Digital Commons Network^™

Continuous Reservoir Modeling Updating By Integrating Experimental Data Using An Ensemble Kalman Filter, Ting Sun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The continuous researvoir model updating is widely used to calibrate reservoir simulation models to production data, but many challenges remain. First, few real field data are available to test the new history matching method, and most of the data sets are synthetic cases. Second, computational cost may be high when using non-Gaussian priors or nonlinear models. Third, with large complex models, the simulation runs and history matching method require huge memory allocations. This dissertation achieves a continuous reservoir model updating workflow with a meter-scale , two-phase flow experiment. Both production and seismic data are collected in the experiment. Because the …

Particle Formation In Ambient Mass Spectrometry, Thabiso Musapelo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A particle sizing system was developed that couples a light scattering particle sizer with a differential mobility analyzer for particle detection and elucidation with the capability for measuring particle sizes in the range of 10 nm to 20 μm. The particle sizing system was used to investigate particle formation that is associated with several methods of atmospheric pressure ion formation used in mass spectrometry: atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and inlet ionization. The methods for particle formation were 1) ultraviolet (UV) laser ablation, 2) infrared (IR) laser ablation, and 3) shock-generated particle formation. Particles formed by UV laser …

Scanning Probe Investigations Of Magnetic Nanoparticles, Protein Binding And The Synthesis Of Rare Earth Oxide Nanoparticles Using Nanoscale Lithography, Lauren Elizabeth Englade-Franklin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Approaches to prepare spatially selective surfaces were developed in this dissertation for constructing assemblies of biomolecules and inorganic materials. Nanoscale surface patterns of organic thin films were prepared using particle lithography combined with organosilane chemistry. Biological and inorganic nanomaterials can be patterned with tailorable periodicities, which can be controlled by selecting the diameter of mesospheres used as surface masks. The surface platforms of well-defined nanopatterns are ideal for high resolution investigations using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Local measurements of surface properties combined with visualization of the steps of chemical reactions at the molecular level were accomplished. Fundamental studies of the …

Power System Differential Model With Application To Grid Dynamic Simulation, Boyu Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Nonlinearity of power system is always one of the difficulties when dealing with dynamic simulation of power systems. Solving differential-algebraic equations representing power systems are difficult without losing nonlinearity, especially for large power systems. This thesis shows an alternative method to solve nonlinear dynamical power system by producing a purely differential representation of the power systems. This new representation converts the algebraic equations to differential equations in order to have an absolute differential system. By using Runge-Kutta algorithm to solve this differential system, the results of the power system simulations are compared to trapezoidal integration algorithm commonly used to solve …

Phytoplankton Response To South Louisiana Crude Oil Exposure: Determining Impacts At Individual, Community, Toxin Production, Enzymatic-Activity And Gene-Expression Levels, Koray Ozhan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) raised an important question. What is the ecological impact of the oil, the dispersant, and the dispersed oil to the GoM ecosystem? Significant and varying research efforts have contributed answers to this question. However, to better understand the complete ecological consequences of the spill in the GoM, the impact of the spill at the base of marine food web should be examined. This research aims to understand impact of the spilled oil, South Louisiana crude oil (LSC), the chemical dispersant, Corexit® EC9500A, and the dispersed oil on phytoplankton communities …

Framework Development For A Performance-Based Specifications For Asphaltic Concrete Pavements, Harshavardhan Challa

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to develop a framework for performance-based specifications (PBS) which rely on the fundamental mechanistic asphalt mixture properties as performance predictors, verified to actual field performance, to compliment current QC/QA specifications for Louisiana. Nine asphalt paving projects were selected across the state with a total of 14 pavement sections that included 21 asphalt mixtures. A suite of laboratory tests using the Hamburg loaded-wheel tracking (LWT) test and the Semi-Circular Bending (SCB) were performed to evaluate the rutting and cracking resistance, respectively. In addition, the Indirect tensile dynamic modulus test (IDT E*) was conducted to evaluate …

Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics And Modeling - A Case Study In A Subtropical Shallow Lake, Zhen Xu

LSU Master's Theses

As one of the most valued and treasured natural resources, today many lakes in the world face degradation of their water quality due to nutrient enrichment, toxic contamination, and hydrological modification from their drainage areas. Among various water quality impairments, dissolved oxygen (DO) depletion is often a leading stressor in lake systems. Despite numerous studies on DO in deep water lakes in temperate regions, the knowledge of DO dynamics in eutrophic shallow lakes in subtropical regions is still limited. This thesis research conducted intensive DO monitoring in an eutrophic shallow lake in south Louisiana to characterize diel cycles of DO …

Vocal Fold Analysis From High Speed Videoendoscopic Data, Jing Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

