Digital Commons Network^™

Biochar-Based Materials As Remediation Strategy In Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil And Water: Performances, Mechanisms, And Environmental Impact, Zhuo Wei, Yi Wei, Yang Liu, Shuai Niu, Yaxi Xu, Jong Hwan Park, Jim J. Wang

Faculty Publications

Petroleum contamination is considered as a major risk to the health of humans and environment. Biochars as low-cost and eco-friendly carbon materials, have been widely used for the removal of petroleum hydrocarbon in the environment. The purpose of this paper is to review the performance, mechanisms, and potential environmental toxicity of biochar, modified biochar and its integration use with other materials in petroleum contaminated soil and water. Specifically, the use of biochar in oil-contaminated water and soil as well as the factors that could influence the removal ability of biochar were systematically evaluated. In addition, the modification and integrated use …

The Association Between Diet Quality And Glycemic Outcomes Among People With Type 1 Diabetes, Melanie B. Gillingham, Martin Chase Marak, Michael C. Riddell, Peter Calhoun, Robin L. Gal, Susana R. Patton, Peter G. Jacobs, Jessica R. Castle, Mark A. Clements, Francis J. Doyle, Michael R. Rickels, Corby K. Martin

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: The amount and type of food consumed impacts the glycemic response and insulin needs of people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Daily variability in consumption, reflected in diet quality, may acutely impact glycemic levels and insulin needs. Objective: Type 1 Diabetes Exercise Initiative (T1DEXI) data were examined to evaluate the impact of daily diet quality on near-term glycemic control and interaction with exercise. Methods: Using the Remote Food Photography Method, ≤8 d of dietary intake data were analyzed per participant. Diet quality was quantified with the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI), where a score of 100 indicates the highest-quality …

Effects Of Wind On The Stability Of Explosive Eruption Plumes, Tyler Paladino, Shannon Kobs Nawotniak, Bryan Nicholson, Suniti Karunatillake

Faculty Publications

Explosive volcanic eruptions can produce eruption plumes and pyroclastic density currents that can severely damage life and property. While many factors influence eruption plume stability, including mass eruption rate, grain size distribution, and environmental factors, the role of wind is complicated, with evidence for wind as both a stabilizing and destabilizing factor. Here we use the Active Tracer High-resolution Atmospheric Model (ATHAM) to simulate 980 plumes with differing eruptive parameters, atmospheric profiles, and wind conditions to isolate how and when wind can lead to column collapse. We analyze these simulations via a novel method that provides stability percentage via an …

Exploring Nontraditional Lstm Architectures For Modeling Demethanizer Column Operations, Marta Mandis, Roberto Baratti, Jorge Chebeir, Stefania Tronci, José A. Romagnoli

Faculty Publications

Digital twins have recently attracted attention as a new technology that can facilitate the digital transformation of process industries. It may provide live, or near real-time, information and insights into the process and may be used for monitoring, control and optimization purposes. In this study, a digital twin has been developed for modelling the demethanizer column of a NGL separation plant. Based on a non-conventional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network arrangement, the surrogate model has been trained and validated using data obtained by the process simulator Aspen HYSYS®. Model prediction can be obtained using only readily available variables as …

Cyber Attacks Against Industrial Control Systems, Adam Kardorff

LSU Master's Theses

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are the foundation of our critical infrastructure, and allow for the manufacturing of the products we need. These systems monitor and control power plants, water treatment plants, manufacturing plants, and much more. The security of these systems is crucial to our everyday lives and to the safety of those working with ICS. In this thesis we examined how an attacker can take control of these systems using a power plant simulator in the Applied Cybersecurity Lab at LSU. Running experiments on a live environment can be costly and dangerous, so using a simulated environment is the …

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 …

Analysis And Improvement Of Efficient Charge Recovery Logic Adiabatic Circuits, William Morell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Power consumption has been an ever-present concern since the dawn of electronic computing. Every operation that a device performs consumes some amount of energy and as the demand for computation increases, both in scale and ubiquity, reducing this energy loss becomes more important. While modern devices are orders of magnitude more efficient than their ancestors on a per-operation basis, they are increasingly used in more resource constrained applications. Tiny, Internet of Things (IoT) machines are prevalent these days and demanded to perform data collection and analysis at all hours of the day for days at a time on small battery. …

Development Of A 3d-Printed Device To Study How Bacteria Alters The 3d Migration Of Breast Cancer Cells, Jack Bedell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Electrochemical Reduction Of Co2: A Common Acetyl Path To Ethylene, Ethanol Or Acetate, Monsuru Dauda, John Hendershot, Mustapha Bello, Junghyun Park, Alvaro Loaiza Orduz, Nicholas Lombardo, Orhan Kizilkaya, Phillip Sprunger, Anthony Engler, Craig Plaisance, John Flake

