Digital Commons Network^™

Four Distinct Trajectories Of Tau Deposition Identified In Alzheimer’S Disease, Jacob W. Vogel, Alexandra L. Young, Neil P. Oxtoby, Ruben Smith, Rik Ossenkoppele, Olof T. Strandberg, Renaud La Joie, Leon M. Aksman, Michel J. Grothe, Yasser Iturria-Medina, Michael Weiner, Paul Aisen, Ronald Petersen, Clifford R. Jack, William Jagust, John Q. Trojanowki, Arthur W. Toga, Laurel Beckett, Robert C. Green, Andrew J. Saykin, John C. Morris, Leslie M. Shaw, Enchi Liu, Tom Montine, Ronald G. Thomas, Michael Donohue, Sarah Walter, Devon Gessert, Tamie Sather, Gus Jiminez, Danielle Harvey, Matthew Bernstein, Nick Fox, Paul Thompson

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the spread of tau pathology throughout the cerebral cortex. This spreading pattern was thought to be fairly consistent across individuals, although recent work has demonstrated substantial variability in the population with AD. Using tau-positron emission tomography scans from 1,612 individuals, we identified 4 distinct spatiotemporal trajectories of tau pathology, ranging in prevalence from 18 to 33%. We replicated previously described limbic-predominant and medial temporal lobe-sparing patterns, while also discovering posterior and lateral temporal patterns resembling atypical clinical variants of AD. These ‘subtypes’ were stable during longitudinal follow-up and were replicated in a separate sample …

Conceptus Metabolomic Profiling Reveals Stage-Specific Phenotypes Leading Up To Pregnancy Recognition In Cattle†, Constantine A. Simintiras, José M. Sánchez, Michael Mcdonald, Elena O'Callaghan, Ahmed A. Aburima, Patrick Lonergan

Faculty Publications

Reproductive efficiency in livestock is a major driver of sustainable food production. The poorly understood process of ruminant conceptus elongation (a) prerequisites maternal pregnancy recognition, (b) is essential to successful pregnancy establishment, and (c) coincides with a period of significant conceptus mortality. Conceptuses at five key developmental stages between Days 8-16 were recovered and cultured in vitro for 6 h prior to conditioned media analysis by untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy. This global temporal biochemical interrogation of the ex situ bovine conceptus unearths two antithetical stage-specific metabolic phenotypes during tubular (metabolically retentive) vs. filamentous (secretory) development. Moreover, the …

Effect Of High Molecular Weight Chitosan Coating On Quality And Shelf Life Of Refrigerated Channel Catfish Fillets, Baris Karsli, Emre Caglak, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

This study investigated effects of the high molecular-weight (800 kDa) chitosan coating on quality and shelf life of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fillets stored at 4 °C. Distilled water (control), CHAC1% (1% w/v chitosan in 1% v/v acetic acid), AS3% (3% w/v aspartic acid), and CHAS3% (3% w/v chitosan in 3% w/v aspartic acid) were used as coating solutions. Microbial (total aerobic mesophilic bacteria-TAMB; total aerobic psychrophilic bacteria-TAPB), physicochemical, and consumer perception parameters of chitosan-coated catfish fillets were analyzed at 0, 3, 6, 8, and 10 days. Chitosan coating treatments, especially CHAS3%, effectively inhibited microbial growth, delayed lipid oxidation, reduced …

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Dna Adducts In Gulf Of Mexico Sperm Whale Skin Biopsies Collected In 2012, Miriam C. Poirier, Letizia Marsili, Maria Cristina Fossi, Céline A.J. Godard-Codding, Elena E. Hernandez-Ramon, Nancy Si, Kathyayini V. Divi, Rao L. Divi, Iain Kerr, John Pierce Wise, John Pierce Wise, Catherine F. Wise, Sandra S. Wise, Abou El Makarim Aboueissa, James T.F. Wise

Faculty Publications

The northern Gulf of Mexico has a long history of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination from anthropogenic activities, natural oil seepages, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. The continental shelf of the same area is a known breeding ground for sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). To evaluate PAH-DNA damage, a biomarker for potential cancer risk, we compared skin biopsies collected from Gulf of Mexico sperm whales in 2012 with skin biopsies collected from sperm whales in areas of the Pacific Ocean in 1999-2001. All samples were obtained by crossbow and comprised both epidermis and subcutaneous blubber. To evaluate …

