Digital Commons Network^™

Asmrtistry In Immersive Sound: Investigating The Effectiveness Of Immersive Sound Technologies In Eliciting Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, Scott D. Nelson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite a wide array of immersive sound technologies available to digital media creators who specialize in making audio-visual content that aims to elicit Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), only a few sound reproduction modalities are widely used: mono/stereo and binaural recording. To date, nearly all research studying ASMR, a bio-sensory phenomenon wherein people feel brain tingles triggered by calming audio-visual cues, has been content to carry out ASMR studies entirely with stereo and binaural sound reproduction methods. Therefore, it stands to reason that more understanding about how diverse immersive sound modalities like wave field synthesis, or three-dimensional spatial audio for …

Hurricane Vulnerability Of Above Ground Storage Tanks, Santosh Ghimire

LSU Master's Theses

The objectives of this research were to: 1) develop an approach to determine the effectiveness of regional storm surge reduction strategies and structural mitigation measures for aboveground storage tanks (ASTs), and 2) study the feasibility of controlled flotation of ASTs during flood and storm surge events. This study provided a comprehensive risk assessment strategy for regional portfolio of tanks, considering all dominant failure modes relevant to future planning initiatives aimed at reducing AST failures. Additionally, this research contributed a new methodology to prevent AST failures during flooding, offering a potential solution to prevent hazardous spills.

Design guidelines such as API …

Development And Operationalizing Of The Learning Experience Design Process To Create Integrated Stem Interventions, Vanessa Begat

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Globally, the demand for people prepared to enter Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers is increasing. To help fill this demand, many formal and informal STEM educational interventions have been implemented in the K-12 domain. However, due to the lack of a clearly defined framework for documenting the nature and scope of the intervention (National Research Council, 2014), the interventions vary greatly in their success, sustainability, and replicability. This research is grounded in Educational Design Research and uses the principle of Learning Experience Design (LXD) to develop a framework for thoughtfully designing and documenting a STEM intervention. This framework …

Assessing Team Performance And Cohesion Of Isolated Multicultural Teams Using Digital Escape Rooms, Susannah J. Aronson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

History has shown that when multicultural teams are together for long periods of time, conflict can occur. When put in an isolated environment, these conflicts can become dangerous. This study looked at physically isolated multicultural teams through the lens of systems engineering and if a publicly available escape room video game could measure the team’s individual level team performance and cohesion. The author also evaluated the relationship between these success measures, cultural intelligence, and fusion collaboration. Results showed the escape room video game was a reliable and valid instrument to measure individual level team performance and cohesion. The validity correlation …

High-Resolution Groundwater Modeling For Understanding Sparta-Memphis Aquifer Condition, Rafin Hasan

LSU Master's Theses

The Sparta-Memphis aquifer is one of the major sources of domestic and industrial water supplies in the Mississippi Embayment region. However, besides altering the natural direction of flow, several serious complications such as elevated chloride concentration, significant water level decline, large cones of depression, and land subsidence have arisen from excessive groundwater consumption. To better understand the Sparta-Memphis aquifer condition, a high-resolution groundwater flow model for the Sparta-Memphis aquifer was developed in this study to assess groundwater availability and analyze aquifer responses to future groundwater withdrawal scenarios. For the development of the groundwater flow model, firstly about 3,700 electrical log …

Optimizing Associative Memory In Autistic And Non-Autistic Adults: Retrieval Practice, Post-Retrieval Feedback, And Gesture, Brianna E. Cairney

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Associative memory—or the ability to form a memory representation linking two previously unrelated concepts—is a critical aspect of learning. This work provides insight into strategies that can be used to support associative memory, their underlying mechanisms, and their effectiveness in autistic and non-autistic learners. Chapter 1 demonstrates that iconic gestures can be used as a tool to enhance associative memory by increasing word concreteness and imageability. This effect was eliminated when the iconic gestures were interspersed with ambiguous nonsense gestures, suggesting a boundary on these benefits that depends on listener expectations regarding gesture clarity. However, it remains unknown whether gestures …

Medical Management Vs Bariatric Surgery In Type 2 Diabetes - Reply, Anita P. Courcoulas, Mary Elizabeth Patti, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Design, Construction, And Testing Of Nucleic Acid Vaccines Against Salmonella Enterica Subspecies Enterica Serovar Javiana, Alexis A. Nguyen

