Digital Commons Network^™

Feelings And Futures: Social Design Addressing Identity And Engagement Of Adolescent Girls In A Community-Based Organization, Eseoghene Mukoro

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Community organizations can provide numerous benefits to adolescent youth in various aspects of their lives—socially, psychologically, and physically, to name a few. Unfortunately, many youth-serving organizations aim to serve youth without directly involving their perspectives in the creation of their respective programs. At the Gardere Initiative, adolescent girls appear to have low levels of engagement and belonging, while their male counterparts enjoy activities and spaces catered to them. This poses a question of how this community organization might better serve the desires and life context of these adolescent girls.
Social Design is the practice of designing an intervention (product, service, …

Memory For Everyday Chores In Younger And Older Adults, Cameron Mccleary, Katie Cherry

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

This study examined episodic memory performance for everyday household chores in younger (18-32 years) and older adults (65-79 years). With the increasing older adult population in the United States, understanding age-related memory differences and identifying strategies to enhance memory performance in later life is needed. Building on previous research demonstrating the pictorial superiority effect and benefits of semantic encoding across the adult lifespan, this study utilized a 2 × 2 × 2 between-groups factorial design to investigate the effects of age group (younger, older), encoding task (standard intentional learning, semantic elaboration), and stimulus format (text only, text with pictorial illustrations) …

The Healing Power Of Nanoparticles: Bioengineering Gelatin Films With Lignin-Graft-Plga Nanoparticles For Enhanced Tissue Repair, Marie Howe, Cristina Sabliov, Thanida Chuacharoen, Willyam Nikiema

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Fish gelatin, a biocompatible material, can be methacrylated to enable its photo-crosslinking and formation of hydrogels for tissue-repair applications (1). This study investigated the incorporation of lignin-grafted PLGA nanoparticles (LNPs) into 3D-printed fGelMA hydrogels as controlled drug delivery systems. Lignin has UV absorbing properties, which could potentially interfere with photocrosslinking of fGelMA (2). These LNPs possess hydrophobic PLGA core and hydrophilic lignin forming the shell providing ample opportunities for delivery of drugs of different chemistries (3). Fluorescent LNPs (FLNPs) were engineered by covalently bonding a fluorophore to the shell prior to nanoparticle synthesis to allow for fluorophore tracking. The understanding …

Motor Planning And Execution During Feeding In Autistic Children, Iresa Lincoln

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Autism is one of the most common pediatric developmental disability diagnoses, diagnosed in approximately 1 in 31 children in the U.S. and 1 in 100 children globally. Autism is often characterized by differences in social communication and repetitive patterns of behavior, activities,
or interests; however, prevalence of clinically significant motor differences in autistic individuals is between 50-95%. These motor differences often interfere with activities of daily living and community participation. Research assessing motor control in autism has yielded mixed findings as to whether the motor differences observed in autistic individuals are associated with differences in motor planning or motor execution. …

Bridging Distances: Exploring Teleoperation’S Present And Prospects In The Construction Industry, Marc Hebert, Aras Maqsoodi, Ali Kazemian

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Telerobotics has enabled major advancements and developments in multiple fields by providing safer robotic solutions. The construction industry has previously employed teleoperation, but its use has been limited in scope and primarily focused on earthwork. Teleoperation is a valuable tool for ensuring safe operations in extreme environments and inaccessible areas, enabling construction workers to remotely oversee tasks that are traditionally high-risk. Recent advancements in high-speed telecommunication networks, innovative control systems, and growing research in teleoperation have significant potential and practicality for application in the construction industry. This paper reviews the existing literature on construction teleoperation, emphasizing how advancements in Human-Machine …

Evaluation Of Liberty® Herbicide For Zygosity Verification In Transgenic Maize (Zea Mays) Expressing The Bar Gene From Streptomyces Hygroscopicus, Isabel Hau

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Maize (Zea mays) is a major global crop cultivated for food and feed. Most commercial varieties grown in the United States contain herbicide-resistant traits to facilitate weed management. One such herbicide trait is Liberty-Link, which contains the bialaphos resistance (bar) gene from Streptomyces hygroscopicus that confers resistance to glufosinate-ammonium, the active
ingredient in Liberty herbicide. This bar gene is also widely used as a selectable marker in plant transformation. In non-transgenic plants, glufosinate-ammonium inhibits plant glutamine synthetase by acting as a glutamate analog, thereby disrupting amino acid biosynthesis and leading
to plant death. In contrast, transgenic plants expressing the bar …

