Digital Commons Network^™

Interactions Of Cdkal1 Rs7747752 Polymorphism And Serum Levels Of L-Carnitine And Choline Are Related To Increased Risk Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Hui Wang, Jing Li, Jinnan Liu, Junhong Leng, Weiqin Li, Zhijie Yu, Claudia H.T. Tam, Gang Hu, Ronald C.W. Ma, Zhongze Fang, Ying Wang, Xilin Yang

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Interactions between genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors lead to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to examine interactive effects of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein1-like 1(CDKAL1) rs7747752 polymorphism with low serum levels of L-carnitine, choline, and betaine for GDM. Methods: A nested case-control study of 207 GDM women and their one-to-one, age-matched controls was organized from a prospective cohort of pregnant women in Tianjin, China. Conditional logistic regressions were used to test associations between CDKAL1 rs7747752 and serum levels of L-carnitine, choline, and betaine, and the risk of GDM. Additive interactions were performed to examine interactive effects of …

Effects Of A Lifestyle Intervention In Young Women With Gdm And Subsequent Diabetes, Gang Hu, Huikun Liu, Junhong Leng, Leishen Wang, Weiqin Li, Shuang Zhang, Wei Li, Gongshu Liu, Huiguang Tian, Shengping Yang, Zhijie Yu, Xilin Yang, Jaakko Tuomilehto

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a 9-month intensive lifestyle intervention could lead to weight loss and improve cardiovascular risk factors among young women with both gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and newly diagnosed diabetes. A total of 83 young women, who had GDM and were subsequently diagnosed as type 2 diabetes at an average of 2.6 years after delivery, participated in a 9-month intensive lifestyle intervention and a follow-up survey at 6–9 years postintervention. After the 9-month intervention, these women had a weight loss of 2.90 kg (−4.02% of initial weight), decreased waist circumference (−3.12 cm), body …

Reference Database Of Teeth Images From The Family Bovidae, Juliet K. Brophy, Gregory J. Matthews

Faculty Publications

Researchers typically rely on fossils from the Family Bovidae to generate African paleoenvironmental reconstructions due to their strict ecological tendencies. Bovids have dominated the southern African fauna for the past four million years and, therefore, dominate the fossil faunal assemblages, especially isolated teeth. Traditionally, researchers reference modern and fossil comparative collections to identify teeth. However, researchers are limited by the specific type and number of bovids at each institution. B.O.V.I.D. (Bovidae Occlusal Visual IDentification) is a repository of images of the occlusal surface of bovid teeth. The dataset currently includes extant bovids from 7 tribes and 20 species (~3900). B.O.V.I.D. …

Personalized Breast Cancer Onset Prediction From Lifestyle And Health History Information, Shi Ang Qi, Neeraj Kumar, Jian Yi Xu, Jaykumar Patel, Sambasivarao Damaraju, Grace Shen-Tu, Russell Greiner

Faculty Publications

We propose a method to predict when a woman will develop breast cancer (BCa) from her lifestyle and health history features. To address this objective, we use data from the Alberta's Tomorrow Project of 18,288 women to train Individual Survival Distribution (ISD) models to predict an individual's Breast-Cancer-Onset (BCaO) probability curve. We show that our three-step approach-(1) filling missing data with multiple imputations by chained equations, followed by (2) feature selection with the multivariate Cox method, and finally, (3) using MTLR to learn an ISD model-produced the model with the smallest L1-Hinge loss among all calibrated models with comparable C-index. …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Anti-Discrimination Design Strategies In The Digital Sharing Economy, Miroslav Tushev, Fahimeh Ebrahimi, Anas Mahmoud

Faculty Publications

Applications of the Digital Sharing Economy (DSE), such as Uber, Airbnb, and TaskRabbit, have become a main facilitator of economic growth and shared prosperity in modern-day societies. However, recent research has revealed that the participation of minority groups in DSE activities is often hindered by different forms of bias and discrimination. Evidence of such behavior has been documented across almost all domains of DSE, including ridesharing, lodging, and freelancing. However, little is known about the underlying design decisions of DSE platforms which allow certain demographics of the market to gain unfair advantage over others. To bridge this knowledge gap, in …

