Digital Commons Network^™

Metabolic Adaptations And Substrate Oxidation Are Unaffected By Exogenous Testosterone Administration During Energy Deficit In Men, Lee E.E.M. Margolis, Kara L. Marlatt, Claire E. Berryman, Emily E. Howard, Nancy E. Murphy, Christopher T. Carrigan, Melissa N. Harris, Robbie A. Beyl, Eric Ravussin, Stefan M. Pasiakos, Jennifer C. Rood

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Introduction/Purpose The effects of testosterone on energy and substrate metabolism during energy deficit are unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of weekly testosterone enanthate (TEST; 200 mg·wk-1) injections on energy expenditure, energy substrate oxidation, and related gene expression during 28 d of energy deficit compared with placebo (PLA). Methods After a 14-d energy balance phase, healthy men were randomly assigned to TEST (n = 24) or PLA (n = 26) for a 28-d controlled diet- and exercise-induced energy deficit (55% below total energy needs by reducing energy intake and increasing physical activity). Whole-room indirect calorimetry …

Measurement Of The Neutron Cross Section On Argon Between 95 And 720 Mev, S. Martynenko, B. Bhandari, J. Bian, K. Bilton, C. Callahan, J. Chaves, H. Chen, D. Cline, R. L. Cooper, D. L. Danielson, J. Danielson, N. Dokania, S. Elliott, S. Fernandes, S. Gardiner, G. Garvey, V. Gehman, F. Giuliani, S. Glavin, M. Gold, C. Grant, E. Guardincerri, T. Haines, A. Higuera, J. Y. Ji, R. Kadel, N. Kamp, A. Karlin, W. Ketchum, L. W. Koerner, D. Lee, K. Lee, Q. Liu

Faculty Publications

We report an extended measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 95-720 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-hour exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. Compared to an earlier analysis of the same data, this extended analysis includes a reassessment of systematic uncertainties, in particular related to unused wires in the upstream part of the detector. Using this information we doubled the fiducial volume in the experiment and increased the statistics by a factor of 2.4. We also shifted the analysis from energy bins to time-of-flight bins. This …

Minimal Volume Entropy Of Raag's, Matthew Haulmark, Kevin Schreve

Faculty Publications

Bregman and Clay recently characterized which right-angled Artin groups with geometric dimension 2 have vanishing minimal volume entropy. In this note, we extend this characterization to higher dimensions.

Blow-Up Criteria Below Scaling For Defocusing Energy-Supercritical Nls And Quantitative Global Scattering Bounds, Aynur Bulut

Faculty Publications

We establish quantitative blow-up criteria below the scaling threshold for radially symmetric solutions to the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation with nonlinearity |u|⁶ u. This provides to our knowledge the first generic results distinguishing potential blow-up solutions of the defocusing equation from many of the known examples of blow-up in the focusing case. Our main tool is a quantitative version of a result showing that uniform bounds on L²-based critical Sobolev norms imply scattering estimates. As another application of our techniques, we establish a variant which allows for slow growth in the critical norm. We show that if …

Genome-Wide Association Analysis Of Hyperspectral Reflectance Data To Dissect The Genetic Architecture Of Growth-Related Traits In Maize Under Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Inoculation, Rafael Massahiro Yassue, Giovanni Galli, Chun Peng James Chen, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Gota Morota

Faculty Publications

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) may be of use for increasing crop yield and plant resilience to biotic and abiotic stressors. Using hyperspectral reflectance data to assess growth-related traits may shed light on the underlying genetics as such data can help assess biochemical and physiological traits. This study aimed to integrate hyperspectral reflectance data with genome-wide association analyses to examine maize growth-related traits under PGPB inoculation. A total of 360 inbred maize lines with 13,826 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated with and without PGPB inoculation; 150 hyperspectral wavelength reflectances at 386–1021 nm and 131 hyperspectral indices were used in the …

Neutron Interferometry Using A Single Modulated Phase Grating, I. Hidrovo, J. Dey, H. Meyer, D. S. Hussey, N. N. Klimov, L. G. Butler, K. Ham, W. Newhauser

