Digital Commons Network^™

Ammonia Oxygen Demand Determination For The Design Of An Oxygenation System In A Water Supply Reservoir, Armond Jenkins

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Occoquan Reservoir is a eutrophic reservoir that is part of an indirect potable reuse system. To protect the reservoir water quality, a high quality nitrified product water from a water reclamation facility and an oxygenation system are used during periods of thermal stratification to prevent the onset of anaerobic conditions above the sediments. During the stratified warmest months of the year, oxygen depletion rates exceed nitrate and artificial oxygen supply rates near the dam resulting in ammonia accumulation in the water column. Field observations and laboratory experiments revealed that sediment ammonia release rates ranged from 170-542 mg/m²∙day. …

Utilization Of B-Mode Ultrasound As A Body Fat Estimate In Collegiate Football Players, Parker Hyde

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to validate a 7-site ultrasound imaging protocol to predict percent body fat (%BF) in a Division I football team. Body composition was estimated by ultrasound, seven site skinfolds (SKINFOLD), and the three compartment-water (3C-W) model of Siri (1961), using Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) to estimate total body water (TBW) and air-displacement plethysmography (BODPOD^®) to determine body density (Db). Pearson’s product-moment correlation analyses were run to determine between Σ_Ultrasound and the criterion 3C-W, and between the Σ_Skinfold and Σ_Ultrasound. Strong positive correlations were observed between Σ_Skinfold and Σ …

Potential Switchable Circularly Polarized Luminescence From Chiral Cyclometalated Platinum(Ii) Complexes, Xiao-Peng Zhang Zhang, Victoria Chang, Jian Liu, Xiao-Liang Yang, Wei Huan, Yizhi Li, Cheng-Hui Li, Gilles Muller, Xiao-Zeng You

Faculty Publications, Chemistry

A series of chiral cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes, [Pt((−)-L1)(Dmpi)]Cl ((−)-1), [Pt((+)-L1)(Dmpi)]Cl ((+)-1), [Pt((−)-L2)(Dmpi)]Cl ((−)-2), [Pt((+)-L2)(Dmpi)]Cl ((+)-2), [Pt3((−)-L2)2(Dmpi)4](ClO4)4 ((−)-3), and [Pt3((+)-L2)2(Dmpi)4](ClO4)4 ((+)-3) [(−)-L1 = (−)-4,5-pinene-6′-phenyl-2,2′-bipyridine, (+)-L1 = (+)-4,5-pinene-6′-phenyl-2,2′-bipyridine), (−)-L2 = (−)-1,3-bis(2-(4,5-pinene)pyridyl)benzene, (+)-L2 = (+)-1,3-bis(2-(4,5-pinene)pyridyl)benzene, Dmpi = 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide], have been designed and synthesized. In aqueous solutions, (−)-1 and (+)-1 aggregate into one-dimensional helical chain structures through Pt···Pt, π–π, and hydrophobic–hydrophobic interactions. (−)-3 and (+)-3 represent a novel helical structure with Pt–Pt bonds. The formation of helical structures results in enhanced and distinct chiroptical properties as evidenced by circular dichroism spectra. Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) was observed from the aggregates of (−)-1 and …

Myosin 10 Is Required For Spinal Motor Axon Growth And Guidance In Zebrafish Embryos, Crystal Ivey

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Neurodevelopmental disorders are disabilities caused by malfunctioning mechanisms within the developing nervous tissue. These abnormalities often result in conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), motor dysfunctions, learning disabilities and mental retardation. Recent surveys indicate that there will be a 12% increase of children in the United States alone who are affected by neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, it is important to understand both the normal and abnormal mechanisms of neural development. Neural development involves specification of new neurons and formation of neural circuits that connect the nervous system to every organ of the developing embryo. Neural circuits …

Nonstructural Carbohydrate Concentrations Of Pine Trees As A Function Of Evolutionary History, Joshua T. Mims

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) can supply substrate during periods when current photosynthate is unavailable or inadequate to meet metabolic demands. I hypothesized that natural selection has favored higher nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations ([NSC]) in species that have an evolutionary history of frequent disturbance and tested this using three southern pine species that have evolved under a continuum of disturbance frequencies (evolutionary history of fire ~ longleaf > slash > loblolly). Stem and root samples were collected from 12 similar-sized individual trees of each species during time periods that reflect the annual minimum and maximum [NSC]. A modified colorimetric method was performed on the samples …

