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Moisture-Tolerant And Operationally Simple Synthesis Of Synthetic Polypeptides And Polypeptoids By Ring-Opening Polymerization Of N-Thiocarboxyanhydrides, David Siefker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This work aims to develop a new synthetic strategy for synthesizing advanced functional This work aims to develop a new synthetic strategy for synthesizing advanced functional pseudo-peptidic polymers. Pseudo-peptidic polymers mimic poly(glycine) backbone with substituents on either the α-carbon or the nitrogen, appealing properties for various biomedical applications. One of the critical challenges in pseudo-peptidic polymers research is the synthesis of functional pseudo-peptidic polymers under mild conditions. We developed a system based on ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-Thiocarboxyanhydrides (NTAs) initiated by primary amines to synthesize polypeptides with a wide range of controlled molecular weights …

Current Methods And Future Directions In Avian Diet Analysis, Brandon D. Hoenig, Allison M. Snider, Anna M. Forsman, Keith A. Hobson, Steven C. Latta, Eliot T. Miller, Michael J. Polito, Luke L. Powell, Samantha L. Rogers, Thomas W. Sherry, David P.L. Toews, Andreanna J. Welch, Sabrina S. Taylor, Brady A. Porter

Faculty Publications

Identifying the composition of avian diets is a critical step in characterizing the roles of birds within ecosystems. However, because birds are a diverse taxonomic group with equally diverse dietary habits, gaining an accurate and thorough understanding of avian diet can be difficult. In addition to overcoming the inherent difficulties of studying birds, the field is advancing rapidly, and researchers are challenged with a myriad of methods to study avian diet, a task that has only become more difficult with the introduction of laboratory techniques to dietary studies. Because methodology drives inference, it is important that researchers are aware of …

Obesity, Body Composition, And Sex Hormones: Implications For Cardiovascular Risk, Prachi Singh, Naima Covassin, Kara Marlatt, Kishore M. Gadde, Steven B. Heymsfield

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death in adults, highlighting the need to develop novel strategies to mitigate cardiovascular risk. The advancing obesity epidemic is now threatening the gains in CVD risk reduction brought about by contemporary pharmaceu-tical and surgical interventions. There are sex differences in the development and outcomes of CVD; premenopausal women have significantly lower CVD risk than men of the same age, but women lose this advantage as they transition to menopause, an observation suggesting potential role of sex hormones in determining CVD risk. Clear differences in obesity and regional fat distribution among …

Joseph Smith For President: The Prophet, The Assassins, And The Fight For American Religious Freedom, Spencer Welles Mcbride

Civil War Book Review

In this issue’s author interview, McBride and I dive into Smith’s bid for the presidency. In doing so, we discuss how Smith endured tough lessons in the hollowness of states’ rights philosophy, which inspired his decision to run for president. Our discussion touches on Smith’s platform and his campaign’s infrastructure, and how the two related to his role as prophet in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The Fires Of Philadelphia: Citizen-Soldiers, Nativists, And The 1844 Riots Over The Soul Of A Nation, Luke Ritter

Civil War Book Review

Zachary M. Schrag's book combines biographies of rioters and their victims, and the socio-cultural context in which the riots developed. Though Shcrag offers analysis of the riots, he favors “detail and description,” which makes the book “walloping fun” to read, Ritter concludes.

The Parastagonospora Nodorum Necrotrophic Effector Sntox5 Targets The Wheat Gene Snn5 And Facilitates Entry Into The Leaf Mesophyll, Gayan K. Kariyawasam, Jonathan K. Richards, Nathan A. Wyatt, Katherine L.D. Running, Steven S. Xu, Zhaohui Liu, Pawel Borowicz, Justin D. Faris, Timothy L. Friesen

Faculty Publications

Parastagonospora nodorum is an economically important necrotrophic fungal pathogen of wheat. Parastagonospora nodorum secretes necrotrophic effectors that target wheat susceptibility genes to induce programmed cell death (PCD). In this study, we cloned and functionally validated SnTox5 and characterized its role in pathogenesis. We used whole genome sequencing, genome-wide association study (GWAS) mapping, CRISPR-Cas9-based gene disruption, gain-of-function transformation, quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, haplotype and isoform analysis, protein modeling, quantitative PCR, and laser confocal microscopy to validate SnTox5 and functionally characterize SnTox5. SnTox5 is a mature 16.26 kDa protein with high structural similarity to SnTox3. Wild-type and mutant P. nodorum strains …

A New Detection Of The Invasive Mexican Rice Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) From Georgia In The United States Based On Morphological And Molecular Data, Ilgoo Kang, Blake Wilson, Blake Carter, Rodrigo Diaz

