Digital Commons Network^™

Prediction Of Hierarchical Classification Of Transposable Elements Using Machine Learning Techniques, Manisha Panta

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Transposable Elements (TEs) or jumping genes are the DNA sequences that have an intrinsic capability to move within a host genome from one genomic location to another. Studies show that the presence of a TE within or adjacent to a functional gene may alter its expression. TEs can also cause an increase in the rate of mutation and can even promote gross genetic arrangements. Thus, the proper classification of the identified jumping genes is important to understand their genetic and evolutionary effects. While computational methods have been developed that perform either binary classification or multi-label classification of TEs, few studies …

Associations Between Community Violence Exposure, Emotional Desensitization, And Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms: The Influence Of Route Of Exposure And Interpersonal Proximity To The Victims Of Violence, Megan M. Zeringue

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The current study examines associations between community violence exposure (CVE) and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The emotional desensitization hypothesis states that moderate levels of CVE will be associated with increased internalizing symptoms, whereas high levels of CVE will be associated with decreases in internalizing distress. The current study extends prior research by examining whether patterns of emotional desensitization differ based on the route of exposure – either being personally victimized or witnessing community violence. Further, associations examined the influence of interpersonal proximity to the victims of violence – that is, whether individuals are victims themselves (most proximal), witness violence against …

Everything That Shines Is Not Gold, Anna Rickerson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This paper will detail the process of creating and making the film Everything that Shines is not Gold. This paper divides into four parts: writing process, pre-production, production, and postproduction. The first part will touch on how the story came about and the writing process. The second part will cover the pre-production aspects and how I dealt with a strict deadline. Next, I will talk about directing. In the fourth part, I will discuss the long and tiring postproduction workflow. Last, I will reflect on making and what I learned.

A Novel Role Of Hrr25 In Cell Wall Integrity Maintenance And Functional Analysis Of Hrr25 Domains, Amita Bhattarai

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hrr25 is a highly conserved serine/threonine protein kinase with diverse functions and it localizes to a number of intracellular sites. Hrr25 possesses an N-terminal kinase domain, a middle region, and a C-terminal proline/glutamine rich domain. In this thesis, we systematically characterized the roles of these three domains of Hrr25 on cell growth, cell morphology, and its cellular localizations. Additionally, we identified a novel target of Hrr25, Pin4. We show that Hrr25-dependent phosphorylation of Pin4 is required for cell wall integrity maintenance. We found that that Hrr25 and Pin4 physically interact in vivo and that the C-terminal domain of Hrr25 is …

Sicilian Roots: How The Agricultural Pursuits Of Immigrant Sicilians Shaped Modern New Orleans Cuisine, Laura A. Guccione

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The influx of immigrant Sicilians into southeastern Louisiana in the nineteenth century resulted in a parallel rise of the French Quarter as a culinary destination. Through an analysis of menus, recipe books, city directories, newspapers and census rolls, this work maps the growing influence of Sicilian farmers, vendors, and restaurateurs on New Orleans foodways. The often-overlooked community of Sicilians already living in the city in the early nineteenth century set the stage for the mass migration from Sicily to New Orleans later in the century, when Sicilians gained control of the produce food market in southeast Louisiana. A comparison of …

Reliability Of Technical Stock Price Pattern Predictability, Matthew Lutey

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Academic research has shown throughout the years the ability of technical indicators to convey predictive value, informational content, and practical use. The popularity of such studies goes in and out over the years and today is being recognized widely by behavioral economists. Automated technical analysis is said to detect geometric and nonlinear shapes in prices which ordinary time series methods would be unable to detect. Previous papers use smoothing estimators to detect such patterns. Our paper uses local polynomial regressions, digital image processing, and state of the art machine learning tools to detect the patterns. Our results show that they …

Effective Statistical Energy Function Based Protein Un/Structure Prediction, Avdesh Mishra