Faculty Publications

Neutron grating interferometry provides information on phase and small-angle scatter in addition to attenuation. Previously, phase grating moiré interferometers (PGMI) with two or three phase gratings have been developed. These phase-grating systems use the moiré far-field technique to avoid the need for high-aspect absorption gratings used in Talbot-Lau interferometers (TLI) that reduce the neutron flux reaching the detector. We first demonstrate, through theory and simulations, a novel phase grating interferometer system for cold neutrons that requires a single modulated phase grating (MPG) for phase-contrast imaging, as opposed to the two or three phase gratings in previously employed PGMI systems. The …

The Rise Of Machine Learning In Polymer Discovery, Cheng Yan, Guoqiang Li

Faculty Publications

In the recent decades, with rapid development in computing power and algorithms, machine learning (ML) has exhibited its enormous potential in new polymer discovery. Herein, the history of ML is described and the basic process of ML accelerated polymer discovery is summarized. Next, the four steps in this process are reviewed, that is, dataset selection, fingerprinting, ML framework, and new polymer generation. Finally, a couple of main challenges for ML accelerated polymer discovery is presented and the outlooks in this field are prospected. It is expected that this review can service as a useful tool for the people who just …

Who Fared Better? A Comparison Of K-8 Traditional District And Charter Schools In East Baton Rouge Parish During The Covid-19 Pandemic., Sara Anne Martin

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Mechanism Of Inhibition Of Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase By Glnb, Corrine Hutchinson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation To Study The Dynamics Of A Collection Of Interacting Elliptical Cylinders Drive By Shear Flow In A Periodic Domain, Rahul Ramaraju

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Genomic Scale Analyses Support The Placement Of Red Pandas (Ailurus Styani) But Reveal Conflict Within Mustelidae, Shelby Oliveaux

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Accurately Valuing Blue Carbon Sequestration And Storage To Foster Coastal Conservation Via Evidence-Based Policymaking And Model Environmental Services Statute Methodologies, John Shelton Penton Jr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Blue carbon ecosystems, especially mangrove forests, provide one of nature’s most effective means for sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in subsurface soils. The six nearshore coastal morphologies found in tropical and subtropical regions each possess a conspicuous environmental signature that can be employed to accurately estimate and predict mangrove forests’ carbon storage in above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, and the soils by system type. The consistent geomorphology and geophysical processes within each of these coastal environmental settings, that is, the wave and tidal forcings, the rate of coastal sediment accretions, nutrient load and limitations (e.g., nitrogen-to-phosphorus …

An Examination Of Relationships Between Ear-Playing Skills And Intonation Skills Of High School And College-Aged Wind Instrumentalists, Ben Michael Herrick

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Playing by ear and the ability to play in tune are components of musicianship that rely heavily on the ability to successfully discriminate musical pitches. Connections between ear-playing and intonation performance have rarely been addressed. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between intonation performance and ear-playing skills of high school and college-aged wind instrumentalists. Research questions were: (1) What is the relationship between the ability to play by ear and intonation performance? (2) How does intonation ability differ when the participants sightread notation compared to performing music that was learned by ear? (3) Do differences appear in …

Cable Decoupling And Cable-Based Stiffening Of Continuum Robots, Parsa Molaei

LSU Master's Theses

Cable-driven continuum robots, which are robots with a continuously flexible backbone and no identifiable joints that are actuated by cables, have shown great potential for many applications in unstructured, uncertain environments. However, the standard design for a cable-driven continuum robot segment, which bends a continuous backbone along a circular arc, has many compliant modes of deformation which are uncontrolled, and which may result in buckling or other undesirable behaviors if not ameliorated. In this study, a detailed approach for using additional cables to selectively stiffen planar cable-driven robots without substantial coupling to the actuating cables is investigated. A mechanics-based model …

