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2017 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture And Natural Resources, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources

This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2017. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and other agencies — both private and public — compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that constitute our vital agricultural industries. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with economic benefits and job creation from value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.

With the effects of excessive rainfall and flooding during 2016 still fresh on the minds of most producers, there were significant concerns about the …

The Double Abcx Model, Family Stress Theory, Risk, Protection, And Resilience In The Movie “Precious”, Cassandra Chaney Phd

Faculty Publications

The critically acclaimed movie Precious [1] highlights the multiple stressors and crises experienced by an abused Black teen female living in poverty. Given its introduction to the screen, scholars have yet to make critical connections between the family dynamics portrayed in this movie and a particular family theory. The purpose of this paper is to help scholars who teach family stress courses apply the experiences of this young woman and her family to McCubbin and Patterson’s [2] Double ABCX Model. Furthermore, this paper will examine the risk factors, the protective factors, and the resilience demonstrated by the movie’s protagonist, Claireece …

Formation Of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (Epfrs) On Zno At Room Temperature: Implications For The Fundamental Model Of Epfr Generation, Matthew C. Patterson, Mark F. Ditusa, Cheri A. Mcferrin, R. L. Kurtz, Randall W. Hall, E. D. Poliakoff, P. T. Sprunger

Faculty Publications

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have significant environmental and public health impacts. In this study, we demonstrate that EPFRs formed on ZnO nanoparticles provide two significant surprises. First, EPR spectroscopy shows that phenoxy radicals form readily on ZnO nanoparticles at room temperature, yielding EPR signals similar to those previously measured after 250 °C exposures. Vibrational spectroscopy supports the conclusion that phenoxy-derived species chemisorb to ZnO nanoparticles under both exposure temperatures. Second, DFT calculations indicate that electrons are transferred from ZnO to the adsorbed organic (oxidizing the Zn), the opposite direction proposed by previous descriptions of EPFR formation on metal oxides.

2-Deoxyglucose Inhibits Induction Of Chemokine Expression In 3t3-L1 Adipocytes And Adipose Tissue Explants, Ryan W. Grant, Jacqueline I. Boudreaux, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

© 2016 The Obesity Society Objective: To determine the influence of glycolytic inhibition on the adipocyte inflammatory response. Methods: To determine the effect of 2-deoxyglucose (2-DOG) on the inflammatory response, mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes were co-treated with 2-DOG and LPS or TNF. To determine the effect of endoplasmic reticulum stress on TNF-induced induction of chemokines, adipocytes were pretreated with thapsigargin or salubrinal. Chemokine mRNA levels were determined using quantitative real-time PCR, and secretion of CCL2 was determined by Western blot. Results: 2-DOG treatment reduced the ability of LPS and TNF to induce CCL2 mRNA levels and reduced secreted CCL2 protein levels …

Oncostatin M Impairs Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenic Function And The Browning Of Subcutaneous White Adipose Tissue, David Sánchez-Infantes, Rubén Cereijo, Marion Peyrou, Irene Piquer-Garcia, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Francesc Villarroya

Faculty Publications

© 2016 The Obesity Society Objective: Since oncostatin m (OSM) is elevated in adipose tissue in conditions of obesity and type 2 diabetes in mice and humans, the aim of this study was to determine whether this cytokine plays a crucial role in the impairment of brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity and browning capacity that has been observed in people with obesity. Methods: C57BL/6J mice rendered obese by high-fat diet, their lean controls, and C57BL/6J mice fed a standard diet and implanted subcutaneously with a mini pump through a surgical procedure to deliver OSM or placebo were used. Preadipocytes or …

Db / Db Mice Exhibit Features Of Human Type 2 Diabetes That Are Not Present In Weight-Matched C57bl/6j Mice Fed A Western Diet, Susan J. Burke, Heidi M. Batdorf, David H. Burk, Robert C. Noland, Adrianna E. Eder, Matthew S. Boulos, Michael D. Karlstad, J. Jason Collier

