Digital Commons Network^™

“En Clave” Tania León And Roberto Sierra: Autochthonous Music Of Cuba And Puerto Rico, Contemporary Music Composition And The ‘Puente’ In Between, Omar A. Ramirez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is in two parts. The first examines selected works of Latin-American composers Tania León and Roberto Sierra. Both composers cite their cultural background as a force that shapes their artistic expression. Many of their works are titled in Spanish, with compositions referencing their homelands in subject and narrative, and incorporate the autochthonous music(s) of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Elements of these afrodiasporic musical traditions can be found in their works: Alegre, Batá, Stride, (León), Loiza, and Concerto for Viola (Sierra), each examined here.

Autochthonous musical elements are highlighted in score excerpts and described using …

Ligo Detector Characterization In The First Half Of The Fourth Observing Run, S. Soni, B. K. Berger, D. Davis, F. Di Renzo, A. Effler, T. A. Ferreira, J. Glanzer, E. Goetz, G. González, A. Helmling-Cornell, B. Hughey, R. Huxford, B. Mannix, G. Mo, D. Nandi, A. Neunzert, S. Nichols, K. Pham, A. I. Renzini, R. M.S. Schofield, A. Stuver, M. Trevor, S. Álvarez-López, R. Beda, C. P.L. Berry, S. Bhuiyan, L. Blagg, R. Bruntz, S. Callos, M. Chan, P. Charlton, N. Christensen, G. Connolly

Faculty Publications

Progress in gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy depends upon having sensitive detectors with good data quality. Since the end of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory-Virgo-KAGRA third Observing run in March 2020, detector-characterization efforts have lead to increased sensitivity of the detectors, swifter validation of GW candidates and improved tools used for data-quality products. In this article, we discuss these efforts in detail and their impact on our ability to detect and study GWs. These include the multiple instrumental investigations that led to reduction in transient noise, along with the work to improve software tools used to examine the detectors data-quality. We end …

From Roses To Pixels; Design For Kashan’S Golab Festival, Safiyeh Niknami

LSU Master's Theses

This research aims to elevate the visibility and appeal of the Kashan Rose Water Festival through innovative graphic design strategies and a user-friendly festival mobile application. The primary objective is to integrate the rich cultural heritage of Kashan with contemporary design elements to create a cohesive brand image that attracts both local and international visitors. By utilizing traditional Persian motifs and modern user experience design, the project seeks to enhance visitor engagement and provide a comprehensive digital interface for festival attendees.

Central to this research is the development of a mobile application that serves as an interactive guide and planning …

Disorder Enhanced Thermalization In Interacting Many-Particle System, Chakradhar Rangi, Herbert F. Fotso, Hanna Terletska, Juana Moreno, Ka Ming Tam

Faculty Publications

We introduce an extension of the nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory to incorporate the effects of static random disorder in the dynamics of a many-particle system by integrating out different disorder configurations resulting in an effective time-dependent density-density interaction. We use this method to study the nonequilibrium transient dynamics of a system described by the Fermi Anderson-Hubbard model following an interaction and disorder quench. The method recovers the solution of the disorder-free case for which the system exhibits qualitatively distinct dynamical behaviors in the weak-coupling (prethermalization) and strong-coupling regimes (collapse-and-revival oscillations). However, we find that weak random disorder promotes thermalization. In …

Disentanglement In Representation Learning: Interpretability In Dimension Reduction With Vae, Minh Hong Vu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research explores both theoretical and practical aspects of disentangled representation learning by extending the VAE framework. We address the core challenge of extracting independent generative factors from observed data while preserving high reconstruction fidelity. To this end, we propose two novel VAE variants: (i) the $\lambda\beta$-VAE, which incorporates an additional $\ell^2$-norm reconstruction loss to improve accuracy, and (ii) the $\gamma\beta$-VAE, which introduces a mutual information regularization term to encourage independence across latent dimensions.