LSU Master's Theses

Salmonella spp. is a Gram-negative bacterium that has the ability to replicate within a variety of hosts, or within the environment, including water, soil, and vegetation. These characteristics, coupled with the zoonotic nature of non-typhoidal Salmonella, pose a significant public health concern. Salmonella is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses worldwide, and in the United States alone, the economic impact due to non-typhoidal Salmonella illnesses in 2013 was estimated to be $3.7 billion, the majority of which were due to mortalities. In a time of rising antibiotic resistance, antibiotics are no longer considered the most effective treatment for …

Holomorphic Functional Calculus Approach To The Characteristic Function Of Quantum Observables, Andreas Boukas

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Transcription Decisions Of Conjoined Independent Clauses Are Equitable Across Dialects But Impact Measurement Outcomes, Janna B. Oetting, Tahmineh Maleki

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Transcription of conjoined independent clauses within language samples varies across professionals. Some transcribe these clauses as two separate utterances, whereas others conjoin them within a single utterance. As an inquiry into equitable practice, we examined rates of conjoined independent clauses produced by children and the impact of separating these clauses within utterances on measures of mean length of utterance (MLU) by a child’s English dialect, clinical status, and age. Method: The data were archival and included 246 language samples from children classified by their dialect (African American English or Southern White English) and clinical status (developmental language disorder [DLD] …

Review Of How To Leave The House, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Secondary Production And Biomass In Mussel Assemblages Relate To Species Richness And Stream Size But Not Life History, Jonathan W. Lopez, Carla L. Atkinson, Angela K. Burrow, Garrett W. Hopper, Wendell R. Haag

Faculty Publications

Increases in species richness with habitat area (species–area relationship, or SAR) and increases in ecosystem function with species richness (biodiversity–ecosystem functioning, or BEF) are widely studied ecological patterns. Incorporating functional trait analysis into assemblage datasets may help clarify interpretations of SAR and BEF relationships in natural ecological systems. For example, life history theory can be used to make predictions about what species are most important in generating ecosystem function given a certain set of environmental conditions. We used quantitative assemblage data for freshwater mussels at nine sites in western Alabama, USA, to test for SAR and BEF relationships. At each …

A Longitudinal Evaluation Of Personalized Intrinsic Network Topography And Cognitive Decline In Parkinson's Disease, Renxi Li, Vincent Pozorski, Kevin Dabbs, Maureen Haebig, Christopher R. Cox, Colleen Pletcher, Alexandra Wey, Amy Barzgari, Frances Theisen, Ozioma Okonkwo, Catherine L. Gallagher

Faculty Publications

Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) offers insight into how synchrony within and between brain networks is altered in disease states. Individual and disease-related variability in intrinsic connectivity networks may influence our interpretation of R-fMRI data. We used a personalized approach designed to account for individual variation in the spatial location of correlation maxima to evaluate R-fMRI differences between Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who showed cognitive decline, those who remained cognitively stable and cognitively stable controls. We compared fMRI data from these participant groups, studied at baseline and 18 months later, using both network-based statistics (NBS) and calculations of …

Effects Of The Menstrual Cycle And Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Metabolic Outcomes, Strength Performance, And Recovery: A Narrative Review, Hannah E. Cabre, Lacey M. Gould, Leanne M. Redman, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

The effects of female sex hormones on optimal performance have been increasingly recognized as an important consideration in exercise and sport science research. This narrative review explores the findings of studies evaluating the effects of menstrual cycle phase in eumenorrheic women and the use of hormonal contraception (oral contraceptives and hormonal intrauterine devices) on metabolism, muscular strength, and recovery in active females. Ovarian hormones are known to influence metabolism because estrogen is a master regulator of bioenergetics. Importantly, the menstrual cycle may impact protein synthesis, impacting skeletal muscle quality and strength. Studies investigating muscular strength in eumenorrheic women report equivocal …

Wood Duck Nest Survival And Duckling Recruitment Is Minimally Affected By Interspecific Brood Parasitism From Hooded Mergansers And Black-Bellied Whistling-Ducks, Dylan L. Bakner, Kevin M. Ringelman, Larry A. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

In the southeastern United States, wood ducks (Aix sponsa) have historically experienced interspecific brood parasitism (IBP) primarily from hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus), but the recent northward expansion of black-bellied whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) has added a new complexity to these interactions. We monitored nest boxes in Louisiana to evaluate the influence IBP had on wood duck daily nest survival rate (after, DSR) and duckling recruitment. We monitored 1,295 wood duck nests from 2020−2023 and found 112 (8.7%) were parasitized by hooded mergansers and 148 (11.5%) by whistling-ducks. Parasitic egg-laying by hooded mergansers lowered wood duck DSR, while DSR for nests parasitized …