High speed videoendoscopy (HSV) of the larynx far surpasses the limits of videostroboscopy in evaluating the vocal fold vibratory behavior by providing much higher frame rate. HSV enables the visualization of vocal fold vibratory pattern within an actual glottic cycle. This very detailed infor-mation on vocal fold vibratory characteristics could provide valuable information for the assessment of vocal fold vibratory function in disordered voices and the treatments effects of the behavioral, medical and surgical treatment procedures. In this work, we aim at addressing the problem of classi-fying voice disorders with varying etiology by following four steps described shortly. Our method-ology …

Analysis Of Hydrodynamic Drag Forces Acting On Suspended Fine Particle In Porous Media, Seyed Amin Mirsaeidi Farahani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An important class of flow and transport problems occurring in porous media involves the interactions between suspended fine particles and the moving fluid at Stokes limit. Historically, due to the complicated geometries of porous media, researchers have had to resort to simplifying assumptions to conceptualize the underlying physics. However, the advent of high performance computing, in recent decades, has made it possible to vigorously investigate this problem at the streamline scale level. In this work, the flow problem is solved by means of a finite-element model. The simulations results are used to compute the drag forces experienced by suspended fine …

Development Of Remote Sensing Assisted Water Quality Nowcasting And Forecasting Models For Coastal Beaches, Zaihong Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A remote sensing assisted water quality modeling framework is developed in this dissertation for nowcasting and forecasting recreational water quality of Holly Beach in Louisiana, USA. The modeling framework is composed of four models/systems: (1) an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model (Model 1) and an US EPA Virtual Beach (VB) Program-based model for predicting early morning enterococci (ENT) levels in beach waters; (2) an ANN model (Model 2) and an VB model for predicting early morning Fecal Coliform (FC) levels in beach waters; (3) a remote sensing assisted modeling system (Model 3) for predicting near real time ENT levels during …

Exploring Invariant Hybrid Color Image Features For Face Recognition Under Illumination Variation, Jayesh Mohan

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, a novel analysis framework is presented in order to automate testing response of an image-feature descriptor algorithm for face recognition under different illumination conditions and white balance calibration over intra- and inter-color space. The experimental results on the OPFD database show that our analysis framework finds the least sensitive channel of a color space for recognizing a face under unknown illumination, unknown white balance, and the both unknown illumination and white balance conditions. The results also show the combination of channels in a color space which are best suited face recognition.

Influence Of Magnetic Fields On The Evaporation And Combustion Of A Single Droplet, Domingo Elias

LSU Master's Theses

The reliance on combustion as the primary source of energy will continue in the US for the next thirty years [1]. Experiments suggest that the use of magnetic fields can be one tool in the many-sided approach to the problem of environmental protection and energy conservation in the US. For instance, it is estimated that an increase in efficiency of 2% in spray combustion can save the US economy billions of dollars [2]. In this thesis I report on improving the quality of combustion through the use of magnetic fields. (1)I investigated the effects of magnetic fields on the evaporation …

Legacy Phosphorus Implications In The Lake Pontchartrain Estuary Sediment Due To The 2011 Bonnet Carre Spillway Opening, Nhan Thanh Nguyen

LSU Master's Theses

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for life and excess P in aquatic systems can trigger algal blooms. Nutrient-rich Mississippi River water is diverted into the Lake Pontchartrain estuary (LPE) periodically through the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS) to avoid downstream flooding to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana and can significantly increase the internal P load in the sediment. A sequential P fractionation procedure was performed on sediments collected before the opening and after the closing of the 2011 BCS operation to understand the role of these large river diversions on P dynamics. Before the 2011 BCS opening, 10,368 Mt …

The Influence Of Selected Factors On The Science Achievement Of Eighth Grade Students In Louisiana, John Dana Gaspard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the influence of selected demographic and academic factors on the science achievement among middle school students in Louisiana. The dependent variable for this study was Science achievement as measured by the Eighth Grade LEAP Test. The independent variables consisted of selected demographic characteristics and student scores on the ELA, Reading, Mathematics, and Social Studies sections of the Eighth Grade LEAP Test and their subtests. The target population of this study was Eighth Grade students in the public schools of Louisiana who were required to successfully complete the LEAP test in order …

Explicit Equations Of Non-Hyperelliptic Genus 3 Curves With Real Multiplication By Q(ζ7+ζ7-1), Dun Liang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis is devoted to proving the following:

For all (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) in a Zariski dense open subset of C⁴ there is a genus 3 curve X(u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) with the following properties:

1. X(u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is not hyperelliptic.
2. End(Jac((X(u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄))) ⊗Q contains the real cubic field Q(ζ₇+ζ₇^-1) where ζ₇ is …

Examining The Persistence Of Students In Academic And Leadership Development Programs, Jared Christian Avery