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Susan J. Burke et al. To understand features of human obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) that can be recapitulated in the mouse, we compared C57BL/6J mice fed a Western-style diet (WD) to weight-matched genetically obese leptin receptor-deficient mice (db/db). All mice were monitored for changes in body composition, glycemia, and total body mass. To objectively compare diet-induced and genetic models of obesity, tissue analyses were conducted using mice with similar body mass. We found that adipose tissue inflammation was present in both models of obesity. In addition, distinct alterations in metabolic flexibility were evident between WD-fed …

The Biogeography Of Sodium In Neotropical Figs (Moraceae), Adriana Bravo, Kyle E. Harms

Faculty Publications

© 2016 The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation Sodium is essential for animals but not for most plants. Terrestrial sodium comes largely from marine aerosols, so inland ecosystems should have greater potential for sodium limitation than coastal ecosystems. We report a significant decrease of sodium in fruits of four Neotropical Ficus species with distance from presumed marine source.

Biology And Management Of The Texas Leafcutting Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), T. D. Schowalter, D. R. Ring

Faculty Publications

Leafcutting ants are primarily a tropical group, but three species, particularly the Texas leafcutting ant, Atta texana (Buckley) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), occur in the southern United States. Leafcutting ants provide an example of the complexity of ecological interactions. As a result of extensive defoliation and nest excavation, these ants influence vegetation cover, soil structure, and water fluxes over a significant portion of the landscape. They also can be severe forest and crop pests, and collapse of their extensive underground colonies can undermine roads and structures. In Texas, they are considered the second most important pest in pine plantations, following southern pine …

Immune Response In The Mouse Cornea Elicited By Herpes Simplex Vaccine Vc2, Logan C. Kinamore

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Libraries Are The Homes Of Books: Whiteness In The Construction Of School Libraries, Suzanne Marie Stauffer

Faculty Publications

The bibliographic instructional work, The Children’s Book on How to Use Books and Libraries, issued seven times between 1937 and 1973, utilized the metaphor of the library as the “home of books.” That “home” was constructed as a private, white, middle- class space in which children, who are invited guests, not residents, were expected to behave according to white, middle-class social norms and cultural values. The children depicted were uniformly white, able-bodied, and middle class as well. American cultural values such as individualism, competition, and pragmatism and utilitarianism were celebrated. This work critically analyzes the whiteness of the presentation, including …

Kill Jeff Davis: The Union Raid On Richmond, 1864, Brian Matthew Jordan

Civil War Book Review

Ambition's End: The Union Raid on Richmond, 1864 In late February of 1864, not quite four thousand Union cavalrymen, commanded by the memorably whiskered Brigadier General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, bolted south from Stevensburg, Virginia, on a singular sortie aimed at the Confederate capital. "Beyond....

Biomarkers Of Aryl-Hydrocarbon Receptor Activity In Gulf Killifish (Fundulus Grandis) From Northern Gulf Of Mexico Marshes Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Benjamin Dubansky, Charles D. Rice, Lester F. Barrois, Fernando Galvez

Faculty Publications

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York. Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, shorelines throughout the Barataria Basin of the northern Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana were heavily oiled for months with Macondo-252 oil, potentially impacting estuarine species. The Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) has been identified as a sentinel species for the study of site-specific effects of crude oil contamination on biological function. In November and December 2010, 4–5 months after the Macondo well was plugged and new oil was no longer spilling into the Gulf waters, Gulf killifish were collected across the Barataria Basin from 14 sites with varying …

A Multiple Case Narrative Examining The Experiences Of Alumni Of A Minority Research And Training Program, Gretchen Burton

Faculty Publications

The implementation of minority research and training (MRT) programs at the post secondary level has risen to close the educational achievement gap and build undergraduate pathways to generate a highly skilled and diverse STEM pool. Although the numbers of advanced science related degrees have slowly increased over the past decade, partially due to the utilization of MRT programs, this increase has not been adequate to establish an impactful representation in either academic or industry research careers. Numerous studies identify various support interventions influencing positive outcomes among MRT participants achieving graduate degrees. However, majority of the studies utilize quantitative or a …

[Review Of] Robert J. Richards And Michael Ruse, Debating Darwin, Charles H. Pence

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Research Matters Spring 2017, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

Research Matters & RNR Newsletters

Research Matters is a publication which highlights ongoing research, international travel experiences, classroom happenings and degree program developments of and for the School of Renewable Natural Resources' students and faculty.