Utilizing Participatory Action Research To Assess The Interagency Collaboration Of A Community-Based After-School Program Partnership, Jessica L. Render

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The study utilized a community-based participatory action research (PAR) approach to assess the development of an interagency collaborative and its replication at other locations. The partnership formed to provide a service-learning site for university students as well as a community-based after-school program for children living in a low-income housing community. Research participants completed the levels of collaboration scale developed by Frey and Colleagues (2006) along with a questionnaire about their desired level of collaboration, current and needed resources, and knowledge of other partners’ goals. Collaboration is loosely defined as a group of partners working together to reach shared goals. The …

Predators And Anti-Predator Behavior Of Wilson's Plover (Charadrius Wilsonia) On Cumberland Island, Georgia, Mary K. Strickland

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Predation, the major cause of nest failure in birds, is an important factor when considering management and conservation plans. The predator assemblage in an ecosystem changes each year and can cause profound differences in bird nest survival rates. Shorebirds such as Wilson’s Plovers (Charadrius wilsonia) are ideal study species because they are declining and predator control is often a recommended component of management plans. Therefore the objectives of my research were to determine the predator assemblage of the southern end of the beach on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, and to determine how three variables affected the display …

Gumbos As Matrices For Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometry, Hashim Abdullah Al Ghafly

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work involves the investigation of a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) as matrices for matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) for analysis of hydrophobic biomolecules. GUMBOS are new class of materials that show great promise as MALDI matrices because they are able to form a thin-layer on the MS target, thereby enhancing the sample homogeneity, signal intensity, and shot-to-shot reproducibility. The detection of hydrophobic peptides using MALDI-TOF MS remains a challenge because the majority of matrices utilized are hydrophilic thereby exhibiting low affinity for hydrophobic molecules. To address this, I …

Paradoxical Agency: The Ethics Of Women's Rhetoric In Shakespeare's Rome, Catherine Riley Godbold

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this project, I address the problems of ethics and agency for women’s speech in Shakepseare’s Roman plays—Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus, and Coriolanus—and the narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece. Regardless of their rhetorical skill, virtue, or agency, it seems that the Roman women in these works are doomed to fail: either their lives become unlivable or they lose the people most important to them. This prompts the project’s initiating question: why do Shakespeare’s Roman women speak if their words have no long-term effect? For these characters, rhetorical success in Shakespeare’s Rome is dependent upon a particular …

Single Molecule Electrophoresis And Optical Detection Using Thermoplastic Nanofluidic Devices: An Experimental And Simulation Study, Kumuditha Madushanka Weerakoon Ratnayake

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nanofludic devices provide a great platform for single molecular analysis. The unique phenomena in nanoscale gained such interest in investigating the single molecular behavior in nanochannels. Sizes less than 200 nm in one or two-dimensional structures have lead to fascinating observations not accessible in microscale. When a single molecule translocates through a nanotube it interacts with channel walls by adsorption/ desorption, van der Waals interactions and hydrophilic interactions providing a mechanism for separation without any extra additives. Moreover, double layer thickness governed by the background electrolyte plays a vital role. We report single molecular electrophoresis phenomena in nanochannels and nanoslits …

Stimulation Of Escherichia Coli Dna Damage Inducible Dna Helicase Ding By The Single-Stranded Dna Binding Protein Ssb, Zishuo Cheng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We investigate the regulation of an E.coli iron-sulfur protein DNA damage inducible DNA helicase (DinG) by single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB). We find that SSB can form a stable protein complex with DinG and stimulate the DinG DNA helicase activity. On the other hand, SSB mutant that retains the single-stranded DNA binding activity but fails to form a protein complex with DinG becomes a potent inhibitor for the DinG DNA helicase. The results indicate SSB stimulates the DinG DNA helicase activity via direct protein-protein interaction. The results from these studies suggest that iron-sulfur proteins are regulated not only by intracellular …

