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Le Québec Entre Le « Past-Self » Et Le « Possible-Self » Dans La Face Cachée De La Lune, Andisheh Ghaderi Oct 2023

Le Québec Entre Le « Past-Self » Et Le « Possible-Self » Dans La Face Cachée De La Lune, Andisheh Ghaderi

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

No abstract provided.


Lrtransformer: Learn-Region Transformer For Object-Agnostic Point Cloud Segmentation, Dipesh Gyawali Oct 2023

Lrtransformer: Learn-Region Transformer For Object-Agnostic Point Cloud Segmentation, Dipesh Gyawali

LSU Master's Theses

3D point cloud segmentation segments the 3D point cloud data into different regions/instances depending on their features that have numerous applications in robotics, autonomous driving, digital twinning, augmented reality, etc. The majority of the existing point cloud segmentation methods depend on class labels to identify 3D objects in the surroundings. Our work focuses on segmenting point clouds into different regions/instances in an object-agnostic manner for any number of objects in the environment. Given the point cloud, our method can segment the entire scene into multiple instances without depending on object shape and size. We leverage the power of the self-attention …


Ready Worker One? High-Res Vr For The Home Office, Anastasia Ruvimova, Felipe Fronchetti, Boden A. Kahn, Luiz Henrique Susin, Zekeya Hurley, Thomas Fritz, Mark Hancock, David Shepherd Oct 2023

Ready Worker One? High-Res Vr For The Home Office, Anastasia Ruvimova, Felipe Fronchetti, Boden A. Kahn, Luiz Henrique Susin, Zekeya Hurley, Thomas Fritz, Mark Hancock, David Shepherd

Faculty Publications

Many employees prefer to work from home, yet struggle to squeeze their office into an already fully-utilized space. Virtual Reality (VR) seemingly offered a solution with its ability to transform even modest physical spaces into spacious, productive virtual offices, but hardware challenges - such as low resolution - have prevented this from becoming a reality. Now that hardware issues are being overcome, we are able to investigate the suitability of VR for daily work. To do so, we (1) studied the physical space that users typically dedicate to home offices and (2) conducted an exploratory study of users working in …


Noise In The Ligo Livingston Gravitational Wave Observatory Due To Trains, J. Glanzer, S. Soni, J. Spoon, A. Effler, G. González Oct 2023

Noise In The Ligo Livingston Gravitational Wave Observatory Due To Trains, J. Glanzer, S. Soni, J. Spoon, A. Effler, G. González

Faculty Publications

Environmental seismic disturbances limit the sensitivity of LIGO gravitational wave detectors. Trains near the LIGO Livingston detector produce low frequency (0.5- 10 H z ) ground noise that couples into the gravitational wave sensitive frequency band (10- 100 H z ) through light reflected in mirrors and other surfaces. We investigate the effect of trains during the Advanced LIGO third observing run, and propose a method to search for narrow band seismic frequencies responsible for contributing to increases in scattered light. Through the use of the linear regression tool Lasso (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) and glitch correlations, we …


Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Fall 2023, Lsu Agcenter Oct 2023

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Fall 2023, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

Hemp has been cultivated for thousands of years. It was grown widely in the United States until the mid-1900s, when laws limited the growth of hemp and later banned it entirely. Since the 2018 Farm Bill removed legal barriers to growing the crop, Louisiana created a structure to regulate hemp farming in 2019.

Because little information existed about hemp in Louisiana, the LSU AgCenter created the Industrial Hemp Working Group to study the crop, create production practices and help growers interested in this ancient plant.

This issue of Louisiana Agriculture focuses on the work of these researchers and the growers …


Fall 2023 Catalog, Lsu Press Oct 2023

Fall 2023 Catalog, Lsu Press

LSU Press Seasonal Catalogs

No abstract provided.


