Digital Commons Network^™

Failure Analysis Of Light Poles On Highway Bridges Exposed To Extreme Winds, Yanlin Chen

LSU Master's Theses

Light poles are critical secondary structural components that support the functionality and safety of transportation systems. However, they are tall slender structures vulnerable to wind load. This research attempts to analyze the mechanism of the widespread failure (69 poles failed) of light poles on an elevated highway bridge exposed to Category 4 Hurricane Laura (2020). To understand the mechanism of the failure, a comprehensive analysis is conducted. A nonlinear finite element model is created to simulate the structural responses. Wind pressures are obtained and applied to the FEM to perform nonlinear static and transient analysis. Research results indicate that, when …

An Essay On Cover Crops, Crop Yield Risks And Crop Insurance, Rajan Dhakal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To reduce the rising negative environmental impacts of crop production (e.g., chemical runoff, soil erosion) using conservation practices in farming has become a very important policy and research focus. However, the interest of farmers in adopting conservation practices is highly dependent on the potential private benefits that these practices create. With the chances for increased weather variability and frequent extreme weather conditions, cover crops have been gaining more attention, as their on-farm benefits can provide an effective buffer against unfavorable weather events such as excess dry and wet conditions. Despite providing several benefits, cover crop adoption in the US remain …

Black Experiences With Community Gardening In Southeast Louisiana, Kiarah Craft

LSU Master's Theses

Community gardens have been rising in popularity over the past few years (Mayers, 2023). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people across the United States have decided that it is crucial to grow their own food and develop sustainability within their community. Historically, Black communities have been underserved and ignored, especially in relation to food security and community safety (White, 2019, Penniman, 2018). The purpose of this study was to collect information about the effects of community-based gardening programs on Black people in Southeast Louisiana. Additionally, the researcher would like to gain knowledge regarding the reasons that Black people …

Autonomous Shipwreck Detection & Mapping, William Ard

LSU Master's Theses

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

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

LSU Master's Theses

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

On The Evaluation Of Entropy Threshold For Debonding During Crack Prorogation Using Dic Technique, A. Mahmoudi, M. R. Khosravani, M. M. Khonsari, Tamara Reinicke

Faculty Publications

The accumulated entropy at the crack tip of a semi-circular bending (SCB) specimen is investigated to obtain a threshold for material fracture and interatomic debonding. The presented approach uses the experimental data obtained from the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique and strain maps superposed to SCB specimens to measure the plastic flow at the crack tip. The Swift strain hardening model is utilized to calculate the stress domain at the crack tip and, consequently, the plastic strain energy and entropy accumulation. Results show that the crack surface propagates when the generated entropy at the crack tip reaches a critical limit. …

A Systematic Review On The Ecosystem Services Provided By Green Infrastructure, Daniel Jato-Espino, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro, Vanessa Moscardó, Leticia Bartolome Del Pino, Fernando Mayor-Vitoria, Laura Gallardo, Patricia Carracedo, Kristin Dietrich

Faculty Publications

Urbanization and climate change are endangering the sustainability of public spaces through increased land artificialization, ecological fragmentation, reduced resource availability, and limited accessibility to natural and seminatural areas. Properly managing Green Infrastructure (GI) can contribute to mitigating these challenges by delivering multiple provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural Ecosystem Services (ES). This would facilitate the implementation of strategically planned GI networks in cities for urban regeneration purposes. In this context, this study developed a systematic review on the ES provided by GI using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The analysis of 199 eligible articles indicated …

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

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

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

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

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

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

When Can Local Bird Detection Radars Best Complement Broad-Scale Early-Warning Forecasts Of Risk Potential For Bird–Aircraft Strikes As Part Of An Integrated Approach To Strike Mitigation?, Melanie R. Colón, Ashley M. Long

Faculty Publications

Worldwide, wildlife–aircraft strikes cost more than US$1.2 billion in aircraft damage and downtime and jeopardize the safety of aircrews, passengers, and animals. Radar has long been used to monitor flying animal movements and can be a useful tool for strike mitigation. In the USA, the Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) is an early-warning system that integrates data from next-generation weather radar (NEXRAD) weather surveillance radars (WSRs) with historic bird occurrence data to quantify avian activity and forecast the relative bird risk within a ~9.3-km radius of military and civilian airfields. Bird detection radars (BDRs) with both horizontal-surveillance and vertical-scanning components …

Dna Methylation Near Cpt1a And Changes In Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins In Response To Weight-Loss Diet Interventions, Xiang Li, Xiaojian Shao, Qiaochu Xue, Minghao Kou, Catherine M. Champagne, Boryana S. Koseva, Yoriko Heianza, Elin Grundberg, Lydia A. Bazzano, George A. Bray, Frank M. Sacks, Lu Qi

