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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Assessing Linkages Between Petroleum Platforms And Pelagic Fishes Using Telemetry With Emphasis On Blue Runner (Caranx Crysos), Harmon Brown Jan 2009

Assessing Linkages Between Petroleum Platforms And Pelagic Fishes Using Telemetry With Emphasis On Blue Runner (Caranx Crysos), Harmon Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Petroleum platforms number greater than 4,200 in the Gulf of Mexico and Caranx crysos (blue runner) is one of the most abundant fish species around these platforms. Forty-six blue runner were tagged with acoustical transmitters in August 2005, though the study was terminated prematurely due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Katrina. Nineteen blue runner were tagged in September 2006 and tracked for up to two months. Blue runner exhibited limited site fidelity around the platforms in 2005. The home range of twenty-three blue runner was calculated in 2005. A significant difference was found between the fork length of the …


Computational Studies On Fatty Acid Synthesis: From Mechanisms To Drug Design, Matthew Edward Mckenzie Jan 2009

Computational Studies On Fatty Acid Synthesis: From Mechanisms To Drug Design, Matthew Edward Mckenzie

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The first committed steps of the Fatty Acid synthesis pathway involves the de/carboxylation reactions of biotin. By understanding this step, potential novel antimicrobial agents could be discovered. The current tools of drug discovery can only help the research in finding and modifying potential hits. Finding a lead candidate from these programs are often equated to finding a needle in a haystack, which is due to the many assumptions used in molecular docking. The fundamental reaction kinetics can not be described by these techniques and a detailed study of the decarboxylation reaction is investigated using ab initio molecular dynamics. In this …


Experimental Design, Synthesis And Application Of Molecular Micelle Modified Polymeric Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery Systems And Free Radical Detection, Gabriela M. Ganea Visser Jan 2009

Experimental Design, Synthesis And Application Of Molecular Micelle Modified Polymeric Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery Systems And Free Radical Detection, Gabriela M. Ganea Visser

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles such as poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles have been extensively studied as drug delivery systems for a variety of pharmaceutical agents. Nanoparticle surface properties are primarily determined by the emulsifiers used in the synthesis process, which have a significant impact on nanoparticle physico-chemical and biological properties. Anionic amino acid – based molecular micelles were used in the emulsification process to prepare monodisperse, small (below 100 nm) PLGA nanoparticles with a well defined spherical shape. Such molecular micelle – modified nanoparticles were used as drug carriers for delivery of antioxidants. Thymoquinone is a natural antioxidant, and an …


Scanning Probe Microscopy Investigations Of (1) Arrays Of Cysteine-Coated Cds Nanoparticles And (2) Structures Formed During The Early Stages Of The Corrosion Of Copper Surfaces, Brian Robert Lewandowski Jan 2009

Scanning Probe Microscopy Investigations Of (1) Arrays Of Cysteine-Coated Cds Nanoparticles And (2) Structures Formed During The Early Stages Of The Corrosion Of Copper Surfaces, Brian Robert Lewandowski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) characterizations are becoming more prevalent for surface investigations due to their capabilities for obtaining structural information and physical measurements. New capabilities of SPM for studying and controlling nanoscale processes are emerging as valuable assets in research. A fundamental understanding of the interactions of surface reactions provides essential information for developing workable applications for nanotechnology. Two applications of SPM are discussed in this dissertation. The first investigation uses atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the characterization of nanostructures produced with a newly developed lithographic technique called “two-particle” lithography. This new technique is based on particle lithography for the …


Unavoidable Minors In Graphs And Matroids, Carolyn Barlow Chun Jan 2009

Unavoidable Minors In Graphs And Matroids, Carolyn Barlow Chun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is well known that every sufficiently large connected graph G has either a vertex of high degree or a long path. If we require G to be more highly connected, then we ensure the presence of more highly structured minors. In particular, for all positive integers k, every 2-connected graph G has a series minor isomorphic to a k-edge cycle or K_{2,k}. In 1993, Oxley, Oporowski, and Thomas extended this result to 3- and internally 4-connected graphs identifying all unavoidable series minors of these classes. Loosely speaking, a series minor allows for arbitrary edge deletions but only allows edges …


Quantum Optical Improvements In Metrology, Sensing, And Lithography, Sean Ducharme Huver Jan 2009

Quantum Optical Improvements In Metrology, Sensing, And Lithography, Sean Ducharme Huver

