Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Evaluating The Duration Of Post-Lgm Grounding Events In The Glomar Challenger Basin Paleotrough, Eastern Basin Antarctica, Using Sediment Flux Calculations, Boluwatife Owolana

LSU Master's Theses

Previously acquired geological and geophysical data from the eastern Ross Sea outer shelf support the view that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) deposited three large-volume grounding zone wedges (GZWs) during the relatively short time since the onset of ice sheet retreat began at approximately 11 ka 14C BP. Here, GZW sediment volumes were estimated from seismic data correlations to evaluate the different possible durations of the individual grounding events. The two end-member fluxes used correspond to 1) a modern flux active at Whillans Ice Stream and 2) a larger flux accounting for the larger size of the drainage basin …

Population Characteristics Of A White-Tailed Deer Herd In An Industrial Pine Forest Of North-Central Louisiana, John Henry Harrelson

LSU Master's Theses

White-tailed deer are the most important game species in Louisiana, and throughout the southeastern United States. Likewise, the forest products industry represents the most important agricultural commodity in Louisiana, and industrial landowners frequently lease their properties to sportsmen specifically for white-tailed deer hunting. I conducted research assessing survival, space use, and habitat selection of white-tailed deer on a 3885 ha industrial forest owned by Plum Creek Timber Company. I captured 61 deer in Union Parish, Louisiana in 2009-2010, radio-marked 24 females and 23 males, and ear-tagged 7 females and 6 males. Season and sex interacted to affect home range and …

Developing A Gulf-Wide Oyster Reef Restoration Plan: Identification Of Spatial, Socio-Economic And Geo-Political Constraints, Elizabeth Ashby Nix

LSU Master's Theses

Oyster reefs have recently been identified as one of the most endangered coastal ecosystems, fueling efforts to restore and enhance these systems. Oyster reefs located in the northern Gulf of Mexico have been identified as some of the healthiest of reefs globally, and current efforts focus on devising an approach to Gulf-wide restoration of these reefs. As with all natural resource management and restoration, success is dependent on more than simply understanding the biological requirements of the resource; rather, they are equally dependent on understanding and working within the social and political context in which these management and restoration activities …

Effects Of Row Spacing And Debris Distribution On Small Mammal And Vegetation Communities In Newly Established Loblolly Pine Plantations, Louisiana, Joshua Lee Grace

LSU Master's Theses

Commercial pine (Pinus spp.) forests in the southeastern United States are key to providing fiber for global wood supply needs. Concern has arisen over possible effects of intensive forest management techniques, including row spacing and distribution of woody debris after logging, on plant and wildlife communities. Therefore, we quantified response of plant and small mammal communities in replanted loblolly pine (P. taeda) stands to mechanical site preparation including 2 levels of row spacing and 2 methods of distributing woody debris following harvest in north and southeastern Louisiana, USA. Sites (n=16) were prepared with a combination of row spacing between planting …

Expression, Identification, And Bioactivity Of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin From Lmh/2a (Leghorn Male Hepatoma)Cell Line, Amanda Cecile Broussard

LSU Master's Theses

Erythropoietin (EPO) is the main cytokine regulator for red blood-cell production in the human by binding to erythropoietin receptors to promote erythroid proliferation, survival and differentiation. Administration of recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) as a therapeutic has been shown to improve renal and non-renal anemia and this success has led to a high medical global demand. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, yeast, and bacteria have been used to produce rhEPO but nevertheless there is still a need for a low-cost and high quality expression system for rhEPO. LMH/2A cells, as an alternative model, were transfected with the codon optimized human EPO …

West Antarctic Ice Sheet Retreat Chronology Of Two Middle-Shelf Grounding-Zone Wedges In Eastern Basin, Ross Sea, Antarctica, Lenora Nicole Copeland

LSU Master's Theses

This study isolated a small number of large, in situ and reworked foraminifera from diamicts deposited in two grounding zone wedges on the middle continental shelf in Eastern Basin, Ross Sea, Antarctica. All samples were of sufficient weight to yield Holocene dates if the samples were indeed of Holocene age. Of the twelve small samples sent for radiocarbon analysis, the two heaviest were for reworked foraminifera which yielded dates of >22,200 14C BP and >22,500 14C BP. None of the other ten samples yielded radiocarbon dates. The lack of Holocene radiocarbon dates for the six in situ and four reworked …

