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Quantum Optical Improvements In Metrology, Sensing, And Lithography, Sean Ducharme Huver

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we begin with a brief introduction of quantum mechanics, its impact on technology in the 20th century, and the likely impact quantum optics will have on the next generation of technology. The following chapters display research performed in many of these next generation areas. In Chapter 2 we describe work performed in the area of designing quantum optical logic gates for use in quantum computing. In Chapter 3 we discuss findings made in regards to using quantum states of light for remote sensing and imaging. We move on to Fabry-Perot interferometers in Chapter 4 and show discoveries …

Applying Scanning Probe Microscopy For The Investigation Of Molecular Self-Assembly Mechanisms And Properties Of Designed Nanomaterials, Algernon Tremayne Kelley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) for conducting surface characterizations of nanomaterials and molecular self-assembly processes is emerging as an important contribution in nanotechnology, especially towards the design of molecular electronic devices. Another area of importance is the characterization of the properties of nanomaterials for fundamental understanding of structure-function inter-relationships. Understanding the properties and behavior of molecules and finding approaches to control surface self-organization through nanolithography provides essential information for the development of workable applications for nanotechnology. This dissertation describes the methodologies of AFM for characterizing molecules and nanostructures produced with scanning probe lithography (SPL). Automated software for nanografting and nanoshaving produce …

Global Positioning System In Curved Space-Time And Other Applications Of General Relativity, Argenis Daniel Da Silva

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, we present some applications of the theory of General Relativity. First, we show a numerical scheme to account for relativistic effects in the Global Positioning System. Then, a couple of applications of astrophysical interest are worked out. These are the study of the gravitational collapse of stars and the dynamical evolution of a three-dimensional Einstein-Klein-Gordon field.

Biophysical Economic Analysis Of Nutrient And Sediment Management Practices In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Augustus Nyako Matekole

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Conventional drainage systems and poorly drained soils tend to increase row crop agriculture nutrient and sediment effluent loads. Best management practices help reduce row crop production environmental pollution. This dissertation looked at nutrient and tillage management practices that could help farmers address future total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for the Cabin-Teele sub-watershed, within the lower Mississippi River Basin. The dissertation had two objectives. The first objective was to examine the economic and environmental impact of tillage and nutrient management practices in reducing agricultural pollutants to meet TMDL requirements. Relative cost effectiveness of different tillage and nutrient management practices were analyzed …

Super Resolution And Dynamic Range Enhancement Of Image Sequences, Lutfi Murat Gevrekci

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Camera producers try to increase the spatial resolution of a camera by reducing size of sites on sensor array. However, shot noise causes the signal to noise ratio drop as sensor sites get smaller. This fact motivates resolution enhancement to be performed through software. Super resolution (SR) image reconstruction aims to combine degraded images of a scene in order to form an image which has higher resolution than all observations. There is a demand for high resolution images in biomedical imaging, surveillance, aerial/satellite imaging and high-definition TV (HDTV) technology. Although extensive research has been conducted in SR, attention has not …

Meso-Scale Heating Predictions For Weak Impact Of Granular Energetic Solids, Rohan Panchadhara

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An explicit, two-dimensional, Lagrangian finite and discrete element technique is formulated and used to computationally characterize meso-scale fluctuations in thermomechanical fields induced by low pressure deformation waves propagating through particulate energetic solids. Emphasis is placed on characterizing the relative importance of plastic and friction work as meso-scale heating mechanisms which may cause bulk ignition of these materials and their dependence on piston speed (vp ~ 50-500 m/s). The numerical technique combines conservation principles with a plane strain, thermoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive theory to describe deformation within the material meso-structure. An energy consistent, penalty based, distributed potential force method, coupled to a penalty …

Assessing Linkages Between Petroleum Platforms And Pelagic Fishes Using Telemetry With Emphasis On Blue Runner (Caranx Crysos), Harmon Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Petroleum platforms number greater than 4,200 in the Gulf of Mexico and Caranx crysos (blue runner) is one of the most abundant fish species around these platforms. Forty-six blue runner were tagged with acoustical transmitters in August 2005, though the study was terminated prematurely due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Katrina. Nineteen blue runner were tagged in September 2006 and tracked for up to two months. Blue runner exhibited limited site fidelity around the platforms in 2005. The home range of twenty-three blue runner was calculated in 2005. A significant difference was found between the fork length of the …

