Digital Commons Network^™

Identification Of Possible Regeneration Enhancer Sequences In Polypterus Senegalus By Atac Sequencing, Miles Casey-Flores

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Bistro Mélange Business Plan, Cade Acosta

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Development Of A 3d-Printed Device To Study How Bacteria Alters The 3d Migration Of Breast Cancer Cells, Jack Bedell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Spanish Pianistic Landscape: A Study On Salvador Brotons's Solo Piano Works, Angela P. Gonzalez Gimenez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation delves into the figure of Spanish composer Salvador Brotons, focusing on his solo piano works, particularly his Piano Sonata, Op. 124. Through performative and music theory analyses, it aims to deepen musicians' understanding of Brotons's compositional style, providing insights into his musical language and influences. Key questions addressed include Brotons's compositional style, influences in his music, and the necessary insights for effective performance. Brotons, a multifaceted musician, excels not only as a composer but also as an instrumentalist, conductor, and educator, enriching each role with his diverse expertise. The study concentrates on his piano compositions while acknowledging …

¡Mujeres Chéveres! – Cool Women!, Hernan A. Gonzales Mejia

LSU Master's Theses

¡MUJERES CHÉVERES! – Cool Women! is a body of work and writing that looks into the history of feminism and analyzes the activism of Colombian women, highlighting their resilience and spirit. Policarpa Salavarrieta, Maria Cano, Madre Laura Montoya, and Adriana Ocampo are a few examples of Colombian women’s contributions to social movements and gender equality. Movements like “Estamos Listas” in Medellín are discussed for their role in advocating for women’s rights and societal change.

As a self-identified feminist male, this body of work, draws from my upbringing among influential women to investigate the societal roles of Colombian women. This …

After The Storm: Associations Of Hope And Post-Traumatic Growth In Hurricane Ida Recovery In Younger And Older Adults, Piper J. Bordes

LSU Master's Theses

In recent years, there has been an increase in interest among researchers to understand the impact of severe weather events on measures of health and well-being across the adult lifespan. Previous studies have shown that older age and state hope may act as protective factors that are associated with reduced mental health impacts of hurricanes and flooding. While most prior studies have examined the physical and mental health impacts of severe weather events, very few studies have examined post-traumatic growth in a disaster context, and virtually no prior studies have directly compared younger and older adult samples. Therefore, the present …

Coming To America: Exploring The Cross-Cultural Adaptation Of African International Students At A Pwi And Hbcu In The U.S. South, Adwoa F. Baffour

LSU Master's Theses

African international students undergo significant challenges in their cross-cultural adaption in the United States. The cross-cultural adaptation of international students, particularly those from African countries, in a new environment assumes paramount importance due to its direct correlation with their mental and social well-being (Shafaei and Razak, 2016). Furthermore, the mental and social well-being of African international students attending universities in the southern United States has a profound impact on their overall success and overall college experience. This underscores the urgent need for future research to delve deeper into the cross-cultural adaptation experiences of African international students at United States universities, …

Her Seat At The Table: A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Education Policymakers, Vickey R. Silas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black women leaders as education policymakers to understand the essence of their journey to leadership positions and the impetus behind their decision-making. Despite progress, Black women remain marginalized and underrepresented in policymaking leadership roles and decision-making spaces (Griffin et. al, 2013). They face challenges that are intersectional like gender and race. My research question was what are the lived experiences of Black women education policymakers and how do these experiences impact their decision-making? While employing a transcendental phenomenological approach, I acknowledged my biases through reflexivity and bracketed them while also …

59th Student Senate Week 8 Meeting Minutes, Zoe Joubert

Student Senate Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Trump Effect: How Partisanship Shapes Perceptions Of The Fbi, Carly A. Watts

LSU Master's Theses

Following the 2016 presidential election, some Republicans viewed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as politically biased because the agency investigated the Trump campaign's possible collusion with the Russian government. Soon after, public opinion polling found that Republicans had diminishing levels of support for the agency. Using the 2020 ANES, I examine how partisanship affects perceptions of the FBI. I hypothesize that the relationship between partisanship and FBI evaluations is conditional on an individual's support for Donald Trump. The results from my analysis suggest that as support for Trump increases, the relationship between Republican partisan strength and FBI evaluations weakens.

