Digital Commons Network^™

Topology And Ground State Control In Open-Shell Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymers, Kevin S. Mayer, Daniel J. Adams, Naresh Eedugurala, Molly M. Lockart, Paramasivam Mahalingavelar, Lifeng Huang, Luke A. Galuska, Eric R. King, Xiaodan Gu, Michael K. Bowman, Jason D. Azoulay

Faculty Publications

Donor-acceptor (DA) conjugated polymers (CPs) with narrow bandgaps and open-shell (diradical) character represent an emerging class of materials whose rich behavior emanates from their collective electronic properties and diminished electron pairing. However, the structural and electronic heterogeneities that define these materials complicate bandgap control at low energies and connections linking topology, exchange interactions, and (opto)electronic functionality remain nascent. To address these challenges, we demonstrate structurally rigid and strongly π-conjugated copolymers comprised of a solubilizing thiadiazoloquinoxaline acceptor and cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene or dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]thiophene donors. Atom-specific substitution modulates local aromatic character within the donor resulting in dramatic differences in structural, physicochemical, electronic, and magnetic …

The Seasonal Flux And Fate Of Dissolved Organic Carbon Through Bacterioplankton In The Western North Atlantic, Nicholas Baetge, Michael J. Behrenfeld, James Fox, Kimberly H. Halsey, Kristina D.A. Mojica, Anai Novoa, Brandon M. Stephens, Craig A. Carlson

Faculty Publications

The oceans teem with heterotrophic bacterioplankton that play an appreciable role in the uptake of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) derived from phytoplankton net primary production (NPP). As such, bacterioplankton carbon demand (BCD), or gross heterotrophic production, represents a major carbon pathway that influences the seasonal accumulation of DOC in the surface ocean and, subsequently, the potential vertical or horizontal export of seasonally accumulated DOC. Here, we examine the contributions of bacterioplankton and DOM to ecological and biogeochemical carbon flow pathways, including those of the microbial loop and the biological carbon pump, in the Western North Atlantic Ocean (∼39–54°N along ∼40°W) …

Biogenic Sinking Particle Fluxes And Sediment Trap Collection Efficiency At Ocean Station Papa, Margaret Estapa, Ken Buesseler, Collen A. Durkin, Melissa Omand, Claudia Benitez-Nelson, Montserrat Rocca-Martí, Elly Breves, R. P. Kelly, Steve Pike

Faculty Publications

Comprehensive field observations characterizing the biological carbon pump (BCP) provide the foundation needed to constrain mechanistic models of downward particulate organic carbon (POC) flux in the ocean. Sediment traps were deployed three times during the EXport Processes in the Ocean from RemoTe Sensing campaign at Ocean Station Papa in August–September 2018. We propose a new method to correct sediment trap sample contamination by zooplankton “swimmers.” We consider the advantages of polyacrylamide gel collectors to constrain swimmer influence and estimate the magnitude of possible trap biases. Measured sediment trap fluxes of thorium-234 are compared to water column measurements to assess trap …

Elite Cues And The Rapid Decline Of Trust In Science Agencies On Covid-19, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Thomas G. Safford

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by political divisions in US public trust of scientists. Such divisions are well known on other science topics, but regarding COVID-19 they arose suddenly, with disastrous results. Public distrust of scientists has been variously explained in terms of conflicts with belief systems, psychology, peer influences, or communication from elites. Three surveys conducted from March to July 2020 in the US state of New Hampshire observed changing perceptions on COVID-19, providing a test of alternative explanations. Over this period trust in science agencies such as the CDC for information on the coronavirus fell dramatically among …

Beneficial Use Decision Support For Wetlands: Case Study For Mobile Bay, Alabama, Kyle D. Runion, Brandon M. Boyd, Candice D. Piercy, James T. Morris

Faculty Publications

The beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM) for wetland restoration improves coastal wetland resilience and conserves coastal natural infrastructure. Tools, such as biophysical models help coastal managers to assess habitat vulnerability and plan restoration. In this study, the Marsh Equilibrium Model (MEM) will be utilized combined with observed data to predict future conditions and evaluate potential marsh restoration via the BUDM in Mobile Bay, Alabama. A range of site conditions and restoration strategies will be considered and the impacts on dredged material management area (DMMA) volumes will be evaluated. Wetland restoration via thin-layer placement (TLP) of dredged material (DM) restores …

Microglial Implications In Sars-Cov-2 Infection And Covid-19: Lessons From Viral Rna Neurotropism And Possible Relevance To Parkinson's Disease, Ifeoluwa O. Awogbindin, Benneth Ben-Azu, Babatunde A. Olusola, Elizabeth T. Akinluyi, Philip A. Adeniyi, T. Di Paolo, Marie-Eve Tremblay