Improving Math Instruction In Schools That Serve The Poor, John, L. Jr. Sims

LSU Master's Theses

Public alarm concerning how well U.S. schools are performing in mathematics compared to other developed nations is increasing. Reports of inadequate teaching, poor curriculum design, and low performance on standardized test have been fueled by the media. These issues in American mathematics classrooms are far compounded in schools that serve the poorest in America. When comparing mathematical proficiency rates of U.S. schools with other countries, schools with less than 25% free and reduced lunch score competitively with counterparts in other countries. In contrast, schools with rates of free and reduced lunch higher than 50% score dismally in comparison. Conditions such …

Teaching High School Geometry With Tasks And Activities, Margaret Ann Fazekas

LSU Master's Theses

Task-based learning is an instructional method in which students complete coherently-structured activities in order to meet objectives set by the educator. This thesis illustrates learning communities as the ideal environment for a task-based learning classroom. It discusses the teacher’s role in a task-based classroom. This paper also describes three examples of tasks performed in my high school geometry classroom along with my observations of students’ interactions and discussions.

Transport Properties Of Nanometer-Sized Assemblies Through Nanofluidic Channels With Single Entity Electrical Detection, Franklin Ifeanyichukwu Uba

LSU Master's Theses

Recently, there have been reports on biological and solid-state nanopores that identify single biopolymers or their constituent monomers by analyzing changes in ionic current blockades when they block the flux of buffer ions while travelling through the nanopores. Nevertheless, there have been several limitations in their application, especially as DNA detectors; Poor confinement of the DNA strand within the nanopore (~0.1 % of a 10 kilobase (kb) DNA), poor signal sensitivity and random motion experienced by the DNA in solution that results in a large amount of noise in the signal. These have led to the development of nanochannel-based devices, …

Miscible Column Studies Of Unfractured And Saturated Cores Of Topopah Spring Tuff From Yucca Mountain, Nevada Using Hydrophobic Organic Pollutants, Kody V. Kramer

LSU Master's Theses

Miscible displacement column studies were conducted on unfractured cores of Topopah Spring Tuff to quantify transport characteristics of bromide&44; pentafluorobenzoic acid &40;PFBA&41;&44; trichloroethylene &40;TCE&41;&44; and naphthalene. Three 5 cm diameter by 2 cm long cores were flushed with pulses of simulated groundwater containing these tracers&44; followed by tracer&45;free solution. Effective porosities were gravimetrically measured as 11&37;&44; 10.6&37;&44; and 9.5&37;. The tracers achieved full breakthrough in an order correlating to their hydrophobicities. Bromide and PFBA sorbed least&44; achieving full breakthrough in fewer than 10 pore volumes. As water analogues&44; both exhibited no quantifiable sorption. Delay to full breakthrough was contributed to …

A Partial Order On Classical And Quantum States, Arka Bandyopadhyay

LSU Master's Theses

In this work we extend the work done by Bob Coecke and Keye Martin in their paper “Partial Order on Classical States and Quantum States (2003)”. We review basic notions involving elementary domain theory, the set of probability measures on a finite set {a1, a2, ..., an}, which we identify with the standard (n-1)-simplex ∆n and Shannon Entropy. We consider partial orders on ∆n, which have the Entropy Reversal Property (ERP) : elements lower in the order have higher (Shannon) entropy or equivalently less information . The ERP property is important because of its applications in quantum information theory. We …

Evaluation Of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (Vmat) Patient Specific Quality Assurance, Gordon Mark Mancuso

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to perform a comprehensive comparison of fixed-beam intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) patient specific quality assurance (QA) results, in order to investigate the appropriateness of applying IMRT QA methods and action levels to VMAT treatment plans.