Message Or Messenger? Source And Labeling Effects In Authoritarian Response To Protest, Daniel Arnon, Pearce Edwards, Handi Li Oct 2023

Message Or Messenger? Source And Labeling Effects In Authoritarian Response To Protest, Daniel Arnon, Pearce Edwards, Handi Li

Faculty Publications

Authoritarian regimes in the 21st century have increasingly turned to using information control rather than kinetic force to respond to threats to their rule. This paper studies an often overlooked type of information control: strategic labeling and public statements by regime sources in response to protests. Labeling protesters as violent criminals may increase support for repression by signaling that protests are illegitimate and deviant. Regime sources, compared to more independent sources, could increase support for repression even more when paired with such an accusatory label. Accommodative labels should have opposing effects—decreasing support for repression. The argument is tested with a …


Strength Training Is More Effective Than Aerobic Exercise For Improving Glycaemic Control And Body Composition In People With Normal-Weight Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomised Controlled Trial, Yukari Kobayashi, Jin Long, Shozen Dan, Neil M. Johannsen, Ruth Talamoa, Sonia Raghuram, Sukyung Chung, Kyla Kent, Marina Basina, Cynthia Lamendola, Francois Haddad, Mary B. Leonard, Timothy S. Church, Latha Palaniappan Oct 2023

Strength Training Is More Effective Than Aerobic Exercise For Improving Glycaemic Control And Body Composition In People With Normal-Weight Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomised Controlled Trial, Yukari Kobayashi, Jin Long, Shozen Dan, Neil M. Johannsen, Ruth Talamoa, Sonia Raghuram, Sukyung Chung, Kyla Kent, Marina Basina, Cynthia Lamendola, Francois Haddad, Mary B. Leonard, Timothy S. Church, Latha Palaniappan

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Aims/hypothesis: Type 2 diabetes in people in the healthy weight BMI category (< 25 kg/m2), herein defined as ‘normal-weight type 2 diabetes’, is associated with sarcopenia (low muscle mass). Given this unique body composition, the optimal exercise regimen for this population is unknown. Methods: We conducted a parallel-group RCT in individuals with type 2 diabetes (age 18–80 years, HbA1c 47.5–118.56 mmol/mol [6.5–13.0%]) and BMI < 25 kg/m2). Participants were recruited in outpatient clinics or through advertisements and randomly assigned to a 9 month exercise programme of strength training alone (ST), aerobic training alone (AER) or both interventions combined (COMB). We used stratified block randomisation with a randomly selected block size. Researchers and caregivers were blinded to participants’ treatment group; however, participants themselves were not. Exercise interventions were conducted at community-based fitness centres. The primary outcome was absolute change in HbA1c level within and across the three groups at 3, 6 and 9 months. Secondary outcomes included changes in body composition at 9 months. Per adherence to recommended exercise protocol (PP) analysis included participants who completed at least 50% of the sessions. Results: Among 186 individuals (ST, n=63; AER, n=58; COMB, n=65) analysed, the median (IQR) age was 59 (53–66) years, 60% were men and 83% were Asian. The mean (SD) HbA1c level at baseline was 59.6 (13.1) mmol/mol (7.6% [1.2%]). In intention-to-treat analysis, the ST group showed a significant decrease in HbA1c levels (mean [95% CI] −0.44 percentage points [−0.78, −0.12], p=0.002), while no significant change was observed in either the COMB group (−0.35 percentage points, p=0.13) or the AER group (−0.24 percentage points, p=0.10). The ST group had a greater improvement in HbA1c levels than the AER group (p=0.01). Appendicular lean mass relative to fat mass increased only in the ST group (p=0.0008), which was an independent predictor of HbA1c change (beta coefficient −7.16, p=0.01). Similar results were observed in PP analysis. Only one adverse event, in the COMB group, was considered to be possibly associated with the exercise intervention. Conclusions/interpretation: In normal-weight type 2 diabetes, strength training was superior to aerobic training alone, while no significant difference was observed between strength training and combination training for HbA1c reduction. Increased lean mass relative to decreased fat mass was an independent predictor of reduction in HbA1c level. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02448498. Funding: This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH; R01DK081371). Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].


Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals: Methods For Combustion Generation, Whole-Body Inhalation And Assessing Cardiopulmonary Consequences, Ankit Aryal, Alexandra Noël, Lavrent Khachatryan, Stephania A. Cormier, Pratiti H. Chowdhury, Arthur Penn, Tammy R. Dugas, Ashlyn C. Harmon Oct 2023

Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals: Methods For Combustion Generation, Whole-Body Inhalation And Assessing Cardiopulmonary Consequences, Ankit Aryal, Alexandra Noël, Lavrent Khachatryan, Stephania A. Cormier, Pratiti H. Chowdhury, Arthur Penn, Tammy R. Dugas, Ashlyn C. Harmon

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Particulate matter (PM) containing environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) results from the incomplete combustion of organic wastes which chemisorb to transition metals. This process generates a particle-pollutant complex that continuously redox cycles to produce reactive oxygen species. EPFRs are well characterized, but their cardiopulmonary effects remain unknown. This publication provides a detailed approach to evaluating these effects and demonstrates the impact that EPFRs have on the lungs and vasculature. Combustion-derived EPFRs were generated (EPFR lo: 2.1e−16 radical/g, EPFR hi: 5.5e−17 radical/g), characterized, and verified as representative of those found in urban areas. Dry particle aerosolization and whole-body inhalation were established …


Recruitment Methods And Yield Rates For A Multisite Clinical Trial Exploring Risk Reduction For Alzheimer's Disease (Rrad), Amanda N. Szabo-Reed, Tristyn Hall, Eric D. Vidoni, Angela Van Sciver, Monica Sewell, Jeffrey M. Burns, C. Munro Cullum, William P. Gahan, Linda S. Hynan, Diana R. Kerwin, Heidi Rossetti, Ann M. Stowe, Wanpen Vongpatanasin, David C. Zhu, Rong Zhang, Jeffrey N. Keller, Ellen F. Binder Oct 2023

Recruitment Methods And Yield Rates For A Multisite Clinical Trial Exploring Risk Reduction For Alzheimer's Disease (Rrad), Amanda N. Szabo-Reed, Tristyn Hall, Eric D. Vidoni, Angela Van Sciver, Monica Sewell, Jeffrey M. Burns, C. Munro Cullum, William P. Gahan, Linda S. Hynan, Diana R. Kerwin, Heidi Rossetti, Ann M. Stowe, Wanpen Vongpatanasin, David C. Zhu, Rong Zhang, Jeffrey N. Keller, Ellen F. Binder

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The risk reduction for Alzheimer's disease (rrAD) trial was a multisite clinical trial to assess exercise and intensive vascular pharmacological treatment on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. METHODS: Eligibility, consent, and randomization rates across different referral sources were compared. Informal interviews conducted with each site's project team were conducted upon study completion. RESULTS: Initially, 3290 individuals were screened, of whom 28% were eligible to consent, 805 consented to participate (87.2% of those eligible), and 513 (36.3% of those consented) were randomized. Emails sent from study site listservs/databases yielded the highest amount (20.9%) …


Qtls And Candidate Loci Associated With Drought Tolerance Traits Of Kaybonnet X Zhe733 Recombinant Inbred Lines Rice Population, Yheni Dwiningsih, Julie Thomas, Anuj Kumar, Chirag Gupta, Navdeep Gill, Charles Ruiz, Jawaher Alkahtani, Niranjan Baisakh, Andy Pereira Oct 2023

Qtls And Candidate Loci Associated With Drought Tolerance Traits Of Kaybonnet X Zhe733 Recombinant Inbred Lines Rice Population, Yheni Dwiningsih, Julie Thomas, Anuj Kumar, Chirag Gupta, Navdeep Gill, Charles Ruiz, Jawaher Alkahtani, Niranjan Baisakh, Andy Pereira

Faculty Publications

Rice is the most important staple crop for the sustenance of the world’s population, and drought is a major factor limiting rice production. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of drought-resistance-related traits was conducted on a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the self-fed progeny of a cross between the drought-resistant tropical japonica U.S. adapted cultivar Kaybonnet and the drought-sensitive indica cultivar ZHE733. K/Z RIL population of 198 lines was screened in the field at Fayetteville (AR) for three consecutive years under controlled drought stress (DS) and well-watered (WW) treatment during the reproductive stage. The effects of DS were quantified …


