Digital Commons Network^™

Mobile Element-Based Forensic Genomics, David A. Ray, Jerilyn A. Walker, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

Mobile elements are commonly referred to as selfish repetitive DNA sequences. However, mobile elements represent a unique and underutilized group of molecular markers. Several of their characteristics make them ideally suited for use as tools in forensic genomic applications. These include their nature as essentially homoplasy-free characters, they are identical by descent, the ancestral state of any insertion is known to be the absence of the element, and many mobile element insertions are lineage specific. In this review, we provide an overview of mobile element biology and describe the application of certain mobile elements, especially the SINEs and other retrotransposons, …

Production Of F1 Interspecies Hybrid Offspring With Cryopreserved Sperm From A Live-Bearing Fish, The Swordtail Xiphophorus Helleri, Huiping Yang, Leona Hazlewood, Sheila J. Heater, Paula A. Guerrero, Ronald B. Walter, Terrence R. Tiersch

Faculty Publications

Despite study of sperm cryopreservation in more than 200 fish species, production of broods from cryopreserved sperm in live-bearing fish has not been demonstrated. This has not been due to a lack of effort, but instead is a result of the unique morphology, biology, and biochemistry of reproduction in viviparous fishes. For example, sperm of Xiphophorus helleri have a cylindrical nucleus, can swim for days after being activated, have glycolytic capabilities, and can reside in the female reproduction tract for months before fertilization. These traits are not found in fishes with external fertilization. The long-standing research use of the genus …

Physiological, Ecological, And Phylogenetic Characterization Of Stappia, A Marine Co-Oxidizing Bacterial Genus, Carolyn F. Weber, Gary M. King

Faculty Publications

Bacteria play a major role in marine CO cycling, yet very little is known about the microbes involved. Thirteen CO-oxidizing Stappia isolates obtained from existing cultures, macroalgae, or surf samples representing geographically and ecologically diverse habitats were characterized using biochemical, physiological, and phylogenetic approaches. All isolates were aerobic chemoorganotrophs that oxidized CO at elevated (1,000 ppm) and ambient-to-subambient concentrations (<0.3 ppm). All contained the form I (OMP) coxL gene for aerobic CO dehydrogenase and also the form II (BMS) putative coxL gene. In addition, some strains possessed cbbL, the large subunit gene for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, suggesting the possibility of lithotrophic or mixotrophic metabolism. All isolates used a wide range of sugars, organic acids, amino acids, and aromatics for growth and grew at salinities from 5 to 45 ppt. All but one isolate denitrified or respired nitrate. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that several isolates could not be distinguished from Stappia aggregata and contributed to a widely distributed species complex. Four isolates (of strains GA15, HI, MIO, and M4) were phylogenetically distinct from validly described Stappia species and closely related genera (e.g., Ahrensia, Pannonibacter, Pseudovibrio, and Roseibium). Substrate utilization profiles, enzymatic activity, and membrane lipid composition further distinguished these isolates and supported their designations as new Stappia species. The observed metabolic versatility of Stappia likely accounts for its cosmopolitan distribution and its ability to contribute to CO cycling as well as other important biogeochemical cycles. Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Assessing Among-Locus Variation In The Inference Of Seed Plant Phylogeny, J. Gordon Burleigh, Sarah Mathews

Faculty Publications

Large multilocus analyses can greatly reduce sampling error in phylogenetic estimates and help resolve difficult phylogenetic questions. Yet conventional multilocus analyses may be confounded by variation in the phylogenetic signal or processes of evolution among loci. We used nonparametric bootstrapping methods to examine locus-specific variation within a 12-locus seed plant data set and to examine the effects of this variation on estimates of seed plant phylogeny. The observed maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony bootstrap support from phylogenetic analyses of sites within single loci often notably differs from the bootstrap support obtained by sampling an equal number of sites from the …

Generation And Characterization Of Rabbit Embryonic Stem Cells, Shufen Wang, Xianghui Tang, Yuyu Niu, Hongwei Chen, Bin Li, Tianqing Li, Xiuzhen Zhang, Zhixin Hu, Qi Zhou, Weizhi Ji

Faculty Publications

We described the derivation of four stable pluripotent rabbit embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines, one (RF) from blastocysts fertilized in vivo and cultured in vitro and three (RP01, RP02, and RP03) from parthenogenetic blastocysts. These ESC lines have been cultivated for extended periods (RF >1 year, RP01 >8 months, RP02 >8 months, and RP03 >6 months) in vitro while maintaining expression of pluripotent ESC markers and a normal XY or XX karyotype. The ESCs from all lines expressed alkaline phosphatase, transcription factor Oct-4, stage-specific embryonic antigens (SSEA-1, SSEA-3, and SSEA-4), and the tumor-related antigens (TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81). Similar to human …

