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An Analysis Of The Development Of Cognitive Control In Young Children Within An Auditory And Visual Modality., Lauren A. Schiro

LSU Master's Theses

The Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control Framework (DMC) posits that cognitive control is directed through two different modes: proactive and reactive control. Proactive control involves the maintenance and manipulation of information in preparation of a response while reactive control would involve little to no preparation until after a response prompt. The AX-Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT) is a cognitive control task that is often utilized in studies looking at proactive and reactive control as it measures context processing and goal maintenance. The aims of this study were to validate the auditory version of the AX-CPT and to then apply this task …

The Behavioral Specialization Of African Ant-Following Birds On Dorylus Driver Ants, Patricia F. Rodrigues

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ant-following birds, that forage on arthropods flushed by swarm raiding army ants, are an iconic phenomenon in tropical forests around the globe. Despite capturing the attention of naturalists for over a century, research on ant-following birds has largely focused on Neotropical species. Decades of research on Neotropical ant-following birds has revealed fascinating aspects of their specialization, including complex cognitive and behavioral adaptations that allow birds to locate and track nomadic army ants. Despite this breadth of research on Neotropical species, virtually nothing is known of the behavioral ecology of African ant-following birds, and it remains unknown whether they exhibit adaptations …

An Exploration Of The Drivers Of Intraspecific Variation In Arthropod Phenotypes, Jamie Phelps

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Herein we explore the various forces that drive phenotypic variation in arthropods focusing on spatial and temporal differences as well as sexual dimorphism. We use both marine, Tigriopus californicus, and terrestrial, Melitaeini, organisms to investigate these forces.

Tigriopus californicus and Heat Hardening: The study explores how Tigriopus californicus, a copepod, adapts to thermal variation along the North American Pacific Coast. Researchers investigated intraspecific variation in heat hardening, measuring differences in upper lethal limits (ULLs) and potential fecundity costs across five populations. We found a cost of heat hardening: the size of the first brood produced after heat shock …

The Hydrological Impacts Of Woody Plant Encroachment On Coastal Tallgrass Prairie Of Texas, Zhiwei Guo

LSU Master's Theses

Globally, woody plant encroachment into grassland and savanna ecosystems impacts the hydrological functions of grasslands and associated wetlands. In the coastal tallgrass prairie of Texas, encroachment of woody plants has altered vegetation structure, but the hydrological impacts are poorly understood. In this study, I evaluated and quantified how woody plant encroachment affects hydrological processes on the pimple mounds and inter-mound freshwater marsh, including precipitation partitioning, infiltration in the vadose zone, groundwater recharge, and water volume in the inter-mound marsh. I randomly selected three pimple mounds with woody plants and three pimple mounds with tallgrass w to quantify hydrologic processes. The …

Role Of Acute Alcohol Exposure In Klebsiella Pneumoniae-Induced Pneumonia, Prantho Malakar Dipta

LSU Master's Theses

Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP), a Gram-negative bacterium, induces severe pneumonia associated with devastating pathological consequences in the lung, such as substantial parenchymal damage. K. pneumoniae is responsible for causing life-threatening lung infections in patients with alcoholics and diabetics. The need to look for new therapeutic approaches is due to the emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains that are resistant to many drugs. The effects of acute alcohol consumption on the host’s innate immune response to KP during infection remain unclear. Age-matched C57BL/6 female mice were administered 6g/kg of 32% alcohol or same amount of PBS via oral gavage 30 minutes prior to …

Examining Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, And Major Depression’S Symptom Comorbidity In Children And Adolescents: A Longintudinal Test Of The Multiple Pathway Model, Paige Picou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent in and impairing for children and adolescents and are highly comorbid. Many theories have been proposed to explain this co- occurrence, with recent models postulating multiple pathways in which specific anxiety disorders and depression may co-occur both concurrently and over time. Unfortunately, little research has evaluated these pathways longitudinally across development in a community sample. The current study tested the multiple pathway model in a sample of 9 to 12-year-old youth (Mage = 9.48, SD= 0.51) at baseline and at two-year follow-up using a subsample of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development …