Association Of Prolactin With All-Cause And Cardiovascular Mortality Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Real-World Study, Yun Shen, Qing Yang, Tingting Hu, Yaxin Wang, Lei Chen, Fei Gao, Wei Zhu, Gang Hu, Jian Zhou, Chunfang Wang, Yuqian Bao Oct 2023

Association Of Prolactin With All-Cause And Cardiovascular Mortality Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Real-World Study, Yun Shen, Qing Yang, Tingting Hu, Yaxin Wang, Lei Chen, Fei Gao, Wei Zhu, Gang Hu, Jian Zhou, Chunfang Wang, Yuqian Bao

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Aims The association between prolactin and mortality has been less studied, and findings were inconsistent among different populations. We aimed to investigate the association between serum prolactin (PRL) and mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of 10 907 patients with at least 2 prolactin measurements within 2 years since and results their first inpatient diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Baseline and mean values of serum PRL were used as exposures. A multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association between PRL and mortality. During a mean follow-up of 5.34 …


Chitosan-Coated Lignin Nanoparticles Enhance Adsorption And Proliferation Of Alcanivorax Borkumensis At The Hexadecane-Water Interface, Amber J. Pete, Jin Gyun Lee, Michael G. Benton, Bhuvnesh Bharti Sep 2023

Chitosan-Coated Lignin Nanoparticles Enhance Adsorption And Proliferation Of Alcanivorax Borkumensis At The Hexadecane-Water Interface, Amber J. Pete, Jin Gyun Lee, Michael G. Benton, Bhuvnesh Bharti

Faculty Publications

Bioremediation of oil spills occurs when indigenous microbes metabolize petroleum hydrocarbons. Rapid proliferation of hydrocarbon-consuming bacteria near the oil-water interface is vital to optimizing the oil biodegradation rate. Adding nanoparticles (NPs) to microbial systems can enhance the bacterial growth rate. However, the role of NP source material and surface charge on their ability to impact bacterial growth and oil-water interface characteristics is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the role of NP composition and surface chemistry on the growth rate of hydrocarbon-consuming bacteria and its attachment to the oil-water interface. We use Alcanivorax borkumensis as a model organism because of its …


Structured Ethical Review For Wastewater-Based Testing In Support Of Public Health, Devin A. Bowes, Amanda Darling, Erin M. Driver, Devrim Kaya, Rasha Maal-Bared, Lisa M. Lee, Kenneth Goodman, Sangeet Adhikari, Srijan Aggarwal, Aaron Bivins, Zuzana Bohrerova, Alasdair Cohen, Claire Duvallet, Rasha A. Elnimeiry, Justin M. Hutchison, Vikram Kapoor, Ishi Keenum, Fangqiong Ling, Deborah Sills, Ananda Tiwari, Peter Vikesland, Ryan Ziels, Cresten Mansfeldt Sep 2023

Structured Ethical Review For Wastewater-Based Testing In Support Of Public Health, Devin A. Bowes, Amanda Darling, Erin M. Driver, Devrim Kaya, Rasha Maal-Bared, Lisa M. Lee, Kenneth Goodman, Sangeet Adhikari, Srijan Aggarwal, Aaron Bivins, Zuzana Bohrerova, Alasdair Cohen, Claire Duvallet, Rasha A. Elnimeiry, Justin M. Hutchison, Vikram Kapoor, Ishi Keenum, Fangqiong Ling, Deborah Sills, Ananda Tiwari, Peter Vikesland, Ryan Ziels, Cresten Mansfeldt

Faculty Publications

Wastewater-based testing (WBT) for SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly expanded over the past three years due to its ability to provide a comprehensive measurement of disease prevalence independent of clinical testing. The development and simultaneous application of WBT measured biomarkers for research activities and for the pursuit of public health goals, both areas with well-established ethical frameworks. Currently, WBT practitioners do not employ a standardized ethical review process, introducing the potential for adverse outcomes for WBT professionals and community members. To address this deficiency, an interdisciplinary workshop developed a framework for a structured ethical review of WBT. The workshop employed a consensus …


