Digital Commons Network^™

On Average Values Of Time-Varying Delays And A New Representation Of Systems With Time-Varying Delays, Frederic Mazenc, Michael Malisoff

Faculty Publications

We show by a counterexample that the asymptotic stability of a system with a pointwise periodic time-varying delay cannot be deduced from the average value of the delay. We use this counterexample to motivate our new representation of systems with time-varying delays, which we use to develop a new state feedback stabilization method.

Sequential Predictors Under Time-Varying Feedback And Measurement Delays And Sampling, Jerome Weston, Michael Malisoff

Faculty Publications

We build sequential predictors for time-varying linear systems with time-varying input delays, outputs, sampling in the control, and time-varying measurement delays. We prove global exponential stability and robustness properties. We allow the sup norm of the input delay to be arbitrarily large and aperiodic sampling. We use a new set of dynamical extensions that contain output measurements, and whose advantages over existing methods include their lack of distributed terms.

High-Harmonic Spectroscopy Of Transient Two-Center Interference Calculated With Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory, Francois Mauger, Paul M. Abanador, Kenneth Lopata, Kenneth J. Schafer

Faculty Publications

We demonstrate high-harmonic spectroscopy in many-electron molecules using time-dependent density-functional theory. We show that a weak attosecond-pulse-train ionization seed that is properly synchronized with the strong driving mid-infrared laser field can produce experimentally relevant high-harmonic generation (HHG) signals, from which we extract both the spectral amplitude and the target-specific phase (group delay). We also show that further processing of the HHG signal can be used to achieve molecular-frame resolution, i.e., to resolve the contributions from rescattering on different sides of an oriented molecule. In this framework, we investigate transient two-center interference in CO2 and OCS, and how subcycle polarization effects …

Characterizing Diameter Distributions For Uneven-Aged Pine-Oak Mixed Forests In The Qinling Mountains Of China, Shuaichao Sun, Quang V. Cao, Tianjian Cao

Faculty Publications

Pine-oak mixed forests in the Qinling Mountains are an essential part of the ecosystem in Northwestern China. Diameter distribution models for four species groups of pine-oak mixed forests were developed using the Weibull function. Both moment and hybrid estimation approaches were used to predict theWeibull parameters. For each approach, three fitting methods (maximum likelihood estimator regression (MLER), cumulative distribution function regression (CDFR) and modified CDFR) were employed to obtain estimates for coefficients of regression equations to predict Weibull parameters. Overall results indicated that the Moment Estimation approach was better than the Hybrid approach, and that the CDFR method was superior …

Resetting The Table For People And Plants: Botanic Gardens And Research Organizations Collaborate To Address Food And Agricultural Plant Blindness, Sarada Krishnan, Tara Moreau, Jeff Kuehny, Ari Novy, Stephanie L. Greene, Colin K. Khoury

Faculty Publications

Societal Impact Statement: Food and agricultural plants are integral to human well-being. Due to their universal importance, such plants would appear to represent an ideal entryway by which to address plant blindness. However, with limited opportunities for direct contact with agriculture, many people cannot appreciate the flora that feed us every day. We provide examples of informal education initiatives aimed at increasing public awareness and appreciation of food and agricultural plants, made possible through collaborations between botanic gardens, academic institutions, nonprofits, and agricultural research organizations. We hope these examples encourage and inspire organizations to further utilize food and agricultural plants …

Role Of Fe2o3 In Fly Ash Surrogate On Pcdd/Fs Formation From 2-Monochlorophenol, Xia Guan, Ajit Ghimire, Phillip M. Potter, Slawomir M. Lomnicki

Faculty Publications

The correlation between the content and morphology of Fe2O3 and the yields of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) was studied in this work. Three fly ash surrogates containing 1%, 2.5%, and 4% of Fe2O3 were prepared and their effects on PCDD/Fs formation were investigated and compared to our previously studied 5% iron oxide sample using 2-monochlorophenol precursor model. As the intermediate of PCDD/Fs, environmentally persistent free radical formation propensity was correlated with the PCDD/Fs formation yields for different iron oxide samples. PCDD/Fs yield increases exponentially with the increasing iron content under pyrolytic conditions. On the contrary, low iron oxide …

