Digital Commons Network^™

Benthic Community Response To The Impacts Of Proposed Sediment Diversions In Louisiana Estuaries, Jillian C. Tupitza

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sediment diversions designed to mitigate land loss in coastal Louisiana will likely cause ecosystem-wide shifts. The first diversion, planned for Barataria Bay, will divert fresh water and sediment from the Mississippi River into the surrounding wetlands to help them keep pace with high rates of relative sea-level rise (RSLR). Estuarine benthic communities were used in this study as tools to characterize ecological patterns in the context of anticipated salinity changes. I reviewed relevant literature, conducted a two-year survey of Barataria Bay benthos, executed a reciprocal transplant experiment to describe changes that might occur in both community composition and trophic dynamics, …

Harmonizing Soybean-Associated Beneficial Bacteria For Sustainable Cultivation, Jonas J. Padilla

LSU Master's Theses

Long-term reliance on agrochemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, to improve crop productivity can severely impact soil physicochemical properties and health. This eventually leads us to completely depend on these chemicals to sustain the needs of our crops. To resuscitate the deteriorating state of our arable lands, we need to shift from traditional farming to more sustainable crop management. One of the alternatives that we can use instead of these chemicals is the utilization of microorganisms that can perform a variety of beneficial functions for the growth and development of crops. Recently, seed-treating materials made up of bacterial consortia were …

Improved Modeling And Application Of Data Assimilation In Gas Influx Management During Managed Pressure Drilling, Chen Wei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The management of gas influxes in a drilling well has been considered one of the most critical topics for maintaining petroleum drilling safety and efficiency. Reliable modeling of gas influx behaviors in a wellbore or a marine riser greatly benefits the improved understanding of a gas kick event and the development of optimized influx management strategies. However, the current studies on transient multiphase flow modeling show varying limitations on both the model rigorousness and the overall numerical efficiency. Meanwhile, the existence of great system uncertainties, such as the unclear influx sizes and distributions in the well/riser, has brought significant challenges …

Enhancement Of Applied Rice Breeding Programs: Exploring Factors Impacting Genomic Selection Accuracy And Discovery Of A Novel Gene For Grain Shape, Maria G. Montiel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Plant breeding is a crucial tool in addressing global challenges such as climate change, population growth, and the need for more resilient crops. Rice serves as a staple food for a significant portion of the global population and has served as a model crop for genetic and genomic studies. Genomic selection (GS) has become valuable tool in plant breeding, allowing breeders to predict breeding lines’ performance based on their genotypes. The training (TS) set is a central component of genomic selection and the optimization of the training set is crucial for efficient implementation of genomic selection. The first two objectives …

Seeking A Uniform Approach To Trumpet Sound Concept, Coleman T. Scott

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One of the most challenging aspects of trumpet playing that pedagogues must teach is how to produce a professional tone. Trumpet students are often good musicians, play correct notes and rhythms, and even have proficient technique. However, many are unable to consistently produce a tone comparable to that of a professional. There are a number of methods that can be utilized to improve a student’s tone quality. In my own teaching and in the teaching of many professionals, tone concept has been used as a catalyst for the improvement of tone quality. A students’ exposure to a professional-quality trumpet tone …

Building The Church Of San Vitale In Ravenna, Italy, Sally S. Morgan

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis uses the evidence concerning the design and building of the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna to reconstruct, as far as it is possible, the sequence of decisions, activities, and methods that led to the construction of the church, made of bricks and mortar, and whose interiors are covered by glorious colored mosaics and marbles. The historiography on the Church of San Vitale begins with the historian Agnellus, who wrote the Liber pontificalis ecclesiae Ravennatis in the 830s to 840s. According to Agnellus and other sources, the Church of San Vitale was founded by Bishop Ecclesius around 525, …

“Everything Is Not What It Seems”: Discovering Public Relations In Business Sectors In Vietnam, Ba-Anh-Tu Truong

LSU Master's Theses

Vietnam is a shining star in emerging markets, with an annual economic growth rate of 6-7%. Its abundant labor supply, stable political climate, and geographic proximity to major global supply chains make it an ideal candidate for manufacturer planning in advanced economies such as the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan, China, and Korea. Investing in public relations and communication management, especially understanding the Vietnamese market, effectively prepares multinational corporations for future business expansion. This mission is difficult for academia and industrial professionals since Vietnam is a “silent country” in public relations research. To fill the gap, this thesis employs the …

A Study Of Selected Vocal Works By Shande Ding: The Mysterious Sound Of Flute And Poems On Western Yunnan, Chuyan Luo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study aims to delve into and interpret “The Mysterious Sound of Flute” and “Poems on Western Yunnan” from a singer’s perspective while also providing guidance and recommendations for other performers. The research encompasses the history of Chinese art songs, a biography of Shande Ding, and an introduction to his compositional style. A comprehensive examination of each song includes background information, song analysis, translation, a Chinese lyric diction guide, and performance suggestions.

