Digital Commons Network^™

Estrogen-Sensitive Medial Preoptic Area Neurons Coordinate Torpor In Mice, Zhi Zhang, Fernando M.C.V. Reis, Yanlin He, Jae W. Park, Johnathon R. Divittorio, Nilla Sivakumar, J. Edward Van Veen, Sandra Maesta-Pereira, Michael Shum, India Nichols, Megan G. Massa, Shawn Anderson, Ketema Paul, Marc Liesa, Olujimi A. Ajijola, Yong Xu, Avishek Adhikari, Stephanie M. Correa

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Homeotherms maintain a stable internal body temperature despite changing environments. During energy deficiency, some species can cease to defend their body temperature and enter a hypothermic and hypometabolic state known as torpor. Recent advances have revealed the medial preoptic area (MPA) as a key site for the regulation of torpor in mice. The MPA is estrogen-sensitive and estrogens also have potent effects on both temperature and metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that estrogen-sensitive neurons in the MPA can coordinate hypothermia and hypometabolism in mice. Selectively activating estrogen-sensitive MPA neurons was sufficient to drive a coordinated depression of metabolic rate and body …

Metabolic Adaptation: Is It Really An Illusion?, Eric Ravussin, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Genetic Variation In Lean Body Mass, Changes Of Appetite And Weight Loss In Response To Diet Interventions: The Pounds Lost Trial, Xiang Li, Tao Zhou, Hao Ma, Yoriko Heianza, Catherine M. Champagne, Donald A. Williamson, George A. Bray, Frank M. Sacks, Lu Qi

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Aim: To investigate whether the genetic risk score (GRS) for lean body mass (LBM) modified the effects of weight-loss diets on changes in appetite and adiposity among overweight and obese individuals. Participants and Methods: In the 2-year Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS Lost) trial, we included 692 adults who were randomly assigned to one of four diets varying in macronutrient intake. A GRS was calculated using five single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with LBM. Results: The LBM-GRS was not associated with the baseline LBM measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in a subgroup (50%) of the study population. We found …

Lifestyle And Anthropometric Indicators Have Greater Associations With Steps/Day In Boys Than In Girls, Eduardo Rossato De Victo, Gerson Ferrari, Carlos André Miranda Pires, Dirceu Solé, Timóteo Leandro Araújo, Peter Todd Katzmarzyk, Victor Keihan Rodrigues Matsudo

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objective: To verify the association of lifestyle, anthropometric, sociodemographic, family and school environment indicators with the number of steps/day in children. Methods: The sample consisted of 334 children (171 boys) from nine to 11 years old. Participants used the Actigraph GT3X accelerometer to monitor the number of steps/day, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (ST) for seven consecutive days. Height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat were also measured. Lifestyle indicators such as diet, environment, neighborhood, and parental schooling level were obtained with questionnaires. For the identification of variables associated to …

2020 Who Guidelines On Physical Activity And Sedentary Behaviour For Children And Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years: Summary Of The Evidence, Jean Philippe Chaput, Juana Willumsen, Fiona Bull, Roger Chou, Ulf Ekelund, Joseph Firth, Russell Jago, Francisco B. Ortega, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) released in 2020 updated global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children, adolescents, adults, older adults and sub-populations such as pregnant and postpartum women and those living with chronic conditions or disabilities. Objective: To summarize the evidence on the associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and health-related outcomes used to inform the 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years. Methods: The update of the WHO guideline recommendations for children and adolescents utilized and systematically updated the evidence syntheses on physical activity and sedentary …

Advancing The Global Physical Activity Agenda: Recommendations For Future Research By The 2020 Who Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior Guidelines Development Group, Loretta Dipietro, Salih Saad Al-Ansari, Stuart J.H. Biddle, Katja Borodulin, Fiona C. Bull, Matthew P. Buman, Greet Cardon, Catherine Carty, Jean Philippe Chaput, Sebastien Chastin, Roger Chou, Paddy C. Dempsey, Ulf Ekelund, Joseph Firth, Christine M. Friedenreich, Leandro Garcia, Muthoni Gichu, Russell Jago, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Estelle Lambert, Michael Leitzmann, Karen Milton, Francisco B. Ortega, Chathuranga Ranasinghe, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Anne Tiedemann, Richard P. Troiano, Hidde P. Van Der Ploeg, Juana F. Willumsen

