Digital Commons Network^™

Lonely Game, Kat L. Andersen

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Lonely Gameis a collection of short stories exploring different manifestations and consequences of loneliness. Secondary thematic elements include perceptions based on unique life experiences, and how different perspectives play with one’s concept of reality.

Scorched Earth: Unlocking The Mysteries Of Shakespeare's Greatest Villain, Iago In Othello, Christopher P. Hunter Jr

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is an in-depth actor analysis chronicling my approach to the role of Iago in TheatreUNO’s 2019 production of Othello by William Shakespeare. This thesis will include analysis of the text, character objectives, techniques used, observations about the application of contemporary realistic acting technique to classical verse text, self-evaluation and personal reflection. This thesis will be supported by production materials including a fully scored script.

This play was directed by David W. Hoover, and performed April 25- May 4, 2019,as part of the TheatreUNO 2018-2019 academic season, presented by the Department of Film and Theatre in the School …

Acclimation, Long-Term Repeatability, And Phenotypic Correlations Of Aerobic Metabolic Traits In The Gulf Killifish, Fundulus Grandis, Jessica E. Reemeyer

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research examined the effects of acclimation to lowered salinity, elevated temperature, and hypoxia on aerobic metabolism of the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, a common estuarine resident of the Gulf of Mexico. Standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), absolute aerobic scope (AAS), and critical oxygen tension (P_crit) were each influenced by one or more acclimation treatments. Assessing the consistency of these traits measured in the same individuals over time, all were found to be significantly repeatable with no indication that the repeatability of any traits was affected by acclimation conditions. Significant correlations were found between …

Structural Connectivity And Immunological Correlates Of Emotion Processing In Children With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, Ashley F. P. Sanders

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Neurological abnormalities are associated with emotion processing deficits seen in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Research suggests that inflammatory mechanisms can negatively impact brain structure and function and are thought to play a role in these processing atypicalities. Children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) exhibit emotion processing impairments and associated neural abnormalities. We investigated the roles of inflammatory factors and structural connectivity in relation to emotion processing deficits in 28 children with 22q11.2DS and 33 typically developing children (M = 11.12 years old; SD = 2.17). Results indicate poorer social skills and significantly lower emotion recognition scores in children …

Novel Shape Memory And Multi-Shape Memory Polymers For Biomaterial Applications, Shelby Lois Buffington

Dissertations - ALL

Biomaterial platforms have been used to probe how cells respond to chemical, topographical or mechanical changes in their environments. However, these traditionally static biomaterial platforms have not enabled the study of how cells respond to dynamic changes in their environment. Driven by a need to better understand cell behavior and its role it disease, development and tissue regeneration recent efforts have focused on designing dynamic biomaterial platforms to better mimic a cell’s natural environment. In this work, advanced shape memory polymers (SMPs) that respond to non-thermal triggers and multi-shape memory materials capable of multiple topographical transitions were developed for advanced …

Locating People Of Interest In Social Networks, Pivithuru Wijegunawardana

Dissertations - ALL

By representing relationships between social entities as a network, researchers can analyze them using a variety of powerful techniques. One key problem in social network analysis literature is identifying certain individuals (key players, most influential nodes) in a network. We consider the same problem in this dissertation, with the constraint that the individuals we are interested in identifying (People of Interest) are not necessarily the most important nodes in terms of the network structure. We propose an algorithm to find POIs, algorithms to collect data to find POIs, a framework to model POI behavior and an algorithm to predict POIs …

Acid Resistance Mechanisms In Staphylococcus Aureus, Chunyi Zhou

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of opportunistic infections in community and health care settings. To thrive in a great variety of environments, S. aureus has developed the capability of tolerating temporary pH changes, as well as resisting constant acid stress. To evaluate the impact of strong and weak acid stress on S. aureus, growth patterns of JE2 were monitored when cultured in chemically defined media (CDM) at various pH in the presence of hydrochloric acid (HCl), acetic acid, and lactic acid. Our results showed that S. aureus responds to strong and weak acids in different manners. S. aureus …

Molecular Insights Into Major Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Entities With Advances In A Representative Model System, Tayla B. Heavican

Theses & Dissertations

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a group of complex clinicopathological entities associated with an aggressive clinical course. Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) and PTCL-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) are the two most frequent categories accounting for more than 50% of PTCLs. Gene expression profiling (GEP) defined molecular signatures for AITL and delineated biological and prognostic subgroups within PTCL-NOS (PTCL-GATA3 and PTCL-TBX21). Genomic copy number analysis and targeted sequencing revealed unique genomic abnormalities and oncogenic pathways, indicating distinct oncogenic evolution. PTCL-GATA3 exhibited higher genomic complexity characterized by frequent loss or mutation of tumor suppressor genes targeting the CDKN2A/B-TP53 axis and PTEN-PI3K pathways. …