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we begin with a brief introduction of quantum mechanics, its impact on technology in the 20th century, and the likely impact quantum optics will have on the next generation of technology. The following chapters display research performed in many of these next generation areas. In Chapter 2 we describe work performed in the area of designing quantum optical logic gates for use in quantum computing. In Chapter 3 we discuss findings made in regards to using quantum states of light for remote sensing and imaging. We move on to Fabry-Perot interferometers in Chapter 4 and show discoveries …


Global Positioning System In Curved Space-Time And Other Applications Of General Relativity, Argenis Daniel Da Silva Jan 2009

Global Positioning System In Curved Space-Time And Other Applications Of General Relativity, Argenis Daniel Da Silva

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, we present some applications of the theory of General Relativity. First, we show a numerical scheme to account for relativistic effects in the Global Positioning System. Then, a couple of applications of astrophysical interest are worked out. These are the study of the gravitational collapse of stars and the dynamical evolution of a three-dimensional Einstein-Klein-Gordon field.


Homological Width And Turaev Genus, Adam Lowrance Jan 2009

Homological Width And Turaev Genus, Adam Lowrance

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Khovanov homology and knot Floer homology are generalizations of the Jones polynomial and the Alexander polynomial respectively. They are bigraded Z-modules, and their underlying polynomials are recovered by taking the graded Euler characteristic. The two homologies share many characteristics, however their relationship has yet to be fully understood. In both Khovanov homology and knot Floer homology, the two gradings can be combined into a single diagonal grading. Homological width is a measure of the support of the homology with respect to the diagonal grading. In this thesis, we show that the homological width of Khovanov homology and knot Floer homology …


Iron Mediated Pecipitation Of Phenol: Protein Aggregates From Sugar Cane Juice, Lee R. Madsen Ii Jan 2009

Iron Mediated Pecipitation Of Phenol: Protein Aggregates From Sugar Cane Juice, Lee R. Madsen Ii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Louisiana cane sugar industry is moving toward a vertically integrated arrangement where raw sugar producers will have an interest in refining. In the sugar refining process, raw sugar is affined to remove ~50 % of the color. The new refinery that will be built in Louisiana, however, will not include affining stations. To reduce costs of refining, either affining stations will need to be installed at each mill or new technologies that provide equivalent color reduction (~50% or ~750 IU) need to be implemented. As part of this dissertation a new technology for color reduction at raw sugar mills …


Spatial-Temporal Responses Of Louisiana Forests To Climate Change And Hurricane Disturbance, Fugui Wang Jan 2009

Spatial-Temporal Responses Of Louisiana Forests To Climate Change And Hurricane Disturbance, Fugui Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation research focused on three questions: (1) what is the current carbon stock in Louisiana’s forest ecosystems? (2) how will the biomass carbon stock respond to future climate change? and (3) how vulnerable are the coastal forest resources to natural disturbances, such as hurricanes? The research utilized a geographic information system, remote sensing techniques, ecosystem modeling, and statistical approaches with existing data and in-situ measurements. Future climate changes were adapted from predictions by the Community Climate System Model on the basis of low (B1), moderate (A1B), and high (A2) greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The study on forest carbon assessment …


Platforms And Protocols For The Multidimensional Microchip Electrophoretic Analysis Of Complex Proteomes, John K. Osiri Jan 2009

Platforms And Protocols For The Multidimensional Microchip Electrophoretic Analysis Of Complex Proteomes, John K. Osiri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The need for rapid, portable and high-throughput systems in proteomics is now prevalent because of demands for generating new protein-based disease biomarkers. However, 2-D protein profile patterns are lending themselves as potential diagnostic tools for biomarker discovery. It is difficult to identify protein biomarkers which are low abundant in the presence of highly abundant proteins, especially in complex biological samples like serum. Protein profiles from 2-D separation of the protein content of cells or body fluids, which are unique to certain physiological or pathological states, are currently available on internet databases. In this work, we demonstrate the ability to separate …


Local Behavior Of Distributions And Applications, Jasson Vindas Jan 2009

Local Behavior Of Distributions And Applications, Jasson Vindas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies local and asymptotic properties of distributions (generalized functions) in connection to several problems in harmonic analysis, approximation theory, classical real and complex function theory, tauberian theory, summability of divergent series and integrals, and number theory. In Chapter 2 we give two new proofs of the Prime Number Theory based on ideas from asymptotic analysis on spaces of distributions. Several inverse problems in Fourier analysis and summability theory are studied in detail. Chapter 3 provides a complete characterization of point values of tempered distributions and functions in terms of a generalized pointwise Fourier inversion formula. The relation of …


