Digital Commons Network^™

Anoctamin 4 Channel Currents Activate Glucose-Inhibited Neurons In The Mouse Ventromedial Hypothalamus During Hypoglycemia, Longlong Tu, Jonathan C. Bean, Yang He, Hailan Liu, Meng Yu, Hesong Liu, Nan Zhang, Na Yin, Junying Han, Nikolas A. Scarcelli, Kristine M. Conde, Mengjie Wang, Yongxiang Li, Bing Feng, Peiyu Gao, Zhao Lin Cai, Makoto Fukuda, Mingshan Xue, Qingchun Tong, Yongjie Yang, Lan Liao, Jianming Xu, Chunmei Wang, Yanlin He, Yong Xu

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Glucose is the basic fuel essential for maintenance of viability and functionality of all cells. However, some neurons —namely, glucose-inhibited (GI) neurons — paradoxically increase their firing activity in low-glucose conditions and decrease that activity in high-glucose conditions. The ionic mechanisms mediating electric responses of GI neurons to glucose fluctuations remain unclear. Here, we showed that currents mediated by the anoctamin 4 (Ano4) channel are only detected in GI neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) and are functionally required for their activation in response to low glucose. Genetic disruption of the Ano4 gene in VMH neurons reduced blood glucose …

Genetic Dissection Of Alkalinity Tolerance In Rice (Oryza Sativa L.), Lovepreet Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Alkaline stress is a major threat to rice production globally. The resources for genetic improvement of alkalinity tolerance in rice are limited. We performed genome-wide association study (GWAS) and QTL mapping integrated with whole genome sequencing and expression analysis to identify and confirm QTLs and candidate genes. We developed a near-isogenic line (NIL) population to fine map the two important QTLs. In GWAS experiment, we genotyped and phenotyped a panel of indica and japonica genotypes for alkalinity tolerance and identified genomic regions and candidate genes conferring alkalinity tolerance. Principal component analysis revealed that alkalinity tolerance score, shoot dry weight, and …

An Observed Increase In Cardiovascular And Respiratory-Disease Related Hospitalizations And Mortality In An Area Surrounding A Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment Plant, Liana Isabelle Dela Torre Baconguis

LSU Master's Theses

Particulate matter (PM) pollution is highly correlated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease incidence. The generation of oxidative stress is a major way by which PM can damage the body. Environmentally persistent free radical-containing PM are generated by combustion processes and are capable of exerting increased damage on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems due to their ability to remain stable and regenerate reactive oxygen species for up to five years. Clean Harbors, LLC operates a thermal treatment plant near the city of Colfax, LA in Central Louisiana. Its regular open burning of explosives causes disturbances to the community, such as loud …

Institutional Rhetoric And Campus Reactions: A Multi-Method Case Study Exploring University Communication And Social Responsibility In A Racial Crisis, Rockia K. Harris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This case study explores how an institution in the southeastern conference (SEC) responded to racial reckonings before and after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, how students came to perceive the institution's responses and commitment to diversity and inclusion. To understand this phenomenon beyond apologia and image repair theory, the discourse of renewal theoretical framework and university social responsibility guides this dissertation. This work fills a gap in the literature on crisis communication in response to racism in higher education spaces. Using critical discourse analysis and an open-ended survey, this dissertation further explores the idea of social responsibility of institutions …

Rehabilitation For Singers Following Pregnancy And Childbirth, Cara M. Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

When a singer becomes pregnant, carries and gives birth to a child, the body changes in numerous physical ways. Many of these changes may significantly impact singing during the pregnancy and postpartum periods. It is hoped that the research and recommendations contained in this document may offer perspective and practical advice for postpartum recovery as it pertains to singers and professional voice users.

After briefly describing the topic selection with a description of delimitations, the author’s history of singing and experience leading up to physical therapy and postpartum care is explored. Next, the effects of pregnancy and childbirth on the …

Wave Attenuation Through Mangrove Forest Using Lidar Representation, Elizabeth Bogan

LSU Master's Theses

Mangrove forests can be found along the world’s intertidal tropical and sub-tropical coastlines. These forested wetlands provide many ecosystem services, including supporting coastal food chains, trapping sediment, and shoreline stabilization. Mangroves are also known for flood damage mitigation by dissipating waves and surge during flooding events. Thus, coastal communities declare a vested interest in the performance of the forest to mitigate flood damage. Physical models using artificial mangrove structures have shown that red mangrove-dominated fringe forests can protect built infrastructure by reducing wave height due to increased drag. One way to estimate the contribution of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) prop …

