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Near Infrared Gumbos And Nanogumbos For Biomedical Applications, Mi Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent advances in development of nanomaterials have provided great opportunities for cancer research. In this dissertation, nanoGUMBOS derived from a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) were investigated for several biomedical applications including chemotherapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), and drug delivery. GUMBOS are solid-phase organic salts consisting of bulky cations and anions. Similar to ionic liquids, GUMBOS display highly tunable properties with counter-ions variation, but with a defined melting point range of 25–250 °C. Nanomaterials derived from GUMBOS, i.e. nanoGUMBOS, display enhanced properties at the nanoscale level. This dissertation focuses on development of near infrared IR780 nanoGUMBOS for …

Feasibility Of Generating Synthetic Ct From T1-Weighted Mri Using A Linear Mixed-Effects Regression Model, Anant Pandey, S. A. Yoganathan, Beibei Guo, Rui Zhang

Faculty Publications

Generation of synthetic computed tomography (sCT) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-only radiotherapy is emerging as a promising direction because it can eliminate the registration error and simplify clinical workflow. The goal of this study was to generate accurate sCT from standard T1-weighted MRI for brain patients. CT and MRI data of twelve patients with brain tumors were retrospectively collected. Linear mixed-effects regression models were fitted between CT and T1-weighted MRI intensities for different segments in the brain. The whole brain sCTs were generated by combining predicted segments together. Mean absolute error (MAE) between real CTs and sCTs across all patients …

The Role Of Atp-Sensitive Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels In The Regulation Of Reactive Oxygen Species In The Western Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera L., Christopher J. Fellows

LSU Master's Theses

Colonies of managed honey bees are annually being lost at an unsustainable rate, partly due to reduced immunocompetence that leads to acute viral outbreaks and mortality. To aid in restoring honey bee health despite the myriad of environmental stressors, this thesis focuses on identifying novel physiological pathways that can mitigate virus-mediated mortality through increased immune function. Previous work has demonstrated that a family of potassium ion channels, termed K_ATP channels, mediate the survival of honey bees during infection from a model virus, suggesting K_ATP channels may drive antiviral immunity. Interestingly, these channels have been linked to the regulation …

High Protein Rice Flour In The Development Of Gluten-Free Muffins And Bread, Gabriella M. Paz

LSU Master's Theses

Gluten sensitivities and intolerance disorders such as Celiac disease are being diagnosed more every day which has opened a huge market for gluten-free foods that is expected to reach nearly $7.6 billion by 2020. About 30% of the US population says they are trying to cut-down on or avoid gluten completely, with only 7% doing so for medical reasons. Although there are gluten-free alternatives available to use in cooking and baking, simple substitution of these flours for wheat does not produce acceptable texture characteristics. Gluten-free baked goods suffer from being low in nutritional value such as protein and fiber content …

The Application Of Nonverbal Prosody In Scratches, An Original Composition For Trumpet And Chamber Ensemble, Shane Courville

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project uses research in prosody (the patterns of stress and intonation in language) to inform the compositional process of an original piece of music for trumpet, piano, string quartet, and sign language entitled Scratches. In this this paper, I propose that both verbal and nonverbal prosody affects music across all cultures at both the subtle and overt levels consciousness. It shows up in chanting and rhythmic structures of folk music as well as composers who use the influence of language explicitly. In conjunction with this document, I will discuss and perform the piece I compose through the inspiration of …

Divergent Transcriptional Regulation Of Suppressors Of Cytokine Signaling Genes In Adipocytes, Paula Mota De Sa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Janus Kinase - Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway transduces several signals crucial for development and homeostasis. Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins control JAK-STAT signaling via a negative feedback loop. The transcription factor STAT5 is known to play a significant role in fat cell development and function, and several studies suggest that acetylation may affect STAT5 transcriptional activity. To test this hypothesis, we treated 3T3-L1 adipocytes with growth hormone (GH) to activate STAT5 in the presence or absence of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. STAT5 acetylation levels were low in adipocytes and mostly unchanged by the …