The Development Of Hyaluronan-Based Contract Agents For The Intraoperative Detection Of Pancreatic Tumors, Bowen Qi

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is highly lethal and surgical resection is the only potential curative treatment for the disease. Tumor-specific intraoperative fluorescence imaging could improve staging and surgical resection, thereby improving prognosis. In the first study, hyaluronic acid derived NPs with physico-chemically entrapped indocyanine green, termed NanoICG, were utilized for intraoperative near infrared fluorescence detection of pancreatic cancer. NanoICG accumulated significantly in an orthotopic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma model with safety profile both in vitro and in vivo. To maximize tumor signal, while minimizing signal in healthy pancreas and RES capture of macromolecules, in the next study, we describe the rational …

Hiv-1 Elimination In Humanized Mice, Hang Su

Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) exclusively infects humans and chimpanzees. Therefore, animal models are required for all investigations of viral pathogenesis, therapy and cure. Immunodeficient mice transplanted with human hematopoietic stem cells, termed humanized mice, support the development of multiple human cell lineages throughout the cell’s life span. To this end, we used humanized mice to evaluate the dynamic changes of host immunologic and viral profiles during both acute and chronic HIV-1 infection. We identified the temporal and spatial distribution of HIV-1 cell and tissue compartment infections and outlined correlations made between viral progression and host immunity by comparing …

Cholesterol Biosynthesis In The Nervous System With An Emphasis On Desmosterolosis, Luke Allen

Theses & Dissertations

Cholesterol biosynthesis is integral to proper neurodevelopment due to the reliance on de novo synthesis of cholesterol in the brain. Disruptions in this process have devastating outcomes for human life characterized by several phenotypic manifestations concomitant with developmental delay. The cholesterol biosynthesis disorder desmosterolosis is an extremely rare disorder with a severe clinical phenotype, however, the models used to study this disease are not well characterized. In addition to genetic disruptions in cholesterol biosynthesis, pharmacological perturbation is an understudied side effect of many commonly prescribed drugs. Here we present a characterization of the sterol profile of the mouse model of …

Targeted Inhibition Of Histone Deacetyltransferases For Pancreatic Cancer Therapy, Richard Laschanzky

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly disease with a dismal five-year survival rate of less than 10%. One major obstacle in PDAC treatment is acquired drug resistance. Pan-histone deacetylase inhibitors (pan-HDACi) are a relatively new class of anti-cancer drugs, with demonstrated ability to overcome drug resistance and re-sensitize PDAC tumors to Gemcitabine (Gem). These agents target HDACs, a family of 18 enzymes (divided into four classes, I-IV) that catalyze the deacetylation of histones and other cellular proteins and have multiple effects on cell growth, differentiation, survival, and tumorigenesis. Although pan-HDACi have shown significant efficacy in preclinical analysis, and some …

The Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species In Regulating Macrophage And Fibroblast Activation Within The Breast Cancer Tumor Microenvironment, Brandon J. Griess

Theses & Dissertations

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a key determining factor in breast cancer, especially the more aggressive subtype triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The activated fibroblasts and macrophages within the TME have many tumor promoting functions. Therefore, targeting their activation presents a novel therapeutic approach in TNBC. My work studied the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during fibroblast and macrophage activation in breast cancer.

My studies showed that expression of the secreted antioxidant enzyme, EcSOD, is silenced in breast cancer samples, in part, via increased promoter methylation. The re-expression of EcSOD inhibited c-Met activation in the TNBC cell line, MDA-MB231. …

Defining The Role Of Tyrosine Phosphorylation In The Regulation Of Connexin43 In Cardiac Diseases, Li Zheng

Theses & Dissertations

Connexins are integral membrane proteins that oligomerize to form gap junction channels. Ions and small molecules diffuse intercellularly through these channels, allowing individual cellular events to synchronize into the functional response of an entire organ. Gap junction channels composed of Connexin43 (Cx43) mediate electrical coupling and impulse propagation in the normal working myocardium. In the failing heart, Cx43 remodeling (decreased expression, altered phosphorylation state, loss at intercalated discs, and increased presence at lateral membranes) contributes to rhythm disturbances and contractile dysfunction. While there is considerable information regarding key interactions of Cx43 in the regulation of gap junction channels, unfortunately, the …

The Vezo Communities And Fisheries Of The Coral Reef Ecosystem In The Bay Of Ranobe, Madagascar, Shane Abeare

