Comparative Analysis Of E-Government Adoption And Implementation In Selected Countries In Africa, The Americas, Europe, Asia, And Oceania., Anthony O. Emukah

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Trophic Roles And Climate-Driven Vulnerability For Benthic Invertebrates At Artificial Reefs In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Amanda Kirkland

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Artificial reefs are deployed to enhance marine habitats and fisheries, yet their role in supporting secondary production and their vulnerability to climate stressors remain understudied. This dissertation investigates the trophic ecology and climate sensitivity of benthic invertebrates at artificial reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Chapter 1 assessed reef food webs using stable isotopes from fishes, invertebrates, and primary producers across six reefs and two seasons. Mixing models showed that most fishes rely on benthic reef carbon, while suspension feeders consume plankton and sediment microphytobenthos. Isotopic niche analysis revealed functional diversity and seasonal shifts in δ¹³C and δ³⁴S, though …

Evaluating Immersion And Agency In Ai-Assisted Live Murder Mystery Games, Seraphina C. Courtney

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the impact of AI-assisted narrative generation on player immersion and agency in a live-action roleplaying (LARP) experience. A live-action murder mystery game was designed and run in two formats: a static version with GPT-4 generated characters, dialogue, and stage directions, and a dynamic version where players created their own characters and improvised freely, guided by AI-generated narrative beats, a story element that moves the plot forward [21], that provided a narrative scaffolding for the players. The dynamic version employed a distributed computer vision system that tracks the movement of key items in the play-space so their relevance …

Improving Coastal Hydrodynamic Model Performance Through Parameter Sensitivity Analysis And Optimization, Sunni Siqueira Allen

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a framework for parameter sensitivity analysis and optimization of coastal hydrodynamic models. The research uses the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) method to quantify parameter sensitivity and identify optimal values for currents, wave height, and water level. A variance-based technique guides parameter selection when GLUE yields competing values or when observations are unavailable.

The framework is demonstrated through two case studies: Hurricane Michael (2018) and the ExCaliBur field study (2022) near Oceanside, CA. Results from Hurricane Michael show higher optimal hydrodynamic model bottom friction values near the hurricane's landfall location. The Oceanside study identifies the hydrodynamic model's …

Real-Time Fiducial Marker Based Localization For Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Navigation, Sourav Raxit

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

By harnessing fiducial markers as visual landmarks in the environment, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can rapidly build precise maps and navigate spaces safely and efficiently, unlocking their potential for fluent collaboration and coexistence with humans. Existing fiducial marker methods rely on handcrafted feature extraction, which sacrifices accuracy. On the other hand, some deep learning pipelines for marker detection fail to meet real-time runtime constraints crucial for navigation applications. In this work, I propose YoloTag- a real-time fiducial marker-based localization system. YoloTag uses a lightweight YOLO v8 object detector to accurately detect fiducial markers in images while meeting the runtime constraints …

Discovery Of High-Performance Cathode Materials For Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells, Liang Han

All Dissertations

Environmental pollution and rapid energy consumption have become common problems in global development and will continue to grow with the world population. PCFCs use proton-conducting ceramics as electrolytes, with low activation energy and high ionic conductivity at intermediate temperatures, enabling them to operate at intermediate-temperature conditions, which can effectively solve the problems of poor stability and high cost of exotic materials of traditional solid oxide fuel cells. However, as the operating temperature decreases, the electrocatalytic activity of the cathode decreases significantly, seriously affecting PCFC’s performance. Therefore, developing high-performance cathode material suitable for working under intermediate-temperature conditions has become the key …

Induced Helical Anisotropy In Permalloy Thin Films And Patterns, Md Mahmudul Hasan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to create thin films with induced helical anisotropy and investigate magnetic properties of such films and their patterns. An alloy of 20% iron and 80% nickel (permalloy) was used because of very small magnetocrystalline anisotropy and magnetostriction. First, an unconventional method was used to deposit films with uniaxial anisotropy by sputtering the films onto silicon substrates in the presence of a uniform field of 50 Oe along the substrate plane. This resulted in magnetic atom pairs ordering along direction of the field during film growth. Shapes of hysteresis loops measured at different angles were …