The Indigenous Culture Of School Mathematics In China And The United States: A Comparative Study Of Teachers' Understanding Of Constructivism, Lingqi Meng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study aimed to explore how the indigenous (national) culture of teaching and learning mediates teachers’ understandings of constructivism in China and the U.S. Thirty middle school math teachers who are self-identified with the mathematics teaching reform movement in each country participated in this study (NCTM 2000 Math Standards in the United States or the MOE 2001 Math Standards in China). Both theoretical and empirical methods were adopted for this research. Theoretical analysis led to a new cultural model that helped select appropriate cultural elements for this study. Based on emergence theory, the new model perceives Confucianism and Taoism as …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Transition Metal And Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Using Dendritic Complexes, Elisabeta Mitran

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research in this dissertation focuses on the synthesis and characterization of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles in solution and on surfaces with a high degree of control over size and size dispersity; such well-defined nanoparticles were made using metal ion-dendrimer complexes and silica-supported organometallic dendrimers. The metal oxide-based materials can be used as laboratory surrogates for combustion-generated nanoparticles to assess their role in mediating pollutant formation. Nickel nanoparticles with low size dispersity were prepared by a dendrimer-ligand-based method employing five generations amine-terminated poly(propylene imine) dendrimer, DAB-Amn. After coordination, borohydride reduction of Ni(II) ion-dendrimer complexes yielded Ni(0) nanoparticles, as determined by X-ray …

Some Results On Cubic Graphs, Evan Morgan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pursuing a question of Oxley, we investigate whether the edge set of a graph admits a bipartition so that the contraction of either partite set produces a series-parallel graph. While Oxley's question in general remains unanswered, our investigations led to two graph operations (Chapters 2 and 4) which are of independent interest. We present some partial results toward Oxley's question in Chapter 3. The central results of the dissertation involve an operation on cubic graphs called the switch; in the literature, a similar operation is known as the edge slide. In Chapter 2, the author proves that we can transform, …

Dna Topoisomerases I From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa And Vaccinia Virus And Their Use As Drug Targets, Teesta Jain

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a putative topoisomerase with sequence similarity to the type IB topoisomerase enzyme from vaccinia virus. Residues in the active site are conserved, notably Tyr292 which would be predicted to form the transient covalent bond to DNA. The gene encoding the P. aeruginosa topoisomerase I (PAT) was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The enzyme relaxes supercoiled DNA, while a mutant of P. aeruginosa containing a Tyr292 to Phe substitution at the active site was found to be catalytically inert. This is consistent with the role of Tyr in forming the covalent intermediate. Like vaccinia topoisomerase (VT), PAT …

Remediating Impacts Of Global Climate Change-Induced Submergence On Salt Marsh Ecosystem Functions, Camille Lafosse Stagg

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Impacts of global climate change, such as sea level rise and severe drought, have altered the hydrology of coastal salt marshes resulting in submergence and subsequent degradation of ecosystem function. A potential method of rehabilitating these systems is the addition of sediment-slurries to increase the elevation of the marsh surface, thus ameliorating the effects of excessive inundation. Although this technique is growing in popularity, the successful restoration of ecological function after sediment addition has received little attention. The purpose of this research was to determine if sediment subsidized salt marshes are functionally equivalent to natural marshes and whether salt marshes …

Experimental Design, Synthesis And Application Of Molecular Micelle Modified Polymeric Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery Systems And Free Radical Detection, Gabriela M. Ganea Visser

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles such as poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles have been extensively studied as drug delivery systems for a variety of pharmaceutical agents. Nanoparticle surface properties are primarily determined by the emulsifiers used in the synthesis process, which have a significant impact on nanoparticle physico-chemical and biological properties. Anionic amino acid – based molecular micelles were used in the emulsification process to prepare monodisperse, small (below 100 nm) PLGA nanoparticles with a well defined spherical shape. Such molecular micelle – modified nanoparticles were used as drug carriers for delivery of antioxidants. Thymoquinone is a natural antioxidant, and an …