Exploration Of Efficient Dewatering Methods In Stimulus-Responsive Hydrogels And Their Potential For Desalination, Weiliang Sun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Addressing global freshwater scarcity is a pressing challenge, and desalination has emerged as a viable solution to generate high-quality water without compromising natural freshwater ecosystems. In comparison to conventional desalination methods such as thermal distillation and membrane-based processes, hydrogels offer distinct advantages including strong water absorption, water retention, well-defined pore structures, customizable functional groups, and responsive properties to external stimuli. These unique characteristics position hydrogels as promising candidates for water treatment applications. Hydrogel-based desalination involves the utilization of hydrogels to absorb water from saltwater, and then discharge low-concentration solutions to obtain reclaimed water. The fundamental principle underlying the desalination ability …

First-Principles Simulations Of Attosecond Transient X-Ray Absorption, Min Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The first part of this dissertation presents calculations of the extinction spec- tra of gold-silver/silver-gold core-shell nanospheres. The goal of this projectsis to get a deeper understanding of surface plasmonic resonance in metal nanospheres with core-shell geometry. Here, we used the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and total-field/scattered-field (TFSF) framework to compute the extinction spectra of nanoparticles to determine the geometry of gold-silver/silver-gold core-shell nanoparticles. This supported experimental work on monitoring the growth dynamics of colloidal gold- silver/silver-gold core-shell nanoparticles using in situ second harmonic generation (SHG) and extinction spectroscopy.

The second and main project involved simulating attosecond transient spectra for …

Integrating Behavioral Research Findings With A Liberal Arts Paradigm, Jonathan Peterson

LSU Master's Theses

This paper explores the role of behavioral research in understanding the complexity and relevance of creativity. A brief history of the liberal arts and its current application is followed by a discussion of the importance of variability in generating novel and diverse responses, challenging the notion that creativity is solely a product of innate talent. The effects of reinforcement on variability, and how it relates to a complex relationship between reinforcement and the probability of variable responding leads to a discussion of how the combination of previously trained behaviors can lead to creative problem-solving, emphasizing the role of combinatory behavior …

Neural Mechanisms Of Resiliency And Susceptibility After Repeated Social Defeat, Christy R. Wayne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Social defeat is a powerful experience leading to drastic changes in physiology and behavior, many of which are negative. For example, repeated social defeat in vertebrates results in reduced reproductive success, sickness, and behavioral abnormalities that threaten individual survival and species persistence. However, little is known about what neural mechanisms are involved in determining whether an individual is resilient or susceptible to repeated social defeat stress. I used a resident-intruder experiment in the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, to create and investigate the behavior and neural correlates of these two opposing groups. Resilient fish used both searching and freezing behaviors …

What Happens Online Doesn't Stay Online: Female Elected Officials' Experiences With Online Harassment, Sarah M. Carpenter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Online harassment towards female elected officials is a prevalent problem that threatens women’s parity in local and state government. It is used for the purpose of diminishing women’s efficacy in government by stifling their voices in public spaces through behaviors that aim to belittle, embarrass and abuse women for existing in traditional masculine spaces that reify a white patriarchal social hierarchy. Female elected officials at all levels of government are susceptible to harassment on- and offline. The aim of this study expands current understandings of how online harassment affects female elected officials by focusing on online harassment experiences of women …

Sportsman's Paradox: Conservationism And Social Progress In Modern Louisiana, Jacob T. Gautreaux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, sportsmen increasingly identified Louisiana as a destined paradise due to the abundant flora and fauna. Confirmed in the legendary visits of Theodore Roosevelt in the early 1900s, the conception soon served a dual purpose as individuals like the Tabasco Sauce patriarch, E. A. McIlhenny, coopted the visualization as a lure for business investment into the nascent industrial interests within the coastal region of the state. However, it should be noted that in the 1930s and beyond, cultural conservationists like McIlhenny and Caroline Dormon preserved elements of under-documented cultures throughout the state, although usually …

Advancements In Middle School Agricultural Education: An Examination Of Emerging Trends And Exemplary Programs, Jacob P. Englin

LSU Master's Theses

Recent trends in agricultural education have demonstrated that the number of middle school programs and students has been increasing. Despite this, middle school agricultural education students, teachers, and programs often have been considered to be underserved. For example, teachers at this level have expressed that they often lacked the training and resources to meet the needs of this diverse learning population. Even so, middle school agricultural education teachers have continued to provide quality learning experiences for their students. In response, this investigation’s purpose was to examine current trends of middle school agricultural education and the quality of learning conducted by …

