Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Investigating Gulf Coast Aquifer System: Stratigraphy Reconstruction, Inverse Modeling, And Groundwater Stress Assessment, Shuo Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Mississippi Embayment aquifer system (MEAS) and the Coastal Lowlands aquifer system (CLAS) provide substantial groundwater resources for human activities in the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain. However, the overexploitation has led to groundwater depletion in the MEAS and the CLAS, threatening sustainable groundwater use. Such concern highlights the crucial need for an advanced understanding of stratigraphy and groundwater in these aquifer systems, which is essential for effective regional groundwater management. This dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of MEAS and CLAS in the Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi region, encompassing three fundamental dimensions: stratigraphy reconstruction, groundwater modeling, and groundwater stress assessments. A …

A Characterization Of The Operator Entropy In Terms Of An Isometry Property Related To Trace Norms, Ryo Inayoshi

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Two Non–*–Isomorphic *–Lie Algebra Structures On Sl(2,R) And Their Physical Origins, Luigi Accardi, Irina Ya. ArefʹEva, Yungang Lu, Igorʹ VasilʹEvich Volovich

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Covariant Anyons Via Mackey Machinery, Radhakrishnan Balu

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Auslander-Reiten Triangles On A Bounded Derived Category Of Constructible Complexes, Vishnu Prasad Sivaprasad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, concepts from homological algebra are used to study the existence of Auslander-Reiten triangles.

Auslander-Reiten triangles are closely related to representable functors, and the main theorem characterizes the existence of representable functors in a specific bounded derived category of constructible complexes.

Under certain boundedness conditions, a specific bounded derived category is shown to have Auslander-Reiten triangles.

If You Build It, Will They Come? Assessing Habitat Quality For Marsh Birds At Created Marshes In Southeastern Louisiana, Katherine Aylett Lipford

LSU Master's Theses

Wetland loss occurs at an alarming pace globally, with extremely high rates along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana loses a football field of wetland every 100 minutes: that is 77,000 m² of wetland bird habitat lost daily. In Louisiana, marsh creation projects combat wetland loss, and while wildlife habitat is often used as a justification for restoration, wildlife receives little to no consideration during and after construction. Habitat characteristics such as site-specific hydrology, vegetation composition, and habitat structure affect the abundance of wetland birds and understanding these features is crucial to creating habitat that will benefit birds. My …

Nonlinear Filtering Of Classical And Quantum Spin Systems, Sivaguru S. Sritharan, Saba Mudaliar

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Attochemistry Regulation Of Charge Migration, Aderonke Folorunso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Charge migration (CM) is a coherent attosecond process that involves the movement of localized holes across a molecule. This phenomenon is potentially useful to understand the fundamental principles of photochemistry, such as light harvesting. The first part of this dissertation discusses the molecular modes of attosecond charge migration. In this work, we used first-principles calculations to investigate the modes of charge migration (CM) in halogenated hydrocarbon chains at attosecond timescales. We have simulated the creation of a localized hole on the halogen atom using constrained density functional theory (DFT) and then tracked its subsequent dynamics with time-dependent DFT (TDDFT). Our …

Performative Mixing For Immersive Audio, Brian A. Elizondo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Immersive multichannel audio can be produced with specialized setups of loudspeakers, often surrounding the audience. These setups can feature as few as four loudspeakers or more than 300. Performative mixing in these environments requires a bespoke solution offering intuitive gestural control. Beyond the usual faders for gain control, advancements in multichannel sound demand interfaces capable of quickly positioning sounds between channels. The Quad Cartesian Positioner is such a solution in the form of a Eurorack module for surround mixing for use in live or studio performances.

