The Neural Underpinnings Of Processing Newly Taught Semantic Information: The Role Of Retrieval Practice, Eileen Haebig, Laurence B. Leonard, Patricia Deevy, Jennifer Schumaker, Jeffrey D. Karpicke, Christine Weber

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Recent behavioral studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing retrieval practice into learning tasks for children. Such approaches have revealed that repeated spaced retrieval (RSR) is particularly effective in promoting children’s learning of word form and meaning information. This study further examines how retrieval practice enhances learning of word meaning information at the behavioral and neural levels. Method: Twenty typically developing preschool children were taught novel words using an RSR learning schedule for some words and an immediate retrieval (IR) learning schedule for other words. In addition to the label, children were taught two arbitrary semantic features for each …

The Role Of Reduced Methionine In Mediating The Metabolic Responses To Protein Restriction Using Different Sources Of Protein, Han Fang, Kirsten P. Stone, Sujoy Ghosh, Laura A. Forney, Thomas W. Gettys

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Dietary protein restriction and dietary methionine restriction (MR) produce a comparable series of behavioral, physiological, biochemical, and transcriptional responses. Both dietary regimens produce a similar reduction in intake of sulfur amino acids (e.g., methionine and cystine), and both diets increase expression and release of hepatic FGF21. Given that FGF21 is an essential mediator of the metabolic phenotype produced by both diets, an important unresolved question is whether dietary protein restriction represents de facto methionine restriction. Using diets formulated from either casein or soy protein with matched reductions in sulfur amino acids, we compared the ability of the respective diets to …

Novel Sources Of Pre-Harvest Sprouting Resistance For Japonica Rice Improvement, Jae Sung Lee, Dmytro Chebotarov, Kenneth L. Mcnally, Valerien Pede, Tri Deri Setiyono, Rency Raquid, Woong Jo Hyun, Ji Ung Jeung, Ajay Kohli, Youngjun Mo

Faculty Publications

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), induced by unexpected weather events, such as typhoons, at the late seed maturity stage, is becoming a serious threat to rice production, especially in the state of California, USA, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, where japonica varieties (mostly susceptible to PHS) are mainly cultivated. A projected economic loss by severe PHS in these three countries could range between 8–10 billion USD per year during the next 10 years. Here, we present promising rice germplasm with strong resistance to PHS that were selected from a diverse rice panel of accessions held in the International Rice Genebank (IRG) …

Novel Epigenetic Link Between Gestational Diabetes Mellitus And Macrosomia, Brian T. Joyce, Huikun Liu, Leishen Wang, Jun Wang, Yinan Zheng, Drew Nannini, Alex Drong, Stephanie Shiau, Weiqin Li, Junhong Leng, Yun Shen, Ru Gao, Andrea Baccarelli, Gang Hu, Lifang Hou

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background & objectives: Examine maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), macrosomia and DNA methylation in candidate genes IGF1, IGF2, H19, ARHGRF11, MEST, NR3C1, ADIPOQ and RETN. Materials & methods: A total of 1145 children (572 GDM cases and 573 controls) from the Tianjin GDM study, including 177 with macrosomia, had blood DNA collection at median age 5.9 (range: 3.1-10.0). We used logistic regression to screen for associations with GDM and model macrosomia on 37 CpGs, and performed mediation analysis. Results: One CpG was associated with macrosomia at false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05 (cg14428359 in MEST); two (cg19466922 in MEST and cg26263166 in IGF2) were associated at p < 0.05 but mediated 26 and 13%, respectively. Conclusion: MEST and IGF2 were previously identified for potential involvement in fetal growth and development (Trial Registration number: NCT01554358 [ClinicalTrials.gov]).

Lipids Activate Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Fission And Quality Control Networks To Induce Insulin Resistance In Humans, Christopher L. Axelrod, Ciaran E. Fealy, Melissa L. Erickson, Gangarao Davuluri, Hisashi Fujioka, Wagner S. Dantas, Emily Huang, Kathryn Pergola, Jacob T. Mey, William T. King, Anny Mulya, Daniel Hsia, Bartolome Burguera, Bernard Tandler, Charles L. Hoppel, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Background and aims: A diminution in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function due to ectopic lipid accumulation and excess nutrient intake is thought to contribute to insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes. However, the functional integrity of mitochondria in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle remains highly controversial. Methods: 19 healthy adults (age:28.4 ± 1.7 years; BMI:22.7 ± 0.3 kg/m2) received an overnight intravenous infusion of lipid (20% Intralipid) or saline followed by a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp to assess insulin sensitivity using a randomized crossover design. Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained after the overnight lipid infusion to evaluate activation of mitochondrial dynamics proteins, …