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Proteins are an important component of living organisms, composed of one or more polypeptide chains, each containing hundreds or even thousands of amino acids of 20 standard types. The structure of a protein from the sequence determines crucial functions of proteins such as initiating metabolic reactions, DNA replication, cell signaling, and transporting molecules. In the past, proteins were considered to always have a well-defined stable shape (structured proteins), however, it has recently been shown that there exist intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which lack a fixed or ordered 3D structure, have dynamic characteristics and therefore, exist in multiple states. Based on …

State Ownership, Financial Constraints, And The Determinants Of Capital Structure, Sultan Alshuwaier

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of state ownership in Saudi firms listed in the stock market. The first chapter studies the influence of state ownership on financial constraint on investment. Some scholars believe state ownership has a negative effect on the firm value. However, by using two measures of financial constraint, the investment cash flow sensitivity and the Kaplan and Zingales financial constraints index, the finding indicates that the existent of government ownership decreases financial constraint in firms. Also, the results show that the higher government ownership percentage the less financial constraint in firms. The …

The Development And Evaluation Of Small Specialized Turtle Excluder Devices To Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch In Various Small Shrimp Gears, Meghan P. Gahm

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the southeastern United States, skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, wing nets, and small try nets (headrope length less than 12-ft (3.66-m)) are exempt from using a turtle excluder device (TED) and instead must adhere to tow time restrictions as a mode to mitigate sea turtle bycatch. However, observer and stranding data indicate that these tow times may often be exceeded and result in mortality of sea turtles. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking in December 2016 to extend TED requirements to other trawl types, however there has been limited development of specialized TEDs for …

General Nonlinear-Material Elasticity In Classical One-Dimensional Solid Mechanics, Ronald Joseph Giardina Jr

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

We will create a class of generalized ellipses and explore their ability to define a distance on a space and generate continuous, periodic functions. Connections between these continuous, periodic functions and the generalizations of trigonometric functions known in the literature shall be established along with connections between these generalized ellipses and some spectrahedral projections onto the plane, more specifically the well-known multifocal ellipses. The superellipse, or Lam\'{e} curve, will be a special case of the generalized ellipse. Applications of these generalized ellipses shall be explored with regards to some one-dimensional systems of classical mechanics. We will adopt the Ramberg-Osgood relation …

Analysis Of Metallurgically Bonded Electrospark Deposited Coatings, Anne-Marie Joyce

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Size Effects In Small Scale Forward Extrusion And Metal Forming, Debabrata Mondal

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Size effects play a significant role in metal processing when the specimen dimensions are reduced. In this study, influence of size effects were investigated on two problem specific processes. First, numerical simulations of a small-scale forward extrusion with varying grain size were performed for both 2D and 3D cases. Here, grains were assigned to non-homogeneous properties in a random fashion. The computational geometry was obtained from Voronoi tessellation in MATLAB, and python-scripting in ABAQUS. Then the effects of size and property non-homogeneity were investigated. Second, a numerical model was simulated to predict final form shapes, punch load requirement, and thickness …

Design And Analysis Of Modular Axial Flux Switched Reluctance Motor, Rochak Shiwakoti

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a new modular structure of the axial flux Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM). The design consists of four stator disks with each adjacent disk rotated 30 degrees apart and four rotor disks connected to a common shaft. The proposed design aims to reduce the unwanted radial force, mitigate the torque ripple, and improve the efficiency. The modular structure distributes the radial force and torque strokes along the axial length of the motor, potentially damping the torque pulsation. In addition, the modular structure would deliver the rating power at a lower current level, reducing the overall ohmic loss. Moreover, …

Corporate Leverage, Constraints, And Compliance, Abdullah Khaled Alnamlah

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The first chapter evaluates the zero-leverage effect on firms' financial constraints. Moreover, using investment- and cash-to-cash-flow sensitivities as financial constraint indicators, the results suggest that unleveraged firms are expected to face lower constraints relative to leveraged firms. Lastly, the results indicate that the zero-leverage effect on firms’ financial constraints is more likely stronger for smaller firms, zero-dividend firms, firms with lower proportions of tangible assets, and growth firms. The second chapter develops a new quantitative measure that reflects the extent to which a firm complies to Shariah relative to the other firms located in a certain region at a certain …

New Bruises, Katelyn Aquilo

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following manuscript is a collection of poetry based on experiences. Religious hypocrisy and abuse thread throughout the collection with both first hand experiences and fictional ones. It is divided into three parts: the hometown, the bodily abuse, and then, finally, the religion.

