Digital Commons Network^™

Smart Quantum Statistical Imaging Beyond The Abbe-Rayleigh Criterion, Narayan Bhusal, Mingyuan Hong, Ashe Miller, Mario A. Quiroz-Juárez, Roberto De J. León-Montiel, Chenglong You, Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza

Faculty Publications

The wave nature of light imposes limits on the resolution of optical imaging systems. For over a century, the Abbe-Rayleigh criterion has been utilized to assess the spatial resolution limits of imaging instruments. Recently, there has been interest in using spatial projective measurements to enhance the resolution of imaging systems. Unfortunately, these schemes require a priori information regarding the coherence properties of “unknown” light beams and impose stringent alignment conditions. Here, we introduce a smart quantum camera for superresolving imaging that exploits the self-learning features of artificial intelligence to identify the statistical fluctuations of unknown mixtures of light sources at …

Probiotic Incorporation Into Yogurt And Various Novel Yogurt-Based Products, Douglas W. Olson, Kayanush J. Aryana

Faculty Publications

Probiotics are commonly added to yogurt to provide many health benefits for the consumer. A description is provided for some commonly used probiotics in yogurt. A GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list of probiotic bacteria that can be added to yogurt or similar types of products is provided. Additionally, prebiotics, synbiotics (combination of prebiotics and probiotics), postbiotics, paraprobiotics, and psychobiotics can be added to yogurt. Probiotic yogurt can come in various forms in addition to spoonable yogurt, and yogurt can be used as an ingredient in other food products. Many useful functional ingredients can be applied to probiotic yogurt. The …

Deep Learning For Predicting The Thermomechanical Behavior Of Shape Memory Polymers, Diego Segura Ibarra, Jacob Mathews, Fan Li, Hongfang Lu, Guoqiang Li, Jinyuan Chen

Faculty Publications

Thermomechanical constitutive modeling is essential for shape memory polymers (SMPs) to be used in engineering structures and devices. However, the classical method of deriving constitutive models is difficult, time consuming, and relies heavily on trial and error. In this work, we aim to decrease the time and resources needed to develop new thermomechanical models for SMPs. The method proposed in this work uses deep learning (DL) to predict the thermomechanical behavior of SMPs under thermomechanical cycles. Particularly, a semicrystalline two-way shape memory polymer (2W-SMP) is selected as an example. Predicting such behavior will give insight on the SMP properties and …

The Effects Of Tillage And Cover Crops On Crop Yield And Soil Properties In Wheat Double-Cropping Systems, Peters E. Egbedi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This three-year study was conducted on a commerce silt loam soil at the Northeast Research and Experiment Station near St. Joseph, Louisiana to evaluate the following objectives: 1) evaluate crop yield response to tillage, winter, and summer cover crops in wheat double-cropping systems. 2) evaluate the effects of tillage, winter and summer cover crops on soil properties under different cropping systems. 3) quantify the economic benefits of double-cropping, cover cropping and monoculture systems under conventional and no tillage practices. A winter cover crop (WCC) mix (winter wheat (Triticum aestivum and Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum) and summer …

Studies Of Roseau Cane Dieback In The Lower Mississippi River Delta Based On Remote Sensing Data Including Landsat, Worldview, And Drone, Nan Shang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research focused on the Roseau cane (Phragmites australis) dieback assessment in the lower MRD of Louisiana and introduced a comprehensive and systematic multi-source remote sensing method for assessing wetland and Roseau cane dieback and habitat dynamics analysis from three scale levels from large-scale to small scale.

Large-scale historical vegetation/land change analyses were conducted in the lower MRD based on Landsat in the past two decades (2001 - 2021). A strong increasing trend of vegetation was found since 2005. Around 51 km² ofdieback area was detected which accounts for 11% of the overall vegetation coverage. This research …

A Machine Learning Approach To Robotic Additive Manufacturing Of Uv-Curable Polymers Using Direct Ink Writing, Luis A. Velazquez

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a robotic additive manufacturing system that uses ultraviolet (UV)-curable thermoset polymers. Its design considers future applications involving free-standing 3D printing by means of partial UV curing and the fabrication of samples that are reinforced with fillers or fibers to manufacture complex-shape objects.

