Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of The Timing Of A Repeated Reading Intervention On Active Student Responding During Small Group, Kristen Newell

LSU Master's Theses

Interventions that target both class engagement and academic skills may decrease the likelihood of future reading difficulties in elementary students, amongst other academic deficits. Repeated reading can be used as either a pre-teaching or review strategy to increase overall fluency and comprehension, but the timing of when the intervention is arranged may be important for increasing active student responding (ASR) during class. In this study, we examined how the timing of a repeated reading intervention, as either preparation for or review of reading material, affects active student responding during a small group of three fourth-grade students. Additionally, we investigated student …

Improving Cellphone-Based Bio-Imaging Technique For Fluorescence Detection, Erteza T. Efaz

LSU Master's Theses

The research presented in this thesis focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of a fluorescence detection system. The system is implemented primarily as an Android application, Auto Camera, which leverages smartphone cameras to capture and analyze fluorescent images. The application provides a user-friendly interface with some configurable features like exposure time, ISO speed, and storage limit; as well as defining detection thresholds and setting acquisition intervals. This study begins with the architectural framework of the Android application, which is written in Java using Android Studio. The API compatibility is set to version 33, and users are prompted to grant …

Chiral Fermion Anomaly As A Memory Effect, Adrián Del Río, Ivan Agullo

Faculty Publications

We study the nonconservation of the chiral charge of Dirac fields between past and future null infinity due to the Adler-Bell-Jackiw chiral anomaly. In previous investigations [A. del Rio, Phys. Rev. D 104, 065012 (2021)PRVDAQ2470-001010.1103/PhysRevD.104.065012], we found that this charge fails to be conserved if electromagnetic sources in the bulk emit circularly polarized radiation. In this article, we unravel yet another contribution coming from the nonzero, infrared "soft"charges of the external, electromagnetic field. This new contribution can be interpreted as another manifestation of the ordinary memory effect produced by transitions between different infrared sectors of Maxwell theory, but now on …

Dry Reforming Of Methane Over Substituted Lanthanum Zirconate Pyrochlore Catalysts, Srikar Bhattar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One of the potential methods for producing syngas from two greenhouse gases (CH₄ and CO₂) is dry reforming of methane (DRM), which has received a lot of attention. DRM could lower the net emission of these gases if the energy used to power it comes from sources other than hydrocarbons. Despite being highly active, many conventional Ni based metal/support catalyst systems rapidly lose their activity due to the sintering or deposition of coke on the metal clusters' surfaces. Thus, it is crucial that the DRM catalyst must be coke resistant and thermally stable to avoid sintering.

DRM …

Ml-Empowered Nondestructive Evaluation In Additive Manufacturing, Mohammadsaber Nemati

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates cutting-edge AI-based approaches to enhance Nondestructive Evaluation in Additive Manufacturing (AM). As a larger workflow that aims to design complex alloys and shape memory polymers for AM, this effort tries to leverage machine learning to achieve performance and structural integrity goals in the material characterization stage. The dissertation comprises three key test cases:

1. X-ray CT Data Analysis Using Machine Learning

This section identifies the limitations of manual pixel-level segmentation in X-ray CT data analysis and introduces zero-shot learning. A self-supervised approach is proposed, eliminating manual segmentation and enhancing crack detection and prediction.

2. Neutron Imaging of …

Palynology Of The Gulf Of Mexico Stones Field Well Wr 508 #1: New Biostratigraphic And Environmental Data Of A Deepwater Wilcox Group, Barry G. Boler

LSU Master's Theses

Palynological analyses of Late Paleocene to Early Eocene drill cutting samples from the deepwater Wilcox Group in the northern Gulf of Mexico were analyzed to provide Paleocene/Eocene environmental data and to create a biosteering scheme to be used for future Gulf of Mexico exploration. Fifty-three drill cutting samples were analyzed from Walker Ridge (WR) 508 #1 in the Stones field, with a measured depth ranging from 8,056 to 8,723 m. These samples yielded mainly low diversity terrestrial assemblages dominated by pollen belonging to the Betulaceae, Myricaceae, Cupressaceae/Taxodiaceae and Juglandaceae families. This denotes an environment quite similar to what is found …