Elucidating The Mechanisms Underlying A Functional Plant-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Using Omics Approaches, Jasmine Gill

All Dissertations

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are obligate biotrophs forming symbiotic association with plants. The plant-AMF symbiosis has gained much attention due to its ability to improve plant nutrient uptake, especially phosphorus, which is often inadequately available to plants due to its limited mobility and complex formation in many soils. Phosphorus (P) is a crucial nutrient for plants, and most phosphate fertilizers are derived from phosphate rock, a finite natural resource. Thus, optimizing P uptake is vital for sustaining crop yields and addressing the needs of a growing global population. Plant-AMF symbioses are significant in this context, as AMF can acquire P …

Signals Of Trust: How Privacy Disclosures And Public Responses Drive User Behavior In Digital Markets, Jose Pius Nedumkallel

All Dissertations

This dissertation examines how data privacy practices and complaint response strategies influence user behavior and market outcomes in digital marketplaces. The first study analyzes the impact of Google Play’s Data Safety Label, launched in April 2022 to standardize data collection, third-party sharing, and security disclosures. Grounded in signaling and prospect theories, the label is treated as a compound signal users interpret holistically. A difference-in-differences analysis of 23,877 top Android apps over two years shows that disclosures increase user app adoption. Internal data collection boosts adoption, while third-party sharing reduces it, reflecting behavioral loss aversion. Security disclosures moderate these effects by …

Secure Control And Trust Evaluation Framework For Autonomous Transportation Systems, Grace Muriithi

All Dissertations

This dissertation advances the cybersecurity of hybrid tracked vehicles (HTVs) and ship power systems (SPSs) by developing innovative cyber-attack models and corresponding defence frameworks. First, we formulate stealthy false-data-injection attacks (FDIAs) on HTV energy-management systems as a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) solved via deep reinforcement learning. A novel sniffing-based reward function guides the attacker to covertly degrade battery capacity and energy efficiency, which we evaluate using custom stealth–impact metrics and a sliding-window anomaly detector (Isolation Forest with Dynamic Time Warping). Additionally, we model sophisticated control-layer attacks in HTVs, including reinforcement-learning-optimised replay attacks and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks targeting generator-speed …

Understanding The Elements Of Sterile Processing Workflow: Or, Sterilization And Personnel, Sayed Rezwanul Islam

All Dissertations

The Sterile Processing Department (SPD), also known as the Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD), is an essential part of hospitals and healthcare facilities and is responsible for ensuring the cleanliness, sterility, and proper functioning of medical instruments. Sterile processing departments (SPDs) are key drivers of productivity, effectiveness, safety, and infection control in hospitals. A well-designed SPD workflow can enhance patient safety, reduce operating room (OR) delays, and improve productivity. To understand the flow of sterile processing and interactions between the OR and SPD, process maps and task analyses were developed through direct observations of the basic SPD functions: decontamination, assembly, …

Experimental Design And Analysis For Decision Making: Methodology And Applications, Yezhuo Li

All Dissertations

This dissertation develops and applies advanced statistical and optimization frameworks to enhance decision-making under uncertainty, particularly in engineering and manufacturing contexts. First, we introduce an approach for the optimal design of controlled experiments that accounts for observational covariates, enabling more precise and personalized decisions. Second, we explore the application of constrained Bayesian optimization, using Gaussian process surrogate models, to optimize composite cure processes, significantly reducing computational effort while maintaining high predictive accuracy. Building on this foundation, we extend Bayesian optimization to bivariate Gaussian process models that capture correlations between objective and constraint functions, offering new insights into multidimensional decision landscapes. …

Advancing Lithium-Ion Batteries Through Exploration Of Novel Physico-Chemical Phenomena, Peshal Karki

All Dissertations

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) power a wide range of modern devices, from smartphones to electric vehicles. This dissertation integrates materials characterization and electrochemical testing to develop novel Si-based electrode materials, investigate separator effects, and improve electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) modeling. First, I synthesized Si@CC composites using bio-based carbon sources and discovered a novel in situ disorder reduction in the amorphous carbon cloud during cycling, attributed to Si volume fluctuations and mesoporous carbon structure, which enhanced capacity retention. A binder-free electrode (Si@CC@BP) using bucky paper further improved gravimetric and areal capacities while reducing weight and manufacturing complexity.