Circadian Rhythms In Legumes: What Do We Know And What Else Should We Explore?, Hazel Marie Kugan, Nur Ardiyana Rejab, Nurul Amylia Sahruzaini, Jennifer Ann Harikrishna, Niranjan Baisakh, Acga Cheng

Faculty Publications

The natural timing devices of organisms, commonly known as biological clocks, are composed of specific complex folding molecules that interact to regulate the circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms, the changes or processes that follow a 24‐h light–dark cycle, while endogenously programmed, are also influenced by environmental factors, especially in sessile organisms such as plants, which can impact ecosystems and crop productivity. Current knowledge of plant clocks emanates primarily from research on Arabidopsis, which identified the main components of the circadian gene regulation network. Nonetheless, there remain critical knowledge gaps related to the molecular components of circadian rhythms in important crop groups, …

Heterotrophic Nitrogen Fixation In Response To Nitrate Loading And Sediment Organic Matter In An Emerging Coastal Deltaic Floodplain Within The Mississippi River Delta Plain, Song Li, Robert R. Twilley, Aixin Hou

Faculty Publications

Increasing nitrate (NO3⁻) loading in rivers due to agricultural fertilization alters benthic nitrogen (N) cycling and shifts coastal wetlands from being a net source to net sink of reactive N. Heterotrophic N2 fixation that converts N2 to reactive N is often assumed negligible in eutrophic ecosystems and excluded in coastal N budget evaluations. We investigated N2 fixation and denitrification in response to increasing NO3⁻ loading (0, 10, and 100 μM) and sediment organic matter (OMsediment) concentrations in the emerging Wax Lake Delta. Continuous flow-through incubations with ³⁰N2 addition was applied to measure N2 fixation. The variation …

The Adaptive Gamesquad Xbox-Based Physical Activity And Health Coaching Intervention For Youth With Neurodevelopmental And Psychiatric Diagnoses: Pilot Feasibility Study, April B. Bowling, James Slavet, Chelsea Hendrick, Robbie Beyl, Phillip Nauta, Marilyn Augustyn, Mediatrix Mbamalu, Carol Curtin, Linda Bandini, Aviva Must, Amanda E. Staiano

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: The prevalence of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses (NPDs) in youth is increasing, and unhealthy physical activity (PA), diet, screen time, and sleep habits contribute to the chronic disease disparities and behavioral challenges this population experiences. Objective: This pilot study aims to adapt a proven exergaming and telehealth PA coaching intervention for typically developing youth with overweight or obesity; expand it to address diet, screen, and sleep behaviors; and then test its feasibility and acceptability, including PA engagement, among youth with NPDs. Methods: Participants (N=23; mean age 15.1 years, SD 1.5; 17 males, 9 people of color) recruited in person …

On Graphic Arrangement Groups, Daniel C. Cohen, Michael J. Falk

Faculty Publications

A finite simple graph Γ determines a quotient PΓ of the pure braid group, called a graphic arrangement group. We analyze homomorphisms of these groups defined by deletion of sets of vertices, using methods developed in prior joint work with R. Randell. We show that, for a K4-free graph Γ, a product of deletion maps is injective, embedding PΓ in a product of free groups. Then PΓ is residually free, torsion-free, residually torsion-free nilpotent, and acts properly on a CAT(0) cube complex. We also show PΓ is of homological finiteness type Fm−1, but not Fm, where m is the number …

Application Of Biochar In Estrogen Hormone-Contaminated And Manure-Affected Soils: Impact On Soil Respiration, Microbial Community And Enzyme Activity, Zhuo Wei, Jim J. Wang, Lisa M. Fultz, Paul White, Changyoon Jeong

Faculty Publications

Biochar as a soil amendment has been proposed for enhancing carbon sequestration and manure-borne hormone contaminant remediation. However, little is known about the ecological risk of biochar application in the soil with hormone contamination. This study investigated the influence of biochar in three manure-impacted soils contaminated with estrogen hormones, natural estrogen 17β-estradiol and synthesized estrogen 17α-ethinylestradiol in a microcosm experiment. Specifically, microbial respiration was periodically determined during microcosm incubation while microbial community phospholipid fatty acids and activities of nutrient (C, N, P, S) cycling related enzymes (β-glucosidase, urease, phosphodiesterase, arylsulfatase) were characterized after the incubation. Results showed that the manure-impacted …

