Digital Commons Network^™

Optimized Gadolinium-Do3a Loading In Raftpolymerized Copolymers For Superior Mr Imaging Of Aging Blood–Brain Barrier, Hunter A. Miller, Aaron Priester, Evan T. Curtis, Krista Hilmas, Ashleigh Abbott, Forrest Kievit, Anthony J. Covertine

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The development of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) has been pivotal in advancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), offering enhanced soft tissue contrast without ionizing radiation exposure. Despite their widespread clinical use, the need for improved GBCAs has led to innovations in ligand chemistry and polymer science. We report a novel approach using methacrylate-functionalized DO3A ligands to synthesize a series of copolymers through direct reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. This technique enables precise control over the gadolinium content within the polymers, circumventing the need for subsequent conjugation and purification steps, and facilitates the addition of other components such as targeting ligands. …

Global Scoping Review Of Behavioral Interventions To Reduce Plastic Pollution With Recommendations For Key Sectors, Sohvi Nuojua, Deborah Louise Cracknell, Anja Heske, Sabine Pahl, Kayleigh J. Wyles, Richard C. Thompson

School of Psychology

End users of single‐use plastics can help minimize their contribution to plastic pollution via mindful purchasing and waste management. These behaviors can be impacted via behavior change interventions in various key sectors of society. This review set out to summarize recent (2015–2023) peer‐reviewed evidence on interventions aimed at changing the plastic consumption, recycling, and/or littering behaviors of individuals across four sectors: business and retail, tourism and leisure, schools and education, and communities. Systematic literature searches were conducted across multiple databases and resulted in the inclusion of 92 intervention studies. Information on intervention strategy and effectiveness was extracted, and the studies …

A New Approach To Counting Fossil And Modern Pollen Grains:: The Orderly Count, Tutku Tuncalı Yaman, Bikem Ekberzade, Hülya Caner, Ruya Y. Dagdeviren, Sena Inkaya, Nurgul K. Kılıc, Suzanne A.G. Leroy, Fabienne Marret, Cetin Senkul, Jessie Woodbridge, Meral Avci

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Palynology, the study of pollen and spores, plays a crucial role in various scientific disciplines, including earth sciences (paleovegetation and paleoclimatology), botany, allergy, archaeology, forensic sciencs and cosmetics. This study delves into the critical question in fossil pollen analysis studies: the minimum count of pollen grains required for accurate estimation of vegetation composition. Various statistical methods have been proposed over the years to address this question. Our research introduces an alternative technique, the orderly count, tailored to the nature of palynological analysis. We apply this method to diverse sediment catchments, including peat bogs, marine and lake sediments, from different geographical …

Cyber Resilience, Risk Management, And Security Challenges In Enterprise-Scale Cloud Systems: Comprehensive Review, Abdiaziz Abdi, Hajar Bennouri, Anthony Keane

Conference Papers

The cyberthreat landscape is constantly evolving with the rapid development of cloud computing. Today, businesses and consumers rely heavily on cloud infrastructure, which provides high availability and resilient systems. However, cloud and IoT platforms contain vulnerabilities that can compromise data confidentiality, integrity, and availability, leading to disruptions in service operations. These significant challenges pose serious threats such as vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, data breaches, faulty hardware, and application failures with high costs. IBM reports that the average cost of a data breach worldwide is approximately US$4.5 million per incident. This highlights the need for adequately designed resilience systems with high availability and …

A Stable Isotope Study To Investigate Water Movement In The Los Lagos Region Of Southern Chile, Kritan Subedi

Civil Engineering ETDs

The Los Lagos region in southern Chile, located in northwest Patagonia, features rain-fed agricultural lands, glacial lakes, forests, farmlands, and volcanic soils. This study investigates water movement within a micro-basin using stable isotope analysis and hydrological modeling over eight weeks. It aims to develop a conceptual model of water movement by elucidating interactions between precipitation, soil water, and streamflow. Findings highlight the critical role of deeper soil layers in sustaining streamflow during dry spells and indicate that soil acts as a buffer, maintaining hydrological continuity despite variable precipitation. Improved understanding of these dynamics can inform watershed management and water resource …

Apomorphine Titration With And Without Anti-Emetic Pretreatment In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease Experiencing Off Episodes: A Modified Delphi Panel, Stuart H. Isaacson, Richard Dewey, Robert A. Hauser, Daniel Kremens, Rajeev Kumar, Mark Lew, William Ondo, Fernando Pagan, Kelly E. Lyons, Rajesh Pahwa

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: In the United States (US), prophylactic treatment with the antiemetic trimethobenzamide has been used before initiating apomorphine therapy. However, US trimethobenzamide stores have been depleted, leaving uncertainty regarding whether antiemetic pretreatment is needed.