Faculty Publications

Ethylene is well known as the primary product of CO2 reduction at Cu electrocatalysts using zero-gap membrane electrode assembly cells with gas diffusion cathodes. Other types of Cu electrocatalysts including oxide-derived Cu, CuSn and CuSe yield relatively more C2 oxygenates; however, the mechanisms for C2 product selectivity are not well established. This work considers selectivity trends of Cu-P0.065, Cu-Sn0.03, and Cu2Se electrocatalysts made using a standard one pot synthesis method. Results show that Cu-P0.065 electrocatalysts (Cuδ+ = 0.13) retain ethylene as a primary product with relatively higher Faradaic efficiencies (FE = 43% at 350 mA cm−2) than undoped Cu electrocatalysts …

Supply And Distribution Of Flow And Sediment In River And Delta System, Kazi M. Sadid

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

River deltas are valuable ecosystems that have been essential in supporting human populations and the economy across the world for centuries. However, climate change and human activities have caused significant land loss in delta areas. A prime example of a region that has suffered severe land loss is Louisiana in the United States. Coastal restoration is therefore essential for the livelihoods of its residents. To address this issue, the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) channel bar has been regularly dredged to rebuild degraded marsh areas. Additionally, sediment diversions off LMR have been designed to build marsh areas sustainably. This dissertation investigates …

Gut Microbiota And Blood Metabolites Related To Fiber Intake And Type 2 Diabetes, Zheng Wang, Brandilyn A. Peters, Bing Yu, Megan L. Grove, Tao Wang, Xiaonan Xue, Bharat Thyagarajan, Martha L. Daviglus, Eric Boerwinkle, Gang Hu, Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, Carmen R. Isasi, Rob Knight, Robert D. Burk, Robert C. Kaplan, Qibin Qi

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Consistent evidence suggests diabetes-protective effects of dietary fiber intake. However, the underlying mechanisms, particularly the role of gut microbiota and host circulating metabolites, are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate gut microbiota and circulating metabolites associated with dietary fiber intake and their relationships with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: This study included up to 11 394 participants from the HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos). Diet was assessed with two 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline. We examined associations of dietary fiber intake with gut microbiome measured by shotgun metagenomics (350 species/85 genera and 1958 enzymes; n=2992 at …

Role Of Electronegativity In Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (Epfrs) Formation On Zno, Syed Monjur Ahmed, Reuben A. Oumnov, Orhan Kizilkaya, Randall W. Hall, Phillip T. Sprunger, Robert L. Cook

Faculty Publications

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), a group of emerging pollutants, have significantly longer lifetimes than typical free radicals. EPFRs form by the adsorption of organic precursors on a transition metal oxide (TMO) surface involving electron charge transfer between the organic and TMO. In this paper, dihalogenated benzenes were incorporated to study the role of electronegativity in the electron transfer process to obtain a fundamental knowledge of EPFR formation mechanism on ZnO. Upon chemisorption on ZnO nanoparticles at 250 °C, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) confirms the formation of oxygen adjacent carbon-centered organic free radicals with concentrations between 10¹⁶ and 10 …

Sensor Analytics For Subsea Pipeline And Cable Inspection: A Review, Connor R. Vincent

LSU Master's Theses

Submarine pipelines and cables are vital for transmitting physical and digital resources across bodies of water, necessitating regular inspection to assess maintenance needs. The safety of subsea pipelines and cables is paramount for sustaining industries such as telecommunications, power transmission, water supply, waste management, and oil and gas. Incidents like those involving the Nord Stream subsea pipeline and the SEA-ME-WE 4 subsea communications cable exemplify the severe economic and environmental consequences of damage to these critical infrastructures. Existing inspection methods often fail to meet accuracy requirements, emphasizing the need for advancements in inspection technologies. This comprehensive survey covers the sensors …

An Analysis And Ontology Of Teaching Methods In Cybersecurity Education, Sarah Buckley

LSU Master's Theses

The growing cybersecurity workforce gap underscores the urgent need to address deficiencies in cybersecurity education: the current education system is not producing competent cybersecurity professionals, and current efforts are not informing the non-technical general public of basic cybersecurity practices. We argue that this gap is compounded by a fundamental disconnect between cybersecurity education literature and established education theory. Our research addresses this issue by examining the alignment of cybersecurity education literature concerning educational methods and tools with education literature.