The Impact Of Xenophobia On Agricultural Trade In South Africa, Maxwell Peprah Amponsem

LSU Master's Theses

The growing number of farm attacks and xenophobia is one of the most serious crime issues facing the South African government. This study examines the impact of xenophobia on agricultural trade, using port-level trade data and xenophobia incident records from 2010 to 2023. Utilizing fixed effects Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) specifications, I find a significant negative impact of xenophobia on agricultural exports, while non-agricultural trade remains unaffected. These findings highlight the need for targeted policy interventions to combat xenophobic violence and stabilize the agricultural sector, ensuring the continuity of South Africa's trade and economic growth.

Digital Agriculture Applications In Maize Nutrient Management And Soybean Crop Stands Assessment, Bhawana Acharya

LSU Master's Theses

High soil moisture from frequent excessive precipitation can reduce maize (Zea mays L.) yield and increase nitrogen (N) loss. Early-stage soybeans (Glycine max) are also susceptible to damage under these conditions. Traditional methods for assessing N status in maize and plant stands in soybean are labor-intensive and time-consuming. In this study, UAV remote sensing was used to assess maize N status under different N rates and excessive soil moisture. For soybeans, we compared a blob detection method with the YOLOv8 model to estimate plant density using ground images from a handheld camera. Additionally, YOLOv8 performance was evaluated …

Application Of Automated Radio Telemetry To Explore Space Use Of Golden-Cheeked Warblers (Setophaga Chrysoparia), Michael Gamble

LSU Master's Theses

Understanding the spatiotemporal ecology of birds is essential to inform conservation and management decisions that could help maintain bird populations and reverse current population trends. Advancements in automated radio telemetry systems (ARTS) may improve our ability to monitor animal movements continuously and simultaneously but require further testing and development to maximize their benefits for wildlife research. My goals were (1) to investigate the use of automated telemetry to track fine-scale songbird movements in a forested environment, and (2) to use automated telemetry to quantify home range size, spatial overlap between home ranges, and extraterritorial forays for male and female golden-cheeked …

Elementary Science Teachers' Experiences: A Case Study On The Use Of Science+Cyber Curriculum, Laurie Salvail

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The field of science education in the United States has undergone a major reform since 2015. A little more than twelve years ago, work began on constructing a framework for elementary, middle, and high school science education. This framework emphasized the shift from science being merely a memorization of facts to experiences that include science and engineering practices applied through crosscutting concepts and focused on core ideas in the field of science. With new standards teachers also have to overcome a) not having adequate time available to devote to science instruction b) lack of updated instructional materials aligned to the …

Towards Addressing Mental Health In Rural Louisiana: Blueberry Supplementation As A Natural Intervention, Katy E. Venable

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Depression and anxiety are major public health issues; however, there is an unmet need for novel effective and accessible treatments, particularly in rural communities. Blueberries are an unexplored nutraceutical for these conditions due to their excellent nutritional profile, with particularly high levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins and benefits on mood, cognition, and health. Therefore, we conducted a double-blind, randomized pilot study in a rural population. We employed a cross-over design to test the effects of 12 weeks daily ingestion of 24 g of whole freeze-dried blueberry powder versus placebo on symptoms of depression and anxiety in those diagnosed with depression …

27-Hydroxycholesterol Acts On Estrogen Receptor Α Expressed By Pomc Neurons In The Arcuate Nucleus To Modulate Feeding Behavior, Hui Ye, Xiaohua Yang, Bing Feng, Pei Luo, Valeria C.Torres Irizarry, Leslie Carrillo-Sáenz, Meng Yu, Yongjie Yang, Benjamin P. Eappen, Marcos David Munoz, Nirali Patel, Sarah Schaul, Lucas Ibrahimi, Penghua Lai, Xinyue Qi, Yuliang Zhou, Maya Kota, Devin Dixit, Madeline Mun, Chong Wee Liew, Yuwei Jiang, Chunmei Wang, Yanlin He, Pingwen Xu

