Digital Commons Network^™

The Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homolog D (Rbohd) Cell And Tissue Distribution In Potato-Potato Virus Y (Pvyntn) Hypersensitive And Susceptible Reactions, Rodrigo A. Valverde

Faculty Publications

The respiratory burst oxidase homolog D (RbohD) acts as a central driving force of reactive oxygen species signaling in plant cells by integrating many different signal transduction pathways in plants, including incompatible interactions with pathogens. This study demonstrated the localization and distribution of RbohD in two types of potato-potato virus Y (PVY) interactions: Compatible and incompatible (resistant). The results indicated a statistically significant induction of the RbohD antigen signal in both interaction types. In the hypersensitive response (resistant reaction) of potato with a high level of resistance to the potato tuber necrotic strain of PVY (PVYNTN), RbohD localization followed by …

Factors Influencing Landowners' Decisions For Income-Generating Activities On Private Coastal Wetland In Louisiana, Hua Wang, Walter Keithly, Rex Caffey

Faculty Publications

© 2019 by the authors. The coastal zone of Louisiana contains more than 3 million wetland acres and has the highest acreage of salt marsh of any state. However, Louisiana accounts for 80 percent of the nation's coastal land loss. The loss of Louisiana's coastal wetlands results in changes in economic and ecological benefits on local communities. The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors that motivate private coastal landowners to participate in income-generating activities and the level of income derived from their coastal wetland parcels and to gauge their opinion of potential policy instruments for coastal wetlands …

Description Of A New Species Of Ponyfish (Teleostei: Leiognathidae: Equulitini: Photolateralis) From The Gulf Of Oman, John S. Sparks, Prosanta Chakrabarty

Faculty Publications

Copyright © American Museum of Natural History 2019. A new species belonging to the leiognathid genus Photolateralis, collected from the coastal waters of Oman, is described herein. Photolateralis is unique among leiognathid genera in possessing a species-specific translucent midlateral flank stripe that may be comprised of either multiple independent translucent windows (P. stercorarius, P. moretoniensis, and the new species) or a continuous translucent lateral band (P. antongil). Photolateralis polyfenestrus, new species, is distinguished from congeners by the presence of a short, composite midlateral stripe comprised of three small, rounded translucent windows (vs. numerous windows in both P. stercorarius and P. …

Sexually Dimorphic Oxytocin Receptorexpressing Neurons In The Preoptic Area Of The Mouse Brain, Kaustubh Sharma, Ryan Leblanc, Masudul Haque, Katsuhiko Nishimori, Madigan M. Reid, Ryoichi Teruyama

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Sharma et al. Oxytocin is involved in the regulation of social behaviors including parental behaviors in a variety of species. Oxytocin triggers social behaviors by binding to oxytocin receptors (OXTRs) in various parts of the brain. OXTRs are present in the preoptic area (POA) where hormone-sensitive sexually dimorphic nuclei exist. The present study was conducted to examine whether sex differences exist in the distribution of neurons expressing OXTRs in the POA. Using OXTR-Venus (an enhanced variant of yellow fluorescent protein) mice, the distribution of OXTR-Venus cells in the POA was compared between sexes. The total number of OXTR-Venus …

Evidence For Pathways Of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge In East Antarctica From Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements, Neil Foley, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, Denys Grombacher, Peter T. Doran, Jill Mikucki, Krista F. Myers, Nikolaj Foged, Hilary Dugan, Esben Auken, Ross Virginia

Faculty Publications

© 2019 by the authors. The Southern Ocean receives limited liquid surface water input from the Antarctic continent. It has been speculated, however, that significant liquid water may flow from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and that this subglacial flow carries that water along with dissolved nutrients to the coast. The delivery of solutes, particularly limiting nutrients like bioavailable iron, to the Southern Ocean may contribute to ecosystem processes including primary productivity. Using a helicopter-borne time domain electromagnetic survey along the coastal margins of the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, we detected subsurface connections between inland …

The Expression Of Adipose Tissue-Derived Cardiotrophin-1 In Humans With Obesity, Jacqueline Stephens, Eric Ravussin, Ursula White

Faculty Publications

© 2019, MDPI AG. All rights reserved. Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) is a gp130 cytokine that was previously characterized for its e ects on cardiomyocytes and identified as a marker of heart failure. More recent studies reported elevated circulating levels of CT-1 in humans with obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, a subsequent rodent study implicated CT-1 as a potential therapeutic target for obesity and MetS. Adipose tissue (AT) is broadly acknowledged as an endocrine organ and is a substantial source of CT-1. However, no study has examined the expression of adipose-derived CT-1 in humans. We present the first analysis of CT-1 …

