Digital Commons Network^™

Work Hard For The Money: Performance-Based Funding In The State Of Louisiana, Victoria C. Lloyd

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine in what ways, if any, the introduction of the equity incentive portion of Louisiana’s performance-based funding model impacted the underserved student groups it was designed to support. I employed a quantitative quasi-experimental design for this study by running three outcome variables (Adult Learner Enrollment, First-Time Enrollment for Racially Minoritized Students, and Low-Income Student Enrollment) by sector (two- and four-year public institutions) and employing a differences-in-differences regression with panel data. In my analysis I uncovered two main findings: 1) Louisiana’s equity incentive is showing early signs of success for all three underserved groups …

A Comparative Analysis Of Models Of Cybersecurity In Louisiana Public School Systems, Bonnie B. Chelette

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

K-12 schools in Louisiana face unique cybersecurity challenges due to the state's high poverty rate, resource constraints, infrastructure weaknesses, and vulnerability to natural disasters. Public school systems in Louisiana have been particularly vulnerable to these attacks, with incidents of cyberattacks tripling in 2020 alone. The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has implemented several cybersecurity initiatives, including the Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission and the Louisiana Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (LaCISO). However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of these initiatives and cybersecurity models in Louisiana public schools. This study aims to address this gap in understanding by conducting a …

Μconadapter: Reinforcement Learning-Based Fast Concurrency Adaptation For Microservices In Cloud, Jianshu Liu, Shungeng Zhang, Qingyang Wang

Faculty Publications

Modern web-facing applications such as e-commerce comprise tens or hundreds of distributed and loosely coupled microservices that promise to facilitate high scalability. While hardware resource scaling approaches [28] have been proposed to address response time fluctuations in critical microservices, little attention has been given to the scaling of soft resources (e.g., threads or database connections), which control hardware resource concurrency. This paper demonstrates that optimal soft resource allocation for critical microservices significantly impacts overall system performance, particularly response time. This suggests the need for fast and intelligent runtime reallocation of soft resources as part of microservices scaling management. We introduce …

The Impact Of Participation In 4-H Camp On The Connectedness To Nature Of Urban 4-H Members, Derek S. Landrum

LSU Master's Theses

Overnight summer camps are beneficial experiences that provide 4-H members from urbanized areas the chance to experience the outdoors and appreciate nature. Previous research shows that time in the outdoors can increase connection to nature. Furthermore, connection to nature is associated with adoption of pro‑environmental behavior, lowering of negative emotions, and positive general well-being. For this thesis, the researcher is interested in finding out if participation in 4-H summer camp has a significant effect on participant’s connection to nature as measured by the Children’s Environmental Perceptions Scale (CEPS) and the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (INS). Previous work has …

Multichannel Low-Cost Sensor For Iaq Monitoring: Implementation And Guidelines, Isaac Ntiamoah

LSU Master's Theses

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is adversely affected by both indoor and outdoor environments, and rental homes occupied by low-income families suffer the most. Poor indoor air can be detrimental to the health of occupants, especially for susceptible populations like those with respiratory diseases such as asthma. Although IAQ monitoring is necessary, it is a challenging, costly, and time-intensive task. Moreover, the protocol for assessing IAQ in residential settings varies, and additional research is needed to establish a standard operating procedure that incorporates new monitoring technologies, such as low-cost air sensors. However, there is a dearth of comprehensive, evidence-based protocols for …

Productivity Of Wood Ducks, Black-Bellied Whistling-Ducks, And Hooded Mergansers Using Nest Boxes In Louisiana, Dylan L. Bakner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Resident female wood ducks (Aix sponsa) in the southeastern United States are managed through nest box programs, with the goal of enhancing local hunting opportunities. Historically, hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) were the only other cavity-nesting waterfowl species in the southeastern United States known to use these nest boxes. However, the recent northward range expansion of black-bellied whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) has extended into the range of wood ducks and mergansers. All three species are brood parasites, potentially using one another as hosts for their parasitic eggs and impacting their reproductive output. My research evaluated the …

Becoming Avian: Amazonian Featherworks From The John P. O’Neill Collection, Madeline R. Blanchard

LSU Master's Theses

In 1998 ornithologist John P. O’Neill donated an ethnographic collection of 434 objects he was gifted from researcher Charles Fugler or purchased from persons in Pucallpa, Peru, during his time there studying Amazonian birds. I evaluate 18 feathered objects. According to O’Neill, the cultures responsible for the items are the Cashinahua, Aguaruna, Achual, and Arawak. Eighteen of these items are beautifully crafted arrangements of feathered clothing and objects. The collection includes five headdresses, five bouquets, a hat, a necklace, three tassels, a backrack, a scarf, and a hair tie.