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Oxysterols are metabolites of cholesterol that regulate cholesterol homeostasis. Among these, the most abundant oxysterol is 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), which can cross the blood-brain barrier. Because 27HC functions as an endogenous selective estrogen receptor modulator, we hypothesize that 27HC binds to the estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the brain to regulate energy balance. Supporting this view, we found that delivering 27HC to the brain reduced food intake and activated proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (POMCARH) in an ERα-dependent manner. In addition, we observed that inhibiting brain ERα, deleting ERα in POMC neurons, or chemogenetic inhibition of …

An International Multidisciplinary Consensus On Pediatric Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease, Le Zhang, Mortada El-Shabrawi, Louise A. Baur, Christopher D. Byrne, Giovanni Targher, Mohit Kehar, Gilda Porta, Way Seah Lee, Sander Lefere, Serap Turan, Anna Alisi, Ram Weiss, Maria Felicia Faienza, Ambika Ashraf, Shikha S. Sundaram, Anshu Srivastava, Ruth De Bruyne, Yunkoo Kang, Flora Bacopoulou, Yong Hai Zhou, Andy Darma, Monica Lupsor-Platon, Masahide Hamaguchi, Anoop Misra, Nahum Méndez-Sánchez, Nicholas Beng Hui Ng, Claude Marcus, Amanda E. Staiano, Nadia Waheed, Saleh A. Alqahtani, Cosimo Giannini, Ponsiano Ocama, Mindie H. Nguyen, Maria Teresa Arias-Loste

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent in children and adolescents, particularly those with obesity. NAFLD is considered a hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome due to its close associations with abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and atherogenic dyslipidemia. Experts have proposed an alternative terminology, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), to better reflect its pathophysiology. This study aimed to develop consensus statements and recommendations for pediatric MAFLD through collaboration among international experts. Methods: A group of 65 experts from 35 countries and six continents, including pediatricians, hepatologists, and endocrinologists, participated in a consensus development process. The process encompassed …

Asmrtistry In Immersive Sound: Investigating The Effectiveness Of Immersive Sound Technologies In Eliciting Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, Scott D. Nelson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite a wide array of immersive sound technologies available to digital media creators who specialize in making audio-visual content that aims to elicit Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), only a few sound reproduction modalities are widely used: mono/stereo and binaural recording. To date, nearly all research studying ASMR, a bio-sensory phenomenon wherein people feel brain tingles triggered by calming audio-visual cues, has been content to carry out ASMR studies entirely with stereo and binaural sound reproduction methods. Therefore, it stands to reason that more understanding about how diverse immersive sound modalities like wave field synthesis, or three-dimensional spatial audio for …

Hurricane Vulnerability Of Above Ground Storage Tanks, Santosh Ghimire

LSU Master's Theses

The objectives of this research were to: 1) develop an approach to determine the effectiveness of regional storm surge reduction strategies and structural mitigation measures for aboveground storage tanks (ASTs), and 2) study the feasibility of controlled flotation of ASTs during flood and storm surge events. This study provided a comprehensive risk assessment strategy for regional portfolio of tanks, considering all dominant failure modes relevant to future planning initiatives aimed at reducing AST failures. Additionally, this research contributed a new methodology to prevent AST failures during flooding, offering a potential solution to prevent hazardous spills.