Media Coverage Of Non-Ideologically Motivated Mass Shootings Versus Ideologically Motivated Mass Shootings And How The Media Affects College Students' Perceptions Of Mass Shootings, Jennifer L. Larose

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While much is known about how the media covers mass shootings within the United States and how this coverage impacts the public, much remains unknown about the media and international mass shootings. To address this gap this dissertation examines the relationship between the media coverage of ideological and non-ideological mass shootings that have occurred around the world. It then examines the relationship between media consumption and perceptions of mass shootings. To this end, newspaper coverage on a sample of ten mass shootings from 2011-2021 are examined temporally using the Social Coping Model. Results show that media coverage varies across time …

Evaluation Of A Nutritional Calming Supplement For Stress Management In Beef Cattle, Randall Mallette

LSU Master's Theses

Two studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of two formulations of a nutritional calming product, Placid 1.0 and Placid 2.0, at keeping beef cattle in a calm state when exposed to environmental factors that put them into an excited state. In the pilot study, nine crossbred beef heifers were orally drenched daily for three days with 60 mL of their respective treatments, pen scores and exit scores were recorded, and blood was collected for cortisol analysis. There were no treatment effects for either treatment on any of the measured behavioral parameters or serum cortisol concentrations.

The products were …

The Ọkụmkpọ Masquerades Of The Afikpo Society Of Southeastern Nigeria: An Art Form And An Instrument Of Social Control., Chinenye Miriam Emelogu

LSU Master's Theses

Masquerade performances are prevalent in West Africa, but they hold particular importance among the Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria. This thesis explores the cultural significance and artistic expressions of Okunkpo masquerade at Afikpo, a sub-Igbo group in Nigeria. It demonstrates how Okunkpo has served as a mechanism of social control using humorous skits, storytelling and dance up to the 21^st century. Okunkpo is an elaborate and the most attended masquerade performance at Afikpo. It appears only once in a year and is exclusively reserved for male initiates. Its popularity draws audience from far and near. As a community theatre, Okunkpo …

Impact Of Blood Flow Restricted Resistance Training On Skeletal Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, Fatigue, Mitochondrial Response, And Activation, Brett Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Blood flow restricted resistance exercise (BFR-RE) is a novel method that is effective at increasing strength and hypertrophy using much lower loads than the higher loads typical in progressive resistance exercise. However, the effects of BFR-RE on skeletal muscle fatigue, mitochondrial response, and activation are still being explored. This dissertation will discuss the impacts of BFR-RE, how it affects college-aged individuals that are trained and untrained, and the effects of BFR-RE on skeletal muscle fatigue, mitochondrial response, and activation.

The first study examined the effects of 6-weeks of low load blood flow restricted resistance exercise (LLBFR) on muscular strength, …

Interactive Effects Of The Partial Pressure Of Co2, Temperature, And Nutrient-Limitation On The Physiology And Growth Of The Coccolithophore E. Huxleyi Grown On A 12:12 L:D Cycle Of Illumination, James Bradley

LSU Master's Theses

I studied the interactive effects of pCO2, temperature, and nutrient limitation on the growth and physiology of the marine coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi. This was done to look at the effect of climate change factors on the widespread and abundant calcifying marine organism as a predictor of what the future has to hold. The strain of E. huxleyi (PnB 272 B10) was grown on a 12:12 L:D cycle of illumination and exposed to either high or low pCO2 under nutrient-replete or nitrate-limited conditions across a temperature range of 10–28C. I examined the direct and interactive effects of temperature, pCO2, and nutrient …

Expressing Outrage, Re-Inventing Hope: Performing Nationhood In Nigerian Standup Comedy., Babasinmisola Fadirepo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The intersection of the Nigerian national identity and popular culture has been overwhelmingly located in the Nigerian movie industry and the Afrobeats, the flourishing Nigerian popular music. Further, when intervention about the Nigerian national identity is located within standup comedy performances, such analysis is vastly linguistic analysis of the performance. Through the lens of performance studies, this dissertation extends the discussion of the Nigerian national identity to standup comedy performances. In addition to the linguistic analysis of select Nigerian standup comedy performances, this work considers the location, costumes of comic acts, and the settings of the performance studied. Simply, this …