You’Re Looking Very Shane Today: Rhetorical Field Methods & The Materiality Of Queer Mediated Representation For Sapphic Women, Ariel L. Kizer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

When marginalized communities are left without real-life mentors, they often turn to media as a guide. In this project I assert that mediated sapphic woman characters impact the identity development and everyday experiences for sapphic women in material ways. I explore what mediated narratives sapphic women consume and analyze how these messages become symbolic rhetorical tools that queer women rhetorically mobilize to narrativize and negotiate their queer identities. To achieve this goal, I utilized rhetorical field methods by interviewing 20 queer women ranging from the ages of 25-40 in dyadic, semi structured interviews. These women use varying terms to label …

Selective Vapor Condensation For The Synthesis And Assembly Of Spherical Colloids With A Precise Rough Patch, Kennedy A. Guillot, Philip J. Brahana, Ahmed Al Harraq, Nduka D. Ogbonna, Nicholas S. Lombardo, Jimmy Lawrence, Yaxin An, Michael G. Benton, Bhuvnesh Bharti

Faculty Publications

Patchy particles occupy an increasingly important space in soft matter research due to their ability to assemble into intricate phases and states. Being able to fine-tune the interactions among these particles is essential to understanding the principles governing the self-assembly processes. However, current fabrication techniques often yield patches that deviate chemically and physically from the native particles, impeding the identification of the driving forces behind self-assembly. To overcome this challenge, we propose a new approach to synthesizing spherical colloids with a well-defined rough patch on their surface. By treating polystyrene microspheres with vapors of a good solvent, here an acetone-water …

What Is Eai? A Short History Of The Style’S Evolution And Development Of Identifiable Characteristics, Dylan Burchett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

EAI (Electro-Acoustic Improvisation) has long presented issues pertaining to its definition and practice. This is due to the wide range of acoustic and electronic sounds present in the style as well as the style’s stated adherence to improvisation. This stated adherence to improvisation and wide potential range of acoustic and electronic sounds seem to clash with EAI’s stylistic consistencies. Because the EAI style has been difficult to define, it has also been difficult to place historically within experimental music traditions. In order to clarify the definition, practice, and historical positioning of EAI and identify where the style’s boundary lines around …

Physical Activity Barriers And Facilitators In African American Women: A Social Ecological Models Perspective, Leah Ann Carter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

African American (AA) women experience poor health outcomes that can be addressed by increasing PA engagement. Understanding how PA barriers and facilitators occur at multiple levels of influence may help tailor PA interventions for AA women. Although prior work has established barriers to PA that are unique to African American women, few studies identify the sociocultural norms associated with these impediments. Little is known about the cultural implications of barriers such as haircare maintenance, and public policy.

The primary aim of this dissertation was to capture AA women’s voice about PA barriers and facilitators using the social ecological model framework. …

Development Of Accurate Embedded Fracture Models For Naturally Fractured Reservoirs, Harun Ur Rashid

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Natural fractures play a critical role in the performance of unconventional oil, gas, and geothermal reservoirs due to their prevalent occurrence within these systems. However, modeling these fractures accurately and efficiently is still challenging. This work centers on an extensive analysis of naturally fractured systems and proposes new fracture modeling algorithms that can predict the performance of fractured tight rocks accurately and efficiently. Several researchers have explored various methodologies to accurately and efficiently model fractured reservoirs. Among the approaches that can account for each individual fracture in these reservoirs, the embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) is one of the most …

