Digital Commons Network^™

Perceived Vulnerability To Covid-19 Infection From Event Attendance: Results From Louisiana, Usa, Two Weeks Preceding The National Emergency Declaration, Ran Li, Bingcheng Yang, Jerrod Penn, Bailey Houghtaling, Juan Chen, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, Brian E. Roe, Danyi Qi

Faculty Publications

Background: Individual perceptions of personal and national threats posed by COVID-19 shaped initial response to the pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in residents' awareness about COVID-19 and to characterize those who were more aware and responsive during the early stages of the pandemic in Louisiana.

Methods: In response to the mounting threat of COVID-19, we added questions to an ongoing food preference study held at Louisiana State University from March 3rd through March 12th, 2020. We asked how likely it was that the spread of the coronavirus will cause a national public health crisis …

Well-Scale Multiphase Flow Characterization And Validation Using Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensors For Gas Kick Monitoring, Jyotsna Sharma, Otto L.A. Santos, Giuseppe Feo, Oloruntoba Ogunsanwo, Wesley Williams

Faculty Publications

Early detection of a gas kick is crucial for preventing uncontrolled blowout that could cause loss of life, loss of assets, and environmental damage. Multiphase flow experiments conducted in this research demonstrate the capability of downhole fiber optic sensors to detect a potential gas influx in real-time in a 5000 ft deep wellbore. Gas rise velocities estimated independently using fiber optic distributed acoustic sensor (DAS), distributed temperature sensor (DTS), downhole gauges, surface measurements, and multiphase flow correlations show good agreement in each case, demonstrating reliability in the assessment. Real-time data visualization was implemented on a secure cloud-based platform to improve …

Interface Engineering Of Materials For Energy And Biological Applications, Ardalan Chaichi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Interface interactions are generally classified into solid-liquid, solid-gas, solid-vacuum, liquid-gas, light-matter and electron-matter categories. Surface morphological studies as well as surface chemical reactions can be studied in various types of complex systems thanks to technological advances in materials characterization methods. By employing interface engineering in different applications, it is possible to control electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical and biological properties of materials. Accordingly, we have applied interface engineering in three different areas of energy materials, biomaterials and surface imaging. As a result, firstly, we have introduced a high intensity light flash-based method on engineered substrates for delamination of reduced graphene oxide …

Student Perceptions Of Rules For Classroom Interaction, Hanson Paul Leblanc Iii

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Burgoon’s expectancy violation model posits that nonverbal rule violations will be evaluated according to the perceptions toward the violator and the behavior itself. However, the violator may have perceptions regarding the appropriateness of the rule. This study measured the perceptions of high school students regarding the rules for classroom interaction. It is believed that the rules for classroom interaction are rules which have been learned through the process of socialization and enculturation into the classroom setting throughout students’ careers. These rules should be well known by all students by the time they reach tenth grade, the grade being investigated. …

Reinforcement Learning Approach For Inspect/Correct Tasks, Hoda Nasereddin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this research, we focus on the application of reinforcement learning (RL) in automated agent tasks involving considerable target variability (i.e., characterized by stochastic distributions); in particular, learning of inspect/correct tasks. Examples include automated identification & correction of rivet failures in airplane maintenance procedures, and automated cleaning of surgical instruments in a hospital sterilization processing department. The location of defects and the corrective action to be taken for each varies from task episode. What needs to be learned are optimal stochastic strategies rather than optimization of any one single defect type and location. RL has been widely applied in robotics …

Machine Learning Based Applications For Data Visualization, Modeling, Control, And Optimization For Chemical And Biological Systems, Yan Ma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation report covers Yan Ma’s Ph.D. research with applicational studies of machine learning in manufacturing and biological systems. The research work mainly focuses on reaction modeling, optimization, and control using a deep learning-based approaches, and the work mainly concentrates on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). Yan Ma’s research also involves with data mining with bioinformatics. Large-scale data obtained in RNA-seq is analyzed using non-linear dimensionality reduction with Principal Component Analysis (PCA), t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE), and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP), followed by clustering analysis using k-Means and Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering with Noise (HDBSCAN). This report focuses …

Calorie Restriction For Enhanced Longevity: The Role Of Novel Dietary Strategies In The Present Obesogenic Environment, James L. Dorling, Corby K. Martin, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Calorie restriction (CR) is a potent modulator of longevity in multiple species. A growing body of evidence shows that sustained periods of CR without malnutrition improves risk factors involved in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurological disorders in humans. Innovative dietary strategies such as intermittent fasting and protein restriction have recently emerged as alternative approaches that improve markers of aging. Some of these newer strategies might provide benefits for healthy aging with little to no CR and therefore, compared to traditional CR, may be easier to follow. Further to providing an update of CR studies …