Faculty Publications

Since December 2019, humankind has been experiencing a ravaging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak, the second coronavirus pandemic in a decade after the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) disease in 2012. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 results in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is responsible for over 3.1 million deaths worldwide. With the emergence of a second and a third wave of infection across the globe, and the rising record of multiple reinfections and relapses, SARS-CoV-2 infection shows no sign of abating. In addition, it is now evident that SARS-CoV-2 infection presents with neurological symptoms that include early …

A Monte Carlo Simulation Of A Protein (Cove) In A Matrix Of Random Barriers, R. B. Pandey

Faculty Publications

Monte Carlo simulations are performed to study structure and dynamics of a protein CoVE in random media generated by a random distribution of barriers at concentration c with a coarse-grained model in its native (low temperature) and denatured (high temperature) phase. The stochastic dynamics of the protein is diffusive in denature phase at low c, it slows down on increasing c and stops moving beyond a threshold (c_th ≈ 0.10). In native phase, the protein moves extremely slow at low c but speeds up on further increasing c in a characteristic range (c =0.10–0.20) before …

Quality Assessment Of Published Systematic Reviews In High Impact Cardiology Journals: Revisiting The Evidence Pyramid, Abdelrahman Abushouk, Ismaeel Yunusa Ph.D., Abdelmagid M. Elmatboly, Shady Fayek, Omar M. Abdelfattah, Anas Saad, Isogai Toshiaki, Shashank Shekhar, Ankur Kalra, Grant W. Reed, Rishi Puri, Samir Kapadia

Faculty Publications

Objective: Systematic reviews are increasingly used as sources of evidence in clinical cardiology guidelines. In the present study, we aimed to assess the quality of published systematic reviews in high impact cardiology journals.

Methods: We searched PubMed for systematic reviews published between 2010 and 2019 in five general cardiology journals with the highest impact factor (according to Clarivate Analytics 2019). We extracted data on eligibility criteria, methodological characteristics, bias assessments, and sources of funding. Further, we assessed the quality of retrieved reviews using the AMSTAR tool.

Results: A total of 352 systematic reviews were assessed. The AMSTAR quality score was …

Temperature Dependence Of Freshwater Phytoplankton Growth Rates And Zooplankton Grazing Rates, Jennifer Pulsifer, Edward Laws

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Temperature Dependence Of Freshwater Phytoplankton Growth Rates And Zooplankton Grazing Rates, Jennifer Pulsifer, Edward Laws

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Community Engagement Practices At Research Centers In U.S. Minority Institutions: Priority Populations And Innovative Approaches To Advancing Health Disparities Research, Tabia Henry Akintobi, Payam Sheikhattari, Emma Shaffer, Christina L. Evans, Kathryn L. Braun, Angela U. Sy, Bibiana Mancera, Adriana Campa, Stephania T. Miller, Daniel Sarpong, Rhonda Holliday, Julio Jimenez-Chavez, Shafiq Khan, Cimona Hinton, Kimberly Sellars-Bates, Veronica Ajewole, Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone, Juliet Mcmullin, Sandra Suther, K. Sean Kimbro, Lorraine Taylor

Faculty Publications

This paper details U.S. Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Community Engagement Cores (CECs): (1) unique and cross-cutting components, focus areas, specific aims, and target populations; and (2) approaches utilized to build or sustain trust towards community participation in research. A mixed-method data collection approach was employed for this cross-sectional study of current or previously funded RCMIs. A total of 18 of the 25 institutions spanning 13 U.S. states and territories participated. CEC specific aims were to support community engaged research (94%); to translate and disseminate research findings (88%); to develop partnerships (82%); and to build capacity around community research …

Biologically-Based Mathematical Modeling Of Tumor Vasculature And Angiogenesis Via Time-Resolved Imaging Data, David A. Hormuth, Caleb M. Phillips, Chengyue Wu, Ernesto A.B.F. Lima, Guillermo Lorenzo, Prashant K. Jha, Angela M. Jarrett, J. Tinsley Oden, Thomas E. Yankeelov

Faculty Publications

Tumor-associated vasculature is responsible for the delivery of nutrients, removal of waste, and allowing growth beyond 2–3 mm3. Additionally, the vascular network, which is changing in both space and time, fundamentally influences tumor response to both systemic and radiation therapy. Thus, a robust understanding of vascular dynamics is necessary to accurately predict tumor growth, as well as establish optimal treatment protocols to achieve optimal tumor control. Such a goal requires the intimate integration of both theory and experiment. Quantitative and time-resolved imaging methods have emerged as technologies able to visualize and characterize tumor vascular properties before and during therapy at …

