Digital Commons Network^™

Optimal Design Problems With State Constraints, Nha Van Tran

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis focuses on constrained optimization problems with constraints on the state variables. When the constraints involve partial differential equations or variational inequalities, the optimization problem is also known as Mathematical Programs with Equilibrium Constraints. First, we applied active-set properties of optimal solutions to transform variational inequality constraints into partial differential equation constraints and devised an active-set method which allowed us to solve the optimization problems using the adjoint approach. We extended our approach to evolution problems with constraints on the trajectory of the state variable, such as the irreversibility condition in fracture mechanics. We implemented a gradient descent algorithm …

3-Dimensional Structural Determination Of Epidermal Growth Factor-Like Repeat 27 From Mouse Notch1 Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Justin Grennell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

NOTCH1 has been associated with a variety of human ailments, such as cancer and heart disease. NOTCH1 is a transmembrane protein that contains 36 epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats, which facilitate cell signaling by binding proteins on neighboring cells. Each repeat contains about 40 amino acids and has to be folded in a specific manner to function properly. The amino acid sequence, carbohydrate pattern, and calcium-binding sites of EGF-like repeats vary, but the pattern along the 36-repeat chain is conserved. The Abruptex region (EGF24-29) of NOTCH1 is a highly glycosylated (having undergone sugar addition) and flexible region, which gained its …

Role Of Dissipative Effects In The Quantum Gravitational Onset Of Warm Starobinsky Inflation In A Closed Universe, Meysam Motaharfar, Parampreet Singh

Faculty Publications

A problematic feature of low-energy-scale inflationary models, such as Starobinsky inflation, in a spatially closed universe is the occurrence of a recollapse and a big crunch singularity before inflation can even set in. In a recent work, it was shown that this problem can be successfully resolved in loop quantum cosmology for a large class of initial conditions due to a nonsingular cyclic evolution and a hysteresislike phenomenon. However, for certain highly unfavorable initial conditions, the onset of inflation was still difficult to obtain. In this work, we explore the role of dissipative particle production, which is typical in warm …

Impact Of Metal/Ceramic Interactions On Interfacial Shear Strength: Study Of Cr/Tin Using A New Modified Embedded-Atom Potential, Nisha Dhariwal, Abu Shama Mohammad Miraz, W. J. Meng, Bala R. Ramachandran, Collin D. Wick

Faculty Publications

The effect of misfit dislocation networks (MDNs) on the stability and shear strength of Cr/TiN was investigated using a newly developed modified embedded atom model parameterized to pure Cr, CrTi, CrN, and Cr/TiN interfacial properties. The interfacial energy was lowest when the MDN was located in the Cr layer adjacent to the chemical interface, which also had the largest dislocation core widths. This was consistent with generalized stacking fault energies, which had lower energy barriers between the first and second Cr layers next to the chemical interface. As the MDN moved away from the interface, dislocation core widths consistently decreased …

The Rural Road: A Phenomenological Study Exploring Advanced Placement Coursework And College Readiness In Louisiana, Willie Adelaide Louviere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rigorous coursework is one of the necessary staples in establishing college readiness. Rural districts are much less likely to offer advanced coursework opportunities to students. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the equitable access to advanced coursework opportunities (Advanced Placement) provided to rural students (in-person and distance learning) in public rural high schools in Louisiana. Access to advanced coursework (Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, etc.) serves as an indicator of college readiness; however, a substantial gap exists in providing the programs to underserved student populations. Rural students face significant barriers that can hinder their ability to thrive on …

The Origin And The Evolution Of The Double Bass, Patrick James Lavergne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation will trace the double bass from the 16^th century to the 21^st century. The double bass is the largest and lowest pitched member of the string family. The members of the string family are the violin, viola, cello, and the double bass. The pitch of the double bass sounds one octave lower than the written pitch. The double bass is sometimes called the contrabass, string bass, upright bass, or bass fiddle. It is used in different genres of music such as classical, jazz, blues, bluegrass, country & western, and even rock.