2019 Ieee Services Symposium On Services Computing: Concise Papers Message From Symposium Chairs, Yanchun Sun, Supratik Mukhopadhyay

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Elemental Composition, Phosphorous Uptake, And Characteristics Of Growth Of A Sar11 Strain In Batch And Continuous Culture, Scott R. Grant, Matthew J. Church, Sara Ferrón, Edward A. Laws, Michael S. Rappé

Faculty Publications

In this study, a strain of SAR11 subgroup IIIa (termed HIMB114) was grown in seawater-based batch and continuous culture in order to quantify cellular features and metabolism relevant to SAR11 ecology. We report some of the first direct measurements of cellular elemental quotas for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for SAR11, grown in batch culture: 1.4 0.9 fg N and 0.44 0.01 fg P, respectively, that were consistent with the small size of HIMB114 cells (average volume of 0.09 m³). However, the mean carbon (C) cellular quota of 50 47 fg C was anomalously high, but variable. The …

Association Mapping In Common Bean Revealed Regions Associated With Anthracnose And Angular Leaf Spot Resistance, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Thiago Lívio Pessoa Oliveira De Souza, Helton Santos Pereira, Luís Cláudio De Faria, Leonardo Cunha Melo, Evandro Novaes, Itaraju Junior Baracuhy Brum, Jean Luc Jannink

Faculty Publications

Despite important biotic stresses to common bean, Anthracnose (ANT) and Angular Leaf Spot (ALS) can cause losses of up to 80 % and occur in more than 60 countries around the world. Genetic resistance is the most sustainable strategy to manage these diseases. Thus, we aimed to (1) identify new SNP markers associated with ALS and ANT resistance loci in elite common bean lines, and (2) provide a functional characterization of the DNA sequences containing the identified SNP markers. We evaluated 60 inbred lines, under field conditions, which represent the elite germplasm developed by the Embrapa common bean breeding program …

Hole Filling In 3d Scans For Digital Anthropometric Applications, Sima Sobhiyeh, Marcelline Dechenaud, Alexander Dunkel, Margarite Laborde, Samantha Kennedy, John Shepherd, Steven Heymsfield, Peter Wolenski

Faculty Publications

Anthropometric measurements have been used to assess an individual's body composition, disease risk, and nutritional status. Three-dimensional (3D) optical devices can rapidly acquire body surface scans in the form of a triangular mesh which can then be used to obtain anthropometric measurements such as body volume, limb lengths, and circumferences; however, the meshes provided by some scanners may include missing data patches known as holes. These need to be repaired in order to obtain correct landmark detection and automatic calculation of anthropometric measurements -especially body volume. In this study, we present ScReAM (Scan Reconstruction for Anthropometric Measurements) which is a …

Critical Operating Stress Of Persistent Slip Bands In Cu, M. Dodaran, M. M. Khonsari, S. Shao

Faculty Publications

This work elucidates the dependence of operating stress of persistent slip bands (PSB) on the channel width and wall dislocation density. Using Cu as a model system and molecular dynamics as the main investigative tool, a new length scale effect, namely the wall dislocation spacing, is provided to enhance theoretical understanding of PSBs. It is discovered that the operation of PSB is a thermally activated event in which operating stress is inversely related to the wall dislocation spacing, strain rate and temperature. Leveraging the existing framework of confined layer slip in nanoscale metallic multilayers and classical nucleation theory, a mathematical …

Incentive Mechanisms And Impacts Of Negotiation Power And Information Availability In Multi-Relay Cooperative Wireless Networks, Nanmiao Wu, Xiangwei Zhou, Mingxuan Sun

Faculty Publications

Cooperative relaying is highly affected by the way that the source and relays are incentivized. However, the existing studies have not paid enough attention to the impacts of negotiation power and information availability of the players on the network performance. In this paper, two incentive mechanisms for cooperative relaying are first proposed to explore the influence of negotiation power, wherein the source holds either strong or weak negotiation power. In these two cases, the source posts take-it-or-leave-it offers for the relays and has to negotiate possible deals with the relays, respectively. The relay selection rules and the optimal amounts of …