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study examined whether institution-driven programs improve persistence among Black male student participants. Using modified versions of Tinto’s Student Integration Model (SIM) as the theoretical framework, the researcher hypothesized that participants involved in institution-driven programs would be more connected to the academic and social spaces of the university. In turn, this would lead to improved persistence at the postsecondary level and ultimately degree completion. Using a questionnaire to assess measures of student persistence, an electronic survey was administered to 475 students at a predominantly White institution in the southeast region of the U.S. For the quasi-experimental research design, Analysis of …

On The Infinitesimal Theory Of Chow Groups, Benjamin F. Dribus

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Chow groups of codimension-p algebraic cycles modulo rational equivalence on a smooth algebraic variety X have steadfastly resisted the efforts of algebraic geometers to fathom their structure. Except for the case p=1, which yields an algebraic group, the Chow groups remain mysterious. This thesis explores a "linearization" approach to this problem, focusing on the infinitesimal structure of the Chow groups near their identity elements. This method was adumbrated in recent work of Mark Green and Phillip Griffiths. Similar topics have been explored by Bloch, Stienstra, Hesselholt, Van der Kallen, and others. A famous formula of Bloch expresses the Chow …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of The Adoption Of The Onboard Module Building Cotton Harvest System On The Economic Competitiveness Of Cotton Production In Louisiana, Natalia Estefania Latorre

LSU Master's Theses

Planted acreage of cotton in Louisiana has decreased over the past several years due to higher cotton variable production costs, stagnant cotton market prices, and higher grain yields and market prices for corn and soybeans. The general objective was to determine the economic impact of the adoption and use of an onboard module building cotton harvest system on the ability of the cotton enterprise to compete for planted acreage in the mixed crop farming areas of Louisiana. Specific research objectives included the estimated of comparative ownership and operating costs for the module building harvest systems relative to existing basket/module builder …

Polymer Micro- And Nanofluidic Systems For In Vitro Diagnostics: Analyzing Single Cells And Molecules, Swathi Reddy Pullagurla

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Polymer micro- and nanofluidic systems, with their critical dimensions, offer a potential to outperform conventional analysis techniques and diagnostic methods by enhancing speed, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. In this work, applications of microfluidics have been demonstrated to address the existing challenges in stroke diagnosis, by mRNA expression profiling from whole blood within <20 min. A brief overview of various biomarkers for stroke diagnosis is given in chapter 1 followed by design and testing of individual microfluidic modules (chapter 2 and 3) required for the development of POC diagnostic strategy for stroke. We have designed and evaluated the performance of polymer microfluidic devices for the isolation of leukocyte subsets, known for their differential gene expression in the event of stroke. Target cells (T-cells and neutrophils) were selected from with greater purities, from 50 µl whole human blood by using affinity based capture in COC devices within a 6.6 min processing time. In addition, we have also demonstrated the ability to isolate and purify total RNA by using UV activated polycarbonate solid phase extraction platform. Polymer-based nanofluidic devices were used to study the effects of surface charge on the electrodynamic transport dynamics of target molecules. In this work, we report the fabrication of mixed-scale micro- and nanofluidic networks in poly(methylmethacrylate), PMMA, using thermal nanoimprint lithography using a resin stamp and surface modification of polymer nanoslits and nanochannels for the assessment of the associated electrokinetic parameters – surface charge density, zeta potential and electroosmotic flow. This study provided information on possible routes that can be adopted to engineer proper wall chemistry of polymer nanochannels for the enhancement or reduction of solute/wall interactions in a variety of relevant single-molecule studies.

Study Of The Low Energy Solar Neutrino Spectrometer (Lens) Concept With The Ulens Prototype, Liudmyla Afanasieva

LSU Master's Theses

Neutrinos are a useful tool that serves as an immediate probe of the Sun’s core providing insight into the details of the Sun’s energy production, internal composition and structure. Across the globe a number of solar neutrinos experiments have helped to clarify various characteristics of the solar neutrino spectrum. However, little experimental information is known regarding low-energy solar neutrinos, which comprise about 90% of the total solar neutrino spectrum. With this in mind, we are developing the Low Energy Solar Neutrino Spectrometer (LENS), an indium-based liquid scintillator detector with the capability to precisely measure the full spectrum of solar neutrinos, …

Lopsided, Scarred, And Squint-Eyed: Ugly Women In The Work Of Southern Women Writers, Monica C. Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ubiquity of ugly female characters in the work of southern women calls into question what W. J. Cash termed “gyneolatry,” the worship of the beautiful white woman upon which so much of southern ideology has been based. If the South functions as an internal other for the nation, then examining this fiction’s multiplicity of ugly women illuminates the ways in which women defy not only the norms of southern gender but also those of the larger American culture, in which the southern woman often acts as a representation of the South in general. By considering ugliness as a category …