Women Leaders And Policy Compliance During A Public Health Crisis, Nichole M. Bauer, Jeong Hyun Kim, Yesola Kweon

Faculty Publications

How does the gender of a political leader affect policy compliance of the public during a public health crisis? State and national leaders have taken a variety of policy measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with varying levels of success. While many female leaders have been credited with containing the spread of COVID-19, often through implementing strict policy measures, there is little understanding of how individuals respond to public health policy recommendations made by female and male leaders. This article investigates whether citizens are more willing to comply with strict policy recommendations about a public health issue when those recommendations …

Octenidine/Carbenicillin Gumbos As Potential Treatment For Oropharyngeal Gonorrhoea, Kelsey M. Lopez, Jeffrey A. Hobden, Isiah M. Warner

Faculty Publications

© The Author(s) 2020. Background: Reducing Neisseria gonorrhoeae colonies in the oropharynx is a viable solution to minimize the transmission of this bacterium amongst individuals. Objectives: A strategy involving the electrostatic interaction between a common antiseptic and a discontinued antibiotic (i.e. octenidine and carbenicillin) was evaluated as a potential treatment for gonorrhoea. Octenidine/carbenicillin is a novel group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) with inherent in vitro antibacterial activity that comes from its parent antiseptic and antibacterial ions, octenidine and carbenicillin, respectively. Methods: Antibacterial activities for octenidine dihydrochloride, disodium carbenicillin, octenidine/carbenicillin and stoichiometrically equivalent 1:1 octenidine dihydrochloride to …

Mobilization Of Iron Stored In Bacterioferritin Is Required For Metabolic Homeostasis In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Achala N.D. Punchi Hewage, Leo Fontenot, Jessie Guidry, Thomas Weldeghiorghis, Anil K. Mehta, Fabrizio Donnarumma, Mario Rivera

Faculty Publications

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Iron homeostasis offers a significant bacterial vulnerability because pathogens obtain essential iron from their mammalian hosts, but host-defenses maintain vanishingly low levels of free iron. Although pathogens have evolved mechanisms to procure host-iron, these depend on well-regulated iron homeostasis. To disrupt iron homeostasis, our work has targeted iron mobilization from the iron storage protein bacterioferritin (BfrB) by blocking a required interaction with its cognate ferredoxin partner (Bfd). The blockade of the BfrB–Bfd complex by deletion of the bfd gene (∆bfd) causes iron to irreversibly accumulate in BfrB. In this study we …

Colletotrichum Truncatum Causing Anthracnose On Papaya Fruit (Carica Papaya) In Brazil, Willie Anderson Dos Santos Vieria, Angélica Dos Santos Nunes, Josiene Silva Veloso, Alexandre Reis Machado, Valdir Queiroz Balbino, Anthony Carlos Da Silva, André Ângelo Medeiros Gomes, Vinson Patrick Doyle, Marcos Paz Saraiva Câmara

Faculty Publications

Papaya anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum truncatum is reported for the first time in Brazil. The etiological agent was identified by a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. Pathogenicity was confirmed and Koch’s postulates fulfilled for a selected isolate from Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil.

Fungicide Resistance In Cercospora Species Causing Cercospora Leaf Blight And Purple Seed Stain Of Soybean In Argentina, Francisco J. Sautua, Vinson P. Doyle, Paul P. Price, Alejandro Porfiri, Paula Fernandez, Maria M. Scandiani, Marcelo A. Carmona

Faculty Publications

Cercospora species cause cercospora leaf blight (CLB) and purple seed stain (PSS) on soybean. Because there are few resistant soybean varieties available, CLB/PSS management relies heavily upon fungicide applications. Sensitivity of 62 Argentinian Cercospora isolates to demethylation inhibitor (DMI), methyl benzimidazole carbamate (MBC), quinone outside inhibitor (QoI), succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides, and mancozeb was determined in this study. All isolates were sensitive to difenoconazole, epoxiconazole, prothioconazole, tebuconazole, and cyproconazole (EC50 values ranged from 0.006 to 2.4 µg/ml). In contrast, 51% of the tested isolates were sensitive (EC50 values ranged from 0.003 to 0.2 µg/ml), and 49% were highly resistant …

Families Coping With Financial Loss Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kathryn Sweet Keating, Sarah Becker, Ifeyinwa F. Davis, Thomas Chandler, Tim Slack, Jaishree Beedasy

Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examines family strategies for coping and adaptation to social disruption from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DHOS) in south Louisiana. Background: The DHOS is a technological disaster of unprecedented scale and ongoing impact, including the socioeconomic disruption of families. Method: Using data from focus groups, grounded-theory methods informed a thematic analysis of spill-related economic loss and coping mechanisms among families in the spill-affected region. Results: Key findings were as follows: (a) long-term economic impacts persisted but were nuanced and differed across places; (b) for families living in multistressor environments, concerns about the DHOS spilled over into …

Visit-To-Visit Variability Of Glycated Albumin Was Associated With Incidence Or Progression Of Lower Extremity Atherosclerotic Disease, Yun Shen, Dongjun Dai, Jingyi Lu, Yufei Wang, Wei Zhu, Yuqian Bao, Gang Hu, Jian Zhou

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of visit-to-visit variability of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and glycated albumin (GA) with the risk of lower extremity atherosclerotic disease (LEAD). Method: We performed a prospective cohort study of 436 patients with type 2 diabetes (258 men and 178 women) with at least 3 measurements of HbA1c and GA prior to baseline investigation from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital. Different HbA1c and GA variability markers were calculated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to demonstrate the association between visit-to-visit HbA1c and GA variability …

Lifestyle And Anthropometric Indicators Have Greater Associations With Steps/Day In Boys Than In Girls, Eduardo Rossato De Victo, Gerson Ferrari, Carlos André Miranda Pires, Dirceu Solé, Timóteo Leandro Araújo, Peter Todd Katzmarzyk, Victor Keihan Rodrigues Matsudo

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: To verify the association of lifestyle, anthropometric, sociodemographic, family and school environment indicators with the number of steps/day in children. Methods: The sample consisted of 334 children (171 boys) from nine to 11 years old. Participants used the Actigraph GT3X accelerometer to monitor the number of steps/day, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (ST) for seven consecutive days. Height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat were also measured. Lifestyle indicators such as diet, environment, neighborhood, and parental schooling level were obtained with questionnaires. For the identification of variables associated to …

2020 Who Guidelines On Physical Activity And Sedentary Behaviour For Children And Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years: Summary Of The Evidence, Jean Philippe Chaput, Juana Willumsen, Fiona Bull, Roger Chou, Ulf Ekelund, Joseph Firth, Russell Jago, Francisco B. Ortega, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) released in 2020 updated global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children, adolescents, adults, older adults and sub-populations such as pregnant and postpartum women and those living with chronic conditions or disabilities. Objective: To summarize the evidence on the associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and health-related outcomes used to inform the 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years. Methods: The update of the WHO guideline recommendations for children and adolescents utilized and systematically updated the evidence syntheses on physical activity and sedentary …

A Multivariate Multilevel Analysis Of Youth Motor Competence. The Peruvian Health And Optimist Growth Study, Carla Sofia Pinho Dos Santos, Alcibíades Bustamante, Donald Hedeker, Olga Vasconcelos, Rui Garganta, Go Tani, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, José Maia

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

We use a multivariate multilevel model to study the links between physical fitness (PF) and gross motor coordination (GMC) and investigate the influence of predictors affecting their levels across age. We sampled 7918 Peruvians, aged 6-15 years, from sea-level, Amazon region and high-altitude. Composite markers of GMC and PF were derived (GMCz and PFz, respectively). BMI, biological maturation, and stunting were assessed. School characteristics were obtained via an objective audit. School contexts explained 35% of the associations between PFz and GMCz, whereas children's characteristics explained 65% of the total variation. On average, with increasing age, there was a greater increase …

Sleep Extension: A Potential Target For Obesity Treatment, Kristin K. Hoddy, Kaitlin S. Potts, Lydia A. Bazzano, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Purpose of Review: Sleep and obesity share a bidirectional relationship, and weight loss has been shown to enhance sleep. Aiming to extend sleep on its own or as part of a lifestyle intervention may attenuate health consequences of short sleep. This review highlights several sleep extension approaches, discusses feasibility of each, and summarizes findings relevant to obesity. Recent Findings: Sleep extension in response to experimental sleep restriction demonstrates partial rescue of cardiometabolic dysfunction in some but not all studies. Adequate sleep on a nightly basis may be necessary for optimal health. While initial sleep extension interventions in habitually short sleepers …

Diet Quality, Weight Loss, And Diabetes Incidence In The Diabetes Prevention Program (Dpp), Benjamin T. Allaire, Ashley H. Tjaden, Elizabeth M. Venditti, John W. Apolzan, Dana Dabelea, Linda M. Delahanty, Sharon L. Edelstein, Mary A. Hoskin, Karla A. Temple, Judith Wylie-Rosett, Lindsay M. Jaacks