Development, Validation, And Testing Of The Eating And Food Literacy Behaviors Questionnaire With Young Adult University Students, Kwadernica Rhea

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Eating and Food Literacy Behaviors Questionnaire (EFLBQ) was developed, and its validity, reliability, and ability to measure construct changes was established. Items related to the originally proposed domains of food literacy were included in the initial questionnaire, however five, new components were discovered. The second version of the EFLBQ was tested with 257 young adult university students using exploratory factor analysis, and a five-factor model (R²=57.4%) was returned. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated (health and nutrition=0.89, taste=0.72, food preparation=0.77, planning /decision-making=0.64, and convenience=0.63). A confirmatory factor analysis, with 923 new responses provided evidence of an adequate fit …

Cost-Effective Methods To Retrofit Metal Culverts Using Composites, Mahmoud Reda Taha, Susan Bogus Halter

Publications

One of the current pressing problems for all DOTs is the corrosion-oriented deterioration of existing metal culverts. These metal culverts typically are designed for a life of 50 years. However, corrosion is making them last no longer than 30 years. A Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) pipe section has been evaluated as a fit-in GFRP profile liner for complete repair and rehabilitation of the corroded metal culvert with an expected life of 75 years. This is mainly because of the corrosion free nature of the GFRP material. A comprehensive rehabilitation methodology and laboratory scale three-point bending test was conducted to …

Effects Of Virus Infection And Volatiles On Aphid Virus Vector Behavior On Sweetpotato, John Lawrence Dryburgh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sweetpotato is affected by a wide variety of viruses worldwide, which can cause yield losses of up to 90%. Many of these viruses are transmitted by aphids in a non-persistent manner. Non-persistent viruses are acquired and transmitted within minutes, and thus conventional control, such as insecticides, are ineffective. Altering aphid movement and feeding behavior may affect the rate of virus transmission. One potential method to alter aphid behavior is volatile organic compounds (VOC), including volatiles emitted by virus infected plants, plant hormones, and commercial control agents. Aphid movement near sweetpotato fields was monitored to determine trends throughout the growing season. …

The Impact Of Formal Panhellenic Recruitment On The Development Of Efficacy For Sorority Women, Amanda Jill Horvat

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Little to no research has been conducted to assess the impact of formal sorority recruitment processes on efficacy levels of sorority women. While numerous studies have been conducted concerning the development of individual women and skills gathered throughout their collegiate experience, there has been limited research on how participation in sorority recruitment may impact psychological and physiological states, and increase or decrease self and collective efficacy.

If the original intent of sororities was to provide friendship, support, and encouragement, are current formal recruitment methods, supported by the National Panhellenic Conference, meeting that goal? Addressing this question requires an in-depth understanding …

In Vitro And In Vivo (Mouse Model) Investigation Of The Efficacy Of Probiotic Bacteria Lactobacillus Casei And Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Incorporated In Tomato Juice, Bennett Atta Dzandu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fruit and vegetable production in Ghana were estimated at 371,811 tons in 2017 with tomatoes ranked among the top four most cultivated vegetables. The majority of the production goes to waste due to spoilage and lack of processing. Probiotics have recently gained much attention owing to claims about their potential health benefits. However, the inability of certain probiotics to survive gastric conditions remain a potential setback. Tomatoes can be processed into value added products including those fortified with probiotics. Such value-added products can be used as protectant for the delivery of probiotics to improve gut health. The objective of this …

Observations And Modeling Of A Hydrothermal Plume In Yellowstone Lake, Robert A. Sohn, Karen Luttrell, Emily Shroyer, Christian Stranne, Robert N. Harris, Julia E. Favorito