METHODS: This modified Delphi panel aimed to inform circumstances when apomorphine is initiated without antiemetic pretreatment. During Round 1, a panel of 9 US movement disorder specialists rated the appropriateness of prescribing apomorphine therapy with and without antiemetic pretreatment across 192 patient scenarios and were able to review their scores in relation to other scores. During the Round 2, consensus was defined for each scenario as …

When Overextended Surface Allocation Turns To Groundwater: A Q Methodology Of Well Users In Oregon’S High Desert, Melissa Haeffner, Janet Cowal, Brandy Walker, Clare Mcclellan

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

As legal battles over surface water allocation in Klamath County, Oregon, USA have gained national attention, earning the name “Water Wars,” authorities have been increasingly turning to groundwater to compensate for water shortfalls. This case study aims to identify the nuanced perspectives of household groundwater well users who are affected by groundwater extraction. Using Q methodology, we uncover groundwater well users’ perceptions and to what extent they think water problems are dealt with fairly. We identify four water perspectives that differ in the degree to which respondents prioritize clean water accessibility, industry accountability, individual responsibility for water management, and trust …

Finite Element Analysis And Optimization Of The Rotational Stiffness Of Semi-Rigid Base Connection Under Simultaneous Moment And Tension, Mahmoud T. Nawar, Ayman El-Zohairy, Ahmed G. Alaaser, Osman Hamdy

Faculty Publications

The base connection is flexible, not fully pinned/fixed, implying a nonlinear moment rotation relationship. This deviates from a linear response, where rotation is not directly proportional to the applied moment. Numerical investigations using the commercial software ABAQUS were conducted to analyze the steel base plate connections. The finite element (FE) models were verified against previous experimental results. Moreover, numerical findings of a comprehensive parametric investigation were conducted. The studied connections were examined with different configurations, including variations in the diameter, spacing, and number of the anchor bolts; the thickness of the base plate; and the applied axial force. The current …

Lithium And Water: Hydrosocial Impacts Across The Life Cycle Of Energy Storage, James J. A. Blair, Noel Vineyard, Dustin Mulvaney, Alida Cantor, Ali Sharbat, Kate Berry, Elizabeth Bartholomew, Ariana Firebaugh Ornelas

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a key ingredient of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), lithium plays a significant role in climate change mitigation, but lithium has considerable impacts on water and society across its life cycle. Upstream extraction methods—including open-pit mining, brine evaporation, and novel direct lithium extraction (DLE)—and downstream processes present different impacts on both the quantity and quality of water resources, leading to water depletion and contamination. Regarding upstream extraction, it is critical for a comprehensive assessment of lithium's life cycle to include cumulative impacts related not only to freshwater, but also mineralized or saline groundwater, also known as brine. Legal frameworks …

Leading Through The Covid-19 Pandemic: Experiences Of Uk Executive Nurse Directors, Alison H James, Rebecca Dimond, Aled Jones, Dianne Watkins, Daniel Kelly

School of Nursing and Midwifery

AIM: To explore the challenges experienced by Executive Nurse Directors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to inform future nursing leadership strategies.

DESIGN: A qualitative research project involving interviews with 21 Executive Nurse Directors from England and Wales.

METHODS: Participants were purposively sampled and recruited through Chief Nursing Officers and nursing leadership networks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded online via Teams. Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic reflexive analysis was applied to data analysis.