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Madagascar, a country whose extraordinary levels of endemism and biodiversity are celebrated globally by scientists and laymen alike, yet historically has received surprisingly little research attention, is the setting of the present dissertation. Here, I contribute to the need for applied research by: 1) focusing on the most intensely fished section of the Toliara Barrier Reef, the Bay of Ranobe; 2) characterizing the marine environment, the human population, and the fisheries; and 3) collecting the longest known time-series of data on fisheries of Madagascar, thereby providing a useful baseline for future analyses. In Chapter 1, the bathymetry of the Bay …

A Transcriptomic Exploration Of Hawaiian Drosophilid Development And Evolution, Madeline M. Chenevert

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

One in four known species of fruit flies inhabit the Hawaiian Islands. From a small number of colonizing flies, a wide range of species evolved, some of which managed to reverse-colonize other continental environments. In order to explore the developmental pathways, which separate the Hawaiian Drosophila proper and the Scaptomyza group that contains reverse-colonized species, the transcriptomes of two better-known species in each group, Scaptomyza anomala and Drosophila grimshawi, were analyzed to find changes in gene expression between the two groups. This study describes a novel transcriptome for S. anomala studies as well as unusual changes in gene expression …

Detection Of Whale Acoustic Signals In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Ladc-Gemm Database, Yingxue Gao

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Low-pass Fourier filter, wavelet filter, as well as matched filter detection methods were used to detect baleen whale signals in northern Gulf of Mexico data collected by the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center (LADC) consortium. Some potential low frequency signals appeared on the matched filter output figure. The shape of the signals is in line with one of the typical signal shapes of fin whales--vertical down-sweeps with 18s-time interval. Another shape of the signals is in line with one of the call type shapes of Bryde's whales--down-sweeps with 7s-time interval. A high-pass Fourier filter was also used to find toothed whale …

Expanding The Definition Of Liminality: Speculative Fiction As An Exploration Of New Boundaries, Dianna C. Lacy

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Speculative fiction allows an expanded view of literature and so allows scholars to explore new boundaries in the way words and ideas work. In the titular character of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, the reader sees an expansion of self through liminality while A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick explores its collapse. In order to portray each of these the character examined must move though one seems to move upward and the other downward. This idea of movement is only part of what expands the idea of liminality past the traditional idea of a doorway to create …

We Will Plant Birds Of Paradise, Genevieve A. Rheams

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Michael Vick, Robert Byrd, And The Case For Redemption, Vinay Harpalani

Faculty Scholarship

At the 2020 Pro Bowl, former NFL quarterback Michael Vick will be honored as one of the legends captains. Vick’s selection has sparked controversy, because in 2007, he was convicted of operating a dog fighting ring. Vick has served his prison sentence, and beyond that, he has sought redemption. We should extend forgiveness and let the NFL honor Michael Vick.

The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Tubacin Mitigates Endothelial Dysfunction By Up-Regulating The Expression Of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase., Jihui Chen, Jian Zhang, Noor F. Shaik, Bing Yi, Xin Wei, Xiao-Feng Yang, Ulhas P. Naik, Ross Summer, Guijun Yan, Xinyun Xu, Jianxin Sun

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) plays a critical role in the maintenance of blood vessel homeostasis. Recent findings suggest that cytoskeletal dynamics play an essential role in regulating eNOS expression and activation. Here, we sought to test whether modulation of cytoskeletal dynamics through pharmacological regulation of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6)-mediated tubulin deacetylation affects eNOS expression and endothelial function in vitro and in vivo.Wefound that tubulin acetylation inducer (tubacin), a compound that appears to selectively inhibit HDAC6 activity, dramatically increased eNOS expression in several different endothelial cell lines, as determined by both immunoblotting and NO production assays. Mechanistically, we found …

The Third Wave Of Graduate Labor Unions, Anthony Walker

Theses - ALL

A 2016 NLRB decision that made graduate labor unions legal has contributed significantly to a wave of graduate organizing, continuing a 50-year history of graduate unions. This research investigates this contemporary wave of graduate unionization using two papers, which take a theoretical and an empirical approach respectively. The first paper uses a Marxist analysis to connect the narrow antagonism between graduates and management with larger-scale phenomena that involves other workers too, such as the growing population of contingent academic workers. It describes how corporate interests have influenced higher education and administrators have become managers of workers in order to help …

“Everybody Is Scared To Eat The Food”: Exploring Food Sovereignty Applications In A Refugee Agricultural Program, Cheyenne Rose Schoen

Theses - ALL

This research documents some of the goals and challenges of refugee farmers and gardeners who participated in an organized agriculture project in Syracuse, New York. During the 2018 harvest season I observed and interviewed nine refugee farmers from Somalia, Bhutan, Nepal, and Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as four organizational staff members who were recruited through their affiliation with the Syracuse Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program (SyRAPP) and the Refugee and Immigrants Self-Empowerment (RISE) organization. Refugee farmers expressed distrust of the conventional food system, they valued control over the food supply through farming, and many desired to live at or …