The proposed setup integrates a custom-built extruder with a UR5e collaborative manipulator. The capabilities of the system were demonstrated using Anycubic resin formulations containing fumed silica (FS) at varying weight fractions from 2.8 to 8 wt%. To fully cure the specimens after fabrication, a UV chamber was used. Then, measurements …

Defining Understudied Mechanisms Of Potassium Ion Flux In The Insect Nervous System, Rui Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To identify novel insecticide target sites that can address the evolution of insecticide resistance, our group has tested the insecticidal potential of two potassium flux pathways: potassium-chloride (K+/Cl−) cotransporter (KCC) and inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels. GABAergic signaling is the cornerstone of fast synaptic inhibition for neural signaling in arthropods; thus, the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-receptor-chloride-channel (GRCC) complex has been a longstanding target for insecticides. Despite the importance to neuronal homeostasis, the upstream mechanisms enabling GRCC function are poorly defined. The data presented in this dissertation provide strong support that KCC is an essential ion transport system for proper neural function …

Languages Of Reform: Populist Revolution Or Middle-Class Progressivism?, Timothy Vest Klein

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Populists and Progressives around the turn of the 20^th century had similar reform goals and many of the same foes. Both wanted to expand the power of the federal government to counter corporate monopolies which were dominating the nation’s economy and political system. In the early 1900s, Progressives enacted numerous reforms that were championed by Populists, including regulating railroads and other large corporations, breaking-up monopolies, implementing a graduated income tax, among other reforms. With so much agreement on policy, why did Populists and Progressives actively work against one another in the 1890s?

Part of their antagonism came from their …

Non-Compliance, Non-Additionality, And Disadoption: Insights Into Challenges In Agricultural Conservation Programs, Santosh Pathak

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Agricultural conservation programs are a principal vehicle of the US federal government to combat environmental externalities arising from resource-intensive agricultural production. However, non-compliance, non-additionality, and disadoption issues often impede the sustainability goals envisioned by such programs. This dissertation consists of three essays that shed light on key challenges facing working lands programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

In the second chapter, I study the non-compliance rate in cost-share contracts between farmers and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Using a suite of panel data methods and an instrumental variable approach, I …

The Applied Use Of Zein Nanoparticles In Agriculture, Colin Bonser

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nanotechnology is a multifaceted and a promising strategy in agricultural pest management for the development of insecticides or insecticide carriers. Research has shown that nanoparticles increase stability and efficacy of entrapped chemical pesticides to prevent active ingredient degradation while improving chemical stability and solubility. The following work evaluated nanoparticles synthesized from biopolymers, materials that originate from renewable sources also have an increased biodegradability.
Work was conducted under laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions to test the biopoloymers as possible insecticide and insecticide carriers. The primary biopolymer evaluated in the following studies was zein, although lignin and chitosan were also evaluated. Overall, …

Role Of Cd38 In Pulmonary Host Defense Against Gram-Negative Pneumonia, Xiaoqian Shan

LSU Master's Theses

The Gram-negative bacterium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, is a major cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia in the U.S. In particular, the dramatic increase in carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infections poses a serious threat to the public health both in the United States and worldwide. Clearance of bacteria in the lungs depends on effective pulmonary immune response. It may be possible to design improved therapies that augment host immune responses while attenuating excessive pulmonary inflammation through modulation of key innate immunity molecules during pneumonic infections. Cluster differentiation CD38 (CD38) has been detected on the surface of many immune cells or intracellular compartments, acting as …

Impact Of Rma’S Projected Price On Prevent Planting Claims, Nicolas Enrique Alvarez Mena

