Digital Commons Network^™

The Association Between Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors And 25-Hydroxivitamin D And Related Analytes Among Hispanic/Latino Adults: A Pilot Study, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, Reyna L. Pacheco-Dominguez, Christopher T. Sempos, Holly Kramer, Andrew N. Hoofnagle, Amber Pirzada, Richard S. Cooper, Martha L. Daviglus

Faculty Publications

Although the association of vitamin D levels with cardiovascular risk profiles among Hispanics/Latinos has been studied, little is known about this association among Hispanics/Latinos with chronic conditions. This pilot study determined serum vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in a sample of participants from the University of Illinois at the Chicago Cohort of Patients, Family and Friends (UIC Cohort) and examined their association with traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. From July 2012 to June 2016, the UIC Cohort study enrolled and conducted clinical examinations on men and women ages 18 years and older, who had one or more diagnosed …

A Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Study Incorporating Gene-Smoking Interactions Identifies Multiple New Loci For Pulse Pressure And Mean Arterial Pressure, Yun Ju Sung, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Thomas W. Winkler, Daniel I. Chasman, Amy R. Bentley, Aldi T. Kraja, Ioanna Ntalla, Helen R. Warren, Xiuqing Guo, Karen Schwander, Alisa K. Manning, Michael R. Brown, Hugues Aschard, Mary F. Feitosa, Nora Franceschini, Yingchang Lu, Ching Yu Cheng, Xueling Sim, Dina Vojinovic, Jonathan Marten, Solomon K. Musani, Tuomas O. Kilpeläinen, Melissa A. Richard, Stella Aslibekyan, Traci M. Bartz, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Changwei Li, Yongmei Liu, Tuomo Rankinen, Albert Vernon Smith, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Wei Zhao

Faculty Publications

Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene-smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2. We report here 136 loci significantly associated with MAP and/or PP. Of these, 61 were previously published through main-effect analysis of BP traits, 37 were recently reported by us for systolic BP and/or diastolic BP through …

From Pampa To Puna: Biogeography And Diversification Of A Group Of Neotropical Obligate Grassland Birds (Anthus: Motacillidae), Paul Van Els

Faculty Publications

The evolution of Neotropical birds of open landscapes remains largely unstudied. We investigate the diversification and biogeography of a group of Neotropical obligate grassland birds (Anthus: Motacillidae). We use a multilocus phylogeny of 22 taxa of Anthus to test the hypothesis that these birds radiated contemporaneously with the development of grasslands in South America. We employ the R package DDD to analyze the dynamics of Anthus diversification across time in Neotropical grasslands, explicitly testing for shifts in dynamics associated with the Miocene development of grasslands, the putative Pleistocene expansion of arid lowland biomes, and Pleistocene sundering of Andean highland grasslands. …

Dynamics Of Liposomes In The Fluid Phase, Sudipta Gupta, Judith U. De Mel, Gerald J. Schneider

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd We review the currently available material on the morphology and dynamics of phospholipids assembled into liposomes. Key information obtained from neutron scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and other techniques plays a crucial role in understanding the vital role of lipids in sustaining life in living organisms. We concentrate on the dynamics in the biologically important fluid phase in the time range from picoseconds to seconds, which includes a discussion of the center of mass diffusion of liposomes, membrane fluctuations; and lateral, rotational, and flip-flop motions of the lipids. We emphasize on the sensitivity of the dynamics …

Flood Protection Ecosystem Services In The Coast Of Puerto Rico: Associations Between Extreme Weather, Flood Hazard Mitigation And Gastrointestinal Illness, R. De Jesus Crespo, J. Wu, M. Myer, S. Yee, R. Fulford

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Bluebills And Bayou Bivalves: Hurricane-Driven Trophic Cascades Affect Wintering Abundance Of Lesser Scaup In Louisiana, Clay M. Stroud, Claire E. Caputo, Michael A. Poirrier, Larry A. Reynolds, Kevin M. Ringelman