Common Data Set, 2014-2015, Planning, Research, And Policy Analysis

Common Data Set (2001-present)

Common Data Set 2014-2015 for Illinois State University

Design Studies Of Infrastructural Development For Applications Of Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Yousif M. H. Hamad

Doctoral Dissertations

"Countries around the world are trying to reduce their energy consumption, fossil fuel usage, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the International Energy Outlook 2012 released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the estimated fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards proposed for light-duty vehicles for model years 2017-2025 has an increase of 44% in fuel economy and a reduction of 34% in GHG emissions. The use of alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy sources are, therefore, inevitable toward achieving this goal. Biogas has untapped potential as an alternative energy source. This immediately available resource would allow countries …

Constitutive Activity In Orphan G Protein Coupled Receptors, Adam Lee Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

"The goal of this research was to use a distal signaling pathway analysis to evaluate the extent of agonist independent constitutive signaling among orphan class-A G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). These receptors translate extracellular signals via conformational change into intracellular activation of different G proteins and subsequent second messenger synthesis. These small molecules regulate cellular biochemistry, eventually leading to nuclear signaling that results in changes in gene expression. Some GPCRs are capable of signaling in the absence of an activating ligand, a phenomenon called constitutive activity that is inhibited via an "inverse-agonist". The use of cAMP dependent Luciferase expression is …

Volterra Difference Equations, Nasrin Sultana

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation consists of five papers in which discrete Volterra equations of different types and orders are studied and results regarding the behavior of their solutions are established. The first paper presents some fundamental results about subexponential sequences. It also illustrates the subexponential solutions of scalar linear Volterra sum-difference equations are asymptotically stable. The exact value of the rate of convergence of asymptotically stable solutions is found by determining the asymptotic behavior of the transient renewal equations. The study of subexponential solutions is also continued in the second and third articles. The second paper investigates the same equation using the …

Accuracy Of Theory For Calculating Electron Impact Ionization Of Molecules, Hari Chaluvadi

Doctoral Dissertations

The study of electron impact single ionization of atoms and molecules has provided valuable information about fundamental collisions. The most detailed information is obtained from triple differential cross sections (TDCS) in which the energy and momentum of all three final state particles are determined. These cross sections are much more difficult for theory since the detailed kinematics of the experiment become important. There are many theoretical approximations for ionization of molecules. One of the successful methods is the molecular 3-body distorted wave (M3DW) approximation. One of the strengths of the DW approximation is that it can be applied for any …

Describing Local Community Acceptance With Discrete Choice Theory For Enhanced Community Engagement, Sisi Que

Doctoral Dissertations

This research sought to facilitate improved community (stakeholder) analysis by providing further insight on the determinants of local community acceptance using discrete choice theory. Specifically, the goals were to: (1) Identify, classify, and verify the important project characteristics and key demographic factors which affect local community acceptance of a mining project; (2) Account for the large number of relevant factors inherent in discrete choice experiments for mining community acceptance evaluation; and (3) Examine discrete choice models to select the most appropriate model for mining community consultation. The research will test the hypotheses that various discrete choice models can describe the …

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Image Collection And Computer Vision Image Processing For Surveying And Mapping That Meets Professional Needs, James Preston Peterson Ii

Doctoral Dissertations

"Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are rapidly blurring the lines between traditional and close range photogrammetry, and between surveying and photogrammetry. UAS are providing an economic platform for performing aerial surveying on small projects. The focus of this research was to describe traditional photogrammetric imagery and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) geospatial products, describe close range photogrammetry (CRP), introduce UAS and computer vision (CV), and investigate whether industry mapping standards for accuracy can be met using UAS collection and CV processing. A 120-acre site was selected and 97 aerial targets were surveyed for evaluation purposes. Four UAS flights of varying heights …

Selective Laser Sintering Of Bioactive Glass Scaffolds And Their Biological Assessment For Bone Repair, Krishna C. R. Kolan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Bone scaffold fabrication using powder-bed based additive manufacturing techniques, like the selective laser sintering (SLS) process, provides control over pore interconnectivity, pore geometry, and the overall shape of the scaffold, which aids in repairing different regions of the bone. The main objectives of this dissertation were to develop bioactive glass (BG) scaffolds using the SLS process and evaluate the scaffolds for their effectiveness in bone repair both in vitro and in vivo. 13-93 glass, a silicate based BG, and 13-93B3 glass, a borate based BG, are designed to accelerate the body's natural ability to heal itself and are used …