In our research, we endeavor to bridge this gap by critically analyzing the alignment of cybersecurity education literature with education theory. …

Her Seat At The Table: A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Education Policymakers, Vickey R. Silas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black women leaders as education policymakers to understand the essence of their journey to leadership positions and the impetus behind their decision-making. Despite progress, Black women remain marginalized and underrepresented in policymaking leadership roles and decision-making spaces (Griffin et. al, 2013). They face challenges that are intersectional like gender and race. My research question was what are the lived experiences of Black women education policymakers and how do these experiences impact their decision-making? While employing a transcendental phenomenological approach, I acknowledged my biases through reflexivity and bracketed them while also …

59th Student Senate Week 8 Meeting Minutes, Zoe Joubert

Student Senate Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Gas Dynamics In Water And Oil-Based Muds Using Das, Dts, And Dss Measurements, Temitayo S. Adeyemi

LSU Master's Theses

Reliable prediction of gas migration velocity, void fraction, and length of gas-affected region in water and oil-based muds is essential for effective planning, control, and optimization of drilling operations. However, there is a gap in our understanding of gas behavior and dynamics in water and oil-based muds. This is a consequence of the use of experimental systems that are not representative of field-scale conditions. This study seeks to bridge the gap via the well-scale deployment of distributed fiber-optic sensors for real-time monitoring of gas behavior and dynamics in water and oil-based mud. The aforementioned parameters were estimated in real-time using …

Characterizing And Mitigating Transient Noise In Ligo Observatories For Gravitational Wave Detection, Jane Glanzer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The existence of gravitational waves is predicted by Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. Commonly referred to as "ripples in spacetime", these waves are generated by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe. Despite their theoretical prediction over a century ago, it wasn't until 2015 that the Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) interferometers in Hanford, WA and Livingston, LA directly detected gravitational waves for the first time, confirming Einstein's theory and ushering in a new era of astrophysics.

Detecting gravitational waves requires incredible precision. Because of the extreme sensitivity required, it is possible for the gravitational wave data …

The Impacts Of Nature-Based Sediment Restoration Practices On Coastal Wetland Soil Biogeochemistry, Jacob Z. Cheng

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal marshes provide many valuable ecosystem services. However, these wetlands are threatened worldwide, being subject to sea level rise, sediment starvation, subsidence, coastal edge erosion, etc. Many efforts are being made to counteract this wetland loss and preserve the ecosystem services. Two such methods are sediment diversion and the thin layer placement (TLP) of dredged sediment.

Sediment diversion involves reconnecting the main channel of a river body to disconnected wetlands, supplying much needed soil-building materials. However, this method affects the salinity of the waters, introducing large amounts of freshwater into the system. Salinity changes can affect marsh biogeochemistry. Most ecological …

Problem-Solving In The Preparation Of Teachers For Agricultural Education: A Mixed Methods Study Investigating The Effect Of Metacognitive Awareness And Cognitive Ability On Students Enrolled In An Introductory Agricultural Mechanics Course, Whitney Figland

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cognitive and metacognitive ability have been identified as a critical factor that influences individuals to successfully problem-solve. However, recent research has indicated that students do not have the necessary 21st-century skills to be successful in the workplace. This issue has been confounded by the lack of school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers’ limited knowledge regarding effectively teaching decision-making skills and the use of teaching methods that promote problem-solving. Therefore, this study sought to understand the effect that cognitive and metacognitive ability had on the problem-solving of students who are enrolled in an Introduction to Agricultural Mechanics course at Louisiana State University. …

Selective Vapor Condensation For The Synthesis And Assembly Of Spherical Colloids With A Precise Rough Patch, Kennedy A. Guillot, Philip J. Brahana, Ahmed Al Harraq, Nduka D. Ogbonna, Nicholas S. Lombardo, Jimmy Lawrence, Yaxin An, Michael G. Benton, Bhuvnesh Bharti

Faculty Publications

Patchy particles occupy an increasingly important space in soft matter research due to their ability to assemble into intricate phases and states. Being able to fine-tune the interactions among these particles is essential to understanding the principles governing the self-assembly processes. However, current fabrication techniques often yield patches that deviate chemically and physically from the native particles, impeding the identification of the driving forces behind self-assembly. To overcome this challenge, we propose a new approach to synthesizing spherical colloids with a well-defined rough patch on their surface. By treating polystyrene microspheres with vapors of a good solvent, here an acetone-water …

What Is Eai? A Short History Of The Style’S Evolution And Development Of Identifiable Characteristics, Dylan Burchett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