Our theoretical analysis is conducted in a linear Gaussian setting, where we derive optimal solutions for these VAE-based models. We further examine how varying levels of …

X-Ray Polarization Of The High-Synchrotron-Peak Bl Lacertae Object 1es 1959+650 During Intermediate And High X-Ray Flux States, Luigi Pacciani, Dawoon E. Kim, Riccardo Middei, Herman L. Marshall, Alan P. Marscher, Ioannis Liodakis, Iván Agudo, Svetlana G. Jorstad, Juri Poutanen, Manel Errando, Laura Di Gesu, Michela Negro, Fabrizio Tavecchio, Kinwah Wu, Chien Ting Chen, Fabio Muleri, Lucio Angelo Antonelli, Immacolata Donnarumma, Steven R. Ehlert, Francesco Massaro, Stephen L. O’Dell, Matteo Perri, Simonetta Puccetti, Francisco José Aceituno, Giacomo Bonnoli, Víctor Casanova, Juan Escudero, Beatriz Agís-González, César Husillos, Daniel Morcuende, Jorge Otero-Santos, Alfredo Sota, Pouya M. Kouch

Faculty Publications

We report the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) polarimetric and simultaneous multiwavelength observations of the high-energy-peaked BL Lacertae object (HBL) 1ES 1959+650, performed in 2022 October and 2023 August. In 2022 October, IXPE measured an average polarization degree ΠX = 9.4% ± 1.6% and an electric-vector position angle ψX = 53° ± 5°. The polarized X-ray emission can be decomposed into a constant component, plus a rotating component, with the rotation velocity ωEVPA = (−117 ± 12) deg day⁻¹. In 2023 August, during a period of pronounced activity of the source, IXPE measured an average ΠX = 12.4% …

Ai-Based Accessibility Widget (Aibaw) Shortcomings For Blind Web Users, Joshua A. Rovira

LSU Master's Theses

With legal, ethical, and financial motivations to make their websites more accessible, many businesses and sites have begun to employ the use of artificial intelligence (AI) based widgets to automatically make necessary modifications to their sites' pages and subdomains. In this work, we conduct a qualitative case study to determine the efficacy of these AI tools as they pertain specifically to blind users. We analyze pages from twelve websites using accessiBe's AI accessibility widget and provide a taxonomy of their violations against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA compliance. We found each website to bear numerous violations …

Iiscan: Detection And Analysis Of Iis Native Modules In Volatile Memory, Brennen D. Calato

LSU Master's Theses

The Internet Information Services (IIS) is a Microsoft-developed web server designed with a modular architecture to foster extensibility. Its worker process loads all IIS modules when the server receives a request, and native modules operate with the same level of access as the worker process. The built-in persistence and resource access make malicious modules powerful tools post-compromise. This thesis focuses on identifying all native modules in the system by analyzing volatile memory. Through binary analysis of the worker process, we identify critical data structures containing information about system modules. We developed two Volatility plugins to assist in detecting these modules …

My Tunisia Encounters: Inspiration For Some Mathematical Ideas, Hui-Hsiung Kuo

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Visual Stimuli And The Properties Of Green Walls On Human Well-Being In Built And Immersive Virtual Environments, Alireza Sedghikhanshir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The built environment significantly influences human well-being, particularly in the context of stress recovery and cognitive restoration. This dissertation investigates the impact of visual stimuli, particularly green walls, on human responses related to stress, restoration, and thermal comfort. The research is guided by three primary objectives: (1) examining the role of visual stimuli and their properties in promoting stress recovery and restoration, (2) evaluating the potential of Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) as tools for delivering and studying restorative environments, and (3) investigating the influence of green walls on indoor environmental conditions.

