Digital Commons Network^™

Making It Free And Easy: Exploring The Effects Of North Carolina College Application Week On College Access, Ashley B. Clayton, Paul D. Umbach

Faculty Publications

This study uses a series of panel models to explore the effect of North Carolina (NC) College Application Week (CAW) and free college applications during that week on the number of applications colleges receive and number of low-income students who matriculate. Our models suggest that NC saw an increase in applications and low-income student enrollments after the implementation of CAW, but these increases largely occurred at private col-leges, seemingly shifting numbers from public universities. We find that the private colleges offering free applications during CAW experienced increases in the total number of both college applications received.

Process Controls Of The Live Root Zone And Carbon Sequestration Capacity Of The Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh, Edwin J. Bomer, Carol A. Wilson, Tracy Elsey-Quirk

Faculty Publications

The conservation of coastal wetland ecosystems, like mangrove forests and salt marshes, represents a critical strategy for mitigating atmospheric emissions and climate change in the 21st century. Yet the existence of these environments is threatened by human-induced disturbances, namely deforestation and accelerated sea-level rise. Coastal systems maintain surface elevation in response to sea-level rise through a combination of physical and biological processes both above and below the ground surface. The quantification and relative contribution of belowground process controls (e.g., seasonal water content, organic matter decomposition) on surface elevation change is largely unexplored but crucial for informing coastal ecosystem sustainability. To …

A Numerical Investigation Of Wave-Supported Gravity Flow During Cold Fronts Over The Atchafalaya Shelf, Zhengchen Zang, Z. George Xue, Kehui Xu, Celalettin E. Ozdemir, Qin Chen, Samuel J. Bentley, Cihan Sahin

Faculty Publications

©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Wave-supported fluid mud (WSFM) plays an important role in sediment downslope transport on the continental shelves. In this study, we incorporated WSFM processes in the wave boundary layer (WBL) into the Community Sediment Transport Modeling System (CSTMS) on the platform of the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-and-Sediment Transport modeling system (COAWST). The WSFM module was introduced between the bottommost water layer and top sediment layer, which accounted for the key sediment exchange processes (e.g., resuspension, vertical settling, diffusion, and horizontal advection) at the water-WBL and WBL-sediment bed boundaries. To test its robustness, we adapted the updated …

Correction To: Microbial Communities Associated With Distance- And Density-Dependent Seedling Mortality In A Tropical Rainforest (Plant Ecology, (2020), 221, 1, (41-54), 10.1007/S11258-019-00989-Y), J. L. Wood, P. T. Green, J. J. Vido, C. Celestina, K. E. Harms, A. E. Franks

Faculty Publications

© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. The article entitled “Microbial communities associated with distance- and density-dependent seedling mortality in a tropical rainforest”, which is part of the special issue on “Applying microbial communities to improve restoration and conservation outcomes” was published prematurely in Volume 221, Issue 1, January 2020.

Development And Re-Evaluation Of Tourmaline Reference Materials For In Situ Measurement Of Boron Δ Values By Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, Katharina Marger, Matthieu Harlaux, Andrea Rielli, Lukas P. Baumgartner, Andrea Dini, Barbara L. Dutrow, Anne Sophie Bouvier

Faculty Publications

© 2020 The Authors. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Association of Geoanalysts Six tourmaline samples were investigated as potential reference materials (RMs) for boron isotope measurement by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The tourmaline samples are chemically homogeneous and cover a compositional range of tourmaline supergroup minerals (primarily Fe, Mg and Li end-members). Additionally, they have homogeneous boron delta values with intermediate precision values during SIMS analyses of less than 0.6‰ (2s). These samples were compared with four established tourmaline RMs, that is, schorl IAEA-B-4 and three Harvard tourmalines …

High-Pressure Ignition Delay Time Measurements Of A Four-Component Gasoline Surrogate And Its High-Level Blends With Ethanol And Methyl Acetate, Sean P. Cooper, Olivier Mathieu, Ingmar Schoegl, Eric L. Petersen