A Smartphone-Enabled Imaging Device For Chromotropic Acid-Based Measurement Of Nitrate In Soil Samples, Veerabhadrappa Lavanya, Anshuman Nayak, Partha Deb Roy, Shubhadip Dasgupta, Subhadip Dey, Bin Li, David C. Weindorf, Somsubhra Chakraborty Sep 2023

A Smartphone-Enabled Imaging Device For Chromotropic Acid-Based Measurement Of Nitrate In Soil Samples, Veerabhadrappa Lavanya, Anshuman Nayak, Partha Deb Roy, Shubhadip Dasgupta, Subhadip Dey, Bin Li, David C. Weindorf, Somsubhra Chakraborty

Faculty Publications

In this study, a novel chromotropic acid-based color development method was proposed for quick estimation of soil nitrate (NO3−). The method utilized a 3D printed device integrated with the rear-end camera of a smartphone and a stand-alone application called SMART NP. By analyzing the mean Value (V) component of the sample’s image, the SMART NP provides instant predictions of soil NO3− levels. The limit of detection was calculated as 0.1 mg L−1 with a sensitivity of 0.26 mg L−1. The device showed a % bias of 0.9% and a precision of 1.95%, indicating its reliability. Additionally, the device-predicted soil NO3− …


Extract Of Artemisia Dracunculus L. Modulates Osteoblast Proliferation And Mineralization, Matthew C. Scott, Aleah Bourgeois, Yongmei Yu, David H. Burk, Brenda J. Smith, Z. Elizabeth Floyd Sep 2023

Extract Of Artemisia Dracunculus L. Modulates Osteoblast Proliferation And Mineralization, Matthew C. Scott, Aleah Bourgeois, Yongmei Yu, David H. Burk, Brenda J. Smith, Z. Elizabeth Floyd

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Thiazolidinediones (TZD) significantly improve insulin sensitivity via action on adipocytes. Unfortunately, TZDs also degrade bone by inhibiting osteoblasts. An extract of Artemisia dracunculus L., termed PMI5011, improves blood glucose and insulin sensitivity via skeletal muscle, rather than fat, and may therefore spare bone. Here, we examine the effects of PMI5011 and an identified active compound within PMI5011 (2′,4′-dihydroxy-4-methoxydihydrochalcone, DMC-2) on pre-osteoblasts. We hypothesized that PMI5011 and DMC-2 will not inhibit osteogenesis. To test our hypothesis, MC3T3-E1 cells were induced in osteogenic media with and without PMI5011 or DMC-2. Cell lysates were probed for osteogenic gene expression and protein content and …


Probiotic Characteristics Of Streptococcus Thermophilus And Lactobacillus Bulgaricus As Influenced By New Food Sources, Ashly Castro, Ricardo S. Aleman, Miguel Tabora, Shirin Kazemzadeh, Leyla K. Pournaki, Roberto Cedillos, Jhunior Marcia, Kayanush Aryana Sep 2023

Probiotic Characteristics Of Streptococcus Thermophilus And Lactobacillus Bulgaricus As Influenced By New Food Sources, Ashly Castro, Ricardo S. Aleman, Miguel Tabora, Shirin Kazemzadeh, Leyla K. Pournaki, Roberto Cedillos, Jhunior Marcia, Kayanush Aryana

Faculty Publications

The current research aimed to evaluate the potential effects of Solanum mammosum, Dioon mejiae, and Amanita caesarea on Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus survival and performance after exposure to different harsh conditions such as bile, acid, gastric juice, and lysozyme to mimic the digestive system from mouth to the intestine. Probiotic protease activity was observed to evaluate the proteolytic system. Probiotics were cultured in a broth mixed with plant material, and after incubation, the results were compared to the control sample. Therefore, plant material’s total phenolic compound, total carotenoid compound, antioxidant activity, sugar profile, and acid profile were …


Investigating Expectancy Values In Online Apparel Rental During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic: Moderating Effects Of Fashion Leadership, Sukyung Seo, Kittichai Watchravesringkan, Uma Swamy, Chunmin Lang Sep 2023