Improving The Deployment Of Insecticidal Seed Treatments In Louisiana Rice In Accordance With Integrated Pest Management, Megan Marie Mulcahy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most destructive insect pest of rice in the United States. Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus larvae feed on rice roots, reducing yields by up to 25 %. Lepidopteran stem borers, in the family Crambidae, are also economically important pests of rice in Louisiana.

Currently, insecticidal seed treatments are used throughout the U.S. Mid-south rice industry to prophylactically control L. oryzophilus. Chlorantraniliprole seed treatments are also effective against stem borers. Thus, insecticidal seed treatments are used on >80 % of Louisiana rice acreage. Although seed treatments reduce damage inflicted by these pests, they are applied preventatively …

Asynchronous, Distributed Optical Mutual Exclusion And Applications, Ahmed Bahaael Mansour

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Silicon photonics have drawn much recent interest in the setting of intra-chip andmodule communication. In this dissertation, we address a fundamental computationalproblem, mutual exclusion, in the setting of optical interconnects. As a main result, wepropose an optical network and an algorithm for it to distribute a token (shared resource)mutually exclusively among a set ofnprocessing elements. Following a request, the tokenis granted in constant amortized time andO(n) worst case time; this assumes constantpropagation time for light within the chip. Additionally, the distribution of tokens is fair,ensuring that no token request is denied more thann−1 times in succession; this is thebest possible. …

Investigation Of Bovine Herpesvirus-1 Determinants Of Neuronal Infectivity In Novel Bovine Neuronal Cell Systems For Development Of A Safer Viral Vaccine Vector, Jared Rudd

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) is the causative agent of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and a component of the bovine respiratory disease complex. BoHV-1 is a significant burden on the cattle industry in the United States causing severe respiratory disease, abortions, loss of calves (“shipping fever”). BoHV-1 belongs to the alphaherpesvirus subfamily of Herpesviridae. Alphaherpesviruses enter axons of sensory nerves and establish life-long latency in trigeminal and dorsal root ganglionic neurons after primary infection of the oronasal or genital epithelium respectively. Modified live attenuated vaccines for BoHV-1 are commercially available but are limited in their protection while retaining the ability to establish latency …

Apol1 Renal Risk Variants Are Associated With Obesity And Body Composition In African Ancestry Adults: An Observational Genotype-Phenotype Association Study, Girish N. Nadkarni, Kezhen Fei, Genevieve Galarneau, Yan Gao, James G. Wilson, Richard Cooper, Ebony B. Madden, Joshua C. Denny, Lynne D. Richardson, Martin Pollak, Ruth J.F. Loos, Carol R. Horowitz

Faculty Publications

While increased obesity prevalence among persons of African ancestry (AAs) compared to persons of European ancestry (EAs) is linked to social, environmental and behavioral factors, there are no gene variants that are common and significantly associated with obesity in AA populations. We sought to explore the association between ancestry specific renal risk variants in the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene with obesity related traits in AAs. We conducted a genotype-phenotype association study from 3 electronic medical record linked cohorts (BioMe Biobank, BioVU, nuGENE); randomized controlled trials (genetic testing to understand and address renal disease disparities) and prospective cohort study (Jackson Heart …

An Investigation Examining The Closing Of The Achievement Gap In Louisiana With The Ngss, George Cage

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and its implications of being a curricular and pedagogical intervention in terms of narrowing the achievement gap in science education for Children of Color. In using the explanatory mixed methods design, standardized test data and one-on-one interviews were examined to assess the effectiveness and impact of the NGSS’ implementation in the state of Louisiana. This study utilized student performance results from the LEAP 2025 to conduct a statistical analysis that measured trends in performance by Children of Color, specifically Black students, before and after the implementation …

Non-Adiabatic Excited State Molecular Dynamics Using Ehrenfest And Modulated X-Ray Absorption In Titania, Alexander Matthew Meyer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation contains two separate sections aside from an introduction (Chapter 1): theory and methods (Chapter 2), time dependent density functional theory with Ehrenfest for excited state lifetimes in materials (Chapter 3), and simulated field modulated X-ray absorption in titania (Chapter 4).