Be-Breeder – An Application For Analysis Of Genomic Data In Plant Breeding, Filipe Inácio Matias, Italo Stefanine Correa Granato, Gabriel Dequigiovanni, Roberto Fritsche-Neto

Faculty Publications

Be-Breeder is an application directed toward genetic breeding of plants, developed through the Shiny package of the R software, which allows different phenotype and molecular (marker) analysis to be undertaken. The section for analysis of molecular data of the Be-Breeder application makes it possible to achieve quality control of genotyping data, to obtain genomic kinship matrices, and to analyze genomic selection, genome association, and genetic diversity in a simple manner on line. This application is available for use in a network through the site of the Allogamous Plant Breeding Laboratory of ESALQ-USP (http://www.genetica.esalq.usp.br/alogamas/R.html).

A Before–After Control–Impact Assessment To Understand The Potential Impacts Of Highway Construction Noise And Activity On An Endangered Songbird, Ashley M. Long, Melanie R. Colón, Jessica L. Bosman, Dianne H. Robinson, Hannah L. Pruett, Tiffany M. Mcfarland, Heather A. Mathewson, Joseph M. Szewczak, J. Cal Newnam, Michael L. Morrison

Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic noise associated with highway construction and operation can have individual- and population-level consequences for wildlife (e.g., reduced densities, decreased reproductive success, behavioral changes). We used a before–after control–impact study design to examine the potential impacts of highway construction and traffic noise on endangered golden-cheeked warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia; hereafter warbler) in urban Texas. We mapped and monitored warbler territories before (2009–2011), during (2012–2013), and after (2014) highway construction at three study sites: a treatment site exposed to highway construction and traffic noise, a control site exposed only to traffic noise, and a second control site exposed to neither highway construction …

Understanding The Uterine Environment In Early Pregnancy In Cattle: How Have The Omics Enhanced Our Knowledge?, Constantine A. Simintiras, Niamh Forde

Faculty Publications

Early pregnancy loss in cattle can be attributed to a myriad of sources. One key factor that can influence early pregnancy success or loss is the influence and interactions between the maternal environment and the developing embryo/conceptus. Recent advances in high-throughput 'omics' technologies coupled with improved bioinformatics capabilities represent a promising avenue for enhancing our understanding of fundamental developmental events - which would have direct agricultural, veterinary, and economic benefits. Thusly this review revolves around recent applications of advanced transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses within a bovine uterine secretomic and interactomic context, with an overriding aim to highlight the advantages …

Modelling Aspects Of Oviduct Fluid Formation In Vitro, Constantine A. Simintiras, Thomas Fröhlich, Thozhukat Sathyapalan, Georg J. Arnold, Susanne E. Ulbrich, Henry J. Leese, Roger G. Sturmey

Faculty Publications

Oviduct fluid is the microenvironment that supports early reproductive processes including fertilisation, embryo cleavage and genome activation. However, the composition and regulation of this critical environment remain rather poorly defined. This study uses an in vitro preparation of the bovine oviduct epithelium to investigate the formation and composition of in vitro-derived oviduct fluid (ivDOF) within a controlled environment. We confirm the presence of oviduct-specific glycoprotein 1 in ivDOF and show that the amino acid and carbohydrate content resembles that of previously reported in vivo data. In parallel, using a different culture system, a panel of oviduct epithelial solute carrier genes …