Beyond Machine Learning: An Fmri Domain Adaptation Model For Multi-Study Integration, Lauryn Michelle Burleigh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Traditional machine learning analyses are challenging with functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) data, not only because of the amount of data that needs to be
collected, adding a particular challenge for human fMRI research, but also due to the change in
hypothesis being addressed with various analytical techniques. Domain adaptation is a type of
transfer learning, a step beyond machine learning which allows for multiple related, but not
identical, data to contribute to a model, can be beneficial to overcome the limitation of data
needed but may address different hypothesis questions than anticipated given the analysis
computation. This dissertation assesses …

The Perceptions, Experiences, And Stories Of Tied-Migrant Music Educators: How The Personal And Professional Blend, Rachel K. Broyles

LSU Master's Theses

Centering around the purpose of examining the lived experiences and perspectives of self-identified tied-migrant music educators and how the transitory aspects of their personal lives impact their professional careers, this phenomenological case study discusses the findings of both a review of literature and completed original research utilizing two participants who are tied-migrant spouses in the music education field and examine their stories. For this study, tied- migrant spouses are defined as persons who are married to individuals who frequently relocate due to their professional occupation (Mincer, 1978). Participants include tied-migrant military spouses and tied-migrant civilian spouses.

Specific research questions include: …

Control And Optimization Of Multi-Agent Systems With Applications In Connected And Autonomous Electric Vehicles, Shaopan Guo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A multi-agent system (MAS) is a system in which multiple autonomous agents interact with each other to achieve a common goal. Nevertheless, current designs of MAS controllers typically rely on particular requirements, such as time-triggered communication, linear dynamics, and access to global information. These limitations restrict the applicability of MASs. This thesis aims to eliminate these constraints and optimize the energy consumption of a specific MAS, namely connected autonomous electric vehicles (CAEVs).

This thesis first addresses the consensus problem of linear MASs with intermittent communication. An adaptive distributed control algorithm that integrates edge-based event-triggered (ET) communication mechanisms is presented in …

Extending Token Economy Systems For Children With Learning Disabilities And Developmental Disabilities Using Operant Behavioral Economics, Parker Levins

LSU Master's Theses

Token economy systems have been used successfully in various general and special education classrooms. Although effective, educators seldom have a priori information on the performance of their reinforcers within the schedules of reinforcement that comprise the token economy. Most token economies are initially designed based on clinical judgment and respective schedules are typically selected on an arbitrary basis (e.g., token-production Fixed Ratio 1 [FR1], exchange-production FR5). This introduces uncertainty whereby the initial arrangement may be too lax (i.e., work expectations are low for the student) or too strict (i.e., work expectations are high for the student), which both have the …

Frontal Polymerizations: From Chemical Perspectives To Macroscopic Properties And Applications, Benjamin A. Suslick, Julie Hemmer, Brecklyn R. Groce, Katherine J. Stawiasz, Philippe H. Geubelle, Giulio Malucelli, Alberto Mariani, Jeffrey S. Moore, John A. Pojman, Nancy R. Sottos

Faculty Publications

The synthesis and processing of most thermoplastics and thermoset polymeric materials rely on energy-inefficient and environmentally burdensome manufacturing methods. Frontal polymerization is an attractive, scalable alternative due to its exploitation of polymerization heat that is generally wasted and unutilized. The only external energy needed for frontal polymerization is an initial thermal (or photo) stimulus that locally ignites the reaction. The subsequent reaction exothermicity provides local heating; the transport of this thermal energy to neighboring monomers in either a liquid or gel-like state results in a self-perpetuating reaction zone that provides fully cured thermosets and thermoplastics. Propagation of this polymerization front …

Baldcypress (Taxodium Distichum) And Their Growth And Development Under Abiotic Stressors Related To Restoration Efforts, George Washburn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Baldcypresss (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) forests are crucial to the Southeast coastal region for the trees’ ecosystem services. Many organizations have been trying to restore the ghost and dead forests found throughout the Gulf region through restoration events. Baldcypress seedlings and saplings face several abiotic and biotic stressors, including but not limited to elevated levels of salinity, nutrients, temperature, and light intensity. These stressors can be the limiting factor in the success or failure of these massive planting efforts.

