Digital Commons Network^™

Insecticide Susceptibilities And Enzyme Activities Of Four Stink Bug Populations In Mississippi, Usa, Yuzhe Du, Shane Scheibener, Yu Cheng Zhu, K. Clint Allen, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

In Mississippi, the Pentatomidae complex infesting soybean is primarily composed of Euschistus servus, Nezara viridula, Chinavia hilaris, and Piezodorus guildinii. This study employed spray bioassays to evaluate the susceptibilities of these stink bugs to seven commonly used formulated insecticides: oxamyl, acephate, bifenthrin, λ-cyhalothrin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and sulfoxaflor. Stinks bugs were collected from soybeans in Leland, MS, USA during 2022 and 2023, as well as from wild host plants in Clarksdale, MS. There was no significant difference in the susceptibility of C. hilaris to seven insecticides between two years, whereas P. guildinii showed slightly increased susceptibility to neonicotinoids in 2023. Among …

Field Evaluation Of Experimental Maize Hybrids For Resistance To The Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In A Warm Temperate Climate, Xinzhi Ni, Alisa Huffaker, Eric A. Schmelz, Wenwei Xu, W. Paul Williams, Baozhu Guo, Xianchun Li, Fangneng Huang

Faculty Publications

The polyphagous fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has become an invasive pest worldwide in recent years. To develop maize germplasm with multiple pest resistance and understand genetic inheritance, 12 experimental hybrids (six pairs of reciprocal crosses) with diverse genetic backgrounds and four commercial checks were examined for FAW resistance in 2013 and 2014. The experiment utilized a randomized complete block design with four replications as the block factor. FAW injury on maize plants was assessed at 7 and 14 d after the artificial infestation at the V6 stage, and predatory arthropod taxa and abundance on maize seedlings were recorded 7 …

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Spring 2024, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

Louisiana’s warm, subtropical climate allows producers to raise an array of crops and livestock. It also provides challenges. Tropical storm winds can lay down rice and cane crops. Ample rain can turn into crop-damaging floods. Last year, a drought struck the southeastern United States, leading to more than $100 million in losses for the cattle sector.

In these cases, LSU AgCenter specialists respond to individual producers’ needs. In each parish AgCenter Extension agents help connect producers with needed resources and become a conduit for the latest knowledge gleaned from scientists at AgCenter research stations across the state.

This issue of …

Callous–Unemotional Traits And Emotion Perception Accuracy And Bias In Youths, Enrica Ciucci, Andrea Baroncelli, Carolina Facci, Stefania Righi, Paul J. Frick

Faculty Publications

This study investigated the associations among conduct problems, callous–unemotional (CU) traits, and indices of emotion recognition accuracy and emotion recognition bias obtained from human faces. Impairments in emotion recognition were considered within broader, impaired emotional and social functioning. The sample consisted of 293 middle-school students (51.19% girls; M age = 12.97 years, SD = 0.88 years). In general, CU traits were associated with less accuracy in recognizing emotions, especially fearful and angry faces, and such deficits in emotional recognition were not associated with conduct problems independent of CU traits. These results support the importance of studying potential deficits in the …

Channel Expansion In The Ligand-Binding Domain Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Contributes To The Activity Of Highly Potent Glucocorticoid Analogues, Wesley B. Seaton, Susan J. Burke, Alexander R. Fisch, William A. Schilletter, Mary Grace A. Beck, Gabrielle A. Cassagne, Innocence Harvey, Molly S. Fontenot, J. Jason Collier, Shawn R. Campagna

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Glucocorticoids (GCs) act through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and are commonly used as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant medications. Chronic GC use has been linked with unwanted complications such as steroid-induced diabetes mellitus (SIDM), although the mechanisms for these effects are not completely understood. Modification of six GC parent molecules with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole resulted in consistently less promoter activity in transcriptional activation assays using a 3xGRE reporter construct while constantly reducing inflammatory pathway activity. The most selective candidate, DX1, demonstrated a significant reduction (87%) in transactivation compared to commercially available dexamethasone. DX1 also maintained 90% of the anti-inflammatory potential of dexamethasone while simultaneously …

Functional And Multi-Omics Effects Of An Optimized Crispr-Mediated Furin Depletion In U937 Monocytes, Ruiming Chua, Lijin Wang, Roshni Singaraja, Sujoy Ghosh

