Louisiana State University

About: Louisiana State University is a education organization based out in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 40206 authors who have published 76587 publications receiving 2566076 citations. The organization is also known as: LSU & Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.

Global Genetic Population Structure of Bacillus anthracis

Abstract: Anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is a disease of historical and current importance that is found throughout the world. The basis of its historical transmission is anecdotal and its true global population structure has remained largely cryptic. Seven diverse B. anthracis strains were whole-genome sequenced to identify rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), followed by phylogenetic reconstruction of these characters onto an evolutionary model. This analysis identified SNPs that define the major clonal lineages within the species. These SNPs, in concert with 15 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) markers, were used to subtype a collection of 1,033 B. anthracis isolates from 42 countries to create an extensive genotype data set. These analyses subdivided the isolates into three previously recognized major lineages (A, B, and C), with further subdivision into 12 clonal sub-lineages or sub-groups and, finally, 221 unique MLVA15 genotypes. This rare genomic variation was used to document the evolutionary progression of B. anthracis and to establish global patterns of diversity. Isolates in the A lineage are widely dispersed globally, whereas the B and C lineages occur on more restricted spatial scales. Molecular clock models based upon genome-wide synonymous substitutions indicate there was a massive radiation of the A lineage that occurred in the mid-Holocene (3,064-6,127 ybp). On more recent temporal scales, the global population structure of B. anthracis reflects colonial-era importation of specific genotypes from the Old World into the New World, as well as the repeated industrial importation of diverse genotypes into developed countries via spore-contaminated animal products. These findings indicate humans have played an important role in the evolution of anthrax by increasing the proliferation and dispersal of this now global disease. Finally, the value of global genotypic analysis for investigating bioterrorist-mediated outbreaks of anthrax is demonstrated.

Amplitude and phase control of attosecond light pulses

Abstract: We report the generation, compression, and delivery on target of ultrashort extreme-ultraviolet light pulses using external amplitude and phase control. Broadband harmonic radiation is first generated by focusing an infrared laser with a carefully chosen intensity into a gas cell containing argon atoms. The emitted light then goes through a hard aperture and a thin aluminum filter that selects a 30-eV bandwidth around a 30-eV photon energy and synchronizes all of the components, thereby enabling the formation of a train of almost Fourier-transform-limited single-cycle 170 attosecond pulses. Our experiment demonstrates a practical method for synthesizing and controlling attosecond waveforms.

Crack nucleation in variational phase-field models of brittle fracture

Abstract: Phase-field models, sometimes referred to as gradient damage or smeared crack models, are widely used methods for the numerical simulation of crack propagation in brittle materials. Theoretical results and numerical evidences show that they can predict the propagation of a pre-existing crack according to Griffith’ criterion. For a one-dimensional problem, it has been shown that they can predict nucleation upon a critical stress, provided that the regularization parameter be identified with the material’s internal or characteristic length. In this article, we draw on numerical simulations to study crack nucleation in commonly encountered geometries for which closed-form solutions are not available. We use U- and V-notches to show that the nucleation load varies smoothly from that predicted by a strength criterion to that of a toughness criterion when the strength of the stress concentration or singularity varies. We present validation and verification numerical simulations for both types of geometries. We consider the problem of an elliptic cavity in an infinite or elongated domain to show that variational phase field models properly account for structural and material size effects. Our main claim, supported by validation and verification in a broad range of materials and geometries, is that crack nucleation can be accurately predicted by minimization of a nonlinear energy in variational phase field models, and does not require the introduction of ad-hoc criteria.

Fluctuating silicate:nitrate ratios and coastal plankton food webs

Abstract: Marine diatoms require dissolved silicate to form an external shell, and their growth becomes Si-limited when the atomic ratio of silicate to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (Si:DIN) approaches 1:1, also known as the "Redfield ratio." Fundamental changes in the diatom-to-zooplankton-to-higher trophic level food web should occur when this ratio falls below 1:1 and the proportion of diatoms in the phytoplankton community is reduced. We quantitatively substantiate these predictions by using a variety of data from the Mississippi River continental shelf, a system in which the Si:DIN loading ratio has declined from around 3:1 to 1:1 during this century because of land-use practices in the watershed. We suggest that, on this shelf, when the Si:DIN ratio in the river decreases to less than 1:1, then (i) copepod abundance changes from >75% to <30% of the total mesozooplankton, (ii) zooplankton fecal pellets become a minor component of the in situ primary production consumed, and (iii) bottom-water oxygen consumption rates become less dependent on relatively fast-sinking (diatom-rich) organic matter packaged mostly as zooplankton fecal pellets. This coastal ecosystem appears to be a pelagic food web dynamically poised to be either a food web composed of diatoms and copepods or one with potentially disruptive harmful algal blooms. The system is directed between these two ecosystem states by Mississippi River water quality, which is determined by land-use practices far inland.

Alterations in the dynamics of circulating ghrelin, adiponectin, and leptin in human obesity

Abstract: Ghrelin plays a key role in the regulation of growth hormone secretion and energy homeostasis Adiponectin is exclusively secreted by adipose tissue and is abundantly present in the circulation, with important effects on metabolism We studied five lean and five obese young men [ages: 242 ± 10 (lean) and 218 ± 16 (obese) years (difference not significant); body mass indexes: 350 ± 13 and 230 ± 03 kg/m2 (P = 001)], sampled blood every 7 min over 24 h, and measured ghrelin, adiponectin, and leptin in 2,070 samples for a total of 6,210 data points Circulating 24-h ghrelin showed significant ultradian fluctuations and an orderly pattern of release in lean and obese subjects with similar pulsatility characteristics Plasma adiponectin concentrations were significantly lower in the obese group, with lower pulse height In contrast to leptin, which is secreted in an orderly manner, the 24-h patterns of adiponectin were not significantly different from random in both the lean and obese groups We show here that adipocytes can simultaneously secrete certain hormones, such as leptin, in patterns that are orderly, whereas other hormones, such as adiponectin, are secreted in patterns that appear to be random The cross-approximate entropy statistic revealed pattern synchrony among ghrelin–leptin, ghrelin–adiponectin, and leptin–adiponectin hormone time series in the lean and obese subjects Plasma ghrelin concentrations showed a nocturnal rise that exceeded the meal-associated increases in lean subjects, and this newly identified nocturnal rise was blunted in the obese We suggest that the blunting of the nocturnal rise of ghrelin is a biological feature of human obesity