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: We evaluated whether diet quality is a predictor of weight loss and reduced diabetes risk, independent of caloric intake in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) cohort, a randomized clinical trial of adults at risk for diabetes. Methods: This secondary analysis included 2914 participants with available data (964 intensive lifestyle (ILS), 977 metformin, 973 placebo). Dietary intake was assessed using a 117-item food frequency questionnaire. Diet quality was quantified using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI). AHEI ranges from 0 to 110, with higher scores corresponding to higher quality diets. ILS participants had greater improvement (p < 0.001) in AHEI over 1-year (4.2 ± 9.0) compared to metformin (1.2 ± 8.5) and placebo (1.4 ± 8.4). We examined the association between AHEI change and weight change from baseline to 1-year using linear regression, and that between 1-year AHEI change and incident diabetes, using hazard models over an average 3 years follow-up. Models were evaluated within treatment group and adjusted for relevant characteristics including caloric intake, physical activity, BMI and AHEI. Models testing incident diabetes were further adjusted for baseline fasting and 2 h glucose. Results: An increase in AHEI score was associated with weight loss in ILS [β per 10-point increase (SE) -1.2 kg (0.3, p < 0.001)], metformin [− 0. 90 kg (0.2, p < 0.001)] and placebo [− 0.55 kg (0.2, p = 0.01)]. However, AHEI change was not associated with incident diabetes in any group before or after adjustment for weight change. Conclusions: Controlling for weight, diet quality was not associated with diabetes incidence but helps achieve weight loss, an important factor in diabetes prevention.

Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia Triggers A Senescence-Like Phenotype In Human White Preadipocytes, Katarzyna Polonis, Christiane Becari, C. Anwar A. Chahal, Yuebo Zhang, Alina M. Allen, Todd A. Kellogg, Virend K. Somers, Prachi Singh

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder associated with obesity. Emerging evidence suggest that OSA increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality partly via accelerating the process of cellular aging. Thus, we sought to examine the effects of intermittent hypoxia (IH), a hallmark of OSA, on senescence in human white preadipocytes. We demonstrate that chronic IH is associated with an increased generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species along with increased prevalence of cells with nuclear localization of γH2AX & p16. A higher prevalence of cells positive for senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity was also evident with chronic IH exposure. …

Variedades: Intermediate/Advanced Spanish Conversation, Carmela V. Mattza

Faculty Publications

VARIEDADES is a Spanish conversation book for the student at the intermediate / advanced intermediate level (DELE nivel B2). Through audiovisual activities, the student is expected to put their previous knowledge into practice and continue to develop their ability to understand, write, listen and speak in Spanish.

VARIEDADES offers communicative activities that can be easily adapted into courses of different levels. In addition, it offers an appendix of activities with films and a Spanish grammar section that by subject directs the student to electronic databases that are freely accessible or are part of the Open Access platform

Differential Lead Accumulation In Brassica Juncea, Brassica Rapa, And Lactuca Sativa And Evaluation Of Ground Level Barriers To Prevent Lead Contamination Of Produce Grown In Raised Beds, Celine Vera Richard

LSU Master's Theses

High lead (Pb) contamination of soils is a threat to human health. Urban area soils are frequently contaminated with lead from settling of gasoline exhaust, brake dust, and lead paint on homes, old playground equipment, etc. Exposure to soil-lead occurs by ingestion or inhalation and poses an elevated risk for young children. Indirect ingestion can occur through the food chain through activities such as growing certain vegetables with an ability to tolerate and accumulate lead in edible tissues. Many university extension systems recommend growing vegetables in raised beds as a reasonable reduced risk option for avoiding lead accumulation in garden …

Experiences Of Transgender Men Who Joined National Pan-Hellenic Council Sororities Pre-Transition, Sydney Epps

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) - affectionately known as The Divine Nine - are places of support and leadership development for students. However, these groups espouse traditional gender role themes that align with sexual orientation and gender rigidity. This paper explores how four NPHC members negotiate their identity as both nonbinary or transgender, and Greek. Using the narrative inquiry approach, the researcher will explore how sorority members who no longer identify as cisgender women are treated post-gender transition by other sorority members.

Fluid-Driven Fracture Initiation From Oil And Gas Wells Considering Lifetime Stresses, Andreas Michael

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fluid-driven fracture initiation from oil and gas wells is examined in detail. The dissertation covers three subtopics: drilling, completion (stimulations), and post-blowout capping-induced fracture initiation.