RESULTS: Executive Nurse Directors played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six themes are explored: tensions, and adaptive response to personal leadership styles; uncertainty and …

Characterising Mobility And Pressure Exposure In Community Dwelling Residents With Pressure Ulcers Using Monitoring Technology And Intelligent Algorithm, Silvia Caggiari, Nicci Aylward-Wotton, Bridie Kent, Peter R. Worsley

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Aim: Individuals in the community with reduced mobility are at risk of exposure to prolonged lying and sitting postures, which may cause pressure ulcers. The present study combines continuous pressure monitoring technology and intelligent algorithms to evaluate posture, mobility, and pressure profiles in a cohort of community dwelling patients, who had acquired pressure ulcers. Materials and methods: This study represents a secondary analysis of the data from the Quality Improvement project ‘Pressure Reduction through COntinuous Monitoring In the community SEtting (PROMISE)’. 22 patients with pressure ulcers were purposely selected from 105 recruited community residents. Data were collected using a commercial …

A Case Study Of Endocrine And Immune Responses To Traditional Hand-Tap Tattooing, Lauren A. Landgraf, Tomasz Nowak, Jeffrey Gassen, Michael Muehlenbein, Christopher D. Lynn

Pacific Journal of Health

Tattooing is a stressor that could have adaptive benefits. Previous research indicates that endocrine and immune systems adjust to the stress of modern electric tattooing over lifetime experience, but it is unclear how these systems react to traditional hand-tap tattooing. The objective of this study was to explore how the body responds to this intense cultural stressor through examining traditional tattooing in Samoa, where saliva samples were collected throughout the first day from a Samoan man receiving the tattoo. Morning elevations and diurnal profiles of cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), and bacteria killing activity (BKA) are described, …

Voices Of Wisdom: Geriatric Interviews On Self-Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In The United States-A Systematic Review And Metasynthesis, David F Lo, Ahmed Gawash, Kunal P Shah, Jasmine Emanuel, Brandon Goodwin, Don D Shamilov, Gaurav Kumar, Nathan Jean, Christian P White

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

This review is aimed at unraveling the intricacies of diabetic self-management among geriatric people, drawing on current insights and understanding the complex paths geriatric people navigate. A wide search was conducted in health-oriented databases, including CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, while gray literature was excluded. The search combined keywords and subject headings, focusing on the geriatric population, diabetes, self-management, and qualitative research. A three-tiered screening process was employed, with titles and then abstracts initially reviewed. Full-text analysis followed, with disagreements resolved among reviewers. In total, there were 248 participants included across these eight studies. …

Stewart's Gift Names Entrance To Ole Miss Football Stadium, Bill Dabney

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – James Stewart's recent $250,000 gift to the University of Mississippi is being honored by the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation with a lasting family tribute.

Rural–Urban Migration Of Alaska Indigenous Peoples: Changing Patterns And Drivers, Matthew Berman, Ruoqing Wang-Cendejas

ISER Articles

Migration from rural areas to urban population centers has long been associated with modernization; a pattern one might expect to accelerate as advancing climate change degrades rural land-based livelihoods. Does rural–urban migration of arctic Indigenous peoples follow a similar pattern? Has depopulation of rural arctic areas accelerated as climate-driven environmental change has intensified in the rapidly warming arctic? What are the main drivers of mobility, both historically and more recently? We address these questions through a review and synthesis of empirical studies of rural–urban migration of arctic Indigenous peoples using individual records over the past four decades, along with analysis …

Revisionary Taxonomy Within The Acmaeoderini, Joel Dubois

LSU Master's Theses

The jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) are the 8th largest family of beetles and fill various important ecological roles including decomposers, pollinators, and leaf miners. The cosmopolitan buprestid tribe Acmaeoderini is extremely diverse, with more than 700 species across 14 genera. Historically, the acmaederines from Afro-Eurasia have received thorough morphological treatment and nearly all species from these areas have been separated into various genus and subgenus groupings. Contrastingly, past studies in the Americas have been mostly restricted to alpha-level taxonomic descriptions, and only a very small percentage of species are placed into any formal group. The aim of this study was …

Experimental Investigation On Mechanical Properties Of Pla Reinforced By Bamboo Fiber/Montmorillonite Clay Hybrid Composites And Analysis Of Machining Characteristics, Nirmal Kumar K

Theses and Dissertations

The study presents a comprehensive investigation into the development, characterization, and machining analysis of novel bio-based polymer hybrid composites comprising Polylactic acid (PLA), bamboo powders (BP), and montmorillonite clay particles (MMT). Initially, the hybrid composites were fabricated using a solvent-free stir casting process, optimizing the weight percentages of BP and MMT to enhance mechanical and thermal properties.