Increased Ploidy Of Butomus Umbellatus In Introduced Populations Is Not Associated With Higher Phenotypic Plasticity To N And P, Nathan E. Harms, James T. Cronin, John F. Gaskin

Faculty Publications

Separate introductions or post-introduction evolution may lead to multiple invader genotypes or cytotypes that differ in growth rates, biomass or chemical profile responses (phenotype) to a range of environments. If the invader has high trait plasticity to a range of resource levels, then sediment N or P enrichment may enhance invasiveness. However, the ways in which ploidy, plasticity, and available N or P interact are unknown for most species despite the potential to explain spread and impacts by invaders with multiple introduced lineages. We conducted a common garden experiment with four triploid and six diploid populations of Butomus umbellatus, collected …

Correction To: Female Reproductive Organs Of Brassica Napus Are More Sensitive Than Male To Transient Heat Stress (Euphytica, (2021), 217, 6, (117), 10.1007/S10681-021-02859-Z), Sheng Chen, Renu Saradadevi, Miriam S. Vidotti, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Jose Crossa, Kadambot H.M. Siddique, Wallace A. Cowling

Faculty Publications

The article Female reproductive organs of Brassica napus are more sensitive than male to transient heat stress, written by Sheng Chen, Renu Saradadevi, Miriam S. Vidotti, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Jose Crossa, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Wallace A. Cowling, was originally published Online First without Open Access. After publication in volume 217: 117 the author decided to opt for Open Choice and to make the article an Open Access publication. Therefore, the copyright of the article has been changed to © The Author(s) 2021 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which …

Changes In Mood And Health-Related Quality Of Life In Look Ahead 6 Years After Termination Of The Lifestyle Intervention, Thomas A. Wadden, Ariana M. Chao, Harelda Anderson, Kirsten Annis, Karen Atkinson, Paula Bolin, Phillip Brantley, Jeanne M. Clark, Mace Coday, Gareth Dutton, John P. Foreyt, Edward W. Gregg, Helen P. Hazuda, James O. Hill, Van S. Hubbard, John M. Jakicic, Robert W. Jeffery, Karen C. Johnson, Steven E. Kahn, William C. Knowler, Mary Korytkowski, Cora E. Lewis, Blandine Laferrère, Roeland J. Middelbeek, Medha N. Munshi, David M. Nathan, Rebecca H. Neiberg, Scott J. Pilla, Anne Peters, Xavier Pi-Sunyer, Jack W. Rejeski, Bruce Redmon, Tiffany Stewart, Elizabeth Vaughan

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: The Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) study previously reported that intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) reduced incident depressive symptoms and improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over nearly 10 years of intervention compared with a control group (the diabetes support and education group [DSE]) in participants with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. The present study compared incident depressive symptoms and changes in HRQOL in these groups for an additional 6 years following termination of the ILI in September 2012. Methods: A total of 1,945 ILI participants and 1,900 DSE participants completed at least one of four …

Bridge Cracks Monitoring: Detection, Measurement, And Comparison Using Augmented Reality, Fernando Moreu, Kaveh Malek

Publications

Crack occurrence and propagation are among critical factors that affect the performance and lifespan of civil infrastructures such as bridges. Consequently, numerous crack detection and measurement methods have been proposed and developed in the recent decades in the areas of Structural Health Monitoring and non-destructive testing. Many novel technologies have emerged with the potential to overcome the limitations of the presented techniques of crack detection and characterization. Crack detection and characterization method used in this research lies in supplementing human visual inspection capabilities in a systematic manner through an appropriate level of automation. The Augmented Reality (AR) tool developed in …

Development Of A Multi-Level Dynamic Model To Measure The Resilience Level Of Transportation Infrastructure Networks, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Jianling Li, Thahomina Jahan Nipa

Publications

The recent increase in disasters is making the largest critical infrastructure system namely the transportation infrastructure system susceptible to unexpected damage. Discontinuation of services provided by transportation infrastructures will create significant societal, economic, and collateral damages. Therefore, this study aims to identify dimensions to measure the resilience of the transportation infrastructures. This study also aims to develop a model to measure the resilience of the transportation infrastructures resilience. To fulfill the aims of this study, a questionnaire was developed which was supported by a comprehensive literature review. 92 valid responses were received and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Statistically significant variables …

Phragmites Australis Dieback In The Mississippi River Delta: Chemical Profiles Of Soil Types And Restoration Potential, Herie Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Since 2016, there has been widespread dieback of P. australis in the Lower Mississippi River Delta (hereafter referred to as Lower MRD, which is defined as the Birds Foot Delta) with relatively little to no signs of recovery. The cause of the current dieback is not fully understood. This thesis explores P. australis with emphasis on chemical profile characterization of different soil types and its effects on plant growth and the potential for restoration in the Lower MRD.

