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Habitat Association Predicts Genetic Diversity And Population Divergence In Amazonian Birds, Michael G. Harvey, Alexandre Aleixo, Camila C. Ribas, Robb T. Brumfield Nov 2017

Habitat Association Predicts Genetic Diversity And Population Divergence In Amazonian Birds, Michael G. Harvey, Alexandre Aleixo, Camila C. Ribas, Robb T. Brumfield

Faculty Publications

© 2017 by The University of Chicago. The ecological traits of organisms may predict their genetic diversity and population genetic structure and mediate the action of evolutionary processes important for speciation and adaptation. Making these ecological-evolutionary links is difficult because it requires comparable genetic estimates from many species with differing ecologies. In Amazonian birds, habitat association is an important component of ecological diversity. Here, we examine the link between habitat association and genetic parameters using 20 pairs of closely related Amazonian bird species in which one member of the pair occurs primarily in forest edge and floodplains and the other …

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Cysteines And N-Glycosylation Sites Conserved Among All Alphaherpesviruses Regulate Membrane Fusion In Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection, Paul J.F. Rider, Misagh Naderi, Scott Bergeron, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Michal Brylinski, Konstantin G. Kousoulas Nov 2017

Cysteines And N-Glycosylation Sites Conserved Among All Alphaherpesviruses Regulate Membrane Fusion In Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection, Paul J.F. Rider, Misagh Naderi, Scott Bergeron, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Michal Brylinski, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

© 2017 American Society for Microbiology. Neurotropism is a defining characteristic of alphaherpesvirus pathogenicity. Glycoprotein K (gK) is a conserved virion glycoprotein of all alphaherpesviruses that is not found in other herpesvirus subfamilies. The extracellular amino terminus of gK has been shown to be important to the ability of the prototypic alphaherpesvirus herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) to enter neurons via axonal termini. Here, we determined the role of the two conserved N-linked glycosylation (N48 and N58) sites of gK in virus-induced cell fusion and replication. We found that N-linked glycosylation is important to the regulation of HSV-1-induced membrane fusion …

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Prolonged Viral Replication And Longitudinal Viral Dynamic Differences Among Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infected Infants, Monica E. Brint, Joshua M. Hughes, Aditya Shah, Chelsea R. Miller, Lisa G. Harrison, Elizabeth A. Meals, Jacqueline Blanch, Charlotte R. Thompson, Stephania A. Cormier, John P. Devincenzo Nov 2017

Prolonged Viral Replication And Longitudinal Viral Dynamic Differences Among Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infected Infants, Monica E. Brint, Joshua M. Hughes, Aditya Shah, Chelsea R. Miller, Lisa G. Harrison, Elizabeth A. Meals, Jacqueline Blanch, Charlotte R. Thompson, Stephania A. Cormier, John P. Devincenzo

Faculty Publications

© 2017 2017 International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc. BackgroundLongitudinal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) dynamics have not been well studied despite the existence of factors favoring prolonged RSV replication including high mutation rates allowing rapid evolution and potential escape from immune control. We therefore measured viral load in previously RSV-naive infants over prolonged time spans.MethodsDuring 2014-2015, quantitative nasal aspirates were collected from 51 RSV-PCR+ infants. Multiple parallel assessments of viral loads were quantified at each collected time point using a well-validated real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. After observing viral load rebound phenomenon in some infants, the viral dynamics …

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Internode Morphometrics And Allometry Of Tonkin Cane Pseudosasa Amabilis, Liang Cheng, Cang Hui, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Yu Long Ding, Pei Jian Shi Nov 2017

Internode Morphometrics And Allometry Of Tonkin Cane Pseudosasa Amabilis, Liang Cheng, Cang Hui, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Yu Long Ding, Pei Jian Shi

Faculty Publications

Pseudosasa amabilis (McClure) (Poales: Gramineae) is a typical bamboo species naturally distributed in large area of south China and famous for its culm strength. Although bamboos were found to share the same development rule, the detailed internode morphology of bamboo culm was actually not fully expressed. We explored internode morphology of P. amabilis using 11 different physical parameters in different dimensions (1–4). As Taylor's power law (TPL) is generally applicable to describe relationship between mean and variance of population density, here we used TPL to evaluate the differences between internodes, and further, the relationship between dimension and TPL. Results showed …