Contrasting Latitudinal Gradients Of Body Size In Helminth Parasites And Their Hosts, Tad Dallas, Alyssa Lois M. Gehman, A. Alonso Aguirre, Sarah A. Budischak, John M. Drake, Maxwell J. Farrell, Ria Ghai, Shan Huang, Ignacio Morales-Castilla

Faculty Publications

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: We examined body size scaling relationships for two developmental life stages of parasitic helminths (egg and adult) separately in relationship to latitude (i.e. Bergmann's rule), temperature and temperature seasonality. Given that helminth eggs experience environmental conditions more directly, whereas adults live inside infected host individuals, we predict stronger environmentally driven gradients of body size for eggs than for adults. Location: Global. Time period: Present day. Major taxa studied: Parasitic helminths. Methods: We compiled egg size and adult body size data (both minimum and maximum) for 265 parasitic helminth species from the literature, …

Meta-Analysis Of Yield Response Of Foliar Fungicide-Treated Hybrid Corn In The United States And Ontario, Canada, Kiersten A. Wise, Damon Smith, Anna Freije, Daren S. Mueller, Yuba Kandel, Tom Allen, Carl A. Bradley, Emmanuel Byamukama, Martin Chilvers, Travis Faske, Andrew Friskop, Clayton Hollier, Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems, Heather Kelly, Bob Kemerait, Paul Price, Alison Robertson, Albert Tenuta

Faculty Publications

Background Foliar fungicide applications to corn (Zea mays L.) occur at one or more application timings ranging from early vegetative growth stages to mid-reproductive stages. Previous studies indicated that fungicide applications are profitable under high disease pressure when applied during the tasseling to silking growth stages. Few comprehensive studies in corn have examined the impact of fungicide applications at an early vegetative growth stage (V6) compared to late application timings (VT) for yield response and return on fungicide investment (ROI) across multiple locations. Objective Compare yield response of fungicide application timing across multiple fungicide classes and calculate the probability of …

Field Efficacy Of Insect Pathogen, Botanical, And Jasmonic Acid For The Management Of Wheat Midge Sitodiplosis Mosellana And The Impact On Adult Parasitoid Macroglenes Penetrans Populations In Spring Wheat, Govinda Shrestha, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

The wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana, is a serious pest of wheat worldwide. In North America, management of S. mosellana in spring wheat relies on the timely application of pesticides, based on midge adults levels caught in pheromone traps or seen via field scouting during wheat heading. In this context, biopesticides can be an effective alternative to pesticides for controlling S. mosellana within an Integrated Pest Management program. A field study using insect pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana GHA, nematode Steinernema feltiae with Barricade polymer gel 1%, pyrethrin, combined formulations of B. bassiana GHA and pyrethrin, Jasmonic acid (JA) and chlorpyrifos (chemical …

Diurnal And Seasonal Variations In Soil Respiration Of Four Plantation Forests In An Urban Park, Mengxun Zhu, Wanlai Xue, Hang Xu, Yuan Gao, Shengnan Chen, Bin Li, Zhiqiang Zhang

Faculty Publications

Understanding the carbon dynamics of urban trees and forests is one of the key components for developing mitigation strategies for climate change in a fast-paced urbanized world. This study selected four plantation forests composed of poplar, black locust, Chinese pine and mixture of poplar and black locust, located in an urban forest park on a well-drained fluvial plain with same land-use history. The diurnal and seasonal changes in soil respiration (Rs) and biophysical factors were measured from April 2015 to March 2016. At the diurnal scale, Rs varied out of phase with soil temperature (Ts) and the time-lag occurred in …

Broad-Scale Habitat Use By Fledgling Black-Capped Vireo, Marisa T. Martinez, Ashley M. Long, Heather A. Mathewson, Michael L. Morrison

Faculty Publications

Knowledge of avian habitat associations during the postfledging stage is lacking for most songbirds, which limits the ability to develop and implement management plans that address the full life cycle of birds. The Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla; hereafter vireo) is a Neotropical migratory songbird that breeds in early to mid-successional vegetation but has been documented using late-successional vegetation. We used data collected in 2013 and 2014 to determine the spatial distribution of vireo fledglings in relation to the availability of woodland cover in central Texas. We found that woodland cover was used less often than it was available in the …

Maize Responsiveness To Azospirillum Brasilense: Insights Into Genetic Control, Heterosis And Genomic Prediction, Miriam Suzane Vidotti, Filipe Inácio Matias, Filipe Couto Alves, Paulino Pérez Rodríguez, Gregório Alvarado Beltran, Juan Burguenõ, José Crossa, Roberto Fritsche-Neto