Faculty Publications

The estuaries of coastal Louisiana overwinter a continentally significant proportion of Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis; colloquially, “bluebills”), a migratory bird species of conservation concern since population declines began in the 1980s. Thirty-eight years of aerial waterfowl surveys of Lake Pontchartrain—an oligohaline estuarine lagoon in southeast Louisiana—show that scaup abundance fluctuates between 0 and 1,194,907 birds, though the mechanisms driving this variation are unknown. Previous studies have shown that scaup feed primarily on mollusks, and so changes in the benthic prey community have the potential to strongly influence scaup dynamics on the Lake. Benthic communities are in turn shaped by both …

Self-Healing Concrete Using Encapsulated Bacterial Spores In A Simulated Hot Subtropical Climate, Marwa Hassan, Jose Milla, Tyson Rupnow, Ahsennur Soysal

Publications

Bacterial concrete has become one of the most promising self-healing alternatives due to its capability to seal crack widths through microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP). In this study, two bacterial strains were embedded at varying dosages (by weight of cement) in concrete. Beam specimens were used to identify the maximum crack-sealing efficiency, while cylinder samples were used to determine their effects on the intrinsic mechanical properties, as well as its stiffness recovery over time after inducing damage. The concrete specimens were cured in wet-dry cycles to determine their feasibility in Region 6. The results showed that the specimen groups with …

Decision-Making Tool For Road Preventive Maintenance Using Vehicle Vibration Data, Changbum Ahn, Chao Wang, Jing Du

Publications

Automated and timely road pavement damage inspection is critical to the preventive maintenance and the long-term sustainability and resilience of roads in Region 6. Current road inspection practices rely heavily on a manual process. Sensor-based methods (e.g., LiDAR scanning) are promising but can be too expensive for a wider adoption. This study employs a crowdsourcing approach of using the vibration patterns of regular vehicles in inferring specific types of road damages. A cloud-based smart phone app and system was developed to collect real-time vehicle vibrations, location data, and road damage images for training the detection model. However, there is a …

Development Of Metals Corrosion Maps Of Arkansas And Maintenance Of Cross-Drains, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed, Mdariful Hasan

Publications

Corrosion potential of metallic structures in alluvial soils is governed by chemical and electromagnetic properties of the soils. Geotechnical engineers are generally more concerned about different types of soils and their physical and mechanical properties than the chemical aspects. The main objective of this study is to analyze the geotechnical, electrochemical and electromagnetic properties of soils in Arkansas. Important parameters (e.g., soil resistivity) related to corrosion potential of metal culverts have been predicted through neural network (NN) models. The developed NN models have been trained and verified by using laboratory test results of soil samples collected from Arkansas Department of …

Examining The Mechanisms Of Religious Ecology On Population Health And Material Well-Being, Joseph Andrew Clark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A growing body of research has addressed the relationship between community-level religious environments and important aspects of well-being, such as mortality, crime, and social mobility. This research argues that the prevalence of specific religious traditions shapes these important outcomes through a variety of mechanisms. While there is no shortage of mechanisms proposed by authors - such as local attitudes towards public institutions, gender norms, and social networks - these mechanisms remain themselves untested. A notable critique of this literature suggests that without evidence supporting the existence of these mechanisms as described, scholars involved in this research run the risk of …

Small-Scale Production And Meaningful Work: Toward A Community Of Gift And Craft, Stephen Michael Wolfe

LSU Master's Theses

Productive labor is often treated as a means for various ends—for money, leisure, play, etc. This essay argues that work, depending its scale and its relation to community, can be worth doing for its own sake—as an end in itself. Meaningful work is meaning-investing activity. In small-scale production, which involves an intimate relation with the material and an application of practical skill, the producers can invest products with higher-order meaning, imbuing upon them their personhood by which they manifest themselves in public for recognition as persons qua workers and for the judgment of others concerning the goodness of the product. …

Current And Future Deposition Of Nitrogen And Sulfur In Louisiana, Jessica Nguyen

LSU Master's Theses

Nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) are essential nutrients, however excess quantities can stress ecosystems. Atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur deposition lead to changes in water and soil chemistry, consequently resulting in ensuing detriment to multiple ecosystems such as acidification of water bodies. This affects a multitude of plants and animals such as trees, insects, and fish. Louisiana has copious natural water resources. Therefore, it is essential to safeguard its valuable resources from excess atmospheric N and S deposition. However, knowledge of N and S deposition and its unfavorable effects in the Southeast U.S., particularly Louisiana, is limited.