A series of experimental studies were carried out to …

Wind-Resilient Solar: Harnessing Cfd For Enhanced Load Estimation, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

Solar panels are a cornerstone of renewable energy infrastructure, playing a pivotal role in global sustainability efforts. To ensure their resilience and long-term viability, accurate wind load estimations are essential for designing supporting structures, which account for nearly 50% of their total cost. However, traditional building codes lack comprehensive guidance for solar panels, resulting in inconsistent estimations due to discrepancies in scaled wall-bounded wind tunnel testing methodologies. These inaccuracies pose safety risks, increase costs, and hinder adoption. Emerging technologies like computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations offer a promising alternative by enabling full-scale analysis under realistic conditions of complete turbulence. This …

Advancing Solar Farm Resilience: Cfd-Driven Wind Load Optimization, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

This study investigates wind load design methods for ground-mounted solar panels and arrays by comparing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations with design standards. A case study of a solar farm impacted by Hurricane Maria examines the effects of elevation height, tilt angle, and variations in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standards on wind loads and structural failure. Turbulence models, including Reynolds Stress Model, k–ε Model, and Large Eddy Simulation (LES), are used to analyze wind pressures, lift, drag, and peak pressures. Results show Phase 1 experienced higher wind loads than Phase 2 due to design differences. A cost-benefit …

Unfitted Finite Element Methods For Shape Optimization And Liquid Crystals, Jeremy T. Shahan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We present an approach to shape optimization problems that uses an unfitted finite element method (FEM). The domain geometry is represented, and optimized, using a (dis- crete) level set function and we consider objective functionals that are defined over bulk domains. For a discrete objective functional, defined in the unfitted FEM framework, we show that the exact discrete shape derivative essentially matches the shape derivative at the continuous level. In other words, our approach has the benefits of both optimize-then- discretize and discretize-then-optimize approaches.

Specifically, we establish the shape Fréchet differentiability of discrete (unfitted) bulk shape functionals using both the …

The Influence Of Life Skills, Teammate And Coach Behavior, And The Sport Environment On The Mental Well-Being Of Intercollegiate Athletes, Lauren A. Shute

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Intercollegiate athletics generate significant interest in the United States, where concerns about the health and well-being of student-athletes have gained increased attention in recent years. Student-athletes face the same developmental challenges as their non-athlete college peers, but they also encounter biological, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual challenges often introduced or exacerbated by their participation in sport. To assist this subgroup of the college student population in managing their various athletic, academic, and personal responsibilities, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has prioritized and implemented life skills programming. Yet, while much has been documented regarding life skills development at the youth …

Innovative Design Methodology For Durable Open-Graded Friction Course Asphalt Mixtures, Anas Abualia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Open-graded friction course (OGFC) is a thin asphalt mixture surface layer with a high percentage of coarse aggregates and high interconnected air voids, which provides improved skid resistance, visibility, and decreased pavement-tire noise. However, construction personnel at DOTD reported that conventional OGFC mixtures have short service life (raveling distress). Further, their structural contribution to the pavement structure is commonly neglected and designed only for functionality purposes.

The objective of this study was to develop a rational mix design methodology to improve the durability of OGFC asphalt mixtures. Specific objectives are to: (1) conduct a rheological and chemical characterization of polymer-, …

“They Love Our Rhythm, But Not Our Blues:” An Examination Of The Relationship Between Hip Hop On Depression, Anxiety, And Self-Care Among African American And Hispanic/Latinx Emerging Adults, Richard W. Wiley Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health problems for emerging adults of color in higher education. Specifically, African American/Black and Hispanic/Latinx emerging adults on college campuses have poorer mental health than their White counterparts. Considering the systemic oppression and cultural stressors that impact mental health among African American/Black and Hispanic/Latinx students, Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Emerging Adulthood Theory were theoretical frameworks for this study. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Hip Hop music and depression, anxiety, and intentional use as self-care among African American/Black and Hispanic/Latinx emerging adults who were college …

“When Black Women Whisper”: An Exploration Of Why Black Women Stay In K-12 Education, Chelsea Lynne Murry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

From low retention rates to race and gender biases to being overworked and undervalued in the classroom, Black women leave education at higher rates than any other demographic. This study highlighted the experiences of Black women in K-12 education settings, the role of support systems in their retention and advancement, and why they stay in K-12 education. The study used Counter-storytelling in Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Thought, and Womanism to examine the race and gender inequities that Black women face and to highlight their lived experiences. Through the use of Sista Circles/focus groups and one-on-one interviews, the research …