An Examination Of Louisiana Educational School Improvement Legislation, Policy Decisions, Initiatives, And Fiscal Expenditure From 1997 To 2005, Belinda Marie Cambre

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to identify major school improvement reform programs and initiatives in Louisiana during the period of 1997 to 2005. The criteria used to identify each program included: state funding that averaged at least $2 million per year in state funds; programs that affected teachers and students for school improvement purposes; and, programs that remained in place for at least two school years. The study ultimately yielded nine initiatives that met each of the above listed criteria. Some, but not all, were the result of the School and District Accountability Commission, which was established by Act 478, the 1997 …

Iron Mediated Pecipitation Of Phenol: Protein Aggregates From Sugar Cane Juice, Lee R. Madsen Ii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Louisiana cane sugar industry is moving toward a vertically integrated arrangement where raw sugar producers will have an interest in refining. In the sugar refining process, raw sugar is affined to remove ~50 % of the color. The new refinery that will be built in Louisiana, however, will not include affining stations. To reduce costs of refining, either affining stations will need to be installed at each mill or new technologies that provide equivalent color reduction (~50% or ~750 IU) need to be implemented. As part of this dissertation a new technology for color reduction at raw sugar mills …

A Discrete Model Of Guided Modes And Anomalous Scattering In Periodic Structures, Natalia Grigoryevna Ptitsyna

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We study a discrete prototype of anomalous scattering associated with the interaction of guided modes of a periodic scatterer and plane waves incident upon the scatterer. The transmission anomalies arise because of the non-robustness of a guided mode, a mode that exists only at a specific frequency and wave number pair. The simplicity of the discrete prototype allows one to make certain explicit calculations and proofs, and to examine details of important resonant phenomena of the open wave guides. The main results are (1) a formula for transmission anomalies near a non-robust guided mode with rigorous error estimates that extends …

Investigating Conceptual Teaching Strategies In A Computer Based Mathematics Curriculum: The Case Of R2r, Haitham Sleiman Solh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the various teaching strategies implemented by the teachers in a computer-based Mathematics course delivery model created by the LSU Math Department and applied in Louisiana High Schools. This model was referred to as R2R (Roadmap to Redesign). It was a course design that includes whole class instruction time (about 25% of class time) in addition to time spent with teacher assistance utilizing computer software (MathXL) to practice exercises, submit homework assignments, and take quizzes and tests.The study aimed to determine the proportion of teachers using the R2R model that opt to support a conceptual agenda in their …

Progressive Water-Oil Transition Zone Due To Transverse Mixing Near Wells, Shengkai Duan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study derives from observations made in petroleum research and practices of chemical industry that efficient mixing takes place in segregated immiscible fluid flow in granular packs and static mixers. A hypothesis was formulated that transverse mixing (TM) across oil-water interface may occur in segregated inflow to wells resulting in progressive transition zone, more water production, and reduced oil productivity. “Mixing” is broadly interpreted here to address the entire range of stirring, splitting, dispersion and diffusion processes between two fluids.

Initial study showed that a commercial reservoir simulator would not model any transition zone in segregated oil-water flow at high …

Homological Width And Turaev Genus, Adam Lowrance

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Khovanov homology and knot Floer homology are generalizations of the Jones polynomial and the Alexander polynomial respectively. They are bigraded Z-modules, and their underlying polynomials are recovered by taking the graded Euler characteristic. The two homologies share many characteristics, however their relationship has yet to be fully understood. In both Khovanov homology and knot Floer homology, the two gradings can be combined into a single diagonal grading. Homological width is a measure of the support of the homology with respect to the diagonal grading. In this thesis, we show that the homological width of Khovanov homology and knot Floer homology …

Determining The Number Of Factors In Data Containing A Single Outlier: A Study Of Factor Analysis Of Simulated Data, Victor Snipes Swaim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Numerous procedures have been suggested for determining the number of factors to retain in factor analysis. However, previous studies have focused on comparing methods using normal data sets. This study had two phases. The first phase explored the Kaiser method, Scree test, Bartlett’s chi-square test, Minimum Average Partial (1976 & 2000), Horn’s parallel analysis, and Longman’s Parallel Analysis on normal data using the estimation methods of Maximum Likelihood (ML), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Principal Factor Analysis (PFA). The second phase explored the Kaiser method, Scree test, Minimum Average Partial (1976 & 2000), and Horn’s parallel analysis, and Longman’s Parallel …