Plague Vaccines: New Developments In An Ongoing Search, Jason A. Rosenzweig, Emily K. Hendrix, Ashok K. Chopra

Faculty Publications

Abstract: As the reality of pandemic threats challenges humanity, exemplified during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infections, the development of vaccines targeting these etiological agents of disease has become increasingly critical. Of paramount concern are novel and reemerging pathogens that could trigger such events, including the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis is responsible for more human deaths than any other known pathogen and exists globally in endemic regions of the world, including the four corners region and Northern California in the USA. Recent cases have been scattered throughout the world, including China and the USA, with serious outbreaks in Madagascar during …

Soil Phosphorus Fractions And Distributions In Estuarine Wetlands With Different Climax Vegetation Covers In The Yellow River Delta, Fanzhu Qu, Ling Meng, Jiangbao Xia, Haosheng Huang, Chao Zhan, Yunzhao Li

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Importance Of Low-Relief Nursery Habitat For Reef Fishes, Michael A. Dance, Jay R. Rooker, Richard J. Kline, Antonietta Quigg, Gregory R. Stunz, R. J.David Wells, Kirsten Lara, Jessica Lee, Bobbie Suarez

Faculty Publications

Coastal restoration projects to mitigate environmental impacts have increased global demand for sand resources. Unfortunately, these resources are often extracted from sand/shell banks on the inner continental shelf, resulting in significant alteration or loss of low-relief reefs in coastal oceans. Experimental reefs (oyster shell, limestone rubble, composite) were deployed in the western Gulf of Mexico to assess their potential value as nurseries for newly settled reef fishes. Occurrence, abundance, and species richness of juvenile fishes were significantly higher on all three types of low-relief reefs compared with unconsolidated sediment. Moreover, reefs served as nursery habitat for a range of reef …

Review Of Girl In The Walls, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Metabolic Effects Of Duodenojejunal Bypass Surgery In A Rat Model Of Type 1 Diabetes, R Vangoitsenhoven, R Wilson, G Sharma, S Punchai, R Vangoitsenhoven, D Froylich, A Mulya, P R. Schauer, S A. Brethauer, J P. Kirwan, N Sangwan, J M. Brown, A Aminian

Faculty Publications

Background Metabolic surgery has beneficial metabolic effects, including remission of type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that duodenojejunal bypass (DJB) surgery can protect against development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) by enhancing regulation of cellular and molecular pathways that control glucose homeostasis. Methods BBDP/Wor rats, which are prone to develop spontaneous autoimmune T1D, underwent loop DJB (n = 15) or sham (n = 15) surgery at a median age of 41 days, before development of diabetes. At T1D diagnosis, a subcutaneous insulin pellet was implanted, oral glucose tolerance test was performed 21 days later, and tissues were collected 25 days after …

Gene-Educational Attainment Interactions In A Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Identify Novel Blood Pressure Loci, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Yun Ju Sung, Raymond Noordam, Thomas Winkler, Mary F. Feitosa, Karen Schwander, Amy R. Bentley, Michael R. Brown, Xiuqing Guo, Alisa Manning, Daniel I. Chasman, Hugues Aschard, Traci M. Bartz, Lawrence F. Bielak, Archie Campbell, Ching Yu Cheng, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Fernando P. Hartwig, A. R.V.R. Horimoto, Changwei Li, Ruifang Li-Gao, Yongmei Liu, Jonathan Marten, Solomon K. Musani, Ioanna Ntalla, Tuomo Rankinen, Melissa Richard, Xueling Sim, Albert V. Smith, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Dina Vojinovic, Helen R. Warren

Faculty Publications

Educational attainment is widely used as a surrogate for socioeconomic status (SES). Low SES is a risk factor for hypertension and high blood pressure (BP). To identify novel BP loci, we performed multi-ancestry meta-analyses accounting for gene-educational attainment interactions using two variables, “Some College” (yes/no) and “Graduated College” (yes/no). Interactions were evaluated using both a 1 degree of freedom (DF) interaction term and a 2DF joint test of genetic and interaction effects. Analyses were performed for systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure. We pursued genome-wide interrogation in Stage 1 studies (N = 117 438) and follow-up …

Using Tree-Ring Research To Introduce Students To Geoscience Fieldwork, Clay S. Tucker, Jill C. Trepanier, Pamela B. Blanchard, Ed Bush, James W. Jordan, Mark J. Schafer, John Andrew Nyman