Variation In Human Water Turnover Associated With Environmental And Lifestyle Factors, Yosuke Yamada, Xueying Zhang, Mary E.T. Henderson, Hiroyuki Sagayama, Herman Pontzer, Daiki Watanabe, Tsukasa Yoshida, Misaka Kimura, Philip N. Ainslie, Lene F. Andersen, Liam J. Anderson, Lenore Arab, Issad Baddou, Kweku Bedu-Addo, Ellen E. Blaak, Stephane Blanc, Alberto G. Bonomi, Carlijn V.C. Bouten, Pascal Bovet, Maciej S. Buchowski, Nancy F. Butte, Stefan G. Camps, Graeme L. Close, Jamie A. Cooper, Richard Cooper, Sai Krupa Das, Lara R. Dugas, Simon Eaton, Ulf Ekelund, Sonja Entringer, Terrence Forrester, Barry W. Fudge, Annelies H. Goris

Faculty Publications

Water is essential for survival, but one in three individuals worldwide (2.2 billion people) lacks access to safe drinking water. Water intake requirements largely reflect water turnover (WT), the water used by the body each day. We investigated the determinants of human WT in 5604 people from the ages of 8 days to 96 years from 23 countries using isotope-tracking (2H) methods. Age, body size, and composition were significantly associated with WT, as were physical activity, athletic status, pregnancy, socioeconomic status, and environmental characteristics (latitude, altitude, air temperature, and humidity). People who lived in countries with a low human development …

Visualization Research: Scoping Review On Data Visualization Courses, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro

Faculty Publications

Understanding data visualization as one of the foundational skills of the 21st century, this research aimed to define up-to-date guidelines to effectively teach data visualization courses and–from there–developed the first version of a new data visualization course. To do so, it faced the following questions: What is the current role of data visualization in higher education? What have been the main trends in data visualization courses in higher education? What methodologies have been used to teach data visualization courses? What difficulties have been identified in data visualization courses? What recommendations have been offered by previous professors that have taught this …

The Limits Of Financial Equity: The Federal Reserve, The Depression Of 1921, And The End Of Wilsonian Progressivism, Terril Hebert

LSU Master's Theses

The Limits of Financial Equity: The Federal Reserve, the Depression of 1921, and the End of Wilsonian Progressivism is an examination of monetary policy and centralized macroeconomic planning in the American economy during the inflationary spiral of the 1910s that culminated in the Depression of 1921. Put forward for consideration is the successful populist campaign for agricultural credit equity by the burgeoning Federal Reserve System; set against a backdrop of intentional inflation, world and domestic citizens competed against as the price and supply chain distortions perpetuated by the policing of American commerce by the Food Administration, A. Mitchell Palmer’s Department …

Estimation Of Economic Risk From Coastal Natural Hazards In Louisiana, Rubayet Bin Mostafiz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Louisiana, U.S.A., is among the most vulnerable areas globally to coastal natural hazards, with risk vulnerability likely increasing. The risks associated with non-tropical-cyclone hazards in Louisiana’s coastal zone have been understudied. This research enhances present and future (i.e., 2050) Louisiana risk assessment using locally-weighted, model-based hazard frequency/intensity and population projections.

Results suggest that property risks associated with extreme cold temperature and tornado are and will remain costlier than those for hail and lightning. Property risks of extreme cold temperature and hail are projected to decrease with the expected warming temperatures, with those of all four of these hazards peaking in …

Studies Of Roseau Cane Dieback In The Lower Mississippi River Delta Based On Remote Sensing Data Including Landsat, Worldview, And Drone, Nan Shang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research focused on the Roseau cane (Phragmites australis) dieback assessment in the lower MRD of Louisiana and introduced a comprehensive and systematic multi-source remote sensing method for assessing wetland and Roseau cane dieback and habitat dynamics analysis from three scale levels from large-scale to small scale.

Large-scale historical vegetation/land change analyses were conducted in the lower MRD based on Landsat in the past two decades (2001 - 2021). A strong increasing trend of vegetation was found since 2005. Around 51 km² ofdieback area was detected which accounts for 11% of the overall vegetation coverage. This research …

Numerical Investigation Of Heat Generation And Accumulation Contributing To Elevated Temperature In Msw Landfills, Alborz Fathinezhad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Landfills are complex geostructures which contains organic and inorganic municipal, and in some cases industrial, wastes and are expected to remain operational for long times. Due to the complex nature of physical, chemical, biological, and thermal reactions that carry on within the depths of a landfill, unexpected incidents such as elevated temperatures could become inevitable. While uncommon to happen, elevated temperatures cause health and environmental issues such as odors, rapid settlements, slope instabilities. In addition, elevated temperatures can negatively impact engineered components in composite bottom liners, cover systems, leachate collection, and gas extraction and recovery systems.