The Roundtable Of Scientific Communication: From Classroom To Course Creation, Back To Classroom And Beyond, Sean P. Hickey

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research encompasses many aspects of chemical education research including curriculum and pedagogical changes to the freshman and sophomore courses. Curriculum changes included the addition of recitations to the general chemistry and organic chemistry lectures and the creation of four new classes, CHEM 1001, 1002, 3091, and 3092. The addition of recitations was not limited to but was focused on improving DFW rates for these courses.

CHEM 3091 and 3092 are chemistry internship and undergraduate teaching assistant classes. These courses were necessary to offer outside internship opportunities and training for undergraduate teaching assistants, respectively. CHEM 1001 and 1002 are chemistry …

Setting The Stage And Building Homes: Architecture Metaphors And Space In Donne's First Caroline Sermon, Alexander S. Laws

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through his use of "foundation" and "house" metaphors in his "First Sermon Preached to King Charles at St. James, 3 April 1625," John Donne discreetly presents his ideologies and principles before the new king, while simultaneously criticizing his contemporaries' misguided bickering over religio-political factions. This essay seeks to unpack the history surrounding, as well as the casuistical logic found within Donne's first sermon preached during the Caroline period, which both explicitly and implicitly addresses the foremost anxieties of the people of the changing age.

Fair To Middlin’: How The Mediocre White Male Trope As The Exemplar Of Human Experience And Universal Truth Fails To Adequately Prepare The Diverse Field Of Contemporary Actors And Audiences In Film, Television And Theatre Today, Shanda Quintal

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Non-traditional casting has been a controversial practice in film, television and theatre that was implemented to offer people of color and women opportunities which had previously been available to white or male performers. The following is a case study documenting the process by which I have discovered that non-traditional casting as a practice contributes to the oppression of people of color as well as supports the status quo of the white patriarchy. This case study is analyzed from the historical, sociological, psychological and philosophical theories and ideologies relevant to the unsuccessful attempt of a female actor of African-American descent at …

Gaussian Conditionally Markov Sequences: Theory With Application, Reza Rezaie

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Markov processes have been widely studied and used for modeling problems. A Markov process has two main components (i.e., an evolution law and an initial distribution). Markov processes are not suitable for modeling some problems, for example, the problem of predicting a trajectory with a known destination. Such a problem has three main components: an origin, an evolution law, and a destination. The conditionally Markov (CM) process is a powerful mathematical tool for generalizing the Markov process. One class of CM processes, called $CM_L$, fits the above components of trajectories with a destination. The CM process combines the Markov property …

Hand-Built Ceramics At 810 Royal And Intercultural Trade In French Colonial New Orleans, Travis M. Trahan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

While trade relations between French colonists and indigenous peoples in New Orleans are well documented, there have been few in depth studies utilizing archaeological sites in the city to illuminate the ways in which such relations shaped the day to day lives of the peoples involved. This work has attempted to elucidate trade practices between these groups by utilizing archaeological data uncovered at 810 Royal Street during excavations from 2015 through 2018. A collection of hand-built ceramics typically associated with indigenous peoples found in French colonial contexts on the site may help explicate the nature of trade occurring within the …

Soulmate, Susan E. Buice

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Intangible Capital And Diversity Reputation On Firm Performance, Makeen Huda

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effects that intangible capital and diversity reputation have on firm performance. In Chapter 1, entitled “CEO Overconfidence and Intangible Corporate Investments,” we extend the corporate investment and CEO overconfidence literature by examining how CEO overconfidence affects investment-cashflow sensitivity using a new measure of Tobin’s q and cashflow. Specifically, we incorporate intangible capital, which neo-classical investment theory mostly ignores, in the empirical analysis. We develop three overconfidence measures and their interaction with the respective standard and new cashflow settings to capture the investment-cashflow sensitivity effect of CEO overconfidence. We use three investment measures (physical, intangible, and total …