The objects and the seventeen species of bird used are active …

Directing The Stereoselectivity Of The Claisen Rearrangement To Form Cyclic Ketones With Full Substitution At The Α-Positions, Fatimat O. Badmus, Raju S. Thombal, Satish Chandra Philkhana, Joshua A. Malone, Christian E. Bailey, Estefania Armendariz-Gonzalez, Edward W. Mureka, Cale M. Locicero, Frank R. Fronczek, Rendy Kartika

Faculty Publications

We report an enantioselective synthesis of cyclic ketones with full substitutions at the α-positions in a highly diastereoselective manner. Our method is achieved by subjecting substrate motifs in 2-allyloxyenones to chiral organomagnesium reagents, which trigger the Claisen rearrangement upon direct 1,2-carbonyl addition. The observed diastereoselectivity of the allyl migration is proposed to originate from the intramolecular chelation of the magnesium alkoxide to the allyloxy moiety.

Do Fishery Meeting Attendees Represent The Fishing Industries?, Dominique Seibert

LSU Master's Theses

Public meetings are a highly utilized tool for disseminating important or useful information. Many agencies rely on them to reach various stakeholders and community representation at these meetings is important. A substantial amount of research has been conducted on various aspects of public meetings including different techniques, factors impacting attendance, and representativeness, that is attendees’ opinions representing the opinions at-large. A noticeable gap in the research includes information on public fishery meetings, commercial fishing industries, and their members’ participation. With the U.S. commercial fishing industries supporting more than a million jobs and providing more than a 200-billion-dollar economic impact annually, …

The Effects Of Amira Learning On Literacy Development In Early Childhood Education, Caroline C. Tolentino

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of an Artificial Intelligence software, Amira Learning, on literacy development in early childhood education. Specifically, the research investigated the impact of Amira Learning software usage, the feedback it provided, and teachers' perspectives on its alignment with the Science of Reading. The study employed quantitative analyses of oral reading fluency outcomes and compared the pretest and posttest scores of the students after the 6-week usage of the software.

Nikolai Medtner And The Beethoven Tradition In Performance And Pedagogy, Jamie E. Gurt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The compositions of Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) have received increasing attention in both performance and scholarship. This monograph explores the influence of the Beethoven tradition in Medtner’s piano sonatas with a focus on performance and pedagogy. An examination of Medtner’s biography contextualizes Medtner’s training in composition and performance, as well as philosophical and personal influences. Next, the study examines Medtner’s writings on Beethoven as well as current scholarship on the piano sonatas of the two composers, observing influences in overall formal and stylistic characteristics. Exploring performance and pedagogy, the study considers examples from Medtner’s recordings of his Sonata Tragica, Op. …

Problem Recognition In Culturally Diverse Parent Mental Health Help Seeking, Grace Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There is evidence of a disparity between mental health prevalence rates in children and service utilization. Thus, many children are not receiving support for their mental health needs despite prevalent symptoms and high levels of psychopathology. This disparity is even greater for children from culturally diverse families who face unique stressors in comparison to their White peers. Given the known positive and preventative effects of early intervention, this places culturally diverse children at disproportionate risk for adverse mental health outcomes. Parents are gatekeepers responsible for responding to their child’s mental health needs. Thus, it is necessary to study the unique …