Genome-Wide Association Mapping Reveals Race-Specific Snp Markers Associated With Anthracnose Resistance In Carioca Common Beans, Caleo Panhoca De Almeida, Jean Fausto De Carvalho Paulino, Caio Cesar Ferrari Barbosa, Gabriel De Moraes Cunha Goncalves, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Sergio Augusto Morais Carbonell, Alisson Fernando Chiorato, Luciana Lasry Benchimol-Reis

Faculty Publications

Brazil is the largest consumer of dry edible beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in the world, 70% of consumption is of the carioca variety. Although the variety has high yield, it is susceptible to several diseases, among them, anthracnose (ANT) can lead to losses of up to 100% of production. The most effective strategy to overcome ANT, a disease caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, is the development of resistant cultivars. For that reason, the selection of carioca genotypes resistant to multiple ANT races and the identification of loci/markers associated with genetic resistance are extremely important for the genetic breeding process. …

Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Genomic Regions Associated With Fusarium Wilt Resistance In Common Bean, Jean Fausto De Carvalho Paulino, Caléo Panhoca De Almeida, César Júnior Bueno, Qijian Song, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Sérgio Augusto Morais Carbonell, Alisson Fernando Chiorato, Luciana Lasry Benchimol-Reis

Faculty Publications

Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli, Fop) is one of the main fungal soil diseases in common bean. The aim of the present study was to identify genomic regions associated with Fop resistance through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in a Mesoamerican Diversity Panel (MDP) and to identify potential common bean sources of Fop’s resistance. The MDP was genotyped with BARCBean6K_3BeadChip and evaluated for Fop resistance with two different monosporic strains using the root-dip method. Disease severity rating (DSR) and the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), at 21 days after inoculation (DAI), were used for GWAS performed with …

Heat Flux From A Vapor-Dominated Hydrothermal Field Beneath Yellowstone Lake, Julia E. Favorito, Robert N. Harris, Robert A. Sohn, Shaul Hurwitz, Karen M. Luttrell

Faculty Publications

We report results from 149 heat flux measurements made over n ∼2-year interval at sites in and around a vapor-dominated geothermal field located at water depths of ∼100–120 m in Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming. Measurements of both in situ temperature and thermal conductivity as a function of depth were made with a 1 m probe via a remotely operated vehicle, and are combined to compute the vertical conductive heat flux. Inside the ∼55.5 × 10³ m² bathymetric depression demarcating the vapor-dominated field, the median conductive flux is 13 W m⁻², with a conductive output of 0.72 MW. …

Restoring Trust In Truth-Seekers: Effects Of Op/Eds Defending Journalism And Justice, Raymond J. Pingree, Martina Santia, Kirill Bryanov, Brian K. Watson

Faculty Publications

A healthy democracy requires trust that people can be impartial in important truth-seeking institutions including journalism, justice, and science. Recently some U.S. elites have adopted alarmingly extreme rhetoric against truth-seekers, denouncing mainstream journalism as fake news, criminal investigations as partisan witch-hunts, climate science as a hoax, and career civil servants as a deep state conspiracy. In response, some news organizations have taken the unusual step of publishing op/eds defending these institutions. Two experiments tested effects of such op/eds. In study 1, participants spent twelve days using a purpose-built news portal containing real, timely news with random assignment to the availability …

Does The Impact Of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention On Cognitive Function Vary Depending Baseline Level Of Frailty? An Ancillary Study To The Action For Health In Diabetes (Look Ahead) Trial, Felicia R. Simpson, Owen Carmichael, Kathleen M. Hayden, Christina E. Hugenschmidt, Jeanne M. Mccaffery, Sevil Yasar, Nicholas M. Pajewski, Mark A. Espeland

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Aims: To assess whether there is an opportune window when intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) benefits cognitive function. Methods: Standardized cognitive assessments were collected following ≥8 years of either ILI or a control condition of diabetes support and education (DSE) in 3708 individuals, ages 45-76 years at enrollment, with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. Frailty index (FI) scores were used to group individuals at baseline into tertiles according to their age-related health status. Linear models were used to describe intervention adherence and cognitive function, with interaction terms to examine the consistency of relationships among tertiles. Results: Worse baseline FI …

