Digital Commons Network^™

Reply To "Comment On 'Dynamics Of Phospholipid Membranes Beyond Thermal Undulation'", Sudipta Gupta, Judith U. De Mel, Gerald J. Schneider

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Adsorption/Desorption Behavior Of Cationic And Anionic Dyes By Biochars Prepared At Normal And High Pyrolysis Temperatures, Jong Hwan Park, Jim J. Wang, Yili Meng, Zhuo Wei, Ronald D. Delaune, Dong Cheol Seo

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the properties of biochar prepared at higher than normal biochar production temperature and to evaluate adsorption/desorption characteristics for three commonly used dyes of different charge and molecular nature: Methylene Blue (MB), Orange G (OG) and Congo Red (CR). The switchgrass-biochar was prepared at common pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C (SB600) and higher than normal temperature of 900 °C (SB900). The results showed that the carbon content of the two biochars was similar, but most carbon in SB900 was graphitized based on FTIR and XRD observation. Dye adsorption isotherms by SB600 and SB900 …

The Cost Of Helping Traumatized Students: Compassion Fatigue In Student Affairs Professionals, Craig A. Marcus

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A large body of literature has explored the impact of compassion fatigue on individuals who work within various helping professions. Few studies, however, have sought to understand its impact on educators, more specifically student affairs professionals. As the number of students attending college with diagnosed mental health issues, and scrutinized attention is given to traumatic and crisis events that occur on campuses, student affairs professionals are often the first ones who respond and interact with the affected students. Student affairs professionals spend countless hours connecting impacted students to available resources as well as serving as a resource regardless of the …

Understanding Teacher Turnover In Two Charter Schools: Principal Dispositions And Practices, Dana L. Bickmore, Margaret Mary Sulentic Dowell

Faculty Publications

US charter schools experience higher rates of teacher turnover than traditional public schools. The purpose of this study was to examine charter principals’ professional dispositions and practices that might contribute to teacher turnover. Specifically we asked–How do charter school principal professional dispositions and practices affect school working conditions and impact teacher commitment to remain or leave a charter schools? The study design was an embedded three-year case study of principal leadership in two charter schools. Data sources included principal and teacher interviews, school observations, and artifacts. Themes were derived from two constant comparative analyses, one of principal dispositions, a second …

Entomology In The 21st Century: Tackling Insect Invasions, Promoting Advancements In Technology, And Using Effective Science Communication - 2018 Student Debates, Casey Parker, Lina Bernaola, Benjamin W. Lee, Dane Elmquist, Abigail Cohen, Adrian Marshall, James Hepler, Adrian Pekarcik, Emily Justus, Kendall King, Tae Young Lee, Carlos Esquivel, Kayleigh Hauri, Christopher Mccullough, Whitney Hadden, Max Ragozzino, Morgan Roth, James Villegas, Emily Kraus, Michael Becker, Megan Mulcahy, Rui Chen, Priyanka Mittapelly, C. Scott Clem, Rachel Skinner, Tanya Josek, Daniel Pearlstein, Jonathan Tetlie, Anh Tran, Anthony Auletta, Edwin Benkert, Dylan Tussey

Faculty Publications

The 2018 student debates of the Entomological Society of America were held at the Joint Annual Meeting for the Entomological Societies of America, Canada, and British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Three unbiased introductory speakers and six debate teams discussed and debated topics under the theme aEntomology in the 21st Century: Tackling Insect Invasions, Promoting Advancements in Technology, and Using Effective Science Communication'. This year's debate topics included: 1) What is the most harmful invasive insect species in the world? 2) How can scientists diffuse the stigma or scare factor surrounding issues that become controversial such as genetically modified organisms, agricultural …

Observations Of Lightning Produced Gamma-Ray Flashes With Tetra-Ii, Donald John Pleshinger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are sub-millisecond duration intense bursts of gamma-rays discovered to be correlated with thunderstorms. These events, radiation associated with lightning leaders, and longer duration increases in rate have been observed both by satellites and detectors on the ground. The TGF and Energetic Thunderstorm Rooftop Array II (TETRA-II) experiment is a ground-based array of bismuth-germanate (BGO) scintillators deployed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Utuado, Puerto Rico; and Panama City, Panama to detect these thunderstorm-related events. After 3 years of operation, 23 gamma-ray bursts have been detected with an average duration of 970 s with on average 70 photons detected …