Faculty Publications

Ignition delay times of a gasoline surrogate (iso-octane/toluene/n-heptane/1-hexene at 55/25/15/5% by liquid volume, developed in McCormick et al. 2017) with high-level bioblendstock-gasoline surrogate blends (50% and 85% biofuel by liquid volume of each ethanol and methyl acetate) were collected behind reflected shock waves. Post-reflected-shock temperatures ranged from 968 to 1361 K at pressures of about 4, 10, 25, and 50 atm. Data were collected for real fuel–air mixtures at fuel lean and stoichiometric conditions (φ = 0.5, 1.0) with focus on the more-practical, fuel-lean conditions. Ignition delay times were measured from OH* chemiluminescence around 307 nm using an endwall diagnostic. …

A Small-Volume, High-Throughput Approach For Surface Tension And Viscosity Measurements Of Liquid Fuels, Wanjun Dang, Wei Zhao, Ingmar Schoegl, Shyam Menon

Faculty Publications

An ongoing effort looking at bioblendstocks to function as drop-in replacements or blending components for gasoline has identified a large number of candidate fuels. This work documents an approach for rapid screening of candidate fuels using relatively small sample sizes (O(μ l)) that targets two key physical properties of liquid fuels - surface tension and viscosity. The approach utilizes shape oscillation dynamics of single droplets generated by a piezo-electric device and their decay over time. Strobed imaging of the oscillation process is used along with image processing, edge detection, and data analysis to capture the decay of the oscillation over …

Effects Of Coupled Consolidation And Overwash Processes On A Low-Lying Headland System, Brian D. Harris, Cody Johnson, Navid H. Jafari, Qin Chen, Celalettin E. Ozdemir

Faculty Publications

Coastal barrier islands serve as the first line of defense against storm-induced hazards and coastal erosion. Due to sea-level rise and more frequently occurring storms, barrier island restoration and rehabilitation have become more important for coastal protection. The current-state-of-the practice for simulation of barrier island restoration design mostly overlooks consolidation as one of the governing processes. However, low-lying barrier islands, especially those built on loose deltaic or estuarine deposits, may further lose elevation due to consolidation and become more vulnerable to erosion. This study investigates the impacts of consolidation without overwash, overwash without consolidation, and coupled consolidation and overwash in …

An Overview Of Grease Water Resistance, Alan Gurt, Michael Khonsari

Faculty Publications

Many grease-lubricated components operate in wet environments, making them susceptible to water contamination which degrades their performance, functionality, and useful life. Hence, selecting a grease with appropriate water-resistant properties can have a significant influence on the life of the machine. While industry standards attempt to evaluate a grease's water resistance, research indicates that a more thorough understanding of water resistance is needed to properly match a grease to an application. This paper provides an overview of the interaction of grease and water, covers existing water-resistance standards, discusses the results of available experiments aiming to describe the effects of water on …

Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation In Swipt Cooperative Wireless Networks, Shengjie Guo, Xiangwei Zhou, Xiangyun Zhou

Faculty Publications

In this article, energy-efficient resource allocation in simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) cooperative wireless networks is studied. With the transferred power, the SWIPT relays are adopted to improve the energy efficiency at the destination node. Two typical relay structures, decode-and-forward (DF) and amplify-and-forward (AF), are exploited for the optimal relay selection and power allocation with a power splitting SWIPT architecture. Nonconvex energy efficiency optimization problems are formulated for both DF and AF relay types. Based on the SNRs at the destination node, closed-form expressions of the optimal power splitting ratios are provided for DF and AF relays, respectively. …

Video Game Development In A Rush: A Survey Of The Global Game Jam Participants, Markus Borg, Vahid Garousi, Anas Mahmoud, Thomas Olsson, Oskar Stalberg

Faculty Publications

Video game development is a complex endeavor, often involving complex software, large organizations, and aggressive release deadlines. Several studies have reported that periods of 'crunch time' are prevalent in the video game industry, but there are few studies on the effects of time pressure. We conducted a survey with participants of the Global Game Jam (GGJ), a 48-h hackathon. Based on 198 responses, the results suggest the following: iterative brainstorming is the most popular method for conceptualizing initial requirements; continuous integration, minimum viable product, scope management, version control, and stand-up meetings are frequently applied development practices; regular communication, internal playtesting, …

Reimagining Assessments In The Postpandemic Era: Creating A Blueprint For The Future, Keena Arbuthnot

