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Georgia Southern University Fact Book, Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern Fact Books (1976-2022)

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Data Mining And Knowledge Discovery: A Guided Approach Base On Monotone Boolean Functions, Vetle Ingvald Torvik

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation deals with an important problem in Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (DM & KD), and Information Technology (IT) in general. It addresses the problem of efficiently learning monotone Boolean functions via membership queries to oracles. The monotone Boolean function can be thought of as a phenomenon, such as breast cancer or a computer crash, together with a set of predictor variables. The oracle can be thought of as an entity that knows the underlying monotone Boolean function, and provides a Boolean response to each query. In practice, it may take the shape of a human expert, or it …

Evaluation Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Transgenic Field Corn For Management Of Louisiana Corn Pests, Boris A. Castro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Efficacy of Bt corn hybrids expressing an insecticidal delta-endotoxin through different transformation events was evaluated in Louisiana. Efficacy levels were determined for southwestern corn borer (SWCB), Diatraea grandiosella Dyar; sugarcane borer (SCB), Diatraea saccharalis (F.); corn earworm (CEW), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie); and fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). Insect (neonates and third instars) susceptibility was evaluated on Bt and non-Bt corn plants (V6 and R1 stages) in field plots and plant tissue in laboratory studies. Bt corn hybrids with MON810 and CBH351 transformation events sustained significantly (P < 0.05) less injury caused by SWCB, SCB, and FAW during infestations at mid-whorl stage. SWCB, SCB, and CEW infestations during silking stage were significantly reduced in Bt hybrids with the MON810 event. However, CEW infestations …

High Resolution Modeling Of Transport In Porous Media, Guangli Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents research on the pore-level modeling of transport in porous media. The focus of this work is on high-resolution modeling, a rigorous approach that represents detailed geometry and first-principle physics at the streamline scale. Three major topics are presented in this dissertation: an efficient approach for solving Stokes flow in essentially arbitrary disordered porous media, high-resolution versus network simulations of dispersion phenomena, and a stochastic model for solving interfacial mass transfer from source spheres in porous media. First an approach was developed for solving the Stokes flow problem in a comparatively large, very heterogeneous two-dimensional porous media with …

Fabricating Microfluidic Devices In Polymers For Bioanalytica Applications, Sean M. Ford

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research presented in this document focuses on the fabrication, characterization and application of microfluidic systems fabricated in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with the emphasis focused on the fabrication processing steps. Microfluidic devices were produced in PMMA using X-ray lithography. The fabrication methods investigated were sacrificial mask, polyimide membrane mask and embossing techniques. PMMA microfluidic devices fabricated using X-ray lithography were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy, while analytical techniques such as electroosmotic flow determination, separations, and fluorescent microscopy were used to characterize fluid transport in these devices. A novel method for the heat annealing of PMMA to …

Improvement Of Resonant Harmonic Filter Effectiveness In The Presence Of Distribution Voltage Distortion, Herbert L. Ginn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Resonant harmonic filters (RHFs), are the most common devices installed in distribution systems for reducing distortion caused by harmonic generating loads. When such filters are applied in systems with a distorted distribution voltage their effectiveness may decline drastically. This dissertation explores the causes of degradation of RHFs effectiveness and suggests methods of their improvement both by optimization algorithms and by modification of the filter structure. An optimization based design method is developed for the conventional RHF. It takes into consideration the interaction of the filter with the distribution system and provides a filter which gives the maximum effectiveness with respect …

Capillary And Microdevice Electrophoretic Tools For Genetic Analyses: Heteroduplex Analysis For Tuberculosis Drug Susceptibility And Ligase Detection Reaction For Colorectal Cancer Detection, Gloria Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The traditional format of electrophoresis, the slab gel, is quickly being replaced by capillary and microdevice platforms, which offer improvements in cost, resolution, speed, quantitation and automation in genetic analyses. These techniques also employ a variety of separation matrices while the slab gel is limited to agarose and polyacrylamide. The research presented here explores the use of these electrophoretic formats for the detection of single nucleotide mutations using two genetic models associated with human disease. Slab gel based heteroduplex analysis (HDA), a popular mutation scanning method, uses a specially designed universal heteroduplex generator (UHG) containing controlled variation to enhance the …

Optimal Channel Equalization For Filterbank Transceivers In Presence Of White Noise, Ehab Farouk Badran

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Filterbank transceivers are widely employed in data communication networks to cope with inter-symbol-interference (ISI) through the use of redundancies. This dissertation studies the design of the optimal channel equalizer for both time-invariant and time-varying channels, and wide-sense stationary (WSS) and possible non-stationary white noise processes. Channel equalization is investigated via the filterbank transceivers approach. All perfect reconstruction (PR) or zero-forcing (ZF) receiver filterbanks are parameterized in an affine form, which eliminate completely the ISI. The optimal channel equalizer is designed through minimization of the mean-squared-error (MSE) between the detected signals and the transmitted signals. Our main results show that the …