A Multi-Phase Approach To Researching Textbook Insecurity In Higher Education, Teri Oaks Gallaway

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In three studies, issues of student textbook insecurity at institutions of higher education were examined from three critical perspectives: student, faculty, and library. A qualitative study of first-generation low-income students (FGLIS) presented a rich description of issues of student information-seeking behaviors and agency when coping with high textbook costs. The study identified student behaviors including: forgoing a textbook and only purchasing an access code for mandatory homework modules; jeopardizing grades by waiting for clear signals from faculty that books were required; utilizing resources with dubious copyright; replacing course texts with questionable online study aids created by novice third parties; or …

Strategically Engaging The Third Mission: A Comparative International Case Study Of Alternative Revenue Strategies Between The U.S. Flagship University And The European World Class University (Wcu), Harry Michael Clayton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The risk of financial sustainability for the university in the U.S. and Europe has been stressed by the reign of political authority in higher education disinvestment in the last four decades. The institution’s purpose has since been questioned, weighted by economics versus academics. Institutional priority and expanded centrality for strategic planning of societal engagement––the Third Mission––coupled with the Education and Research missions, promote clarity of the university’s purpose in this knowledge-based economy. Transparency of intended opportunities for regional economic engagement and societal development is then demonstrated to university communities. A comparative international case study of financial strategies between the …

Electromagnetic Sum Rules And Response Functions From The Symmetry-Adapted No-Core Shell Model, Robert Byron Baker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent developments in ab initio nuclear structure have provided us with a variety of many-body methods capable of describing nuclei into the medium-mass region of the chart of nuclides. One of these, the symmetry-adapted no-core shell model (SA-NCSM), capitalizes on inherent symmetries of the nucleus and is uniquely suited to examine the underlying physics of dynamical quantities, such as the response function.

We examine the applicability of the SA-NCSM to calculations of these quantities and assess the quality of its inputs by calculating electromagnetic sum rules and response functions with the Lanczos sum rule method and Lanczos response function method, …

Simulations Of Strong-Field Ionization In Molecules Using Tuned Range-Separated Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory, Adonay Sissay

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Strong-field ionization and the resulting electronic dynamics are important for a range of processes such as high harmonic generation, photodamage, charge resonance enhanced ionization, and ionization-triggered charge migration. Modeling ionization dynamics in molecular systems from first-principles can be challenging due the large spatial extent of the wavefunction which stresses the accuracy of basis sets, and the intense fields which require non-perturbative time-dependent electronic structure methods. In this dissertation, we develop a time dependent density functional theory approach which uses a Gaussian-type orbital (GTO) basis set to capture strong-field ionization rates and dynamics in atoms and small molecules. This involves propagating …

Characterization Of Bunyamwera, Batai, And Ngari Viruses: Unrecognized Arboviruses Of One Health Importance In Rwanda, Marie Fausta Dutuze

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bunyamwera (BUNV), Batai (BATV), and Ngari (NRIV) are mosquito-borne viruses (Genus: Orthobunyavirus, Family: Peribunyaviridae, Order: Bunyavirales). They have an RNA tripartite genome consisting of small (S), medium (M), and large (L) segments. NRIV is a natural reassortant of BUNV and BATV, with the genome: S_BUNV, M_BATV, L_BUNV. All three viruses have been associated with disease of varying severity in domestic ruminants and humans. In livestock, infection with these viruses is associated with abortions, while humans may present a mild febrile illness or severe disease such as hemorrhagic fever or meningoencephalitis. In East Africa, …

Evaluating The Impact Of Intrusive Advising On Undergraduate Student Retention, Rebecca E. Caire