EAI (Electro-Acoustic Improvisation) has long presented issues pertaining to its definition and practice. This is due to the wide range of acoustic and electronic sounds present in the style as well as the style’s stated adherence to improvisation. This stated adherence to improvisation and wide potential range of acoustic and electronic sounds seem to clash with EAI’s stylistic consistencies. Because the EAI style has been difficult to define, it has also been difficult to place historically within experimental music traditions. In order to clarify the definition, practice, and historical positioning of EAI and identify where the style’s boundary lines around …

Antifungal Efficacy Of Nanodelivered Azoxystrobin Against Rhizoctonia Solani In Soybean (Glycine Max), Eban A. Hanna, Carlos E. Astete, Trey Price, Carlos Tamez, Omar E. Mendez, Alvaro Garcia, Fannyuy V. Kewir, Jason C. White, Cristina M. Sabliov

Faculty Publications

Zein nanoparticles (ZNP) (189.4 ± 2.0 nm, +25.7 ± 0.9 mV) and lignin nanoparticles (LNP) (173.6 ± 0.9 nm, - 56.5 ± 2.8 mV) with loaded azoxystrobin (AZO) (5.2 ± 0.8 and 5.5 ± 0.7 wt %, respectively) were designed as antifungal delivery systems for seed treatments. Both particles followed pseudo-first-order kinetics for AZO release at 25 °C, with AZO releasing faster from ZNP. AZO-entrapped ZNP treatments produced the greatest yield (41.15 bushels), followed by empty LNP (40.35 bushels) for inoculated samples; these findings were comparable to yields achieved with the commercial AZO formulation, Dynasty. The stand per row feet …

Effects Of Social Media Use Disparities On Community Resilience To Disasters, Kejin Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the rapid development of social media, many researchers chose to use social media data to conduct studies of disaster resilience. This dissertation addresses three fundamental challenges related to social media use and disaster resilience analysis including: how the spatial analysis scale affects the results of social media use disparity and its impacts on disaster resilience; how different vulnerability and resilience measurement methods can generate very different results; and how social media use disparity can be identified to help improve the fairness of AI-based emergency rescue model development. Therefore, the first part of the dissertation measured the relationships between disparities …

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 …

Coherent States Of The Laguerre–Gauss Modes, M. P. Morales Rodríguez, O. S. Magaña-Loaiza, B. Perez-Garcia, L. M. Nieto Calzada, F. Marroquín Gutiérrrez, B. M. Rodríguez-Lara

Faculty Publications

Large quantum photonic systems hold promise for surpassing classical computational limits, yet their state preparation remains a challenge. We propose an alternative approach to study multiparticle dynamics by mapping the excitation mode of these systems to physical properties of the Laguerre–Gauss modes. We construct coherent states establishing a direct link between excitation number dynamics and the evolution of the Laguerre–Gauss modes. This highlights the photon transverse spatial degree of freedom as a versatile platform for testing the fundamental aspects of quantum multiparticle systems.

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 …

Reconsidering The Reliability Of Chemical Process Simulators I: Implementation Of The Murphree And Vaporization Efficiencies, Zachary Braswell, Brian F. Hanley, Holt Ragsdale

Faculty Publications

Most chemical process simulators in widespread use today allow users to apply some type of efficiency correction to individual equilibrium stages or to equilibrium stage sections in order to align the stage or section separation performance more closely to actual tray performance in the field. Some simulators even allow for the use of component efficiencies on individual stages or in stage sections. It is our contention, however, that two of the more commonly available efficiency models, the vaporization efficiency and Murphree vapor phase efficiency, have generally been implemented incorrectly. The three major conceptual inconsistencies are (1) the assumption that the …

"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 …

Modulation Of Methoxyfenozide Release From Lignin Nanoparticles Made Of Lignin Grafted With Pcl By Rop And Acylation Grafting Methods, Alvaro Garcia, Carlos E. Astete, Rafael Cueto, Cristina M. Sabliov

Faculty Publications

An efficient and sustainable agriculture calls for the development of novel agrochemical delivery systems able to release agrochemicals in a controlled manner. This study investigated the controlled release of the insecticide methoxyfenozide (MFZ) from lignin (LN) nanoparticles (LNPs). LN-grafted poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (LN-g-PCL) polymers were synthesized using two grafting methods, ring-opening polymerization (ROP)(LN-g-PCLp) and acylation reaction (LN-g-PCLa), creating polymers capable of self-assembling into nanoparticles of different properties, without surfactants. The LN-g-PCLp polymers exhibited a degree of polymerization (DP) from 22 to 101, demonstrating enhanced thermal stability after LN incorporation. LNPs loaded with MFZ exhibited a spherical core-shell structure with a hydrophilic LN …