Faculty Publications

Several studies have shown differences in the abilities of maize genotypes to facilitate or impede Azospirillum brasilense colonization and to receive benefits from this association. Hence, our aim was to study the genetic control, heterosis effect and the prediction accuracy of the shoot and root traits of maize in response to A. brasilense. For that, we evaluated 118 hybrids under two contrasting scenarios: I) N stress (control) and ii) N stress plus A. brasilense inoculation. The diallel analyses were performed using mixed model equations, and the genomic prediction models accounted for the general and specific combining ability (GCA and SCA, …

Current Status And Recommendations Toward A Virus Standard For Ballast Water, Yiseul Kim, Samuel D. Snow, Vanessa Reichel-Deland, Mostafa Maghsoodi, Gabrielle M. Langlois, Volodymyr V. Tarabara, Joan B. Rose

Faculty Publications

Ballast water contains and transfers a variety of biological and non-biological materials between biomes. This study aimed to summarize published literature on the viruses found in ballast water, to evaluate ultrafiltration and plaque assay as methods for concentrating and enumerating viruses, and to assess the efficacy of UV irradiation in the inactivation of infectious viruses in ballast water. Previous studies reported high virus concentrations in ballast tanks, ranging from 109 to 1014 viral particles/L. The ultrafiltration and plaque assay were efficient in concentrating and enumerating four types of phages: MS2, PhiX174, P22, and PP7. The UV dose (radiant fluence) necessary …

Sodium Reduction Through Salt Substitute Mixtures, Visual Cues, And Salt Level Statements, And Its Effects On Consumer Perception: A Case Of Barbecue Sauce, Jose Ramon Alonso Marenco

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in the USA and associated with excessive sodium (Na) intake. Thus, reducing the Na intake is vital to alleviate health concerns. One serving of the average Barbecue sauce (BBQs) may contribute around 15%-20% of the daily Na allowance (2,300 mg). No research has evaluated salt substitutes or visual cues on salty taste perception of BBQs, thus it was the aim of this research. Consumer studies followed a Balanced Incomplete Block (BIB) designs. For Study I, BBQs prototypes followed a 3-components (NaCl : KCl : Glycine) mixture design, with 38% - 87% less …

The Use Of Geospatial Modeling And Novel Diagnostics To Detect And Map Risk Factors Of Soil-Transmitted Helminths In Feira De Santana, Brazil, Ryan Harry Avery

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections impact billions of people worldwide. The traditional STH control approach is a morbidity control strategy implementing mass drug administration (MDA) programs targeting school-aged children (SAC). In Brazil, this control strategy has decreased STH prevalence to less than 20% in most of the country and providing an opportunity to transition from the morbidity control program and towards a surveillance and response system geared towards STH elimination. Surveillance and response systems geared towards elimination require the implementation higher accuracy diagnostics to detect infection in low-transmission communities, surveillance of entire households, high-resolution modeling at the household-habitat scale, and targeted …

Computational Feasibility Of Simulating Whole-Organ Vascular Networks And Their Response To Injury, William Patrick Donahue

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Healthy vasculature is critical to sustaining the function of normal tissues in the human body. Radiation therapy for cancer causes injury of the vasculature of non-cancerous tissues. These changes have been associated with potentially deadly conditions such as necrosis of the brain tissue. There are currently no computational methods to study the effects of radiation vascular injury in whole-organ vasculatures because of the large number of vessels involved. The goal of this work was to test the feasibility of simulating radiation damage to whole-brain vascular networks and calculate the resulting change in blood flow. To accomplish this, we developed algorithms …

Developing An Optomechanical Approach For Characterizing Mechanical Properties Of Single Adherent Cells, Ali Mehrnezhad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mechanical properties of a cell reflect its biological and pathological conditions including cellular disorders and fundamental cellular processes such as cell division and differentiation. There have been active research efforts to develop high-throughput platforms to mechanically characterize single cells. Yet, many of these research efforts are focused on suspended cells and use a flow-through configuration. Therefore, adherent cells are detached prior to the characterization, which seriously perturbs the cellular conditions. Also, methods for adherent cells are limited in their throughput.

My study is aimed to fill the technical gap in the field of single cell analysis, which is a high-throughput …

Beyond The Transcript: A Narrative Analysis Of Students' Experiences With Academic Dismissal In A Baccalaureate Nursing Program, Angela Edwards Capello

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Re-defining different is the first step in addressing inequity in nursing education and the disparities that result in a high incidence of academic dismissal in baccalaureate nursing programs. What are the students' differences that contribute to one student’s ease of progression through a baccalaureate nursing program and those who struggle from the first semester?