Impulsive Control Systems, Wei Cai Jan 2009

Impulsive Control Systems, Wei Cai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Impulsive control systems arose from classical control systems described by differential equations where the control functions could be unbounded. Passing to the limit of trajectories whose velocities are changing very rapidly leads to the state vector to "jump", or exhibit impulsive behavior. The mathematical model in this thesis uses a differential inclusion and a measure-driven control, and it becomes possible to deal with the discontinuity of movements happening over a small interval. We adopt the formulism of impulsive systems in which the velocities are decomposed by the slow and fast ones. The fast time velocity is expressed as the multiplication …


Achiral, Chiral, And Protein Separations With Molecular Micelles Using Chromatographic Techniques, Candace Ayanna Luces Jan 2009

Achiral, Chiral, And Protein Separations With Molecular Micelles Using Chromatographic Techniques, Candace Ayanna Luces

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, several chromatographic techniques were developed for separation of proteins as well as achiral and chiral compounds. Firstly, polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coatings were used to separate chiral analytes and proteins of pharmaceutical and biomedical interests. Coating polymers used in PEM coatings are instrumental in analyte separation. Therefore, the effect of changing four different cationic polymers, (poly-L-lysine, poly-L-ornithine, poly-L-lysine-serine, and poly-L-glutamic acid-lysine) and three anionic polymers (sodium poly (N-undecanoyl-L-leucyl-alaninate) (poly-L-SULA), sodium poly (N-undecanoyl-L-leucyl-valinate) (poly-L-SULV) and sodium poly (undecylenic sulfate) (poly-SUS)) were investigated. The simultaneous effects of cationic polymer concentration, number of bilayers, temperature, applied voltage, and pH of the …


A Multi-Proxy Approach To Investigating The Latest Holocene (~4,500 Yrs. Bp) Vegetational History Of Catahoula Lake, Louisiana, Rebecca Ann Tedford Jan 2009

A Multi-Proxy Approach To Investigating The Latest Holocene (~4,500 Yrs. Bp) Vegetational History Of Catahoula Lake, Louisiana, Rebecca Ann Tedford

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A multi-proxy investigation of sediments examined from Catahoula Lake, Louisiana has provided a record of late-Holocene vegetational changes, related to both hydrology and climate. This study integrates data from phytoliths, pollen, stable isotopes, magnetic susceptibility, and core sediment analysis. A modern phytolith analog assessed the phytoliths production in local plants and their modern soil sample distribution within the established lake vegetation zones. Fifty of the 76 species produced both distinctive and redundant phytoliths. The modern soil sample database indicates that phytoliths produced from both monocotyledon and dicotlyledon plant groups prove useful in distinguishing between forest and grassland communities and identifying …


Bottom Boundary Layer Physics And Sediment Transport Along A Transgressive Sand Body, Ship Shoal, South-Central Louisiana: Implications For Fluvial Sediments And Winter Storms, Daijiro Kobashi Jan 2009

Bottom Boundary Layer Physics And Sediment Transport Along A Transgressive Sand Body, Ship Shoal, South-Central Louisiana: Implications For Fluvial Sediments And Winter Storms, Daijiro Kobashi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ship Shoal, a shore-parallel sand body, was recently recognized as having a unique physical and biological environment and also as a potential sand resource for coastal restoration in coastal Louisiana. Little is known regarding such dynamics, in concert with fluvial sediments and winter storms, influenced in unique ecosystems, and likely in future potential sand mining. This dissertation addresses such the morphodynamics and sedimentary processes and their implications for the mining from the shoal using field measurements and numerical modeling studies. During the winter-spring season, fluvial sediment plumes shifted from the prevailing west to southeast during the post-frontal phases, resulted in …


Proxy Records Of Paleohurricanes For The Western And Southern Caribbean, Terrence Allen Mccloskey Jan 2009