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

The pro-protein convertase FURIN (PCSK3) is implicated in a wide range of normal and pathological biological processes such as infectious diseases, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Previously, we performed a systemic inhibition of FURIN in a mouse model of atherosclerosis and demonstrated significant plaque reduction and alterations in macrophage function. To understand the cellular mechanisms affected by FURIN inhibition in myeloid cells, we optimized a CRISPR-mediated gene deletion protocol for successfully deriving hemizygous (HZ) and nullizygous (NZ) FURIN knockout clones in U937 monocytic cells using lipotransfection-based procedures and a dual guide RNA delivery strategy. We observed differences in monocyte and macrophage …

Pregnane X Receptor Knockout Mitigates Weight Gain And Hepatic Metabolic Dysregulation In Female C57bl/6 J Mice On A Long-Term High-Fat Diet, Lidya H. Gebreyesus, Sora Choi, Prince Neequaye, Mattia Mahmoud, Mia Mahmoud, Malvin Ofosu-Boateng, Elizabeth Twum, Daniel O. Nnamani, Lijin Wang, Nour Yadak, Sujoy Ghosh, Frank J. Gonzalez, Maxwell A. Gyamfi

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Obesity is a significant risk factor for several chronic diseases. However, pre-menopausal females are protected against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and its adverse effects. The pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2), a xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptor, promotes short-term obesity-associated liver disease only in male mice but not in females. Therefore, the current study investigated the metabolic and pathophysiological effects of a long-term 52-week HFD in female wild-type (WT) and PXR-KO mice and characterized the PXR-dependent molecular pathways involved. After 52 weeks of HFD ingestion, the body and liver weights and several markers of hepatotoxicity were significantly higher in WT mice than in …

Preferential Hydrologic States And Tipping Characteristics Of Global Surface Soil Moisture, Vinit Sehgal, Binayak P. Mohanty

Faculty Publications

A dynamic transition in soil hydrologic states through meteorological variability and terrestrial feedback governs soil-vegetation-climate (SVC) interactions, constrained by critical soil moisture (SM) thresholds. However, observational and scaling constraints limit critical SM threshold estimation at the remote-sensing (RS) footprint scale. Using global surface SM (θRS) from NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, we characterize the seasonal preferential hydrologic states of θRS and derive three tipping characteristics to estimate the intensity (Mean Tipping Depth, (Formula presented.)), frequency (Tipping Count, η), and duration (Mean Tipped Time, (Formula presented.)) of the excursion of θRS from wet- to dry-average conditions. The preferential state …

Human Milk Components And The Infant Gut Microbiome At 6 Months: Understanding The Interconnected Relationship, Maryam Kebbe, Kartik Shankar, Leanne M. Redman, Aline Andres

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: Human milk oligosaccharides have been shown to relate to the infant gut microbiome. However, the impact of other human milk components on infant gut bacterial colonization remains unexplored. Objectives: Our cross-sectional analysis aimed to investigate associations between human milk components (energy, macronutrients, free amino acids, inflammatory markers, and hormones) and infant gut microbiome diversity and composition (phylum, family, and genus) at 6 mo of age. Methods: Human milk and infant stool samples were collected at 6 mo postpartum. The infant gut microbiome was profiled using 16S rRNA sequencing. Linear regression models were performed to examine associations, adjusting for pregravid …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Female Sexual Dysfunction Among Sexually Active Women In The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study, Priyanka Gupta, Lindsay Doherty, Marinella Temprosa, Rodica Pop-Busui, Kishore M. Gadde, Prachi Singh, Arthur H. Owora, Hunter Wessells, Aruna V. Sarma

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Objective: To determine the burden and identify correlates of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) among women with prediabetes (PreD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) enrolled in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Outcomes Study (DPPOS). Methods: The DPPOS visit included the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) to determine sexual function. Of 1464 participants, 1320 (90%) completed the (FSFI) and 426 were sexually active. A backward selection multivariable logistic regression model estimated the odds of FSD for sociodemographic, clinical, and diabetes-related covariates. Results: One hundred and eighty-five (43%) had a score of ≤26.55 and met the criteria for FSD. After adjustment for DPP …

Embryonic Exposure To Benzotriazole Ultraviolet Stabilizer 327 Alters Behavior Of Rainbow Trout Alevin, Andreas N.M. Eriksson, Justin Dubiel, Lauren Zink, Zhe Lu, Jon A. Doering, Steve Wiseman