Air intrusion into municipal …

Comparison Of Rt-Qpcr And Rt-Dpcr Platforms For The Trace Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 Rna In Wastewater, Warish Ahmed, Wendy J.M. Smith, Suzanne Metcalfe, Greg Jackson, Phil M. Choi, Mary Morrison, Daniel Field, Pradip Gyawali, Aaron Bivins, Kyle Bibby, Stuart L. Simpson

Faculty Publications

We compared reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and RT digital PCR (RT-dPCR) platforms for the trace detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in low-prevalence COVID-19 locations in Queensland, Australia, using CDC N1 and CDC N2 assays. The assay limit of detection (ALOD), PCR inhibition rates, and performance characteristics of each assay, along with the positivity rates with the RT-qPCR and RT-dPCR platforms, were evaluated by seeding known concentrations of exogenous SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The ALODs using RT-dPCR were approximately 2-5 times lower than those using RT-qPCR. During sample processing, the endogenous (n = 96) and exogenous (n = 24) SARS-CoV-2 wastewater …

Environmental Controls On Carbon Biogeochemistry In Aquatic Systems, Lee Potter

LSU Master's Theses

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) outgassing from inland waters is a small but critical component of the global carbon cycle that is currently not well constrained. This thesis is composed of three interrelated studies with an overarching goal to further determine environmental factors impacting carbon dynamics in rivers and lakes. These studies utilized water samples and in situ measurements of pCO₂ and ambient water parameters from the Lower Mississippi River at Baton Rouge and University Lake in Baton Rouge Louisiana, USA collected between January 2021 and August 2022. Additional Meteorological and hydrological data were download from public sources. Results …

Self-Powered Lights For Photosynthetic Cultures, Maria T. Gutierrez-Wing, Jin-Woo Choi

College of Agriculture Patents

Various examples of methods and systems are provided for increasing productivity of one or more photosynthetic cultures via self-powered energy output systems. In one example, a system includes a waterproof casing and an energy output module enclosed within the waterproof casing. The waterproof casing is configured to be neutrally buoyant in an enclosure comprising the one or more photosynthetic cultures. In another example, a method includes placing a self-powered energy output system within an enclosure, the self-powered energy output system being neutrally buoyant within the enclosure. The method further includes causing turbulence within the enclosure, and the self-powered energy output …

Dynamics Of Bottlebrush Polymers In Solution By Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy, Karin J. Bichler, Bruno Jakobi, Dirk Honecker, Laura R. Stingaciu, Thomas K. Weldeghiorghis, James H.P. Collins, Gerald J. Schneider

Faculty Publications

We present dynamical and morphological studies on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based bottlebrush polymers in solution. A combination of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG NMR), and neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy was used to identify structural changes inherent in changing the side-chain length while keeping the backbone constant. These morphological changes are mirrored in the diffusion coefficient determined by PFG NMR, resulting in two coefficients for the elongated and one for the more spherical sample. Faster motions are tracked by NSE using the advantage of time- and length-scale resolutions with the diffusion coefficient predetermined by PFG NMR. …

Languages Of Reform: Populist Revolution Or Middle-Class Progressivism?, Timothy Vest Klein

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Populists and Progressives around the turn of the 20^th century had similar reform goals and many of the same foes. Both wanted to expand the power of the federal government to counter corporate monopolies which were dominating the nation’s economy and political system. In the early 1900s, Progressives enacted numerous reforms that were championed by Populists, including regulating railroads and other large corporations, breaking-up monopolies, implementing a graduated income tax, among other reforms. With so much agreement on policy, why did Populists and Progressives actively work against one another in the 1890s?