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Arthropod Development’S Response To Temperature: A Review And New Software For Modeling, Mohammad Ali Mirhosseini, Yaghoub Fathipour, Gadi V.P. Reddy Nov 2017

Arthropod Development’S Response To Temperature: A Review And New Software For Modeling, Mohammad Ali Mirhosseini, Yaghoub Fathipour, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

Among environmental factors, temperature has a direct and crucial influence on the key life processes of survival, development, reproduction, and movement of poikilothermic animals and hence their population dynamics. The lower and upper temperature thresholds and optimal temperature have ramifications for all major life processes, where within a specific range, a temperature change results in a proportional rise or fall of the rate of any given process. There are some basic approaches for modeling development response to temperature in arthropods. The oldest and most widely used model is a simple linear description of arthropod development in relation to temperature.The linear …

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Comparison Of Thermal Performance Equations In Describing Temperature-Dependent Developmental Rates Of Insects: (Iii) Phenological Applications, Pei Jian Shi, Mei Ling Fan, Gadi V.P. Reddy Nov 2017

Comparison Of Thermal Performance Equations In Describing Temperature-Dependent Developmental Rates Of Insects: (Iii) Phenological Applications, Pei Jian Shi, Mei Ling Fan, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

The developmental times of poikilotherms at different stages are significantly affected by temperature. Most mathematical models describing the temperature-dependent developmental rates of poikilotherms are built according to the experimental data at various constant temperatures. However, these models can also be applied to the developmental rates at variable temperatures. It is more meaningful to use models to predict the occurrence times of pest insects that actually represent the completion for a particular developmental stage (e.g., hatching, pupation, eclosion) under a natural thermal environment. For some developmental stages, insects might experience a period of high temperatures. In this case, skewed bell-shaped nonlinear …

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The Stadium Effect: Rodent Damage Patterns In Rice Fields Explored Using Giving-Up Densities, Clare R. Jones, Renee P. Lorica, James M. Villegas, Angelee F. Ramal, Finbarr G. Horgan, Grant R. Singleton, Alexander M. Stuart Nov 2017

The Stadium Effect: Rodent Damage Patterns In Rice Fields Explored Using Giving-Up Densities, Clare R. Jones, Renee P. Lorica, James M. Villegas, Angelee F. Ramal, Finbarr G. Horgan, Grant R. Singleton, Alexander M. Stuart

Faculty Publications

Rodents are globally important pre-harvest pests of rice. In Southeast Asia, rodent damage to growing rice crops is commonly concentrated towards the center of rice fields, away from the field edge, resulting in a clear pattern known as the “stadium effect.” To further understand this behavior of rodent pests and to develop recommendations for future research and management, we examined the relation between giving-up densities (GUDs) and damage patterns. In Tanay, Luzon, Philippines, GUD trays containing pieces of coconut in a matrix of sand were placed at 4 different distances from the field edge to quantify the perceived risk of …

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Molecular Systematics Of Targeted Flat Sedges (Cyperus, Cyperaceae) Of The Americas, Christopher S. Reid, Vinson P. Doyle, J. Richard Carter, Yalma Vargas-Rodriguez, Lowell E. Urbatsch Nov 2017

Molecular Systematics Of Targeted Flat Sedges (Cyperus, Cyperaceae) Of The Americas, Christopher S. Reid, Vinson P. Doyle, J. Richard Carter, Yalma Vargas-Rodriguez, Lowell E. Urbatsch

Faculty Publications

Background and aims – Cyperus is a large, ecologically diverse, and important sedge genus. Recent systematic work resolved problems with generic delimitation and implicated C4 photosynthesis as a possible key innovation spurring diversification. Our research addressed several systematic, taxonomic, and biogeographic questions at the levels of species, species groups, and taxonomic sections. By targeting American taxa, this work helped fill a geographic sampling gap. Methods – Phylogenetic relationships of 121 ingroup samples representing 93 taxa were inferred using both Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches in a multi-locus framework with nucleotide data from nuclear ITS, and plastid markers matK, ndhF, rpl32-trnL(UAG), …