Cogongrass (Imperata Cylindrica (L.) Beauv.) In Louisiana: Cause And Consequence, Lorissa A. Radunzel-Davis

LSU Master's Theses

Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.), an invasive species from East Asia, is found worldwide and is problematic in several countries. In the United States, it grows primarily in the Southeast, reducing biodiversity by growing in dense patches and potentially causing mortality and reducing value of native and planted pinelands due to a high burning temperature. Using Lee Memorial Forest, a Louisiana State University AgCenter property in Washington Parish as a study site, this thesis explores cogongrass in Louisiana with emphasis on soil microbes and soil legacy effects on native plant species. Cogongrass populations at Lee Memorial Forest were more …

In Vitro Evaluation Of Ovarian Cancer Tumorigenesis As A Function Of Quinone Oxidoreducatse-1 And Cell Phenotype, Milcah S. Jackson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In vitro multicellular spheroids are attractive model systems for assessing genetic and epigenetic changes that occur in diseased tissues. Understanding how such alterations in gene and subsequent protein expression affect disease progression and metastasis, drug resistance, and recurrence is of great interest in cancer research. In this regard, examining expression and activity of proteins, such as those with cytoprotective ability that are overexpressed in cancer cells, in addition to cell phenotype (i.e., stem-like, epithelial, mesenchymal, or mixed), are two ways to evaluate genetic and epigenetic changes. Moreover, determining the impact that cytoprotective proteins and cell phenotype have on tumor formation …

Decadal Changes Of Soil Physiochemical Properties In A Freshwater Wetland After Hydrologic Reconnection, Alina Spera

LSU Master's Theses

Sediment, nutrient deprivation and salt water intrusion, among other factors, are driving widespread organic soil collapse and marsh loss in the Mississippi River Delta. Freshwater diversions were designed to reintroduce Mississippi River water and dissolved nutrients into the adjacent basins to manage salinity and slow land loss by maintaining marsh vegetation and nutrient cycling functions. These diversions are controversial by a few, suggesting that nutrient enrichment without a sediment subsidy can lead to further wetland loss in the receiving basins. In this study, a soil characterization is presented for the receiving marsh of the Davis Pond diversion in 2007, just …

Spatiotemporal Impact Of Snow On Underwater Photosynthetically Active Radiation In Taylor Valley, East Antarctica, Madeline E. Myers

LSU Master's Theses

The role of snow on underwater photosynthetically active radiation (UW PAR) in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) has been understudied due to lack of a detailed snowfall record. Research has shown that a relationship between snow cover and UW PAR exists, but the extent has never been evaluated in great detail. Although annual snowfall values in the MDVs are low (3 to 50 mm water equivalent annually), trends of increasing snowfall on the continent under future warming conditions could lead to an increased role for snow in regulating UW PAR (and associated primary productivity). Here, I discuss evidence from the …

Populations Are Not Declining And Food Webs Are Not Collapsing At The Luquillo Experimental Forest, M. R. Willig, L. Woolbright, S. J. Presley, T. D. Schowalter, R. B. Waide, T. Heartsill Scalley, J. K. Zimmerman, G. González, A. E. Lugo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Neurostimulator With Waveforms Inspired By Nature For Wearable Electro-Acupuncture, Jose Aquiles Parodi Amaya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The work presented here has 3 goals: establish the need for novel neurostimulation waveform solutions through a literature review, develop a neurostimulation pulse generator, and verify the operation of the device for neurostimulation applications.

The literature review discusses the importance of stimulation waveforms on the outcomes of neurostimulation, and proposes new directions for neurostimulation research that would help in improving the reproducibility and comparability between studies.

The pulse generator circuit is then described that generates signals inspired by the shape of excitatory or inhibitory post-synaptic potentials (EPSP, IPSP). The circuit analytical equations are presented, and the effects of the circuit …

Chemosensors Based On Higher Energy Gap Control Of Fluorescence In Conjugated Polymers, Chun-Han Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Conjugated polymers (CPs) have been widely investigated for their remarkably high sensitivity towards various chemical detection applications. CPs can exhibit effective transduction of certain analyte binding events through changes in fluorescence. These changes include amplified fluorescence quenching ("turn-offmechanism") or an appearance of a fluorescent emission ("turn-onmechanism"). Whereas turn-offsensors can be readily designed and are widely used, amplifying turn-onsensors, from a practical standpoint, are more convenient to use but are more challenging to design.