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fabrication And Application Of Flexible Sensors, Tallis Huther Da Costa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A transfer printing method was developed to transfer carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film to poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) polymer. Carbon nanotubes are composed of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice structure, which are electrically conducting. When embedded in a nonconducting polymer, carbon nanotubes impart electrical conductivity to the nanocomposite, thus forming a nanocomposite that has potential applications in highly sensitive strain and pressure sensors. Several printing methods have been studied to deposit carbon nanotubes onto PDMS, including inkjet printing. Inkjet printing is a desirable deposition method since it is low-cost, simple, and allows the processing of aqueous-based …

Seasonal Infilling And Sedimentary Characteristics In Sandy Versus Muddy Coastal Borrow Areas On The Louisiana Continental Shelf, Usa, Matthew Barley

LSU Master's Theses

Offshore sand deposits on the Louisiana Continental Shelf, such as inner shelf shoals and buried paleo-river channels, can be excavated to restore beaches and barrier islands that are rapidly deteriorating due to subsidence, sea-level rise and deficits in coastal sediment supply. Presented here is grain size, x-radiograph, and Beryllium-7 (⁷Be) derived sedimentation rates from multicores (~ 50 cm depth) retrieved from borrow areas (BAs) in contrasting depositional settings, all of which have implications for management of water quality, seafloor sedimentology, and biogeochemistry in proximal areas. Multicores were retrieved in fall 2018 at Caminada BA — a sandy energetic …

Hydrodynamics, Sediment Transport, And Water Quality Of Two Contrasting Dredge Pits On The Louisiana Shelf, Robert Bales

LSU Master's Theses

Sediment is needed for coastal restoration in Louisiana and is often excavated offshore from both mud-capped and sandy dredge pits. The mined sand from mud-capped pits, like Sandy Point which is west of modern Mississippi Delta of Louisiana, was originally from a paleo river channel and later covered by mud from modern coastal processes. Sandy pits, like Caminada pit in eastern Ship Shoal on Louisiana shelf, generally experience higher energy conditions. To better understand the post-dredging effects on hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and water quality, two tripods were deployed at Caminada and Sandy Point pits in summer 2018 and 2019, respectively, …

Louisiana Southern Flounder: Commercial And Recreational Trends, David Russell Smith

LSU Master's Theses

Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) is a coastal flatfish species that supports recreational and commercial fisheries throughout Louisiana. The recreational and commercial sectors of the Southern Flounder fishery in Louisiana both lack current information that profiles the fishery’s ability to meet stakeholder interest. This project characterized the Louisiana Southern Flounder fishery through an evaluation of fishery-dependent data and a survey of coastal Louisiana anglers.

Fishery-dependent data was gathered to characterize the recreational and commercial Southern Flounder fisheries in Louisiana. This study had three objectives for this evaluation: 1) modeling landings data to evaluate any trends, 2) examine the seasonality of landings, …

A Signaling Theory Approach To Relationship Recovery, Hunsi Kharouf, Donald J. Lund, Alexandra Krallman, Chris Pullig

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Drawing on signaling theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the strength and framing of firm signals sent to repair relationships following relationship violations. Design/methodology/approach: Three 2 × 2 scenario-based experiments (total n = 527) manipulate signal strength × violation type (Study 1); signal frame × violation type (Study 2); and signal strength × brand familiarity (Study 3) to examine their dynamic impacts on relationship recovery efforts. Findings: Stronger signals are more effective at relationship repair and are especially important following integrity (vs competence) violations. Signals framed as customer gains (vs firm costs) lead …

Numerical Modeling Of Wave- And Current-Supported Turbidity Currents Over Erodible Bed, Sahar Haddadian

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The physical processes that route sediments from nearshore to the continental margin provide vital information to the global assessment of the geochemically important matter and the life in the ocean. Therefore, understanding these processes at the fundamental level will help develop accurate models that can be integrated into operational ocean models. Wave- and current-supported turbidity currents (WCSTCs) are one of the mechanisms that deliver sediments to the continental margin. WCSTCs are slow-moving turbidity currents where near-bed turbulence driven by strong surface waves and/or currents, tide- and/or wind-driven, maintain the turbidity current in motion. This study investigates the along-shelf current-supported turbidity …

Protein Discrimination Using A Fluorescence-Based Sensor Array Of Thiacarbocyanine-Gumbos, Rocio L. Perez, Mingyan Cong, Stephanie R. Vaughan, Caitlan E. Ayala, Waduge Indika S. Galpothdeniya, John K. Mathaga, Isiah M. Warner