Faculty Publications

The Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar), is an invasive herbivore that attacks many gramineous host plants. The species is an economic pest of several grass crops in North America including sugarcane (Saccharum spp.), rice (Oryza sativa), corn (Zea mays), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). The species was first detected in the United States in 1980 and has since expanded its range eastward along the Gulf Coast reaching Louisiana in 2008. A disjointed introduction was detected in Florida in 2012, though range expansion of this population within the state has been limited. Most recently, a separate introduction was detected along the …

The Band Of American Ladies : Children’S Librarians And The Creation Of Children’S Literature In The Long 19th Century, Suzanne Stauffer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Alternative Nesting Strategies Of Polistine Wasps In A Subtropical Locale, Scott Nacko, Mark A. Hall, Gregg Henderson

Faculty Publications

Phylogenetic studies suggest that historically all paper wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in North America have tropical origins, but some species have adapted to survive temperate conditions. Subtropical climates, which are intermediate between temperate and tropical, allow a unique opportu-nity to study ancestral traits which can be retained or lost within populations, and ultimately elucidate the process of social wasp evolution. We investigated the phenology of paper wasps at study sites in subtropical Baton Rouge, USA, through nest searching and monitoring of nest parameters throughout the warm season (March–October). Across the year, two periods of nest initiation occurred: from March–May (early season …

Lsu General Catalog 2022-2023, Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College

LSU General Catalog

The LSU General Catalog describes all undergraduate and graduate departments and programs with degree requirements and courses offered for each one. The LSU General Catalog includes information on registration and financial aid as well as academic services offered to all students.

Louisiana Agriculture Winter, 2022, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

Louisiana’s agricultural and natural resources continue to be under attack from a wide variety of invasive species. Some are new to the state, while others have been here for a long time. This issue of Louisiana Agriculture highlights the broad range of research activities being conducted by LSU AgCenter scientists to understand how invasive species survive and thrive and to identify effective means of controlling or limiting their damage in the state.

Global South Asian And Black Relationships, Liam O’Loughlin, Pallavi Rastogi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Complicated Relationship Between Dieting, Dietary Restraint, Caloric Restriction, And Eating Disorders: Is A Shift In Public Health Messaging Warranted?, Tiffany M. Stewart, Corby K. Martin, Donald A. Williamson

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

The origins of theories specifying dietary restraint as a cause of eating disorders can be traced to the 1970s. This paper will present an overview of the origins of dietary restraint theories and a brief historical review of evidence will be summarized. Recent research will be presented, including the results from the CALERIE Phase 1 study, as well as CALERIE Phase 2, which were NIH-sponsored randomized controlled trials. CALERIE 2 provided a test of the effect of two years of caloric restriction (CR) on the development of eating disorder syndromes and symptoms in comparison to a control group that did …

E-Cigarette Device And Liquid Characteristics And E-Cigarette Dependence: A Pilot Study Of Pod-Based And Disposable E-Cigarette Users, Elizabeth K. Do, Katie O'Connor, Siobhan N. Perks, Eric K. Soule, Thomas Eissenberg, Michael S. Amato, Amanda L. Graham, Corby K. Martin, Christoph Höchsmann, Bernard F. Fuemmeler

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: E-cigarette device and liquid characteristics, such as electrical power output and liquid nicotine concentration, determine the rate at which nicotine is emitted from the e-cigarette (i.e., nicotine flux), and thus are likely to influence user nicotine dependence. We hypothesize that nicotine flux would be associated with the E-cigarette Dependence Scale (EDS) among pod-based and disposable e-cigarette products. Methods: Data were obtained from online panel participants between 18 and 65 years of age, who had indicated that they were either former or current e-cigarette users and resided within the United States (N = 1036). To be included in these analyses, …

Going Virtual: Academic Conferences In The Age Of Covid-19, Leandro Rodriguez Medina, Wesley Shrum

Faculty Publications

In the context of the 2020 world pandemic of COVID-19, many professional and scientific associations have had to change the way that they gather and reorganize their scholarly conferences. For many of them, conferences are a main source of income and important occasions for business meetings and managerial decisions. Yet, with trips and face-to-face encounters banned, the opportunity arrived for going virtual and developing human and technical capacities to provide online environments for virtual conferences. In this article, we analyze the case of an e-conference co-organized by two international organizations at two levels: (a) the decision-making process and (b) the …

Deriving A Tree Growth Model From Any Existing Stand Growth Model, Quang V. Cao

Faculty Publications

In this study, a new method was developed to derive a tree survival and diameter growth model from any existing stand-level model, without the need for individual-tree growth data. Predictions from the derived tree model are constrained to match the number of trees and the basal area per hectare as outputted by the stand model. The tree models derived from three different stand models were evaluated against a tree model, in both unadjusted and disaggregated forms. For the same stand-level model, the derived tree model outperformed its counterpart, the disaggregated tree model. Furthermore, except for one stand model with poor …