Faculty Publications

Environmental education is key in solving environmental problems and for producing a future workforce capable of solving issues of climate change. Over the last two decades, the Coastal Roots Program at Louisiana State University (LSU) has reached more than 26,676 K-12 students in Louisiana to teach them environmental science and has brought them to restoration sites to plant 194,336 school-grown trees and grasses. The codirectors of Coastal Roots are continually searching for opportunities to enrich the experience of teachers and students in connecting school subjects, Coastal Roots, and stewardship. In school year 2018/19, students in five local schools entered a …

Resistance Of The Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera Frugiperda, To Transgenic Bacillus Thuringiensis Cry1f Corn In The Americas: Lessons And Implications For Bt Corn Irm In China, Fangneng Huang

Faculty Publications

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a major target pest of Bt crops (e.g., corn, cotton, and soybean) in North and South America. This pest has recently invaded Africa and Asia including China and the invasion has placed a great threat to the food security in many countries of these two continents. Due to the extensive use of Bt crops, practical resistance of S. frugiperda to Cry1F corn (TC 1507) with field control problems has widely occurred in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina, and the mainland United States. Analyzing data generated from decade-long studies showed that several factors might …

Latest Developments In Insect Sex Pheromone Research And Its Application In Agricultural Pest Management, Syed Arif Hussain Rizvi, Justin George, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Xinnian Zeng, Angel Guerrero

Faculty Publications

Since the first identification of the silkworm moth sex pheromone in 1959, significant research has been reported on identifying and unravelling the sex pheromone mechanisms of hundreds of insect species. In the past two decades, the number of research studies on new insect pheromones, pheromone biosynthesis, mode of action, peripheral olfactory and neural mechanisms, and their practical applications in Integrated Pest Management has increased dramatically. An interdisciplinary approach that uses the advances and new techniques in analytical chemistry, chemical ecology, neurophysiology, genetics, and evolutionary and molecular biology has helped us to better understand the pheromone perception mechanisms and its practical …

Brown Meets Green: Light And Nutrients Alter Detritivore Assimilation Of Microbial Nutrients From Leaf Litter, Taylor L. Price, Jennifer Harper, Steven N. Francoeur, Halvor M. Halvorson, Kevin A. Kuehn

Faculty Publications

In aquatic detrital-based food webs, research suggests that autotroph-heterotroph microbial interactions exert bottom-up controls on energy and nutrient transfer. To address this emerging topic, we investigated microbial responses to nutrient and light treatments during Liriodendron tulipifera litter decomposition and fed litter to the caddisfly larvae Pycnopsyche sp. We measured litter-associated algal, fungal, and bacterial biomass and production. Microbes were also labeled with ¹⁴C and ³³P to trace distinct microbial carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) supporting Pycnopsyche assimilation and incorporation (growth). Litter-associated algal and fungal production rates additively increased with higher nutrient and light availability. Incorporation of microbial P …

Effect Of Informed Conditions On Sensory Expectations And Actual Perceptions: A Case Of Chocolate Brownies Containing Edible-Cricket Protein, Cristhiam Gurdian, Damir Torrico, Bin Li, Georgianna Tuuri, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Deep Learning Enhanced Novel Software Tool For Laryngeal Dynamics Analysis, Andreas M. Kist, Pablo Gómez, Denis Dubrovskiy, Patrick Schlegel, Melda Kunduk, Matthias Echternach, Rita Patel, Marion Semmler, Christopher Bohr, Stephan Dürr, Anne Schützenberger, Michael Döllinger

Faculty Publications

Purpose: High-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) is an emerging, but barely used, endoscopy technique in the clinic to assess and diagnose voice disorders because of the lack of dedicated software to analyze the data. HSV allows to quantify the vocal fold oscillations by segmenting the glottal area. This challenging task has been tackled by various studies; however, the proposed approaches are mostly limited and not suitable for daily clinical routine. Method: We developed a user-friendly software in C# that allows the editing, motion correction, segmentation, and quantitative analysis of HSV data. We further provide pretrained deep neural networks for fully automatic glottis …

Load Balancing For Distributed Nonlocal Models Within Asynchronous Many-Task Systems, Pranav Gadikar, Patrick Diehl, Prashant K. Jha

Faculty Publications

In this work, we consider the challenges of developing a distributed solver for models based on nonlocal interactions. In nonlocal models, in contrast to the local model, such as the wave and heat partial differential equations, the material interacts with neighboring points on a larger-length scale compared to the mesh discretization. In developing a fully distributed solver, the interaction over a length scale greater than mesh size introduces additional data dependencies among the compute nodes and communication bottleneck. In this work, we carefully look at these challenges in the context of nonlocal models; to keep the presentation specific to the …