Investigating Expectancy Values In Online Apparel Rental During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic: Moderating Effects Of Fashion Leadership, Sukyung Seo, Kittichai Watchravesringkan, Uma Swamy, Chunmin Lang

Faculty Publications

Online apparel renting has become a popular type of consumption. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the sharing economy, including online renting. This cross-sectional study examined the effects of expectancy values on intention towards online apparel rental during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated the moderating role of personal traits of fashion leadership. A total of 431 valid samples from college students in the US were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships, and moderation analysis was performed to test the moderating effects of fashion leadership. The results indicated that expectancy values affecting consumer …


Investigation Of Welding Repair Methods For Thermoplastic Composite Joints, Wencai Li, Genevieve Palardy Sep 2023

Investigation Of Welding Repair Methods For Thermoplastic Composite Joints, Wencai Li, Genevieve Palardy

Faculty Publications

Repair is a common process to extend the service life of composite structures, and there is a need for techniques compatible with thermoplastic composites (TPCs). As the assembly of TPC joints through welding is gaining importance, evaluating their potential for repairability is essential. This work aims to develop novel techniques to repair welded TPC joints: 1) Successive repair (three cycles) of broken joints by ultrasonic-assisted method with neat and nanocomposite films, and 2) one-step repair using ultrasonic welding (USW) and resistance heating. It was found from tensile testing that multi-walled carbon nanotube/polypropylene (MWCNT/PP) films partially restored the lap shear strength …


Assessing The Threat Of Rosetta 2 On Apple Silicon Devices, Raphaela Mettig, Charles Glass, Andrew Case, Golden G. Richard Sep 2023

Assessing The Threat Of Rosetta 2 On Apple Silicon Devices, Raphaela Mettig, Charles Glass, Andrew Case, Golden G. Richard

Faculty Publications

In November 2020, Apple introduced a new architecture, Apple Silicon, that would power all new laptops and desktops. Based on ARM64 and with many custom features added by Apple, this marked a complete switch from the Intel-based systems that have powered Apple laptops and desktops for many years. With such a radical change, it was obvious that many existing digital forensics and incident response techniques would need to be re-evaluated on the platform. Similarly, several new additions to the operating system are interesting as potential abuse vectors for malware and malicious actors. In this paper, we document our effort to …


The Fabrication Of Nearly Monodisperse Chiral And Achiral Plasmonic Nanostructures And Their Applications, Macayla J. Caso Aug 2023

The Fabrication Of Nearly Monodisperse Chiral And Achiral Plasmonic Nanostructures And Their Applications, Macayla J. Caso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An object is chiral when it holds no lines of symmetry. This quality naturally occurs in chemistry and biology. When an object is chiral it has a unique handedness and objects of opposite chirality are called enantiomers. The importance of handedness was brought to light in the 1960’s when a racemic mixture of thalidomide enantiomers was given to pregnant women. One enantiomer was able to treat morning sickness while the other caused severe birth defects. This case brought to light how enantiomers have unique properties from each other even though they are similar materials. With this knowledge chiral nanomaterials must …


Measurement Invariance And The Influence Of Psychosocial Factors In Reporting Subjective Cognition Across Race/Ethnicity, Erika A. Pugh Aug 2023

Measurement Invariance And The Influence Of Psychosocial Factors In Reporting Subjective Cognition Across Race/Ethnicity, Erika A. Pugh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The detection of cognitive decline is crucial for early intervention and management. However, there is a lack of research on detecting early cognitive decline and measuring bias in instruments among African Americans (AAs), who are at a heightened risk for dementia development. Additionally, the impact of psychosocial factors on perceived cognitive efficacy in this population is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to assess measurement bias in a measure of subjective memory concerns (SMC) among older AA adults, examine ethnoracial differences in the relationship between mood-related factors and SMC, and explore the impact of psychosocial variables on the report …


Reduction Of Sparc Protects Mice Against Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation And Obesity, Seungjin Ryu, Olga Spadaro, Sviatoslav Sidorov, Aileen H. Lee, Sonia Caprio, Christopher Morrison, Steven R. Smith, Eric Ravussin, Irina Shchukina, Maxim N. Artyomov, Yun Hee Youm, Vishwa Deep Dixit Aug 2023