Regulation Of Nucleotide Excision Repair, Wenzhi Gong

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nucleotide excision repair (NER), a “cut and patch” mechanism, has two subpathways, namely transcription coupled repair (TCR) and global genome repair (GGR). TCR rapidly removes UV photoproduct (UV PP) in the transcribed strand (TS) of an actively transcribed gene, whereas GGR removes those DNA lesions throughout the genome. This dissertation mainly focused on identifying novel factors that function in NER and investigating the potential molecular mechanisms underlying initial damage recognition and downstream processes in NER. We identified Rpb7, a subunit of RNA polymerase II, represses TCR via its multiple regions. Specifically, the conserved region of Rpb7 that interacts with the …

Year-Round Weather Alters Nest-Provisioning Rates In A Migratory Owl, Eliza D. Stein, Stephen R. Midway, Brian D. Linkhart

Faculty Publications

As global temperatures and precipitation become more extreme, habitat specialists are at particular risk of being pushed past their environmental tolerance limits. Flammulated Owls (Psiloscops flammeolus) are small migratory owls that breed in temperate conifer forests of western North America. Their highly specialized nesting and foraging requirements make them indicators of ecosystem health. Using 17 years of nest observations, we investigated how annual weather patterns affected Flammulated Owl nesting and foraging behaviors during the breeding season. We used generalized linear models with a changepoint parameter to evaluate nest provisioning and nestling growth rates in years of extreme temperature and precipitation. …

Review Of Heaven & Earth Grocery, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Eating Disorders In Weight-Related Therapy (Edit): Protocol For A Systematic Review With Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis Of Eating Disorder Risk In Behavioural Weight Management, Hiba Jebeile, Natalie B. Lister, Sol Libesman, Kylie E. Hunter, Caitlin M. Mcmaster, Brittany J. Johnson, Louise A. Baur, Susan J. Paxton, Sarah P. Garnett, Amy L. Ahern, Denise E. Wilfley, Sarah Maguire, Amanda Sainsbury, Katharine Steinbeck, Lisa Askie, Caroline Braet, Andrew J. Hill, Dasha Nicholls, Rebecca A. Jones, Genevieve Dammery, Alicia M. Grunseit, Kelly Cooper, Theodore K. Kyle, Faith A. Heeren, Fiona Quigley, Rachel D. Barnes, Melanie K. Bean, Kristine Beaulieu, Maxine Bonham, Kerri N. Boutelle, Braulio Henrique Magnani Branco, Simona Calugi, Michelle I. Cardel, Kelly Carpenter

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

The Eating Disorders In weight-related Therapy (EDIT) Collaboration brings together data from randomised controlled trials of behavioural weight management interventions to identify individual participant risk factors and intervention strategies that contribute to eating disorder risk. We present a protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis which aims to identify participants at risk of developing eating disorders, or related symptoms, during or after weight management interventions conducted in adolescents or adults with overweight or obesity. We systematically searched four databases up to March 2022 and clinical trials registries to May 2022 to identify randomised controlled trials of …

Preliminary Validation Of Digital Photography To Assess The Home Food Environment, Daniela Quan, Isaac Michael, Elizabeth Gollub

Faculty Publications

The home food environment (HFE), the availability and accessibility of foods and food products within the home, has a strong influence on healthy eating behaviors. Studies assessing the HFE commonly utilize a home food inventory (HFI) for data collection. However, this approach tends to be burdensome for participants. This study validated a low-burden digital photo method for assessing the home food environment and confirmed that this method is preferred by participants. Study participants completed an HFI, submitted photos of household foods, then identified preference for the HFI or photo reporting method. Researchers completed an HFI based on each participant’s photo …

Evidence For Two Soybean Looper Strains In The United States With Limited Capacity For Cross-Hybridization, Rodney N. Nagoshi, Jeffrey A. Davis, Robert L. Meagher, Fred R. Musser, Graham P. Head, Hector Portillo, Henry Teran

Faculty Publications

The noctuid moth soybean looper (SBL), Chrysodeixis includens (Walker) is an economically important pest of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the southeastern United States. It has characteristics that are of particular concern for pest mitigation that include a broad host range, the capacity for annual long-distance flight, and resistance in some populations to important pesticides such as pyrethroids and chitin synthesis inhibitor. The biology of SBL in the United States resembles that of the fellow noctuid fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), a major pest of corn and several other crops. FAW exhibits a population structure in that …

Investigating The Migratory Behavior Of Soybean Looper, A Major Pest Of Soybean, Through Comparisons With The Corn Pest Fall Armyworm Using Mitochondrial Haplotypes And A Sex-Linked Marker, Rodney N. Nagoshi, Jeffrey A. Davis, Robert L. Meagher, Fred R. Musser, Graham P. Head, Hector Portillo, Henry Teran