LSU Master's Theses

This research studies the presence of ex-post moral hazard in the prevent planting provision from the crop insurance program in cotton, corn, and soybeans for the Plains Region and Southeast Regions of the U.S. Three fixed effect models are developed using the proportion of prevent plant acres as the dependent variable, as well as weather, input price, expected harvest price and a break-even point for the independent variables. In addition, a fourth fixed effect (FE) model is introduced using the logit transformation and the same variables as in previous models. The results show the number of PP claims has been …

Effect Of Canopy Competition On Tree Growth And Development In Pine Hardwood Mixtures, Jacob Alexander Olichney

LSU Master's Theses

Mixed species forests may benefit from the reduction in intraspecific competition, although the benefit of species mixing has been shown to vary depending on mixture composition and environmental conditions. This study sought to test the effect of species composition in mixed forest stands on canopy development and growth of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). Even-aged, grid planted monoculture and mixed species forest plots were established with hardwood monoculture plots at a 741 Trees Per Hectare (TPH), and pine monoculture and mixed species plots established at 1482 TPH. …

Esterase Mediated Insecticide Resistance In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Vivek Pokhrel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Much is known about the development of insecticide resistance associated with targeted application against insect populations. However, off-target selection by applications of insecticides in agricultural and residential sites also impacts development of insecticide resistance and is understudied. Similarly, the impact of selecting one life stage of mosquitoes on the insecticide susceptibility of different life stages is largely unknown. The first part of this study shows that susceptibility to chlorantraniliprole, which is applied in rice and sugarcane fields in LA, decreased (5.7 to12-fold) in populations of Culex quinquefasciatus collected from near these fields compared to a reference field strain. In addition, …

A Study Of Indigenous North Vietnamese Ca Tru Music, And The Deities Of The Kalachakra Mandala, Daniel D'Aiuto Schultz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

This document is in two sections. Chapter I is a study on the history, instruments and performance of Vietnamese ca trù folk music. Indigenous Asian music, especially music from Vietnam, has held an almost mystical interest for me with its links to the doctrines of Buddhism and Hinduism. Ca trù’s singular style, always sung by women in fixed ensembles, is of particular interest because of its colorful history and unique performance practices. The ca trù music of Vietnam’s northern provinces, like much Asian folk music, is considered an endangered genre.

Sources for Ca trù insights are scarce, but some …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Nqo1-Activatable Luminescent Probes, Ovini Vionika Weeratung Kankanamge

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Being among the top ten causes of death, cancer has constantly been able to grab the attention of researchers all around the world. While several treatment methods prevail to cure cancer, the seriousness of this medical condition requires continuous work in the development of novel treatments as well as scientific advancements in order to achieve early detection of the disease. Luminescence imaging is an emerging field in both diagnosis of diseases, as well as a means to provide guidance in clinical surgeries. While there exist only a few contrasting agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the need for …

Assessment And Constraint Of Mesozooplankton In Cmip6 Earth System Models, C. M. Petrik, J. Y. Luo, R. F. Heneghan, J. D. Everett, C. S. Harrison, A. J. Richardson

Faculty Publications

Although zooplankton play a substantial role in the biological carbon pump and serve as a crucial link between primary producers and higher trophic level consumers, the skillful representation of zooplankton is not often a focus of ocean biogeochemical models. Systematic evaluations of zooplankton in models could improve their representation, but so far, ocean biogeochemical skill assessment of Earth system model (ESM) ensembles have not included zooplankton. Here we use a recently developed global, observationally based map of mesozooplankton biomass to assess the skill of mesozooplankton in six CMIP6 ESMs. We also employ a biome-based assessment of the ability of these …

Religiosity And Misperceptions: The Effect Of Americans’ Religious Involvement On Their (Mis)Perceptions Of Political Parties, Rehm Nathanael Maham