Excited state lifetime in insulators and semiconductors can be difficult to compute using quantum chemistry due to their dense excited states. Non-radiative decay in these materials requires the use of non-adiabatic effects to dissipate energy through the means of electron-nuclear coupling such as coherent phonon generation. One method of approaching this challenge in these materials is using Ehrenfest …

Responses Of Wetland Soil Microbial Communities To Different Types Of Anthropogenic Stress, Grace Ann Cagle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Microorganisms are the major drivers of biogeochemical transformations of carbon and nitrogen in wetlands. These processes are crucial for ecological sustainability and are heavily impacted by human activities. How anthropogenic stress affects the microbial drivers of carbon storage and nutrient cycling in wetlands is not well understood. I investigated the response of wetland soil microbial communities to three different types of anthropogenic stress using DNA sequencing. First, I studied the effect of warming on microbial carbon processing in a peatland underlaid by permafrost by comparing the abundances of specific genes between sites subjected to five years of warming and controls. …

Covariant Ergodic Quantum Markov Semigroups Via Systems Of Imprimitivity, Radhakrishnan Balu

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Regional Expansion And Evaluation Of Potential Chemical Control For Invasive Apple Snails (Pomacea Maculata) In Southwest Louisiana, Julian M. Lucero

LSU Master's Theses

The integration of monitoring and chemical control is an efficient strategy for managing invasive apple snails, Pomacea maculata, in the rice (Oryza sativa L.) and crawfish systems of southwest Louisiana. However, their current distribution, expansion rates, and susceptibility to chemical control methods in this area are not well known. This study evaluated the expansion of P. maculata in southwest Louisiana and assessed potential chemical control for P. maculata among toxicity assays using various application rates. The effects of potential chemical control were also assessed on a non-target species, the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii). P. maculata …

Numerical Investigation Of The Impact Of Distortion On The Hydrodynamics In The Lower Mississippi River Physical Model (Lmrpm), Ali Heidarizhaleh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Lower Mississippi River Physical Model (LMRPM) is a distorted-scale, 1:6000 horizontal and 1:400 vertical, movable-bed model that is being used to complement ongoing numerical and field studies directed at studying how non-cohesive sediment transport will be impacted by future changes in relative sea level rise and river discharges, as well various management strategies, such as river sediment diversions, in the lower ~190 miles of the Mississippi River The LMRPM was designed using Froude number (Fr) similarity between the prototype and the model, while the flow Reynolds number is relaxed, but determined to be high enough to ensure rough turbulent …

Application Of Gas-Assisted Gravity Drainage (Gagd) Process For Enhancing Recovery From Unconventional Resources, Muzher Al Musabeh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The oil recovery with hydraulic fracturing has played an important role in hydrocarbon production and energy support last decade from unconventional resources. Characteristically, the significant production decline and low recovery factors from these reservoirs triggered the need for new EOR techniques to compensate for the decline and help sustain the production. In this study, an experimental investigation of the Gas-Assisted Gravity Drainage (GAGD) process in the presence of fractures as EOR process was conducted using Nitrogen (N2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in Berea Sandstone (BSS) and Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS). Core flooding and EOR experiments were used to determine the …

Congruences Between Coefficients Of A Class Of Eta-Quotients And Their Applications To Combinatorics, Shashika Petta Mestrige

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ramanujan in $1920$s discovered remarkable congruence properties of the partition function $p(n)$. Later, Watson and Atkin proved these congruences using the theory of modular forms. Atkin, Gordon, and Hughes extended these works to $k$-colored partition functions. In $2010$, Folsom-Kent-Ono and Boylan-Webb proved the congruences of $p(n)$ by studying a $\ell$-adic module associated with a certain sequence of modular functions which are related to $p(n)$.