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: In July, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) commenced work to update the 2010 Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health and established a Guideline Development Group (GDG) comprising expert public health scientists and practitioners to inform the drafting of the 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior. The overall task of the GDG was to review the scientific evidence and provide expert advice to the WHO on the amount of physical activity and sedentary behavior associated with optimal health in children and adolescents, adults, older adults (> 64 years), and also specifically in pregnant and postpartum women …

Sleep Extension: A Potential Target For Obesity Treatment, Kristin K. Hoddy, Kaitlin S. Potts, Lydia A. Bazzano, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Purpose of Review: Sleep and obesity share a bidirectional relationship, and weight loss has been shown to enhance sleep. Aiming to extend sleep on its own or as part of a lifestyle intervention may attenuate health consequences of short sleep. This review highlights several sleep extension approaches, discusses feasibility of each, and summarizes findings relevant to obesity. Recent Findings: Sleep extension in response to experimental sleep restriction demonstrates partial rescue of cardiometabolic dysfunction in some but not all studies. Adequate sleep on a nightly basis may be necessary for optimal health. While initial sleep extension interventions in habitually short sleepers …

Early Physical Activity Adoption Predicts Longer-Term Physical Activity Among Individuals Inactive At Baseline, Jessica L. Unick, Michael P. Walkup, Michael E. Miller, John W. Apolzan, Peter H. Brubaker, Mace Coday, James O. Hill, John M. Jakicic, Roeland J.W. Middelbeek, Delia West, Rena R. Wing

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: To examine the relationship between early physical activity (PA) adoption (2, 3, and 4 mo) and longer-term PA adherence (1 y) among individuals who were inactive at baseline and received a lifestyle intervention. Methods: Participants (n = 637) received weekly behavioral weight loss sessions, calorie reduction, and PA goals (50.175 min/wk progression). PA was assessed via self-reported measures at baseline, months 2 to 4, and 1 year. Results: PA at months 2 to 4 was significantly correlated with PA at 1 year (rs = .29..35, P < .01). At all early time points, those failing to meet the prescribed PA goal (early nonadopters) engaged in significantly less PA at 1 year than those meeting the early PA goal (initial adopters). For example, using 2-month criteria, initial adopters engaged in 108.3 minutes per week more at 1 year compared with early nonadopters (P < .01) and had 2.8 times the odds (95% confidence interval, 1.9.4.2) of meeting the 1-year PA goal (≥175 min/wk, P < .01). Conclusions: Failure to achieve PA goals at 2, 3, or 4 months results in less overall PA at 1 year. Thus, PA observed as early as month 2 may be a useful indicator for identifying at-risk individuals who may benefit from more intensive PA intervention strategies.

Conservation Easement Landowners’ Willingness To Thin The Forest: A Contingent Valuation Approach, Ana Lucia Gutierrez Castillo

LSU Master's Theses

After being subject to several decades of degradation, the bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests within the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) have undergone landscape-scale restoration regimes through conservation easement programs, such as the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) and now the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Wetland Reserve Easement (ACEP-WRE). Reforested easements now require landowners' adoption of forest management practices to fulfill the program's long-term conservation goals and ecosystem services thresholds. Using a contingent valuation (CV) approach, we examine easement landowners' willingness to accept (WTA) to thin their forested easement to enhance forest health and wildlife habitat quality. Results from an interval regression model …

Experiences Of Transgender Men Who Joined National Pan-Hellenic Council Sororities Pre-Transition, Sydney Epps

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) - affectionately known as The Divine Nine - are places of support and leadership development for students. However, these groups espouse traditional gender role themes that align with sexual orientation and gender rigidity. This paper explores how four NPHC members negotiate their identity as both nonbinary or transgender, and Greek. Using the narrative inquiry approach, the researcher will explore how sorority members who no longer identify as cisgender women are treated post-gender transition by other sorority members.