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Varietal Resistance And Chemical Ecology Of The Rice Stink Bug, Oebalus Pugnax, On Rice, Oryza Sativa, Santhi Bhavanam, Michael J. Stout

Faculty Publications

The rice stink bug, Oebalus pugnax F. (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a key pest of heading rice in the southern United States. Chemical insecticide application is currently the primary method of control of O. pugnax, warranting an improved management program for this species. The potential other management tactics for O. pugnax include eco-friendly measures such as host-plant resistance, silicon application, and the use of semiochemicals. In this study, the feeding preference and performance of O. puganx on cultivated and non-cultivated rice varieties were examined. Choice tests showed that the rice varieties Cheniere and Kaybonnet were most and least preferred by O. …

A Closer Look At States With Strict Abortion Laws And The Impact On Healthcare Coverage For Single, Low-Income Mothers, Amber Ledoux

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Burning The Candle At Both Ends: How And Why Academic Librarians Who Are Parents Experience And Combat Burnout At Work, Michael Holt, Amy Chew, Jessica Lee, Robert Taylor

Faculty Publications

Academic librarians already wear many hats, juggling a multitude of skills and duties in order to meet the needs of their patrons. When one of those hats is parenthood, however, balancing work and home life can sometimes seem like an insurmountable task. In this chapter we explore how and why academic librarians who are also parents experience burnout, as well as methods used to combat burnout by examining the results of a nationally distributed mixed-methods survey. The survey also addresses practices to combat and prevent burnout, both on a personal and institutional level, and the perceptions of their effectiveness.

Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance Global Matrix 4.0—A Resource For Physical Activity Researchers, Mark S. Tremblay, Joel D. Barnes, Iryna Demchenko, Silvia A. Gonzalez, Javier Brazo-Sayavera, Jakub Kalinowski, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Taru Manyanga, John J. Reilly, Stephen Heung Sang Wong, Salomé Aubert

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: This brief report provides an overview of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance (AHKGA); an introduction to the Global Matrix 4.0; an explanation of the value and opportunities that the AHKGA efforts and assets provide to the physical activity research, policy, practice, and advocacy community; an outline of the series of papers related to the Global Matrix 4.0 in this issue of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health; and an invitation for future involvement. Methods: The AHKGA was formed to help power the global movement to get kids moving. In 2019–2021, we recruited countries to participate in the …

Confidence Intervals For Relative Intensity Of Collaboration (Ric) Indicators, Joel Emanuel Fuchs, Lawrence Smolinsky, Ronald Rousseau

Faculty Publications

Purpose: We aim to extend our investigations related to the Relative Intensity of Collaboration (RIC) indicator, by constructing a confidence interval for the obtained values. Design/methodology/approach: We use Mantel-Haenszel statistics as applied recently by Smolinsky, Klingenberg, and Marx. Findings: We obtain confidence intervals for the RIC indicator Research limitations: It is not obvious that data obtained from the Web of Science (or any other database) can be considered a random sample. Practical implications: We explain how to calculate confidence intervals. Bibliometric indicators are more often than not presented as precise values instead of an approximation depending on the database and …

High-Resolution Ribosome Profiling Reveals Translational Selectivity For Transcripts In Bovine Preimplantation Embryo Development, Linkai Zhu, Tong Zhou, Rajan Iyyappan, Hao Ming, Michal Dvoran, Yinjuan Wang, Qi Chen, R. Michael Roberts, Andrej Susor, Zongliang Jiang

Faculty Publications

High-resolution ribosome fractionation and low-input ribosome profiling of bovine oocytes and preimplantation embryos has enabled us to define the translational landscapes of early embryo development at an unprecedented level. We analyzed the transcriptome and the polysome- and non-polysome-bound RNA profiles of bovine oocytes (germinal vesicle and metaphase II stages) and early embryos at the two-cell, eight-cell, morula and blastocyst stages, and revealed four modes of translational selectivity: (1) selective translation of non-abundant mRNAs; (2) active, but modest translation of a selection of highly expressed mRNAs; (3) translationally suppressed abundant to moderately abundant mRNAs; and (4) mRNAs associated specifically with monosomes. …