This dissertation primarily focuses on the development and study of conjugated polymer based amplifying turn-onfluorescence chemosensors utilizing the novel “higher …

A Study On Large-Scale Deep Learning In Bioinformatics And Biomedical Applications, Shayan Shams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and deep learning have provided researchers in various fields insights into the analysis of multiple datasets. These applications include image analysis, text analysis, and many more. However, the effectiveness of deep learning in some areas, such as biomedical imaging and genomic research, has been overshadowed by the variance in the types and complexity of data. This is in addition to the expensive labeling process and the limited size of datasets in these fields. These challenges require advanced deep learning models capable of learning from a small dataset and also from a small number of labeled …

Habitat Preference Modulates Transoceanic Dispersal In A Terrestrial Vertebrate, Mozes P.K. Blom, Nicholas J. Matzke, Jason G. Bragg, Evy Arida, Christopher C. Austin, Adam R. Backlin, Miguel A. Carretero, Robert N. Fisher, Frank Glaw, Stacie A. Hathaway, Djoko T. Iskandar, Jimmy A. Mcguire, Benjamin R. Karin, Sean B. Reilly, Eric N. Rittmeyer, Sara Rocha, Mickaël Sanchez, Alexander L. Stubbs, Miguel Vences, Craig Moritz

Faculty Publications

© 2019 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. The importance of long-distance dispersal (LDD) in shaping geographical distributions has been debated since the nineteenth century. In terrestrial vertebrates, LDD events across large water bodies are considered highly improbable, but organismal traits affecting dispersal capacity are generally not taken into account. Here, we focus on a recent lizard radiation and combine a summary-coalescent species tree based on 1225 exons with a probabilistic model that links dispersal capacity to an evolving trait, to investigate whether ecological specialization has influenced the probability of trans-oceanic dispersal. Cryptoblepharus species that occur …

Stray Radiation Dose From X-Ray And Proton Beam Radiation Therapies, Christopher William Schneider

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The growing population of cancer survivors at risk of radiation induced side-effects is a public health concern. These side-effects include serious conditions such as second cancers, the majority of which occur outside of the primary treatment volume. Radiotherapy treatment planning systems systematically underestimate the dose to tissues out-of-field. Attempts to predict and reduce the risks of radiogenic side effects require accurate and personalized knowledge of the out-of-field radiation dose to patients. The long-term goal of this research is to provide clinical and research tools necessary to reduce the risk of radiotherapy side effects and improve the health outcomes of radiotherapy …

Approaches For Sample Characterization And Lithography With Nanoparticles Using Modes Of Scanning Probe Microscopy, Jayne C. Garno, Temitope O. Jegede, Kathryn B. Mckee, Melissia Porter, Autumn E. Webb, Jin Gyun Lee, Neepa Mk Kuruppu Arachchige, Justin R. Ragains, Noémie Elgrishi

Faculty Publications

Measurement and imaging modes of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) have been routinely applied for characterizing systems of nanoparticles; however the evolution of fabrication methods to prepare arrangements of nanoparticles remains a challenge. Reproducible fabrication of surface structures which integrate nanoparticles within ultra-small patterns will require innovative approaches to achieve high throughput and precision. Strategies for nanoscale lithography have been introduced for preparing defined arrangements of nanoparticles on surfaces based on physical or chemical interactions. For example, physisorption was employed for attaching nanoparticles based on colloidal lithography and site-directed assembly. Microfabricated atomic force microscope (AFM) tips with capillary channels have been …

Rare Earth Geochemistry Of Apatitic Fossils From The Middle-Upper Ordovician Southern Margin Of Laurentia, Rafael Adrian Villanueva