Measuring The Rise And Fall Of Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations In Blue-Tongued Skinks (Tiliqua Scincoides) Following Ultraviolet B Exposure And Withdrawal, Ashleigh Godke, Haerin Rhim, M. Graciela Aguilar, Keishla Marrero-Acosta, Mark Mitchell

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Species-specific husbandry guidelines remain limited for blue-tongued skinks (Tiliqua scincoides), especially in relation to ultraviolet B (UVB) lighting and vitamin D requirements. This study aimed to determine whether UVB exposure is necessary for these skinks and how long 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) concentrations persist after UVB withdrawal. Eleven adult skinks who had been fed with wet cat food were exposed to 12 or 2 h of UVB per day for four weeks. Plasma 25-OHD concentrations were very low at the baseline, and significantly increased post-UVB in both groups (p < 0.01), with the 12-hour group increasing from baseline concentrations of 18.5 [12.8–20.5] nmol/L to 820 [730–1251.3] nmol/L and the 2-hour group increasing from baseline concentrations of 22 [15.5–22] nmol/L to 635 [401–892.5] nmol/L. Following the discontinuation of UVB exposure, 25-OHD gradually declined and was not significantly different from baseline concentrations at 7 and 4 months for the 12-hour and 2-hour groups, respectively. Dietary vitamin D3 (2.5 IU/g as dry matter basis), provided through wet cat food alone, appeared insufficient to support sustained plasma 25-OHD concentrations. These findings strongly suggest that blue-tongued skinks rely on UVB exposure to increase their 25-OHD concentrations. Moreover, the shorter 2-hour exposure provided a significant rise in 25-OHD concentrations and remained above baseline for 4 months, suggesting the shorter exposure can benefit these animals, while potentially reducing secondary risks associated with UVB exposure.

Analyzing And Understanding America’S Involvement In The Global War In Terror Through The Oral Histories Of Its Veterans And Other Sources, Bryce Edwards

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

From 2001 to the early 2020s, the United States and its allies have consistently engaged in political, military, counterinsurgency, and nation building operations in nations such as Afghanistan and Iraq. The efforts of this coalition first rallied to combat the threat of global terrorism after September 11th, yet it would then develop in decades-long assignment to rebuild these countries and their institutions with fundamental (and foreign) western values. This thesis intends to examine the conflict by conducting oral histories of its many veterans, to better understand their lived experience. These interviews will be supported by scholarly works from those involved …

Freshwater Mussels Of Louisiana: A Field Guide, Franchesca Ruiz, Garrett Hopper

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Freshwater mussels (Order Unionidae) are important animals that provide valuable ecosystem functions and services. Due to a multitude of factors such as habitat modifications and habitat destruction related to human population growth many mussel populations are declining throughout the United States increasing the need for public awareness. Louisiana is home to 63 mussel species, but most residents are not aware of their presence, importance, or state of imperilment. We addressed this by creating a field guide to the freshwater mussels of Louisiana. Our goals include providing a resource for accurate freshwater mussel field identification, increasing public and scientific awareness of …

The Impact Of Defunding The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (Snap-Ed) In Louisiana, Virginia Bordelon, Senlin Chen, Yuxin Nie, Denise Holston, Jessice Stroope

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) was a federally funded initiative that aims to improve nutrition knowledge, promote physical activity, and provide education through Policy, System, and Environmental (PSE) strategies. This study examined the relationship between the defunding of SNAP-Ed and how nutrition and physical activity were affected among low-income families. Data for this study originated an interview with a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) economist, an interview with SNAP-Ed field agent, and survey responses from 32 adult participants familiar with SNAP. The SNAP recipients use the education program resources to assist in healthy recipes, physical
education …

The Effects Of Exercise, Heat Stress, And Cooling Strategies On Cognitive Function, Marie Vilcin, Ginhyuk Kwon, Hannah Rigdon, Neil Johannsen, Arend Van Gemmert

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Hot environments has proven to impact performance outcomes negatively when engaged in intense physical activity due to altered cognitive function. Despite extensive research on how rehydration or hypohydration strategies in hot environments ameliorates physical and/or cognitive performance, this study focuses on cooling strategies using a newly developed device called Tigeraire, Zephyr. This device aims to reduce the sensation of heat stress and improve cognitive function during standardized exercise in a hot environment.
Participants were randomly assigned to two separate interventional trials, one with the fan and one without. Participants completed the trials in an environmental chamber set at 30 degrees …

