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Dynamic Acromiohumeral Interval Changes During Scapular Plane Arm Motions, Melissa Deen Thompson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This purpose of this dissertation is to explore changes in the acromiohumeral interval during dynamic motion in the scapular plane. All of the experiments were completed in the Football Operations Athletic Training Room at Louisiana State University. The first experiment which investigated dynamic acromiohumeral interval changes in baseball players during a loaded and unloaded scaption exercise from 0°-75°, has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (in press, 2010). The mean acromiohumeral interval (AHI) for unloaded and loaded scaption decreased significantly (p<.001) from the arm at the side until 45° and loaded scaption narrowed AHI at 60° (p=.005) and 75° (p=.003). The second experiment investigates AHI and scapular upward rotation (SUR) changes in baseball and softball players during scaption exercises from 0°-75°. Significant load related narrowing of the AHI at 45°(p=.005), 60°(p=.001), and 75°(p<.001) and a significant load-position interaction (p=.001) at 0° and 75°was observed for all subjects. No gender differences in SUR or AHI were found. AHI and SUR displayed moderate positive correlations at 30° for both the unloaded scaption (r=.648, p=.001) and the loaded scaption (r=.445, p=.038) however, no significant relationships were present at 0°, 45°, 60° or 75°. The third experiment compared dynamic acromiohumeral interval and scapulohumeral rhythm changes in trained and untrained females during scaption exercises from 0°-90°. In general, AHI was maximal with the arm at the side and declined significantly (p<.001) during arm elevation until 60°, but increased significantly (p<.001) between 60° and 90°. Significant load related narrowing of the AHI at all positions (p<.05), a more negative SUR at 0° (p<.001) and a more positive SUR at 90° (p=.009) was observed for all subjects. Female athletes had significantly stronger external rotators (p<.001), larger overall AHI (p=.003) and more SUR (p=.008) than untrained females. Significant positive correlations (p<.05) between AHI and SUR were observed at 0°, 30°, and 60° during both loaded and unloaded scaption.

Study Of Host-Fungus Interactions Between Soybean And Phakopsora Pachyrhizi Using Proteomics, Sunjung Park

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Asian soybean rust, caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is an emerging disease in the continental U. S. and resistant commercial varieties have not been reported. In an effort to understand the interactions during rust infection of soybean, protein profile changes were examined over a 14-day period in soybean leaves of one susceptible commercial line (Pioneer 93M60) with or without soybean rust inoculation using proteomics in this study. Forty protein spots differentially expressed after rust inoculation were identified and fourteen of them were recovered and sequenced. These included proteins involved in plant defense, stress, metabolism, and other biological processes. During the time-course …

Development And Sensory Characteristics Of Salt Substitute Containing Bitterness-Masking Agents, Pamarin Waimaleongora-Ek

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted to develop a sodium-free salt substitute and assess its sensory characteristics. The efficacy of bitterness-masking agents, adenosine-5’-monophosphate (AMP) and L-arginine (Arg), were studied. However, the effectiveness of AMP in inhibiting bitterness of potassium chloride (KCl) was specifically investigated. The threshold values of KCl with and without AMP were determined using the method of limits and the signal detection method. AMP effectively decreased the bitterness imparted by KCl at a ratio of KCl to AMP of 15:1 when the method of limits was utilized. To enhance saltiness and inhibit bitterness, Arg was added to KCl/AMP solutions. The …

Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Genotypic Characterization, And Molecular Detection Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus And Vibrio Vulnificus From Louisiana Oysters, Feifei Han

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Members of the genus Vibrio are Gram-negative, halophilic bacteria that inhabit warm coastal and estuarine waters worldwide. Among pathogenic vibrios, Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the leading cause of seafood-related illnesses and Vibrio vulnificus causes the highest number of seafood-related deaths in the United States. Moreover, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of infections of the two vibrios due to the consumption of oysters has shown a sustained increase since 2001, indicating further measures are needed to prevent human Vibrio illness. In this dissertation research, a total of 622 Vibrio isolates, consisting of 252 V. parahaemolyticus …

Incentives, Risk, And The Role Of Private Investments In Louisiana Coastal Wetland Restoration, Cheikhna Ould Dedah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The coast of Louisiana, with more than three million wetland acres, accounts for about 40 percent of the nation’s total wetlands. Louisiana is estimated to have lost more than 1.2 million acres of its coastal wetland in the last century. Although 75% of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are privately owned, little has been done to encourage private landowners to undertake wetland restoration projects. This dissertation examines the factors that influence the decisions of the landowners to undertake wetland restoration projects. We develop a theoretical framework for understanding the landowner’s decision-making process in the presence of high uncertainty and increasing restoration costs. …