Toward Concurrent Identification Of Human Activities With A Single Unifying Neural Network Classification: First Step, Andrew Smith, Musa Azeem, Chrisogonas O. Odhiambo, Pamela J. Wright, Hanim E. Diktas, Spencer Upton, Corby K. Martin, Brett Froeliger, Cynthia F. Corbett, Homayoun Valafar

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

The characterization of human behavior in real-world contexts is critical for developing a comprehensive model of human health. Recent technological advancements have enabled wearables and sensors to passively and unobtrusively record and presumably quantify human behavior. Better understanding human activities in unobtrusive and passive ways is an indispensable tool in understanding the relationship between behavioral determinants of health and diseases. Adult individuals (N = 60) emulated the behaviors of smoking, exercising, eating, and medication (pill) taking in a laboratory setting while equipped with smartwatches that captured accelerometer data. The collected data underwent expert annotation and was used to train a …

Potential Effects Of Traffic Noise On Anuran Call Characteristics In Louisiana, Usa During Winter, Jane M. Kunberger, Ty J. Price, Chloe Crawford, Allison A. Vestal-Laborde, Ashley M. Long

Faculty Publications

Urban environments expose wildlife to levels of anthropogenic noise they would not experience in rural areas (e.g., traffic noise), and research suggests that many species adjust their acoustic signals for optimal transmission in urban soundscapes. However, our understanding of anuran (order Anura) responses to noise pollution in urban environments of the southeastern United States is limited, particularly for species that can breed during winter. Our goal was to examine how vocal anuran advertisement call characteristics during winter varied with increasing distance from roadways in bottomland hardwoods of Louisiana, USA. We deployed acoustic recording units at two sites (i.e., rural and …

Isocaloric Replacement Of Ultraprocessed Foods Was Associated With Greater Weight Loss In The Pounds Lost Trial, Qisi Yao, Carolina D. De Araujo, Filippa Juul, Catherine M. Champagne, George A. Bray, Frank M. Sacks, Maya K. Vadiveloo

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: Higher intake of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) is associated with obesity. We examined whether replacing UPFs (NOVA 4) with minimally processed foods and culinary ingredients (NOVA 1 + 2) was associated with differential weight change in this secondary prospective analysis of the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS) Lost trial. Methods: We estimated percent energy intake (%kcal) from the four NOVA groups using 24-h dietary recalls in a subset of 356 participants. Multivariable-adjusted substitution models examined whether replacing %kcal from UPFs with NOVA 1 + 2 was associated with greater weight, body fat percentage, trunk fat, and waist circumference …

Sleep And Fundamental Movement Skills In Primary Schoolchildren: The React Project, Jean Philippe Chaput, Sara Pereira, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Donald Hedeker, Tiago V. Barreira, Rui Garganta, Cláudio Farias, Fernando Garbeloto, Go Tani, David F. Stodden, José Maia

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: Whether sleep is related to fundamental movement skills (FMS) in the pediatric population is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the association between sleep characteristics (duration, efficiency, regularity) and FMS proficiency levels in school-aged children. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 996 children (mean age: 8.3 ± 1.2 years) from 25 of the 32 primary schools in Matosinhos, northern Portugal. Data collection occurred between January and June 2022. Sleep was assessed using an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer worn on the wrist for 7 consecutive days. FMS proficiency levels were assessed in the schools with a new digital …

Background, Rationale, And Methodological Overview Of The React Project—Return-To-Action On Growth, Motor Development, And Health After The Covid-19 Pandemic In Primary School Children, Sara Pereira, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Donald Hedeker, Tiago V. Barreira, Rui Garganta, Cláudio Farias, Fernando Garbeloto, Go Tani, Jean Philippe Chaput, David F. Stodden, José Maia

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objectives: The REACT project was designed around two main aims: (1) to assess children's growth and motor development after the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) to follow their fundamental movement skills' developmental trajectories over 18 months using a novel technological device (Meu Educativo®) in their physical education classes. In this introductory article, the first of the Journal's special issue dedicated to REACT, our goal was to present the project rationale, its methodology, training and certification of the team, statistical approach, quality control, governance, and study management. Methods: We sampled 1000 children (6–10 years of age) from 25 of the 32 primary …