Investing In Farmland And Farmland Derivatives, Damilola Stephen Adebayo

LSU Master's Theses

Investing in farmland has evolved from the traditional ownership of farmland for farming to alternatives such as direct farmland purchases for rental income, farmland real estate investment trusts (Farmland REITs), investing in farmland stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, and crowdfunding platforms. This study analyzes the dynamic relationship between physical farmland values, farmland derivative prices, and the S&P 500 using annual data from 1970 to 2021. Cointegration methods are used to analyze dynamics and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and Sharpe ratios to measure risk-return properties of farmland assets. It is found that real farmland values, derivatives prices, and the S&P …

The Structures And Functions Of Offices Of Academic Affairs: A Case Study, Ryan Thomas Landry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to describe how offices of academic affairs (administrative offices supporting provosts) at public, research-intensive universities in the United States are structured and what kind of work these offices do. There is a dearth of scholarly literature on the topic, indicative of an overall lack of knowledge about these organizations. From a practical standpoint, I intended for this study to contribute to the body of knowledge of higher education administration with hopes that it provides helpful insights to administrators as they consider organizational design. Using the theoretical framework of modern organization theory, I employed an embedded case study …

Evaluating Hpx And Kokkos On Risc-V Using An Astrophysics Application Octo-Tiger, Patrick Diehl, Gregor Daiss, Steven Brandt, Alireza Kheirkhahan, Hartmut Kaiser, Christopher Taylor, John Leidel

Faculty Publications

In recent years, computers based on the RISC-V architecture have raised broad interest in the high-performance computing (HPC) community. As the RISC-V community develops the core instruction set architecture (ISA) along with ISA extensions, the HPC community has been actively ensuring HPC applications and environments [10, 29] are supported. In this context, assessing the performance of asynchronous many-task runtime systems (AMT) is essential. In this paper, we describe our experience with porting of a full 3D adaptive mesh-refinement, multi-scale, multi-model, and multi-physics application, Octo-Tiger, that is based on the HPX AMT, and we explore its performance characteristics on different RISC-V …

Efficient Chemical-Free Degradation Of Waterborne Micropollutants With An Immobilized Dual-Porous Tio2 Photocatalyst, Daniel E. Willis, Ella C. Sheets, Mary R. Worbington, Madhusudan Kamat, Sarah K. Glass, Ma Cayla J. Caso, Tochukwu Ofoegbuna, Liz M. Diaz, Caleb Osei-Appau, Samuel D. Snow, Kevin M. Mcpeak

Faculty Publications

Photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) promise a chemical-free route to energy-efficient degradation of waterborne micropollutants if long-standing mass transfer and light management issues can be overcome. Herein, we developed a dual-porous photocatalytic system consisting of a mesoporous (i.e., 2-50 nm pores) TiO2 (P25) photocatalyst supported on macroporous (i.e., >50 nm pores) fused quartz fibers (P25/QF). Our reusable photocatalytic AOP reduces chemical consumption and exhibits excellent energy efficiency, demonstrated by degrading various pharmaceutical compounds (acetaminophen, sulfamethoxazole, and carbamazepine) in natural waters with electrical energy per order (EEO) values of 4.07, 0.96, and 1.35 kWh/m3, respectively. Compared to the conventional H2O2/UVC AOP, …

On Virtue Ethics Theory And Elementary Music Education, Joshua Burgos

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation uses virtue ethics theory, teacher research method, and self-study to examine how I perceive myself as contributing to cultivating virtuous persons. Virtue ethics theory, teacher research method, and self-study are empirical, using concrete methods of data generation and analysis, and conceptual, relating to studying philosophical research, ideas, and interpretations (Annas, 2007; Check & Schutt, 2012; Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988). The study aimed to discover how virtue is cultivated through music education and improve teaching practice using virtue ethics theory and empirical research to offer insight into how virtue is cultivated. The study was conducted in an elementary school …