A Dairy-Based Espresso Beverage Manufactured Using Three Different Coffee Bean Roasts, Charles A. Boeneke, John U. Mcgregor, Kayanush J. Aryana

Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of coffee bean roast on the acceptability of a dairy-based espresso drink. Espresso coffee was made from freshly ground coffee beans with light-medium roast, between roast (between medium and dark) and dark French roast in order to show the influence of roasting on flavor. Samples were prepared by blending skim milk, soft-serve ice cream mix, ice and fresh espresso extracts. No significant differences (P < 0.05) were detected in total solids and fat content among treatments. Viscosity for the light-medium roasted beverage was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the others. The beverage pH increased with increased darkening of roast. The beverage made with the light-medium roasted coffee had significantly (P < 0.05) higher preference scores for coffee flavor and overall flavor than beverages made with the between and French roasts. The between and French roasted treatments were shown to have a more intense coffee flavor by trained sensory panelists. Consumers in this study preferred a less intense coffee flavor. © 2007, Blackwell Publishing.

A Large-Scale Deforestation Experiment: Effects Of Patch Area And Isolation On Amazon Birds, Gonçalo Ferraz, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Philip C. Stouffer, Richard O. Bierregaard, Thomas E. Lovejoy

Faculty Publications

As compared with extensive contiguous areas, small isolated habitat patches lack many species. Some species disappear after isolation; others are rarely found in any small patch, regardless of isolation. We used a 13-year data set of bird captures from a large landscape-manipulation experiment in a Brazilian Amazon forest to model the extinction-colonization dynamics of 55 species and tested basic predictions of island biogeography and metapopulation theory. From our models, we derived two metrics of species vulnerability to changes in isolation and patch area. We found a strong effect of area and a variable effect of isolation on the predicted patch …

The African Lungfish (Protopterus Dolloi): Ionoregulation And Osmoregulation In A Fish Out Of Water, Michael P. Wilkie, Tammie P. Morgan, Fernando Galvez, Richard W. Smith, Makiko Kajimura, Yuen K. Ip, Chris M. Wood

Faculty Publications

Although urea production and metabolism in lungfish have been thoroughly studied, we have little knowledge of how internal osmotic and electrolyte balance are controlled during estivation or in water. We tested the hypothesis that, compared with the body surface of teleosts, the slender African lungfish (Protopterus dolloi) body surface was relatively impermeable to water, Na +, and Cl- due to its greatly reduced gills. Accordingly, we measured the tritiated water (3H-H2O) flux in P. dolloi in water and during air exposure. In water, 3H-H2O efflux was comparable with the lowest measurements reported in freshwater teleosts, with a rate constant (K) …

Sex, Seasonal, And Stress-Related Variations In Elasmobranch Corticosterone Concentrations, Charles A. Manire, L. E.L. Rasmussen, Karen P. Maruska, Timothy C. Tricas

Faculty Publications

Serum corticosterone was previously studied in numerous elasmobranch fishes (sharks, skates and rays), but the role of this steroid, widespread throughout many taxa, has yet to be defined. The goal of this study was to test whether corticosterone varied in response to acute and chronic capture stress, and across the reproductive cycle in the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo, and Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. Serum corticosterone in S. tiburo increased following capture and again 24 h post-capture, possibly caused by interference with 1α-hydroxycorticosterone, the primary stress hormone in elasmobranchs. Higher serum concentrations in males compared to females were observed in both …

Sex And Seasonal Co-Variation Of Arginine Vasotocin (Avt) And Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (Gnrh) Neurons In The Brain Of The Halfspotted Goby, Karen P. Maruska, Mindy H. Mizobe, Timothy C. Tricas

Faculty Publications

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and arginine vasotocin (AVT) are critical regulators of reproductive behaviors that exhibit tremendous plasticity, but co-variation in discrete GnRH and AVT neuron populations among sex and season are only partially described in fishes. We used immunocytochemistry to examine sexual and temporal variations in neuron number and size in three GnRH and AVT cell groups in relation to reproductive activities in the halfspotted goby (Asterropteryx semipunctata). GnRH-immunoreactive (-ir) somata occur in the terminal nerve, preoptic area, and midbrain tegmentum, and AVT-ir somata within parvocellular, magnocellular, and gigantocellular regions of the preoptic area. Sex differences were found among all …

Decoupling Natural And Anthropogenic Fire Regimes: A Case Study In Everglades National Park, Florida, Matthew G. Slocum, William J. Platt, Brian Beckage, Bob Panko, James B. Lushine

Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic fire regimes obscure natural fire regimes, reducing the ability to manage fire-frequented habitats ecologically. To address this problem, we attempted to decouple natural and anthropogenic fire regimes by comparing them to seasonal climatic patterns and landscape characteristics in Everglades National Park (1948-1999). Of the total area burned by lightning fires, 57% resulted from ignitions seven days within onset of the wet season, 11% from ignitions starting 7-21 days before onset, and 36% from ignitions > 7 days after onset. In contrast, of the total area burned by incendiary fires, 89% resulted from ignitions > 7 days before onset, and 40% resulted …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Diflubenzuron As A Feed-Through For Control Of Immature Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae), T. M. Mascari, M. A. Mitchell, E. D. Rowton, L. D. Foil

Faculty Publications

The benzoylurea chitin synthesis inhibitor diflubenzuron was evaluated as a rodent feed-through for the control of immature stages of Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli (Diptera: Psychodidae). The development and survival of second instars of P. papatasi larvae that were fed feces from Syrian hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus, that had been fed a diet containing 0, 8.97, 89.7, or 897 ppm diflubenzuron was evaluated. No pupation or adult emergence occurred when larvae were fed feces from hamsters that were fed diets containing diflubenzuron. The mortality of sand flies fed feces from treated hamsters was coincident with pupation of the controls, suggesting a specific effect …

An Analysis Of Ludwig Feuerbach‟S Criticisms Of Judeo-Christian Views Of Nature In The Essence Of Christianity, David Johnston

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Louisiana Agriculture Winter, 2007, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

2007 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture And Natural Resources, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources

This book tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2007. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. The agricultural industry continues to contribute significantly to the state’s economy with the potential for increased benefits through value-added processing.

Two years ago, in the fall of 2005, Louisiana farmers, foresters, fishermen and ranchers faced unprecedented challenges associated with the devastation and destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. …

Life Without Water: Expression Of Plant Lea Genes By An Anhydrobiotic Arthropod, Steven C. Hand, Dana Jones, Michael A. Menze, Trudy L. Witt

Faculty Publications

Anhydrobiotic animals protect cellular architecture and metabolic machinery in the dry state, yet the molecular repertoire supporting this profound dehydration tolerance is not fully understood. For the desiccation-tolerant crustacean, Artemia franciscana, we report differential expression of two distinct mRNAs encoding for proteins that share sequence similarities and structural features with late-embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins originally discovered in plants. Bioinformatic analyses support assignment of the LEA proteins from A. franciscana to group 3. This eucoelomate species is the most highly evolved animal for which LEA gene expression has been reported. It is becoming clear that an ensemble of micromolecules and macromolecules …

Multiple Genes For Essential-Hypertension Susceptibility On Chromosome 1q, Yen Pei Christy Chang, Xin Liu, James Dae Ok Kim, Morna A. Ikeda, Mamie R. Layton, Alan B. Weder, Richard S. Cooper, Sharon L.R. Kardia, D. C. Rao, Steve C. Hunt, Amy Luke, Eric Boerwinkle, Aravinda Chakravarti

Faculty Publications

Essential hypertension, defined as elevated levels of blood pressure (BP) without any obvious cause, is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, and renal disease. BP levels and susceptibility to development of essential hypertension are partially determined by genetic factors that are poorly understood. Similar to other efforts to understand complex, non-Mendelian phenotypes, genetic dissection of hypertension-related traits employs genomewide linkage analyses of families and association studies of patient cohorts, to uncover rare and common disease alleles, respectively. Family-based mapping studies of elevated BP cover the large intermediate ground for identification of genes with common variants of significant …

Biology And Host Specificity Of Gall-Inducing Acythopeus Burkhartorum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), A Biological-Control Agent For The Invasive Weed Coccinia Grandis (Cucurbitaceae) In Guam And Saipan, Anantanarayanan Raman, Zerlene T. Cruz, Rangaswamy Muniappan, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

An introduced cucurbit Coccinia grandis (Linnaeus) Voigt has grown into problem proportions in Hawaii and the Pacific islands of Guam and Saipan. The biology of Acythopeus burkhartorum OBrien, 1998, a potential biological-control agent of C. grandis, has been described. By inducing the gall a sink for nutrients and by deriving nutrition, A. burkhartorum places C. grandis under stress. Especially during the late larval stage, the weevil displays an unusual behaviour of shredding dry gall tissues with its mandibles to prepare the pupal case and using the shredded sclerenchyma fibres to fill the open and cut ends of the pupal case. …

Components, Volume 3 (2007), Lsu Center For Computation & Technology

Components

No abstract provided.