Effects Of Social Media Use Disparities On Community Resilience To Disasters, Kejin Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the rapid development of social media, many researchers chose to use social media data to conduct studies of disaster resilience. This dissertation addresses three fundamental challenges related to social media use and disaster resilience analysis including: how the spatial analysis scale affects the results of social media use disparity and its impacts on disaster resilience; how different vulnerability and resilience measurement methods can generate very different results; and how social media use disparity can be identified to help improve the fairness of AI-based emergency rescue model development. Therefore, the first part of the dissertation measured the relationships between disparities …

Multi-Decadal Coastal Acidification In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Driven By Climate Change And Eutrophication, Zong Pei Jiang, Cao Qin, Yiwen Pan, Chengfeng Le, Nancy Rabalais, Robert Eugene Turner, Katja Fennel, Kui Wang, Wei Jun Cai

Faculty Publications

Coastal waters often experience enhanced ocean acidification due to the combined effects of climate change and regional biological and anthropogenic activities. Through reconstructing summertime bottom pH in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 1986 to 2019, we demonstrated that eutrophication-fueled respiration dominated bottom pH changes on intra-seasonal and interannual timescales, resulting in recurring acidification coinciding with hypoxia. However, the multi-decadal acidification trend was principally driven by rising atmospheric CO2 and ocean warming, with more acidified and less buffered hypoxic waters exhibiting a higher rate of pH decline (− 0.0023 yr^{− 1}) compared to non-hypoxic waters (− 0.0014 yr …

Running To Or Running From: Exploring The Phenomenology Of Off-Cycle Turnover In Entry Level Housing Professionals, Kate Gannon-Cullinan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Housing and residence life as a functional area serves as a major entry point for careers in higher education and student affairs. With the majority of annual job postings within entry-level, live-in housing roles, the future of the field may well be predicted in these high-impact, high-turnover positions on college campuses. As these functional areas continue to struggle to find themselves fully-staffed throughout their academic year cycle, the impact on both the student experience and organizational health is impacted. This study utilized an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore the experiences and feelings of those entry-level, live-in housing professionals who chose …

Modulation Of Methoxyfenozide Release From Lignin Nanoparticles Made Of Lignin Grafted With Pcl By Rop And Acylation Grafting Methods, Alvaro Garcia, Carlos E. Astete, Rafael Cueto, Cristina M. Sabliov

Faculty Publications

An efficient and sustainable agriculture calls for the development of novel agrochemical delivery systems able to release agrochemicals in a controlled manner. This study investigated the controlled release of the insecticide methoxyfenozide (MFZ) from lignin (LN) nanoparticles (LNPs). LN-grafted poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (LN-g-PCL) polymers were synthesized using two grafting methods, ring-opening polymerization (ROP)(LN-g-PCLp) and acylation reaction (LN-g-PCLa), creating polymers capable of self-assembling into nanoparticles of different properties, without surfactants. The LN-g-PCLp polymers exhibited a degree of polymerization (DP) from 22 to 101, demonstrating enhanced thermal stability after LN incorporation. LNPs loaded with MFZ exhibited a spherical core-shell structure with a hydrophilic LN …

Pal-Bert: An Improved Question Answering Model, Wenfeng Zheng, Siyu Lu, Zhuohang Cai, Ruiyang Wang, Lei Wang, Lirong Yin

Faculty Publications

In the field of natural language processing (NLP), there have been various pre-training language models in recent years, with question answering systems gaining significant attention. However, as algorithms, data, and computing power advance, the issue of increasingly larger models and a growing number of parameters has surfaced. Consequently, model training has become more costly and less efficient. To enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the training process while reducing the model volume, this paper proposes a first-order pruning model PAL-BERT based on the ALBERT model according to the characteristics of question-answering (QA) system and language model. Firstly, a first-order network …

Food Insecurity And Premature Mortality And Life Expectancy In The Us, Hao Ma, Xuan Wang, Xiang Li, Yoriko Heianza, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Oscar H. Franco, Lu Qi