Faculty Publications

Benzotriazole ultraviolet (UV) stabilizers (BUVSs) are used in great quantities during industrial production of a variety of consumer and industrial goods. As a result of leaching and spill, BUVSs are detectable ubiquitously in the environment. As of May 2023, citing concerns related to bioaccumulation, biomagnification, and environmental persistence, (B)UV(S)-328 was recommended to be listed under Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. However, a phaseout of UV-328 could result in a regrettable substitution because the replacement chemical(s) could cause similar or unpredicted toxicity in vivo, relative to UV-328. Therefore, the influence of UV-327, a potential replacement of …

Evaluation Of Organic And Synthetic Herbicide Applications On Weed Suppression In A Conventional Cropping System In Louisiana, Caitlin Denux, Aixin Hou, Lisa Fultz

Faculty Publications

Synthetic herbicides, with their varying modes of action, are well known for their efficiency in the suppression and control of weed species in U.S. agriculture. However, the consequences of using synthetic herbicides without attention to the surrounding environment produce chemical run-off, changes in soil health and soil health conditions, and create herbicide-resistant weeds. These outcomes have encouraged growers to seek alternative methods for their weed management programs or farming operations. Organic production systems and organic pesticides have helped address these challenges related to sustainability and environmental health. However, the use of organic herbicides in a conventional cropping system is not …

Stimulation Of Small Phytoplankton Drives Enhanced Sinking Particle Formation In A Subtropical Ocean Eddy, Haoran Liu, Thomas J. Browning, Edward A. Laws, Yibin Huang, Lei Wang, Yiwei Shang, Xiaogang Xing, Kuanbo Zhou, Zong Pei Jiang, Xin Liu, Bangqin Huang, Minhan Dai

Faculty Publications

Nutrient transfer into the sunlit surface ocean by cyclonic eddies is potentially crucial for sustaining primary productivity in the stratified subtropical gyres. However, the nature of productivity enhancements, including the flow of matter to higher trophic levels and its impact on carbon fluxes, remain poorly resolved. Here, we report a detailed assessment of the biogeochemical response to a cyclonic eddy in the subtropical Northwest Pacific via a combination of ship-based and autonomous platforms. Primary production was enhanced twofold within the eddy core relative to reference sites outside, whereas phytoplankton biomass even decreased. Pico-phytoplankton (< 2 μm) dominated (> 80%) both phytoplankton biomass and primary …

Biochar-Based Materials As Remediation Strategy In Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil And Water: Performances, Mechanisms, And Environmental Impact, Zhuo Wei, Yi Wei, Yang Liu, Shuai Niu, Yaxi Xu, Jong Hwan Park, Jim J. Wang

Faculty Publications

Petroleum contamination is considered as a major risk to the health of humans and environment. Biochars as low-cost and eco-friendly carbon materials, have been widely used for the removal of petroleum hydrocarbon in the environment. The purpose of this paper is to review the performance, mechanisms, and potential environmental toxicity of biochar, modified biochar and its integration use with other materials in petroleum contaminated soil and water. Specifically, the use of biochar in oil-contaminated water and soil as well as the factors that could influence the removal ability of biochar were systematically evaluated. In addition, the modification and integrated use …

Teenage Blues: Predictors Of Depression Among Adolescents In Nigeria, Adefunke Dadematthews, Chukwuemeka Nzeakah, Lucky Onofa, Oluwagbemiga Dadematthews, Temitope Ogundare

Faculty Publications

Background Depressive disorders, with a prevalence of 15-21%, are among the most common disorders in children and adolescents, and increases the risk of suicide, the second leading cause of death in children aged 10 to 19. Aim To determine the prevalence and correlates of depressive disorders among senior students attending secondary schools in Abeokuta. Method The study was conducted in five schools randomly selected from a representative sample and was carried out in 2 phases. In the first phase, students were selected via systematic random sampling and given consent forms and GHQ-12 to administer to the parents. In the second …

Modeling And Numerical Analysis Of The Cholesteric Landau-De Gennes Model, Andrew L. Hicks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis gives an analysis of modeling and numerical issues in the Landau-de Gennes (LdG) model of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) with cholesteric effects. We derive various time-step restrictions for a (weighted) $L^2$ gradient flow scheme to be energy decreasing. Furthermore, we prove a mesh size restriction, for finite element discretizations, that is critical to avoid spurious numerical artifacts in discrete minimizers that is not well-known in the LC literature, particularly when simulating cholesteric LCs that exhibit ``twist''. Furthermore, we perform a computational exploration of the model and present several numerical simulations in 3-D, on both slab geometries and spherical …