Effects Of N-Acetylcysteine Amide In Preventing/Treating Cataracts, Sri Krishna Yasaswi Maddirala

Doctoral Dissertations

"Cataract, the opacification of an eye lens, is a common pathological abnormality of the lens accounting for approximately 50% of all blindness. The only effective treatment currently available for a cataract is the surgical removal of the affected lens and replacement with an artificial lens for the restoration of vision. Although, cataract surgery is considered to be a very successful procedure in terms of visual outcome, the cost of surgery, need for trained personnel and surgeons, and postsurgical complications, limit the worldwide availability and accessibility of this procedure. Hence, alternative preventive and treatment procedures are worthy of investigation. The lens …

Computational Approaches For Voltage Stability Monitoring And Control In Power Systems, Kangombe Joseph Makasa

Doctoral Dissertations

"The electric power grid is a complex, non-linear, non-stationary system comprising of thousands of components such as generators, transformers, transmission lines and advanced power electronics based control devices, and customer loads. The complexity of the grid has been further increased by the introduction of smart grid technologies. Smart grid technology adds to the traditional power grids advanced methods of communication, computation and control as well as increased use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar farms and a higher penetration of plug-in electric vehicles among others. The smart grid has resulted in much more distributed generation, bi-directional powerflows …

Holocene Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of Coastal Sediments In An Arid Climate, Al Qahmah, Southern Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Ibrahim Nabhan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Holocene sedimentary deposits in Al Qahmah coast, southern Red Sea, in Saudi Arabia have been accumulated on an arid siliciclastic coast in a rift tectonic setting. This study provides a detail interpretation and analysis of sedimentary facies, stratigraphy, depositional environment, and major geological processes. Two studies have been undertaken. First, petrological study of composition and texture of modern sediments and facies mapping delineate facies distribution and mechanisms of sediment transport and deposition. A unique suite of complex riverine, wave, tidal, wind, and chemical and biological processes affect the composition, texture, and distribution of the facies. Second, the depositional environments of …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Speciation And Extinction, Dawn Michelle King

Doctoral Dissertations

Presented here is an interdisciplinary study that draws connections between the fields of physics, mathematics, and evolutionary biology. Importantly, as we move through the Anthropocene Epoch, where human-driven climate change threatens biodiversity, understanding how an evolving population responds to extinction stress could be key to saving endangered ecosystems. With a neutral, agent-based model that incorporates the main principles of Darwinian evolution, such as heritability, variability, and competition, the dynamics of speciation and extinction is investigated. The simulated organisms evolve according to the reaction-diffusion rules of the 2D directed percolation universality class. Offspring are generated according to one of three reproduction …

On Testing Common Indices For Several Multi-Index Models: A Link-Free Approach, Xuejing Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

"To avoid the curse of dimensionality, and to help us better understand the structure of the high dimensional data, methods for dimension reduction are clearly called for. The common linear dimension reduction techniques for single population include principal component analysis (PCA) which is unsupervised in regression and supervised Partial Least Squares (PLS). Modern sufficient dimension reduction techniques, like the ones we consider, constitute a form of supervised linear dimension reduction which outperform PCA and PLS without the underlying model assumptions.

In practice, we often deal with situations where the same variables are being measured on objects from different groups, and …

Occurrence, Monitoring And Removal Of Drinking Water Contaminants By Advanced Technologies, Danielle Marie West

Doctoral Dissertations

"In order to maintain drinking water primary standards compliance under the USEPA Stage 2 Disinfectant Disinfection Byproducts Rule, drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) are switching from free chlorine (FC) to chloramines (MCA). Concerns are raised as MCA disinfection has been linked N-nitrosamine formation. N-nitrosamines are a group of nitrogenous DBPs (N-DBPs) which are highly carcinogenic in comparison to regulated DBPs (THMs and HAAs, generated by FC disinfection). Also in the forefront of drinking water concerns are other emerging drinking water contaminants such as perchlorate. Perchlorate is a contaminant which can enter drinking water from natural deposits or through introduction by …