Image-Based Pore-Scale Modeling Of Inertial Flow In Porous Media And Propped Fractures, Yijie Shen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Non-Darcy flow is often observed near wellbores and in hydraulic fractures where relatively high velocities occur. Quantifying additional pressure drop caused by non-Darcy flow and fundamentally understanding the pore-scale inertial flow is important to oil and gas production in hydraulic fractures. Image-based pore-scale modeling is a powerful approach to obtain macroscopic transport properties of porous media, which are traditionally obtained from experiments and understand the relationship between fluid dynamics with complex pore geometries. In image-based modeling, flow simulations are conducted based on pore structures of real porous media from X-ray computed tomographic images. Rigorous pore-scale finite element modeling using unstructured …

Teaching Strategies For Proof Based Geometry, Kristina Marie Chaves

LSU Master's Theses

This study aims is to discover the best methods for geometry students to master proof writing. Students who are taught how to write proofs in a traditional setting find proofs to be very difficult - struggling throughout the school year writing proofs on their own. Studies have been conducted regarding the use of dynamic geometry software in proof writing. To further study the effects of proof writing using dynamic geometry software, forty-eight freshmen students enrolled in an honors geometry course at a high performing suburban high school in Louisiana were given several proofs to complete, along with self-reflection surveys. During …

Surface Chemistry And Growth Of Oxide Supported Metal Nanoparticles, Ziyu Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A model heterogeneous catalyst inspired by a real catalyst is synthesized for the purpose of understanding how it works. To make such model catalysts, we choose to evaporate metal atoms on metal oxide single crystals and measure them under UHV conditions. The study of model catalysts could advance the understandings of fundamental catalytic properties of real catalysts and helps to optimize or redesign industrial catalysts. In our experiments, many ultra-high vacuum (UHV) techniques have been employed to investigate the atomic and electronic structure of the surface as well as the interface of the prepared samples. In particular, the surface-sensitive tools …

Sexual Assault And The Meaning Of Power And Authority For Women With Mental Disabilities, Janine Benedet, Isabel Grant

All Faculty Publications

The sexual assault of persons with mental disabilities (also described as cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities) occurs at alarmingly high rates worldwide. These assaults are a form of gender-based violence intersecting with discrimination based on disability. Our research on the treatment of such cases in the Canadian criminal justice system demonstrates the systemic barriers these victims face at the level of both substantive legal doctrine and trial procedure. Relying on feminist legal theory and disability theory, we argue in this paper that abuses of trust and power underlie most sexual assaults of women with mental disabilities. We argue that existing …

Effect Of Predicting Motion On Student Understanding Of Kinematic Graphs, Charles William Redding

LSU Master's Theses

Different interactive engagements strategies have given students more hands-on involvement in the classroom and helped increase conceptual learning in physics. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of predicting motion graphs by utilizing motion analysis software. Two groups of high school students followed a modified version of Sokoloff and Thornton’s seven step ILD process. One group was taught by making predictions. A second group was taught by watching demonstrations. To test for differences in the two groups understanding of kinematic graphs, pre and posttest where taken using the FMCE and Tug-K. The results of both the FMCE …

The Impact Of Virtual Simulations On Student Comprehension Of Mechanics, Ann Sanchez Couch

LSU Master's Theses

The use of technology in classrooms has become an increasing trend throughout all levels of education. Often times, teachers are left to figure out how to incorporate the many different types of available technologies into their lessons. This study examines the use of one specific type of technology in the classroom: computer simulations, specifically the impact of virtual lab simulations on student understanding of mechanics concepts. In this study, the experimental group and the control group received identical instruction in the form of lectures, practice problems, homework, and tests. The difference between the two groups was the use of virtual …

Erratum: Measurement Of D* ± Production In Deep Inelastic Scattering At Hera (Journal Of High Energy Physics (2013) (097)), H. Abramowicz, I. Abt, L. Adamczyk, M. Adamus, R. Aggarwal, S. Antonelli, P. Antonioli, A. Antonov, M. Arneodo, O. Arslan, V. Aushev, Y. Aushev, O. Bachynska, A. Bamberger, A. N. Barakbaev, G. Barbagli, G. Bari, F. Barreiro, N. Bartosik, D. Bartsch, M. Basile, O. Behnke, J. Behr, U. Behrens, L. Bellagamba, A. Bertolin, S. Bhadra, M. Bindi, C. Blohm, V. Bokhonov, T. Bold, Margarita C. K. Mattingly

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Opt-Out Education: School Choice As Racial Subordination, Osamudia James

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Toward A Theory Of Equitable Federated Regionalism In Public Education, Erika K. Wilson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.