Drilling-induced tensile fractures (DITFs) are located in an azimuth orthogonal to wellbore breakouts and are observed from image logs obtained during drilling operations. Fully analytical criteria for the orientation of DITFs initiating from wells in porous, permeable media are derived considering fluid infiltration from a pressurized wellbore. DITF orientation (longitudinal or transverse-to-the-wellbore) is used to constrain the magnitude of the local maximum horizontal principal stress. The range of the possible stress states is indicated on …

A Decade Review Of Triphosgene And Its Applications In Organic Reactions, Moshood O. Ganiu, Binod Nepal, Joshua P. Van Houten, Rendy Kartika

Faculty Publications

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd This review article highlights selected advances in triphosgene-enabled organic synthetic reactions that were reported in the decade of 2010–2019. Triphosgene is a versatile reagent in organic synthesis. It serves as a convenient substitute for the toxic phosgene gas. Despite its first known preparation in the late 19th century, the upward surge in the development of organic reactions using triphosgene interestingly began only three decades ago. Despite the relatively short history, triphosgene has been proven to be very useful in facilitating the preparation of a vast scope of value-added compounds, such as organohalides, acid chlorides, isocyanates, carbonyl …

Typing Tornadoes By Storm Mode In The Southeast United States, Marisa R. Karpinski

LSU Master's Theses

Existing work has noted three major, radar-derived, storm modes associated with tornadoes: supercell, quasi-linear convective systems, and tropical systems. I examine the long-term frequency and seasonality of each storm mode between 1996 and 2017 in the Southeast United States. The Southeast is chosen as a focus for this work due to its well-known and unique combination of tornado vulnerability and exposure. Expanding our knowledge of the radar presentation of tornado-producing thunderstorms in this region could assist in the operational interpretation of these events. In this study, a climatology of F/EF1+ tornadoes (1996 - 2017) is generated for the study area …

Development Of Reduced Order Models Using Reservoir Simulation And Physics Informed Machine Learning Techniques, Mark V. Behl Jr

LSU Master's Theses

Reservoir simulation is the industry standard for prediction and characterization of processes in the subsurface. However, simulation is computationally expensive and time consuming. This study explores reduced order models (ROMs) as an appropriate alternative. ROMs that use neural networks effectively capture nonlinear dependencies, and only require available operational data as inputs. Neural networks are a black box and difficult to interpret, however. Physics informed neural networks (PINNs) provide a potential solution to these shortcomings, but have not yet been applied extensively in petroleum engineering.

A mature black-oil simulation model from Volve public data release was used to generate training data …

Crisis, Crisis, Read All About It! Investigating The Direct And Joint Effects Of Crisis Response Strategies, Crisis History And Strategic Actions On The Tone Of Media Coverage, Habiba Nefisa Alambo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Crisis management research has focused on how crisis stricken firms protect their reputation by communicating appropriate messages to evaluators and employing strategic actions that favorably shape public opinion about the stricken firm. Developing conversations have addressed how a firm’s crisis history may impact current crisis management efforts. However, little is known about how these factors jointly and directly influence what is said about a crisis stricken firm and subsequently impact evaluators’ perceptions.

Primarily guided by the tenets of attribution and situational crisis communication theories, I studied the interactive and main effects of crisis response strategies (accommodative, reframing and defensive), crisis …

N,S-Co-Doped Carbon Dots For Rapid Acid Test Paper And Bioimaging, Juan Hou, Jing Qin, Hongyu Pang, Xu Gao, Tiedong Sun, Bin Li

Faculty Publications

Fluorescent N,S-CDs with a quantum yield of 37.8% were synthesized via a one-pot solvothermal method. Detailed characterizations on physical, chemical and optical properties have been investigated. N,S-CDs demonstrated remarkably quenched and enhanced fluorescence in acidic and basic media. Direct qualitative analysis in pH sensor and cell imaging were preliminarily studied. This journal is

Incorporation Of Lignin In Natural And Synthetic Biomaterials To Alter Mechanical And Biochemical Properties For Enhanced Wound Healing, Jorge Alfonso Belgodere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is estimated that chronic, non-healing wounds affect more than 6.5 million Americans annually, with an estimated healthcare cost beyond $14 billion. Here, we attempted to create composites of natural (collagen type I or gelatin-methacrylate) or synthetic (poly(ethylene glycol) polymers incorporating a natural plant component, lignin, to combat the costs and limitations current wound healing methods face. Three-dimensional matrices of collagen type I (Col I) are widely used in tissue engineering applications for its abundance in many tissues, bioactivity with many cell types, and excellent biocompatibility. Inspired by the structural role of lignin in plant tissue, we found that sodium …