Characterization Of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter Fractionated By Ph And Polarity And Their Biological Effects On Plant Growth, Rachel L. Sleighter, Paolo Caricasole, Kristen M. Richards, Terry Hanson, Patrick G. Hatcher

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Humic substances are ubiquitous in the environment, complex mixtures, and known to be beneficial to plant growth. To better understand and identify components responsible for plant growth stimulation, a terrestrial aquatic DOM sample was fractionated according to pH and polarity, obtaining acid-soluble and acid-insoluble portions, as well as acid-soluble hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions using C18. The various fractions were characterized then evaluated for their biological effects on plant growth using bioassays with corn at two carbon rates.

Results: Approximately 43% and 57% of the carbon, and 31% and 69% of the iron, was found in the acid-insoluble and acid-soluble …

Quantum Inspired Algorithms For Learning And Control Of Stochastic Systems, Karthikeyan Rajagopal

Doctoral Dissertations

"Motivated by the limitations of the current reinforcement learning and optimal control techniques, this dissertation proposes quantum theory inspired algorithms for learning and control of both single-agent and multi-agent stochastic systems.

A common problem encountered in traditional reinforcement learning techniques is the exploration-exploitation trade-off. To address the above issue an action selection procedure inspired by a quantum search algorithm called Grover's iteration is developed. This procedure does not require an explicit design parameter to specify the relative frequency of explorative/exploitative actions.

The second part of this dissertation extends the powerful adaptive critic design methodology to solve finite horizon stochastic optimal …

Regarding Suicide: A Textually Informed Rhetorical And Psychoanalytic Construct Of The State Of Disconstituency, Disconstitutive Rhetoric, And The Disconstituent As Related To The Constitutive Rhetorical Structure Of The Vanishing Subject, Charles Stowers Womelsdorf

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Suicide contagion is a real phenomenon. The stigmatization of suicide attempters, completers, survivors of suicide loss, and the idea of suicide itself is at least partly to blame for these outbreaks. Regarding suicide as an analyst, journalist, witness, responder, or bereaved family member or friend can be a devastating form of metaphorical and literal looking. Through a psychoanalytic understanding of constitutive rhetoric, this dissertation offers a textualized way of considering the difficult process of giving individuals who have completed suicide one’s regard. Beyond just suicide, this rhetoric of regard presents the disconstituent as the lost persona that withdraws from identification …

Insights Into Chlorinated Aliphatic Alkane Reductive Dehalogenation By Dehalogenimonas Lykanthroporepellens Bl-Dc-9t And Development Of Nucleic Acid-Based Techniques For Monitoring Gene Expression, Kalpataru Mukherjee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Dehalogenimonas lykanthroporepellens BL-DC-9T is an anaerobic bacterial strain that can reductively dehalogenate a variety of vicinally chlorinated alkanes. Making use of the strain’s genome sequence, PCR primers were designed to uniquely target each of the 25 reductive dehalogenase homologous (rdhA) genes present in the genome. RNA extracted from D. lykanthroporepellens BL-DC-9T cultures that were dechlorinating three chlorinated solvents (1,2-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloropropane and 1,2,3-trichloropropane) were used in reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) to determine rdhA gene expression patterns. Transcripts from 19 rdhA genes were detected in the RT-PCR experiments, with identical gene expression patterns during growth with all three chlorinated electron acceptors employed …

Evaluation Of Ammonia, Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Characterization Of Different Particulate Matter During Sugarcane Production In Southern Louisiana, Sanku Dattamudi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Application of N fertilizers and special land management practices during agricultural production could have significant implication in influencing the air quality. In this study, field experiments were established at different research sites in Louisiana to evaluate the emission of ammonia (NH3), greenhouse gases (GHG), and fine particulates from sugarcane cultivation and harvesting. Specifically, this study was planned to (i) evaluate the effect of different N sources (urea and urea ammonium nitrate) and residue management schemes (residue burned, RB; and residue retained, RR) on NH3 and GHG emissions, (ii) characterize the chemical and morphological characteristics of fine particles generated during sugarcane …