Tailored Porous Carbons Enabled By Persistent Micelles With Glassy Cores, Eric R. Williams, Paige L. Mcmahon, Joseph E. Reynolds Iii, Jonathan L. Snider, Vitalie Stavila, Mark Allendorf, Morgan Stefik

Faculty Publications

Porous nanoscale carbonaceous materials are widely employed for catalysis, separations, and electrochemical devices where device performance often relies upon specific and well-defined regular feature sizes. The use of block polymers as templates has enabled affordable and scalable production of diverse porous carbons. However, popular carbon preparations use equilibrating micelles which can change dimensions in response to the processing environment. Thus, polymer methods have not yet demonstrated carbon nanomaterials with constant average template diameter and tailored wall thickness. In contrast, persistent micelle templates (PMTs) use kinetic control to preserve constant micelle template diameters, and thus PMT has enabled constant pore diameter …

Using A Global Food Environment Framework To Understand Relationships With Food Choice In Diverse Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Shilpa V. Constantinides, Christopher Turner, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Shiva Bhandari, Ligia I. Reyes, Christine E. Blake

Faculty Publications

This study aimed to determine if the Turner et al. (2018) framework allows researchers to identify and study relationships between food environments and individual food choice in diverse contexts and if updates to the framework are warranted. We mapped evidence from 15 drivers of food choice projects to the framework, using thematic analysis to identify common drivers within the food environment across countries and emergent characteristics not listed in the framework. The framework contained breadth and depth of content necessary to identify common drivers – prices and affordability, availability, and vendor and product properties. Insights regarding common drivers and emergent …

Oocyte Specific Lncrna Variant Rose Influences Oocyte And Embryo Development, Rajan Iyyappan, Daria Aleshkina, Linkai Zhu, Zongliang Jiang, Veronika Kinterova, Andrej Susor

Faculty Publications

Fully grown mammalian oocytes store a large amount of RNA synthesized during the transcriptionally active growth stage. A large part of the stored RNA belongs to the long non-coding class which contain either transcriptional noise or important contributors to cellular physiology. Despite the expanding number of studies related to lncRNAs, their influence on oocyte physiology remains enigmatic. We found an oocyte specific antisense, long non-coding RNA, “Rose” (lncRNA in Oocyte Specifically Expressed) expressed in two variants containing two and three non-coding exons, respectively. Rose is localized in the nucleus of transcriptionally active oocyte and in embryo with polysomal occupancy in …

Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance And Artificial Intelligence: Frontiers Of Imaging In Pancreatic Cancer, José S. Enriquez, Yan Chu, Shivanand Pudakalakatti, Kang Lin Hsieh, Duncan Salmon, Prasanta Dutta, Niki Zacharias Millward, Eugene Lurie, Steven Millward, Florencia Mcallister, Anirban Maitra, Subrata Sen, Ann Killary, Jian Zhang, Xiaoqian Jiang, Pratip K. Bhattacharya, Shayan Shams

Faculty Publications

Background: There is an unmet need for noninvasive imaging markers that can help identify the aggressive subtype(s) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) at diagnosis and at an earlier time point, and evaluate the efficacy of therapy prior to tumor reduction. In the past few years, there have been two major developments with potential for a significant impact in establishing imaging biomarkers for PDAC and pancreatic cancer premalignancy: (1) hyperpolarized metabolic (HP)-magnetic resonance (MR), which increases the sensitivity of conventional MR by over 10,000-fold, enabling real-time metabolic measurements; and (2) applications of artificial intelligence (AI). Objective: Our objective of this review …

First Data On Aquaculture Of The Tripletail, Lobotes Surinamensis, A Promising Candidate Species For U.S. Marine Aquaculture, Eric Saillant, Nicholas Adams, Jason T. Lemus, James S. Franks, Yonathan Zohar, John Stubblefield, Christopher Manley

Faculty Publications

The Tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, is a warm-water pelagic fish that is increasingly targeted by U.S. anglers. The superior quality of Tripletail flesh coupled with the lack of domestic commercial fisheries stimulated interests to develop aquaculture of this species. In this work, photo-thermal conditioning of captive-held broodstocks promoted maturation in females, but spontaneous spawning was not observed. GnRHa slow-release implants induced ovulation in late vitellogenic females but fertility remained below 10% when GnRHa was administered alone. However, spawns with high fertility (up to 85%) were obtained when a dopamine antagonist was administered in conjunction with GnRHa implants indicating dopamine inhibition …