Faculty Publications

©2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Acoustic Doppler current profiler and conductivity-temperature-depth data acquired in Yellowstone Lake reveal the presence of a buoyant plume above the “Deep Hole” hydrothermal system, located southeast of Stevenson Island. Distributed venting in the ~200 × 200-m hydrothermal field creates a plume with vertical velocities of ~10 cm/s in the mid-water column. Salinity profiles indicate that during the period of strong summer stratification the plume rises to a neutral buoyancy horizon at ~45-m depth, corresponding to a ~70-m rise height, where it generates an anomaly of ~5% (−0.0014 psu) relative to background lake water. …

Narrow-Band Search For Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars Using The Second Ligo Observing Run, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, G. Allen, A. Allocca, M. A. Aloy, P. A. Altin, A. Amato, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. V. Angelova, S. Antier, S. Appert, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, J. S. Areeda, M. Arène, N. Arnaud

Faculty Publications

Isolated spinning neutron stars, asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis, are expected to be sources of continuous gravitational waves. The most sensitive searches for these sources are based on accurate matched filtering techniques that assume the continuous wave to be phase locked with the pulsar beamed emission. While matched filtering maximizes the search sensitivity, a significant signal-to-noise ratio loss will happen in the case of a mismatch between the assumed and the true signal phase evolution. Narrow-band algorithms allow for a small mismatch in the frequency and spin-down values of the pulsar while coherently integrating the entire dataset. In …

Exploring The Link Between Students’ Usage Of Aleks And Their Performance On State Benchmark Assessments In Mathematics, Verna Marie Richard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate relationships between students’ ALEKS usage, teachers’ implementation of ALEKS, and student performance on the 2017 – 2018 LEAP 2025 mathematics assessment. The quantitative portion of the study involved district-level analyses and teacher-level analyses that explored relationships between students’ ALEKS usage and LEAP performance. The qualitative portion of the study took into consideration previous research findings that have reported associations between program implementation and student achievement. This portion of the study included thematic analyses that examined the following relationships: ALEKS implementation in relation to teacher groups (i.e., RtI 8, Math 8, …

The Religion Of Policing: Race, Riots, And The Killing Of Alton Sterling, Landon Jay Douglas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Deadly force encounters with black people and law enforcement officials are far too numerous and encounters that result in the death of civilians do not always result in disciplinary actions against officers, many of whom are white. The high-profile killings of black people in America require an in-depth analysis of race, policing, and the origins of tactics used by law enforcement against black people, which is not merely data-driven, but also theory driven. In trying to understand the disparate treatment experienced by black people at the hands of law enforcement officials, and the extent to which many Americans, mostly white …

Large-Scale Data Analysis And Deep Learning Using Distributed Cyberinfrastructures And High Performance Computing, Richard Dodge Platania

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Data in many research fields continues to grow in both size and complexity. For instance, recent technological advances have caused an increased throughput in data in various biological-related endeavors, such as DNA sequencing, molecular simulations, and medical imaging. In addition, the variance in the types of data (textual, signal, image, etc.) adds an additional complexity in analyzing the data. As such, there is a need for uniquely developed applications that cater towards the type of data. Several considerations must be made when attempting to create a tool for a particular dataset. First, we must consider the type of algorithm required …

Iron-Sulfur Cluster Biosynthesis In Methanogens, Cuiping Zhao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Methanogens live in a syntrophic consortium with bacteria, taking advantage of the metabolic abilities of their syntrophic partners to overcome energetic barriers and break down compounds that they cannot digest by themselves. Interspecies electron transfer, which is a major type of microbial communication in syntrophic processes, improves methanogenesis and anaerobic oxidization of methane (AOM) processes involved in syntrophic consortia. These processes have a significant impact on the global carbon cycle. Most of the essential enzymes involved in methanogenesis are iron-sulfur proteins. Iron-sulfur clusters are one of the oldest and most versatile cofactors present in all domains of life. To date, …

Developmental Regression In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associated Factors And Outcomes, Jasper Abarte Estabillo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an increasingly common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in socialization skills and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. In addition to a number of medical and psychological comorbidities, ASD is associated with a complex phenomenon: developmental regression (i.e., loss of skills in developmental domains). Although present in other disorders (albeit rare), developmental regression is prevalent among individuals with ASD. Thus, interest in studying the phenomenon has grown. However, research on associated risk factors and outcomes is limited and findings have been inconsistent. The current study had two aims: (1) examine potential factors associated with …