Mechanical tests, including tensile, flexural, and impact tests, along with thermal analysis using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, were conducted to evaluate the performance of the composites. In the subsequent phases, advanced machining techniques were employed to analyze the machining characteristics of …

Virtue Appreciation And Sustainability In Olafur Eliasson’S Ice Watch, Nicole Hall

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

This paper is a case study of Olafur Eliasson’s Paris installation of Ice Watch (2014-2018) that coincided with the Climate Change COP-21 conference at the United Nations in 2015, and whose message was poignantly felt as a reminder of global warming, the melting polar regions, and the current environmental crisis. In particular, I explore how and what might we learn from this installation, to consider and rethink the relationship between aesthetic value, ethical value, and the concept of sustainability. Considering that Eliasson’s work requires relational perceptual-intellectual double awareness, it is argued that virtuous appreciation, judgment, and evaluation emerge if engaged …

Toward Concurrent Identification Of Human Activities With A Single Unifying Neural Network Classification: First Step, Andrew Smith, Musa Azeem, Chrisogonas O. Odhiambo, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Hanim E. Diktas, Spencer Upton, Corby K. Martin, Brett Froeliger, Cynthia F. Corbett, Homayoun Valafar

Publications

The characterization of human behavior in real-world contexts is critical for developing a comprehensive model of human health. Recent technological advancements have enabled wearables and sensors to passively and unobtrusively record and presumably quantify human behavior. Better understanding human activities in unobtrusive and passive ways is an indispensable tool in understanding the relationship between behavioral determinants of health and diseases. Adult individuals (N = 60) emulated the behaviors of smoking, exercising, eating, and medication (pill) taking in a laboratory setting while equipped with smartwatches that captured accelerometer data. The collected data underwent expert annotation and was used to train a …

Ms. Lois Croft Dekle

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Towards Addressing Mental Health In Rural Louisiana: Blueberry Supplementation As A Natural Intervention, Katy E. Venable

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Depression and anxiety are major public health issues; however, there is an unmet need for novel effective and accessible treatments, particularly in rural communities. Blueberries are an unexplored nutraceutical for these conditions due to their excellent nutritional profile, with particularly high levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins and benefits on mood, cognition, and health. Therefore, we conducted a double-blind, randomized pilot study in a rural population. We employed a cross-over design to test the effects of 12 weeks daily ingestion of 24 g of whole freeze-dried blueberry powder versus placebo on symptoms of depression and anxiety in those diagnosed with depression …

Unpacking Influence: Dissecting Engagement Drivers And Dynamics For Effective Influencer Marketing Strategies, Nichole W. Santee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite influencer marketing's growing significance, brands face challenges in identifying the most effective influencers for their campaigns. This dissertation addresses a gap in influencer marketing engagement literature, focusing on the determinants of consumer engagement in social media interactions.

The impact of specific characteristics found within the proposed influencer marketing sender-receiver communication model on eight behavioral social media engagement metrics is analyzed through a non-traditional content analysis of 218 Instagram influencers utilizing AI analytics platforms. Results reveal several characteristics that significantly affect behavioral engagement, while others have conflicting effects, highlighting the complex nature of the IM industry. Eight hierarchical regressions showed …

Investigations And Characterization Of Loud Transient Noise In Advanced Ligo Detectors, Shania Nichols

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the era of gravitational wave (GW) astronomy, the detection of cosmic events such as black hole and neutron star mergers has become routine due to the Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) detectors. However, the sensitivity of these detectors also makes them susceptible to loud transient noise, which can obscure GW signals. This thesis investigates loud transient noise with a Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) greater than 100, focusing particularly on the most extreme transients with SNR exceeding 1000.