Design guidelines such as API …

Canine Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Evaluating Pgam5 And Heterobilharzia Americana, Priscilla Devora

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer in humans and domestic dogs. Despite extensive research, the mechanisms that drive HCC carcinogenesis and perpetuate cancer survival are incompletely understood in both species. The work described herein focused on finding similarities between canine and human HCC, which could be harnessed to benefit humans and dogs with cancer. The first aim was to investigate the expression of phosphoglycerate mutase 5 (PGAM5) in canine HCC. Upregulation of PGAM5 is a negative prognostic indicator in human HCC. Using archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, we found that PGAM5 was overexpressed in canine HCC ( …

Optimizing Associative Memory In Autistic And Non-Autistic Adults: Retrieval Practice, Post-Retrieval Feedback, And Gesture, Brianna E. Cairney

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Associative memory—or the ability to form a memory representation linking two previously unrelated concepts—is a critical aspect of learning. This work provides insight into strategies that can be used to support associative memory, their underlying mechanisms, and their effectiveness in autistic and non-autistic learners. Chapter 1 demonstrates that iconic gestures can be used as a tool to enhance associative memory by increasing word concreteness and imageability. This effect was eliminated when the iconic gestures were interspersed with ambiguous nonsense gestures, suggesting a boundary on these benefits that depends on listener expectations regarding gesture clarity. However, it remains unknown whether gestures …

The Design, Construction, And Testing Of Nucleic Acid Vaccines Against Salmonella Enterica Subspecies Enterica Serovar Javiana, Alexis A. Nguyen

LSU Master's Theses

Salmonella spp. is a Gram-negative bacterium that has the ability to replicate within a variety of hosts, or within the environment, including water, soil, and vegetation. These characteristics, coupled with the zoonotic nature of non-typhoidal Salmonella, pose a significant public health concern. Salmonella is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses worldwide, and in the United States alone, the economic impact due to non-typhoidal Salmonella illnesses in 2013 was estimated to be $3.7 billion, the majority of which were due to mortalities. In a time of rising antibiotic resistance, antibiotics are no longer considered the most effective treatment for …

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Summer 2024, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

When the first agricultural experiment stations were founded in Louisiana more than 130 years ago, researchers focused on ways to improve the lives of farmers across the state. They found the best methods for raising cash crops and livestock along with the fruits and vegetables grown to feed the average rural family. Today the LSU AgCenter maintains that long legacy of research and expands its scope.

This issue of Louisiana Agriculture acknowledges those who helped establish the system of research and extension that would grow into the AgCenter. In addition to these articles, the scientists and staff at the AgCenter …

Application Of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy For Hay Evaluation At Different Degrees Of Sample Preparation, Eun Chan Jeong, Kun Jun Han, Farhad Ahmadi, Yan Fen Li, Li Li Wang, Young Sang Yu, Jong Geun Kim

Faculty Publications

Objective: A study was conducted to quantify the performance differences of the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) calibration models developed with different degrees of hay sample preparations. Methods: A total of 227 imported alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and another 360 imported timothy (Phleum pratense L.) hay samples were used to develop calibration models for nutrient value parameters such as moisture, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, crude protein, and in vitro dry matter digestibility. Spectral data of hay samples prepared by milling into 1-mm particle size or unground were separately regressed against the wet chemistry results of the abovementioned parameters. Results: The …

Secondary Production And Biomass In Mussel Assemblages Relate To Species Richness And Stream Size But Not Life History, Jonathan W. Lopez, Carla L. Atkinson, Angela K. Burrow, Garrett W. Hopper, Wendell R. Haag

Faculty Publications

Increases in species richness with habitat area (species–area relationship, or SAR) and increases in ecosystem function with species richness (biodiversity–ecosystem functioning, or BEF) are widely studied ecological patterns. Incorporating functional trait analysis into assemblage datasets may help clarify interpretations of SAR and BEF relationships in natural ecological systems. For example, life history theory can be used to make predictions about what species are most important in generating ecosystem function given a certain set of environmental conditions. We used quantitative assemblage data for freshwater mussels at nine sites in western Alabama, USA, to test for SAR and BEF relationships. At each …