Diffusion/mixing methods for live multichannel immersive music often rely on the repurposing of hardware …

Palynology Of The Gulf Of Mexico Stones Field Well Wr 508 #1: New Biostratigraphic And Environmental Data Of A Deepwater Wilcox Group, Barry G. Boler

LSU Master's Theses

Palynological analyses of Late Paleocene to Early Eocene drill cutting samples from the deepwater Wilcox Group in the northern Gulf of Mexico were analyzed to provide Paleocene/Eocene environmental data and to create a biosteering scheme to be used for future Gulf of Mexico exploration. Fifty-three drill cutting samples were analyzed from Walker Ridge (WR) 508 #1 in the Stones field, with a measured depth ranging from 8,056 to 8,723 m. These samples yielded mainly low diversity terrestrial assemblages dominated by pollen belonging to the Betulaceae, Myricaceae, Cupressaceae/Taxodiaceae and Juglandaceae families. This denotes an environment quite similar to what is found …

Vegetation And Habitat Classification Of Created And Natural Brackish Marshes Via Unoccupied Aerial Systems And Potential Monitoring Applications, Seth T. Chapman

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana’s coastal marshes are some of the most valuable natural, economic, and cultural state resources that however, have been severely deteriorating over the last century. Federal and state agencies have pooled billions of dollars into coastal restoration projects in Louisiana of which marsh creation is a primary focus. Traditional monitoring of created marshes involves in-situ vegetation sampling and aerial imagery from fixed-wing occupied aircraft, but these methods have limitations and/or can negatively impact sites. My thesis explores the use of Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS; i.e., drones) to classify vegetation and habitat in coastal marsh systems, compare habitat and vegetation cover …

Translation Speed Influence On Tropical Cyclone Storm Tide And Surge Generation Along The Gulf Of Mexico Coast, Samantha L. Camarda

LSU Master's Theses

This research examines tropical cyclone translation speed as a factor in storm tide and surge height upon landfall on the United States Gulf Coast. Understanding the effect of translation speed on peak storm tide/surge height is needed to better prepare for and predict future damage from tropical cyclone events. Tropical cyclone data are taken from hourly interpolated best-track HURDAT2 data from 1970–2021. This study uses the HURDAT2 hourly interpolated observation data points (24-hours) pre-landfall to landfall. Translation speed is calculated based on the distance traversed between hourly points. Peak storm tide and storm surge data are taken from SURGEDAT from …

Uavs And Deep Neural Networks: An Alternative Approach To Monitoring Waterfowl At The Site Level, Zachary J. Loken

LSU Master's Theses

Understanding how waterfowl respond to habitat restoration and management activities is crucial for evaluating and refining conservation delivery programs. However, site-specific waterfowl monitoring is challenging, especially in heavily forested systems such as the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV)—a primary wintering region for ducks in North America. I hypothesized that using uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) coupled with deep learning-based methods for object detection would provide an efficient and effective means for surveying non-breeding waterfowl on difficult-to-access restored wetland sites. Accordingly, during the winters of 2021 and 2022, I surveyed wetland restoration easements in the MAV using a UAV equipped with a dual …

Evaluating Attack Surface Management In An Industrial Control System (Ics) Environment: Leveraging A Recon Ftw For Threat Classification And Incident Response, Nathalia De Sa Soares

LSU Master's Theses

Protecting Industrial Control Systems (ICS) from cyber threats is paramount to
ensure the reliability and security of critical infrastructure. Organizations must proactively identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their incident response capabilities as attack vectors evolve. This research explores implementing an Attack Surface Management (ASM) approach, utilizing Recon FTW, to assess an operating ICS environment’s security posture comprehensively.
The primary objective of this research is to develop a tool for performing recon-
naissance in an ICS environment with a non-intrusive approach, enabling the realistic simulation of potential threat scenarios and the identification of critical areas requiring immediate attention and remediation. We aim …

Extended Defects And Linear Junctions At The Surfaces Of Topological Insulators, Eklavya Thareja

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Topological Insulators (TIs) have emerged as promising candidates for spintronics and quantum computing applications. Two properties that underlie these applications are the locking of spin and momentum of the surface electrons and topological protection of surface states. While the existence of gapless surface states is guaranteed by topology, as long as time-reversal symmetry is intact, other properties of the surface states are still tunable. Spin-momentum locking makes these states immune to scattering from non-magnetic point impurities. However, extended defects can scatter the states even with electrostatic potential. We show that a line defect with magnetic and electrostatic potential scattering hosts …

Effect Of Implementing Best Management Practices (Bmps) On Productivity, Water Quality, Soil Health And Economic Return On Louisiana’S Sugarcane Production System, Krizzia L. Guardado