A Variable Response Time Lag Module For Car Following Models Using Fuzzy Set Theory, Yilmaz Hatipkarasulu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since the 1950s, car following phenomena have been studied and analyzed, resulting in various models and algorithms. In general, the car following process has been defined as a stimulus-response relationship in which the driver of the following vehicle reacts to the actions of the lead vehicle after a time lag. One of the fundamental assumptions that underlie car following theory is that the driver response time lag is always a constant value for the driver at all times, regardless of level of detail of the model. Assumption of a constant time lag value introduces a number of broad assumptions however, …

Experience-Based Language Acquisition: A Computational Model Of Human Language Acquisition, Brian Edward Pangburn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Almost from the very beginning of the digital age, people have sought better ways to communicate with computers. This research investigates how computers might be enabled to understand natural language in a more humanlike way. Based, in part, on cognitive development in infants, we introduce an open computational framework for visual perception and grounded language acquisition called Experience-Based Language Acquisition (EBLA). EBLA can “watch” a series of short videos and acquire a simple language of nouns and verbs corresponding to the objects and object-object relations in those videos. Upon acquiring this protolanguage, EBLA can perform basic scene analysis to generate …

Production Of Transgenic Goats By Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, Brett C. Reggio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A series of experiments were conducted to produce transgenic goats by somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT). In all experiments, donor cells were electrically fused to enucleated metaphase II oocytes, then chemically activated. In a preliminary study to evaluate embryonic development following NT with proliferating or quiescent fibroblast or cumulus cells, significantly more embryos reconstructed with quiescent cumulus cells fused (77%) compared with proliferating cumulus cells (41%), proliferating fibroblasts (36%) or quiescent fibroblasts (37%). Improved development to the eight- to sixteen-cell stage was observed when fibroblast cells were serum starved (serum starved 39% vs. serum fed 15%). However, there was no …

Mixed-Symmetry Shell-Model Calculations In Nuclear Physics, Vesselin Gueorguiev Gueorguiev

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Advances in computer technologies allow calculations in ever larger model spaces. To keep our understanding growing along with this growth in computational power, we consider a novel approach to the nuclear shell model. The one-dimensional harmonic oscillator in a box is used to introduce the concept of an oblique-basis shell-model theory. By implementing the Lanczos method for diagonalization of large matrices, and the Cholesky algorithm for solving generalized eigenvalue problems, the method is applied to nuclei. The mixed-symmetry basis combines traditional spherical shell-model states with SU(3) collective configurations. We test the validity of this mixed-symmetry scheme on ²⁴Mg and …

The Role Of Cysteine 230 And Lysine 238 Of Biotin Carboxylase In The Deprotonation Of Biotin And Synthesis Of Bisubstrate Analogy Inhibitor Of Carboxyltransferase, Keith Logan Levert

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase catalyzes the first step in the synthesis of fatty acids. The Escherichia coli form of the enzyme consists of a biotin carboxylase protein, a biotin carboxyl carrier protein, and a carboxyltransferase protein. This enzyme uses the cofactor biotin as a carboxyl carrier. In order for the carboxylation of biotin to occur, biotin must be deprotonated at its N-1 position. It has been proposed that the active site residues cysteine 230 and lysine 238 act as an acid-base pair to deprotonate biotin. To test this hypothesis, site-directed mutagenesis was used to mutate cysteine 230 to alanine (C230A) and lysine …

A Comparison Of The Scores Of Students Taking A Business Course Via Internet And Students Taking A Traditional Classroom Delivered Course, David Lusk

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Limestone College is a small four-year liberal arts college that has a long-standing tradition of providing education to those people that desire a college degree, but because of their family and work responsibilities are not afforded the opportunity to attend traditionally delivered classroom courses. Limestone College has begun delivering non-traditional formatted courses via the internet. The Curriculum Committee felt that the web-based courses offered via the internet might not provide students with sufficient in-depth instruction or classroom interaction that would allow students to become proficient in the applications of the course material.