Faculty Publications

The Noctuid moth soybean looper (SBL), Chrysodeixis includens (Walker), is an economically important pest of soybean (Glycine max (Linnaeus) Merrill). Because it is not known to survive freezing winters, permanent populations in the United States are believed to be limited to the southern regions of Texas and Florida, yet its geographical range of infestations annually extend to Canada. This indicates annual migrations of thousands of kilometers during the spring and summer growing season. This behavior is like that of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), also a Noctuid that is a major global pest of corn. SBL and …

A Cyclical Phenomenon Among Stock & Commodity Markets, Hector O. Zapata, Junior E. Betanco, Maria Bampasidou, Michael Deliberto

Faculty Publications

Considerable studies have examined the relationship between commodity markets and stock markets. This paper studies the cyclical relationship between commodity markets and stock markets with implications for investing based on index relationships. Stock markets are represented by the U.S. S&P 500 index and aggregate commodity markets by the U.S. producer price index (PPI). Tradeable market indexes readily available to investors, namely the S&P GSCI Index and the Bloomberg Commodity Index (BCOM), are also studied. An optimal bandpass filter is used to estimate the cyclical component using a pricing-performance measure of the S&P 500 relative to the PPI, based on annual …

Extended Sentinel Monitoring Of Helicoverpa Zea Resistance To Cry And Vip3aa Toxins In Bt Sweet Corn: Assessing Changes In Phenotypic And Allele Frequencies Of Resistance, Galen P. Dively, Tom P. Kuhar, Sally V. Taylor, Helene Doughty, Kristian Holmstrom, Daniel O. Gilrein, Brian A. Nault, Joseph Ingerson-Mahar, Anders Huseth, Dominic Reisig, Shelby Fleischer, David Owens, Kelley Tilmon, Francis Reay-Jones, Pat Porter, Jocelyn Smith, Julien Saguez, Jason Wells, Caitlin Congdon, Holly Byker, Bryan Jensen, Chris Difonzo, William D. Hutchison, Eric Burkness, Robert Wright, Michael Crossley, Heather Darby, Tom Bilbo, Nicholas Seiter, Christian Krupke, Craig Abel, Brad S. Coates, Bradley Mcmanus

Faculty Publications

Transgenic corn and cotton that produce Cry and Vip3Aa toxins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely planted in the United States to control lepidopteran pests. The sustainability of these Bt crops is threatened because the corn earworm/bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), is evolving a resistance to these toxins. Using Bt sweet corn as a sentinel plant to monitor the evolution of resistance, collaborators established 146 trials in twenty-five states and five Canadian provinces during 2020–2022. The study evaluated overall changes in the phenotypic frequency of resistance (the ratio of larval densities in Bt ears relative to densities in non-Bt ears) …

An Extended Investigation Of Unexpected Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie) Survival And Ear Injury On A Transgenic Maize Hybrid Expressing Cry1a/Cry2a/Vip3a Toxins, Fangneng Huang, Ying Niu, Tiago Silva, Sebe Brown, Tyler Towles, Dawson Kerns, Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes, Graham P. Head, Matthew Carroll, Wade Walker, Shucong Lin

Faculty Publications

The wide occurrence of resistance to Cry1A and Cry2A insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in the corn earworm/bollworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) leaves the Vip3A toxin produced during the vegetative stage of Bt as the only fully active toxin expressed in transgenic crops to control H. zea in the U.S.A. During 2021, the first unexpected survival of H. zea and injury (UXI) on a maize hybrid expressing Cry1A.105, Cry2Ab2, and Vip3Aa in Louisiana, U.S.A. were observed in two sentinel plots used for resistance monitoring. A follow-up intensive investigation was conducted with two H. zea populations established from larvae collected from …

Selection, Effective Dominance, And Completeness Of Cry1a.105/Cry2ab2 Dual-Protein Resistance In Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Tiago Silva, Ying Niu, Tyler Towles, Sebe Brown, Graham P. Head, Wade Walker, Fangneng Huang

Faculty Publications

In the U.S., Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) is a major pest targeted by both transgenic maize and cotton expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins. Resistance of insect to Bt maize and cotton containing cry1A and cry2A genes has widely occurred in the U.S. In this study, two trials were performed to investigate larval survival and development of a Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2 dual-protein resistant (VT2P-RR), a susceptible, and an F1 heterozygous (VT2P-RS) populations of H. zea on ears of nine Bt and three non-Bt maize hybrids. The Bt maize hybrids evaluated represent five common pyramided traits expressing two or three of the Cry1A.105, Cry1Ab, Cry1F, …