Primary goal of this thesis is to generalize the work of Atkin, Gordon, Hughes, Folsom-Kent-Ono, and Boylan-Webb about the partition function to a larger class of partition functions. For this purpose we study a closely related …

Brood Abundance And Invertebrate Availability In Crop-Dominated Landscapes In The Prairie Pothole Region, Catrina V. Terry

LSU Master's Theses

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is the most important region for ducks in North America, producing over half the ducks on the continent, and it is a priority landscape for wetland and grassland conservation. Agricultural expansion has changed the PPR, and the majority of grasslands and potholes have been converted into row-crops. The loss of nesting habitat has directly caused nest success to decline. Most of the remaining wetlands are surrounded by row-crops, and are considered lower quality because they receive runoff of sediment and chemicals, which may decrease primary forage for young ducklings as well as inhibit wetland vegetation. …

Liquid Sealant With Thermally Adaptive Properties, Guoqiang Li

College of Engineering Patents

A composition for sealing defects in structural materials such as roads or paved surfaces, the composition preferably comprising one or more shape memory polymer (SMP) components capable of responding to increased temperature by decreasing in volume. Smart SMP-based sealants of the invention serve to avoid adhesion failure between a sealant and the repaired structure when the repaired structure is subjected to varied temperatures that cause thermal expansion and contraction.

Steady Agronomic And Genetic Interventions Are Essential For Sustaining Productivity In Intensive Rice Cropping, Jagdish K. Ladha, Ando M. Radanielson, Jessica Elaine Rutkoski, Roland J. Buresh, Achim Dobermann, Olivyn Angeles, Irish Lorraine B. Pabuayon, Christian Santos-Medellin, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Pauline Chivenge, Ajay Kohli

Faculty Publications

Intensive systems with two or three rice (Oryza sativa L.) crops per year account for about 50% of the harvested area for irrigated rice in Asia. Any reduction in productivity or sustainability of these systems has serious implications for global food security. Rice yield trends in the world's longest-running long-term continuous cropping experiment (LTCCE) were evaluated to investigate consequences of intensive cropping and to draw lessons for sustaining production in Asia. Annual production was sustained at a steady level over the 50-y period in the LTCCE through continuous adjustment of management practices and regular cultivar replacement. Within each of the …

Time And Tide: Sixteenth-Century Expressions Of Temporality In The Writings Of Richard Hakluyt, Jennifer Hope Tellman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Richard Hakluyt the Younger (c. 1553-1616) was the most famous English promoter of overseas expansion of his age and in English history. His most renowned publication, Principal Navigations (1598-1600), a massive three-volume series, detailed English exploration, expansion, and trade history. With a focus on inciting the English to act in order to achieve their Providential Empire, Hakluyt’s works carry in them the expressions of time and temporality permeating the late-1500s. In a period of history where new learning, discoveries, and technologies began to transform life, time was called into question. Concerns about how the perception and acceleration of time and …

The Orlando International Fringe Festival: An Historical And Administrative Overview, Brook Akya Hanemann

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation marks the first historical and administrative overview of the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The Orlando International Fringe Festival (OIFF) is America's oldest still-operating fringe theatre festival. This two-week performing arts and immersive cultural event features uncensored, unjuried, accessible, and inclusive performances on indoor and outdoor stages. The Festival subverts traditional commercial theatre models by giving 100% of ticket proceeds back to its artists. Originally held in Downtown Orlando, it now resides at the Loch Haven Cultural Complex of Orlando where it overcame struggles common to arts organizations such as the beer truck scenario, a sustainability issue linking an …

System Design And Optimization For Efficient Flash-Based Caching In Data Centers, Jian Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Modern data centers are the backbone of today’s Internet-based services and applications. With the explosive growth of the Internet data and a wider range of data-intensive applications being deployed, it is increasingly challenging for data centers to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for high-quality data services. To relieve the heavy burden on data center systems and accelerate data processing, a popular cost-efficient solution is to deploy high-speed, large-capacity flash-based cache systems. However, we are facing multiple critical challenges from device hardware, systems, to application workloads. In this dissertation, we focus on designing highly efficient caching solutions to cope with the explosive …