Part of their antagonism came from their …

Non-Compliance, Non-Additionality, And Disadoption: Insights Into Challenges In Agricultural Conservation Programs, Santosh Pathak

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Agricultural conservation programs are a principal vehicle of the US federal government to combat environmental externalities arising from resource-intensive agricultural production. However, non-compliance, non-additionality, and disadoption issues often impede the sustainability goals envisioned by such programs. This dissertation consists of three essays that shed light on key challenges facing working lands programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

In the second chapter, I study the non-compliance rate in cost-share contracts between farmers and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Using a suite of panel data methods and an instrumental variable approach, I …

Experimental Music And Collaboration: Developing Artistry Through Performance Practice, John Lambert

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project locates collaboration and collaborative performance as a potential site for artistic growth. This study analyzes six collaborative projects: composed pieces for electric guitar accompanying a staged performance of collaged texts, an audio-visual installation, the preparation of several short pieces to accompany choreographed dances, a 90-minute soundtrack to a performance mixed live, an ongoing improvisational duo, and a live visuals performance to accompany Sunburned Hand of the Man at Duke University. It traces the growth of my artistry while also providing a method for both doing and writing about collaboration. In addition, it offers a model for understanding collaborative …

Role Of Cd38 In Pulmonary Host Defense Against Gram-Negative Pneumonia, Xiaoqian Shan

LSU Master's Theses

The Gram-negative bacterium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, is a major cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia in the U.S. In particular, the dramatic increase in carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infections poses a serious threat to the public health both in the United States and worldwide. Clearance of bacteria in the lungs depends on effective pulmonary immune response. It may be possible to design improved therapies that augment host immune responses while attenuating excessive pulmonary inflammation through modulation of key innate immunity molecules during pneumonic infections. Cluster differentiation CD38 (CD38) has been detected on the surface of many immune cells or intracellular compartments, acting as …

Effect Of Canopy Competition On Tree Growth And Development In Pine Hardwood Mixtures, Jacob Alexander Olichney

LSU Master's Theses

Mixed species forests may benefit from the reduction in intraspecific competition, although the benefit of species mixing has been shown to vary depending on mixture composition and environmental conditions. This study sought to test the effect of species composition in mixed forest stands on canopy development and growth of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). Even-aged, grid planted monoculture and mixed species forest plots were established with hardwood monoculture plots at a 741 Trees Per Hectare (TPH), and pine monoculture and mixed species plots established at 1482 TPH. …

Toward A Safer Transportation System For Senior Road Users, Saba Doulabi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Senior pedestrians and drivers (65 years and older) are among the most vulnerable road users. As the population of seniors rise, concerns regarding older adults' traffic safety are growing. The advantages of using autonomous vehicles, innovative vehicle technologies, and active transportation are becoming more widely recognized to improve seniors' mobility and safety. This behooves researchers to further investigate senior road users’ safety challenges and countermeasures. This study contributes to the literature by achieving two main goals. First, to explore contributing factors affecting the safety of older pedestrians and drivers in the current transportation system. Second, to examine seniors’ perceptions, preferences, …

Esterase Mediated Insecticide Resistance In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Vivek Pokhrel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Much is known about the development of insecticide resistance associated with targeted application against insect populations. However, off-target selection by applications of insecticides in agricultural and residential sites also impacts development of insecticide resistance and is understudied. Similarly, the impact of selecting one life stage of mosquitoes on the insecticide susceptibility of different life stages is largely unknown. The first part of this study shows that susceptibility to chlorantraniliprole, which is applied in rice and sugarcane fields in LA, decreased (5.7 to12-fold) in populations of Culex quinquefasciatus collected from near these fields compared to a reference field strain. In addition, …

A Study Of Indigenous North Vietnamese Ca Tru Music, And The Deities Of The Kalachakra Mandala, Daniel D'Aiuto Schultz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

This document is in two sections. Chapter I is a study on the history, instruments and performance of Vietnamese ca trù folk music. Indigenous Asian music, especially music from Vietnam, has held an almost mystical interest for me with its links to the doctrines of Buddhism and Hinduism. Ca trù’s singular style, always sung by women in fixed ensembles, is of particular interest because of its colorful history and unique performance practices. The ca trù music of Vietnam’s northern provinces, like much Asian folk music, is considered an endangered genre.