Quantum Cluster Algebras At Roots Of Unity, Poisson-Lie Groups, And Discriminants, Kurt Malcolm Trampel Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies quantum algebras at roots of unity in regards to cluster structure and Poisson structure. Moreover, quantum cluster algebras at roots of unity are rigorously defined. The discriminants of these algebras are described, in terms of frozen cluster variables for quantum cluster algebras and Poisson primes for specializations of quantum algebras. The discriminant is a useful invariant for representation theoretic and algebraic study, whose laborious computation deters direct evaluation. The discriminants of quantum Schubert cells at roots of unity will be computed from the two distinct approaches. These methods can be applied to many other quantum algebras.

Can Cooler Heads Prevail? New Media Technology And Affective Polarization, Brian Kendall Watson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Are new media technologies stirring up negative partisan feelings in the American public? Can researchers find ways of using new media tools to reduce affective polarization? Relying on a series of experiments featuring online newsfeeds and social media discussions, this dissertation seeks to answer these questions by testing the influence of partisan news and political discussions in realistic Internet environments. Two custom news “portals” (2016, 2018) expose participants to actual partisan news content. Two Facebook discussion experiments (2017, 2019) randomly assign participants to start real political discussions on their personal social media accounts, using discussion-initiation strategies designed to reduce partisan …

Characterization Of The Integrated Signaling Network Of Burkholderia Glumae For The Regulation Of Virulence-Related Function In The Bacterial Pathogenesis Of Rice Plants, Tiago De Paula Lelis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bacterial panicle blight of rice (BPB) caused by Burkholderia glumaeis a major bacterial disease of rice in many rice-producing areas worldwide. Managing the disease is still very difficult due to the lack of effective methods. B. glumaestrains show phenotypic and genomic variations; however, little variation was detected in the known virulence-related genes. In the present study, the complete genome of B. glumae257sh-1, a natural avirulent strain, was sequenced and analyzed. Several spontaneous mutations in the regulatory genes of these avirulent strains were identified. Presumably, the accumulation of these mutations can have a negative effect on the normal …

Acidic Catalyst, James J. Spivey, Kunlun Ding, Swarom Kanitkar

College of Engineering Patents

Catalysts are disclosed having metal oxide support structures and acidic reaction sites. The reaction sites may be according to the general formula M_xO_yAlBr_zX]⁻H⁺ where x is one or two; y is one or two; z is one or two; X is selected from Br or Cl; M is Al or Si and one or more of M, O and Al has a molecular bond with the metal oxide support structure.

Beyond An Accommodation: A Mixed Methods Study Of Diversity Engagement In Academic Curriculum, Micah Jaryl Glenn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, 45% of all college students are classified as racial/ethnic minorities, while 56% of college students are female (NCES, 2018a). By 2030, nearly half of the estimated United States population will be composed of racial/ethnic minorities (Cortes, 1991). With this exponential growth of minorities attending institutions of higher education, there is the assumption that students have begun to engage in and promote diversity and inclusion. However, in 2008, Boysen and Vogel (2009) found that 40% of teachers and 50% of students encountered implicit or explicit bias while in college. In 2017, within four months, over 330 reported biased incidents occurred …

Increasing The Inclusion Of Women Composers In The Wind Band Repertoire: Pale As Centuries By Sarah Kirkland Snider, Clifton Gerod Croomes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Women composers are underrepresented in the wind band medium. This study aims to determine the major factors for the disparity between men and women composers. I’ve transcribed a contemporary chamber music piece, Pale As Centuries by Sarah Kirkland Snider, for the wind band. Expanding on Snider’s existing work for chamber ensemble I will explore her compositional style and reinterpret the piece using the colors of the wind band.

A review of the literature focuses on trends within western music in the United States over the last century and establishes a documented history of institutionalized marginalization. In an interview with Snider …