Next, I investigated how separator …

Improving Health Outcome Through Mobile Clinics, Spatial Access, And Overdose Management: A Data-Driven Study Of People Who Inject Drugs, Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder, And College Students, Abass A. Babatunde

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Background

The opioid crisis remains a critical public health challenge in the United States. Mobile Health Clinics (MHCs) have emerged as a promising solution to bridge healthcare access gaps for these vulnerable populations, particularly for PWID and individuals with OUD in underserved and rural communities. Despite their potential, geographic disparities in MHC access and knowledge gaps in opioid overdose management and related diseases, including Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), remain significant barriers to care. This dissertation addresses three key dimensions of healthcare delivery for PWID, OUD populations, and college students: (1) barriers to MHC utilization for HCV screening and treatment …

Breeding Biofortified Protein Rich Organic Pulses For Better Human Health, Sonia Salaria

All Dissertations

Pulse crops are dry grains of legumes, the second most consumed plant crops in the world after cereals. These crops are one of the primary sources of plant-based protein and contain high concentrations of pre-biotic carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Recognizing the health benefits of pulses intake, their demands as sustainable food and changes in people’s diet preferences for plant-based protein have increased awareness for pulses consumption. With this scenario, improving the nutritional profile of pulse crops for rich nutrition has been an opportunity for breeders to explore and tailor the available germplasm to develop nutrient dense pulses. Furthermore, the genomic …

Alternative Therapeutics For Human Breast Cancer: Nutraceutical Underpinnings, In Vitro Metabolomic Profiling, Treatment Efficacy, And Contextual Ethical Implications, Aubrey A. Mattingly

All Dissertations

Breast cancer remains one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, yet therapeutic equity is still lacking. Standard treatments including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and long-term hormone therapy. These approaches are often accompanied by significant side effects. While newer methods such as immunotherapy and targeted therapies have emerged, chemotherapy protocols and incorporation have remained largely unchanged in the past decades. In this context, nutraceuticals represent an alternative or adjuvant to therapy worthy of exploration. The reviewed literature highlights the anti-carcinogenic activity in selected nutraceuticals, marjoram, thyme and persimmon, considering their phytochemical constituents and secondary metabolites. Metabolomic profiling using the Biolog Phenotype Mammalian …

The Cost Of Rebuilding El Salvador: Bukele's Backsliding Democracy, Olivia X. Hamilton

World Languages and Cultures

This paper will detail the last several years of El Salvador's history to the present day, through the lens of gang violence, courtesy of MS-13 and the worrying trends of authoritarianism displayed by its current president, Nayib Bukele. Gang violence, especially that perpetuated by MS-13 and Barrio 18, have plagued the US, and via deportation, El Salvador. Previous attempt to control the violence through mano dura policy has proven ineffective, either by lack of implementation, or endemic government corruption. President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency, initially in March of 2022, and now constantly renewed every 30 days, which …

Graduate School Blog - August 2025, Cynthia Haynes

UofM Grad School Blog

The August 2025 edition of the UofM Graduate School Blog delivers inspiration, insights, and community news for graduate students. Dr. Deborah Tollefsen, Vice Provost and Dean, examines the real value of a master’s degree pairing national labor statistics with a thoughtful exploration of professional growth, personal transformation, and lifelong connections. The issue also welcomes Dr. Robbie Salters as Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Admissions, shares student spotlight stories like MFA candidate Sabrina Spence’s journey, and promotes upcoming events including Virtual Orientation and Graduation Prep sessions. Rounding out the edition is a curated list of “Memphis Must-Dos” to help students …