This study provides a private look into the experiences of nine baccalaureate nursing students who were academically dismissed from their nursing program. Each story chronological from the time they decided to pursue nursing to their experiences during nursing school and to their lives after dismissal. …

Chemical Approaches For Nanofabrication Based On Colloidal Lithography With Organosilanes, Nanoparticles And Nickel Films: The Role Of Water In Directing Surface Self-Assembly, Neepa Malsi Kumari Kuruppu Arachchige

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The capabilities for accomplishing fundamental surface studies with molecular systems are demonstrated in this dissertation using measurement and imaging modes of scanning probe microscopy. Model systems were chosen for investigations of surface self-assembly mechanisms, with an emphasis on understanding the role of interfacial water in surface reactivity. A key strategy for molecular level studies was to prepare nanostructures using protocols with colloidal lithography and scanning probe-based lithography (SPL). Nanofabricated samples were characterized ex situ with contact and tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) after key reaction steps, providing direct views of changes in surface morphology at the nanoscale. Magnetic sample modulation …

Voices From Within: Teacher Sensitivity In An Early Childhood Elementary School, Anjenette Victoria Holmes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Using a qualitative case study approach, grounded in an ecological systems theory framework, this project sought to understand how a teacher describes her journey of becoming sensitive and uncover what helps or hinders a teacher’s ability to sensitive. This study collected and examined data from multiple data sources, which included direct and participant observations, collected documents and artifacts, semi-formal and informal interviews with school members, along with a focus-group. Data was evaluated for common codes and relevant emerging themes are discussed. Six early childhood teachers at an early childhood elementary school participated in the study. Results suggest that there are …

A Case-Study Approach To Investigate Transmission, Co-Infection, And Clinical Sequelae During Epidemics Of Dengue And Ebola Virus Disease, Jennifer Elizabeth Giovanni

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

From within their ecologic niches, zoonotic viruses emerge from animal reservoirs into the edges and centers of human habitation to exploit opportunities for unabated transmission within immunologically–naïve populations. Our understanding of where, in whom, and how these viruses emerge is under direct challenge, driving the evolution of modern infectious disease epidemiology within a rapidly-connected global community. The studies presented herein are based on analyses of both aggregate and case-level data, which, we argue, provide unique insight into the complexities of transmission, co-infection, and clinical sequelae occurring within, and arising from, epidemics of emerging zoonotic viruses. In Chapter II, we investigate …

Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Formal [2 + 2 + 1] Annulation For The Modular Synthesis Of Tetrahydroindoles And Tetrahydrocyclopenta[ B]Pyrroles, Joshua A. Malone, Courtney E. Toussel, Frank R. Fronczek, Rendy Kartika

Faculty Publications

© 2019 American Chemical Society. An expedient synthesis of tetrahydroindoles and tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrroles, highlighted by Brønsted acid catalyzed formal [2 + 2 + 1] annulation reaction, is reported. Using three readily accessible reaction components, i.e., an electrophilic species in silyloxyallyl cations and two distinct nucleophiles in silylenol ethers and amines, our chemistry enables the assembly and functionalization of these biologically important N-heterocycles in a highly modular manner.

Feeling The Heat: Developing A Psychological Needs-Based Theory Of Performance Pressure At Work, Jacob Henry Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of performance pressure has been prevalent in management research for decades. Ranging from the impact of time constraints on productivity to the influence of social evaluation on the performance of individuals and teams, pressure is a ubiquitous phenomenon that has generated significant interest in the social sciences. Despite its substantive footprint within management research, there is a lack of agreement among scholars regarding what performance pressure actually is (i.e., an internal or external phenomenon). Further, research on the subject has proliferated without a coherent theoretical understanding of why and how performance pressure arises as well as why and …

Role Of The Drosophila Beaf Protein In Chromatin Domain Insulator And Promoter Function, Mukesh Maharjan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Proper folding of eukaryotic genomes is required to allow correct interactions between different parts of chromosomes. Precise and timely interactions among different parts of a chromosome allow proper functioning inside a nucleus, including gene regulation, DNA replication and DNA repair. Eukaryotic regulatory elements that facilitate folding and interactions include enhancers, promoters and insulator elements. Insulator elements and their binding proteins play an important role in regulating correct chromatin structure and function. The Drosophila melanogaster special chromatin structure (scs’) is one such insulator. The Boundary Element Associated Factor (BEAF) binds to scs’. BEAF is a 32 kDa protein that has two …