Sexually Dimorphic Oxytocin Receptor-Expressing Neurons In The Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Regulates Maternal Behavior, Kaustubh Sharma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The neurohypophysial hormone oxytocin is involved in the regulation of social behaviors, including social recognition, pair bonding, and sex-specific parental behaviors in a variety of species. Oxytocin triggers these social behaviors by binding to oxytocin receptors (OXTR) in various parts of the brain. Oxytocin-induced sex-typical behavior, therefore, suggests a sexual dimorphic distribution of OXTR in the brain. In recent years, the oxytocin system in the brain received tremendous attention as a potential pharmacological target for treatment of many psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, and even sex-specific psychiatric disorder like postpartum depression (PPD). An important problem and a …

Social Support Modifies The Negative Effects Of Acculturation On Obesity And Central Obesity In Mexican Men, Yilin Yoshida, Stephanie Broyles, Richard Scribner, Liwei Chen, Stephen Phillippi, Jeanette Jackson-Thompson, Eduardo J. Simoes, Tung Sung Tseng

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: This study examined the moderating role of social support in the acculturation-obesity/central obesity relationship in Mexican American (MA) men and women. Methods: Data from NHANES 1999–2008 were used. Acculturation derived from language use, country of birth and length of residence in the U.S. Social support assessed emotional and financial support. BMI (≥30) and waist circumference (≥88 cm for women; ≥102 cm for men) measured obesity and central obesity, respectively. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were used to describe associations. Results: Compared to less acculturation, more acculturation was associated with higher odds of obesity (ORs 2.48; 95% CI 1.06–5.83) and …

Crisis, Crisis, Read All About It! Investigating The Direct And Joint Effects Of Crisis Response Strategies, Crisis History And Strategic Actions On The Tone Of Media Coverage, Habiba Nefisa Alambo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Crisis management research has focused on how crisis stricken firms protect their reputation by communicating appropriate messages to evaluators and employing strategic actions that favorably shape public opinion about the stricken firm. Developing conversations have addressed how a firm’s crisis history may impact current crisis management efforts. However, little is known about how these factors jointly and directly influence what is said about a crisis stricken firm and subsequently impact evaluators’ perceptions.

Primarily guided by the tenets of attribution and situational crisis communication theories, I studied the interactive and main effects of crisis response strategies (accommodative, reframing and defensive), crisis …

College Expectation And Matriculation: High School Students Journey To Postsecondary, Sabrina Juanita Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Racial group membership and social-economic status (SES) among academically talented students are recognized as powerful predictors of matriculation and college expectations. Moving or transitioning from high school to college is an essential pathway for success in life. Previous research suggests that college enrollment is correlated to resource opportunities available to students that they can access through their relationship with their parents, peers, school staff, teachers, and others.

These relationships are vital in increasing college matriculation by providing academic assistance, emotional support, psychological encouragement, relevant information, and guidance to students in the complex college application process.

College preparatory or outreach programs …

Modeling Distributed Source Control Infrastructure At Neighborhood Scale For Mitigating Flood Risk In Amite River Watershed, Ahmad Amin Shefai

LSU Master's Theses

Flooding has always been a major threat to mankind. This is particularly true in urban areas due to urbanization-induced increasing impervious areas and subsequent increasing urban surface runoff, causing an increasing flooding risk to urban areas in spite of the fact that extensive flood control infrastructure has been constructed. The overall goal of this thesis is to present a distributed source control infrastructure-based approach for mitigating the flood risk. The new flood mitigation approach is demonstrated through the model implementation of a series of distributed source control infrastructure systems in the city of Denham Springs at a neighborhood scale. The …

The Implications Of The American Symphonic Heritage In Contemporary Orchestral Modeling, Mathew Lee Ward

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Disparate priorities between composers, performers, audiences, and institutions have created systemic issues in the sustainability and relevance of symphonic music in modern society. The purpose of this study is to explore the history of the symphonic heritage in the United States with the goal of forming solutions to contemporary issues in the sphere of classical symphonic music. With consideration for the breadth of repertoire, the genre of the symphony is the primary focus, with special attention given to under-represented and under-performed composers. The American symphony orchestra, nonexistent during the founding of the country, has become one of the greatest conduits …

Evaluation Of Louisiana Farm To School Programming: Harvest Of The Month And Local Food Procurement, Arin M. Shaffer