Faculty Publications

Sensitive and selective detection of proteins from complex samples has gained substantial interest within the scientific community. Early and precise detection of key proteins plays an important role in potential clinical diagnosis, treatment of different diseases, and proteomic research. In the study reported here, six different compounds belonging to a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) have been synthesized using three thiacarbocyanine (TC) dyes and employed as fluorescent sensors. Fluorescence properties of micro- and nanoaggregates of these TC-based GUMBOS formed in phosphate buffer solutions are studied in the absence and presence of seven proteins. Fluorescence response patterns …

Noncollinear Enhancement Cavity For Record-High Out-Coupling Efficiency Of An Extreme-Uv Frequency Comb, Chuankun Zhang, Stephen B. Schoun, Christoph M. Heyl, Gil Porat, Mette B. Gaarde, Jun Ye

Faculty Publications

We demonstrate a femtosecond enhancement cavity with a crossed-beam geometry for efficient generation and extraction of extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) frequency combs at a 154 MHz repetition rate. We achieve a record-high out-coupled power of 600 μW, directly usable for spectroscopy, at a wavelength of 97 nm. This corresponds to a >60% out-coupling efficiency. The XUV power scaling and generation efficiency are similar to that achieved with a single Gaussian-mode fundamental beam inside a collinear enhancement cavity. The noncollinear geometry also opens the door for the generation of isolated attosecond pulses at >100 MHz repetition rate.

The Effects Of Relational And Social Behaviors Exhibited By Construction Project Team Members On Relationship Quality And Project Outcomes, James Ogechi Kereri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Relational and social behaviors of construction project team members explain team relationships. Whereas relational behaviors have often been studied in construction project team relationships, the current literature is deficient on the social behaviors. The literature review revealed seven relational behaviors (i.e., harmonization of conflict, propriety of means, restraint of power, reliance and expectation, contractual solidarity, flexibility, and reciprocity) and three social behaviors (i.e., past experience, benevolence, and integrity) commonly exhibited by construction project team members. Through a binomial logistic regression, research findings revealed that past experience was a significant (p < 0.01) predictor for five of the seven relational behaviors while benevolence and integrity were each significant (p < 0.01) predictors for three of the seven relational behaviors. Overall, out of the seven relational behaviors, only propriety of means is predicted by all the three social behaviors. Through multinomial regression, the results indicated that there is not enough evidence to show a relationship between the dimensions of relationship quality and project outcomes. However, there is a relationship between relationship embeddedness and project outcomes. Through internal and external validation, the prediction models performed well based on both positive predictive values and negative predictive values.

From a relationship management standpoint, this research introduces relational and …

Nonparametric Recursive Method For Kernel-Type Function Estimators For Censored Data, Salim Bouzebda, Yousri Slaoui

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Conceptual Study Of A Real-Time Hybrid Simulation Framework For Monopile Offshore Wind Turbines Under Wind And Wave Loads, Wei Song, Chao Sun, Yanhui Zuo, Vahid Jahangiri, Yan Lu, Qinghua Han

Faculty Publications

As an attractive renewable energy source, offshore wind plants are becoming increasingly popular for energy production. However, the performance assessment of offshore wind turbine (OWT) structure is a challenging task due to the combined wind-wave loading and difficulties in reproducing such loading conditions in laboratory. Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS), combining physical testing and numerical simulation in real-time, offers a new venue to study the structural behavior of OWTs. It overcomes the scaling incompatibilities in OWT scaled model testing by replacing the rotor components with an actuation system, driven by an aerodynamic simulation tool running in real-time. In this study, a …

Computer Implemented System And Method For High Performance Visual Tracking, Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Saikat Basu, Malcolm Stagg, Robert Dibiano, Manohar Karki, Jerry Weltman

College of the Coast & Environment Patents

A computer implemented system and method of tracking objects and motion in video using techniques for agile switching between a number of tracking techniques, detecting and analyzing periodic motion, and using regular expression techniques for identifying patterns.