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Admixture Mapping In The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos Reveals Regions Of Genetic Associations With Blood Pressure Traits, Tamar Sofer, Leslie J. Baier, Sharon R. Browning, Timothy A. Thornton, Gregory A. Talavera, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Martha L. Daviglus, Robert Hanson, Sayuko Kobes, Richard S. Cooper, Jianwen Cai, Daniel Levy, Alex P. Reiner, Nora Franceschini Nov 2017

Admixture Mapping In The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos Reveals Regions Of Genetic Associations With Blood Pressure Traits, Tamar Sofer, Leslie J. Baier, Sharon R. Browning, Timothy A. Thornton, Gregory A. Talavera, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Martha L. Daviglus, Robert Hanson, Sayuko Kobes, Richard S. Cooper, Jianwen Cai, Daniel Levy, Alex P. Reiner, Nora Franceschini

Faculty Publications

Admixture mapping can be used to detect genetic association regions in admixed populations, such as Hispanics/Latinos, by estimating associations between local ancestry allele counts and the trait of interest. We performed admixture mapping of the blood pressure traits systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP), in a dataset of 12,116 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). Hispanics/Latinos have three predominant ancestral populations (European, African, and Amerindian), for each of which we separately tested local ancestry intervals across the genome. We identified four regions that were significantly associated with …

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Unravelling The Relative Contribution Of Dissolved Carbon By The Red River To The Atchafalaya River, Yi Jun Xu, Emily Marie Delduco Nov 2017

Unravelling The Relative Contribution Of Dissolved Carbon By The Red River To The Atchafalaya River, Yi Jun Xu, Emily Marie Delduco

Faculty Publications

The Atchafalaya River (AR), North America's largest swamp river, annually discharges a large volume of freshwater (nearly 200 km3), delivering ~25% of the Mississippi River's (MR) flow and the entire Red River's (RR) flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Studies have reported higher levels of organic carbon in the AR's outlets compared to the MR's outlet, raising questions about local carbon sources. In this study, we investigated dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) inputs into the AR from the RR and MR using DOC and DIC concentrations, mass loading, and isotopic signature (δ13C) analyses. Monthly river water …

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Hybridization Between Mottled Ducks (Anas Fulvigula Maculosa) And Mallards (A. Platyrhynchos) In The Western Gulf Coast Region, Robert J. Ford, Will Selman, Sabrina S. Taylor Nov 2017

Hybridization Between Mottled Ducks (Anas Fulvigula Maculosa) And Mallards (A. Platyrhynchos) In The Western Gulf Coast Region, Robert J. Ford, Will Selman, Sabrina S. Taylor

Faculty Publications

Hybridization between species that do not normally interbreed has increased due to human impacts on natural environments, such as habitat alteration or introductions of nonnative species. In particular, the introduction of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) globally has led to hybridization with many duck species. In the southeastern United States, hybridization with Mallards is a potential threat to the genetic identity of Mottled Ducks (A. fulvigula), a nonmigratory, coastal duck species. Hybridization between Mallards and Mottled Ducks has been examined in South Carolina and Florida, but not extensively in the remaining part of the Mottled Duck range. Mottled Ducks introduced into South …

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Special Issue Of Applied Mechanics Reviews In Collaboration With The Journal Of Tribology, Harry Dankowicz, Michael Khonsari Nov 2017

Special Issue Of Applied Mechanics Reviews In Collaboration With The Journal Of Tribology, Harry Dankowicz, Michael Khonsari

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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The Stringent Response Induced By Phosphate Limitation Promotes Purine Salvage In Agrobacterium Fabrum, Smitha Sivapragasam, Dinesh K. Deochand, Jacob K. Meariman, Anne Grove Oct 2017

The Stringent Response Induced By Phosphate Limitation Promotes Purine Salvage In Agrobacterium Fabrum, Smitha Sivapragasam, Dinesh K. Deochand, Jacob K. Meariman, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

© 2017 American Chemical Society. Agrobacterium fabrum induces tumor growth in susceptible plant species. The upregulation of virulence genes that occurs when the bacterium senses plant-derived compounds is enhanced by acidic pH and limiting inorganic phosphate. Nutrient starvation may also trigger the stringent response, and purine salvage is among the pathways expected to be favored under such conditions. We show here that phosphate limitation induces the stringent response, as evidenced by production of (p)ppGpp, and that the xdhCSML operon encoding the purine salvage enzyme xanthine dehydrogenase is upregulated ∼15-fold. The xdhCSML operon is under control of the TetR family transcription …