Quantifying Uncertainty In Landscape Evolution And Provenance Analysis: Insights From Statistical And Numerical Modelling, Vivian Carmello Grom

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Landscape evolution models (LEMs) and detrital zircon provenance are widely used to investigate Earth surface processes, yet both face challenges related to quantifying model behavior and interpreting sedimentary signals under realistic, heterogeneous conditions. This thesis addresses these challenges through analysis and case studies that develop and apply new approaches for analyzing landscape dynamics and assessing uncertainties in sediment provenance.

Chapter 1 introduces a quantitative framework for evaluating LEM outputs using Shannon Entropy, Moran’s I, and Geary’s C. Applied to simulations with steady uplift, periodic uplift, spatially variable uplift, and a timeseries of DEMs, these metrics capture spatial organization and information …

Crystal Bloom: Ai-Enabled 3d Virtual Fitting As A Sustainable Strategy For Complex Ornamental Fashion, Jiale Man

LSU Fashion and AI x Policy Symposium

No abstract provided.

Construction Of The Yunjian Gene Map And Cascading Generative Design Based On Cultural Memetics, Xinyi Chen, Zhicheng Wang

LSU Fashion and AI x Policy Symposium

No abstract provided.

Ai-Driven Reinterpretation Of Dunhuang Style: Public-Domain Heritage Innovation Applied To Doll Clothing, Liyan Zhou, Jinying Mou, Xiangyang Bian, Qianlan Xu, Zhangwenqi Yang

LSU Fashion and AI x Policy Symposium

No abstract provided.

Satellite-Mediated Quantum Clock Synchronization: Towards Precise Timing At A Global Scale, Sage B. Ducoing

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Accurate timekeeping is essential for scientific and technological advancements, particularly in areas of communication, networking, navigation, and high precision measurements. While many methods of time resolution are already established using classical resources, they fail to combine high precision outcomes with large-scale implementations. Additionally, numerous quantum networking architectures using satellite-assisted methods have demonstrated quantum communication on scales exceeding ground-based methods. For these reasons, we propose the use of a time synchronization method by which pairs of highly time-correlated photons are exchanged between clocks on satellites and clocks on Earth, al- lowing users to reconstruct the time offsets between their clocks. This …

Investigating The Fatigue Behavior Of Inconel 939 And Inconel 718 Through Micromechanical Testing, Mohammad Hossein Shahini

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A detailed evaluation of fatigue crack growth (FCG) in a silicon-modified Inconel 939 alloy, fabricated via laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (L-PBF AM), was performed using cyclic bending tests on pre-notched microscale cantilevers with a cross-sectional dimension of 25 µm × 25 µm. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that such microscale cantilever tests can effectively capture both the threshold and Paris-law regimes of FCG, despite the limited specimen size. The precise fabrication of these small-scale specimens allows for controlled fatigue crack propagation relative to the microstructure while minimizing the presence of volumetric defects. Notably, …

Role Of Cellular Stress Responses In Innate Immune Defense Against Acute Respiratory Infections, Amit Sharma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) is an important regulator of innate immune cells. However, its role in pulmonary innate host defenses remains poorly understood. This dissertation elucidates the dual, context-dependent role of IRE1α in host defense against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia. We demonstrate IRE1α’s function as both a detrimental mediator of acute pathology and an essential facilitator of innate immune memory. Our work revealed that acute IRE1α activation during primary MRSA infection is detrimental. In lungs and alveolar macrophages (AMs), IRE1α is activated in response to MRSA infection. Consequently, IRE1α activation triggers a hyperinflammatory …

Supporting Best Practices In Family Engagement: Our Week Of The Young Child Experience, Michelle Fazio Brunson, Faith S. Birdwell, April Giddens

Spark! Innovations in Early Childhood Education: A Research-to-Practice Journal for Educators

Family engagement is a collaborative process where early childhood professionals, families, and children build positive, goal-oriented relationships. Incorporating family engagement into preschool programs is not merely beneficial but essential for promoting holistic child development in programs where children feel safe, cared for, and secure. In this article, we share the benefits of effective family engagement activities for families with young children and describe how we celebrated the National Association for the Education of Young Children's 2025 Week of the Young Child.