The First Lesson In Prevention, Alexander L. Hinton

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Despite its rapid proliferation over the past fifteen years, genocide and atrocity crimes prevention studies are often blinded by normative assumptions and conceptual blinder. This essay argues that any effort at prevention must begin with a first critical lesson, one revealed in the essay’s opening line and writing style. This first lesson suggests a path toward a more critical prevention studies, one involving critique, archeology, and pharmakon. In addition to discussing such conceptual bases for a critical prevention studies, this essay also models how literary strategies, ranging from narrative to poetic form, may help with such a critical endeavor, opening …

Wintertime Spatial Distribution Of Ammonia And Its Emission Sources In The Great Salt Lake Region, Alexander Moravek, Jennifer G. Murphy, Amy Hrdina, John C. Lin, Christopher Pennell, Alessandro Franchin, Ann M. Middlebrook, Dorothy L. Fibiger, Caroline C. Womack, Erin E. Mcduffie, Randy S. Martin, Kori D. Moore, Munkhbayar Baasandorj, Steven S. Brown

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Ammonium-containing aerosols are a major component of wintertime air pollution in many densely populated regions around the world. Especially in mountain basins, the formation of persistent cold-air pools (PCAPs) can enhance particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) to levels above air quality standards. Under these conditions, PM_2.5 in the Great Salt Lake region of northern Utah has been shown to be primarily composed of ammonium nitrate; however, its formation processes and sources of its precursors are not fully understood. Hence, it is key to understanding the emission sources of its gas phase precursor, ammonia …

Perinatal Propylthiouracil-Induced Hypothyroidism Impaired Motor Coordination In Adult Female Offspring, Miski A. Khairinisa, Yusuke Takatsuru, Izuki Amano, Michifumi Kokubo, Asahi Haijima, Wataru Miyazaki, Noriyuki Koibuchi

Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Research

Thyroid hormone (TH) play crucial roles in the growth and development of brain. Efficiency of TH during the perinatal period results in severe mental and physical retardation, known as cretinism in humans. Animal models have largely focused on mild and severe hypothyroidism associated with deficits in body weight, developmental delays, and cognitive deficits. Although various behavioral analyses have been reported, the effect of perinatal hypothyroidism in adult female mice has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to examine whether propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothyroidism could impair motor coordination in female offspring. We used C57BL/6j mice and divided them into …

When Cute Becomes Criminal: Emoji, Threats And Online Grooming, Marilyn M. Mcmahon, Elizabeth A. Kirley

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Hdac1 Is A Required Cofactor Of Cbfβ-Smmhc And A Therapeutic Target In Inversion 16 Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Lisa E. Richter

Theses & Dissertations

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a neoplastic disease characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation and accumulation of immature myeloid cells. A common mutation in AML is the inversion of chromosome 16 [inv(16)], which generates a fusion between the genes for core binding factor beta (CBFB) and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (MYH11), forming the oncogene CBFB-MYH11. The expressed protein, CBFβ-SMMHC, forms a heterodimer with the key hematopoietic transcription factor RUNX1. Although CBFβ-SMMHC was previously thought to dominantly repress RUNX1, recent work suggests that CBFβ-SMMHC functions together with RUNX1 to activate transcription of specific target genes.

Targeting the …

Gasdermins In Apoptosis: New Players In An Old Game., Corey Rogers, Emad S. Alnemri

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death (PCD) that plays critical physiological roles in removing superfluous or dangerous cell populations that are unneeded or threatening to the health of the host organism. Although the molecular pathways leading to activation of the apoptotic program have been extensively studied and characterized starting in the 1970s, new evidence suggests that members of the gasdermin superfamily are novel pore-forming proteins that augment apoptosis by permeabilizing the mitochondria and participate in the final stages of the apoptotic program by inducing secondary necrosis/pyroptosis. These findings may explain outstanding questions in the field such as why …

Multimedia Input Modes, The Modality Principle, And The Redundancy Principle For University Esl Students’ Learning, Yinan Liu

Dissertations - ALL

This study compared three multimedia input modes in the modality and redundancy principles (Mayer, 2009) in terms of university ESL (English as a Second Language) students’ learning and examined the applicability of the modality and redundancy principles for ESL students. Mayer’s modality and redundancy principles (2009) inform the design of effective multimedia lessons. However, the two principles originally stemmed from experimental studies examining students’ learning in their native language and did not include ESL students in the discussion. Based on the modality and redundancy principles, added on-screen text and graphics lead to an overload in learner’s visual channel, which undermines …