A Multivariate Multilevel Approach To Unravel The Associations Between Individual And School Factors On Children's Motor Performance In The React Project, José Maia, Carla Santos, Sara Pereira, Donald Hedeker, Tiago V. Barreira, Rui Garganta, Cláudio Farias, Fernando Garbeloto, Go Tani, Hugo Cruz, Jean Philippe Chaput, David F. Stodden, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: The aim was to (1) estimate the relationship between physical fitness (PF) and object control fundamental movement skills (FMS), (2) identify child characteristics that relate with PF and FMS, and (3) examine associations between the school environment, PF, and FMS. Methods: The sample included 1014 Portuguese children aged 6–10 years from the REACT project. PF was assessed via running speed, shuttle run, standing long jump, handgrip, and the PACER test. Object control FMS were assessed with stationary dribble, kick, catch, overhand throw, and underhand roll. Test performances were transformed into z-scores, and their sum was expressed as overall PF …

Associations Of Obesity, Movement Behaviors, And Socioeconomic Status With Fundamental Movement Skills In Children: Results From The React Project, Priscyla Praxedes, José Maia, Carla Santos, Fernando Garbeloto, Donald Hedeker, Tiago V. Barreira, Rui Garganta, Cláudio Farias, Go Tani, Jean Philippe Chaput, David F. Stodden, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Sara Pereira

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate the relationship of biological characteristics (age, sex, and obesity), movement behaviors (physical activity and sedentary time), and family socioeconomic status with fundamental movement skills (FMS) in primary school children. Methods: This cross-sectional study sampled 1014 children (537 girls) aged 6 to 10 years from 25 primary schools in Matosinhos, north of Portugal. Five object control skills (dribbling, kicking, catching, throwing, and underarm rolling) were assessed with a categorical scale using the Meu Educativo® platform. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated and transformed into z-scores. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time were monitored with accelerometry (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT) …

Statistical Analysis Of The Longitudinal Fundamental Movement Skills Data In The React Project Using The Multilevel Ordinal Logistic Model, Donald Hedeker, Sara Pereira, Fernando Garbeloto, Tiago V. Barreira, Rui Garganta, Cláudio Farias, Go Tani, Jean Philippe Chaput, David F. Stodden, José Maia, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objectives: The REACT project was designed around two main aims: (1) to assess children's growth and motor development after the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) to follow their fundamental movement skills' developmental trajectories over 18 months using a novel technological device (Meu Educativo®) in their physical education classes. In this article, our goal is to describe statistical analysis of the longitudinal ordinal motor development data that was obtained from these children using the multilevel ordinal logistic model. Methods: Longitudinal ordinal data are often collected in studies on motor development. For example, children or adolescents might be rated as having poor, good, …

Is There An Association Between Proficiency In Fundamental Movement Skills And Mderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity In Childhood On Weekdays And Weekends? The React Project, Fernando Garbeloto, José Maia, Tiago V. Barreira, Donald Hedeker, Jean Philippe Chaput, Rui Garganta, Cláudio Farias, Ricardo Santos, David F. Stodden, Go Tani, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Sara Pereira

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: The present study probes into the association between children's fundamental movement skills (FMS) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during weekdays and weekends. Methods: This cross-sectional sample included 1014 children aged 6–10 years from the REACT project. Physical activity was assessed with accelerometry, and five FMS (stationary dribble, kick, catch, overhand throw, and underhand roll) were assessed with the digital platform Meu Educativo®. Three groups were formed based on the frequency of FMS that each child mastered: group 1 (wizard level in four or five FMS); group 2 (wizard level in two or three FMS); and group 3 (wizard level …

Individual And School Correlates Of Body Mass Index And Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Primary School Children From The React Project: A Multivariate Multilevel Analysis, Sara Pereira, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Fernando Garbeloto, Jean Philippe Chaput, Donald Hedeker, Tiago V. Barreira, Renata Borges, Rui Garganta, Carla Santos, Cláudio Farias, David F. Stodden, Go Tani, José Maia

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: This paper examines the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) using a multivariate multilevel approach and investigates the links between individual and school-related correlates with children's BMI and CRF. Methods: This cross-sectional sample included 1014 children (6–10 years) from 25 Portuguese primary schools. BMI was calculated, and CRF was assessed with the PACER test. Fundamental movement skills (FMS) included five object control tasks. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sleep, and sedentary time were assessed with the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer. Socioeconomic status (SES) and school variables were also obtained. A multivariate multilevel model was used, and alpha …