Methods: QA measurements were evaluated for the test geometries provided in AAPM Task Group Report 119. The structure sets were copied onto a cylindrical water-equivalent phantom. Using the Philips Pinnacle³ treatment planning system, fixed-beam IMRT and VMAT treatment plans were constructed. The plans were delivered to the phantom and …

Carbon Sequestration And Uneven-Aged Management Of Loblolly Pine Stands In The Southern Usa: A Joint Optimization Approach, Rajan Parajuli

LSU Master's Theses

Forest carbon sequestration is regarded as a viable and cost effective option for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Several research studies analyzed the effects of joint management of carbon and timber under different even-aged forest management scenarios, and concluded that carbon benefits can alter forest management schedules significantly. However, research specifically focused on the inclusion of carbon sequestration benefits into uneven-aged management has received little attention. This study determined the optimum joint management regime of timber and carbon in uneven-aged loblolly pine stands in Louisiana, and assessed management and financial effects resulting from the integration of carbon benefits into uneven-aged …

A Comparative Study Of Cellulose I And Ii And Fibers And Nanocrystals, Yiying Yue

LSU Master's Theses

The influence of sodium hydroxide treatment on the structure of cotton fibers was studied. Compared to raw cotton fibers, the entire bundles of mercerized fibers were converted into a swollen and roughened state. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) indicated that intermolecular hydrogen bonding was enhanced by mercerization treatment. Wide-angle X ray diffraction (WXRD) results showed decreased fiber crystallinity after mercerization. The structure of cellulose II fibers was more thermally stable than cellulose I fibers. Mechanical properties of cotton fiber-reinforced polyethylene oxide (PEO) composites demonstrated that both raw and mercerized cotton fibers enhanced their tensile strength of the PEO matrix, but …

An Intelligent Othello Player Combining Machine Learning And Game Specific Heuristics, Kevin Anthony Cherry

LSU Master's Theses

Artificial intelligence applications in board games have been around as early as the 1950's, and computer programs have been developed for games including Checkers, Chess, and Go with varying results. Although general game-tree search algorithms have been designed to work on games meeting certain requirements (e.g. zero-sum, two-player, perfect or imperfect information, etc.), the best results, however, come from combining these with specific knowledge of game strategies. In this MS thesis, we present an intelligent Othello game player that combines game-specific heuristics with machine learning techniques in move selection. Five game specific heuristics, namely corner detection, killer move detection, blocking, …

Modeling The Population Effects Of Hypoxia On Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias Undulatus) In The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Sean Brandon Creekmore

LSU Master's Theses

The northwestern Gulf of Mexico currently experiences a large hypoxic area (“dead zone”) during the summer. While the local effects of hypoxia on organisms have been documented, the population-level effects are largely unknown. I developed a spatially-explicit, individual-based model to analyze how hypoxia effects on Atlantic croaker reproduction, growth, and mortality in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico could lead to population-level responses. The model follows the hourly growth, mortality, reproduction, and movement of individuals on a 300 x 800 spatial grid of 1 km2 cells for 100 years. Chlorophyll-a concentration, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen were specified daily for each …

Investigation Into The Cause Of Earthen Embankment Instability Along The "V-Line" Artificial Levee In Marrero, Louisiana, Usa, Jason Hicks

LSU Master's Theses

The “V-line” levee, located in Marrero, LA, has a crack along its crest, measuring approximately 100 meters in length, 30 centimeters in depth, and 30 centimeters in width. This crack is a sign of levee instability. Seismic shear wave, CPT, and laboratory shear strength data were collected and processed to identify the cause of the instability. A zone of low seismic shear wave velocity was interpreted approximately 3 meters deep from the berm of the levee. Because of the large spacing between laboratory shear strength test sampling and CPT sites, a similar zone of low shear strength was not found …

Temporal Changes Of Coastal Community Resilience In The Gulf Of Mexico Region, Kenan Li

LSU Master's Theses

The Gulf of Mexico Region is a region where coastal hazards are frequently occurring. To study the resilience of the counties along the Gulf of Mexico is of great importance to its sustainable planning and development. It also plays a huge role in coastal hazard mitigation. This study assesses the temporal changes of coastal community resilience of 132 counties along the Gulf of Mexico. The basic analytical framework to assess resilience consists of three dimensions (exposure, damage, and recovery) and two relationships (vulnerability and adaptability). Vulnerability refers to the relationship between exposure and damage, whereas the relationship between damage and …