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE Food insecurity has been linked to multiple causes of disease and premature mortality; however, its association with mortality by sex and across racial and ethnic groups remains unknown in the US. OBJECTIVE To investigate the associations of the entire range of food security with all-cause premature mortality and life expectancy across racial and ethnic and sex groups in US adults. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study included adults (aged ≥18 years) who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018, with linkage to the National Death Index through December 31, 2019. Data analysis …

Speculating About Genocide: The Queensland Frontier 1859–1897, Mark Finnane, Jonathan Richards

Faculty Publications

In the colonisation of Queensland, Australia it is commonly accepted that large numbers of Indigenous people were killed in the second half of the nineteenth century. Calculations of violent mortality have recently been revised radically upwards. We suggest that the methodology deployed in these new studies is unreliable, reflecting errors in counting and calculation, as well as underestimating the selection bias of the samples. We caution against projecting aggregate violent mortality where the underlying data are so imperfect and emphasise the value of more detailed local and regional studies to inform better understanding of colonisation's impact on First Peoples.

Transformative Insights: Break Up With Salt (Buws) Program’S Short-Term Influence On Hypertension Risk Factors, Jean Pierre Enriquez, Helena Salgado, Christopher Kuetsinya, Li Hsiang Lin, Elizabeth Gollub

Faculty Publications

Break Up with Salt (BUWS) is a four-session community-based nutrition education program aimed at reducing key controllable hypertension risk factors. This pilot study utilized a pre-post survey design to assess short-term outcomes on food behaviors (including DASH diet eating patterns), physical activity, and overall well-being, in two groups of participants. The first “pilot” group (n = 25) completed a comprehensive, 16-item survey; the second “abbreviated” group (n = 27) completed a 5-item survey. The pilot group experienced improvements in whole grain (p = 0.04), sweetened beverage consumption, watching/reducing sodium (p = 0.04) and fat (p = 0.05) consumption, and time …

Two-Pore Potassium Channel Trek-1 (K2p2.1) Regulates Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activity In Macrophages, Camille N. Immanuel, Bin Teng, Brittany E. Dong, Elizabeth M. Gordon, Charlean Luellen, Benjamin Lopez, Jeffrey Harding, Stephania A. Cormier, Elizabeth A. Fitzpatrick, Andreas Schwingshackl, Christopher M. Waters

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Because of the importance of potassium efflux in inflammasome activation, we investigated the role of the two-pore potassium (K2P) channel TREK-1 in macrophage inflammasome activity. Using primary alveolar macrophages (AMs) and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from wild-type (wt) and TREK-1–/– mice, we measured responses to inflammasome priming [using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] and activation (LPS þ ATP). We measured IL-1b, caspase-1, and NLRP3 via ELISA and Western blot. A membrane-permeable potassium indicator was used to measure potassium efflux during ATP exposure, and a fluorescence-based assay was used to assess changes in membrane potential. Inflammasome activation induced by LPS þ ATP increased IL-1b …

Growing The Next Generation Of Horticulture Customers And Stakeholders Through Industry And Extension Outreach Collaborations1, Natalie Bumgarner, Alicia Rihn, Julie Campbell, Sheri Dorn, Heather Kirk-Ballard

Faculty Publications

As the horticulture consumer base transitions to younger generations, educational outreach collaborations between Extension and industry could be a mutually beneficial way to serve an increasingly diverse customer audience. A recent study investigated drivers of, and opportunities for, increased participation in plant-related activities using an online survey of 2,134 respondents. Both participants and non-participants in plant-related activities were surveyed. Some of the commonly cited reasons for non-participation were a lack of knowledge and overall success, illustrating an opportunity for education to be beneficial. While many plant retailers may not have the personnel or resources to engage widely in education, collaborations …

Exercise-Induced Changes In Central Adiposity During An Rct: Effect Of Exercise Dose And Associations With Compensation, James L. Dorling, John W. Apolzan, Neil M. Johannsen, Diana M. Thomas, Christoph Höchsmann, Daniel S. Hsia, Corby K. Martin