Developing Children's Interest In Reading, Suzanne Marie Stauffer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Spirituality Of Trees In Later Seventeenth-Century Horticulture, Sandra Sherman

1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

No abstract provided.

Anne The Last And George The First Handel And The Politics Of Dynastic Succession, Christopher Paul Ssf

1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

No abstract provided.

Orlando The Marriage Of Literary History And Humanities Computing, Isobel Grundy, Susan Brown, Patricia Clements

1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

No abstract provided.

Some Further Thoughts On "Organic Georgics," Or, The Politics And Poetics Of Johnson's Manure, Michael Rotenbetg-Schwartz

1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

No abstract provided.

Diderot's Uncle, Hegel Or, Rameau's Nephew As A Branch Of The Phenomenology Of Spirit, Isabelle C. Demarte, J. M. Fritzman

1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

No abstract provided.

Density, Territory Size, And Long-Term Spatial Dynamics Of A Guild Of Terrestrial Insectivorous Birds Near Manaus, Brazil, Philip C. Stouffer

Faculty Publications

From 1994 to 2003, I annually surveyed terrestrial insectivorous birds in a 100-ha plot within continuous rainforest near Manaus, Brazil. I used spot-map registrations and radiotagged birds to estimate territory size and density on the plot for 13 species. As in the few previous studies of Amazonian birds, territory sizes were large (mean = 13.0 ha) and densities were low (mean = 3.4 pairs per 100 ha). The most common species, Formicarius colma, was the only species with >10 pairs per 100 ha, and one of four species (with Myrmeciza ferruginea, Conopophaga aurita, and Corythopis torquaius) to have territories of …

Management Challenges In A Maturing Industry: A Teaching Case Study Of Melon Farming In Latin America, Roger A. Hinson, Carl E. Motsenbocker, John V. Westra

Faculty Publications

This is a horticulture case study of the export market for melons (Cucumis melo) from Central America to the United States. Melons have provided growers an excellent production and marketing opportunity since the early 1980s. "Off-season" shipments have changed from a consumer novelty to a commodity. The case documents how this producer entered the industry and became a dominant firm using a cost leadership strategy that included adopting advanced production technology and generating large sales volume to take advantage of its opportunity. As the product moved through the cycle from new product to mature market, there were changes in behavior …

Benefits Of Urea-Molasses Block Supplementation And Symptomatic And Tactical Anthelmintic Treatments Of Communally Grazed Indigenous Goats In The Bulwer Area, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa, A. F. Vatta, J. F. De Villier, S. A. Gumede, R. C. Krecek, N. P. Mapeyi, R. A. Pearson, M. F. Smith, M. O. Stenson, L. J.S. Harrison

Faculty Publications

This study was carried out with the cooperation of farmers owning communally grazed indigenous goats in southwestern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, where farmers had identified poor reproductive performance in their herds as one of their major problems. The aim was to quantify the effects of 3 interventions and the interaction between these interventions on goat productivity and gastrointestinal nematode infection. The interventions were: urea-molasses block supplementation during the dry winter seasons of 2004 and 2005, tactical anthelmintic treatment with ivermectin (400 μg/kg) during the wet summer period (on 3 January 2005) and symptomatic treatment with ivermectin (400 μg/kg) of all …

Spatial Ecology, Habitat Selection, And Survival Of Wild Turkey Gobblers In A Managed Bottomland Hardwood Forest, Blake Anthony Grisham

LSU Master's Theses

Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) males were captured and radio-tagged in a bottomland hardwood forest of south-central Louisiana. Turkeys were monitored year round from fixed telemetry stations on Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, and Bayou des Ourses to observe seasonal patterns of space use, habitat selection and survival from 2005-07. The largest seasonal home range was in fall/winter (966.41 ha; Oct 1-Feb 28). Spring home range (767.77 ha; Mar 1- May 31) size was lower than reported in previous studies and was a function of female availability. Season and age interacted to influence core area size (F_{5/63 …}

Characteristics Of Reduced Fat Milks As Influenced By The Incorporation Of Folic Acid, K. Achanta, C. A. Boeneke, K. J. Aryana

Faculty Publications

Folic acid plays an important role in the prevention of neural tube defects (e.g., spina bifida and anencephaly), heart defects, facial clefts, urinary abnormalities, and limb deficiencies. Milk and milk products serve as a potential source for folic acid fortification because of the presence of folate-binding proteins that seem to be involved in folate bioavailability. Although milk is not a good source of folic acid, fortification could help in the prevention of the above-mentioned defects. The objective of this study was to examine the physicochemical characteristics of reduced fat milks fortified with folic acid. Reduced fat milks were prepared using …