In this research, a …

Determining The Presence Or Absence Of Euscepes Postfasciatus In Haiti And Use Of Molecular Markers For The Distinction Of Cylas Formicarius Elangantulus Biotypes, Marie Rachele Lexidort

LSU Master's Theses

Cylas formicarius elegantulus (Summers) and Euscepes postfaciatus (Fairmaire) are the most destructive sweetpotato weevils in the Caribean Basin. However, damage occurring in sweetpotato production in Haiti is attributed to C. formicarius (S), since it is known to be the most prevalent species while, conflicting information is available pertaining to the occurrence of the E. postfaciatus (F). This study was conducted in the summer of 2018 to determine the presence or absence of E. postfaciatus (F) in Haiti. 98 weevil samples from field (70% ) and infested sweetpotato roots from field and regional markets were collected (30%) in the most relevant …

Equine Arteritis Virus Long-Term Persistence Is Orchestrated By Cd8+ T Lymphocyte Transcription Factors, Inhibitory Receptors, And The Cxcl16/Cxcr6 Axis, Mariano Carossino, Nikolaus Osterrieder, Pouya Dini, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Alan T. Loynachan, Igor F. Canisso, R. Frank Cook, Peter J. Timoney, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lsu Computational System Biology Gateway For Education, Eroma Abeysinghe, Michal Brylinski, Marcus Christie, Suresh Marru, Marlon Pierce

Faculty Publications

Science gateways are a mechanism for delivering scientific software as a service, especially when the software requires high performance computing (HPC) resources to run effectively. The existence of a science gateway eliminates the user’s need to learn to work with HPC systems and to manage software installations and updates. With well-designed user interfaces, users can more quickly become effective users of scientific applications and can manage information needed for replicating, modifying, and sharing results. All of these efficiency gains enable users to focus more on their research. In addition, science gateways are being identified as an effective educational tool, a …

Two New Species Of Shrew-Rats (Rhynchomys: Muridae: Rodentia) From Luzon Island, Philippines, Eric A. Rickart, Danilo S. Balete, Robert M. Timm, Phillip A. Alviola, Jacob A. Esselstyn, Lawrence R. Heaney

Faculty Publications

The murine genus Rhynchomys includes the large-bodied Philippine "shrew-rats," highly specialized members of the vermivorous clade of Philippine murids. Four species are recognized, all of which are endemic to Luzon Island: R. soricoides from mountains within the Central Cordillera, R. isarogensis from Mt. Isarog on the Bicol Peninsula, R. banahao from Mt. Banahaw in south-central Luzon, and R. tapulao from Mt. Tapulao in the Zambales Mountains. Field surveys in 2006 and 2008 revealed two additional populations of Rhynchomys, one from Mt. Labo (1,544 m), a dormant stratovolcano at the base of the Bicol Peninsula, the other from Mt. Mingan (1,901 …

Chloride To The Rescue, Marcia E. Newcomer

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Newcomer. On the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the Ser-His-Asp catalytic triad, perhaps the most unusual variation on the textbook classic is described: An incomplete catalytic triad in a hydrolase is rescued by a chloride ion (Fig. 1). Structural and functional data provide compelling evidence that the active site of a phospholipase from Vibrio vulnificus employs the anion in place of the commonly observed Asp, reminding us that even well-trodden scientific ground has surprises in store.

Correction To: Siah2 Modulates Sexdependent Metabolic And Inflammatory Responses In Adipose Tissue To A High-Fat Diet Challenge (Biology Of Sex Differences (2019) 10: 19 Doi: 10.1186/S13293-019-0233-Y), Sujoy Ghosh, Jessica L. Taylor, Tamra M. Mendoza, Thanh Dang, David H. Burk, Yongmei Yu, Gail Kilroy, Z. Elizabeth Floyd

Faculty Publications

© 2019 The Author(s). Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that Additional file 1 was incorrect. The corrected Additional file 1 is given below. Additional file Additional file 1 Related to Gene Expression Analysis. (XLSX 13 kb) .