Parallel Cloth Simulation Using Openmp And Cuda, Gillian David Sims

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The widespread availability of parallel computing architectures has lead to research regarding algorithms and techniques that best exploit available parallelism. In addition to the CPU parallelism available; the GPU has emerged as a parallel computational device. The goal of this study was to explore the combined use of CPU and GPU parallelism by developing a hybrid parallel CPU/GPU cloth simulation application. In order to evaluate the benefits of the hybrid approach, the application was first developed in sequential CPU form, followed by a parallel CPU form. The application uses Backward Euler implicit time integration to solve the differential equations of …

A Regularization Technique In Dynamic Optimization, Alvaro Guevara

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we discuss certain aspects of a parametric regularization technique which is based on recent work by R. Goebel. For proper, lower semicontinuous, and convex functions, this regularization is self-dual with respect to convex conjugation, and a simple extension of this smoothing exhibits the same feature when applied to proper, closed, and saddle functions. In Chapter 1 we give a introduction to convex and saddle function theory, which includes new results on the convergence of saddle function values that were not previously available in the form presented. In Chapter 2, we define the regularization and extend some of …

All My Pretty Ones By Stephen Paulus; A Song Cycle For Soprano And Piano On A Text By Michael Dennis Browne, Emily Grundstad Hall

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Stephen Paulus (b. 1949) is emerging as one of America’s accomplished composers for the voice. He is skilled in writing sensitively for the demands of the solo voice and is becoming known as an important contributor to the genre with approximately 50 art songs, 12 song cycles as well as 10 operas and 250 choral pieces. This paper will discuss the song cycle, All My Pretty Ones, for soprano and piano, which was published in 1984 with a text by Michael Dennis Browne. The cycle was Paulus and Browne’s first collaboration and since its conception the two have continued to …

Miocene Herpetofaunas From The Central Gulf Coast Usa: Their Paleoecology, Biogeography, And Biostratigraphy, Michael John Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The late Barstovian Fort Polk herpetofauna represents the most diverse herpetofauna on the Gulf Coast, USA, and includes 15 genera from ten families. The herpetofaunal composition of Fort Polk and Miocene east Texas localities is similar enough to Great Plains localities that they are all considered to be one biogeographical province during the Barstovian. The use of ternary diagrams, ratios of herpetological elements to kg matrix screened, and natricine-colubrine indices, has allowed determining the wetness of the Fort Polk sites. Development of a composite stratigraphic section for North American fossil snakes has allowed recognition of two extinctions of fossil snakes …

Creep Behavior Of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites, Yanjun Xu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Creep behavior of natural fiber/polymer composites (NFPCs) was studied in response to the increasing application of this material as structural building products. Factors that influence creep behavior of the composites were investigated by analyzing creep curves of several different NFPC systems, which were designed for overall performance of the composites. Among different models, the 4-element Burgers type was mostly used for quantitative characterization of the creep curves to compare the properties of different composites. The parameters from the 4-element Burgers model were easily interpretable due to their physical meanings. Generalized Burgers models provided better fit by introducing extra Kelvin units, …

Improved Seismic Isolation For The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory With Hydraulic External Pre-Isolator System, Shyang Wen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

LIGO hosts the world’s most sensitive GW detectors capable of detecting strain of h=10-22 at 100-200Hz. To maximize the amount of useful scientific results LIGO generates, it is necessary to operate the instrument uninterruptedly. However, for ground-based detectors, this is not possible without isolating it from the environmental disturbances, which in most cases is predominated by seismic noise. We examined the recent seismic noise records at LLO and LHO, and found the seismic noise at both sites had decreased from Oct. 1, 2003 to Oct. 1, 2006. No long term trend can be derived from the there-year data studied, however …