Using Machine Learning To Measure Changes In Immunity Due To Climate Change In The Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera Frugiperda, Nathaniel T. Haulk

LSU Master's Theses

Object detection is a recent development that allows for the detection of multiple objects in photographs. Numerous machine learning algorithms have been developed for object detection. Here we sought to determine which algorithm performed best when relating to an organism's health and immunological response. The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a major agricultural pest causing millions of dollars in damage to farmlands across the globe. With their recent spread into Africa and Asia, the need for understanding how best to control population outbreaks via biocontrol has increased. While viruses are a major biocontrol agent for controlling insect pests, we …

The Future Of Cyanobacteria Toxicity In Estuaries Undergoing Pulsed Nutrient Inputs: A Case Study From Coastal Louisiana, Sibel Bargu, Matthew Hiatt, Kanchan Maiti, Paul Miller, John R. White

Faculty Publications

Harmful cyanobacteria blooms (cyanoHABs) are a global phenomenon, especially in calm, warm, and nutrient-rich freshwater and estuarine systems. These blooms can produce various potent toxins responsible for animal poisoning and human health problems. Nutrient-rich freshwater pulsed into estuaries affects turbidity, water temperature, salinity, and nutrient concentrations and ratios at irregular intervals, creating a highly dynamic habitat. However, the underlying processes that lead to the selective development of cyanoHABs for certain species and the fate of their toxins are still uncertain. This paper draws upon the rich body of research available for one such system, the Lake Pontchartrain Estuary, Louisiana, to …

Politics In Applicant Attraction And Recruitment: Firm Response To Abortion Legislation And Its Impact On Applicant Interest, Madeleine Coward

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Static Versus Dynamic Language Assessments, Lauren Betzer

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Lipid Oxidative Damage In Mitochondria From Artemia Franciscana Embryos: Anoxic Challenge Followed By Normoxic Recoveries Of Increasing Duration, Samantha Shirmer

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Estimating Household Willingness To Pay For Improved Water Quality Via Community Sewage System, Daniel Harris

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Reactive Oxygen Species Production By Isolated Mitochondria From Embryos Of Artemia Franciscana During Normoxic Recovery After Anoxia, Olivia G. Moncrief

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Limnological Response Of Las Curias Reservoir, San Juan, Puerto Rico: Successful Management Of The Invasive Aquatic Fern, Salvinia Molesta, Xavier A. García-López, Jorge R. Ortiz-Zayas, Rodrigo Díaz, Aurelio Castro-Jiménez, Charles F. Wahl

Faculty Publications

The anthropogenic deterioration of aquatic ecosystems affects water resources due to agricultural malpractices, pollution from domestic septic tanks, recreational activities, and poor watershed management, among other factors. This study examines the management of Las Curias Reservoir, San Juan, Puerto Rico, after the 2016 arrival of the invasive aquatic fern Salvinia molesta. In September 2019, a community-led initiative introduced the Cyrtobagous salviniae weevil, an effective biological control agent for S. molesta, and commenced a mechanical removal campaign using an aquatic harvester. Limnological sampling (September 2019 to September 2022) and drone flights were employed to measure physicochemical and floating plant cover changes, …

A Phoenix Glimmers Within The Ashes: Generalized Defensive Traits Suggest Hope For Plants Under Attack By Invasive Pests, Todd D. Johnson, Justin G.A. Whitehill

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Type Of Mulch On Microbial Food Safety Risk On Cucumbers Irrigated With Contaminated Water, Juan Moreira, Kevin Mccarter, Julysa Abril Benitez, Kathryn Fontenot, Joan M. King, Achyut Adhikari