Reduction Of Sparc Protects Mice Against Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation And Obesity, Seungjin Ryu, Olga Spadaro, Sviatoslav Sidorov, Aileen H. Lee, Sonia Caprio, Christopher Morrison, Steven R. Smith, Eric Ravussin, Irina Shchukina, Maxim N. Artyomov, Yun Hee Youm, Vishwa Deep Dixit

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

The comprehensive assessment of long-term effects of reducing intake of energy (CALERIE-II; NCT00427193) clinical trial established that caloric restriction (CR) in humans lowers inflammation. The identity and mechanism of endogenous CR-mimetics that can be deployed to control obesity-associated inflammation and diseases are not well understood. Our studies have found that 2 years of 14% sustained CR in humans inhibits the expression of the matricellular protein, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), in adipose tissue. In mice, adipose tissue remodeling caused by weight loss through CR and low-protein diet feeding decreased, while high-fat diet–induced (HFD-induced) obesity increased SPARC expression …


Ph-Dependent Solution Micellar Structure Of Amphoteric Polypeptoid Block Copolymers With Positionally Controlled Ionizable Sites, Meng Zhang, Yun Liu, Xiaobing Zuo, Shuo Qian, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Richard E. Gillilan, Qingqiu Huang, Donghui Zhang Aug 2023

Ph-Dependent Solution Micellar Structure Of Amphoteric Polypeptoid Block Copolymers With Positionally Controlled Ionizable Sites, Meng Zhang, Yun Liu, Xiaobing Zuo, Shuo Qian, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Richard E. Gillilan, Qingqiu Huang, Donghui Zhang

Faculty Publications

While solution micellization of ionic block copolymers (BCP) with randomly distributed ionization sites along the hydrophilic segments has been extensively studied, the roles of positionally controlled ionization sites along the BCP chains in their micellization and resulting micellar structure remain comparatively less understood. Herein, three amphoteric polypeptoid block copolymers carrying two oppositely charged ionizable sites, with one fixed at the hydrophobic terminus and the other varyingly positioned along the hydrophilic segment, have been synthesized by sequential ring-opening polymerization method. The presence of the ionizable site at the hydrophobic segment terminus is expected to promote polymer association toward equilibrium micellar structures …


Black Experiences With Community Gardening In Southeast Louisiana, Kiarah Craft Aug 2023

Black Experiences With Community Gardening In Southeast Louisiana, Kiarah Craft

LSU Master's Theses

Community gardens have been rising in popularity over the past few years (Mayers, 2023). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people across the United States have decided that it is crucial to grow their own food and develop sustainability within their community. Historically, Black communities have been underserved and ignored, especially in relation to food security and community safety (White, 2019, Penniman, 2018). The purpose of this study was to collect information about the effects of community-based gardening programs on Black people in Southeast Louisiana. Additionally, the researcher would like to gain knowledge regarding the reasons that Black people …


Narrative Infidelity And White Resentment In The Rhetorical Mobilization Of The Anti-Crt Movement, Julien Burns Aug 2023

Narrative Infidelity And White Resentment In The Rhetorical Mobilization Of The Anti-Crt Movement, Julien Burns

LSU Master's Theses

Beginning in the summer of 2020, an activist movement has arisen in opposition to Critical Race Theory (CRT). This movement has mobilized tens of thousands of Americans and passed policy curtailing the discussion of race in classrooms despite a lack of evidence that CRT has any meaningful presence in many of the public institutions targeted. This movement challenges logic-based conceptions of rhetorical persuasion and demands an alternative model. In this thesis, I propose that a narrative conception of rhetoric provides a framework for understanding how this movement is rational, despite the falsifiability of its foundation. Specifically, I respond to Walter …


Successful But Exhausted: The Effect Of Tokenism On Black Employees, Sydney Green Aug 2023

Successful But Exhausted: The Effect Of Tokenism On Black Employees, Sydney Green