Using Food As A Fun And Effective Teaching Tool In Preschool, Kelly Furr, Melani Duffrin, Eugene A. Geist

Spark! Innovations in Early Childhood Education: A Research-to-Practice Journal for Educators

Food is one of the most engaging, hands-on materials for preschool classrooms. This article highlights research from the Food FAN Academy (Furr, 2023), which demonstrates how food can be used as a teaching tool across early childhood learning environments. Practical strategies are provided for preschool teachers, including detailed lesson plans that connect to early math, science, literacy, and social development. The article emphasizes the importance of using everyday materials, cultural inclusivity, and active learning methods to promote curiosity, health awareness, and foundational skills in young learners.

Advancing Louisiana's Cropping Systems: Sustainable Bioenergy Production, Cover Crops, And Technology Integration, Pedro R. Carrillo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The adoption of cover crops in Louisiana is lower than the national average, underscoring the need for region-specific research to address environmental challenges and demonstrate the short-term benefits of these practices within existing production systems. This research evaluated the integration of cover crops (CC) in energy cane (Saccharum spp.) and no-till cotton systems, focusing on their effects on soil health, nitrogen (N) management, and biomass production. Soil health indicators (SHIs), including enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, and urease), protein N, inorganic N concentrations (nitrate and ammonium), soil organic matter (SOM), and microbial community composition assessed through ester-linked fatty acid …

Search For Light Sterile Neutrinos With Two Neutrino Beams At Microboone, C. Zhang, J. Zennamo, G. P. Zeller, H. W. Yu, L. E. Yates, T. Yang, E. Yandel, W. Wu, K. Wresilo, T. Wongjirad, S. Wolbers, A. J. White, H. Wei, M. Weber, J. Wang, B. Viren, T. Usher, M. A. Uchida, J. Tyler, Y. T. Tsai, A. Trettin, M. Toups, D. Totani, D. Torbunov, C. Thorpe, K. Terao, N. Taniuchi, A. M. Szelc, T. Strauss, J. St John, M. Stancari, J. Spitz, S. Söldner-Rembold

Faculty Publications

The existence of three distinct neutrino flavours, νe, νμ and ντ, is a central tenet of the Standard Model of particle physics^1,2. Quantum-mechanical interference can allow a neutrino of one initial flavour to be detected sometime later as a different flavour, a process called neutrino oscillation. Several anomalous observations inconsistent with this three-flavour picture have motivated the hypothesis that an additional neutrino state exists, which does not interact directly with matter, termed as ‘sterile’ neutrino, νs (refs. ^{3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8–9}). This includes anomalous observations from the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND)³ experiment and …

Bridging Modalities: Enhancing Multimodal Sentiment Analysis For Social Media Networks, Misbah Ul Hoque

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) serve as rich sources of textual and visual information, making multimodal sentiment analysis essential for understanding complex human emotions. This dissertation aims to advance multimodal sentiment analysis by improving the semantic alignment and fusion of textual and visual features, thereby enabling more accurate and context-aware sentiment interpretation of social media content.

To address challenges in multimodal integration, this work proposes two complementary MSA approaches. The first approach introduces a similarity-based multi-layer attention neural network (SiMANN) that enhances modality integration through cosine-based similarity fusion and modality-specific attention to emphasize salient features in text and …

The Influence Of Reactive Iron On Organic Carbon Preservation In Sediment Of The Mississippi River-Influenced Shelf, Manab Kumar Dutta, Neha A. Ghaisas, Kanchan Maiti

Faculty Publications

Reactive iron is a key driver of organic carbon preservation in marine sediments, but its participation in organic carbon remineralization complicates efforts to mechanistically constrain its role in preservation. To address this, we investigated the dual role of iron in the Mississippi River-influenced shelf sediment during low discharge (August 2016) and high discharge (May 2017). Duplicate sediment cores (30 cm depth) were collected from two stations; one core served as a natural reference, while the other was used for an incubation experiment. In the natural cores, reactive iron concentrations in the upper 9 cm were lower in August 2016 than …