Fish Gelatin Coating As An Antimicrobial Agent On Wild-Caught Louisiana Shrimp, Hunter S. Songy

LSU Master's Theses

Seafood has a short shelf-life because of its unstable nature. Shrimp has a shelf-life of only eight days. Edible coatings, like those made from gelatin, have been used to apply antimicrobial agents to food product surfaces. Organic acids are naturally occurring, low-cost options that have been proven to effectively reduce bacterial loads on food products and extend their shelf-life. Gelatin can be extracted from catfish skin, helping to reduce product waste. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential effectiveness of fish skin gelatin as an antimicrobial coating alone and in combination with lactic acid, and then compare …

The Predictive Influence Of Challenging Behavior On Parent Stress In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paige Weir

LSU Master's Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication, restricted interest, and repetitive patterns of behavior. Individuals with ASD also exhibit challenging behaviors that affect parent and caregiver stress directly. However, researchers have not yet examined the predictive influence of specific challenging behaviors on parent stress, particularly in young children (i.e., infants and toddlers) with ASD. Therefore, the current study expands existing literature by a) investigating the influence that challenging behaviors of young children with ASD have on parent stress and b) examining the unique contribution that each behavior (i.e., aggressive/disruptive behavior, stereotypy, and self-injurious …

Role Of Aim2 Inflammasome In Pulmonary Host Defense Against Staphylococcus Aureus-Induced Pneumonia, Bibek Dhakal

LSU Master's Theses

Bacterial pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under the age of five, claiming the lives of two million children each year. Staphylococcus aureus is the extracellular Gram-positive bacteria that causes necrotizing pneumonia. Moreover, the spread of antibiotic-resistant and hypervirulent strains has made treatment more challenging. Absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) is a dsDNA-sensing cytosolic innate immune receptor that activates inflammasomes and is crucial for host defense against intracellular bacteria and DNA viruses. However, its role in extracellular bacterial pathogen-induced pneumonia is unclear. Therefore, understanding how AIM2 initiates host responses during Staphylococcus aureus is crucial for the development …

Looking Down From The Top Of A Redwood Tree, Keri Pertuit

LSU Master's Theses

“Looking Down from the Top of a Redwood Tree” was a collaboration with my brother, Fabein Miguel Disedare. From the onset of this project, I reached out to him about the possibility of him creating the poetry, functioning as the lyrics of this piece. When working with Fabein, he suggested the topic of global warming, and we agreed to incorporate this theme through the telling of a story from the perspective of Redwood Tree located on the California coast. This song cycle follows the story of a family of trees inhabiting the coastline, their struggles with deforestation, their lack of …

Willingness Of Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners To Obtain A Private Versus Public Consultation, Erika Largacha

LSU Master's Theses

Promoting conservation practices among family forests landowners play a critical role to enhance forest health and ecosystem services. Several certification programs recognize such efforts, but participation among landowners varies based on their characteristics, program requirements, and incentives. One crucial step of certification is to obtain a forest management plan, but acquisition among landowners remains extremely low. Several studies suggest connecting landowners with foresters as the key element towards the adoption of forest management plans. Because foresters are typically employed by public forestry agencies or as private self-employed consultants, landowners' willingness to work with either may differ. As far as we …

Developing A Watershed-Based Plan Evaluation Framework For Socio-Ecological Network Analysis In The Upper Pontchartrain Basin, Lindsey R. Lamana

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana's efforts to create regional watershed planning under the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) suggest the need to evaluate existing governance systems such as the coordination, development, and implementation of plans. The Network Analysis and Plan Evaluation (NAPE) Framework developed in this study answers initial questions related to the LWI’s long-term resilience outcomes from the content analysis and extraction of relational data in plans of LWI Region 7 located in the Upper Pontchartrain Basin. Actor-Plan Coordination Networks reveal the coordination and collaboration of entities, and a Network of Plans presents the integration of planning documents in the Region. Local government organizations …