clark Hubbard is currently the Assistant Director of the Vanderbilt Marching and Athletic Bands. He is active as an American percussionist, composer, artist, and educator. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States and overseas, including solo, chamber, percussion, and electronic compositions. This document aims to analyze Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam, discussing how the fixed media influences musical decisions. This document is also a performer’s guide for the piece.

Percussion with fixed media has been composed for since the early to middle 1900s. Inspiration from the techniques and early pieces of fixed media composition can be found in …

The Impact Of The Two-Way Immersion Model On Hispanic Pre-Service And In-Service Teachers’ Understanding Of Curriculum Implementation In Early Childhood Field Placements, Omar J. Vigo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Dual language education, also known as Two-Way Immersion (TWI), is a teaching method that puts native English speakers and native speakers of another language in the same classroom. This helps both groups become bilingual and biliterate (Christian, 1996; Lindholm-Leary, 2001). The TWI approach highlights several benefits, including bilingualism and biliteracy, academic achievement, cross-cultural competence, cognitive improvements, and equity and accessibility (Lindholm-Leary, 2001). Research on the TWI model in adults is limited, although it has demonstrated effectiveness in supporting Hispanic teacher candidates, unlike studies conducted in primary education. This demonstrates that the TWI methodology benefits students (Van Booven, 2012). This …

Marine Vehicle Dynamics Using Koopman Operator Theory With Hybrid Observables, Mikhalib A L Green

LSU Master's Theses

Accurate modeling of marine vehicle dynamics remains challenging due to strong nonlinear hydrodynamic effects, environmental disturbances, and sensitivity to configuration changes, particularly for small-scale platforms. Classical physics-based models require extensive parameter identification and often exhibit degraded performance outside narrow operating regimes, while purely data-driven approaches may lack structure or impose high computational cost. This thesis presents a data-driven Koopman operator framework with hybrid observables for modeling the dynamics of unmanned marine vehicles. The proposed approach combines structured monomial observables with a learned neural network embedding to construct a lifted state representation in which the nonlinear vehicle dynamics are approximated by …

Large-Scale File Fragment Classification Via Multi-View Learning, Samuel Hildebrand

LSU Master's Theses

File reassembly is one of the most fundamental tasks in digital forensics, enabling recovery of data from potentially damaged storage media even when file system metadata is unavailable. This thesis reviews more than two decades of work in the realm of file carving, with a particular focus on fragmented file carving, which remains a focus of research, and file fragment classification, a principal component of fragmented file carving. This thesis serves a literature review of both file carving and fragmented file carving, surveys the massive amounts of data needed for the task of fragment classification and the datasets that serve …

Expanding Access To Latin American Art Song: A Study Of Theodoro Valcárcel's Andean-Influenced Art Songs, Douglas E. Perez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

EXPANDING ACCESS TO LATIN AMERICAN ART SONG: A STUDY OF THEODORO VALCÁRCEL’S ANDEAN-INFLUENCED ART SONGS advocates for the exploration and performance of underrepresented Latin American composers. Multiple methods of increasing access are discussed, including the creation of a central source for IPA, literal, and poetic translations of Latin American art songs; the study of seldom-performed composers, their output, and influences; and the application of these elements through informed performance. This document centers on the Peruvian composer Theodoro Valcárcel and analyzes the intersection of his indigenous heritage with his Latin American and European musical training as reflected in his compositional style …

Key Elements Of Mission-Based Urban Agriculture In The United States Aimed At Addressing The Social Determinants Of Health, Jordan Losavio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Urban agriculture (UA) in the United States (U.S.) is increasingly positioned as a multi-domain strategy for addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), yet evidence is fragmented and often focused on participant outcomes rather than the organizational and environmental conditions that determine whether those benefits can be sustained, expanded, or maintained over time. This dissertation uses an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to clarify (1) what SDOH outcomes are associated with UA in the peer-reviewed literature, (2) which internal and external factors leaders perceive as driving UA organizational success or failure, and (3) which factors predict comparative organizational functioning across a national …

Recovery And Validation Of Fragmented Rar Files Through The Scalpel3 Application, Thomas L. Landaiche Iii

LSU Master's Theses

A core component of filesystems includes an address table or other means of tracking metadata on where a given file resides within a disk image. This is crucial for regular operation of a computer, or disk analysis in digital forensics. When filesystem information is missing or corrupted, locating saved files on a disk becomes challenging. Whether the disk was accidentally wiped or intentionally tampered with, data still present on the disk, even while untracked, can possibly be recovered beyond what the filesystem registers. File carving in digital forensics is important for these scenarios when data recovery is necessary but address …

Multimodal Thermal And Mechanical Characterization Of Cryopreservation Effects In Biological Cells, Subhrajyoti Sourav Kumar Kundu