Are Local Chemical Releases Causing An Increase In Cancer Rates In East Baton Rouge Parish?, India T. Anderson

LSU Master's Theses

Environmental pollution has become a steadily growing problem in today’s society. East Baton Rouge alone has 13 chemical plants in the parish. The goal of this research is to find out if the chemical releases in the parish are having an effect on the cancer rates in East Baton Rouge Parish. I gathered data from all 64 parishes in Louisiana. The four chemicals I chose to study specifically, Benzene, Dioxin, Formaldehyde, and Xylene. Chemical release data was taken from the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) website and software from the years1988 to 2009, which was the last reporting year. The cancers …

Antarctic Plant And Phytoplankton Response To The First Phase Of The Mid Miocene Climatic Optimum At South Mcmurdo Sound, Lee Foersterling

LSU Master's Theses

The Antarctic Drilling Program (ANDRILL) recovered 1138.54 m of sub-seafloor marine sediments with 98% core recovery at the AND2-2A drill site in South McMurdo Sound. Biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and isotopic dating (Acton et al., 2008) indicated that an Early to Middle Miocene section (223-1138.54 mbsf) was recovered. This study focuses on an interval with high concentrations of palynomorphs, located between 460.57 and 403.48 mbsf and dated to 16.7 Ma to 16.2 Ma according to the updated Acton et al. (2008) ANDRILL SMS age model. Palynological results show a pronounced increase in organic microfossils between 434.01 and 431.91 mbsf, compared to levels …

Geothermal And Geopressure Assessment With Implications For Carbon Dioxide Sequestration, A Regional Scale Study, Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Louisiana, Timmon Drumm

LSU Master's Theses

The Massive Sand member of the lower Tuscaloosa formation in Louisiana has the potential to be a prolific reservoir for carbon dioxide sequestration. Proximity to near-term anthropogenic carbon dioxide sources and existing infrastructure in the area make Louisiana a viable prospect for carbon capture and storage projects. The geothermal and geopressure conditions of the reservoir indicate that high carbon dioxide densities can be maintained throughout the study area, and substantial sand thicknesses were located. Subsurface depths of the top of the Massive Sand member range from roughly -2500 ft (-762 m) to over -21,000 ft (-6400 m) with a regional …

Symmetric Spaces, Se-Jong Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We first review the basic theory of a general class of symmetric spaces with canonical reflections, midpoints, and displacement groups. We introduce a notion of gyrogroups established by A. A. Ungar and define gyrovector spaces slightly different from Ungar's setting. We see the categorical equivalence of symmetric spaces and gyrovector spaces with respect to their corresponding operations. In a smooth manifold with spray we define weighted means using the exponential map and develop the Lie-Trotter formula with respect to midpoint operation. Via the idea that we associate a spray with a Loos symmetric space, we construct an analytic scalar multiplication …

Developmental Responses To Abiotic Conditions During Aquatic And Air Incubatoin Of The Gulf Killifish (Fundulus Grandis): Subtitle, Charles Alexander Brown

LSU Master's Theses

The Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) is a topminnow native to the tidal marshes of the Gulf of Mexico. The species is prized by anglers as effective bait for catching popular sportfish and is of interest to aquaculturists and bait dealers due to its hardy nature. Limited seasonal availability and aquaculture of this species due to low fecundity and larval cannibalism of fry has led to increased incentive to improve cultural techniques. The purpose of this study is to determine the influences of temperature, salinity, and air incubation on embryogenesis of the Gulf killifish. Temperature was found to have a negative …

Addressing Sea Level Rise In The People's Republic Of China And The United States: A Comparative Review Of Administrative And Policy Frameworks, Mo Chen

LSU Master's Theses

Sea level rise (SLR) is directly influenced by climate change through the processes of temperature affecting the growth and decay of continental ice (Barron and Thompson 1990). It is a significant environmental challenge that threatens coastal areas of many nations throughout the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report issued in 2007 states that SLR poses a serious challenge to sustainable development along many coastal areas. The objectives of this thesis are to examine the SLR management issue both in the P.R.C. and the U.S, identify the government agencies that are concerned with SLR issues in …