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Interaction Of Cocoa Powder With Intestinal Microbiota, Martha M. Escoto Sabillon Oct 2017

Interaction Of Cocoa Powder With Intestinal Microbiota, Martha M. Escoto Sabillon

LSU Master's Theses

Cocoa is the fully fermented and dried seed of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) which has prebiotic properties, due to their high concentration of polyphenols. Therefore, the ingestion of cocoa could cause changes in the proportions of the intestinal microbiota that can influence the intestinal immune response. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of alkalization process of the cocoa bean in the diversity of the gut microbiota. The samples were “lavado” unprocessed cocoa powder, “natural” unprocessed cocoa powder, “D-11-S” as alkalized cocoa powder, “D-11-B” heavily alkalized cocoa powder, and raw cocoa “shells” and a control …

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Giant Salvinia, Salvinia Molesta (Salviniaceae): Evaluation Of Sub-Optimum Temperatures On Survival Of The Giant Salvinia Weevil, Cyrtobagous Salviniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) And Integration Of Management Practices With Aquatic Herbicides, Lauren W. Cozad Oct 2017

Giant Salvinia, Salvinia Molesta (Salviniaceae): Evaluation Of Sub-Optimum Temperatures On Survival Of The Giant Salvinia Weevil, Cyrtobagous Salviniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) And Integration Of Management Practices With Aquatic Herbicides, Lauren W. Cozad

LSU Master's Theses

Salvinia molesta is one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds and has cost Louisiana nearly $7 million worth of damage and economic impact each year. While aquatic herbicides and the biological control agent, Cyrtobagous salviniae, are the most efficacious control methods, there are limitations with each technology. Therefore, studies were conducted to evaluate insect mortality at upper and lower lethal temperatures and investigate integrated pest management (IPM) with insects and herbicides. Three Louisiana populations of C. salviniae were tested to evaluate cold tolerance and found that at 0°C, the Bayou Nicholas population was 1.3- and 1.4-times more cold tolerant …

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The Saharan Air Layer As An Early Rainfall Season Suppressant In The Eastern Caribbean: The 2015 Puerto Rico Drought, Thomas L. Mote, Craig A. Ramseyer, Paul W. Miller Oct 2017

The Saharan Air Layer As An Early Rainfall Season Suppressant In The Eastern Caribbean: The 2015 Puerto Rico Drought, Thomas L. Mote, Craig A. Ramseyer, Paul W. Miller

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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New Synthetic Reactions Towards Global Chlorination And Enamides Functionalization, Mirza Ardella Saputra Oct 2017

New Synthetic Reactions Towards Global Chlorination And Enamides Functionalization, Mirza Ardella Saputra

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on two main projects, global chlorination and enamide functionalization, which both encompass in cationic intermediates. Inspired by the desires to find a new chlorination method, global chlorination project is emphasized in chapter one and chapter two, in which chapter one details various known chlorine-containing natural products, including alkyl chlorides and vinyl chlorides. This chapter also describes the previously known protocols to synthesize alkyl chlorides in the attempts of chlorosulfolipids total syntheses, as well as several known reactions to synthesize vinyl chlorides that are both important functional groups in organic synthesis. Chapter two depicts our novel synthetic reaction …

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Assessing The Impact Of White Noise On Cognition In Individuals With And Without Adhd, Scott Roye Oct 2017

Assessing The Impact Of White Noise On Cognition In Individuals With And Without Adhd, Scott Roye

LSU Master's Theses

Although originally viewed only as a childhood disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is now recognized to persist into adulthood in many individuals. Adults with ADHD often demonstrate academic, cognitive, and general functioning deficits as a result of their symptoms. Theorists have suggested that features typically associated with ADHD, such as distractibility, excessive motor activity, and executive dysfunction, may stem from being under stimulated at a physiological level. This lack of arousal potentially causes individuals to seek out stimulation, making them more susceptible to background noise and other environmental stimuli. However, previous research primarily focuses on children and adolescents with …