LSU Master's Theses

Widespread deposition of phosphate and a transition from tropical to cool water carbonates is seen throughout Middle-Upper Ordovician Nashville Dome area spanning the M4/M5 sequence boundary. Hypotheses explaining the onset of these lithologic changes have included the onset of glaciation, drawdown of CO₂ related to the Guttenburg Isotope Carbon Excursion (GICE), and siliciclastic weathering, yet none of these studies have provided definitive evidence that shows any of these are the sole factor driving paleoenvironmental changes across the M4/M5 boundary. In order to test whether rapid subsidence along the southeastern margin of Laurentia may have caused an influx of phosphate …

Atmospheric Deposition Of Nitrogen And Sulfur In China: Current Status And Future Changes, Cheng Shi

LSU Master's Theses

Dry and wet deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) has detrimental impacts on the health of both human and ecosystems. Intensive human activities are responsible for elevating emissions and deposition of N and S species. Large population and fast industrial development led China to one of the countries with highest acid deposition. The large fluxes of N and S deposition have caused acidification of surface water and soil, which damages plant growth and biodiversity in China. N and S deposition has been investigated using ground-based monitoring networks and satellite-based sensors. The limitation of location of monitoring sites and performance …

Evaluation Of Post-Harvest Procedures For Quality Enhancement In The Louisiana Commercial Shrimp Industry, Nicholas Alan Haddad

LSU Master's Theses

The Louisiana commercial shrimp fishery has faced numerous challenges and is declining at an alarming rate. The opportunity may exist to add value to the industry by creating a superior product through optimal operating procedures. Post-harvest processes of plate freezing were analyzed to develop a high-quality shrimp product capable of fostering economic growth for fishermen. Quantifiable data was collected via overnight trips onboard plate freezing boats and at plate freezing docks. Sulfite-free melanosis prevention testing occurred by exploring the use of 4-hexylresorcinol treatments, in combination with vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging, to delay the onset of black spot. Physical …

Examining Successful Aging And Resilience After Disasters, Katie Elizabeth Stanko

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Resilience, a psychological adaptive process and outcome, is the ability to return to normal functioning after a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster. Successful aging entails biological, psychological, and social factors. The Great Flood of 2016 in the greater Baton Rouge area caused catastrophic structural damage to thousands of homes and businesses. Some of these individuals had previously moved to the Baton Rouge area after receiving catastrophic damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In this study, I investigated the role that age group (younger, middle-aged, older) and disaster exposure group (control, single exposure, double exposure) had on post-disaster well-being. …

High-Performance Computing Frameworks For Large-Scale Genome Assembly, Sayan Goswami

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Genome sequencing technology has witnessed tremendous progress in terms of throughput and cost per base pair, resulting in an explosion in the size of data. Typical de Bruijn graph-based assembly tools demand a lot of processing power and memory and cannot assemble big datasets unless running on a scaled-up server with terabytes of RAMs or scaled-out cluster with several dozens of nodes. In the first part of this work, we present a distributed next-generation sequence (NGS) assembler called Lazer, that achieves both scalability and memory efficiency by using partitioned de Bruijn graphs. By enhancing the memory-to-disk swapping and reducing the …

Stress And Suicidality: Effects Of Stressful Life Events, Contextual Socioeconomic Disadvantage, And Early Life Traumas, Muhammed Yildiz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Determining the risk factors and associated pathways that lead individuals to suicidal behavior is an important endeavor in developing appropriate intervention and prevention strategies. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, this dissertation examines how stressful life events, contextual socioeconomic disadvantage, and major early life traumas are associated with suicidal tendencies of U.S. individuals. In addition to direct associations, some of the potential mediating mechanisms that these stressors exert their effects through were also investigated. The major findings indicated that stressful life events increased the risk of suicidal ideation and attempt among adolescents, both directly, …

A Low-Cost Experimental Testbed For Multi-Agent System Coordination Control, Victor Fernandez-Kim

LSU Master's Theses

A multi-agent system can be defined as a coordinated network of mobile, physical agents that execute complex tasks beyond their individual capabilities. Observations of biological multi-agent systems in nature reveal that these ``super-organisms” accomplish large scale tasks by leveraging the inherent advantages of a coordinated group. With this in mind, such systems have the potential to positively impact a wide variety of engineering applications (e.g. surveillance, self-driving cars, and mobile sensor networks). The current state of research in the area of multi-agent systems is quickly evolving from the theoretical development of coordination control algorithms and their computer simulations to experimental …