LSU Master's Theses

Farm to school is a growing movement that is beginning to draw serious interest in different parts of the United States due to its ability to connect communities with their local producers while providing many benefits. Farm to school entails three main components: school gardening, education and curriculum, and local food procurement. The farm to school movement is relatively new to the state of Louisiana and very little research has been conducted to evaluate the impact of the farm to school programs on local food procurement and the effect on school food environments. Case studies of three Louisiana parish school …

Self-Reported Health Without Clinically Measurable Benefits Among Adult Users Of Multivitamin And Multimineral Supplements: A Cross-Sectional Study, Manish D. Paranjpe, Alfred C. Chin, Ishan Paranjpe, Nicholas J. Reid, Phan Q. Duy, Jason K. Wang, Ross O'Hagan, Artine Arzani, Arsalan Haghdel, Clarence C. Lim, Vwaire Orhurhu, Ivan Urits, Anh L. Ngo, Benjamin S. Glicksberg, Kathryn T. Hall, Darshan Mehta, Richard S. Cooper, Girish N. Nadkarni

Faculty Publications

Objective Multiple clinical trials fail to identify clinically measurable health benefits of daily multivitamin and multimineral (MVM) consumption in the general adult population. Understanding the determinants of widespread use of MVMs may guide efforts to better educate the public about effective nutritional practices. The objective of this study was to compare self-reported and clinically measurable health outcomes among MVM users and non-users in a large, nationally representative adult civilian non-institutionalised population in the USA surveyed on the use of complementary health practices. Design Cross-sectional analysis of the effect of MVM consumption on self-reported overall health and clinically measurable health outcomes. …

Service Gifts, Collective Social Connection And Reciprocity, Yihui (Elina) Tang, Christian Hinsch, Donald J. Lund, Husni Kharouf

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the process of service gifting (i.e. unexpected upgrades or benefits) and examine why service gifts do not always result in firm-beneficial reciprocal behaviors from consumers. Design/methodology/approach: Through a series of three studies including both scenario-based and game-theory-based experiments, this research proposes and empirically validates a conceptual model that examines the effect of service gifts on firm-beneficial reciprocal behaviors, and the role of collective social connection and norm of positive reciprocity (NPR) in this process. Findings: The findings of this research show that the consumer’s feelings of collective social connection mediate the link between the …

The Impacts Of Building Characteristics, Social Psychological And Cultural Factors On Indoor Environment Quality Productivity Belief, Chien Fei Chen, Selin Yilmaz, Anna Laura Pisello, Marilena De Simone, Amy Kim, Tianzhen Hong, Karol Bandurski, Mateus V. Bavaresco, Pei Ling Liu, Yimin Zhu

Faculty Publications

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) plays a key role in determining occupants' productivity at work; however, analyses of the interconnected factors among building physical, attitudinal, social and demographic components in one study are lacking. To fill this research gap, this study investigates these interconnected factors' influence on occupants’ IEQ-productivity belief, defined as a personal, subjective evaluation of the linkage between the impacts of five IEQ aspects (the quality of indoor temperature, air, natural and electric lighting, and acoustics) and productivity. A cross-sectional survey data was collected in university offices from six countries (Brazil, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Taiwan and the U.S.). Results …

Psychological, Addictive, And Health Behavior Implications Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael J. Zvolensky, Lorra Garey, Andrew H. Rogers, Norman B. Schmidt, Anka .. Vujanovic, Eric A. Storch, Julia D. Buckner, Daniel J. Paulus, Candice Alfano, Jasper A. J. Smits, Connall O'Cleirigh

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Measuring The Greatest Weight: A Comprehensive Interpretation Of Nietzsche’S Doctrine Of Eternal Recurrence, Sebastian Brumfield Mejía

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Demographic Impacts Of Climate-Induced Migration And Environmental Shocks And Stressors In Cameron Parish, Louisiana, John Green Iii

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Theory Of Multiformat Communication: Mechanisms, Dynamics, And Strategies, Jordan W. Moffett, Judith Anne Garretson Folse, Robert W. Palmatier

Faculty Publications

Extant communication theories predate the explosion of digital formats and technological advances such as virtual reality, which likely explains their predominant focus on traditional and format-level (e.g., face-to-face, email) rather than digital or characteristic-level (e.g., visual cues, synchronicity) design decisions. Firms thus lack insights into how to create and use emerging digital formats, individually or synergistically. To establish a holistic framework of bilateral multiformat communication for relationship marketing, this article reviews communication theory to establish a foundation for understanding multiformat communication and to identify any gaps (e.g., AI agents, simulated cues). The authors then review bilateral communication research in light …