Special Issue On The Application Of Trap And Cover Crops In Insect Pest Management, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Govinda Shrestha, Anamika Sharma

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Bayesian Adaptive Marker-Stratified Design For Molecularly Targeted Agents With Customized Hierarchical Modeling, Yong Zang, Beibei Guo, Yan Han, Sha Cao, Chi Zhang

Faculty Publications

It is well known that the treatment effect of a molecularly targeted agent (MTA) may vary dramatically, depending on each patient's biomarker profile. Therefore, for a clinical trial evaluating MTA, it is more reasonable to evaluate its treatment effect within different marker subgroups rather than evaluating the average treatment effect for the overall population. The marker-stratified design (MSD) provides a useful tool to evaluate the subgroup treatment effects of MTAs. Under the Bayesian framework, the beta-binomial model is conventionally used under the MSD to estimate the response rate and test the hypothesis. However, this conventional model ignores the fact that …

Electron Transfer Activity Of Mitochondria Neet-Proteins, Yiming Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mitochondrial NEET proteins are recently discovered iron-sulfur proteins that are localized within mitochondria. There are three NEET proteins: mitoNEET, a type II diabetes drug pioglitazone binding target, a mitoNEET related protein 1 (Miner1 or NAF-1), and a mitoNEET-related protein 2 (Miner2). While both mitoNEET and Miner1 are mitochondrial outer membrane proteins, Miner2 is a mitochondrial matrix protein. All three NEET proteins bind at least one [2Fe-2S] cluster via CDGSH (Cys-Asp-Gly-Ser-His) motif. In this work, we have investigated the electron transfer activity of mitoNEET, and found that the CDGSH-type [2Fe-2S] clusters of mitoNEET can be reduced by the reduced flavin mononucleotide …

Mathematics Experiences Of Students Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired, Michaela Patricia Stone

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Historically, researchers studying mathematics education for students with visual impairment (SVI) have faced several challenges. Quantitative researchers are limited by small sample sizes and the need to adapt traditional research instruments for accessibility by SVI. Qualitative research, most often conducted by sighted researchers and relying on the perspectives of sighted educators, suffers from the absence of the voices of the SVI being studied. Overwhelmingly, research on the mathematics education of SVI is explicitly grounded in deficit models of disability, falsely conflating the physical condition of impairment with the social act of disablement. Only in the past decade have critical disability …

Microfluidic Gasketless Interconnect Sealed By Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Xiaoxiao Zhao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lab-on-a-chip technologies are widely applied in the field of life sciences and potentially in clinical diagnostics. There is a high demand for standardized, efficient interconnects between components in modular microfluidic systems. Chip-to-chip contactless, microfluidic interconnects, that allow fluid flow between chips, were designed and evaluated. The interconnects are 'gasketless' without the need for O-ring’s or fillers. Specifically, two microfluidic chips are assembled face-to-face and the fluidic ports on each chip were accurately aligned to allow the passage of fluids, through liquid bridges spanning the gap. Formation of the liquid bridges was governed by superhydrophobic films coating the surface around the …

Wide-Ranging Temporal Variation In Transoceanic Movement And Population Mixing Of Bluefin Tuna In The North Atlantic Ocean, Michael A. Dance

Faculty Publications

Uncertainty regarding the movement and population exchange of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) from the two primary spawning areas (Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea) is increasingly implicated as a major impediment for the conservation of this species. Here, two mixture methods were applied to natural chemical markers (delta O-18 and delta C-13) in otoliths (ear stones) to comprehensively investigate the nature and degree of transoceanic movement and mixing of eastern and western populations in several areas of the North Atlantic Ocean that potentially represent mixing hotspots. Areas investigated occurred on both sides of the 45 degrees W management boundary as …

Adsorption/Desorption Behavior Of Cationic And Anionic Dyes By Biochars Prepared At Normal And High Pyrolysis Temperatures, Jong Hwan Park, Jim J. Wang, Yili Meng, Zhuo Wei, Ronald D. Delaune, Dong Cheol Seo

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the properties of biochar prepared at higher than normal biochar production temperature and to evaluate adsorption/desorption characteristics for three commonly used dyes of different charge and molecular nature: Methylene Blue (MB), Orange G (OG) and Congo Red (CR). The switchgrass-biochar was prepared at common pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C (SB600) and higher than normal temperature of 900 °C (SB900). The results showed that the carbon content of the two biochars was similar, but most carbon in SB900 was graphitized based on FTIR and XRD observation. Dye adsorption isotherms by SB600 and SB900 …