Faculty Publications

Mulches are used to block light and retain soil moisture which may affect the survival of bacterial pathogens on soil. This study examined the effectiveness of different types of mulches to minimize microbial risk from contaminated water used for irrigation of cucumbers. A production bed of 120 ft2 with 18 beds (30 ft long) covered with five different types of mulch (paper, paper with fertilizer incorporated (PF), maize-based mulch, biodegradable plastic covering, and conventional plastic) including three beds with no cover was planted with Dasher 2 Variety cucumber. Soil samples from each bed were collected for the first five weeks …

A Membrane Protein Of The Rice Pathogen Burkholderia Glumae Required For Oxalic Acid Secretion And Quorum Sensing, Asif Iqbal, George Nwokocha, Vijay Tiwari, Inderjit K. Barphagha, Anne Grove, Jong Hyun Ham, William T. Doerrler

Faculty Publications

Bacterial panicle blight is caused by Burkholderia glumae and results in damage to rice crops worldwide. Virulence of B. glumae requires quorum sensing (QS)-dependent synthesis and export of toxoflavin, responsible for much of the damage to rice. The DedA family is a conserved membrane protein family found in all bacterial species. B. glumae possesses a member of the DedA family, named DbcA, which we previously showed is required for toxoflavin secretion and virulence in a rice model of infection. B. glumae secretes oxalic acid as a “common good” in a QS-dependent manner to combat toxic alkalinization of the growth medium …

Effects Of Ingested Essential Oils And Propolis Extracts On Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Health And Gut Microbiota, Allyson Martin Ewert, Michael Simone-Finstrom, Quentin Read, Claudia Husseneder, Vincent Ricigliano

Faculty Publications

Managed honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis mellifera Linnaeus) hives require frequent human inputs to maintain colony health and productivity. A variety of plant natural products (PNPs) are delivered via feeding to control diseases and reduce the use of synthetic chemical treatments. However, despite their prevalent use in beekeeping, there is limited information regarding the impact of ingested PNPs on bee health. Here, we tested the effects of different essential oils and propolis extracts on honey bee life span, nutrient assimilation, xenobiotic detoxification, and gut microbiota abundance. Brazilian propolis extract lengthened worker life span, while the other PNPs (Louisiana propolis extract, …

Community-Wide Correlations Between Species Richness, Abundance And Population Genomic Diversity In A Freshwater Biodiversity Hotspot, Jamie R. Bucholz, Garrett W. Hopper, Irene Sánchez González, Taylor E. Kelley, Colin R. Jackson, Ryan C. Garrick, Carla L. Atkinson, Jeffrey D. Lozier

Faculty Publications

Understanding patterns of diversity across macro (e.g. species-level) and micro (e.g. molecular-level) scales can shed light on community function and stability by elucidating the abiotic and biotic drivers of diversity within ecological communities. We examined the relationships among taxonomic and genetic metrics of diversity in freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae), an ecologically important and species-rich group in the southeastern United States. Using quantitative community surveys and reduced-representation genome sequencing across 22 sites in seven rivers and two river basins, we surveyed 68 mussel species and sequenced 23 of these species to characterize intrapopulation genetic variation. We tested for the presence of …

Labeling Effects Of Initial Juvenile Justice System Processing Decision On Youth Interpersonal Ties*, Zachary R. Rowan, Adam Fine, Laurence Steinberg, Paul J. Frick, Elizabeth Cauffman

Faculty Publications

The juvenile justice system can process youth in myriad ways. Youth who are formally processed, relative to being informally processed, may experience more public and harsh sanctions that label youth more negatively as “deviant.” Drawing on labeling theory, the current study evaluates the relative effect of formal justice system processing on the interpersonal dynamics of youth peer networks. Using data from the Crossroads Study, a multisite longitudinal sample of first-time adolescent offenders, the current study applies augmented inverse probability weighting and generalized mixed-effects models to estimate the effects of formal processing on friendship selection processes of homophily and withdrawal and …