LSU Master's Theses

The constant soil cultivation alongside adverse weather in Louisiana has declined soil and water quality in sugarcane fields. Therefore, the integration of an effective conservation program must be assessed to sustain crop production. Best management practices (BMPs) promote soil health and improve water quality while achieving optimal crop development and cost-effective production system. A study was conducted at two different locations to document the benefits of BMPs (sweeping residue, variable N rate, and cover cropping) implemented collectively and individually compared to the standard farmer’s practices (FP) on sugarcane productivity, nutrient cycling, soil and water quality, and economic return . At …

Vibriosis: An Integrated Study Of Ecology, State Policy, And Health Communication, Ruth Akintoye

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The CDC reports fatalities within one to two days for 20% of victims of a Vibrio vulnificus infection. This flesh-eating bacterium is part of the Vibrio genus, which comprises various pathogenic species responsible for the human illness, Vibriosis, which is estimated at 80,000 annual cases in the US, according to the CDC.

A vibriosis public health concern exists, but there's no mandatory national surveillance system. This study reveals that only 19 states mandate vibriosis reporting, leaving a gap in understanding the incidence of disease from this flesh-eating bacterium.

This research comprises four studies that advance our knowledge of vibriosis through …

Controlling Guest Binding To Transition Metal Hosts Via Redox Stimuli, Jasmine S. Sanford

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Several metal complexes were investigated as potential hosts to execute controllable host- guest interactions using a redox stimulus. Previously, our group has synthesized new Cu^II m-xylylenebis(pyridyltriazole) (m-xpt) hosts and their redox properties were analyzed. In Chapter 2, we take advantage of the Cu^II host’s ability to perform redox to investigate its interaction with chloride guest ions. This study was executed with two main Cu-xpt hosts: [Cu₂(m- xpt)₂(NO₃)₂](PF₆)₂ and [Cu₂(m-xpt)₂Cl₂]Cl₂. The host-guest interaction was analyzed with additions …

Design, Synthesis And Post Functionalization Of Bodipy Dyes For Use As Chemo Sensors., Caroline Njeri Ndung'u

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An overview of BODIPYs history, basic structure, electronic properties is described. Additionally, their attribute of tenability in their photophysical and electronic properties has been discussed. Lastly, their application in the biomedical field as bio imaging, labeling, chemo sensors and photosensitizers are also discussed. In Chapter 2, a library of meso- Pyridyl and meso pyridinium BODIPY dyes was designed, synthesis and comparison on their photophysical, electrochemical and cytotoxic studies done. From this study chlorine atoms at the 2, 6 positions was shown to enhance their relative fluorescence quantum yields in different organic solvents and water. In chapter 3, 8(meso)-pyridyl-BODIPYs with a …

Probing The Consequences Of Irreversibly Trapping Iron In Bacterioferritin Using Chemical And Genetic Approaches--An Omics Study, Leo S. Fontenot Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Antibiotic resistant bacteria pose one of the most urgent threats to public health. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a multi-drug resistant bacterium for which new antibiotics are urgently needed. My research is focused on understanding and validating iron metabolism as a target for antibiotic development by analyzing the metabolic profiles of iron-starved P. aeruginosa cells caused by irreversibly trapping iron in bacterioferritin. Iron is an essential nutrient for bacteria; however, the reactivity of the Fe²⁺ ion and insolubility of the Fe³⁺ ion present significant challenges to bacterial cells. Iron storage proteins oxidize Fe²⁺ using O₂ and H_{2 …}

Computational Investigations Of Polymer Electrolytes In Aqueous Solutions, Hishara Keshani Gallage Dona

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Polymer electrolyte membranes, an intriguing category of soft materials, are characterized by polymer backbones tethered with negatively or positively charged functional groups, finding applications from biological macromolecules to electrochemical separations in fuel cells. This dissertation focuses on computational investigations of polymer electrolytes in aqueous solutions using polypeptoids and ion exchange membranes. Polypeptoids, highly tailorable peptidomimetic polymers lacking backbone hydrogen bonding or chirality, were used as model systems. Micelles formed from these polypeptoid polymers exhibited electrostatic repulsion, which competes with charge-sodium interactions, adding complexity to predicting micelle shapes. This research refined the design strategy, enhancing micelle shape and structure through precise …

Sequence-Defined Ionic Peptoid Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization, And The Role Of Charge Patterning, Bailee N. Barrett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work explores the role of positionally defined charges on the self-assembly behavior of a series of sequence-defined peptoid block copolymers. The unique ability to precisely control the number and position of each monomer unit along the polymer chain makes this system particularly well suited for uncovering how changes in monomer sequence alter the resulting structures. We employ a number of scattering techniques to uncover how systematically repositioning a single ionizable monomer, along an otherwise neutral polymer chain, alters the self-assembled micellar structures and subsequently their responsiveness to changes in their local environment.