Case Studies On The State Of Journalism In Louisiana, Allison Allsop

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Predicting Antibiotic Resistance In Recreational Areas, Daniela Azevedo

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Emotions As Effects Of Anomie In Baton Rouge’S 311 Flooding And Drainage Service Requests, Amie Ćemalović

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Possible Regeneration Enhancer Sequences In Polypterus Senegalus By Atac Sequencing, Miles Casey-Flores

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Development Of A 3d-Printed Device To Study How Bacteria Alters The 3d Migration Of Breast Cancer Cells, Jack Bedell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Interactive Effects Of Co2, Temperature, And Nitrate Limitation On The Growth And Physiology Of Marine Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp. Ccmp 1334, Alyssa K. Sharbaugh

LSU Master's Theses

The marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. CCMP 1334 was grown in a continuous culture system on a 12:12 h light:dark cycle at all combinations of low and high pCO2 (400 and 1000 ppmv, respectively), nitrate availability (nitrate-limited and nutrient-replete conditions), and temperatures of 21°C, 24°C, 28°C, 32°C, and 35°C. The maximum median nutrient-replete growth rate was ~1.15 d−1 at 32 –35°C. Median growth rates at 1000 ppmv pCO2 were higher than those at 400 ppmv at all temperatures, but most of the differences were statistically insignificant. Carbon:nitrogen ratios were independent of pCO2 at a fixed relative growth rate but decreased with …

Gut Microbiota And Blood Metabolites Related To Fiber Intake And Type 2 Diabetes, Zheng Wang, Brandilyn A. Peters, Bing Yu, Megan L. Grove, Tao Wang, Xiaonan Xue, Bharat Thyagarajan, Martha L. Daviglus, Eric Boerwinkle, Gang Hu, Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, Carmen R. Isasi, Rob Knight, Robert D. Burk, Robert C. Kaplan, Qibin Qi

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Consistent evidence suggests diabetes-protective effects of dietary fiber intake. However, the underlying mechanisms, particularly the role of gut microbiota and host circulating metabolites, are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate gut microbiota and circulating metabolites associated with dietary fiber intake and their relationships with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: This study included up to 11 394 participants from the HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos). Diet was assessed with two 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline. We examined associations of dietary fiber intake with gut microbiome measured by shotgun metagenomics (350 species/85 genera and 1958 enzymes; n=2992 at …

17O-Excess In Tropical Cyclones Reflects Local Rain Re-Evaporation More Than Moisture Source Conditions, Chijun Sun, Timothy Shanahan, Shaoneng He, Adriana Bailey, Jesse Nusbaumer, Jun Hu, Aubrey Hillman, Erika Ornouski, Jacob Warner, Kristine Delong

Faculty Publications

17O-excess is a relatively new water isotope parameter that could potentially provide useful information about the hydrological cycle. Previous works focusing on 17O-excess in polar regions suggest that it primarily tracks moisture source relative humidity, but little is known about how to interpret 17O-excess data in lower latitudes. Here we present quasi-hourly triple oxygen isotope data of precipitation collected from two tropical cyclones in Texas and Louisiana in 2020 to understand the impacts of environmental and meteorological processes on the 17O-excess of low-to mid-latitude precipitation. We find that at both hourly timescales and the event scale, 17O-excess is strongly correlated …

Mentorship Within Developmental Networks: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Women Tenured Associate Professors And Their Path Toward Full Professor, Jenifer F. Godfrey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The problem of inadequate representation of Black women in tenure track faculty positions is both pronounced and longstanding. With Black women making up less than 2% of full professors, this is particularly true at institutions categorized as R1 – Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. College faculty have long been the focus of scholarly research. However, studies focused on mentorship to be promoted to full professor for associate professors generally, and Black women associate professors specifically, are lacking. Using a conceptual framework that defined mentorship broadly as developmental networks and …

Reassignment Of A Junior Synonym Of Lepisosteus Oculatus Winchell 1864 To L. Platostomus Rafinesque 1820, Daniel Sinopoli, Thomas J. Near, Solomon R. David, Prosanta Chakrabarty