Formulation Of Hybrid Knowledge-Based/Molecular Mechanics Potentials For Protein Structure Refinement And A Novel Graph Theoretical Protein Structure Comparison And Analysis Technique, Aaron Maus

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Proteins are the fundamental machinery that enables the functions of life. It is critical to understand them not just for basic biology, but also to enable medical advances. The field of protein structure prediction is concerned with developing computational techniques to predict protein structure and function from a protein’s amino acid sequence, encoded for directly in DNA, alone. Despite much progress since the first computational models in the late 1960’s, techniques for the prediction of protein structure still cannot reliably produce structures of high enough accuracy to enable desired applications such as rational drug design. Protein structure refinement is the …

Sugarcane Crossroads, Sean Carrero

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following manuscript is a collection of lyric poetry that touches on themes of family history, love, and labor in the service industry. It is divided into three sections. The speaker in the work dwells in mostly private spaces and deals with private symbols such as, water, to represent the father figure in the poems.

John Gardner’S Grendel: The Importance Of Community In Making Moral Art, Catherine C. Cooper

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

John Gardner’s Grendel examines the ways in which humans make meaning out of their lives. By changing the original Beowulf monster into a creature who constantly questions the conflicting narratives set before him, Gardner encourages us to confront these tensions also. However, his emphasis on Grendel’s alienation helps us realize that community is essential to creating meaning. Most obviously, community creates relationships that foster a sense of moral obligation between its members, even in the face of the type of uncertainty felt by Grendel. Moreover, community cannot exist without dialogue, which perpetually stimulates the imagination to respond to the tensions …

Road Closed To Thru Traffic, Jordan C. Crook

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This collection of nine fiction stories explores the journeys of men and women who find themselves unable to continue on the path they've set for themselves. So often, the roads we follow are dictated by social conditioning. This collection considers how are paths are predetermined by social norms and follows the characters as they react to unexpected obstacles encountered in common scenarios. Will they forge new paths? Turn back? Or will they take a detour and return to their original road?

Total Fume Emissions And Emission Factors Applicable To Gas Metal Arc Welding, Nayara De Souza

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Welding is a common industrial practice that has the potential to emit air pollutants. Emission factors are useful indicators to help in the understanding of the extent of pollution from a process and managing them to reduce or minimize health impacts. The objective of this thesis is to determine emission factors applicable to the gas metal arc welding (GMAW), under varying current and voltage conditions. The most used base metals and an electrode for the shipbuilding industry were considered. A weld fume chamber was used to achieve the project goals along with standard sampling and analytical procedures. Three test runs …

Her Sweetest Comeback, Kelly Gangeness Le

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Kelly Gangeness Le’s poetry manuscript focuses on paradoxical values concerning horror and humor paired with family and isolation. With the aesthetic approach that poetry ought to resemble the emotional intensity of music, Le strives for animated language. Her influences come from coarse, post-hardcore music and Lucie Brock-Broido’s scholarly yet brutal poetry. Thus she negotiates between lowbrow and literary dynamics. Family; Horror; Humor; Dissonance

‘Where Do We Go From Here?’: Discourse In Louisiana Surrounding The Foundation Of The State Of Israel, May 1948, Devan Gelle

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A study of ten Louisiana newspapers during May 15-31,1948 revealed a period in which articles varied in their coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict and wider international relations. Discourse about Arabs and Israelis which became evident in newspapers in later years had emerged but was not fully developed. This coverage revealed a silence about the Holocaust and a subtext about the United Nations.

Escape Artist, Justin Lamb

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This poetry manuscript explores themes of family and addiction, education and New Orleans, and fear and escape in the span of three parts. Its preface examines the poet’s background and influences, his relationship with performance and humor, and the levity he hopes to create in his work.