Subaqueous, Hurricane-Initiated Shelf Failure Morphodynamics Along The Mississippi River Delta Front, North-Central Gulf Of Mexico, Walter Scott Guidroz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Seafloor instability along the Mississippi River Delta Front (MRDF) gained renewed attention with the landfall of Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005). Traditional root causes for MRDF shelf failure were exacerbated by sea-state conditions associated with these severe tropical cyclones and their interaction with the seafloor. These conditions were characterized by large waves, long wave periods and wave-induced turbulence in the bottom boundary layer and throughout the water column. An evaluation of local and regional MRDF bathymetry data revealed substantial changes in seafloor elevation and the immediate subsurface sediment profile, hypothesized as the end result of cyclic wave-seafloor interaction, seafloor …

Size Controlled Metal Oxide Nanoparticles:Synthesis, Characterization, And Application To Catalysis, Hongyi Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research in this dissertation focuses on the synthesis of size-controlled metal oxide nanoclusters (< 10 nm) on amorphous silica and their catalytic performance in thermal degradation of chlorinated benzenes with regard to the cluster size effect. Furthermore, with the concern that metal can condense as the nano-size nuclei core for particle growth in combustion process, a flow reactor was built to investigate the effect of metal oxide nanoparticles on the formation of soot in fuel-rich combustion. The synthesis of copper oxide nanoclusters was carried by calcination of silica impregnated with dendrimer-metal complexes. The 4th generation poly(propylene imine) dendrimer DAB-Am32 was used in this template-based method. The sizes of copper oxide nanoclusters were exquisitely controlled in the range of 1-5 nm with narrow size distribution by changing the stoichiometric ratio of metal ion to the terminal primary amines of dendrimer, the equivalent metal oxide loading on surface, and the impregnation procedure. XANES and XPS studies revealed that CuO was the dominant component of copper oxide nanoclusters. This method was also experimentally proven to be valid in the preparation of other metal oxide nanoparticles, e.g., Ni and Fe, and with other oxide substrates, e.g., titanium oxide. Chlorinated benzenes were selected as the model compound for studying the activity of metal (Cu and Fe) oxide catalysts with regard to their cluster sizes. Compared to the surrogate of coarse metal oxide samples, which was prepared by incipient wetness method, their nanosize analogues showed superior catalytic activity on the conversion of chlorinated benzenes under both pyrolytic and oxidative thermal condition. Furthermore, such catalytic size effect was also observed on the selectivity of products yields. Sooting combustion was performed using a two-zone flow reactor with precise control on experimental parameters. Gas suspended metal oxide nanoparticles were generated by burning off the organic backbone of the dendrimer-metal complexes in zone 1 and immediately transferred to zone 2, where the hydrocarbon combustion occurred. TEM results of the particulate sample collected at the outlet of reactor indicated that metal oxide nanoparticles promoted soot formation. GC/MS analysis of the extracted organic materials from soot samples suggested the formation of PAH was also promoted by metal addition as well.

Integrated Model-Centric Decision Support System For Process Industries, Daira Aragon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To bring the advances in modeling, simulation and optimization environments (MSOEs), open-software architectures, and information technology closer to process industries, novel mechanisms and advanced software tools must be devised to simplify the definition of complex model-based problems. Synergistic interactions between complementary model-based software tools must be refined to unlock the potential of model-centric technologies in industries. This dissertation presents the conceptual definition of a single and consistent framework for integrated process decision support (IMCPSS) to facilitate the realistic formulation of related model-based engineering problems. Through the integration of data management, simulation, parameter estimation, data reconciliation, and optimization methods, this framework …

Task Specific Ionic Liquids For Enantiomeric Recognition And Nanomaterials For Biomedical Imaging, David Kipkogei Bwambok

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ionic liquids (ILs) are organic salts that melt at or below 100°C. Interest in ILs continues to grow due to their unique properties such as lack of measurable vapor pressure, high thermal stability, tunability and recyclability. The first part of this dissertation explores the use of chiral ionic liquids (CILs) for enantiomeric recognition of chiral analytes using fluorescence spectroscopy. Chiral analyses continue to be a subject of considerable interest primarily as a result of legislation introduced by the Food and Drug Administration. This has led to an increased need for suitable chiral selectors and methods to verify the enantiomeric forms …