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, I investigated the impact of intrusive advising upon undergraduate student retention. Specifically, I sought to identify the background characteristics of at-risk students at the midterm point in a semester, and whether significant differences existed among students who were retained in comparison with those students who were not retained. In addition, I examined the extent to which intrusive advising interventions predicted student retention when controlling for student demographics. Although the intrusive advising interventions were not statistically significant in this model, several notable findings emerged regarding groups of at-risk students who were more or less likely to be retained …

High Enthalpy Storage Thermoset Network With Giant Stress And Energy Output In Rubbery State And Associated Applications, Jizhou Fan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, a new shape memory thermoset network with giant stress and energy output in rubbery state is synthesized and studied firstly since the low output in stress and energy in rubbery state has been a bottleneck for wide-spread applications of thermoset shape memory polymers (SMPs). Traditionally, stress or energy storage in thermoset network is through entropy reduction by mechanical deformation or programming. We here report another mechanism for energy storage, which stores energy primarily through enthalpy increase by stretched bonds during programming. As compared to entropy-driven counterparts, which usually have a stable recovery stress from tenths to several …

Examining The Evolution Of Urban Multipurpose Facilities: Applying The Ideal-Type To The Facilities Of The National Hockey League And National Basketball Association, Benjamin Downs

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The standardized versions of ice hockey and basketball emerged during the last quarter of the 19^thcentury. In short order both ice hockey and basketball evolved from amateur, recreational activities to professional sport and entertainment businesses. This study analyzes, contextualizes, and discusses the layout of the urban multipurpose facilities that emerged to house both professional hockey and professional basketball, with particular attention paid to the facilities of the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. The study uses the lens of modernization and the ideal-type heuristic device to extend Bale’s and Seifried’s facility evolution models. In addition to providing …

Thelonious Monk's Prototypical Style: Close And Distant Readings Of Jazz Stylings, Connor Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Thelonious Monk’s style has been considered non-conformist, modernist, technically stilted, intentionally unconventional, even incompetent. His performing is idiosyncratic, to say the least. However, by what metric is his performing idiosyncratic, or, framed another way, in what ways do Thelonious Monk’s performances deviate from the prototypical performance? Situated within family resemblance theories of prototypicality, I utilize supervised and unsupervised machine learning approaches to categorize jazz solos based on their melodic usage of standard jazz language (novel corpus of 530 jazz solo improvisations). Using these distant readings to determine which solos are prototypical, I perform a close reading of these prototypical solos …

The Rise And Fall Of Focused Deterrence Initiatives, Chandra Lynore Joseph

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Following the national uptick of violence across the country, societal angst has once again begun to surface. Those in positions of authority began to look to the criminal justice system for ways to address this cyclical issue. Traditionally, applying law enforcement crackdowns and increased penalties and sanctions to the offenders were the main topics of discussion. However, over the last two decades, problem-oriented policing has begun to emerge. Problem-oriented policing works to identify why things are going wrong and to frame responses using a wide variety of often untraditional approaches (Goldstein 1979). One of the problem-oriented frameworks known as the …

Metamorphosis, Claire M. Kane

LSU Master's Theses

“Metamorphosis” is a product of the symbiotic relationship between my paintings and written narrative and consists of large-scale paintings and written components informed by my research of children’s art, outsider art, Louisiana’s landscapes, performance, artists of influence, mythology, and spiritual texts. The paintings are informed by my own sensory experiences of local landscapes. I utilize these immersions in nature and subsequent studies to create a mode of communication for my narrative to unfold on the canvas. The exhibition consists of seven large scale mixed media paintings and one smaller study mounted on the walls of the gallery space.