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Context: Carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1A, encoded by the CPT1A gene, plays a key role in the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids in the mitochondria and may be important in triglyceride metabolism. Previous work has shown that high fat intake was negatively associated with CPT1A methylation and positively associated with CPT1A expression. Objective: We aim to investigate the association of DNA methylation (DNAm) at the CPT1A gene with reductions in triglycerides and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) in response to weight-loss diet interventions. Methods: The current study included 538 White participants, who were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 diets varying in macronutrient components. We …

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

Faculty Publications

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

Trends In Gestational Weight Gain In Louisiana, March 2019 To March 2022, Emily W. Harville, Chelsea L. Kracht, Nicole L. Cohen, Elizabeth F. Sutton, Maryam Kebbe, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE Average gestational weight gain (GWG) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is not known whether this trend has continued. OBJECTIVE To examine patterns of GWG during the COVID-19 pandemic by delivery and conception timing through the second year of the pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study is a retrospective review of birth certificate and delivery records from 2019 to 2022. Electronic health records were from the largest delivery hospital in Louisiana. Participants included all individuals giving birth from March 2019 to March 2022. Data analysis was performed from October 2022 to July 2023. EXPOSURE Delivery date …

Impact Of Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging On The Intermediate Production Of Anthracene And Anthraquinone In Fresh Versus Saltwater Environments, Scott J. St. Romain, Laura M. Basirico, Yong Ha Kim, Emily Vebrosky Nolan, Wei Xu, Kevin L. Armbrust

Faculty Publications

While salinity can alter the photodegradation of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs), the cause of their altered kinetics in seawater is not well understood. Because HOC intermediate photoproducts are often more toxic than their parent compounds, characterizing the generation of intermediates in saline environments is needed to accurately predict their health effects. The present study investigated the influence of salinity on the generation of anthraquinone through the photolysis of anthracene and the generation of anthrone and 1-hydroxyanthraquinone from the photolysis of anthraquinone as well as their reactivities with hydroxyl radicals. This was conducted by measuring the photolysis rates of anthracene and …

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

Faculty Publications

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

The Master Growth Regulator Della Binding To Histone H2a Is Essential For Della-Mediated Global Transcription Regulation, Xu Huang, Hao Tian, Jeongmoo Park, Dong Ha Oh, Jianhong Hu, Rodolfo Zentella, Hong Qiao, Maheshi Dassanayake, Tai Ping Sun

Faculty Publications

The DELLA genes, also known as ‘Green Revolution’ genes, encode conserved master growth regulators that control plant development in response to internal and environmental cues. Functioning as nuclear-localized transcription regulators, DELLAs modulate expression of target genes via direct protein–protein interaction of their carboxy-terminal GRAS domain with hundreds of transcription factors (TFs) and epigenetic regulators. However, the molecular mechanism of DELLA-mediated transcription reprogramming remains unclear. Here by characterizing new missense alleles of an Arabidopsis DELLA, repressor of ga1-3 (RGA), and co-immunoprecipitation assays, we show that RGA binds histone H2A via the PFYRE subdomain within its GRAS domain to form a TF–RGA–H2A …

Optimizing Quantitative Trait Loci Introgression In Elite Rice Germplasms: Comparing Methods And Population Sizes To Develop New Recipients Via Stochastic Simulations, John Damien Platten, Roberto Fritsche-Neto

Faculty Publications

This study compared three strategies to develop new recipients for quantitative trait loci (QTL) introgression (background recovery [BG], selective sweep [SS] and breeding value [BV]) in a short-term rice breeding programme (over five breeding cycles). Furthermore, we evaluated two different numbers of recipients (10 and 20) in the introgression process and how they influence the population performance and the QTL fixation over cycles. Finally, we used the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) rice breeding framework as the model to perform the stochastic simulations. Each strategy was simulated and replicated 100 times. Regardless of the selection strategy used, the QTL introgression …

U-Net-Stn: A Novel End-To-End Lake Boundary Prediction Model, Lirong Yin, Lei Wang, Tingqiao Li, Siyu Lu, Zhengtong Yin, Xuan Liu, Xiaolu Li, Wenfeng Zheng

Faculty Publications

Detecting changes in land cover is a critical task in remote sensing image interpretation, with particular significance placed on accurately determining the boundaries of lakes. Lake boundaries are closely tied to land resources, and any alterations can have substantial implications for the surrounding environment and ecosystem. This paper introduces an innovative end-to-end model that combines U-Net and spatial transformation network (STN) to predict changes in lake boundaries and investigate the evolution of the Lake Urmia boundary. The proposed approach involves pre-processing annual panoramic remote sensing images of Lake Urmia, obtained from 1996 to 2014 through Google Earth Pro Version 7.3 …

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

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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