Proxy Records Of Paleohurricanes For The Western And Southern Caribbean, Terrence Allen Mccloskey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation evaluates the hypothesis that hurricane activity levels in the North Atlantic during the late Holocene have been driven by latitudinal movements of the North Atlantic circulation system. Multi-millennial sedimentary proxy records, based on the occurrence of overwash clastic layers, provide clear evidence of abruptly alternating periods of hurricane landfall frequency for Nicaragua and Belize. Three Belizean transects exhibit an Active period (hyperactivity) occurring from ~2000-6000 cal yr BP, although dating is inconsistent across the transects. An Active period covering the last 500 years is found at one location. The Nicaraguan record, derived from three transects covering >90 km …


Atom-Based Computer Simulation Studies Of Gas-To-Liquid Nucleation In Atmospherically Relevant Systems: Clarifying Discrepancies And Elucidating Mechanisms, Ricky Bendanillo Nellas Jan 2009

Atom-Based Computer Simulation Studies Of Gas-To-Liquid Nucleation In Atmospherically Relevant Systems: Clarifying Discrepancies And Elucidating Mechanisms, Ricky Bendanillo Nellas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For over a century, nucleation for all systems was thought simplistically to be a process that advances through the formation of critical clusters with a well-defined composition. Our results show intriguing nucleation mechanisms that challenge the aforementioned notion. We employed the simple TraPPE-UA (transferable potential for phase equilibria – united atom) force field and the AVUS-HR approach (a combination of aggregation-volume-bias Monte Carlo, umbrella sampling, and histogram reweighting), to investigate the homogeneous vapor-to-liquid nucleation of various nucleating systems. We found out that these systems could nucleate through a variety of unique non-ideal mechanisms. Alongside existing experimental investigations, this dissertation presents …


A Modular Approach To Lung Nodule Detection From Computed Tomography Images Using Artificial Neural Networks And Content Based Image Representation, Omer Muhammet Soysal Jan 2009

A Modular Approach To Lung Nodule Detection From Computed Tomography Images Using Artificial Neural Networks And Content Based Image Representation, Omer Muhammet Soysal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lung cancer is one of the most lethal cancer types. Research in computer aided detection (CAD) and diagnosis for lung cancer aims at providing effective tools to assist physicians in cancer diagnosis and treatment to save lives. In this dissertation, we focus on developing a CAD framework for automated lung cancer nodule detection from 3D lung computed tomography (CT) images. Nodule detection is a challenging task that no machine intelligence can surpass human capability to date. In contrast, human recognition power is limited by vision capacity and may suffer from work overload and fatigue, whereas automated nodule detection systems can …


Methods And Design Issues For Next Generation Network-Aware Applications, Andrei Hutanu Jan 2009

Methods And Design Issues For Next Generation Network-Aware Applications, Andrei Hutanu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Networks are becoming an essential component of modern cyberinfrastructure and this work describes methods of designing distributed applications for high-speed networks to improve application scalability, performance and capabilities. As the amount of data generated by scientific applications continues to grow, to be able to handle and process it, applications should be designed to use parallel, distributed resources and high-speed networks. For scalable application design developers should move away from the current component-based approach and implement instead an integrated, non-layered architecture where applications can use specialized low-level interfaces. The main focus of this research is on interactive, collaborative visualization of large …


On-Line Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Damien A. Narcisse Jan 2009

On-Line Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Damien A. Narcisse

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Interfaces for on-line laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry are presented in this dissertation. An on line laser desorption interface allows samples to be introduced directly into the mass spectrometer for high-throughput applications. For this research, a linear time of flight mass spectrometer was constructed with an ionization source designed to accept various laser desorption interfaces. A ball inlet interface was used for continuous analyte deposition at atmospheric pressure and vacuum ionization. A solvent-based cleaning system and a separate capillary for MALDI matrix delivery was utilized for continuous on line sampling with the ball inlet interface. Microfluidic devices were brought into contact …


Polymer-Based Microfluidic Devices For High Throughput Single Molecule Detection: Applications In Biological And Drug Discovery, Paul Ichide Okagbare Jan 2009

Polymer-Based Microfluidic Devices For High Throughput Single Molecule Detection: Applications In Biological And Drug Discovery, Paul Ichide Okagbare

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The realization of high throughput sample processing has become a primary ambition in many research applications with an example being high throughput screening (HTS), which represents the first step in the drug discovery pipeline. Microfluidics is a viable platform for parallel processing of biochemical reactions to increase data production rates due to its ability to generate fluidic networks with a high number of processors over small footprints suitable for optical imaging. Single-molecule detection (SMD) is another technology which has emerged to facilitate the realization of high throughput data processing afforded by its ability to eliminate sample processing steps and generate …