Elucidating The Role Of Marine Benthic Carbon In A Changing World, Cristina Schultz, Jessica Y. Luo, Damian C. Brady, Robinson W. Fulweiler, Matthew H. Long, Colleen M. Petrik, Jeremy M. Testa, Heather M. Benway, David Burdige, Marta M. Cecchetto, Isa Elegbede, Natalya Evans, Alexandra Frenzel, Kayla Gillen, Lisa C. Herbert, Heidi K. Hirsh, Gennadi Lessin, Lisa Levin, Kanchan Maiti, Sairah Malkin, Sarah L. Mincks, Stanley Nmor, Anh Pham, James Pinckney, Christophe Rabouille, Shaily Rahman, Subhadeep Rakshit, Nicholas E. Ray, Dalton K. Sasaki, Samantha A. Siedlecki, Christopher Somes, Aron Stubbins, Olivier Sulpis

Faculty Publications

The ocean plays a major role in controlling atmospheric carbon at decadal to millennial timescales, with benthic carbon representing the only geologic-scale storage of oceanic carbon. Despite its importance, detailed benthic ocean observations are limited and representation of the benthic carbon cycle in ocean and Earth system models (ESMs) is mostly empirical with little prognostic capacity, which hinders our ability to properly understand the long-term evolution of the carbon cycle and climate change-related feedbacks. The Benthic Ecosystem and Carbon Synthesis (BECS) working group, with the support of the US Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry Program (OCB), identified key challenges limiting our …

Hurricanes And Human Health In Louisiana: Insights From Hurricanes Laura, Delta, And Ida, Shobha Kumari Yadav, Robert V. Rohli, M. E. Betsy Garrison, Elisabeth Ponce-Garcia, Nazla Bushra, Charleen Mcneill

Faculty Publications

Louisiana is one of the most disaster-prone states, with hurricanes ranking among the most destructive hazards. Hurricanes impede sustainability by straining hospital infrastructure, overwhelming emergency departments, and disrupting continuity of care. Louisiana’s healthcare system, characterized by high uninsured rates, limited rural access, and notable racial and socioeconomic disparities, is particularly vulnerable during disasters. This research explores trends of mental and respiratory health in Louisiana surrounding Hurricanes Laura (2020), Delta (2020), and Ida (2021). Analysis reveals a substantial increase in admissions after landfall of all three storms, with mental health conditions showing a larger surge than respiratory ones in already-vulnerable communities. …

Nonlinear Proudman Resonance Under Moving Atmospheric System, Chunyan Li

Faculty Publications

A nonlinear theoretical model with an exact solution is developed to critically examine the Proudman resonance problem. In this framework, a moving atmospheric pressure system forces a wave governed by the square of the wave Froude number (n=F²). Proudman’s classical linear solution, although widely cited, diverges to infinity at resonance (n=1), limiting its physical realism. This work extends the linear regime into the nonlinear by solving the governing equations exactly. The resulting solution remains finite at resonance. The first-order approximation recovers Proudman’s solution, while the second-order approximation already yields a finite resonant response—providing a more accurate and physically …

Ocean–Atmosphere–Land Interactions And Their Roles In Climate Change, Biyun Guo, Chunyan Li

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Louisiana Children's Trust Fund: Annual Report 2024-2025, Elizabeth Winchester, Jada Thomas-Smith, Quynh-Tram Tran, Aimee Moles, Judith L. F. Rhodes

Reports

LCTF makes annual grant awards to aid in the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the state. Grant awards fund programs and conferences, which are implemented in five LCTF identified areas of intervention, namely: 1) Teaching children personal safety and life skills; 2) Education and support services for parents; 3) Hospital and/or home visitation and support services to families; 4) Public awareness and education programs for adults; and 5) Training and education of teachers, professionals, and volunteers.

To ensure accountability for grant funding, an annual review of funded proposals assesses program planning, implementation, and evaluation. The annual review involves …

Contrasting Climate Oscillations Impacts On Phytoplankton In The Western And Eastern Tropical Pacific, Lina An, Edward A. Laws, Xin Liu, Ruiying Chen, Shanlin Wang, Shijian Hu, Yuchen Zhang, Yibin Huang, Feipeng Xu, Fei Chai, Bangqin Huang

Faculty Publications

Climate oscillations like the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation significantly impact marine ecosystems. Traditionally, warm events are thought to suppress nutrient availability, reduce phytoplankton biomass, and change community structure. However, using two decades of field observations, remote sensing, Copernicus reanalysis, and Earth system modeling, we find very different responses in the western tropical Pacific. During El Niño, chlorophyll concentrations and diatom contributions increase, while La Niña reverses that trend. The further amplification of these El Niño-Southern Oscillation-driven contrasts by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation can be attributed to its effects on regional circulation, including the enhancement of eddy activity …