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Modifiable And Non-Modifiable Factors Related To The Macular Pigment Optical Density (Mpod) In A Population Of College-Aged Adults, Genesis Gisselle Guerra Gaitan Oct 2017

Modifiable And Non-Modifiable Factors Related To The Macular Pigment Optical Density (Mpod) In A Population Of College-Aged Adults, Genesis Gisselle Guerra Gaitan

LSU Master's Theses

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness among the elderly worldwide. Retinal problems, specifically in the macula, hold potential for development of AMD. Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) gives a measure of the thickness of the macula and therefore health of the macula. Some of the populations at risk for development of AMD include being white, female, and having light eye color. Factors related to the development of the disease have been divided into modifiable and non-modifiable; non-modifiable include a genetic predisposition. Control of modifiable factors, including body mass index (BMI) and diet [dietary intake …

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Optimization Of Overhead Irrigation In Relation To Irrigation Water Use Efficiency In The Louisiana Nursery Industry, Mark A. Wilson Oct 2017

Optimization Of Overhead Irrigation In Relation To Irrigation Water Use Efficiency In The Louisiana Nursery Industry, Mark A. Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

Irrigation efficiency is an essential component of nursery production in the United States. To increase productivity of Louisiana growers, a series of studies were conducted to evaluate current nursery water practices. The objectives were to determine current irrigation practices; evaluate actual water usage; and compare nursery media for water utilization. A mailed survey determined that the majority of growers used can yard production (63%), overhead irrigation (79%), had no irrigation manager (82%) and did not collect/reuse water(61%); 50% do not test/calibrate their irrigation system. Based on this information, five nurseries using overhead irrigation were selected to determine water application and …

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Isolation, Detection, And Prevention Of Foodborne Bacteria In Irrigation Water And Dairy Food, Mohammed Saleemallah Alhejaili Oct 2017

Isolation, Detection, And Prevention Of Foodborne Bacteria In Irrigation Water And Dairy Food, Mohammed Saleemallah Alhejaili

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Foodborne microorganisms can be beneficial to humans or cause disease. Salmonella is one of the most causative foodborne disease outbreaks in the U.S.A. Salmonella has been detected in surface water used in irrigation, and can survive for weeks to years in water. The purpose of the study was to detect low levels of Salmonella spp. by comparing surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ) filtration and Activated Carbon (AC) filtration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) method 1200. Also, to determine the generic E.coli counts and if there was a direct correlation of Salmonella to generic E. coli in irrigation water. The EPA …

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Optimizing Stabilized Fluorogypsum To Decrease Dissolution Potential In Aquatic Environments For Construction Of Artificial Reefs, Charles Davis Lofton Oct 2017

Optimizing Stabilized Fluorogypsum To Decrease Dissolution Potential In Aquatic Environments For Construction Of Artificial Reefs, Charles Davis Lofton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The use of limestone as coastal protection devices and as an oyster cultch material has placed a substantial economic burden on the State of Louisiana. Limestone is not locally available in the State of Louisiana and must be transported from out of state which significantly increases the cost of utilizing the material. Placement of limestone on the unconsolidated soils in coastal Louisiana result in significant losses to sinking of the material due to the density of limestone. Therefore, locally available materials with a lower density compared to limestone are needed to reduce the economic burden of protecting and enhancing coastlines. …

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Common Core State Standards And Text Complexity: An Invitation To Learn Language In Stem Disciplines Using A Range Of Quality Literature, Rebecca M. Giles, Leah Kinniburgh Oct 2017

Common Core State Standards And Text Complexity: An Invitation To Learn Language In Stem Disciplines Using A Range Of Quality Literature, Rebecca M. Giles, Leah Kinniburgh

The Journal of Balanced Literacy Research and Instruction

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) emphasize literacy learning within history/social studies, science, and technical subjects making students’ reading, writing, and language development every teacher’s concern, regardless of the discipline being taught. Books related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can enhance students’ knowledge of key terms and concepts as they are revealed in authentic contexts. Students who often struggle harder to understand advanced vocabulary embedded in stories or in difficult, yet interestingly presented nonfiction gain an increased print vocabulary by reading quality STEM-aligned literature selections that exhibit the characteristics of complexity and richness of language advocated by CCSS. …