Floodwater Impact On Galveston Bay Phytoplankton Taxonomy, Pigment Composition And Photo-Physiological State Following Hurricane Harvey From Field And Ocean Color (Sentinel-3a Olci) Observations, Eurico D'Sa

Faculty Publications

Phytoplankton taxonomy, pigment composition and photo-physiological state were studied in Galveston Bay (GB), Texas (USA), following the extreme flooding associated with Hurricane Harvey (25-29 August 2017) using field and satellite ocean color observations. The percentage of chlorophyll a (Chl a) in different phytoplankton groups was determined from a semi-analytical IOP (inherent optical property) inversion algorithm. The IOP inversion algorithm revealed the dominance of freshwater species (diatom, cyanobacteria and green algae) in the bay following the hurricane passage (29 September 2017) under low salinity conditions associated with the discharge of floodwaters into GB. Two months after the hurricane (29-30 October 2017), …

Hsv-1 Live-Attenuated Vaccine Strain Vc2 Confers Complete Protection In Mice Against Ocular Immunipathogenesis By The Human Clinical Strain Hsv-1 (Mckrae), Shan Krishnan Naidu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) can cause severe ocular infection and blindness. We have previously shown that the HSV-1 VC2 vaccine strain is protective in mice and guinea pigs against genital herpes infection following vaginal challenge with HSV-1 or HSV-2. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of VC2 intramuscular vaccination in mice against herpetic keratitis following ocular challenge with the lethal human clinical strain HSV-1(McKrae). VC2 vaccination in mice produced superior protection and morbidity control in comparison to its parental strain HSV-1(F). Specifically, after HSV-1(McKrae) ocular challenge, all VC2- vaccinated mice survived, while 30% of the HSV-1(F)- vaccinated and …

Physiological Characterization Of Inward Rectifier Potassium (Kir) Channels In Insect Neural Systems, Rui Chen

LSU Master's Theses

A complete understanding of the physiological pathways critical for proper function of the insect nervous system is still lacking. The recent development of potent and selective small-molecule modulators of insect inward rectifier potassium channels has enabled the interrogation of the physiological role and toxicological potential of Kir channels within various insect tissue systems. Therefore, we aimed to highlight the physiological and functional role of neural Kir channels in the central nervous system, muscular system, and neuromuscular system through pharmacological and genetic manipulations. Our data provide significant evidence that Drosophila neural systems rely on the inward conductance of K+ ions for …

An Examination Of The Technical Adequacy, Classification Accuracy, And Usability Of The Ssis Sel Screening/Process Monitoring Scales In Elementary School Populations, Shelby Mccoy Byrd .

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Social emotional skills and competencies are integral to student success at home, school, and in the larger community. Extant research also consistently demonstrates that social emotional skill deficits are associated with various adverse outcomes. Universal screening for social emotional and behavioral risk in schools facilitates early identification and targeted intervention, with the primary goal to mitigate and reduce these potential adverse outcomes for students. Research on the technical adequacy and classification accuracy of universal screening is essential to this process to ensure efficient and accurate identification, as well as subsequent implementation of social emotional interventions targeting deficits in skills.The purpose …

Antimicrobial Properties Of Different Chitosans Against Gram-Negative And Gram-Positive Foodborne Pathogens In Food Products, Nancy Katherine Rubio Zapata

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chitosan is a polymer derived of the deacetylation of chitin that is one of the most abundant material in nature. Chitosan solutions applied as edible coatings, and dipping solutions have shown positive results in the extension of shelf life on seafood and meat products. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of a newly invented high molecular weight water-soluble (HMWWS) chitosan against selected Gram-negative (Salmonella Typhimurium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio cholerae) and Gram-positive (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus) foodborne pathogens (initial inoculation of 6.5 Log). Chitosans with …

Application Of X-Ray Grating Interferometry To Polymer/Flame Retardant Blends In Additive Manufacturing, Omoefe Joy Kio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

X-ray grating interferometry is a nondestructive tool for visualizing the internal structures of samples. Image contrast can be generated from the absorption of X-rays, the change in phase of the beam and small-angle X-ray scattering (dark-field). The attenuation and differential phase data obtained complement each other to give the internal composition of a material and large-scale structural information. The dark-field signal reveals sub-pixel structural detail usually invisible to the attenuation and phase probe, with the potential to highlight size distribution detail in a fashion faster than conventional small-angle scattering techniques. This work applies X-ray grating interferometry to the study of …