The Director of the Block Program at Limestone …

Thermal Rheological Analysis Of Cure Process Of Epoxy Prepreg, Liangfeng Sun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The cure process of epoxy prepreg used as composite pipe joints was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Bohlin Rheometer and other techniques. Isothermal DSC measurements were conducted between 110 and 220 oC, at 10 oC intervals. The results show that the complete cure reaction could be achieved at oC. The isothermal cure process was simulated with the four-parameter autocatalytic model. Except in the late stage of cure reaction, the model agrees well with the experimental data, especially at high temperatures. To account for the effect of diffusion on the cure rate, a diffusion factor was introduced into …

Cementitious Stabilization Of Soils In The Presence Of Sulfate, Lan Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Winn Rock (anhydrite, CaSO4) comes from a quarry in Winn Parish in north Louisiana. Gravel from the quarry has been used extensively as a surface course on local parish and logging roads. Stabilization of these roads with Type I Portland cement followed by an overlay by asphaltic concrete sometimes resulted in heaving. The causes for heaving and possible solutions were investigated. In the laboratory 2" x 4" molds of Winn Rock containing soil were prepared and cured in water bath at 40°C, sealed plastic bag at room temperature, and air. Molds were prepared with 5% to 20% cementitious material. The …

Adoption Of Best Management Practices In The Louisiana Dairy Industry, Noro C. Rahelizatovo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The traditional view of the agricultural community as a good steward of the environment has been challenged by increasing concerns about the complex relationship between agricultural production activities and environmental quality. Agriculture provides a large range of products to satisfy human needs. It has also been singled out as major source of water pollution. Largely improved surface water quality has been assessed in the U.S. since the enactment of the Clean Water Act. However, efforts to reduce water pollution continue, targeting discharges from identifiable sources of water pollution and diffused discharges from nonpoint sources. Agricultural producers are encouraged to voluntarily …

Fast Scalable Visualization Techniques For Interactive Billion-Particle Walkthrough, Xinlian Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research develops a comprehensive framework for interactive walkthrough involving one billion particles in an immersive virtual environment to enable interrogative visualization of large atomistic simulation data. As a mixture of scientific and engineering approaches, the framework is based on four key techniques: adaptive data compression based on space-filling curves, octree-based visibility and occlusion culling, predictive caching based on machine learning, and scalable data reduction based on parallel and distributed processing. In terms of parallel rendering, this system combines functional parallelism, data parallelism, and temporal parallelism to improve interactivity. The visualization framework will be applicable not only to material simulation, …

The Effects Of Local Hydrodynamics On Mass Transfer In Disordered Porous Media, Gang Guo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Interfacial mass transfer in disordered media was studied experimentally and numerically. The dissolution of solid benzoic acid spheres in packed columns showed the existence of spatial variations in mass transfer coefficients in monodisperse and polydisperse packings at the same overall Peclet number. The concept of a local Peclet number (single-particle average) was introduced to quantify the effect of local hydrodynamics on local mass transfer. Correlations between Sherwood number and Peclet number having the form Sh_i=A·(x_iPe)^m were used to quantify data from various sites in each packing. These experiments also showed that the exponent m varies …

Outcrop To Subsurface Stratigraphy Of The Pennsylvanian Hermosa Group Southern Paradox Basin U.S.A., Alan Lee Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) sedimentary rocks within the Paradox Basin Four Corners area of the western United States afford a unique opportunity to study the development of sedimentary successions in a complex marine to nonmarine depositional setting. The close association of thick intervals of nonmarine fan-delta facies adjacent to and in time equivalent position to marine carbonate-evaporite facies suggests complex relationships between the factors affecting deposition. Development of an effective scheme to differentiate the depositional signatures from within these sedimentary successions is the primary goal of this study. To achieve this goal, two objectives were pursued. The first was to calibrate the …

Characterization Of Alligator, Ostrich And Emu Skins And Comparisons To Traditional Leathers, Terri M. Von Hoven

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Exotic skins and leathers have enjoyed a recent resurgence, as current fashion magazines illustrate. Louisiana would like to increase its niche in the exotic skins market by increasing alligator, ostrich and emu skin usage, mainly by inspiring designers to incorporate them into their repertoire. The possibilities are endless from apparel and trim to upholstery and other home furnishings to accessories; Louisiana exotic skins have significant market potential. In order to assist in these traditional textile applications, characterization of the various skin properties needs to be completed. The research was carried out in three stages. For the preliminary research, one emu …

Log-Derived Cation Exchange Capacity Of Shaly Sands : Application To Hydrocarbon Detection And Drilling Optimization, Gamze Ipek

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers at Louisiana State University, LSU, have introduced several petrophysical models expressing the electric properties of shaly sands. These models, to be used for hydrocarbon detection, are based on the Waxman and Smits concept of supplementing the water conductivity with a clay counterions conductivity. The LSU models also utilize the Dual Water theory, which relates each conductivity term to a particular type of water, free and bound, each occupying a specific volume of the total pore space. The main difference between these models and the other shaly sand models is that the counterion conductivity is represented by a hypothetical sodium …

Development Of A Handbook For Implementing Distance Learning Programs At Mcintosh College, James K. Dowding

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

As the world of higher education is abuzz with the concept of distance education and online courses, many colleges see the Internet as the goose that lays the golden egg. McIntosh College and the Career Education Corporation would also like to develop on-line and distance education programs. The key to developing a successful program requires a comprehensive process model to follow. The problem is that McIntosh College does not have a procedure to develop online courses or online supplements.