Sources for Ca trù insights are scarce, but some …

Compilation Optimizations To Enhance Resilience Of Big Data Programs And Quantum Processors, Travis D. Lecompte

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Modern computers can experience a variety of transient errors due to the surrounding environment, known as soft faults. Although the frequency of these faults is low enough to not be noticeable on personal computers, they become a considerable concern during large-scale distributed computations or systems in more vulnerable environments like satellites. These faults occur as a bit flip of some value in a register, operation, or memory during execution. They surface as either program crashes, hangs, or silent data corruption (SDC), each of which can waste time, money, and resources. Hardware methods, such as shielding or error correcting memory (ECM), …

The Oboe Excerpts: A Preparation Guide For Orchestral Auditions, Jana Zilova

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This monograph presents an overview of the top ten most requested oboe orchestral excerpts. It provides young aspiring oboists with a better understanding of the pieces, along with different interpretations, to help them prepare for an orchestral audition. The beginning describes how the top ten excerpts were selected and introduces two professional oboe players who contributed to this paper. The middle section provides a background of each piece, pedagogical suggestions, and a list of recordings and books where the oboe excerpts can be found.

Color, Culture, And The Implications For Emotional, Cognitive, And Behavioral Reactions, Renee Lucas

LSU Master's Theses

Color plays a significant role in life, influencing how we perceive things, how symbols change in meaning, how brands, logos, and pictograms are communicated, as well as how our emotions are perceived and how our moods are affected. For designers, advertisers, and visual communicators, color is crucial because it has a big impact on how people perceive, relate to, and value an image or advertisement. There are many factors that play a role when people develop their personal color interpretations – one being culture. The purpose of this study is to investigate the links between culture, color, and individuals’ cognitive, …

Environmental Educators’ Perceptions Of Inaugural Louisiana State Department Of Education Environmental Education Standards And Accompanying Environmental Education Endorsement Plan: A Multiple Case Study Approach, Abigail Greer

LSU Master's Theses

Increasing environmental literacy through environmental education is an integral approach to fighting many of the environmental challenges facing Louisiana. The State Department of Education in Louisiana has released two initiatives to increase environmental literacy in the state while incorporating nonformal environmental education into formalized k-12 education. The first initiative is a set of Key Principles and Concepts (KPCs) in environmental education, which is aimed at providing standards to nonformal environmental educators in Louisiana. The second initiative, the Louisiana Environmental Education Advancement Plan (LEEAP), accompanies the KPCs and provides an opportunity for nonformal environmental education organizations to achieve endorsement through partnership …

Interactive Industrial Energy Assessment Learning Platform Using 360-Degree Virtual Reality Contents, Laleh Ghanbari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The traditional passive industrial energy assessment training methods included low direct involvement of students, and they lacked an engaging learning environment. Since the main task for energy assessment is visual inspection and data collection, traditional passive training methods were not able to provide hands-on experience for the students. An active training method was needed to make the current industrial energy assessment training more efficient and effective, a method which provides the opportunity for students to have more interaction with the training environment. In this study, an interactive industrial energy assessment learning platform using 360ᵒ virtual reality contents was developed. The …

Asexual Dramaturgies: Reading For Asexuality In The Western Theatrical Canon, Anna Maria Ruffino Broussard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Asexuality has recently gained recognition and visibility as a legitimate sexual orientation and identity standpoint that is usually defined as lacking sexual desire for any gender. Popular culture and the academy have both seen the emergence of a robust conversation about the definition and import of asexuality, recognizing the term as an umbrella concept covering an ever-diversifying array of identities. Within the nascent critical discourse on asexuality, theorists have sought to identify asexuality as a sexual orientation, to rethink our society’s sexual normativity, and to question compulsory sexuality, or the assumption that sexual desire is intrinsic to all people, thus …

An Exploration Of Trained Reading Recovery Teachers' Perceptions About The Program And Subsequent Influences On Select Teachers' Views Of Reading Instruction, Ellen Brupbacher Daugherty

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As a foundational learning skill set, reading acquisition is the basis on which all other formal educational knowledge is built. In the state of Louisiana, 42.3% (2022) of first graders are not reading on grade level, therefore providing targeted intervention by highly trained teachers is crucial for accelerating student progress. Considering the paucity of research on the impact of Reading Recovery® (RR) training on teachers’ capacity to teach, as well as my personal experience, the purpose of this phenomenologically informed case study was to explore the perceptions of RR training and subsequent influences on teaching pedagogical practices. This qualitative study …