Dual Roles Of Oxidative Stress In Metal Carcinogenesis, Jie Xu, James T.F. Wise, Lei Wang, Kortney Schumann, Zhuo Zhang, Xianglin Shi

Faculty Publications

It has been well established that environmental and occupational exposure to heavy metal causes cancer in several organs. Although the exact mechanism of heavy metal carcinogenesis remains elusive, metal-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential. ROS can play two roles in metal carcinogenesis; two stages in the process of metal carcinogenesis differ in the amounts of ROS activating a dual redox-mediated mechanism. In the early stage of metal carcinogenesis, ROS acts in an oncogenic role. However, in the late stage of metal carcinogenesis, ROS plays an antioncogenic role. Similarly, NF-E2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) also has two different roles, which makes …

A New Species Of Shrew (Soricomorpha: Crocidura) From Java, Indonesia: Possible Character Displacement Despite Interspecific Gene Flow, Terrence C. Demos, Anang S. Achmadi, Heru Handika, Maharadatunkamsi, Kevin C. Rowe, Jacob A. Esselstyn

Faculty Publications

We describe a new species of shrew (Soricomorpha, Soricidae, Crocidura) from Mt. Gede, West Java, Indonesia. Relative to other Javan shrews, the new species is small with a relatively thick, dark brown, medium-length tail. The new species is known only from the type locality at 1,611 and 1,950 m elevation on Mt. Gede. It occurs syntopically with at least 3 other Crocidura species: C. orientalis, C. abscondita, and C. monticola. Phylogenetically, the new species is nested among sympatric and allopatric populations of C. monticola. Although topological inferences differ slightly between the mtDNA gene tree and multilocus species tree, the new …

Poultry Litter Ash Reduces Phosphorus Losses During Greenhouse Production Of Lantana Camara L. ‘New Gold’, Daniel E. Wells, Jeffrey S. Beasley, Lewis A. Gaston, Edward W. Bush, Maureen E. Thiessen

Faculty Publications

Phosphorus (P) fertilizers with high water-solubility are often applied in excessive amounts to porous horticultural substrates to produce high-quality plants. As a result, high P losses during containerized plant production have presented an environmental challenge to responsible growers. Poultry litter ash (PLA), a byproduct of bioenergy production, contains P concentrations comparable to conventional P fertilizers but is characterized as having lower water-solubility. Therefore, a series of experiments were conducted to characterize effects of PLA on container-plant growth and P leaching. PLA was compared with superphosphate (SP), a highly water-soluble P source, in ratios of 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0 …

Accuracy And Simultaneous Selection Gains For N-Stress Tolerance And N-Use Efficiency In Maize Tropical Lines, Leandro De Freitas Mendonça, Ítalo Stefanine Correia Granato, Filipe Couto Alves, Pedro Patric Pinho Morais, Miriam Suzane Vidotti, Roberto Fritsche-Neto

Faculty Publications

Maize plants can be N-use efficient or N-stress tolerant. The first have high yields in favorable environments but is drastically affected under stress conditions; whereas the second show satisfactory yields in stressful environments but only moderate ones under optimal conditions. In this context, our aim was to assess the possibility of selecting tropical maize lines that are simultaneously N-stress tolerant and N-use efficient and check for differences between simultaneous selection statistical methods. Sixty-four tropical maize lines were evaluated for Nitrogen Agronomic Efficiency (NAE) and Low Nitrogen Tolerance (LNTI) response indices and two per se selection indices, Low Nitrogen Agronomic Efficiency …

Territoriality, Monumentality, And Religion In Formative Period Nepeña, Coastal Ancash, David Chicoine, Hugo Ikehara, Koichiro Shibata, Matthew Helmer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Timescales Of Landscape Response To Divide Migration And Drainage Capture: Implications For The Role Of Divide Mobility In Landscape Evolution, K. X. Whipple, A. M. Forte, R. A. Dibiase, N. M. Gasparini, W. B. Ouimet