Art songs constitute a significant genre in music composition, and Chinese art songs have yielded numerous outstanding composers and captivating works over the years. Among these composers, Shande …

A Novel Goat Model To Characterize Male Fertility Following Paternal Cannabidiol Exposure, Ashlyn N. Brewer

LSU Master's Theses

Despite the increasing use of cannabidiol, both for medical and social purposes, the effect of cannabidiol on male fertility is poorly understood. Previous studies have been carried out in rodent models, but a large animal model does not exist at this time. This experiment proposes chronic cannabidiol (CBD) exposure using a goat model to understand the impact CBD has on male reproductive performance. The purpose of this project is to determine if daily exposure to CBD in male goats would impact reproductive parameters such as sperm quality and testosterone levels.

Two studies were conducted to determine the effects of CBD …

Profiling Of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Subtype Expression And Resulting Susceptibility To Targeted Osmotic Lysis In Cancer, Spencer Gerard Lemoine

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cancer is a disease characterized by a wide array of dysregulated cellular function, activity, and growth. At times, specific dysregulations associated with cancer can be exploited as avenues of potential treatment. The sodium handling mechanisms and their associated proteins in cancer have received closer attention recently closely as such a potential mechanism to exploit for treating advanced cancer. Some novel treatments aim to inhibit the expression or activity of these sodium handling proteins in an attempt to prevent the cancer from advancing or becoming more aggressive; however, such approaches have had limited success. Targeted osmotic lysis (TOL) is a new …

Round Ii: Exploring The Experiences Of Black, First-Generation Graduate And Professional Students At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Derrick D. Lathan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores the experiences of Black, first-generation (first-gen) students pursuing advanced degrees at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), following the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice movements like Black Lives Matter. Additionally, this study examines the present-day motivations to pursue advanced degrees, particularly the benefits of doing so at an HBCU. The main research question guiding this study is: What are the experiences of Black, first-gen graduate and professional students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)? The sub-questions are:

1. How do Black, first-gen graduate and professional students describe being a first-gen student?
2. What barriers and supports impact …

Settling Preference Of Nipponaclerda Biwakoensis (Hemiptera: Aclerdidae) On Phragmites Australis Stems, Alexia Catherine Desoto

LSU Master's Theses

Phragmites australis, a wetland grass that stabilizes the Louisiana coastline, has been undergoing a major die-off near the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) since the autumn of 2016. One suspected cause for this plant decline is the attack of an invasive scale insect, Nipponaclerda biwakoensis. We lack information on the host preference of the crawlers, the life stage that decides where to settle and when to start feeding on the plant. The objectives of this study were to identify what positions along the vertical stem N. biwakoensis prefers to settle and what host-plant traits may be influencing this choice. We recorded …

Quantification Of Belowground Biomass And Sediment Accretion In Mangroves Of Different Coastal Environmental Settings Of The Costa Rican Pacific Coast, Denise M. Poveda

LSU Master's Theses

The adaptation of intertidal ecosystems such as mangroves to anticipated accelerated relative sea level rise is dependent on net increase of sediment surface elevations and forest migration inland. Ecosystem models developed to simulate trajectories of ecosystem adaptations have determined that rates of soil formation are most sensitive to surface sediment (organic and inorganic) deposition and subsurface organic production by mangrove roots. Mangrove belowground biomass contributes to soil organic matter accumulation, while mangrove litter has minor contribution due to export and annual decay. In addition to belowground biomass production, inorganic sediment loading is also key contribution to soil formation and accretion. …

Computational Modeling Of Nanoscale Interaction Of Plasmonic Materials With 2d Materials For Sensing Applications, Maria Iftesum

LSU Master's Theses

Plasmonics is a new and exciting field that has the potential to advance many different types of technology, from information processing and energy harvesting to sensing and imaging. The broad field of plasmonic materials and their potential to improve the functionality of cutting-edge technologies are examined in this thesis.