Vr-Caps: A Virtual Environment For Capsule Endoscopy, Kağan İncetan, Ibrahim Omer Celik, Abdulhamid Obeid, Guliz Irem Gokceler, Kutsev Bengisu Ozyoruk, Yasin Almalioglu, Richard J. Chen, Faisal Mahmood, Hunter Gilbert, Nicholas J. Durr, Mehmet Turan

Faculty Publications

Current capsule endoscopes and next-generation robotic capsules for diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases are complex cyber-physical platforms that must orchestrate complex software and hardware functions. The desired tasks for these systems include visual localization, depth estimation, 3D mapping, disease detection and segmentation, automated navigation, active control, path realization and optional therapeutic modules such as targeted drug delivery and biopsy sampling. Data-driven algorithms promise to enable many advanced functionalities for capsule endoscopes, but real-world data is challenging to obtain. Physically-realistic simulations providing synthetic data have emerged as a solution to the development of data-driven algorithms. In this work, we present …

Aerodynamic Testing And Response Evaluation Of A Large-Scale High-Rise Building Model At A High Reynolds Number, Aly Mousaad Aly, Suvash Chapain

Faculty Publications

In this paper, experimental investigations of a large-scale (1:50) high-rise building model are performed at a high Reynolds number (~21 million), to evaluate the wind loads and the corresponding structural responses. A total of 256 pressure taps are mapped on all sides of the building model, to determine dimensionless pressure coefficients on the surfaces. Wind loads at each floor are evaluated using the pressure integration technique. The dynamic properties of the full-scale building are obtained from a finite element model in ANSYS. The wind-induced responses are calculated by applying wind loads on an equivalent lumped mass model of the building …

Aerodynamics Of Low-Rise Buildings: Large-Scale Open-Jet Testing To Address Reynolds Number Effects, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

Wind flow over low-rise buildings in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is accompanied by some complex flow physics such as flow separation and generation of vortices in the shear layer. The uncertainties associated with such complex flow mechanisms make the case-by-case experimental or numerical investigation of buildings’ aerodynamic behavior fundamental. Engineers have aspired to replicate the full-scale real wind behavior in wind-tunnels to create more resilient infrastructures. Traditional wind-tunnel experiments struggle to accurately predict surface pressures despite being widely embraced by the structural engineering community. This limitation is attributed to the lack of large-scale turbulence and low Reynolds numbers in …

On The Computational Efficiency Of Les And Hybrid Rans-Les Models In Building Aerodynamics, Faiaz Khaled, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mobile App Privacy In Software Engineering Research: A Systematic Mapping Study, Fahimeh Ebrahimi, Miroslav Tushev, Anas Mahmoud

Faculty Publications

Context: Mobile applications (apps) have become deeply personal, constantly demanding access to privacy-sensitive information in exchange for more personalized user experiences. Such privacy-invading practices have generated major multidimensional privacy concerns among app users. Objective: The research on mobile app privacy has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. This line of research is aimed at systematically exposing the privacy practices of apps and proposing solutions to protect the privacy of mobile app users. In this paper, we conduct a systematic mapping study of this body of research. Our objectives are to a) explore trends in SE app privacy research, b) …

Mild Upgrading Of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors Via Ex-Situ Catalytic Pyrolysis Over An Iron-Montmorillonite Catalyst, Candice R. Ellison, Dorin Boldor

Faculty Publications

Pyrolysis vapor upgrading can improve the stability of pyrolysis liquids to facilitate storage, transport, and drop in use as fuels and chemical feedstocks in existing refining infrastructure. This study investigates a low cost iron based catalyst for mild in-situ upgrading of fast pyrolysis vapors to increase the stability of pyrolysis liquid. Iron-doped montmorillonite K10 catalysts were characterized by ICP-OES, BET porosimetry, XRD, XPS, and NH3-TPD. The effect of three upgrading process parameters are evaluated by Box-Behnken experimental design using a fixed catalyst bed. Predictive model equations are developed based on response surface methodology to describe the effect of iron loading, …

All Things To All Men: Catholic Social Teaching In Reaction To Anti-Catholicism In Late Nineteenth-Century France And Germany, John Anderson Abbott Harris