A Longitudinal Evaluation Of Personalized Intrinsic Network Topography And Cognitive Decline In Parkinson's Disease, Renxi Li, Vincent Pozorski, Kevin Dabbs, Maureen Haebig, Christopher R. Cox, Colleen Pletcher, Alexandra Wey, Amy Barzgari, Frances Theisen, Ozioma Okonkwo, Catherine L. Gallagher

Faculty Publications

Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) offers insight into how synchrony within and between brain networks is altered in disease states. Individual and disease-related variability in intrinsic connectivity networks may influence our interpretation of R-fMRI data. We used a personalized approach designed to account for individual variation in the spatial location of correlation maxima to evaluate R-fMRI differences between Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who showed cognitive decline, those who remained cognitively stable and cognitively stable controls. We compared fMRI data from these participant groups, studied at baseline and 18 months later, using both network-based statistics (NBS) and calculations of …

Effects Of The Menstrual Cycle And Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Metabolic Outcomes, Strength Performance, And Recovery: A Narrative Review, Hannah E. Cabre, Lacey M. Gould, Leanne M. Redman, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

The effects of female sex hormones on optimal performance have been increasingly recognized as an important consideration in exercise and sport science research. This narrative review explores the findings of studies evaluating the effects of menstrual cycle phase in eumenorrheic women and the use of hormonal contraception (oral contraceptives and hormonal intrauterine devices) on metabolism, muscular strength, and recovery in active females. Ovarian hormones are known to influence metabolism because estrogen is a master regulator of bioenergetics. Importantly, the menstrual cycle may impact protein synthesis, impacting skeletal muscle quality and strength. Studies investigating muscular strength in eumenorrheic women report equivocal …

Wood Ducks And Hooded Mergansers As Interspecific Brood Parasites: An Evaluation Of Parasitic Egg Survival, Dylan L. Bakner, Kevin M. Ringelman, Larry A. Reynolds, Richard M. Kaminski, Scott E. Stephens, J. Brian Davis

Faculty Publications

Conspecific and interspecific brood parasitism are alternate reproductive strategies more pervasive in waterfowl than in any other group of birds. While previous research has measured costs incurred by nest hosts incubating parasitized clutches, few studies have focused on the relative success of parasites. Here, we evaluated the success of wood duck (Aix sponsa) and hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) eggs laid parasitically in Louisiana and Mississippi. We monitored nest boxes, assigned eggs in each nest as host or parasitic, and determined the number of eggs that hatched and failed. Across all study areas (1994–1999 and 2020–2023), we monitored 1750 wood duck …

Wood Duck Nest Survival And Duckling Recruitment Is Minimally Affected By Interspecific Brood Parasitism From Hooded Mergansers And Black-Bellied Whistling-Ducks, Dylan L. Bakner, Kevin M. Ringelman, Larry A. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

In the southeastern United States, wood ducks (Aix sponsa) have historically experienced interspecific brood parasitism (IBP) primarily from hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus), but the recent northward expansion of black-bellied whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) has added a new complexity to these interactions. We monitored nest boxes in Louisiana to evaluate the influence IBP had on wood duck daily nest survival rate (after, DSR) and duckling recruitment. We monitored 1,295 wood duck nests from 2020−2023 and found 112 (8.7%) were parasitized by hooded mergansers and 148 (11.5%) by whistling-ducks. Parasitic egg-laying by hooded mergansers lowered wood duck DSR, while DSR for nests parasitized …

Potential Effects Of Traffic Noise On Anuran Call Characteristics In Louisiana, Usa During Winter, Jane M. Kunberger, Ty J. Price, Chloe Crawford, Allison A. Vestal-Laborde, Ashley M. Long