Interpreting Reality In The Anthropocene, Jake Philip Hamill

LSU Master's Theses

In this paper, I would like to propose that abundant beautification techniques in contemporary nature documentaries are counterproductive when attempting to address humans’ impact on our planet. By utilizing technology there could be a new way to educate ourselves about the Anthropocene on platforms such as Google Earth where one can view nature, statistics, and art by location. With limited data, learning about our effects on nature in its entirety is close to impossible but art can allow us to try and reveal new hidden connections.

Maximizing And Modeling Malonyl-Coa Production In Escherichia Coli, Tatiana Thompson Silveira Mello

LSU Master's Theses

In E. coli, fatty acid synthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), which converts acetyl-CoA into malonyl-CoA. Malonyl-CoA is a major building block for numerous of bioproducts. Multiple parameters regulate the homeostatic cellular concentration of malonyl-CoA, keeping it at a very low level. Understanding how these parameters affect the bacterial production of malonyl-CoA is fundamental to maximizing it and its bioproducts. To this end, competing pathways consuming malonyl-CoA can be eliminated, and optimal nutritional and environmental conditions can be provided to the fermentation broth. Most previous studies utilized genetic modifications, expensive consumables, and high-cost quantification methods, making …

Reproductive Parameters And Methodologies For The Culture Of Golden Topminnows (Fundulus Chrysotus) And Bluenose Shiners (Pteronotropis Welaka), Jacob A. Fetterman

LSU Master's Theses

The global ornamental fish trade has expanded over the past 20 years, requiring captive rearing methods to be improved or developed for species of interest. Aquaculture of desirable species is preferable over wild harvest to conserve natural habitats and biodiversity. This thesis focused on improving culture methods for Golden Topminnows Fundulus chrysotus and developing culture methods for Bluenose Shiners Pteronotropis welaka, both native fishes of the southeastern United States with ornamental demand. A combination of reproductive metric analyses, examination of historical collections, and captive spawning trials were employed to target specific objectives for each species. In female Golden Topminnows, …

Reproductive Capacity Evolves In Response To Ecology Through Common Changes In Cell Number In Hawaiian Drosophila, Didem P. Sarikaya, Samuel H. Church, Laura P. Lagomarsino, Karl N. Magnacca, Steven L. Montgomery, Donald K. Price, Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro, Cassandra G. Extavour

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Lifetime reproductive capacity is a critical fitness component. In insects, female reproductive capacity is largely determined by the number of ovarioles, the egg-producing subunits of the ovary [e.g., 1]. Recent work has provided insights into ovariole number regulation in Drosophila melanogaster. However, whether mechanisms discovered under laboratory conditions explain evolutionary variation in natural populations is an outstanding question. We investigated potential effects of ecology on the developmental processes underlying ovariole number evolution among Hawaiian Drosophila, a large adaptive radiation wherein the highest and lowest ovariole numbers of the family have evolved within 25 million years. Previous …

Sediment Identification Using Machine Learning Classifiers In A Mixed-Texture Dredge Pit Of Louisiana Shelf For Coastal Restoration, Haoran Liu, Kehui Xu, Bin Li, Ya Han, Guandong Li

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Link Between Purine Metabolism And Production Of Antibiotics In Streptomyces, Smitha Sivapragasam, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

© 2019 by the authors. Stress and starvation causes bacterial cells to activate the stringent response. This results in down-regulation of energy-requiring processes related to growth, as well as an upregulation of genes associated with survival and stress responses. Guanosine tetra- and pentaphosphates (collectively referred to as (p)ppGpp) are critical for this process. In Gram-positive bacteria, a main function of (p)ppGpp is to limit cellular levels of GTP, one consequence of which is reduced transcription of genes that require GTP as the initiating nucleotide, such as rRNA genes. In Streptomycetes, the stringent response is also linked to complex morphological differentiation …