Faculty Publications

©2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Efforts to extract information about climate and tectonics from topography commonly assume that river networks are static. Drainage divides can migrate through time, however, and recent work has shown that divide mobility can potentially induce changes in river profiles comparable to changes caused by variation in rock uplift, climate, or rock properties. We use 1-D river profile and 2-D landscape evolution simulations to evaluate how mobile divides influence the interpretation of river profiles in tectonically active settings. We define a nondimensional divide migration number, NDm, as the ratio of the timescale of channel …

Development Of Mouse Models For The Study Of Zika Virus Pathogenesis And Antibody Response, Anna Beatriz Kawiecki

LSU Master's Theses

After the emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas in 2015, ZIKV infection was associated for the first time since its discovery with severe symptoms in both adults and congenital cases, including neurological, ocular, and developmental manifestations. Previous ZIKV circulation in Africa and Southeast Asia has been characterized by mild symptoms and small-scale case-counts. It is unclear whether the unprecedented size and severity of the ZIKV outbreak in the Americas are the consequence of a change in the virus, different background flaviviral immunity in the population, or a reporting issue. In addition, ZIKV has been shown to be transmitted …

Measuring The Effects Of Recycled Water On The Growth Of Three Algal Species: Tisochrysis Lutea, Chaetcoeros Calcitrans, And C. Muelleri In A Commercial-Scale Oyster Hatchery, Lisa Marie Bourassa

LSU Master's Theses

Algal production is often the limiting factor in large-scale oyster hatcheries, and constant, reliable production is required to grow enough algae to support all oyster larvae and broodstock grown and conditioned in a hatchery. The algal rooms in the Michael C. Voisin Oyster Hatchery at Grand Isle, LA are temperature-controlled to maintain consistent temperature, but this hatchery is also unique in its ability to recycle natural seawater pumped from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Effects of recycling seawater on algal production in an oyster hatchery, however, are undocumented. In this study, Tisochrysis lutea, Chaetoceros calcitrans and C. muelleri were grown …

Development And Test Of A Sweet Sorghum Feedstock Separation Technology And The Effect Of Trash On Fermentable Sugar Yield In Juice And Syrup, Edgar Jose Tobias Corado

LSU Master's Theses

In the recent years, processing sweet sorghum feedstock to obtain syrup for biofuels production is an option that has gained attention, especially where sugar cane milling infrastructure is already available; however, the leafy matter and panicles (trash) in the feedstock could negatively impact the process. Therefore, it seems sensible to reduce the trash level in the feedstock prior to milling and expand the current knowledge on the effect of trash in the juice and syrup. In this project, a pneumatic system to separate the leaves from sweet sorghum harvested with a sugar cane billet harvester was tested and a panicles …

Make American Great For Mexicans? The Effects Of Donald Trump's Political Campaign On Public Opinion Of Mexican Immigrants, Brooke Ann Biolo

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT: The present study examines the effects that U.S. President Donald Trump’s political campaign has had on public opinion of Mexican immigrants. By examining the long history of oppression of Mexicans on U.S. soil and even prior to the establishment of the U.S., the study creates a base and then employs a discourse analysis that proves that Trump’s rhetoric is perpetuating some of the same stereotypes that have followed Mexicans since Europeans began settling in the Americas. Public opinion was gauged using a carefully constructed survey and the results show that overall, Trump’s harsh stereotypical rhetoric has spurred a narrative …

Evaluation Of Biochar As A Feed Additive In Commercial Broiler Diets, Brandon Michael Cheron

LSU Master's Theses

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate sugarcane biochar as a feed ingredient in commercial broiler diets. Experiment 1 was conducted for 11 days using 300 male Ross 708 broilers. Broilers were allotted to one of five treatment diets containing 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2%, or 4% biochar. Experiment 2 was conducted for 19 days using 450 male Ross 708 broilers. Chicks were allotted to one of 9 treatment diets containing 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, 1.5%, 1.75% or 2% biochar. Broilers and feed were weighed at day 0 and 10 in experiment 1 and day 0, 10 and 18 in …