Evaluation Of The Pencil Beam Algorithm And Pencil Beam Redefinition Algorithm For Bolus Electron Conformal Therapy Dose Computation, James Kavanaugh

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: This study aimed (1) to demonstrate the ability of mixed beam (MB) therapy, intensity modulated x-ray therapy (IMXT) optimized on top of a bolus electron conformal therapy (ECT) plan, to deliver a uniform dose to the planning target volume (PTV) in a homogenous phantom and (2) to evaluate the accuracy of the pencil beam algorithm (PBA) and pencil beam redefinition algorithm (PBRA) in calculating the dose distributions for the bolus ECT and MB plans. Methods: PTVs and critical structures from parotid and post-mastectomy chest wall patients were modeled in a 27cm ö polystyrene phantom. Bolus ECT treatment plans using …

An Evaluation Of Synchronization Loss Rate Calculations On High Speed Networks, Aaron Tureau

LSU Master's Theses

This paper is broken down into two parts:(1) discussion of current formulas that are used to calculate synchronized loss rates among concurrent TCP flows with the results of those equations on flows running through a bottleneck on a high speed emulated network and (2)steps to create revised forms of these equations that are more accurate and give a more reasonable estimation without having the shortcomings of the current equations. This paper brings to light three equations that were previously proposed and were used in published research projects along with their strengths and shortcomings. Through the study of these equations a …

Analysis Of Amyloid Beta (A [Beta]) Peptides By Capillary Electrophoresis And Laser-Induced Fluorescence Anisotropy Detection, Ryan Andrew Picou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of the research presented in this dissertation is to develop laser-induced fluorescence anisotropy (LIFA) detection for detecting and characterizing amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide aggregates separated by capillary electrophoresis (CE). Senile plaques composed primarily of aggregated Aβ (1-40) and Aβ (1-42) peptides have been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients. These peptides are thought to be responsible for the disease pathology. A CE method using UV absorbance detection was developed for the quantification of Aβ (1-40) monomer and testing of Aβ monomer preparations for undesired aggregates (Chapter 2). Analyses of both Aβ (1-40) and Aβ (1-42) monomer …

Numerical Methods For The Study Of Super-Eddington Mass Transfer In Double White Dwarf Binaries, Dominic Carlo Marcello

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We present a numerical method for the study of double white dwarf (DWD) binary systems at the onset of super-Eddington mass transfer. We incorporate the physics of ideal inviscid hydrodynamical flow, Newtonian self-gravity, and radiation transport on a three-dimensional uniformly rotating cylindrical Eulerian grid. Our new method conserves total energy to a higher degree of accuracy than recent smoothed particle hydrodynamics methods and our previous Eulerian grid based method. We present the results of verification tests and we simulate the first 20+ orbits of a binary system of mass ratio q=0.7 at the onset of dynamically unstable direct impact mass …

Effect Of Sediment Slurry Application On Selected Aspects Of Sulfur, Iron, And Manganese Biogeochemistry In A Coastal Louisiana Marsh, Martin Kyle Maxwell

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal wetlands, long recognized to be among the most productive ecosystems on the planet, are being lost at a disturbingly high rate in coastal Louisiana due to both eustatic sea-level rise and land subsidence. A number of approaches have been proposed for reducing wetland loss and restoring deteriorated wetlands, among which the addition of sediment to increase marsh surface elevation is promising. However, little is known about how the added sediment affects the biogeochemistry of marsh sediment. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of sediment slurry addition on sulfur, iron, and manganese biogeochemistry in a subsiding …

A Palynological And Sequence Stratigraphic Study Of Santonian - Maastrichtan Strata From The Upper Magdalena Basin, Sandra Garzon

LSU Master's Theses

This manuscript presents a biostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic interpretation of palynological data from two outcrop sections on the NE flank of the Upper Magdalena Valley (UMV) basin comprising the Santonian to Lower Maastrichtian interval. The objectives of this study where: a) to characterize the lithologically similar Lower Lidita, Upper Lidita, and El Cobre, Buscavidas formations and b) to provide a better understanding of important correlation horizons in the northeastern part of the UMV basin and to confirm the age assignment of stratal units. A cyclic pattern of palynomorph distribution was recognized in both sections and tied to the different stages …