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite organizations' efforts to reduce racial inequality in the workplace, White employees continue to outnumber Black employees in many organizations and workgroups. The present research investigates the cognitive performance of Black and White men experiencing different degrees of group racial representation and explores whether keeping their performance private reduces the effect of group racial representation. A sample recruited via Prolific included 491 men, (50.50% White and 49.50% Black), aged 18 to 65 years (M = 39.3, SD = 10.4) working in the U.S. at least 31 hours per week (M = 42.2, SD = 6.7). Using an online …


On The Evaluation Of Entropy Threshold For Debonding During Crack Prorogation Using Dic Technique, A. Mahmoudi, M. R. Khosravani, M. M. Khonsari, Tamara Reinicke Aug 2023

On The Evaluation Of Entropy Threshold For Debonding During Crack Prorogation Using Dic Technique, A. Mahmoudi, M. R. Khosravani, M. M. Khonsari, Tamara Reinicke

Faculty Publications

The accumulated entropy at the crack tip of a semi-circular bending (SCB) specimen is investigated to obtain a threshold for material fracture and interatomic debonding. The presented approach uses the experimental data obtained from the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique and strain maps superposed to SCB specimens to measure the plastic flow at the crack tip. The Swift strain hardening model is utilized to calculate the stress domain at the crack tip and, consequently, the plastic strain energy and entropy accumulation. Results show that the crack surface propagates when the generated entropy at the crack tip reaches a critical limit. …


Gdf15 Mediates The Effect Of Skeletal Muscle Contraction On Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion, Hui Zhang, Anny Mulya, Stephan Nieuwoudt, Bolormaa Vandanmagsar, Ruth Mcdowell, Elizabeth C. Heintz, Elizabeth R.M. Zunica, J. Jason Collier, Nadejda Bozadjieva-Kramer, Randy J. Seeley, Christopher L. Axelrod, John P. Kirwan Aug 2023

Gdf15 Mediates The Effect Of Skeletal Muscle Contraction On Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion, Hui Zhang, Anny Mulya, Stephan Nieuwoudt, Bolormaa Vandanmagsar, Ruth Mcdowell, Elizabeth C. Heintz, Elizabeth R.M. Zunica, J. Jason Collier, Nadejda Bozadjieva-Kramer, Randy J. Seeley, Christopher L. Axelrod, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Exercise is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes and preserves b-cell function by hitherto unknown mechanisms. We postulated that proteins fromcontracting skeletalmuscle may act as cellular signals to regulate pancreatic b-cell function. We used electric pulse stimulation (EPS) to induce contraction in C2C12myotubes and found that treatment of b-cells with EPS-conditioned medium enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Transcriptomics and subsequent targeted validation revealed growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) as a central component of the skeletal muscle secretome. Exposure to recombinant GDF15 enhanced GSIS in cells, islets, andmice. GDF15 enhanced GSIS by upregulating the insulin secretion pathway in b-cells,whichwas abrogated …


Impact Of Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging On The Intermediate Production Of Anthracene And Anthraquinone In Fresh Versus Saltwater Environments, Scott J. St. Romain, Laura M. Basirico, Yong Ha Kim, Emily Vebrosky Nolan, Wei Xu, Kevin L. Armbrust Aug 2023

Impact Of Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging On The Intermediate Production Of Anthracene And Anthraquinone In Fresh Versus Saltwater Environments, Scott J. St. Romain, Laura M. Basirico, Yong Ha Kim, Emily Vebrosky Nolan, Wei Xu, Kevin L. Armbrust

Faculty Publications

While salinity can alter the photodegradation of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs), the cause of their altered kinetics in seawater is not well understood. Because HOC intermediate photoproducts are often more toxic than their parent compounds, characterizing the generation of intermediates in saline environments is needed to accurately predict their health effects. The present study investigated the influence of salinity on the generation of anthraquinone through the photolysis of anthracene and the generation of anthrone and 1-hydroxyanthraquinone from the photolysis of anthraquinone as well as their reactivities with hydroxyl radicals. This was conducted by measuring the photolysis rates of anthracene and …