Predicting Future Diameter Distributions Given Current Stand Attributes, Quang V. Cao

Faculty Publications

This study discussed four methods to project a diameter distribution from age A1 to age A2. Method 1 recovers parameters of the distribution at age A2 from stand attributes at that age. Method 2 uses a stand-level model to grow the quadratic mean diameter, and then recovers the distribution parameters from that prediction. Method 3 grows the diameter distribution by assuming tree-level survival and diameter growth functions. Method 4 first converts the diameter distribution at age A1 into a list of individual trees before growing these trees to age A2. In a numerical example employing the Weibull distribution, methods 3 …

Deriving Tree Growth Models From Stand Models Based On The Selfthinning Rule Of Chinese Fir Plantations, Xiongqing Zhang, Quang V. Cao, Yancheng Qu, Jianguo Zhang

Faculty Publications

Self-thinning due to density-dependent mortality usually occurs during the forest development. To improve predictions of such processes during forest successions under climate change, reliable stand-level models are needed. In this study, we developed an integrated system of tree-and stand-level models by deriving tree diameter and survival models from stand growth and survival models based on climate-sensitive self-thinning rule of Chinese fir plantations in subtropical China. The resulting integrated system, having a unified mathematical structure, should provide consistent estimates at both tree and stand levels. Predictions were reasonable at both stand and tree levels. Because stand-level values aggregated from the tree …

Association Of Night-Time Screen-Viewing With Adolescents’ Diet, Sleep, Weight Status, And Adiposity, Chelsea L. Kracht, Jordan Gracie Wilburn, Stephanie T. Broyles, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Amanda E. Staiano

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Night-time screen-viewing (SV) contributes to inadequate sleep and poor diet, and subse-quently excess weight. Adolescents may use many devices at night, which can provide additional night-time SV. Purpose: To identify night-time SV patterns, and describe differences in diet, sleep, weight status, and adiposity between patterns in a cross-sectional and longitudinal manner. Methods: Adolescents (10–16 y) reported devices they viewed at night and completed food recalls. Accelerome-try, anthropometrics, and imaging were conducted to measure sleep, weight status, and adiposity, respectively. Latent class analysis was performed to identify night-time SV clusters. Linear regression analysis was used to examine associations between clusters with …

Nutritional Status: An Overview Of Methods For Assessment, Catherine M. Champagne

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

For a number of medical conditions as well as weight status, an assessment of nutritional status can provide valuable information to direct treatment efforts. In the context of the seemingly constant increase in obesity, it is more important than ever to assess these individuals in the healthcare setting. A thorough nutrition assessment will enable the healthcare professional to craft a treatment plan that includes reduction of energy intake and/or increased physical activity to encourage weight loss. Efforts to do this successfully are not without challenges in the determination of dietary intakes since there does not appear now, or perhaps ever, …

Fostering Evidence-Grounded Dialogue In A Multi-Institutional Digital Library, Leah Duncan, Elizabeth Joan Kelly, Sophia Ziegler

Faculty Publications

This report presents the findings of a survey of Louisiana-based librarians, archivists, and museum professionals’ processes for digitization selection and digital collection outreach and assessment. Survey participants were administrators at cultural heritage institutions that contribute to the Louisiana Digital Library (LDL), a state-wide resource for sharing digital heritage content.

African Americans' Perceptions Of Nutrition Interventions: A Scoping Review, Matthew Greene, Bailey Houghtaling, Claire Sadeghzadeh, Molly De Marco, De'jerra Bryant, Randa Morgan, Denise Holston

Faculty Publications

Nutrition education and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change interventions may be able to address food insecurity and obesity, conditions which are disproportionately experienced by African Americans. Work that seeks to address these disparities and advance social justice should uplift and learn from participant voices, particularly from marginalized groups. This scoping review aimed to summarize the available literature describing African Americans' perceptions of and experiences participating in nutrition interventions. We conducted an electronic literature search with the assistance of a research librarian which encompassed 6 databases (MEDLINE, PyscINFO, Agricola, ERIC, SocINDEX, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses) and identified 35 sources …

Development Of A Memories Vocabulary (Memvoc) For Food Products Using Coffee As Model, Adan Cabal-Prieto, Gabriela Teodoro-Bernabé, Cecilia Coria-Rincón, Lucia Sánchez-Arellano, Lorena Guadalupe Ramón-Canul, Jesús Rodríguez-Miranda, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, José Manuel Juárez-Barrientos, José Andrés Herrera-Corredor, Emmanuel De Jesús Ramírez-Rivera