Graduate School Blog - August 2025 Volume 2, Cynthia Haynes

UofM Grad School Blog

Welcome to Volume 2 of the UofM Graduate School Blog, The First Days of Graduate School: Standing at the Edge of the Unknown. This edition opens with Dean Deborah Tollefsen’s reflection on the transformative journey of starting graduate school, reminding students that the challenges ahead shape both their knowledge and character. It also introduces the Fall 2025 Mastering Grad School Workshop Series, designed to equip students with practical tools for success, from dissertations to career preparation. In addition, the blog highlights the excitement of Fall Orientation, the University Libraries’ Welcome Carnival, and the annual Walk: Bridge Your Future tradition. …

Pseudo-Soft-Switching Switched-Capacitor Drive Circuits For Small-Scale Dielectric Actuators, Yanqiao Li

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Applications including micro-robotics and haptics have motivated extensive exploration of dielectric actuators due to their high bandwidth and high efficiency at cm and mm scales. To maximize their benefits, dielectric actuators, including piezoelectric and electrostatic actuators, typically require high driving voltages, ranging from 100V to several kV. Generating such high driving voltages presents a challenge for drive circuits, particularly when powered by a small battery. Dielectric actuators are predominantly capacitive in most circumstances, necessitating the drive circuits to deliver and recover reactive energy for efficient operation. In some applications, such as micro-robotics, the drive circuits may need to have a …

Stand Strucuture Of Planted Stands In Storm-Water Retention Basins, Jason Lanza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trees assist in stormwater retention basin functionality as efficient sources of water removal, and determining stand structure and leaf area of forests can be a measure of their effectiveness. The structure of forest stands on these basins managed for runoff mitigation has received little attention. We investigated the structure and species composition/diversity (tree and herbaceous) of planted, managed stands and naturally regenerated stands on stormwater retention basins managed by Harris County Flood Control District in Harris County, Texas. We determined stand structure variables (trees per hectare, basal area per hectare, quadratic mean diameter, relative density, average tree height, and percent …

Simultaneous Application Of Multiple Process Control Rules, Tran B. Ngo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts are tools used in quality control to monitor and analyze the stability of a process over time. This study evaluates the effectiveness of eight individual Western Electric rules, also known as WECO rules, and the various combinations of these rules with Shewhart rule (or WECO rule 1) to SPC charts. As more rules are added to a process control scheme with Rule 1, there is a trade-off: a higher false out-of-control signal rate but an increase in sensitivity, that is the ability of a specified process control scheme to capture a true out-of-control signal. This …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of The Stopbang Questionnaire Against Polysomnography For The Screening Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea In A Tertiary Hospital In Kenya., Sandra Obaje Maseno

Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea is a syndrome of upper airway and neuromuscular dysfunction during sleep that subsequently causes interruption of normal breathing. Polysomnography is the reference test for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea can be categorised as mild, moderate or severe based on an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) on polysomnography. The recommended treatment using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure lowers morbidity and mortality rates. The STOPBANG questionnaire has been used as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea due to its easy and concise approach. However, even with the increasing prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea and its risk …

Perception And Experiences With Telemedicine Among Caregivers Of Children Requiring Outpatient Chronic Care, Maureen Wambui Kigara

Master of Medicine in Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction Telemedicine is an expanding healthcare modality with potential to enhance access to paediatric specialist care, reduce healthcare costs, and minimize school and work disruptions. However, little is known about caregiver perceptions and experiences with telemedicine in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the context of chronic paediatric care.

Objectives This study explored how caregivers of children with chronic health conditions perceive and experience telemedicine, and what factors influence its adoption. The findings aim to inform the design of patient-centered paediatric telemedicine services.