Applying Scanning Probe Microscopy For The Investigation Of Molecular Self-Assembly Mechanisms And Properties Of Designed Nanomaterials, Algernon Tremayne Kelley Jan 2009

Applying Scanning Probe Microscopy For The Investigation Of Molecular Self-Assembly Mechanisms And Properties Of Designed Nanomaterials, Algernon Tremayne Kelley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) for conducting surface characterizations of nanomaterials and molecular self-assembly processes is emerging as an important contribution in nanotechnology, especially towards the design of molecular electronic devices. Another area of importance is the characterization of the properties of nanomaterials for fundamental understanding of structure-function inter-relationships. Understanding the properties and behavior of molecules and finding approaches to control surface self-organization through nanolithography provides essential information for the development of workable applications for nanotechnology. This dissertation describes the methodologies of AFM for characterizing molecules and nanostructures produced with scanning probe lithography (SPL). Automated software for nanografting and nanoshaving produce …


Sedimentation On A Mixed Siliciclastic/Carbonate Continental Margin Over Decadal To Millennial Timescales: Gulf Of Papua, Zahid Muhammad Jan 2009

Sedimentation On A Mixed Siliciclastic/Carbonate Continental Margin Over Decadal To Millennial Timescales: Gulf Of Papua, Zahid Muhammad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sediments from the Gulf of Papua were examined to estimate particle flux and sediment mass accumulation rates on multiple timescales. Patterns of sediment mass accumulation and inventory-derived 210Pb fluxes display regional variations, decreasing seaward, and along isobaths seaward from the northeastern shelf edge. The amount of terrigenous sediment load being discharged annually from the shelf and accumulating in Pandora Trough is approximately 7-14×106 tonnes. The existence of possible turbidity-current transport and deposition have been documented in deeper parts of the Gulf of Papua. High excess 210Pb fluxes estimated from seabed inventories at the shelf edge and upper slope are consistent …


Studies Of Homogeneous Dirhodium Catalyst System, Catherine L. Thomas Alexander Jan 2009

Studies Of Homogeneous Dirhodium Catalyst System, Catherine L. Thomas Alexander

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hydroformylation studies were conducted to investigate the effects of various H&sub2;/CO ratios on rac-[Rh&sub2;H&sub2;(μ-CO)&sub2;(et,ph-P4)]²+;, a dirhodium tetraphosphine catalyst system. Similar experiments were also conducted with monometallic catalysts based on BISBI, NAPHOS, and Xantphos, some of the best bisphosphine ligands for hydroformylation catalysis. This was due to the lack of information in literature on the effects of variable ratios and pressures on activities and selectivities of catalysts that contain bisphosphine ligands, and these studies were also used as a basis of comparison for the dirhodium system. Results indicate that the dirhodium system is more efficient with higher H&sub2;/CO ratios (2:1, 90 …


The Structure Of 4-Separations In 4-Connected Matroids, Jeremy M. Aikin Jan 2009

The Structure Of 4-Separations In 4-Connected Matroids, Jeremy M. Aikin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Oxley, Semple and Whittle described a tree decomposition for a 3-connected matroid M that displays, up to a natural equivalence, all non-trivial 3-separations of M. Crossing 3-separations gave rise to fundamental structures known as flowers. In this dissertation, we define generalized flower structure called a k-flower, with no assumptions on the connectivity of M. We completely classify k-flowers in terms of the local connectivity between pairs of petals. Specializing to the case of 4-connected matroids, we give a new notion of equivalence of 4-separations that we show will be needed to describe a tree decomposition for 4-connected matroids. Finally, we …


Improved Seismic Isolation For The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory With Hydraulic External Pre-Isolator System, Shyang Wen Jan 2009

Improved Seismic Isolation For The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory With Hydraulic External Pre-Isolator System, Shyang Wen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

LIGO hosts the world’s most sensitive GW detectors capable of detecting strain of h=10-22 at 100-200Hz. To maximize the amount of useful scientific results LIGO generates, it is necessary to operate the instrument uninterruptedly. However, for ground-based detectors, this is not possible without isolating it from the environmental disturbances, which in most cases is predominated by seismic noise. We examined the recent seismic noise records at LLO and LHO, and found the seismic noise at both sites had decreased from Oct. 1, 2003 to Oct. 1, 2006. No long term trend can be derived from the there-year data studied, however …


