LSUS Scholarly Repository
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Recent Submissions
Description of the Exoskeleton Microstructure of Phanaeus vindex
(2023-12) Wheat, Jackson
Phanaeini is a New World tribe of scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) whose members are noteworthy for their iridescence—the phenomenon that a color changes as the angle at which it is viewed changes. Iridescence has evolved independently in various clades of animals, including multiple clades of arthropods. Recently, a team of researchers have described the microstructure of the elytra (the hardened forewing) of the iridescent beetle Chrysina gloriosa (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). The North American Phanaeus vindex also displays iridescence; however, the microstructure of P. vindex’s elytra has not yet been elucidated. The null hypothesis is therefore that the elytra of P. vindex is the same microstructurally as that of C. gloriosa. Following analysis, we have accepted the null hypothesis: P. vindex displays elytral hexagonal cells called “conic focal domains” that, when viewed from above, are microstructurally similar to those of C. gloriosa. The subfamily that is sister to Rutelinae, Dynastinae, is non-iridescent and also lacks domains in its elytra, giving further evidence to the hypothesis that the domains are responsible for iridescence.
Keywords: Chrysina gloriosa, Iridescence, Multilayer reflector, Phanaeini, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae
Computational Methods for Development of Arbidol as a Fusion Inhibitor of Novel Coronavirus
(2023-08) Williams, E'keria
The novel SARS-CoV2 is a highly pathogenic virus that is responsible for COVID-19. There are currently a very limited number of FDA-approved drugs for COVID-19, and thus there is an unmet need for new and effective therapeutics against this deadly virus. In this project, we use computational methods to rapidly identify promising drug candidates against COVID-19. Using prior knowledge of existing anti-viral drugs, we selected the influenza drug, arbidol, as the seed compound for this project. Arbidol has also shown significant anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV2 in various pre-clinical disease models. However, despite its promise, arbidol displays several limitations, including large conformational flexibility and poor water solubility. Using medicinal chemistry insights and Swiss-Bioisostere tool, we assembled a medium-sized drug library of compounds with structural modifications to address arbidol’s known limitations. Existing evidence indicates that arbidol binds more strongly to the S2 subunit than the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV2 Spike protein, and thus its primary anti-viral action must be the inhibition of viral fusion. Thus, we chose to screen the binding affinity of arbidol and its analogs with three high resolution structural models of SARS-CoV2 protein structures, comprising the S2 fusion domain of Spike protein (PDB-IDs: 6VYB, 6VXX, 6LXT). We employed molecular docking using Vina to assess the binding affinity of arbidol and each of 30 analogs to each of the three structural models. We then identified analogs that preferentially bind and stabilize the pre-fusion form (6VYB) of Spike-S2, thereby preventing pH-mediated conformational change that leads to viral-host fusion The goal is to select the most promising compounds to serve as fusion inhibitors against SARS-CoV2 infection.
Southern Scars: Representations of Trauma in Children’s Literature of the American South
(2024-08) Shaver, Allison L.
This thesis is a limited analysis and comparative study of contemporary American children’s novels. I examine three novels published by Southern authors: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Kimberly Willis Holt’s My Louisiana Sky, and Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie. The primary goal of this thesis is to reveal how these novels serve as vehicles for understanding twentieth-century cultural tensions in the American South, an area historically marked by extreme social turmoil. In particular, it aims to analyze the effects of othering within Southern culture. To do so, it examines how trauma often functions as a mental or physical marker that sets “Other” characters apart from their society, imbuing them with a feeling of psychological alienation. This thesis finds that, in the previously mentioned novels, a recurring motif of individual trauma ultimately acts as a reflection of a wider form of cultural trauma that the young protagonists inherit from the older generations around them. It concludes that, within the genre of Southern children’s literature, child protagonists are often tasked with confronting and mending the tears in the cultural fabric of the American South. Ultimately, these novels serve as social criticism, as they aim to address deep-rooted social issues and prejudices within the region.
Writing and Rhetoric: A Guide to First-Year Composition at LSUS
(Noel Memorial Library, 2024-07-01) Rea, Joshua; Shearer, Kayla
Instructor's Resources for First-Year Composition at LSUS (ENGL 105 &115)
(Noel Memorial Library, 2024-07-01) Mazur, Sarah; Miller, Sean; Shearer, Kayla; Pollock, Kathy; Curtis, James
Instructor Guides (Major Projects, Rubrics, Lesson Plans, and Sample Syllabi), Slide Decks, Exemplars for ENGL 105 and 115 at LSUS.