Faculty Publications

Multiple references in sensory science indicate that foods evoke memories during consumption, however, research regarding those memories is still limited. The objective of this study was to develop a vocabulary and implement it in a memories vocabulary related to food as a complement for the evaluation of sensory attributes and emotions, using coffee as a model. The memories vocabulary was generated with a series of successive studies that involved assigning positive and negative memories to different food groups and applying mathematical algorithms (WordCountAna and Factorial Approach) and contrasting memories with the scientific literature. Subsequently, the vocabulary was used to determine …

Habitat Segregation Patterns Of Container Breeding Mosquitos: The Role Of Urban Heat Islands, Vegetation Cover, And Income Disparity In Cemeteries Of New Orleans, Rebeca De Jesús Crespo, Rachel Elba Rogers

Faculty Publications

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are important pathogen-carrying vectors that broadly exhibit similar habitat suitability, but that differ at fine spatial scales in terms of competitive advantage and tolerance to urban driven environmental parameters. This study evaluated how spatial and temporal patterns drive the assemblages of these competing species in cemeteries of New Orleans, LA, applying indicators of climatic variability, vegetation, and heat that may drive habitat selection at multiple scales. We found that Ae. aegypti was well predicted by urban heat islands (UHI) at the cemetery scale and by canopy cover directly above the cemetery vase. As predicted, UHI …

Phylogenetics Of Archerfishes (Toxotidae) And Evolution Of The Toxotid Shooting Apparatus, M. G. Girard, M. P. Davis, Tan H.H., D. J. Wedd, P. Chakrabarty, W. B. Ludt, A. P. Summers, W. L. Smith

Faculty Publications

Synopsis: Archerfishes (Toxotidae) are variously found in the fresh- and brackish-water environments of Asia Pacific and are well known for their ability to shoot water at terrestrial prey. These shots of water are intended to strike their prey and cause it to fall into the water for capture and consumption. While this behavior is well known, there are competing hypotheses (blowpipe vs. pressure tank hypothesis) of how archerfishes shoot and which oral structures are involved. Current understanding of archerfish shooting structures is largely based on two species, Toxotes chatareus and T. jaculatrix. We do not know if all archerfishes possess …

Adapting Ripple Effect Mapping To A Virtual Survey Format, Matthew D. Greene, Jessica Stroope, Denise Holston

Faculty Publications

Community development projects continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Participatory evaluation of these projects is crucial. Ripple effect mapping (REM) is a participatory approach to evaluation that captures coalition and community member perspectives on program outcomes and impacts. In response to COVID-19, the Louisiana State University AgCenter Healthy Communities Initiative adapted REM for online delivery. The REM evaluation was found to be an effective way for community coalitions to reflect on outcomes and impacts and to motivate continued engagement

Louisiana Survey 2022, Lsu Reilly Center For Media & Public Affairs

Reilly Center Louisiana Surveys

No abstract provided.

An Inquiry Into Gradable Zero-Waste Apparel Design, Melanie Carrico, Sheri L. Dragoo, Ellen Mckinney, Casey Stannard, Colleen Moretz, Ashley Rougeaux-Burnes

Faculty Publications

The implementation of standardized grading production practices within the mass market has been challenging for scholars experimenting with zero-waste apparel design. The purpose of this research was to test the efficacy of the Carrico Zero-waste Banded Grading (CZWBG) technique, which utilizes bands inserted in strategic locations as a method of grading zero-waste patterns across various consumer categories. An additional purpose was to evaluate the ways in which this grading approach affected the aesthetic outcomes of garments across a size run, and to determine whether this method affected the overall design process of the designers involved. Through experimental research design, six …

Uncertainty-Autoencoder-Based Privacy And Utility Preserving Data Type Conscious Transformation, Bishwas Mandal, George Amariucai, Shuangqing Wei

Faculty Publications

We propose an adversarial learning framework that deals with the privacy-utility tradeoff problem under two types of conditions: data-type ignorant, and data-type aware. Under data-type aware conditions, the privacy mechanism provides a one-hot encoding of categorical features, representing exactly one class, while under data-type ignorant conditions the categorical variables are represented by a collection of scores, one for each class. We use a neural network architecture consisting of a generator and a discriminator, where the generator consists of an encoder-decoder pair, and the discriminator consists of an adversary and a utility provider. Unlike previous research considering this kind of architecture, …

Optimization Of Multi-Mode Classification For Process Monitoring, Z. T. Webb, M. Nnadili, E. E. Seghers, L. A. Briceno-Mena, J. A. Romagnoli

Faculty Publications

Process monitoring seeks to identify anomalous plant operating states so that operators can take the appropriate actions for recovery. Instrumental to process monitoring is the labeling of known operating states in historical data, so that departures from these states can be identified. This task can be challenging and time consuming as plant data is typically high dimensional and extensive. Moreover, automation of this procedure is not trivial since ground truth labels are often unavailable. In this contribution, this problem is approached as a multi-mode classification one, and an automatic framework for labeling using unsupervised Machine Learning (ML) methods is presented. …