Adipocyte Stat5 (Signal Transducer And Activator Of Transcription 5) Is Not Required For Glucocorticoid-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction, Innocence Harvey, Allison J. Richard, Tamra M. Mendoza, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Excess glucocorticoid (GC) signaling in adipose tissue is a key driver of insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, but underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) signaling in adipocytes has also been implicated in the progression of similar metabolic disturbances. Although STAT5 has been shown to interact with the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in many cell types including adipocytes, the relevance of the STAT5/GR complex has not been investigated in adipocytes. Adult male and female adipocyte-specific STAT5 knockout (STAT5AKO) and floxed mice were given corticosterone (CORT) or vehicle in their drinking water for 1 …

Omics-Driven Investigation Of The Biology Underlying Intrinsic Submaximal Working Capacity And Its Trainability, Monalisa Hota, Jacob L. Barber, Jonathan J. Ruiz-Ramie, Charles S. Schwartz, Do Thuy Uyen Ha Lam, Prashant Rao, Michael Y. Mi, Daniel H. Katz, Jeremy M. Robbins, Clary B. Clish, Robert E. Gerszten, Mark A. Sarzynski, Sujoy Ghosh, Claude Bouchard

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Submaximal exercise capacity is an indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness with clinical and public health implications. Submaximal exercise capacity and its response to exercise programs are characterized by heritability levels of about 40%. Using physical working capacity (power output) at a heart rate of 150 beats/min (PWC150) as an indicator of submaximal exercise capacity in subjects of the HERITAGE Family Study, we have undertaken multi-omics and in silico explorations of the underlying biology of PWC150 and its response to 20 wk of endurance training. Our goal was to illuminate the biological processes and identify panels of genes associated with human variability …

Validity Of An Artificial Intelligence-Based Application To Identify Foods And Estimate Energy Intake Among Adults: A Pilot Study, Chloe P. Lozano, Emma N. Canty, Sanjoy Saha, Stephanie T. Broyles, Robbie A. Beyl, John W. Apolzan, Corby K. Martin

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: The commercial application Openfit allows for automatic identification and quantification of food intake through short video capture without a physical reference marker. There are no known peer-reviewed publications on the validity of this Nutrition Artificial Intelligence (AI). Objectives: To test the validity of Openfit to identify food automatically and semiautomatically (with user correction), test the validity of Openfit at quantifying energy intake (kcal) automatically and semiautomatically, and assess satisfaction and usability of Openfit. Methods: During a laboratory-based visit, adults (7 male and 17 female), used Openfit to automatically and semiautomatically record provided meals, which were covertly weighed. Foods logged …

Quantitative Trait Loci, Candidate Genes, And Breeding Lines To Improve Salt Tolerance At The Flowering And Seedling Stages In Rice, Rajat Pruthi, Sandeep Chapagain, Sapphire Coronejo, Lovepreet Singh, Prasant Kumar Subudhi

Faculty Publications

Salinity is a major environmental constraint that limits growth and productivity of rice all over the world. Although rice plants are vulnerable to salt stress at both seedling and flowering stages, genetic dissection of salt tolerance at the flowering stage is challenging due to non-uniformity of stress application at the appropriate growth stage. The present study was conducted to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and candidate genes associated with the flowering stage salt tolerance and compare with those associated with the seedling stage using a high-resolution genetic map. A population of advanced generation introgression lines with uniform flowering time was …

Investigating Conspecific Csrv1 Transmission In Callinectes Sapidus, Julie A. Lively, Matthew I. Spitznagel, Eric J. Schott, Hamish J. Small

Faculty Publications

A reo-like virus, CsRV1, is found in blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, from every North American location assessed, including Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, USA and associated with blue crabs in softshell production. CsRV1-associated crab mortality is prevalent in captive crabs, but it is still unknown how CsRV1 is transmitted. The purpose of this study was to examine the role that conspecific predation or scavenging may play in per os transmission in single exposure and repeated exposure experiments. For viruses without cell culture propagation, repeated exposure experiments have the challenge of presenting the virus consistently during the experiment …