Methodology A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted at the Paediatric Specialist Clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital. …

Dominican Republic Medical Mission Trip 2025, Julianna Wolff, Carla Kosorog

HLTHS 1800 Global Healthcare Initiatives: Dominican Republic 2025 Documents

This medical mission trip was located within the Dominican Republic in the

La Ciénaga area.

- The predominant language spoken is Dominican Spanish. However, many

students learn a combination of French and English throughout their

schooling.

- As explained throughout this presentation, access to healthcare ranges

from minimal to none within this region of the Dominican Republic.

A Scoping Review Of Arabic Self-Reported Measures Of Hearing, Tinnitus And Hyperacusis: Limited Quality And Quantity, Abdulsalam Alhaidary, Kishore Tanniru, Kevin J. Munro, Ahmed Bin Afif, Ibrahim Almufarrij

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To identify Arabic-language self-report measures related to hearing, tinnitus and hyperacusis and evaluate whether they had been validated and cross-culturally adapted following translation from other languages. Methods: The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR guidelines) and searched 5` information sources (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Google Scholar) from their inception to September 2023, identifying all originally developed or translated Arabic self- or parent-report measures related to hearing, tinnitus and hyperacusis. A total of 1,458 records were screened, with only 28 deemed eligible for inclusion. Results: This …

Autonomous, Yet Anchored: Exploring The Interplay Of Self-Reliance And Personal Spirituality On Employee Outcomes, Alexander Schad

All Dissertations

The modern workplace increasingly requires employees to function autonomously while managing limited psychological resources, presenting a tension between the benefits of self-reliance and its potential costs to well-being. This dissertation examined how self-reliance simultaneously influences task persistence and emotional exhaustion, and explores whether personal spirituality moderates these relationships. Drawing on the Strength Model of Self-Control (SMSC), I develop and test a theoretical framework investigating the relationships between self-reliance, work overload, task persistence, emotional exhaustion, and workplace spirituality.

Through a time-lagged field study with 453 working professionals across three measurement waves, I found that self-reliance positively predicted task persistence, supporting the …

Bringing Life To Our Mission And Vision: A Problem Of Practice, Jessica Preisig

All Dissertations

This study leveraged principles of improvement science and a mixed methods approach to evaluate the impact of an intentionally designed professional learning cohort for teachers. The intended aim of this study was to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy necessary to effectively utilize instructional technology to meaningfully engage all learners. As one part of a collaborative dissertation in practice, this study explored the broad impact of teachers’ participation in a cohort implementing the seven elements of effective professional development (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017) and framed around the ISTE Standards for Educators (Crompton, 2017). The companion study (Britton, forthcoming) …

The Intersection Of Makeup And Recreation: A 21st Century Overview Of Makeup Participation And Its Recreational Benefits, Jason Morgan

All Dissertations

This dissertation critically reconceptualizes makeup participation as a legitimate, multidimensional form of recreation. Through a comprehensive rapid review using the SPIDER framework of 102 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2025, the research investigates whether and how makeup fulfills the psychological, affective, and symbolic criteria of meaningful leisure. Drawing on the Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) and broader recreation theory, the study positions makeup not merely as aesthetic behavior or consumer habit, but as a sustained, emotionally generative practice embedded in identity, creativity, personal growth, and well-being.

Findings reveal that makeup is consistently linked to confidence-building, emotional regulation, self-expression, and psychological …

Factors Influencing Swift Fox Reintroduction Success To Fort Belknap Reservation, Montana, Dana Nelson

All Dissertations

Reintroductions are an important conservation tool for reestablishing wildlife populations, and studying the factors influencing reintroduction outcomes is important to improving success rates over time. Swift fox are a small canid native to the short- and mixed grass prairies of western North America that have experienced severe population declines due to habitat loss and poisoning in the late 1800s. While swift fox now occupy approximately 40% of their historic range, reintroduction to northern Montana may promote the species’ long-term persistence, encourage connectivity in an existing range gap, and return species to areas where it is culturally significant. We studied the …