The need for distance education comes from several factors. First is the changing profile of students. As McIntosh College has grown, …

Retention And Movement Of Reactive Chemicals In Soils, Hongxia Zhu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Adsorption-desorption and transport behavior of pesticides are important processes that influence the amount retained by the soil and that which is susceptible to runoff or movement within the soil profile. Kinetic batch experiments were used to study the adsorption-desorption behavior of metolachlor (a non-ionic herbicide) and deltamethrin (a pyrethroid insectcide) in soils, and atrazine (a triazine) in sugarcane mulch residue. Miscible displacement experiments under steady flow conditions were carried out to examine the mobility of these pesticides in soils. Metolachlor adsorption and desorption by Sharkey clay soil(Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquerts) and Commerce silty loam soil (Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, nonacid, …

Perceptions Of Active Graduate Faculty At A Research Extensive University Regarding Electronic Submission Of Theses And Dissertations (Etds), Ursula Irene Anna Goldsmith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates and explores faculty perceptions toward Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) during the implementation of ETDs at a university located in the southern portion the United States. Louisiana State University and Agriculture and Mechanical College (LSU) is the flagship university for the state of Louisiana and one of only 25 universities nationwide holding both land-grant and sea-grant status. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classified LSU as Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive. Chapter 1 provides the rationale for this study, the importance of higher education, the importance and role of the faculty advisor in graduate education as influencing the …

Complexity And Heuristics In Ruled-Based Algorithmic Music Composition, Nigel Gwee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Successful algorithmic music composition requires the efficient creation of works that reflect human preferences. In examining this key issue, we make two main contributions in this dissertation: analysis of the computational complexity of algorithmic music composition, and methods to produce music that approximates a commendable human effort. We use species counterpoint as our compositional model, wherein a set of stylistic and grammatical rules governs the search for suitable countermelodies to match a given melody. Our analysis of the complexity of rule-based music composition considers four different types of computational problems: decision, enumeration, number, and optimization. For restricted versions of the …

Numerical Study Of Water Coning Control With Downhole Water Sink (Dws) Completions In Vertical And Horizontal Wells, Solomon Ovueferaye Inikori

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Approximately 2.5 billion dollars is spent annually to solve the problem of produced water in oil and gas wells. Downhole Water Sink (DWS) technology is one industry solution to control water coning in oil wells. DWS technology involves the segregated production of oil and water through separate completions with zonal isolation packer. However, several problems have been experienced in the application of the technology in watered-out oil wells. This study identified two factors that could aid in a better modeling of the technology in old vertical wells – inclusion of capillary transition pressures and relative permeability hysteresis. It also identified …

Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Ecology On Genetically Engineered Bollgard And Bollgard Ii Cottons, Jeffrey Gore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ecology of bollworms, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), on Bollgard and Bollgard II cottons, Gossypium hirsutum L., was studied in field and laboratory experiments. Neonate bollworm larvae were placed on selected components of cotton squares and flowers from non-Bollgard, Bollgard, and Bollgard II cotton varieties. Larval survival was higher on flower anthers and square anthers than on other floral parts for each cultivar. Bollworm survival was lowest on all Bollgard II floral structures. To evaluate larval behavior on Bollgard cotton, first instar bollworms were placed on terminals of non-flowering and flowering cotton plants. Larvae were recovered lower on Bollgard cotton than …

Experimental Evaluation Of Control Fluid Fallback During Off-Bottom Well Control In Vertical And Deviated Wells, Fernando Sebastian Flores-Avila

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study measured the liquid fallback during simulated blowout conditions. The purpose of the study was to establish a basis for developing a procedure for controlling blowouts that relies on the accumulation of liquid kill fluid injected while the well continues to flow. The results from experiments performed with air, water, 10.5 ppg and 12.0 ppg mud in an experimental 48 ft flow loop at 0°, 20°, 40°, 60° and 75° deviation angles from the vertical, as well as results from full-scale experiments performed with natural gas and water based drilling fluid in a vertical 2787-foot deep research well, are …

Performing Hyphenates: A Study In Contemporary Irish-American Identity And Cultural Performance, Patrick Michael Bynane

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the issues and contradictions of identity formation found in contemporary Irish-American cultural performances. Using a theoretical language grounded in post-structuralism and cultural studies, this examination hopes to demonstrate the primacy of performance and theatre in the formation of culture, Irish-American specifically, or otherwise. The performances featured in the study are: Riverdance, St. Patrick's Day parades, pub performances, and improv theatre.