Augmenting External Surface Pressures’ Predictions On Isolated Low-Rise Buildings Using Cfd Simulations, Md Faiaz Khaled, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper is to enhance the accuracy of predicting time-averaged external surface pressures on low-rise buildings by utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. To achieve this, benchmark studies of the Silsoe cube and the Texas Tech University (TTU) experimental building are employed for comparison with simulation results. The paper is structured into three main sections. In the initial part, an appropriate domain size is selected based on the precision of mean pressure coefficients on the windward face of the cube, utilizing Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models. Subsequently, recommendations regarding the optimal computational domain size for an …

Quantifying The Effect Of Covid-19 On Port Congestion, Corey R. Mayeux

LSU Master's Theses

The Covid-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions in global supply chains and port operations, leading to congestion, delays, and container shortages. Governments implemented containment measures, affecting social behavior and economic activity. Ports faced significant challenges due to shifts in demand, labor shortages, and supply chain bottlenecks. E-commerce surge and other disruptions intensified pressures on ports. The pandemic's impact exacerbated challenges for ports and supply chains, and triggered inflationary pressures. This research aims to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on port congestion and the global supply chain at the Port of Long Beach, Port of New York and New Jersey, Port of …

Structural Health Monitoring And Repair Of Welded Thermoplastic Composite Joints Using Embedded Multifunctional Films, Wencai Li

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Thermoplastic composites (TPCs) have gained widespread use, particularly in large or integrated structural components, necessitating effective joining techniques. Fusion bonding (welding) has emerged as a suitable method for TPCs due to their ability to be reshaped through heating and cooling, eliminating the need for mechanical fasteners, long curing times, and extensive surface preparation. Among the welding techniques, ultrasonic welding (USW) stands out for its fast-cycling time and potential for automating large-scale structures, thereby reducing energy consumption. However, limited industrial applications of USW in this context require further knowledge to instill confidence in the process. Moreover, composite structures are susceptible to …

Are We There Yet?, Marion S. Freistadt

LSU Master's Theses

To solve the Climate Crisis, a global Energy Transition is required. The primary contemporary tool for tackling these two massive problems is modeling, both biophysical climate models and IAMS (Integrated Assessment Models) which combine socioeconomic and technological progress with Climate Change. However, the proliferation and complexity of modeling systems make it difficult for most people to contribute substantively to solutions. In particular, stakeholders, policymakers, nonspecialists and activists require sufficient understanding of modeling to impact outcomes.

In this thesis, after summarizing the Climate Crisis and potential Energy Transition solutions, I review current modeling approaches. Models can be considered in terms of …

Secondary Traumatic Stress And Other Contributors To Teacher Burnout And Attrition, Mary Snellings W. Inabnett

LSU Master's Theses

Teachers are the most important factor in eliciting positive student outcomes. Yet, teacher attrition is an increasing problem, due to the demands of the profession. These demands are exacerbated in high-needs schools, which serve students who are exposed to higher levels of stress and trauma. It is understood that, because of the populations high-needs schools serve, teachers who work in these schools are exposed to secondary traumatic stress (STS) at higher rates than other teachers. What is less clear is if STS exposure contributes to teacher attrition, beyond other known factors. The current study surveyed 104 teachers from a school …

Building Solidarity Between Minority Groups, Seonwoo Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Although a considerable number of scholars agree that an intergroup coalition among minorities will be more powerful in changing biased perceptions, regulations, and policies (e.g., Burson & Godfrey, 2020; Lane et al., 2019), cross-minority solidarity is challenging due to the inherent difficulties in establishing a shared goal and reaching a consensus on methods and tactics (Gawerc, 2021; Rogers, 2004) and competing policy stances and stereotypes (Hope, 2019; Nopper, 2006). Numerous instances of social movements that failed due to the failure of coalitions to form have been documented in the literature (e.g., Almeida, 2010; Ferree & Roth, 1998; Gelb & Shogan, …

A Metropolitan French Isolate In North America: The French Language In Saint-Pierre-Et-Miquelon, Marc Cormier

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

No abstract provided.

France Within Louisiana Law, Government, And Media, Nicolas Garon

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

No abstract provided.

Le Québec Entre Le « Past-Self » Et Le « Possible-Self » Dans La Face Cachée De La Lune, Andisheh Ghaderi

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

No abstract provided.