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Ultrafast And Nonlinear Spectroscopy Of Brilliant Green-Based Nanogumbos With Enhanced Near-Infrared Emission, Tony E. Karam, Noureen Siraj, Zhenyu Zhang, Abdulrahman F. Ezzir, Isiah M. Warner, Louis H. Haber Oct 2017

Ultrafast And Nonlinear Spectroscopy Of Brilliant Green-Based Nanogumbos With Enhanced Near-Infrared Emission, Tony E. Karam, Noureen Siraj, Zhenyu Zhang, Abdulrahman F. Ezzir, Isiah M. Warner, Louis H. Haber

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Author(s). The synthesis, characterization, ultrafast dynamics, and nonlinear spectroscopy of 30 nm nanospheres of brilliant green-bis(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl)imide ([BG][BETI]) in water are reported. These thermally stable nanoparticles are derived from a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (nanoGUMBOS) that exhibit enhanced near-infrared emission compared with the molecular dye in water. The examination of ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy results reveals that the overall excited-state relaxation lifetimes of [BG][BETI] nanoGUMBOS are longer than the brilliant green molecular dye in water due to steric hindrance of the torsional degrees of freedom of the phenyl rings around the central carbon. Furthermore, the …

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Retinoic Acid Induces White Adipose Tissue Browning By Increasing Adipose Vascularity And Inducing Beige Adipogenesis Of Pdgfrα+ Adipose Progenitors, Bo Wang, Xing Fu, Xingwei Liang, Jeanene M. Deavila, Zhixiu Wang, Liang Zhao, Qiyu Tian, Junxing Zhao, Noe Alberto Gomez, Sophie C. Trombetta, Mei Jun Zhu, Min Du Oct 2017

Retinoic Acid Induces White Adipose Tissue Browning By Increasing Adipose Vascularity And Inducing Beige Adipogenesis Of Pdgfrα+ Adipose Progenitors, Bo Wang, Xing Fu, Xingwei Liang, Jeanene M. Deavila, Zhixiu Wang, Liang Zhao, Qiyu Tian, Junxing Zhao, Noe Alberto Gomez, Sophie C. Trombetta, Mei Jun Zhu, Min Du

Faculty Publications

© 2017 The Author(s). Formation of beige adipocytes within white adipose tissue enhances energy expenditure, which is a promising strategy to reduce obesity and prevent metabolic symptoms. Vitamin A and its bioactive metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), have regulatory roles in lipid metabolism. Here we report that RA induces white adipose tissue browning via activating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. RA triggered angiogenesis and elicited de novo generation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor α positive (PDGFRα +) adipose precursor cells via VEGFA/VEGFR2 signaling. In addition, RA promoted beige/brown adipocyte formation from capillary networks in vitro. Using PDGFRα tracking mice, we …

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Development And Evaluation Of Environmentally-Sensitive Genetic Male Sterile Lines For Louisiana Hybrid Rice, Federico Molina Casella Oct 2017

Development And Evaluation Of Environmentally-Sensitive Genetic Male Sterile Lines For Louisiana Hybrid Rice, Federico Molina Casella

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Louisiana rice industry generates ~ 400 million dollars each year toward our state economy. Louisiana varieties are typically bred as pure lines, but hybrid (F1) varieties have the potential to increase grain yields 15% or more over conventional sources. A primary goal of the LSU AgCenter Hybrid Breeding program is to breed elite cross combinations (hybrid varieties) through development of environmentally sensitive male sterile and fertile pollinator lines. Extensive multi-location yield trials in Louisiana have demonstrated high grain and head rice yields for candidate hybrids, but improvements in maturity, lodging, and grain chalk are needed. To address …

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Magnetic, Structural And Magnetocaloric Properties Of Ni-Si And Ni-Al Thermoseeds For Self-Controlled Hyperthermia, Sudip Pandey, Abdiel Quetz, Anil Aryal, Igor Dubenko, Dipanjan Mazumdar, Shane Stadler, Naushad Ali Oct 2017