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Digital Art Application To Music Videos, Janna Kelly

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

‘On Not Knowing Greek’: Classical Challenges And The Responses Of Victorian Women Of Ambition, Cora Barhorst

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Incidental Emotions And Their Effects On Decision-Making Tasks, Kayla D. Brown

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Electoral Impact Of Sexual Scandal On Four Recent Political Candidates: Cal Cunningham, Donald Trump, David Vitter, And Bill Clinton, Madeline Mckenzie Connelly

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Analysis, Modeling, And Simulation (Ams) Case Studies Of Connected And Automated Vehicle (Cav) Implementations Specific To The South Central Region, Christopher Melson, Jiaqi Ma

Publications

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) offer potentially transformative and far-reaching impacts to the transportation system. However, realized benefits will be directly tied to how well agencies prepare for these technologies. This report documents efforts that support CAV preparatory actions in Louisiana and includes: (1) conducting a stakeholder survey to inform engagement activities to develop strategic partnerships in CAV deployment and (2) conducting crash analyses for deployment scenarios of CAV-based queue warning systems (QWSs).

An electronic survey was developed and disseminated to 273 Louisiana organizations. The purpose of the survey was to engage these organizations under the context of CAV planning …

Carbonized Metal-Organic Framework Cathodes For Secondary Lithium-Bromine Batteries, Benjamin B. Peterson, Evan M. Andrews, Francisco Hung, John C. Flake

Faculty Publications

Secondary lithium-bromine (Li–Br2) batteries offer cell potentials near 4 V and storage capacities over 1200 Whkg−1-LiBr. Here, we demonstrate Li–Br2 cells with two types of carbonized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Carbonized MIL-53(Al) electrodes show capacities of 224 mAhg−1 LiBr (at 3.4 V) and 72% capacity retention after 100 cycles, while carbonized ZIF-8 electrodes show specific capacities of 273 mAhg−1 LiBr and 88% capacity retention over 100 cycles at 1C (at 3.4 V). Surface characterization (XPS, EDS) and porosimetry indicate that the ZIF-8 derived MOF electrodes are heavily microporous with heteroatom (C–N) doping. The increased capacity and reversibility of ZIF-8 derived carbon …

Moiré Superlattice On The Surface Of A Topological Insulator, Jennifer Cano, Shiang Fang, J. H. Pixley, Justin H. Wilson

Faculty Publications

Twisting van der Waals heterostructures to induce correlated many body states provides a novel tuning mechanism in solid state physics. In this work, we theoretically investigate the fate of the surface Dirac cone of a three-dimensional topological insulator subject to a superlattice potential. Using a combination of diagrammatic perturbation theory, lattice model simulations, and ab initio calculations we elucidate the unique aspects of twisting a single Dirac cone with an induced moiré potential and the role of the bulk topology on the reconstructed surface band structure. We report a dramatic renormalization of the surface Dirac cone velocity as well as …

Healthy Eating In Low-Income Rural Louisiana Parishes: Formative Research For Future Social Marketing Campaigns, Linda Fergus, Richie Roberts, Denise Holston

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Rev-Erb In Gabaergic Neurons Controls Diurnal Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity, Guolian Ding, Xin Li, Xinguo Hou, Wenjun Zhou, Yingyun Gong, Fuqiang Liu, Yanlin He, Jia Song, Jing Wang, Paul Basil, Wenbo Li, Sichong Qian, Pradip Saha, Jinbang Wang, Chen Cui, Tingting Yang, Kexin Zou, Younghun Han, Christopher I. Amos, Yong Xu, Li Chen, Zheng Sun

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Systemic insulin sensitivity shows a diurnal rhythm with a peak upon waking1,2. The molecular mechanism that underlies this temporal pattern is unclear. Here we show that the nuclear receptors REV-ERB-α and REV-ERB-β (referred to here as ‘REV-ERB’) in the GABAergic (γ-aminobutyric acid-producing) neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) (SCNGABA neurons) control the diurnal rhythm of insulin-mediated suppression of hepatic glucose production in mice, without affecting diurnal eating or locomotor behaviours during regular light–dark cycles. REV-ERB regulates the rhythmic expression of genes that are involved in neurotransmission in the SCN, and modulates the oscillatory firing activity of SCNGABA neurons. Chemogenetic stimulation …