To assess which stressors were of most concern to the restoration efforts, we conducted common garden experiments with baldcypress seedlings …

Motivators And Preferences Of Route Diversion During Roadway Incidents, Grace Cole

LSU Master's Theses

When confronted with congestion and delay, drivers often divert their route. Depending on factors like purpose, urgency, destination, route alternatives, type of disruption, and mode options, common diversionary options can range from changing departure time, route, and mode to canceling a trip altogether. One of the foundational building blocks of travel forecasting is traffic assignment, which is used to distribute trips over a network using complex algorithms to aggregately represent the desire of drivers to minimize travel time.

While these assignment models are backed by decades of research and observational experience, they are also limited by the fact that they …

Analytic Continuation Of Toeplitz Operators And Commuting Families Of C*-Algebras, Khalid Bdarneh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this thesis we consider the Toeplitz operators on the weighted Bergman spaces and their analytic continuation. We proved the commutativity of the $C^*-$algebras generated by the analytic continuation of Toeplitz operators with special class of symbols that are invariant under suitable subgroups of $SU(n,1)$, and we showed that commutative $C^*-$algebras with symbols invariant under compact subgroups of $SU(n,1)$ are completely characterized in terms of restriction to multiplicity free representations. Moreover, we extended the restriction principal to the analytic continuation case for suitable maximal abelian subgroups of the universal covering group $\widetilde{SU(n,1)}$, and we obtained the generalized Segal-Bargmann transform, where …

Stellar Binaries And Post-Merger Evolution: A Framework For Stellar Evolution And Nucleosynthesis In R Coronae Borealis Stars, Bradley Munson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We have developed a framework for simulating binary stars through all three relevant
timescales: the dynamical merger, thermal, and nuclear evolution. The framework begins by simulating a dynamical merger in a 3-dimensional hydrodynamics adaptive mesh refinement code, Octo-Tiger, and performing a spherical averaging calculation to map the post-merger remnant into the 1-dimensional stellar evolution code, MESA. In this work, we primarily utilize this framework for simulating double white dwarf mergers, which are believed to be the progenitor to R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars. We evolve the post-merger in MESA and compare the computed surface abundances to those observed …

Modelling Illiquid Stocks Using Quantum Stochastic Calculus, Will Hicks

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Symmetric Functions Algebras I: Introduction And Basic Features, Philip Feinsilver

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Effective Connectivity Of Functional Mri Via Deep Learning Methods, Kai-Cheng Chuang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Effective connectivity, based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series signals, is the quantification of how strongly brain activity in a certain source brain region contributes to brain activity in a target brain region, independent of the contributions of other source regions. Current methods to solve this problem have several limitations. They are either unable to model nonlinear relationships between source and target signals, unable to efficiently quantify time lags in source-target relationships, unable to identify time-varying relationships, or fail to account for variability in the hemodynamic response function that converts neuron activity to a measurable signal. In this …

Random Variables With Overlapping Number And Weyl Algebras I, Ruma Dutta, Gabriela Popa, Aurel Stan

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Odds And Ends, Jimmie D. Lawson

Seminar on Continuity in Semilattices

No date.

Something, Gerhard Gierz

Seminar on Continuity in Semilattices

No date.

Autonomous Single-Molecule Manipulation Based On Reinforcement Learning, Bernhard Ramsauer, Grant J. Simpson, Johannes J. Cartus, Andreas Jeindl, Victor García-López, James M. Tour, Leonhard Grill, Oliver T. Hofmann

Faculty Publications

Building nanostructures one-by-one requires precise control of single molecules over many manipulation steps. The ideal scenario for machine learning algorithms is complex, repetitive, and time-consuming. Here, we show a reinforcement learning algorithm that learns how to control a single dipolar molecule in the electric field of a scanning tunneling microscope. Using about 2250 iterations to train, the algorithm learned to manipulate the molecule toward specific positions on the surface. Simultaneously, it generates physical insights into the movement as well as orientation of the molecule, based on the position where the electric field is applied relative to the molecule. This reveals …