Cellulosic Ethanol In Louisiana: A Three Part Economic Analysis Of Feedstocks, Pricing Strategies And Location Strategies, Tyler B. Mark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The development of an efficient biomass supply chain is pivotal for the cellulosic ethanol industry. The Louisiana Sugarcane Belt, and energy cane are the focus of this study. From both the producer and processor perspectives, cost of production, competitiveness of cellulosic ethanol, biomass pricing, changes in crop mix, and the optimal location for cellulosic ethanol processing facilities are the critical factors evaluated. Educating potential energy cane producers on production costs and agronomic practices is the first step in the biomass supply chain. This study finds that for energy cane producers to breakeven, processors need to pay producers at least $30 …

Exercise-Induced Alterations In Melanocortin Receptor Expression And Inflammation, Tara Michelle Henagan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Inflammatory cytokines play a significant role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases and have been implicated as integral factors in both early and late phases of atherosclerosis. Lifestyle modifications such as increasing physical activity and making dietary changes to induce weight loss are part of the primary prescription for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Additionally, physical activity has been implicated as a potentially effective regimen for the control of inflammation, yet little is known about the anti-inflammatory mechanistic alterations induced by physical activity.

Exercise training causes acute changes in inflammation immediately post exercise, evidenced by upregulation of inflammatory cytokines and …

Target Eccentricity Effects For Defensive Responses, Taegyong Kwon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Defensive actions involving goal-directed responses to visual stimuli presented in different parts of the viewing field commonly include movements either toward (TOWARD) or away from (AWAY) the actual stimulus. One can categorize the type of defensive movements by outcome or the level of stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility, where a congruent response corresponds to a response in the TOWARD condition and an incongruent response corresponds to a response in the AWAY condition. In an effort to better understand defensive responses, which have received less attention in the literature than offensive movements regardless of their importance in combative situations, we studied the responses …

Carbohydrate Sources And Maximizing The Use Of Supplemental Amino Acids In Diets For Weanling Pigs, Victor D. Naranjo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of this research were 1) to determine the effect of replacing dried whey (DW) with milk chocolate product (MCP), dried whey permeate (DWP) with candy oats (CO), and spray-dried plasma protein (SDPP) with a novel swine nutritional supplement (SNS) on growth performance of weanling pigs, and 2) to determine the maximum level of supplemental L-Lys, along with DL-Met, L-Thr, and L-Trp that can be added in diets for 6- to 12 and 13- to 23-kg pigs. Three experiments were conducted to compare the feeding value of MCP (20% lactose and 60% sugars) and DW (70% lactose). Results from …

Three Essays On The Role Of Amenities As An Economic Development Strategy, Junpyo Hong

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is well known that an amenity is a key driving engine to regional economic growth. However, the site-specific nature of an amenity can characterize them as public goods. Due to this characteristic, local governments have difficulty optimally supplying amenities. This dissertation tries to find relationships between an amenity and economic growth. Three empirical papers comprise the original research in this dissertation. The findings of the meta-analysis in the first essay suggest little methodological diversity exists among researchers linking amenities to economic growth., I do find that employment growth is more likely related to man-made amenities even in research on …

Application Of Anti-H Monoclonal Antibodies To Develop Rapid Immunoassay For Vibrio Vulnificus, Ravirajsinh Jadeja

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the US there are about 76 million foodborne illness cases reported every year, in spite of initiatives by federal agencies. This emphasizes the need for the development of novel detection techniques which are sensitive, specific and rapid. A detection technique should be rapid enough to give results same day, allowing companies to release food lots without delay and decreasing storage costs. This kind of screening would also allow immediate measures, if needed, before releasing the lots. In the case of Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus), conventional methods are available to identify and enumerate this pathogen in oysters, but they are …

Effect Of Resistant Starch On Microbial Content Of The Intestinal Tract, Reshani Nisansala Senevirathne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Resistant starch (RS) increases beneficial gastro-intestinal bacterial populations simultaneously increasing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as butyrate. Butyrate acts as energy source for epithelial cells of colonic mucosa which stimulates intestinal cell proliferation and has been implicated as important in reducing obesity, diabetes and cancer. The Lactobacillus spp, Bifidobacterium spp, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Clostridium cluster IV and Clostridium cluster XIV are mainly involved in the production of butyrate by fermenting RS in the large intestine. With age there is a decline in these gut bacteria, but in the present study RS and diet restriction both enhanced the bacteria involved in butyrate …

New Binary Ti Vectors With Co-Directional Replicons For Agrobacterium Tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation Of Higher Plants, Seokhyun Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Small, high-yielding binary Ti vectors of Agrobacterium tumefaciens were constructed. All four basic components of the vector, ColE1 replicon (715 bp) for Escherichia coli, VS1 replicon (2,659 bp) for A. tumefaciens, a bacterial kanamycin resistance gene (999 bp), and the T-DNA region (170 bp), were modified to reduce the vector size to 4,566 bp and to introduce a number of mutations to increase the copy number and other functionality. The transcriptional direction of VS1 replicon can be the same as that of ColE1 replicon (co-directional transcription), or opposite (head-on transcription) as in the case of widely used vectors (pPZP or …