Activity And Regeneration Of Electrodeposited Fe-Ni-Co-Based Electrocatalysts For The Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Yujia Zhang, Orhan Kizilkaya, Hubert K. Bilan, Richard Kurtz, Elizabeth J. Podlaha

Faculty Publications

A methodology to recover the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics of aged, electrodeposited Fe-Ni-Co thin films is presented. The electrodeposits were fabricated galvanostatically onto rotating copper electrodes and contained a small amount of Co. The OER characterized in 1 M KOH was a function of the deposit composition. The Tafel slope and the overpotential at 10 mA/cm2 observed with ohmically corrected linear sweep voltammetry were both a function of the deposit metal ratio, Fe/(Ni + Co), with the lowest values occurring at a ratio of 1.2. An Fe-rich deposit was purposely altered upon aging to degrade the OER kinetics. The …

The Effects Of Radical Containing Combustion Derived Particulate Matter In Adult Mouse Respiratory System, Jeffrey Harding

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Epidemiological data associates high levels of combustion-derived particulate matter (PM) with deleterious respiratory outcomes, but the mechanism underlying those outcomes remains elusive. It has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization that PM exposure contributes to more than 4.2 million all-cause mortalities worldwide each year. Current literature demonstrates that PM exacerbates respiratory diseases, impairs lung function, results in chronic respiratory illnesses, and is associated with increased mortality. The proposed mechanisms revolve around oxidative stress and inflammation promoting pulmonary physiological remodeling. Our data demonstrate that environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) stabilized on the surface of PM are capable of inducing oxidative …

Modeling Anatomic Changes For Adaptive Radiotherapy In Locally Advanced Lung Cancer Patient Population, James Alexander Kavanaugh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Anatomic changes occurring mid-treatment for patients undergoing radiation therapy for locally advanced lung cancer can degrade the quality of the intended treatment plan. These changes include tumor regression, geometric misalignment, and lung density changes (atelectasis and pleural effusion), and are visible on the daily 3D cone beam CT (CBCT). To maintain the intended treatment quality, adaptive radiotherapy (ART) can be employed to modify the treatment plan to account for these anatomic changes. However, the evaluation on when to adapt is currently completed manually by the treating clinicians, resulting in a subjective and inconsistent application. To address these limitations, a series …

List-Wise Fairness Criterion For Point Processes, Jin Shang, Mingxuan Sun, Nina S.N. Lam

Faculty Publications

Many types of event sequence data exhibit triggering and clustering properties in space and time. Point processes are widely used in modeling such event data with applications such as predictive policing and disaster event forecasting. Although current algorithms can achieve significant event prediction accuracy, the historic data or the self-excitation property can introduce biased prediction. For example, hotspots ranked by event hazard rates can make the visibility of a disadvantaged group (e.g., racial minorities or the communities of lower social economic status) more apparent. Existing methods have explored ways to achieve parity between the groups by penalizing the objective function …

Counterion Condensation Or Lack Of Solvation? Understanding The Activity Of Ions In Thin Film Block Copolymer Electrolytes, Qi Lei, Ke Li, Deepra Bhattacharya, Jingya Xiao, Subarna Kole, Qingteng Zhang, Joseph Strzalka, Jimmy Lawrence, Revati Kumar, Christopher G. Arges

Faculty Publications

© The Royal Society of Chemistry. Polymer electrolytes are found at the heart of numerous electrochemical technologies involved in energy storage, conversion and separations. An important property of these materials is their partitioning behavior of ions in aqueous solutions and its effect on the activity of the ions within the polymer electrolyte. In this work, the fraction of condensed counterions (fc) were quantified in nanostructured block copolymer electrolyte (BCE) thin films with new and established experimental techniques. The transition between the osmotic-controlled regime and condensation-controlled regime in BCEs was identified using environmental GI-SAXS and solution uptake measurements via a quartz …

Moderators Of Academic Performance And Symptom Severity In Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Ryan Nicole Cummins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research has documented the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom severity and poor academic outcomes. However, few studies have focused on identifying moderating variables of academic performance specific to adolescents, especially those with ADHD. The current study seeks to address these limitations, further exploring moderators of academic outcomes in a clinical sample of adolescents with ADHD. Specifically, the present study examined adolescent ratings of routines, parent-adolescent conflict, perceptions of parental involvement, and school engagement, on the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and academic performance (GPA). The sample consisted of a total of 140 caregiver-adolescent dyads ranging from ages 11- to …