Size Controlled Metal Oxide Nanoparticles:Synthesis, Characterization, And Application To Catalysis, Hongyi Wu Jan 2009

Size Controlled Metal Oxide Nanoparticles:Synthesis, Characterization, And Application To Catalysis, Hongyi Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research in this dissertation focuses on the synthesis of size-controlled metal oxide nanoclusters (< 10 nm) on amorphous silica and their catalytic performance in thermal degradation of chlorinated benzenes with regard to the cluster size effect. Furthermore, with the concern that metal can condense as the nano-size nuclei core for particle growth in combustion process, a flow reactor was built to investigate the effect of metal oxide nanoparticles on the formation of soot in fuel-rich combustion. The synthesis of copper oxide nanoclusters was carried by calcination of silica impregnated with dendrimer-metal complexes. The 4th generation poly(propylene imine) dendrimer DAB-Am32 was used in this template-based method. The sizes of copper oxide nanoclusters were exquisitely controlled in the range of 1-5 nm with narrow size distribution by changing the stoichiometric ratio of metal ion to the terminal primary amines of dendrimer, the equivalent metal oxide loading on surface, and the impregnation procedure. XANES and XPS studies revealed that CuO was the dominant component of copper oxide nanoclusters. This method was also experimentally proven to be valid in the preparation of other metal oxide nanoparticles, e.g., Ni and Fe, and with other oxide substrates, e.g., titanium oxide. Chlorinated benzenes were selected as the model compound for studying the activity of metal (Cu and Fe) oxide catalysts with regard to their cluster sizes. Compared to the surrogate of coarse metal oxide samples, which was prepared by incipient wetness method, their nanosize analogues showed superior catalytic activity on the conversion of chlorinated benzenes under both pyrolytic and oxidative thermal condition. Furthermore, such catalytic size effect was also observed on the selectivity of products yields. Sooting combustion was performed using a two-zone flow reactor with precise control on experimental parameters. Gas suspended metal oxide nanoparticles were generated by burning off the organic backbone of the dendrimer-metal complexes in zone 1 and immediately transferred to zone 2, where the hydrocarbon combustion occurred. TEM results of the particulate sample collected at the outlet of reactor indicated that metal oxide nanoparticles promoted soot formation. GC/MS analysis of the extracted organic materials from soot samples suggested the formation of PAH was also promoted by metal addition as well.


The Syntheses Of Methyl Jasmonate And Analogs Of Alpha-Methylene-Gamma-Butyrolactone Utilizing Titanium Medicated Cyclocarbonylation, Steve O. Lawrence Jan 2009

The Syntheses Of Methyl Jasmonate And Analogs Of Alpha-Methylene-Gamma-Butyrolactone Utilizing Titanium Medicated Cyclocarbonylation, Steve O. Lawrence

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

From its humble beginnings as a novel carbon–carbon bond forming reaction, the Pauson–Khand reaction has lead to the synthetic development of a variety of natural products. One particular variation of the Pauson–Khand reaction was called the hetero Pauson–Khand. This reaction differs from the normal Pauson–Khand reaction because the reaction employs an intramolecular titanium mediated cycloaddition using enal and enones instead of alkenes and alkynes functional groups to prepare a variety of natural products. These natural products usually contain a bicyclic cyclopentenone core. Because the new ring contains a hetero atom, the name hetero Pauson–Khand was coined. Alpha–Methylene–Gamma–Butyrolactones posses a wide …


The Role Of Climate Variability And Riverine Pulsing In The Community Dynamics Of Estuarine Nekton In Breton Sound, Louisiana, Bryan Patrick Piazza Jan 2009

The Role Of Climate Variability And Riverine Pulsing In The Community Dynamics Of Estuarine Nekton In Breton Sound, Louisiana, Bryan Patrick Piazza

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Climate controls biotic community composition at multiple spatiotemporal scales through variability in environmental control mechanisms (assembly filters). This research investigated the role of climate variability in the community dynamics of estuarine nekton in Breton Sound estuary, Louisiana, and, specifically the effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), freshwater discharge, and a tropical cyclone. A teleconnection was found between ENSO and juvenile brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) abundance in Breton Sound from 1988 – 2007. ENSO affected winter weather conditions (air pressure, temperature and precipitation), and spring brown shrimp abundance in Breton Sound. Juvenile brown shrimp abundance lagged ENSO by …