Validity And Reliability Of Meu Educativo®: A New Tool To Assess Fundamental Movement Skills In School-Aged Children, Fernando Garbeloto, Sara Pereira, Go Tani, Jean Philippe Chaput, David F. Stodden, Rui Garganta, Donald Hedeker, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, José Maia

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objectives: There is evidence showing that children's proficiency in fundamental movement skills (FMS) is positively related to weight status, physical activity, fitness levels, cognitive development, as well as academic performance. Yet, the feasibility of FMS assessment is challenging, especially with relatively large samples of children. This article presents a new tool named Meu Educativo® to assess children's FMS levels, including its validity and reliability. Methods: We relied on the validity evidence approach based on test content to develop the FMS assessment checklist and the rating system with a team of experts. In this article, we used five FMS (stationary dribbling, …

Gradient Synchronization For Multivariate Functional Data, With Application To Brain Connectivity, Yaqing Chen, Shu Chin Lin, Yang Zhou, Owen Carmichael, Hans Georg Müller, Jane Ling Wang

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Quantifying the association between components of multivariate random curves is of general interest and is a ubiquitous and basic problem that can be addressed with functional data analysis. An important application is the problem of assessing functional connectivity based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), where one aims to determine the similarity of fMRI time courses that are recorded on anatomically separated brain regions. In the functional brain connectivity literature, the static temporal Pearson correlation has been the prevailing measure for functional connectivity. However, recent research has revealed temporally changing patterns of functional connectivity, leading to the study of dynamic …

What's Behind The Dramatic Pre-2020 Declines In Hispanic/Latina Adolescent Childbearing? Decomposing Change By Age, Origin, And Nativity, Reanne Frank, Elizabeth Wildsmith, Rhiannon A. Kroeger, Courtney E. Williams, Akanne Torres Beltran

Faculty Publications

Purpose: To assess whether the large declines in adolescent childbearing among Hispanic adolescents over the period 2000-2019 have been driven by co-occurring changes in the composition of the Hispanic population and, if so, whether they have done so differentially by Hispanic subgroup. Methods: We use birth counts from the United States vital statistics system and population denominators from the United States decennial census long form 5-percent Public Use Microdata and the American Community Survey to conduct a decomposition analysis apportioning observed declines in Hispanic adolescent childbearing to: (1) compositional shifts in nativity, age, and region-of-origin and (2) subgroup changes in …

A Systematic Review On The Path To Inclusive And Sustainable Energy Transitions, Oluwafemi Awolesi, Corinne A. Salter, Margaret Reams

Faculty Publications

This paper surveys the energy literature and systematically reviews the path to an inclusive and sustainable energy transition by exploring factors that drive the current energy transitions, countries with advanced energy transition programs, and the roles of energy literacy and justice in energy transition. Utilizing an exhaustive literature search from 2001 to 2023 via the Scopus database, the study identifies strong policy frameworks, technological advancements, economic incentives, and international collaborations as pivotal factors in successful energy transitions. Case studies from the Nordic countries, Germany, and Poland highlight diverse approaches and significant progress, revealing valuable lessons for global application. Although energy …

Grb 180128a: A Second Magnetar Giant Flare Candidate From The Sculptor Galaxy, Aaron C. Trigg, Eric Burns, Oliver J. Roberts, Michela Negro, Dmitry S. Svinkin, Matthew G. Baring, Zorawar Wadiasingh, Nelson L. Christensen, Igor Andreoni, Michael S. Briggs, Niccolò Di Lalla, Dmitry D. Frederiks, Vladimir M. Lipunov, Nicola Omodei, Anna V. Ridnaia, Peter Veres, Alexandra L. Lysenko

Faculty Publications

Magnetars are slowly rotating neutron stars that possess the strongest magnetic fields known in the cosmos (10¹⁴-10¹⁵ G). They display a range of transient high-energy electromagnetic activity. The brightest and most energetic of these events are the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) known as magnetar giant flares (MGFs), with isotropic energies Eiso10⁴⁴10⁴⁶ erg. Only seven MGF detections have been made to date: three unambiguous events occurred in our Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds, and the other four MGF candidates are associated with nearby star-forming galaxies. As all seven identified MGFs are bright at Earth, additional weaker …