Faculty Publications

Urban environments expose wildlife to levels of anthropogenic noise they would not experience in rural areas (e.g., traffic noise), and research suggests that many species adjust their acoustic signals for optimal transmission in urban soundscapes. However, our understanding of anuran (order Anura) responses to noise pollution in urban environments of the southeastern United States is limited, particularly for species that can breed during winter. Our goal was to examine how vocal anuran advertisement call characteristics during winter varied with increasing distance from roadways in bottomland hardwoods of Louisiana, USA. We deployed acoustic recording units at two sites (i.e., rural and …

In Vitro Culture Alters Cell Lineage Composition And Cellular Metabolism Of Bovine Blastocyst, Hao Ming, Mingxiang Zhang, Sandeep Rajput, Deirdre Logsdon, Linkai Zhu, William B. Schoolcraft, Rebecca L. Krisher, Zongliang Jiang, Ye Yuan

Faculty Publications

Profiling bovine blastocyst transcriptome at the single-cell level has enabled us to reveal the first cell lineage segregation, during which the inner cell mass (ICM), trophectoderm (TE), and an undefined population of transitional cells were identified. By comparing the transcriptome of blastocysts derived in vivo (IVV), in vitro from a conventional culture medium (IVC), and in vitro from an optimized reduced nutrient culture medium (IVR), we found a delay of the cell fate commitment to ICM in the IVC and IVR embryos. Developmental potential differences between IVV, IVC, and IVR embryos were mainly contributed by ICM and transitional cells. Pathway …

The Effect Of Season On Neuroendocrine Interactions In The Mare, Victoria N. Bailey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Reproductive seasonality in the mare involves various neuroendocrine modulations, and a series of experiments were conducted to investigate the anatomical and physiological roles of some of these seasonal modulators. The first experiment incorporated kisspeptin-10 (Kp10) into a treatment with estradiol benzoate (EB) and sulpiride, aiming to induce early cyclicity in seasonally anovulatory mares. Incorporation of Kp10 resulted in more mares ovulating earlier compared to mares receiving EB-sulpiride. Although plasma prolactin increased in both groups, concentrations were notably higher in Kp10-treated mares. Therefore, the subsequent experiment explored the anatomical interaction of kisspeptin and prolactin, aiming to determine whether kisspeptin may regulate …

The Hoof Inside Out: A Comprehensive Investigation About The Shoe Configuration Effects On The Behavior Of The Equine Hoof, Rita Aoun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The equine hoof is a unique organ in biology that has intricate elastic properties. From simple protection to therapeutic and corrective measures, horseshoes are widely used in the equine industry. Various types of shoeing have been designed and used based on their unique targeted functions following hoof care. Shoes can modify the gait of the horse, affect the alignment of the distal joints, and alter stress and strains on specific hoof regions. The objective of this dissertation is to provide an overview of the available research on the existing methodology and literature on the effects of shoeing on equine gait …

Neural Circuits Expressing The Serotonin 2c Receptor Regulate Memory In Mice And Humans, Hesong Liu, Yang He, Hailan Liu, Bas Brouwers, Na Yin, Katherine Lawler, Julia M. Keogh, Elana Henning, Dong Kee Lee, Meng Yu, Longlong Tu, Nan Zhang, Kristine M. Conde, Junying Han, Zili Yan, Nikolas A. Scarcelli, Lan Liao, Jianming Xu, Qingchun Tong, Hui Zheng, Zheng Sun, Yongjie Yang, Chunmei Wang, Yanlin He, I. Sadaf Farooqi, Yong Xu

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Declined memory is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Experiments in rodents and human postmortem studies suggest that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) plays a role in memory, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we investigate the role of 5-HT 2C receptor (5-HT2CR) in regulating memory. Transgenic mice expressing a humanized HTR2C mutation exhibit impaired plasticity of hippocampal ventral CA1 (vCA1) neurons and reduced memory. Further, 5-HT neurons project to and synapse onto vCA1 neurons. Disruption of 5-HT synthesis in vCA1-projecting neurons or deletion of 5-HT2CRs in the vCA1 impairs neural plasticity and memory. We show that a selective 5-HT2CR agonist, …