Wake With Me, Sarah Nansubuga

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis outlines my research, writing, and performance process, leading up to and reflecting on the final product of my MFA Solo Thesis project. The project is entitled Wake With Me, and its performance is a shamanistic portrayal of a folklore story from my native place of origin; Kampala, Uganda. It is an exploration of the metaphorical loss of cultural identity through the literal loss of a family member, and the journey through story telling as a method to reclaim or preserve what was lost. Throughout the piece, the performer plays the role of narrator, using voice, body and mind …

Sources And Chemical Stability Of Soil Organic Carbon Along A Salinity Gradient And A Chronosequence Of Created Brackish Marshes In Coastal Louisiana, Megan L. Kelsall

LSU Master's Theses

Tidal marshes have been recognized for providing a number of important ecological services including soil carbon sequestration. However, the loss of tidal marsh habitat due to climate change and anthropogenic stressors exposes previously stored soil organic carbon (SOC) to oxidation. The vulnerability of SOC to oxidation depends on its chemical stability and environmental conditions limiting decomposition. Labile organic carbon (LC), decomposes quickly unless abiotic conditions limit decomposition. Recalcitrant organic carbon (RC) decomposes slower and is stored for longer time periods. Predicting long-term storage of SOC is complicated by the potential for multiple SOC sources, differences in chemical stability, and variation …

Sodium-Ion Concentration Flow Cell Stacks For Salinity Gradient Energy Recovery: Power Generation Of Series And Parallel Configurations, Elizabeth Whiddon

LSU Master's Theses

Salinity gradient (SG) energy is a renewable and clean energy resource that exists worldwide from the change in Gibbs free energy when two solutions with different salinities are mixed. More recently, concentration flow cells (CFCs) have been introduced as a new technology for SG energy recovery with the highest reported power density output to date, as a result of the utilization of both the electrode potential and Donnan potential. In this study, multiple CFCs were connected to form a consecutive number of stacks, and systematic analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of both parallel and series electrical wire connections …

Developing Management Strategies For Taproot Decline, Xylaria Sp., In Soybean, Myra Purvis

LSU Master's Theses

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world. Taproot decline is a recently discovered disease caused by Xylaria sp., a novel species located within the Xylaria arbuscula aggregate. Foliar symptoms include interveinal chlorosis and necrosis, and upon further investigation, there are often dead plants adjacent within the row. Many other soybean diseases have similar foliar symptoms; therefore, more examination is usually required for proper identification. Soybean debris from previous years is suspected to be the primary source of inoculum. Plants may be infected at any point during the growing season, often …

Factors Affecting Nest Success Of Colonial Nesting Waterbirds In Southwest Louisiana, Karis A. Ritenour

LSU Master's Theses

As the coastline of Louisiana shifts with global climate change, subsidence, and accelerated sea level rise, important breeding islands for colonial nesting waterbirds are disappearing. In many recent studies flooding has been a leading cause of nest failure for a variety of species, especially those that nest on the ground. I examined the nest success of four species of colonial nesting waterbirds with various nesting strategies on Rabbit Island in southwestern Louisiana during 2017 and2018 by determining nest and fledging success. I monitored 855 nests, including 457 Brown Pelicans nests with an estimated hatch probability of 70%, 270 Forster’s Terns …

La Expresion De La Posesion Nominal En Medellin, Colombia, Matthew Freeman

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis constitutes a sociolinguistic variationist investigation on the expression of nominal possession in the dialect of Spanish in Medellín, Colombia. The following three variants are investigated which represent different ways of expressing the variable: possessive adjectives, definite articles and possessive periphrases. Furthermore, results are compared from the dialect spoken in Medellín with results from Orozco 2018 of the Colombian costeño dialect. The results are analyzed through the programs R and Language Variation Suite. La distribution of the variants and linguistic and social predictors that condition the expression of possession are compared among the two cities. The results indicate that …

Reliability Of Corroding Reinforced Concrete Structures, Travis Honore

LSU Master's Theses

The enhanced performance due to the addition of steel within concrete elements has thrust reinforced concrete structures to be one of the most commonly used construction materials in the world. Reinforced concrete structures are exposed to a variety of deterioration mechanisms during their operational existence, each of which contributes to reducing their service life, durability, and load bearing capacity. The longevity of these reinforced concrete structures is strongly connected to degradation processes, whose origin is environmental and/or functional. Among these processes is the initiation and evolution of corrosion on the steel reinforcement. Steel reinforcement has direct effects on the durability, …