In chapter 2, I characterized the chemical profiles of soils collected from healthy and dieback stands of Phragmites, and from newly …

210po And 210pb As Tracers Of Particle Cycling And Export In The Western Arctic Ocean, Wokil Bam, Kanchan Maiti, Mark Baskaran

Faculty Publications

The distribution and vertical fluxes of particulate organic carbon and other key elements in the Arctic Ocean are primarily governed by the spatial and seasonal changes in primary productivity, areal extent of ice cover, and lateral exchange between the shelves and interior basins. The Arctic Ocean has undergone rapid increase in primary productivity and drastic decrease in the areal extent of seasonal sea ice in the last two decades. These changes can greatly influence the biological pump as well as associated carbon export and key element fluxes. Here, we report the export of particulate organic and inorganic carbon, particulate nitrogen …

Challenging The Illusion Of Diversity: A New Theoretical Paradigm Towards Newsroom Inclusion., Paromita Saha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past forty years, the news industry has attempted to diversify the racial composition of their newsrooms from the perspective of representing their markets better mirroring best business practices in the industry. The statistics show that an affirmative style of recruitment has produced minimal, superficial results with a high turnover of minority journalists who are hardly promoted to editorial positions, as well as skewed representations of minority racial groups. The literature indicates that hegemonic ideological forces and the White male professional ethos behind journalism is not conducive to minority journalists producing meaningful changes to news content. My study indicates …

A Conceptual Framework For Phase-Dependent, Composite Flood Risk Index (Fri) Curves Based On The Relationship Between Temporal Probability Of Flood Occurring (Ph) And Flood Vulnerability Index (Fvi) Along With Maps Of Fvi Within The Amite River Basin Based On The August 2016 Flood., Austin S. Guerin Mr.

LSU Master's Theses

Efforts directed at determining community vulnerability to flooding are limited and only include economic (dollar damages) and public safety impacts and do not consider the phase dependency of the system, i.e., pre-, during- and post-storm, both critical shortcomings for more broadly assessing community risk and developing comprehensive plans and mitigation strategies. This thesis first develops a framework based on a Flood-Vulnerability Index (FVI) approach and then demonstrates its usefulness, at the census tract level of detail, for three parishes in the Greater Baton Rouge, LA area, based on the August 2016 flood. FVI’s indicators are multidimensional and phase dependent: “Pre-Flood” …

Gas Evolution Phenomenon Of Methane In Base Fluids Of Non-Aqueous Drilling Muds Under Controlled Depressurization, Damilola Ojedeji

LSU Master's Theses

As wells become more complex and drilling conditions to reach targets prove even more challenging, being able to detect influx event early and safely handle these influxes has become one of the most important focus areas for improvement in well control safety. The high solubility of formation gas in non-aqueous drilling fluids however makes kick detection and safe handling of kicks more complicated. Recent studies are beginning to incorporate desorption kinetics in well control models to simulate the transient multiphase flow phenomenon associated with gas kicks in non-aqueous drilling fluids to foster safe handling of kicks. However, there is currently …

A Study Of Methane-Liquid Absorption Characteristics For Gas Influx Management, Scott A. Perry

LSU Master's Theses

The study of absorption mass transfer kinetics in non-aqueous base fluids and the investigation of the parameters that influence this process is crucial in the application to gas influx management. While there have been a large number of studies investigating the interaction and solubility of methane in non-aqueous drilling fluids, relatively little attention has been placed on studying the mass transfer kinetics for different scenarios within the wellbore and riser. During the drilling process, there are multiple ways in which the formation gas can come into contact with the drilling fluid via a gas kick. Once the gas influx dissolves …

Improving Inhibitory Control In A Kindergarten Classroom, Kaitlyn Theresa Lambert

LSU Master's Theses

BACKGROUND: Executive function skills are critical in early development, as they “form the foundation for children’s ability to self-regulate” (McLelland et al., 2016, p. 242). Inhibitory control, one component of executive function, is the ability to suppress or inhibit responses to distractions when completing a task (Nguyen & Duncan, 2019). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to improve children’s inhibitory control in the classroom through age-appropriate games, which promote controlling emotions and remaining on task. METHODS: Three target children were observed in the classroom they attend with their regular teacher. Baseline data revealed that the target children needed improvement …