The thesis explores the synthesis, characterization, and manipulation of plasmonic materials after providing an overview of the basic ideas behind plasmonics. Their distinct plasmonic properties and possible uses are clarified by a thorough investigation of a variety of materials, including noble metals, two-dimensional materials, metal oxides and hybrid structures.

A thorough …

Applied Depositional Geosystems Of The Coos Bay Basin, Oregon: Organic Geochemistry, Maturation, Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction And Biostratigraphy Of The Coaledo Delta During The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (Meco), Allison K. Barbato

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Coos Bay Basin on the southwestern coast of Oregon is a forearc basin that contains exceptionally preserved Eocene to Miocene, tidal to wave-dominated, shallow deltaic to deep marine sediments of the Coaledo Delta. Coastal depositional environments are known to host source, reservoir, and seal rocks. Climate, topographic relief, and geographical position all play an important role in regional vegetation development and oceanic setting. This study assesses 84 outcrop and 12 core samples from Coos Bay for their organic geochemical characteristics and microfossil assemblage to provide source rock characterization information, organofacies descriptions, environmental reconstructions, and age control.

Results indicate the …

A Study Of Select Arias From Three Obscure Operas By Antonio Vivaldi: ‘Ottone In Villa,’ ‘Arsilda, Regina Di Ponto,’ And ‘Il Farnace’, Qinan Cai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This paper provides an analysis of select compositional tools found in chosen arias from Antonio Vivaldi’s lesser-known operas, Ottone in Villa RV 729, Arsilda, Regina di Ponto RV 700, and Farnace RV 711. It aims to illuminate Vivaldi’s exploration of human emotions and relationships through his music. The research focuses on select arias from each opera, emphasizing Vivaldi’s compositional style, use of sequential patterns, development of harmonic shifts in the music, and the inclusion of the Lombardic rhythm. In addition, commentary is included regarding the application of modal principles, and rhythmic speech patterns. The study also offers historical context and …

Maria Rosa Ribas Monné: A Case Study, Rebeca Lemos Gonzalez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the musical legacy of Catalan composer Maria Rosa Ribas Monné, emphasizing the influence of the Catalan context on her compositions and recognizing the contributions of Spanish women in music, particularly in cello music. Through an in-depth exploration of Maria Rosa's life, musical perspective, and analysis of her works "Faust", "Disperato,"and "Record d'una música," this study unveils pivotal insights into her artistic journey. Additionally, it includes a comprehensive catalogue of her compositions, providing a detailed overview of her musical output.

The dissertation begins by examining how M. Rosa Ribas' deep connection to Catalan culture, influenced by poet Màrius …

Field Evaluation Of Experimental Maize Hybrids For Resistance To The Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In A Warm Temperate Climate, Xinzhi Ni, Alisa Huffaker, Eric A. Schmelz, Wenwei Xu, W. Paul Williams, Baozhu Guo, Xianchun Li, Fangneng Huang

Faculty Publications

The polyphagous fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has become an invasive pest worldwide in recent years. To develop maize germplasm with multiple pest resistance and understand genetic inheritance, 12 experimental hybrids (six pairs of reciprocal crosses) with diverse genetic backgrounds and four commercial checks were examined for FAW resistance in 2013 and 2014. The experiment utilized a randomized complete block design with four replications as the block factor. FAW injury on maize plants was assessed at 7 and 14 d after the artificial infestation at the V6 stage, and predatory arthropod taxa and abundance on maize seedlings were recorded 7 …

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Spring 2024, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

Louisiana’s warm, subtropical climate allows producers to raise an array of crops and livestock. It also provides challenges. Tropical storm winds can lay down rice and cane crops. Ample rain can turn into crop-damaging floods. Last year, a drought struck the southeastern United States, leading to more than $100 million in losses for the cattle sector.

In these cases, LSU AgCenter specialists respond to individual producers’ needs. In each parish AgCenter Extension agents help connect producers with needed resources and become a conduit for the latest knowledge gleaned from scientists at AgCenter research stations across the state.