Faculty Publications

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

No Strong Evidence Of The Protein Leverage Hypothesis In Pregnant Women With Obesity And Their Infants, Maryam Kebbe, Jasper Most, Abby D. Altazan, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the role of dietary protein on macronutrient and energy intake, maternal adiposity during pregnancy, and infant adiposity at birth. Methods: In 41 women with obesity, early-pregnancy (13–16 weeks) protein intake was assessed with food photography and expressed as a ratio of Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) in pregnancy for protein (0.88 g/kg/d), herein “protein balance.” Energy intake was measured by the intake-balance method, gestational weight gain as grams per week, and fat mass by a three-compartment model. Spearman correlations and linear models were computed using R version 4.1.1 (p < 0.05 considered significant). Results: Women had a mean (SD) age of 27.5 (4.8) years and a pregravid BMI of 34.4 (2.9), kg/m2, and the majority were non-White (n = 23, 56.1%). Protein balance in early pregnancy was not significantly associated with energy intake across mid and mid/late pregnancy (β = 328.7, p = 0.30 and β = 286.2, p = 0.26, respectively) or gestational weight gain (β = 117.0, p = 0.41). Protein balance was inversely associated with fat mass in early, mid, and late pregnancy (β = −10.6, p = 0.01, β = −10.4, p = 0.03, β = −10.3, p = 0.03, respectively). Protein balance did not predict infant adiposity at birth (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Low …

A Conceptual Investigation Of Transition To Self-Driven Turbidity Currents From Along-Shelf Current-Supported Turbidity Currents, Celalettin E. Ozdemir, Liangyi Yue, Haq Murad Nazari, George Xue, Samuel J. Bentley, Shuo Yang, Sayed O. Hofioni, Robert Forney, Saber Aradpour

Faculty Publications

Wave- and current-supported turbidity currents (WCSTCs) are one of the sediment delivery mechanisms from the inner shelf to the shelf break. Therefore, they play a significant role in the global cycles of geo-chemically important particulate matter. Recent observations suggest that WCSTCs can transform into self-driven turbidity currents close to the continental margin. However, little is known regarding the critical conditions that grow self-driven turbidity currents out of WCSTCs. This is in part due to the knowledge gaps in the dynamics of WCSTCs regarding the role of density stratification. Especially the effect of sediment entrainment on the amount of sediment suspension …

Performance Optimization Study Of The Neuromorphic Radiation Anomaly Detector, James Ghawaly, Aaron Young, Andrew Nicholson, Brett Witherspoon, Nick Prins, Mathew Swinney, Cihangir Celik, Catherine Schuman, Karan Patel

Faculty Publications

This work reports on new results and insights from the optimization of spiking neural networks developed for gamma-ray radiation anomaly detection. Our previous paper introduced the first known neuromorphic algorithm for this application, demonstrating promising results and insights into optimal hyperparameter selection - particularly in the choice of data input encodings. Since the first paper, we have tested the algorithms on new datasets to investigate transferability from one background radiation environment to another. We have also performed a new hyperparameter optimization experiment with this new dataset to investigate the impact of new radiation data formatting techniques, the inclusion or neuronal …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

New Standards Versus New World: An Examination Of Select South Louisiana Teachers’ Experiences With Next Generation Science Standards In A Virtual Context, Bridget Lemoine

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The national K-12 science standards were reformed in April 2013. On March 8, 2017, the state of Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the rewrite of the science standards to align with these national standards, and they were implemented in the middle school science classes. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began and thrust all students into the virtual learning world. The purpose of this study was twofold: to investigate certain changes made to the science standards in Louisiana and to examine how the pandemic interrupted NGSS implementation in the classroom both with teachers who were familiar with …

Development And Calibration Of The Lmrpm Mid-Breton River Sediment Diversion Gate Operations, Emily E. Fertitta

LSU Master's Theses

With the rate of coastal land loss in Louisiana, the state is looking for innovative ways to help restore and maintain its coastal wetlands. Sediment diversions are going to be constructed along the Lower Mississippi River to mitigate the issues by diverting river water, sediment and nutrients into adjacent wetlands. Since there are currently no real-world applications of sediment diversions, the Lower Mississippi River Physical Model is a beneficial modeling tool to study the impact sediment diversions and relative sea level rise have on the hydraulics and sediment transport processes in the river. The two river sediment diversions on the …

Optimizing Large-Capacity Key-Value Systems For Efficient Data Management, Kefei Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In today's Internet services, key-value system is playing a crucial and indispensable role, and has attracted extensive research in both academia and industry. During the past years, we have witnessed an unprecedented quick development of both memory-based and flash-based key-value systems. With the rapid evolution of memory and storage technologies, we are seeing both challenges and research opportunities.

In this dissertation, we focus on understanding and optimizing the efficiency of large-capacity, high-speed key-value systems from the perspective of both software and hardware to meet the ever-growing performance expectations. We first propose a multi-tier mapping structure, called Cascade Mapping, exploring the …

Physical Activity For Health - Every Minute Counts, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, John M. Jakicic

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.