Faculty Publications

The foundation for the current taxonomy of Lepisosteidae (gars) was laid by Suttkus (1963) and Wiley (1976); these authors recognized only two extant genera as valid, Lepisosteus and Atractosteus. These authors also only recognized seven living species of gars and assigned several previously recognized species as junior synonyms. One of these, Lepisosteus oculatus Winchell 1864 possesses five junior synonyms: Cylindrosteus latirostris Girard 1858, Cylindrosteus productus Cope 1865, Cylindrosteus agassizii Duméril 1870, Cylindrosteus zadockii Duméril 1870 and Cylindrosteus bartonii Duméril 1870. Cylindrosteus zadockii was described from two syntypes collected from the “Upper Mississippi River” (MHNH 5799, 5800; Figure 1), and was …

Prescribed Fire Effects On Microbial Communities And Functions In Managed Ecosystems, Viet Dao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Microbes (both fungi and bacteria) serve important ecosystem functional roles in nutrient cycling and decomposition, which affect ecosystem response following disturbances such as prescribed fire. A multitude of abiotic and biotic factors influence microbial community compositions, which then drive microbial ecosystem functions. The factors driving microbial communities further change due to fire disturbances and progression with time. Although prescribed fire is commonly used as a technique for ecosystem management, the effects of fire on microbial communities or their functions are simply understudied. Ecosystem management decisions tend to focus on plant and ecosystem post-fire responses. Thus, incorporation of fire effects on …

Cardiovascular Outcomes In Grade (Glycemia Reduction Approaches In Type 2 Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study), Jennifer B. Green, Brendan M. Everett, Alokananda Ghosh, Naji Younes, Heidi Krause-Steinrauf, Joshua Barzilay, Cyrus Desouza, Silvio E. Inzucchi, Yashashwi Pokharel, David Schade, Alexandra Scrymgeour, Meng H. Tan, Kristina M. Utzschneider, Sunder Mudaliar, J. P. Crandall, M. D. Mckee, S. Behringer-Massera, J. Brown-Friday, E. Xhori, K. Ballentine-Cargill, S. Duran, H. Estrella, S. Gonzalez De La Torre, J. Lukin, L. S. Phillips, E. Burgess, D. Olson, M. Rhee, P. Wilson, T. S. Raines, J. Boers, J. Costello, M. Maher-Albertelli, R. Mungara

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. The effects of glucose-lowering medications on cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes and low cardiovascular risk are unclear. We investigated cardiovascular outcomes by treatment group in participants randomly assigned to insulin glargine, glimepiride, liraglutide, or sitagliptin, added to baseline metformin, in GRADE (Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Type 2 Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study). METHODS: A total of 5047 participants with a mean±SD age of 57.2±10.0 years, type 2 diabetes duration of 4.0±2.7 years, and low baseline prevalence of cardiovascular disease (myocardial …

The Impacts Of Nature-Based Sediment Restoration Practices On Coastal Wetland Soil Biogeochemistry, Jacob Z. Cheng

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal marshes provide many valuable ecosystem services. However, these wetlands are threatened worldwide, being subject to sea level rise, sediment starvation, subsidence, coastal edge erosion, etc. Many efforts are being made to counteract this wetland loss and preserve the ecosystem services. Two such methods are sediment diversion and the thin layer placement (TLP) of dredged sediment.

Sediment diversion involves reconnecting the main channel of a river body to disconnected wetlands, supplying much needed soil-building materials. However, this method affects the salinity of the waters, introducing large amounts of freshwater into the system. Salinity changes can affect marsh biogeochemistry. Most ecological …

Selective Vapor Condensation For The Synthesis And Assembly Of Spherical Colloids With A Precise Rough Patch, Kennedy A. Guillot, Philip J. Brahana, Ahmed Al Harraq, Nduka D. Ogbonna, Nicholas S. Lombardo, Jimmy Lawrence, Yaxin An, Michael G. Benton, Bhuvnesh Bharti

Faculty Publications

Patchy particles occupy an increasingly important space in soft matter research due to their ability to assemble into intricate phases and states. Being able to fine-tune the interactions among these particles is essential to understanding the principles governing the self-assembly processes. However, current fabrication techniques often yield patches that deviate chemically and physically from the native particles, impeding the identification of the driving forces behind self-assembly. To overcome this challenge, we propose a new approach to synthesizing spherical colloids with a well-defined rough patch on their surface. By treating polystyrene microspheres with vapors of a good solvent, here an acetone-water …