Scholarship Through Service: Exploring City Year Partnerships With Land-Grant Universities, Clarence Sutton Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of graduate students at land-grant universities who have successfully navigated and completed the City Year scholars program. I utilized interviews with scholars as well as stakeholders to better understand the experiences of the scholars and the factors of the program that impacted their decision to apply and be retained at the institution until completion. This study also explored how these partnerships are developed and maintained. Through understanding the scholar experience this study explored the mechanics of the program and its effectiveness in terms of scholars’ career goals. This dissertation study …

Exploring The Impact Of Social Media And Social Networks On Juvenile Sexual Behavior Problems: A Scoping Review, Shaleen Clay

LSU Master's Theses

The issue of juvenile problematic sexual behavior has become a pervasive problem, and little research exists on the topic. How social media and social networks impact problematic sexual behaviors in juveniles is even less known and understood. The objective of this scoping review was to determine what is known about the impact of social media and social networks on juvenile sexual behavior problems. Four key themes appeared in the literature including the use of adult terminology, rather than juvenile, to describe juvenile relationships; the normalization of abusive behaviors within adolescent relationship; the influence of social networks/peer groups on aggression and …

Intraspecific Variation In Morphological And Biochemical Responses To Salinity And Flooding In Phragmites Australis, Olivia Hurley

LSU Master's Theses

Phragmites australis is a widespread wetland plant species with numerous haplotypes, several of which are highly invasive. In low-lying coastal marshes of Louisiana, the Delta-type (haplotype M1) dominates across a wide range of salinity and flooding environments. This suggests that Phragmites may be highly adaptable to diverse environmental conditions and that there may be a genetic component, as seen in other coastal wetland plant species. While non-native Phragmites haplotypes are targeted for control and removal in many areas, they are considered beneficial for marsh stabilization and contributing to elevation gain in coastal Louisiana, where several areas experience rapid land loss. …

Optimizing Llm X86 Assembly Code Comprehension Through Fine-Tuning, Darrin Michael Lea

LSU Master's Theses

Reverse engineering is a cybersecurity process that focuses on understanding the underlying functionality of software or malware. This is an arduous process that demands large amounts of time and effort from cybersecurity practitioners. Large Language Models (LLMs) offer a potential solution to this problem. LLMs have worked their way into various fields of cybersecurity in recent years, including incident response and malware classification. However, LLMs have historically struggled with low-level code comprehension: a necessary part of reverse engineering. While LLMs can generate code and explain its function on the surface level, they struggle to grasp the wider context. In this …

Privacy At Scale: A Study Of Mobile App Privacy Practices, Katherine Perez

LSU Master's Theses

What is privacy in a world where people are more connected than ever? Due to the Internet and its rapid advancement, the way information is shared and accessed has fundamentally changed. Millions of people interact with social networks, websites, and applications daily—and with each interaction, some data is collected from the user. In many cases, users cannot access a website or application without first accepting the service’s Privacy Policy. However, these policies often obscure the details of how a consumer’s data is handled, burying important information under dense legal language. In response to growing concerns about transparency, some platforms have …

Faith And Freedom: The Role Of Religion In The Bishops' Wars, Christopher S. Jordan

LSU Master's Theses

Despite their overall importance to British history, the Bishops’ Wars (1639-1640) remain relatively obscure conflicts. They are more often studied and recognized in larger narratives, such as the English Civil War or the Covenanting movement in Scotland. Regardless, these wars perhaps deserve more attention in themselves to recognize their significance in their own time. While most historians and commentators on this war have noted the many political aspects and undertones of this conflict, which there are many, this thesis will examine the religious aspects and undertones and attempt to argue that religion that had the largest role in the start, …

Stoicism As A Panacea For Contemporary Problems, Taiwo Oriyomi Akande

LSU Master's Theses

The contemporary world is battling with the persistent problems of racism and environmental crises that threaten human co-existence and constitute an existential threat in general. These pressing issues have led to injustice, disunity, and ecological destruction. Though human history has recorded some victories in the advancement of human rights and environmental policies yet, there are still some forms of racism that are entrenched in society's structure. Environmental degradation also continues due to the failure or limitation in policies meant to tackle it, and the unsustainably bad attitudes of humans toward the environment. This thesis argues that Stoicism, a philosophical tradition …

The Influence Of Age And Other Selected Demographic Characteristics On Motivation To Volunteer Among Adults In Louisiana, Sara L. Kleinpeter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of generational differences and selected demographic characteristics on the motivation to volunteer for organizational boards.