Single-Case Experimental Designs For Behavioral Neuroscience, Paul L. Soto

Faculty Publications

Single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) are commonly used in behavior analytic research but rarely used in behavioral neuroscience research. The recent development of technologies that allow control of the timing of neurobiological events such as gene expression and neuronal firing enable the fruitful application of SCEDs for the study of brain-behavior relations. There are at least 3 benefits expected from applying SCEDs to study how neurobiological events affect behavior. First, SCEDs entail direct within- and across-subject assessments of reliability, likely increasing the probability of replication across studies and encouraging a search for the causes of replication failure when they occur. Second, …

The Effects Of Family Transitions On Depressive Symptoms: Differences Among Young Adults With And Without Childhood Symptoms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Rhiannon A. Kroeger, Debra Umberson, Daniel A. Powers, Danequa L. Forrest

Faculty Publications

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is tied to higher levels of depression, but the social factors that shape these associations are not well understood. This study considers whether family transitions affect depressive symptoms differently for young adults with and without childhood symptoms of ADHD at subthreshold or diagnostic levels. Between-within regression analysis of nationally representative longitudinal survey data shows that transitions into cohabitation and parenthood affect depressive symptoms differently for young adults with and without childhood symptoms of ADHD. Specifically, within-person effects indicate that transitions into cohabitation and parenthood are tied to decreases in depressive symptoms, but only for young adults without …

Relationships Between Emotion, Acceptance, Food Choice, And Consumption: Some New Perspectives, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

Food is more than just a source of nutrients—it also provides basic pleasure as well as aesthetic experiences. A number of studies have reported that acceptance, food choice, and consumption are affected by a large number of factors, including both intrinsic and extrinsic factors and cues, as well as consumer characteristics. Food-elicited emotions are becoming a critical component in designing products that meet consumers’ needs and expectations. Several studies have reported emotional responses to food and their relationships to product acceptability, preference, and choice. This Special Issue brings together a small range of studies with a diversity of approaches that …

A Framework For Augmenting Building Performance Models Using Machine Learning And Immersive Virtual Environment, Chanachok Chokwitthaya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Building performance models (BPMs), such as building energy simulation models, have been widely used in building design. Existing BPMs are mainly derived using data from existing buildings. They may not be able to effectively address human-building interactions and lack the capability to address specific contextual factors in buildings under design. The lack of such capability often contributes to the existence of building performance discrepancies, i.e., differences between predicted performance during design and the actual performance.

To improve the prediction accuracy of existing BPMs, a computational framework is developed in this dissertation. It combines an existing BPM with context-aware design-specific …

Comparison Of In-Office Psychiatric Encounters With Out-Of-Office Psychiatric Encounters Regarding Efficacy, Presenteeism, And Self-Perceived Stigma Among Adult Recipients Of Psychiatric Treatment For Depression In Louisiana, Lawrence Sullivan Salone

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to conduct a clinical trial to compare the provision of psychiatric evaluation and medication interventions in a virtual out of office format (VOO) with the provision of psychiatric evaluation and medication interventions in a virtual in-office psychiatric encounter (VIO) among adults in Louisiana seeking psychiatric services for the treatment of depression. This study was classified as a pretest-posttest control group non-inferiority double-blind experimental design. Each patient took a self-rated instrument at baseline and at week 8. The study tested the two interventions (VOO and VIO) by way of changes in overall function, changes …

Indeterminate Sample Sequencing In Virtual Reality, Chase Mitchusson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The VR Sequencer is a tool for composing and performing music which takes advantage of spatial configuration of 3-D objects to generate looping sequences. This project combines dice-rolling with omnidirectional playheads and variable terrain to make a sequencer with indeterminate features in Virtual Reality (VR). A comparison of mapping systems for music games and digital instruments demonstrates a middle ground for interactive music making which the VR Sequencer applies. An inspection of current VR works exhibits a disconnect be- tween VR gamers and experimental musicians. In an attempt to give the gaming community access to experimental music making, the VR …