Infection Potential Of Rickettsia Felis Via Ingestion, Matthew M. Schexnayder

LSU Master's Theses

Rickettsia felis is the etiologic agent of flea-borne spotted fever (FBSF) in humans and a poorly described cause of fever in animals. It is transmitted by its primary arthropod vector and reservoir host, the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. Known routes of Rickettsia felis transmission between Rickettsia felis-infected cat fleas and vertebrate hosts include cutaneous bites and contamination of cutaneous wounds with infective flea feces. The bulk of FBSF infections occur in young children in Africa, though infections of people at all ages all over the world have been confirmed. As mammals and young children frequently come into contact …

Verifying Modeling And Audiovisual Stimuli As Strategies For Mastering Guedes Peixoto's Maracatú, Rodrigo Clementino Diniz

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Literature has been saying that auditory Modeling can be a useful tool in order to develop or broaden musical interpretive ideas. In the same way, literature ventilates that audiovisual stimuli can be applied to musicians in order to raise emotions that some scholars consider as indispensable when it comes to deliver expressive musical communications. More specifically, research in the Music Performance field points out that Modeling and Audiovisual stimuli are useful strategies in the learning process of building up a musical interpretation, both, fostering expressive tools for aiming musical performance.

This research is intended to empirically verify the applicability …

Influence Of P Fertility On Sweetpotato Rooting During Containerized Transplant Production, Lee T. Rouse

LSU Master's Theses

A market for edible landscape transplants continues to increase for vegetable production in the home landscape. A method for extending the salability of sweetpotato transplants in retail outlets is needed because containerized transplants can develop spiraling roots and deformed storage roots. Implementing traditional techniques to ameliorate container-bound roots before planting in the landscape is not advisable. Altering P fertility is a non-chemical and non-mechanical method for slowing sweetpotato rooting. Therefore, sweetpotato cuttings were planted in 100% sand-filled containers and fertilized at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 31 mg L^-1 using a modified Hoagland solution over a 6-week period. …

Development Of Biological Tools To Promote Rice Health And Growth, Ateet Maharjan

LSU Master's Theses

Sheath blight (ShB - caused by Rhizoctonia solani) and bacterial panicle blight (BPB - caused by Burkholderia glumae) are economically important rice diseases in Louisiana and other rice-growing regions. Fungicides and oxolinic acid are used to manage ShB and BPB, respectively, but these chemical methods are not sustainable economically and ecologically. Besides diseases, plant utilizable nitrogen (N) in the soil is inadequate for optimum crop yield, leading to the use of inorganic fertilizers and making agriculture less sustainable. To develop alternative biological control methods for protecting rice plants from diseases, rice-associated bacteria were screened based on their antagonistic …

Effects Of Silicon And Beneficial Bacteria On Sheath Blight Of Rice And The Microbial Community Of Rice Rhizosphere, Jhonson Leonard

LSU Master's Theses

Sheath blight (ShB), caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, is an economically important soil-borne disease of rice (Oryza sativa) that can cause up to 50 % yield losses. Application of fungicides is the most effective and commonly used method for managing sheath blight. However, the pathogen can develop new resistant strains upon continuous exposure to a fungicide. Moreover, the use of inorganic fungicides is not eco-friendly. The utilization biological control agents (BCAs) can be a more sustainable and safe means of managing ShB. To develop alternate strategies for ShB management, I am exploring the effect of the silicon (Si) …

Assessment Of Excess Thyroid Cancer Risk Following A Hypothetical Radiological Incident In Louisiana And Best-Case Risk Reduction Achieved By Thyroid Blockade, Garrett A. Otis

LSU Master's Theses

Radioactive isotopes of iodine are produced by nuclear power plants as a byproduct of nuclear fission reactions. If these isotopes are released into the environment, such as during a breach of containment, they constitute a health risk to exposed individuals. To mitigate the risk of thyroid cancer due to exposure to radioactive iodine, “iodide prophylaxis,” also known as “thyroid blockade,” can be used, usually by administration of potassium iodide (KI). In some areas of the world, KI has been provided to the general public by their governments as a precautionary measure against potential nuclear power plant incidents. However, in the …