Evaluating Word Embedding Models For Traceability, Mahfuza Khatun, Mahfuza Khatun

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Traceability link recovery (TLR) is a software engineering activity that helps to ensure software quality and assists with keeping track of changes by establishing links between software artifacts that are a part of the software engineering process, such as requirements, use cases, source code, test cases, and documentation. Software requirement artifacts are typically written in natural language. An Information Retrieval process is frequently used in many software activities, including the TLR activity. Recently, Word Embedding (WE) techniques have been used in many natural language processing tasks as well as in TLR tasks. We investigate the effectiveness of WE techniques …

Effects Of Plant Spacing Variability And Non-Uniform Emergence On Corn Yield, Justin Dufour

LSU Master's Theses

Plant spacing variability and non-uniform emergence in corn (Zea mays L.) is not uncommon in Louisiana corn fields. Variation in planting depth, non-uniform surface crop residue distribution in no-tillage systems, microsite variation in the seed bed condition, and seed vigor are major factors responsible for non-uniform emergence. Also, planters with low precision in seed placement and careless planting operations can cause non-uniform spacing. Two studies were conducted to quantify the effects of plant spacing variability and non-uniform emergence on grain yield in corn. Six plant spacing treatments at 47,770 plants ha^-1 were evaluated. Uniform spacing, seed skip, double …

Racial Dissimilarity And Employee Attitudes And Behaviors: The Moderating Role Of Competitive Work Environment And Social Support, Sydney Green

LSU Master's Theses

Racial diversity within public and private organizations is a controversial topic: many companies are encouraged to make their team racially representative of the general public while also maintaining productivity. At the same time, research suggests that increasing racial diversity may have a negative influence on desirable work-related outcomes, especially if employees perceive themselves to be racially dissimilar from their coworkers. In attempting to increase racial diversity, organizations may leave some of their employees experiencing negative consequences related to being the only employee of a particular racial minority group (e.g., Black). These types of circumstances and their negative consequences adds to …

To Be Read: The Educational Opportunities Of Booktube, Anita M. Dubroc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

BookTube, a literary-focused subcommunity of YouTube, is a network of readers where educational theory and literary theory collide. BookTube is known for delving out book reviews and showing off book hauls, but its content creators, known as booktubers, do much more than display walls of colorful hardback books. The BookTube community is a networked knowledge community (Sorensen & Mara, 2014) in which informal knowledge is valued as much as the formal knowledge attained in classrooms. Online book reviews on sites such as Amazon and Goodreads have demonstrated the waning influence of professional book reviewers because now any reader take on …

Understanding Potassium Toxicity Stress Responses Of The Extremophyte Schrenkiella Parvula Using Systems Biology Approaches, Pramod Pantha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Schrenkiella parvula is an extremophyte model closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica crops. Its natural habitat includes shores of saline lakes in the Irano-Turanian region. It has adapted to grow in soils rich in multiple salts including Na⁺ and K⁺. I have investigated the genetic basis for high K⁺ tolerance in plants using S. parvula as a stress tolerant model compared to the premier plant model, Arabidopsis thaliana which is highly sensitive to salt stresses using physiological, ionomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic approaches. Under high K⁺ stress, root system architecture changes significantly compared to control …

Late Miocene Unroofing Of The Inner Lesser Himalaya Recorded In The Nw Himalaya Foreland Basin, Elise Marie Exnicios

LSU Master's Theses

Testing models that link climate and solid Earth tectonics requires independent erosional, structural and climatic histories. Two well preserved stratigraphic sections of the Himalayan foreland basin are exposed in NW India. The Jawalamukhi (13–5 Ma) and Joginder Nagar sections (21–13 Ma) are dated by magnetostratigraphy and span a period of significant climate change and tectonic evolution. We use detrital zircon U-Pb dating and apatite fission track analyses to reconstruct changes in the patterns of erosion and exhumation in this area from the Early Miocene to Pliocene. The provenance of the foreland sediments shows that since at least ~21 Ma the …

Assessment Of Long-Term Performance Of Pavements Containing Warm Mix Asphalt Technologies In Louisiana, Kwadwo Ampadu Boateng

LSU Master's Theses

This study focused on the assessment of long-term performance of asphalt pavements containing warm mix asphalt technologies in Louisiana. A total of five rehabilitation projects were studied in the state of Louisiana. The study consisted of engineering desk analyses of field performance indicators, indices and the initial laboratory performance indicators measured for five rehabilitation projects.