This issue of …

Pregnane X Receptor Knockout Mitigates Weight Gain And Hepatic Metabolic Dysregulation In Female C57bl/6 J Mice On A Long-Term High-Fat Diet, Lidya H. Gebreyesus, Sora Choi, Prince Neequaye, Mattia Mahmoud, Mia Mahmoud, Malvin Ofosu-Boateng, Elizabeth Twum, Daniel O. Nnamani, Lijin Wang, Nour Yadak, Sujoy Ghosh, Frank J. Gonzalez, Maxwell A. Gyamfi

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Obesity is a significant risk factor for several chronic diseases. However, pre-menopausal females are protected against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and its adverse effects. The pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2), a xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptor, promotes short-term obesity-associated liver disease only in male mice but not in females. Therefore, the current study investigated the metabolic and pathophysiological effects of a long-term 52-week HFD in female wild-type (WT) and PXR-KO mice and characterized the PXR-dependent molecular pathways involved. After 52 weeks of HFD ingestion, the body and liver weights and several markers of hepatotoxicity were significantly higher in WT mice than in …

Modeling And Numerical Analysis Of The Cholesteric Landau-De Gennes Model, Andrew L. Hicks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis gives an analysis of modeling and numerical issues in the Landau-de Gennes (LdG) model of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) with cholesteric effects. We derive various time-step restrictions for a (weighted) $L^2$ gradient flow scheme to be energy decreasing. Furthermore, we prove a mesh size restriction, for finite element discretizations, that is critical to avoid spurious numerical artifacts in discrete minimizers that is not well-known in the LC literature, particularly when simulating cholesteric LCs that exhibit ``twist''. Furthermore, we perform a computational exploration of the model and present several numerical simulations in 3-D, on both slab geometries and spherical …

The Politics Of Non-State Provisioning In The Middle East And North Africa, E Celeste Cavell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

“Just One Simple Question: How Do We Protect Her?” The Role Of State Governments In Preventing Female Murders By Intimate Partners, Chesani Askew

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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, …

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 …

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.

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 …

Investigating Gulf Coast Aquifer System: Stratigraphy Reconstruction, Inverse Modeling, And Groundwater Stress Assessment, Shuo Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Mississippi Embayment aquifer system (MEAS) and the Coastal Lowlands aquifer system (CLAS) provide substantial groundwater resources for human activities in the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain. However, the overexploitation has led to groundwater depletion in the MEAS and the CLAS, threatening sustainable groundwater use. Such concern highlights the crucial need for an advanced understanding of stratigraphy and groundwater in these aquifer systems, which is essential for effective regional groundwater management. This dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of MEAS and CLAS in the Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi region, encompassing three fundamental dimensions: stratigraphy reconstruction, groundwater modeling, and groundwater stress assessments. A …

"In The Footsteps Of Hercules": The Influence Of Classical Antiquity On Eighteenth-Century Militaries, Scott Madere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines the pervasive influence of ancient Roman and Greek figures, historical events, literature, and military methods on the leaders and practitioners of eighteenth-century warfare. Rulers, generals, military theorists, and officers frequently consulted classical histories and literature for solutions to the common military problems of the period – tactical, operational, and strategic – showing remarkable faith in ancient military methods despite their growing dependence on gunpowder weaponry and related technologies. This dissertation examines why this was the case and concludes that classical antiquity not only maintained the credibility of its wisdom in the context of modern warfare, but also …

Deconstructing The Mangrove Carbon Cycle: Gains, Transformation, And Losses, M. F. Adame, N. Cormier, P. Taillardat, N. Iram, A. Rovai, T. M. Sloey, E. S. Yando, J. F. Blanco-Libreros, M. Arnaud, T. Jennerjahn, C. E. Lovelock, D. Friess, G. M.S. Reithmaier, C. A. Buelow, S. M. Muhammad-Nor, R. R. Twilley, R. A. Ribeiro

Faculty Publications

Mangroves are one of the most carbon-dense forests on the Earth and have been highlighted as key ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Hundreds of studies have investigated how mangroves fix, transform, store, and export carbon. Here, we review and synthesize the previously known and emerging carbon pathways in mangroves, including gains (woody biomass accumulation, deadwood accumulation, soil carbon sequestration, root and litterfall production), transformations (food web transfer through herbivory, decomposition), and losses (respiration as CO2 and CH4, litterfall export, particulate and dissolved carbon export). We then review the technologies available to measure carbon fluxes in mangroves, their potential, …