We begin by analyzing the impact of loud transient noise on the binary neutron star (BNS) range of aLIGO detectors across observation runs O2, O3, …

Cohen, Cheryl, Reyna Lee Stovall

Bronx Jewish History Project

Summarizer: Sophia Maier

Cheryl Cohen grew up on Kruger Avenue and Pelham Parkway South, which she describes as 95% Jewish during her time there. Her parents were both born in the United States, her mother of a nonreligious background and her father attending a small Orthodox shul on the holidays. Cohen herself did not have a Jewish education but dressed up for the holidays with her friends and closely associates her Jewish identity with Zionism, moving to Israel in her 20s. Her father, who first worked for his father-in-law’s factory, opened a small store, where her mother worked as well …

The Effect Of Cesarean Delivery On The Neonatal Gut Microbiome In An Under-Resourced Population In The Bronx, Ny, Usa, Sandra E Reznik, Ayodele J Akinyemi, David Harary, Mariam S Latuga, Mamta Fuloria, Maureen J Charron

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

BACKGROUND: Neonatal and early-life gut microbiome changes are associated with altered cardiometabolic and immune development. In this study, we explored Cesarean delivery effects on the gut microbiome in our high-risk, under-resourced Bronx, NY population.

RESULTS: Fecal samples from the Bronx MomBa Health Study (Bronx MomBa Health Study) were categorized by delivery mode (vaginal/Cesarean) and analyzed via 16 S rRNA gene sequencing at four timepoints over the first two years of life. Bacteroidota organisms, which have been linked to decreased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes, were relatively reduced by Cesarean delivery, while Firmicutes organisms were increased. Organisms belonging to …

Feeling The Environment: Aesthetic Interestedness And Environmental Aesthetics, Roberta Dreon

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Can aesthetic disinterest represent an adequate strategy to develop a sustainable attitude? While aesthetic disinterest plays a basic role in the Kantian foundation of aesthetics, (dis)interestedness has been a puzzling topic of discussion in the debate on environmental aesthetics and is becoming an increasingly pressing one, given the current worsening of the climate crisis.

The first part of this paper will explore the different meanings of the term as it is used within the debate on environmental aesthetics, either in support of or against the adoption of a disinterested attitude toward the environment. I will suggest drawing a distinction between …

Recovering Landscape And Landscape Beauty In Environmental Aesthetics, Paolo Furia

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

In this article, I will pin down some elements to recover the concept of landscape in the context of environmental aesthetics. Such insertion of landscape in environmental aesthetics entails the questioning of the dualism between nature and culture that still lays at the basis of much literature in environmental aesthetics. My argument will unfold in three steps: first, I will show how the original question of environmental aesthetics, as elaborated by Ronald Hepburn in 1966, presupposes a distinction between nature and culture rooted in the moral contempt for excessive modernization and urbanization. Second, I will criticize some theories, not all …

Landscape Education, Enskilment, And Aesthetics: Complex Skills For Our Time, Alberto L. Siani

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Environmental education is undoubtedly a pressing need in our time. Landscape education may be seen as something more restricted in scope and necessity, and more disengaged. However, as I will first argue, because of the intrinsically concrete, localized, aesthetic character of landscapes in their difference from environment, landscape education in fact can also be seen as a more complex and challenging concept that can be framed in terms of enskilment. Second, to better clarify this concept and highlight the theoretical and practical difficulties related to it, this paper will then turn to some Wittgensteinian ideas about learning, especially his concept …

No Trace, No Waste? The Art Of Living In Trashscapes, Mădălina Diaconu

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Humans have always striven to overcome their finitude by leaving traces. The phenomenology and hermeneutics of the twentieth century interpreted traces as meaningful sources for reconstructing the past and disregarded their materiality. This culturalist and retrospective approach nowadays has become untenable, as it is impossible to generate significative traces without producing waste as well. Waste itself forms a special category of trace that is unintentional and partly nocuous. Moreover, a final repository appears to have perversely fulfilled the dream of leaving ineffaceable traces that would survive humanity itself. In this new context, a future-oriented approach, one that would engage collectivities …

Frugality. An Aesthetic Category For A Sustainable Art Of Living, Elisabetta Di Stefano

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Climate change has necessitated the exploration of new interpretive models and aesthetic categories to understand our relationship with the environment. In response to this, the concept of frugality emerges as a potential paradigm for a sustainable art of living. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of frugality as an aesthetic category through the lens of the history of ideas, its connection to everyday aesthetics, and its implications for an art of living. By adopting a frugal lifestyle, individuals can establish a harmonious and respectful relationship with the environment, promoting a more sustainable future. This existential model has been …