The engineering desk study consisted of a review of literature from previous WMA technology projects done in Louisiana. Additionally, data was acquired and validated from the Louisiana Pavement Management System (PMS). Pavement performance indicators (i.e., cracking (transverse, longitudinal, and fatigue cracking), roughness, rutting, and pavement …

#Blackgirlmathmagic: A Mixed Methods Study Examining African American Girls In Standardized Mathematicstesting, Rakeema Thomas Toussaint

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Black women have been making successful strides in mathematics for decades; however, they continue to be underrepresented in mathematics and other STEM fields. According to Young et al. (2017), Black girls and women perform lower in mathematics than all other racial gender groups except for Black males. Considering the stakes for Black girls and women in mathematics, this study sought to address this group's challenges early in their secondary education experiences, focusing on standardized testing.

The purpose of this explanatory-sequential mixed-methods study was to determine how different mathematics item types impacted the performance of African American girls, especially multiple-select multiple-choice …

Lyapunov Function-Based Stabilizing Control Scheme For Wireless Power Transfer Systems With Lcc Compensation Network, Abu Shahir Md Khalid Hasan

LSU Master's Theses

A stabilizing control scheme based on a Lyapunov function is proposed for wireless power transfer (or WPT) systems. A state-space model of the WPT system is developed and the Lyapunov function is formulated based on an energy equation of the system involving state variables. The internal resistance of a battery varies during charge and discharge. Therefore, if a WPT system is used to charge a battery, its output load will vary. Furthermore, the coupling coefficient between the transmitter (primary) and receiver (secondary) coils decreases when they are misaligned. Comparative case studies are conducted to verify the efficacy of the proposed …

Seasonal Variation In The Feeding Ecology Of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares) From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Mitchell Shay Lovell

LSU Master's Theses

Highly migratory fishes (e.g., tunas, billfishes, and sharks) play a significant role in the structure and function of open-ocean ecosystems and a better understanding of the food web dynamics that support their populations is essential to improve management and conservation. Here, I use complementary approaches (stomach contents, DNA barcoding, & stable isotopes) to examine seasonal variability in the feeding ecology of sub-adult (70 – 100 cm; n = 371) and adult (100 – 160 cm; n = 206) yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) from the northern Gulf of Mexico over a one-year period (April 2019 – March 2020). Stomach …

Telling A New Story Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Narrative Versus Argument Communication Effects On Ocd Stigma And Recognition, Ashlyn Blaire Soileau

LSU Master's Theses

This study utilizes narrative persuasion theory to investigate the effect of narrative and argument appeals when communicating about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to the public. This study tested stigma and recognition of OCD with a 2x2 factorial between-subject design using advertisement types and gender as the independent variables. Findings showed that communication type and gender do not affect OCD recognition. However, a univariate ANCOVA analysis, when controlling for empathy and OCD experience. The results revealed that gender and ad type did affect OCD stigma. Also, women showed lower stigma scores for social restrictiveness when seeing the narrative appeal when contrasted with …

Enhanced Oil Recovery In Tight Rocks Using The “Slot-Drill” Completion, Hassan Amer

LSU Master's Theses

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is essential in shale/tight formations because primary recovery typically produces less than 10% of the original hydrocarbon in-place (OHIP). This work presents a novel “slot-drill” EOR technology, which involves injecting gas through a horizontal fracture that is cut into the formation near the top of the reservoir (using a tensioned abrasive cutting cable mounted to the drillstring) and producing oil from a second slot-drilled horizontal fracture near the bottom of the reservoir.

The dusty-gas diffusion model was implemented in a compositional simulator to account for the diffusion mechanism expected during the injection of gases in this …

Flat Topological Bands And Eigenstate Criticality In A Quasiperiodic Insulator, Yixing Fu, Justin H. Wilson, J. H. Pixley

Faculty Publications

The effects of downfolding a Brillouin zone can open gaps and quench the kinetic energy by flattening bands. Quasiperiodic systems are extreme examples of this process, which leads to new phases and critical eigenstates. We analytically and numerically investigate these effects in a two-dimensional topological insulator with a quasiperiodic potential and discover a complex phase diagram. We study the nature of the resulting eigenstate quantum phase transitions; a quasiperiodic potential can make a trivial insulator topological and induce topological insulator-to-metal phase transitions through a unique universality class distinct from random systems. This wealth of critical behavior occurs concomitantly with the …