LSU Master's Theses

Cryopreservation is critical for long-term storage of cells, tissues, organs, and reproductive cells in medicine, biotechnology, and conservation. However, its success is limited by ice formation and cryoinjury, prompting extensive research into analytical tools for understanding and improving cryopreservation outcomes. We outline the principles of each technique and how they are used to detect key thermal and physical events such as ice nucleation, vitrification, devitrification, and cryoinjury. DSC enables quantitative thermal characterization including critical cooling/warming rates (ranging from 1-200°C/min for various systems) and glass transition temperatures. Cryomicroscopy provides direct real time visualization of ice crystal dynamics, distinguishing intracellular versus extracellular …

Engaging Underrepresented 11- To 14-Year-Olds In Music: An Autoethnographic Case Study Of A New Inner-City Afterschool Group Piano Program, Eden A. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research in music education has documented the underrepresentation of Black students in formal music study in the United States, shaped by economic and cultural barriers (Elpus & Abril, 2024; Alegrado & Winsler, 2020). Access to piano instruction is often limited by the high cost of lessons and instruments, inequitable school funding, and the absence of culturally responsive curricula that reflect the experiences of minority students and families. Traditional piano pedagogy rarely addresses this absence, leaving the piano both symbolically and practically distant for many potential musicians in the United States. This autoethnographic case study chronicles the development, launch, and first …

Biomechanical Trade-Offs Between Root Tensile Strength And Porosity In Coastal Marshes, M. O. Hassan, N. H. Jafari, A. S. Rovai, R. R. Twilley

Faculty Publications

Root biomechanics play a fundamental role in stabilizing wetland soils and sustaining coastal ecosystems under increasing environmental stress. This study investigates the tensile strength (TS) and internal porosity (n) of roots from two dominant marsh grasses, Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens, across four sites in the Mississippi River Delta Plain (MRDP), spanning active (Atchafalaya) and inactive (Terrebonne) basins. Through approximately 300 tensile strength tests conducted on live roots across diameter classes and depths, we observed a consistent decline in strength with increasing root diameter and depth. Fine roots (< 2 mm), particularly those in the upper 15 cm, showed the highest tensile resistance, reinforcing their critical role in erosion control. To assess morphological drivers, we employed high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with a machine learning (ML) segmentation pipeline to quantify porosity and visualize aerenchyma. Coarse roots exhibited significantly higher porosity due to large central lumens and expanded aerenchyma, while fine roots maintained denser tissue structures. An exponential decay relationship emerged between porosity and tensile strength, indicating a trade-off: increased void space enhances oxygen diffusion in waterlogged soils but compromises mechanical integrity. This inverse relationship was most pronounced in saline environments, suggesting that stress amplifies structural compromises in root traits. This integrative approach, combining precision mechanical testing, advanced imaging, and ML-based analysis, provides a scalable and reproducible framework for characterizing root biomechanics. Findings advance understanding of plant contributions to belowground stability in coastal wetlands and offer practical insights for restoration strategies to enhance shoreline resilience.

Informing Change: A Final Research Report On The Findings From The Longitudinal R&D Partnership For Math Equity Project, H. Colleen Sinclair, Samuel Robison, Youn Kyoung Kim, Stacey R. Terrio, Judith Lee Falgout Rhodes

Reports

This report covers a three-year partnership between the LSU Social Research and Evaluation Center, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools (EBR Schools), and DreamBox Learning, in which we conducted a longitudinal, multi-method examination of the effectiveness of DreamBox’s tech-based math intervention on EBRPS student performance. The three key research questions – developed with guidance from our Gates Foundation funding partners – are outlined below with abbreviated conclusions. The body of the report provides further detail on the methods, results, and interpretations of our quantitative study. We complement these conclusions with qualitative insights drawn from focus groups with teachers and students.

Qatt&Ck: An Extended Framework For Classifying Adversarial Techniques And Tactics Threatening Quantum Computing Infrastructure Based On Mitre’S Att&Ck, Justin Benjamin Woodring

LSU Master's Theses

The integration of quantum computing into governmental and business processes has raised concerns about potential threats to these systems. To address this, we introduce a novel extension of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, QATT&CK, which provides an extended taxonomy for classifying adversarial Tactics and Techniques in quantum cybersecurity. Our adapted framework bridges the definitions of traditional cybersecurity with a focus on quantum computing infrastructure, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of adversarial behavior in this domain. To evaluate our proposed framework, we leverage current and ongoing research in quantum cyber threats, mapping real-world attacks to our taxonomy to demonstrate its effectiveness in …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Motivations For Homeschooling Among Black Americans, Portia J. Witt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the motivations and lived experiences of African American homeschooling families. Twelve Black parents from multiple states participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) Modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method and coded thematically using NVivo. Nine themes emerged: autonomy, holistic education, community belonging, online networks, public resources, curriculum gaps, personal values, effective learning, and legacy of harm. While racialization in schools—including tracking, microaggressions, and misidentification—contributed to participants’ decisions, motivations also reflected intersectional factors such as faith, disability, mental health needs, giftedness, and a desire for cultural protection and flexible learning. Findings suggest homeschooling serves as a …