Ready Worker One? High-Res Vr For The Home Office, Anastasia Ruvimova, Felipe Fronchetti, Boden A. Kahn, Luiz Henrique Susin, Zekeya Hurley, Thomas Fritz, Mark Hancock, David Shepherd

Faculty Publications

Many employees prefer to work from home, yet struggle to squeeze their office into an already fully-utilized space. Virtual Reality (VR) seemingly offered a solution with its ability to transform even modest physical spaces into spacious, productive virtual offices, but hardware challenges - such as low resolution - have prevented this from becoming a reality. Now that hardware issues are being overcome, we are able to investigate the suitability of VR for daily work. To do so, we (1) studied the physical space that users typically dedicate to home offices and (2) conducted an exploratory study of users working in …

Influences On Participation In The National Flood Insurance Program’S Community Rating System In Coastal Counties In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, And Florida, Jennifer E. Argote

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National Flood Insurance Program provides an incentive-based program, the Community Rating System (“CRS”), to encourage communities to improve their hazard mitigation protocols to better protect against and prevent flood-related hazards. This dissertation analyzes factors that influence participation and points scored within the CRS to gain an understanding of the conditions under which communities are willing and able to take advantage of an incentive-based flood hazard mitigation program. It also includes an analysis of survey responses from 41 coastal county floodplain and CRS managers to gauge their opinions on the CRS and how it can be improved to better serve …

Noise In The Ligo Livingston Gravitational Wave Observatory Due To Trains, J. Glanzer, S. Soni, J. Spoon, A. Effler, G. González

Faculty Publications

Environmental seismic disturbances limit the sensitivity of LIGO gravitational wave detectors. Trains near the LIGO Livingston detector produce low frequency (0.5- 10 H z ) ground noise that couples into the gravitational wave sensitive frequency band (10- 100 H z ) through light reflected in mirrors and other surfaces. We investigate the effect of trains during the Advanced LIGO third observing run, and propose a method to search for narrow band seismic frequencies responsible for contributing to increases in scattered light. Through the use of the linear regression tool Lasso (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) and glitch correlations, we …

International Pediatric Covid-19 Severity Over The Course Of The Pandemic, Yanshan Zhu, Flávia Jacqueline Almeida, J. Kenneth Baillie, Asha C. Bowen, Philip N. Britton, Martin Eduardo Brizuela, Danilo Buonsenso, David Burgner, Keng Yih Chew, Kulkanya Chokephaibulkit, Cheryl Cohen, Stephania A. Cormier, Nigel Crawford, Nigel Curtis, Camila G.A. Farias, Charles F. Gilks, Anne Von Gottberg, Diana Hamer, Daniel Jarovsky, Waasila Jassat, Ana Rita Jesus, Lisa S. Kemp, Benjawan Khumcha, Georgina Mccallum, Jessica E. Miller, Rosa Morello, Alasdair P.S. Munro, Peter J.M. Openshaw, Srivatsan Padmanabhan, Wanatpreeya Phongsamart, Gary Reubenson, Nicole Ritz, Fernanda Rodrigues, Supattra Rungmaitree

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Importance: Multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged over the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications for COVID-19 severity in children worldwide are unclear. Objective: To determine whether the dominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) were associated with differences in COVID-19 severity among hospitalized children. Design, Setting, and Participants: Clinical data from hospitalized children and adolescents (younger than 18 years) who were SARS-CoV-2 positive were obtained from 9 countries (Australia, Brazil, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, and the US) during 3 different time frames. Time frames 1 (T1), 2 (T2), and 3 (T3) were defined to represent periods of dominance by …

Regional Variation In The Trophic Ecology Of Wahoo (Acanthocybium Solandri) In The Western Atlantic Ocean, Brendan Gough, Alexandra Prouse, Michael A. Dance, R. J.David Wells, Jay R. Rooker

Faculty Publications

Intrinsic tracers, such as stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, are common dietary markers that accumulate in the muscle tissue of consumers and can be used to determine the dietary sources and trophic positions of consumers. The aim of this study was to assess regional variation in the trophic ecology of wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) using bulk stable isotopes. Muscle biopsies of wahoo were collected from four regions in the western Atlantic Ocean: the eastern Gulf of Mexico, western Gulf of Mexico, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. Muscle tissue δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values for wahoo ranged …