Monitoring Asbestos Mine Remediation Using Airborne Hyperspectral Imaging System: A Case Study Of Jefferson Lake Mine, Us, Yongsik Jeong, Jaehyung Yu, Lei Wang, Huy Hoa Huynh, Hyun Cheol Kim

Faculty Publications

This study investigated an asbestos mine restoration project using Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) hyperspectral data. The distribution of an abandoned asbestos mine (AAM) and treatment area were analyzed before and after the remediation based on the spectral indices for detecting naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) indicators and encapsulation. The spectral indices were developed for NOA, host rock, and encapsulation by logistic regression models using spectral bands extracted from the random forest algorithm. The detection models mostly used VNIR spectra rather than SWIR and were statistically significant. The overall accuracy of the detection models was approximately 84%. Notably, the detection accuracy …

Tectonism Of Late Noachian Mars: Surface Signatures From The Southern Highlands, Trishit Ruj, Goro Komatsu, Gene Schmidt, Suniti Karunatillake, Kenji Kawai

Faculty Publications

Upwelling mantle plumes often instigate extensional stress within the continental crust of Earth. When stress exceeds crustal strength, extensional structures develop, reducing the effective stress and trigger magmatic processes at the crust–mantle boundary. However, such processes and their relationship to the formation of many surface structures remain poorly characterized on Mars. We identified a series of extensional structures in the southern highlands of Mars which collectively resemble continental rift zones on Earth. We further characterized these extensional structures and their surrounding region (area of ~1.8 M km²) by determining the surface mineralogy and bulk regional geochemistry of the …

Polymer Mimetics For Soil Modeling And Detection Of Biomarkers, Md Ragib Hasan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The population of the world is increasing day by day and is expected to reach 9.8 billion by the year 2050. The ever-increasing demand for agricultural products is putting an unprecedented strain on the world's soils as the human population continues to expand. Soil degradation caused by over-farming and the agrochemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) used in agriculture is a growing problem, although its causes remain murky. In addition, little is understood about the molecular-level interactions of substances that are subsequently introduced to soils, such as agricultural chemicals (ACs). Therefore, it is expected that these constraints may be circumvented by the …

Shaky Ground: Educators At The Intersection Of Gender Diversity And Early Childhood Environments, Elizabeth Gragg Elizardi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the hidden curriculum of gender socialization in early childhood classrooms. Purposes of this study included exploring how teachers’ beliefs about gender are enacted in activities, roles, and relationships with children to inform and recommend future directions for gender conscious education and pedagogies. This dissertation includes an assessment of participants’ gender schema, an analysis of participant interviews and focus groups, field notes from classroom observations and artifact collection. This study draws on Brofenbrenner’s (2005) bioecological theory of human development, positioning teachers as a primary engine of development in a child’s life. Cognitive-developmental theories are forwarded to explain gender …

Physical To Cyber: A Case Study Of The Print And Digital Literacy Of Burgeoning Older Adult Learners, Laura Elizabeth Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This intrinsic single case study explored the ways in which two older adult burgeoning literacy learners in a capital city in the U.S. Gulf South utilized the skills of print literacy and digital literacy both together and apart. This study was an investigation of print and digital literacy, individually and combined, in order to examine the way older adult burgeoning literacy learners used one kind of literacy (print) to develop the other (digital). Using semi-structured interviews, observations, and literacy journals, participants’ perceptions were explored. Findings included that fully literate older adults used their literacy to enact and maintain social connections, …

The Degree Gini Index Of Several Classes Of Random Trees And Their Poissonized Counterparts—Evidence For Duality, Carly Domicolo, Panpan Zhang, Hosam Mahmoud

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.