Entomology In The 21st Century: Tackling Insect Invasions, Promoting Advancements In Technology, And Using Effective Science Communication - 2018 Student Debates, Casey Parker, Lina Bernaola, Benjamin W. Lee, Dane Elmquist, Abigail Cohen, Adrian Marshall, James Hepler, Adrian Pekarcik, Emily Justus, Kendall King, Tae Young Lee, Carlos Esquivel, Kayleigh Hauri, Christopher Mccullough, Whitney Hadden, Max Ragozzino, Morgan Roth, James Villegas, Emily Kraus, Michael Becker, Megan Mulcahy, Rui Chen, Priyanka Mittapelly, C. Scott Clem, Rachel Skinner, Tanya Josek, Daniel Pearlstein, Jonathan Tetlie, Anh Tran, Anthony Auletta, Edwin Benkert, Dylan Tussey

Faculty Publications

The 2018 student debates of the Entomological Society of America were held at the Joint Annual Meeting for the Entomological Societies of America, Canada, and British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Three unbiased introductory speakers and six debate teams discussed and debated topics under the theme aEntomology in the 21st Century: Tackling Insect Invasions, Promoting Advancements in Technology, and Using Effective Science Communication'. This year's debate topics included: 1) What is the most harmful invasive insect species in the world? 2) How can scientists diffuse the stigma or scare factor surrounding issues that become controversial such as genetically modified organisms, agricultural …

A Multi-Phase Approach To Researching Textbook Insecurity In Higher Education, Teri Oaks Gallaway

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In three studies, issues of student textbook insecurity at institutions of higher education were examined from three critical perspectives: student, faculty, and library. A qualitative study of first-generation low-income students (FGLIS) presented a rich description of issues of student information-seeking behaviors and agency when coping with high textbook costs. The study identified student behaviors including: forgoing a textbook and only purchasing an access code for mandatory homework modules; jeopardizing grades by waiting for clear signals from faculty that books were required; utilizing resources with dubious copyright; replacing course texts with questionable online study aids created by novice third parties; or …

The Rise And Fall Of Focused Deterrence Initiatives, Chandra Lynore Joseph

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Following the national uptick of violence across the country, societal angst has once again begun to surface. Those in positions of authority began to look to the criminal justice system for ways to address this cyclical issue. Traditionally, applying law enforcement crackdowns and increased penalties and sanctions to the offenders were the main topics of discussion. However, over the last two decades, problem-oriented policing has begun to emerge. Problem-oriented policing works to identify why things are going wrong and to frame responses using a wide variety of often untraditional approaches (Goldstein 1979). One of the problem-oriented frameworks known as the …

Factors Affecting Nest Success Of Colonial Nesting Waterbirds In Southwest Louisiana, Karis A. Ritenour

LSU Master's Theses

As the coastline of Louisiana shifts with global climate change, subsidence, and accelerated sea level rise, important breeding islands for colonial nesting waterbirds are disappearing. In many recent studies flooding has been a leading cause of nest failure for a variety of species, especially those that nest on the ground. I examined the nest success of four species of colonial nesting waterbirds with various nesting strategies on Rabbit Island in southwestern Louisiana during 2017 and2018 by determining nest and fledging success. I monitored 855 nests, including 457 Brown Pelicans nests with an estimated hatch probability of 70%, 270 Forster’s Terns …

Infection Potential Of Rickettsia Felis Via Ingestion, Matthew M. Schexnayder

LSU Master's Theses

Rickettsia felis is the etiologic agent of flea-borne spotted fever (FBSF) in humans and a poorly described cause of fever in animals. It is transmitted by its primary arthropod vector and reservoir host, the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. Known routes of Rickettsia felis transmission between Rickettsia felis-infected cat fleas and vertebrate hosts include cutaneous bites and contamination of cutaneous wounds with infective flea feces. The bulk of FBSF infections occur in young children in Africa, though infections of people at all ages all over the world have been confirmed. As mammals and young children frequently come into contact …