Journey Of A Thousand Miles: From Manpo-Kei' To The First Steps-Based Physical Activity Recommendations, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Matthew Ahmadi, Marie H. Murphy, Timothy James Chico, Karen Milton, Borja Del Pozo Cruz, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, I. Min Lee, Jason Gill

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Second International Consensus Report On Gaps And Opportunities For The Clinical Translation Of Precision Diabetes Medicine, Deirdre K. Tobias, Jordi Merino, Abrar Ahmad, Catherine Aiken, Jamie L. Benham, Dhanasekaran Bodhini, Amy L. Clark, Kevin Colclough, Rosa Corcoy, Sara J. Cromer, Daisy Duan, Jamie L. Felton, Ellen C. Francis, Pieter Gillard, Véronique Gingras, Romy Gaillard, Eram Haider, Alice Hughes, Jennifer M. Ikle, Laura M. Jacobsen, Anna R. Kahkoska, Jarno L.T. Kettunen, Raymond J. Kreienkamp, Lee Ling Lim, Jonna M.E. Männistö, Robert Massey, Niamh Maire Mclennan, Rachel G. Miller, Mario Luca Morieri, Jasper Most, Rochelle N. Naylor, Bige Ozkan, Kashyap Amratlal Patel, Scott J. Pilla

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Precision medicine is part of the logical evolution of contemporary evidence-based medicine that seeks to reduce errors and optimize outcomes when making medical decisions and health recommendations. Diabetes affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, many of whom will develop life-threatening complications and die prematurely. Precision medicine can potentially address this enormous problem by accounting for heterogeneity in the etiology, clinical presentation and pathogenesis of common forms of diabetes and risks of complications. This second international consensus report on precision diabetes medicine summarizes the findings from a systematic evidence review across the key pillars of precision medicine (prevention, diagnosis, treatment, …

White Adipose Tissue Heterogeneity In The Single-Cell Era: From Mice And Humans To Cattle, Hunter Ford, Qianglin Liu, Xing Fu, Clarissa Strieder-Barboza

Faculty Publications

Adipose tissue is a major modulator of metabolic function by regulating energy storage and by acting as an endocrine organ through the secretion of adipokines. With the advantage of next-generation sequencing-based single-cell technologies, adipose tissue has been studied at single-cell resolution, thus providing unbiased insight into its molecular composition. Recent single-cell RNA sequencing studies in human and mouse models have dissected the transcriptional cellular heterogeneity of subcutaneous (SAT), visceral (VAT), and intramuscular (IMAT) white adipose tissue depots and revealed unique populations of adipose tissue progenitor cells, mature adipocytes, immune cell, vascular cells, and mesothelial cells that play direct roles on …

A Single-Cell Atlas Of Bovine Skeletal Muscle Reveals Mechanisms Regulating Intramuscular Adipogenesis And Fibrogenesis, Leshan Wang, Peidong Gao, Chaoyang Li, Qianglin Liu, Zeyang Yao, Yuxia Li, Xujia Zhang, Jiangwen Sun, Constantine Simintiras, Matthew Welborn, Kenneth Mcmillin, Stephanie Oprescu, Shihuan Kuang, Xing Fu

Faculty Publications

Background: Intramuscular fat (IMF) and intramuscular connective tissue (IMC) are often seen in human myopathies and are central to beef quality. The mechanisms regulating their accumulation remain poorly understood. Here, we explored the possibility of using beef cattle as a novel model for mechanistic studies of intramuscular adipogenesis and fibrogenesis. Methods: Skeletal muscle single-cell RNAseq was performed on three cattle breeds, including Wagyu (high IMF), Brahman (abundant IMC but scarce IMF), and Wagyu/Brahman cross. Sophisticated bioinformatics analyses, including clustering analysis, gene set enrichment analyses, gene regulatory network construction, RNA velocity, pseudotime analysis, and cell–cell communication analysis, were performed to elucidate …