Chapter 1 reviews previous efforts to transition …

On A Stationary Random Knot, Andrey A. Dorogovtsev

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Are We There Yet?, Marion S. Freistadt

LSU Master's Theses

To solve the Climate Crisis, a global Energy Transition is required. The primary contemporary tool for tackling these two massive problems is modeling, both biophysical climate models and IAMS (Integrated Assessment Models) which combine socioeconomic and technological progress with Climate Change. However, the proliferation and complexity of modeling systems make it difficult for most people to contribute substantively to solutions. In particular, stakeholders, policymakers, nonspecialists and activists require sufficient understanding of modeling to impact outcomes.

In this thesis, after summarizing the Climate Crisis and potential Energy Transition solutions, I review current modeling approaches. Models can be considered in terms of …

Deciphering The Role Of Molecular Interactions On The Interfacial Structure Of Aqueous And Non-Aqueous Interfaces, Dodangodage Ishara Indunil Senadheera, D I. Senadheera

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study focused on "Deciphering the role of molecular interactions on the interfacial structure of aqueous and non-aqueous interfaces" holds immense significance in diverse scientific and industrial domains. Our primary objective is to unravel the intricate web of molecular interactions occurring at the boundaries between aqueous and non-aqueous phases. The research presented here spans a wide scope, encompassing applications in microelectromechanical systems in the semiconductor industry, energy-efficient membranes for electrochemical separations, and renewable energy storage systems. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted in collaboration with experimental studies, specifically atomic force microscopy, to achieve insights at the molecular level.The first project centered …

Lrtransformer: Learn-Region Transformer For Object-Agnostic Point Cloud Segmentation, Dipesh Gyawali

LSU Master's Theses

3D point cloud segmentation segments the 3D point cloud data into different regions/instances depending on their features that have numerous applications in robotics, autonomous driving, digital twinning, augmented reality, etc. The majority of the existing point cloud segmentation methods depend on class labels to identify 3D objects in the surroundings. Our work focuses on segmenting point clouds into different regions/instances in an object-agnostic manner for any number of objects in the environment. Given the point cloud, our method can segment the entire scene into multiple instances without depending on object shape and size. We leverage the power of the self-attention …

Cationic Frontal Polymerization: Front Kinetics, Effects Of Additives, And Applications, Brecklyn R. Groce

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cationic frontal polymerization broadens the potential application of frontal polymerization by allowing for use of monomers such as epoxies and vinyl ethers. In this work, the effects of monomer and initiator composition and additives including fillers on front kinetics, along with applications of cationic frontal polymerization were investigated.

Using a radical-induced cationic frontal polymerization (RICFP) method with a superacid generating salt and a thermal radical initiator, the addition of vinyl ethers to epoxy formulations was studied, where an increase of front velocity was seen with increase of divinyl ether to epoxy ratio. Other aspects of vinyl ether systems, such as …

Influences On Participation In The National Flood Insurance Program’S Community Rating System In Coastal Counties In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, And Florida, Jennifer E. Argote

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National Flood Insurance Program provides an incentive-based program, the Community Rating System (“CRS”), to encourage communities to improve their hazard mitigation protocols to better protect against and prevent flood-related hazards. This dissertation analyzes factors that influence participation and points scored within the CRS to gain an understanding of the conditions under which communities are willing and able to take advantage of an incentive-based flood hazard mitigation program. It also includes an analysis of survey responses from 41 coastal county floodplain and CRS managers to gauge their opinions on the CRS and how it can be improved to better serve …

Backward Stochastic Differential Equations In A Semi-Markov Chain Model, Robert J. Elliott, Zhe Yang

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Double Barrier Backward Doubly Stochastic Differential Equations, Tadashi Hayashi

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.