The sample consisted of members of Boards of Directors of selected YMCA regions in Louisiana. The researcher used a quantitative research design and an instrument consisting of the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VIF) and a researcher-designed demographic survey, which was shared via electronic mail, distributed through the Qualtrics system.

Examination of the study results revealed no relationship between the six subscales of the VFI and generational cohorts. However, a positive relationship was found between respondents’ …

Modeling And Simulation Of Methane And Co2 Hydrates In Porous Media, Chico Sambo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study on modeling and simulation for
methane hydrate production and CO2 sequestration. The research focuses on pore-
scale and reservoir-scale modeling techniques to understand the dynamics of gas
hydrate dissociation, the associated risks of subsidence, and the potential for CO2
storage in deep-sea environments.
This dissertation begins with an investigation into pore-scale modeling. Specif-
ically, a detailed pore network model was developed to simulate the processes of
methane hydrate dissociation and formation. However, the numerical simulations
revealed that assuming an isothermal process for hydrate formation and dissociation
is not physically realistic. Consequently, the results obtained …

Growing The Good: A Communal Garden Case Study Among Marginalized, Rural Populations, Claire Barbier

LSU Master's Theses

Community and Communal gardens (CG) have been documented as early as the late 1800s during periods of economic recessions and high food insecurity (The MIT Press Reader, 2022). However, C.G. adoption rates are expanding on a global scale as communities and municipalities see the potential for the tool to bring relief to environments in dire need of additional resources. Utilizing a communal garden can be used to address a surplus of systemic barriers a community faces; it has a significant opportunity to bring forth the interconnected tiers of public health altogether (Twiss et. al, 2003). Modernized C.G projects bring forth …

Redefining Actor Training: Prioritizing Mental Health And Ethical Pedagogy In Higher Education Actor Training Programs, Dori R. Leeman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In recent years, higher education personnel across the country have referred to the pervasiveness of mental health challenges on college campuses as an epidemic. Students majoring in theatre and performance are no exception. This dissertation examines the unique factors of actor training programs and their impact on student actors’ mental health and well-being. Many traditional actor training programs have long upheld the notion that great artistry requires personal sacrifices, which include a lack of work-life balance and, at times, practices that blur the boundaries between life and art. I argue that actor training programs have failed to evolve alongside current …

Chain Theorems For Different Classes Of 3-Connected Graphs, Avin Sunuwar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the structural properties of graphs by extending the classical result of Tutte's Wheel Theorem. In particular, we develop an improved version of Tutte's Wheel Theorem along with new chain theorems for subclasses of 3-connected graphs. These chain theorems provide a systematic approach to characterizing graphs that exclude certain minors, leading to significantly shorter proofs of established results.

In Chapter 5, we present a generalization of the block-tree theorem for connected graphs, which removes the restriction on cut vertices and allows greater flexibility in separator sizes. By integrating the results from Chapters 3, 4, and 5, we …

Access And Aid In Higher Education: An Account Of Students' Perceptions Of Louisiana's Tops, Melissa Ann Whitley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Perhaps now more than ever, merit-based financial aid is vital to the economic well-being of states. In Louisiana, many high school students do not have the same access and aid to post-secondary education, therefore permanent and sustainable changes are needed to the Louisiana TOPS program to remove barriers and address student needs. The purpose of this study is to provide an account of the Louisiana TOPS program, explore whether TOPS contributes to the persistent disparities across different socioeconomic groups in college participation and completion, and if the TOPS program alleviates brain drain of the workforce.

This study employed a case …