Magnetic, Structural And Magnetocaloric Properties Of Ni-Si And Ni-Al Thermoseeds For Self-Controlled Hyperthermia, Sudip Pandey, Abdiel Quetz, Anil Aryal, Igor Dubenko, Dipanjan Mazumdar, Shane Stadler, Naushad Ali

Faculty Publications

Self-controlled hyperthermia is a non-invasive technique used to kill or destroy cancer cells while preserving normal surrounding tissues. We have explored bulk magnetic Ni-Si and Ni-Al alloys as a potential thermoseeds. The structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the samples were investigated, including saturation magnetisation, Curie temperature (TC), and magnetic and thermal hysteresis, using room temperature X-ray diffraction and magnetometry. The annealing time, temperature and the effects of homogenising the thermoseeds were studied to determine the functional hyperthermia applications. The bulk Ni-Si and Ni-Al binary alloys have Curie temperatures in the desired range, 316 K–319 K (43 °C–46 °C), which …

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Reported Child Sexual Abuse: Impact Of Adaptive Skills And Association With Psychological Adjustment, Seandra Jean Walker Oct 2017

Reported Child Sexual Abuse: Impact Of Adaptive Skills And Association With Psychological Adjustment, Seandra Jean Walker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The impact of sexual abuse on children’s psychological well-being is well recognized. Considerable research has evaluated the deleterious effects and various protective and risk factors to victimization. Research has shown intense and pervasive psychological symptoms preceding child sexual abuse; however, many studies solely report long-term effects of sexual abuse, or rely on retrospective accounts. Additionally, there is a lack of research on the relationship between psychological adjustment and adaptive skills shortly after child sexual abuse. This study investigated the relationship between psychological problems (i.e. posttraumatic symptomology, internalizing, and externalizing problems) and adaptive skills (i.e. adaptability, social skills, leadership, activities of …

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Fibroblast-Specific Tgf-Β-Smad2/3 Signaling Underlies Cardiac Fibrosis, Hadi Khalil, Onur Kanisicak, Vikram Prasad, Robert N. Correll, Xing Fu, Tobias Schips, Ronald J. Vagnozzi, Ruijie Liu, Thanh Huynh, Se Jin Lee, Jason Karch, Jeffery D. Molkentin Oct 2017

Fibroblast-Specific Tgf-Β-Smad2/3 Signaling Underlies Cardiac Fibrosis, Hadi Khalil, Onur Kanisicak, Vikram Prasad, Robert N. Correll, Xing Fu, Tobias Schips, Ronald J. Vagnozzi, Ruijie Liu, Thanh Huynh, Se Jin Lee, Jason Karch, Jeffery D. Molkentin

Faculty Publications

The master cytokine TGF-β mediates tissue fibrosis associated with inflammation and tissue injury. TGF-β induces fibroblast activation and differentiation into myofibroblasts that secrete extracellular matrix proteins. Canonical TGF-β signaling mobilizes Smad2 and Smad3 transcription factors that control fibrosis by promoting gene expression. However, the importance of TGF-β-Smad2/3 signaling in fibroblast-mediated cardiac fibrosis has not been directly evaluated in vivo. Here, we examined pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis in fibroblast- and myofibroblast-specific inducible Cre-expressing mouse lines with selective deletion of the TGF-β receptors Tgfbr1/2, Smad2, or Smad3. Fibroblast-specific deletion of Tgfbr1/2 or Smad3, but not Smad2, markedly reduced the pressure overload-induced fibrotic …

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Standardized Assessment Of Thin-Film Vitrification For Aquatic Species, Nolan J. Tiersch, Terrence R. Tiersch Oct 2017

Standardized Assessment Of Thin-Film Vitrification For Aquatic Species, Nolan J. Tiersch, Terrence R. Tiersch

Faculty Publications

Ultrarapid cooling under the appropriate conditions will produce vitrification, a glass-like state used to cryopreserve small sample volumes, but there are a number of major technical drawbacks impeding the application of vitrification to germplasm of aquatic species. These include a lack of suitable devices, and poor reproducibility and comparability among studies due to a lack of standardization. We used 3-D printing to produce a viewing pedestal coupled with a classification system to rapidly assess frozen film quality of vitrification loops. Classification time declined with practice from 2.1 ± 0.3 sec (mean ± SD) to 1.5 ± 0.2 sec (after 200 …

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