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Context: Exercise can decrease central adiposity, but the effect of exercise dose and the relationship between central adiposity and exercise-induced compensation is unclear. Objective: Test the effect of exercise dose on central adiposity change and the association between central adiposity and exercise-induced weight compensation. Methods: In this ancillary analysis of a 6-month randomized controlled trial, 170 participants with overweight or obesity (mean ± SD body mass index: 31.5 ± 4.7 kg/m2) were randomized to a control group or exercise groups that reflected exercise recommendations for health (8 kcal/kg/ week [KKW]) or weight loss and weight maintenance (20 KKW). Waist circumference …

A Pragmatic Trial Of A Family-Centered Approach To Childhood Obesity Treatment: Rationale And Study Design, Amanda E. Staiano, Alyssa M. Button, Alison Baker, Robbie Beyl, Anne Marie Conn, Angela Lima, Jeanne Lindros, Robert L. Newton, Richard I. Stein, R. Robinson Welch, Stephen Cook, Denise E. Wilfley

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Family-based behavioral treatment (FBT) is an effective intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment for obesity reduction in children and adolescents, but families have limited access. The purpose of this randomized, pragmatic, comparative effectiveness trial was to examine changes in child relative weight in a 12-month, enhanced standard of care (eSOC) intervention combined with FBT (eSOC+FBT) vs. eSOC alone. Methods: Children aged 6 to 15 years with obesity, and their primary caregiver, were recruited from primary care clinics. Families were randomized 1:1 to eSOC, a staged approach led by the primary care provider that gradually intensified dependent on a child's …

Gendered Perceptions And Socio-Economic And Spatial Determinants Of Fear Of Crime: An Empirical Analysis In Szczecin, Poland, Natalia Sypion, Arkadiusz Kołodziej, Michael Leitner, Marek Dutkowski

Faculty Publications

The study of the fear of crime phenomenon provides a socially and politically important research question. Many studies show that gender differentiates the fear of crime, which is why we examine this phenomenon in a spatial perspective. The female versus male perspective of feelings of safety in residential areas were significantly different. The research was carried out using the CAWI technique in the city of Szczecin, in Poland (n=346). The research also examined which factors influenced the fear of crime the most: darkness, socio-economic characteristics, type of violations, number of registered crimes, or the assessment of police work. The research …

Motivators Of Circular Fashion: The Antecedents Of Chinese Consumers’ Fashion Renting Intentions, Chunmin Lang, Ruirui Zhang

Faculty Publications

This study investigates how intrinsic (i.e., shopping values, frugality, and perceived enjoyment) and extrinsic factors (i.e., perceived risks) influence Chinese consumers’ intentions regarding fashion renting. A quantitative study was conducted with data collected from a Chinese online research platform named Wenjuanxing. Data cleaning generated 322 valid samples out of 354 returned responses. Both SPSS 23.0 and Mplus 7 were used for data analysis. The hypotheses were tested through a structural equation model (SEM). The results theoretically confirm and expand the knowledge regarding what conceptual constructs impel or restrain consumers’ renting behaviors. The positive influences of frugality, perceived enjoyment, and attitude …

Unlocking The Potential Of Artificial Intelligence In Fashion Design And E-Commerce Applications: The Case Of Midjourney, Yanbo Zhang, Chuanlan Liu

Faculty Publications

The fashion industry has shown increasing interest in applying artificial intelligence (AI), yet there is a significant gap in exploring the potential of emerging diffusion-modeling-based AI image-generation systems for fashion design and commerce. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of Midjourney, one such AI system, in both fashion design and related commerce applications. We employed the action research approach with the Functional, Expressive, and Aesthetic (FEA) Consumer Needs Model as the theoretical framework. Our research comprised three stages: refining an initial idea into well-defined textual design concepts, facilitating concept development, and validating the preceding observations and reflections by …