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Dialogic Dogs And Phatic Felines: Speaking To And Through Our Pets, Nicole M. Dufour Jan 2003

Dialogic Dogs And Phatic Felines: Speaking To And Through Our Pets, Nicole M. Dufour

LSU Master's Theses

While many pet owners acknowledge that they speak to their pet, Pet Communication has remained mostly overlooked by researchers. Through discourse analysis, this thesis is an attempt to analyze Pet Communication, which deals with human speech to a pet, about a pet, or through a pet. I analyze data which I transcribed in the waiting room of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Clinic. Data were collected from conversations that took place between pet owners, between pet owners and the Clinic's staff, pet owners and their pets, and between staff and pets. These data were then …


Evaluation Of Repeated Removal Of Mammalian Predators On Waterfowl Nest Success And Density, Kristen Dawn Chodachek Jan 2003

Evaluation Of Repeated Removal Of Mammalian Predators On Waterfowl Nest Success And Density, Kristen Dawn Chodachek

LSU Master's Theses

Low levels of nest success in the prairie pothole region are mainly attributed to changes in predator community and abundance. Removal of predators from large sites (≥ 4144 ha) has been an effective strategy for increasing nest success; however, trapping small sites (< 301 ha) is considered ineffective. I examined the effects of removing predators from 10, 259 ha sites in northeastern North Dakota during 2001-2002. Overall nest success for both years was greater on trapped sites (53.4%) than non-trapped sites (28.7%). Furthermore, daily survival rate was greater on removal sites, and was positively correlated with total predators removed. Differences in nest density were apparent between treatments with an increased nest density on trapped sites, however year had no effect. Pair densities did not differ between treatments, but a 2-fold increase for both trapped and non-trapped sites was found in spring 2002. Cost to produce one fledged duckling, combining all species ranged from $16-20. Overall, the results of this study indicate that repeated removal of predators on small sites is an effective strategy for increasing waterfowl production; however, feasibility will ultimately depend on the user group, budget limitations, landowner objectives, and public acceptance.


Abundance Trends And Environmental Habitat Usage Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Lower Barataria And Caminada Bays, Louisiana, Cara Edina Miller Jan 2003

Abundance Trends And Environmental Habitat Usage Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Lower Barataria And Caminada Bays, Louisiana, Cara Edina Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The paucity of research into the environmental requirements, stock membership, abundance and residency patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in coastal Louisiana creates difficulty in understanding how local ecosystems and threats (such as fishery interactions, habitat degradation and pollution) affect populations. This study combined fine-scale environmental measurements and photo-identification techniques to describe patterns of habitat usage and abundance of bottlenose dolphins in lower Barataria Basin from June 1999 to May 2002. In addition I investigated the validity and limitations of using mark-recapture models to estimate abundance from cetacean photo-identification data. Bottlenose dolphins were present year-round in a wide range of …


Improvement Of Kenaf Yarn For Apparel Applications, Ting Zhang Jan 2003

Improvement Of Kenaf Yarn For Apparel Applications, Ting Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

The objectives of the research are to determine the impact of the retting methods and blending percentage on the properties of kenaf fiber as well as the yarns and fabrics that contain kenaf, and to analyze and characterize kenaf fiber and yarns and fabrics that contain kenaf in terms of physical properties, such as tensile strength, elongation, evenness, absorbency and surface characteristics. In this research, kenaf fiber bundles were treated by chemical methods and softened to improve fiber properties. The treated fibers then were blended with cotton having 0, 10%, 25%, and 50% blending ratio and spun into yarns with …


The Role Of Dottie In Tracy Letts' Killer Joe: A Production Thesis In Acting, Elizabeth Jane King Jan 2003

The Role Of Dottie In Tracy Letts' Killer Joe: A Production Thesis In Acting, Elizabeth Jane King

LSU Master's Theses

The role of Dottie in Killer Joe by Tracy Letts was selected as a thesis project spring semester of 2003. This thesis is a written record of the actor’s work on the character of Dottie throughout the rehearsal process in the form of a rehearsal journal and a character analysis.


Susceptibility Of Bacillus Anthracis To Gamma And Cherry Bacteriophage, Preston A. Fulmer Jan 2003

Susceptibility Of Bacillus Anthracis To Gamma And Cherry Bacteriophage, Preston A. Fulmer

LSU Master's Theses

Bacillus anthracis is a bacterium that causes severe disease mainly in ruminants, but can affect any mammal, including humans. A popular method for the detection of this organism is susceptibility of the bacterial isolate to g bacteriophage. However, to date no study on the resistance of a wide variety of B. anthracis isolates has been conducted. The following study examines the rate of resistance of a wide range of B. anthracis isolates to g phage as well as another phage specific for B. anthracis known as Cherry phage. We also compared susceptibility to phage with another detection method, susceptibility to …


Robert Lowell's Life-Writing And Memory, Gye-Yu Kang Jan 2003

Robert Lowell's Life-Writing And Memory, Gye-Yu Kang

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines Robert Lowell's use of memory in such autobiographical works as Life Studies and Day by Day. In those volumes, Lowell returns to recollect his private past; his act of remembering becomes the poetic process by which Lowell is able to create the retrospective truth of his life. The most important feature of memory in his life-writing is in its role as an imaginative reconstruction. In the first chapter, I review recent models that regard memory as a reconstructive process. Memory involves more than fact, according to these investigations; it also represents a fictionalizing process of self. In …


Circuitry For A Remotely Powered Bio-Implantable Gastric Electrical Stimulation System, Satish Kona Jan 2003

Circuitry For A Remotely Powered Bio-Implantable Gastric Electrical Stimulation System, Satish Kona

LSU Master's Theses

Power to bio-implantable devices is usually supplied through a battery implanted with the system or through wires extending to an outside power source. The latter case with wires protruding out of the body can be unaesthetic in appearance and can cause infection. In this research, we consider an alternative way to power a bio-implantable microsystem. It involves using rechargeable lithium batteries. Here, power is delivered remotely to charge implanted battery or batteries. This approach avoids periodic surgery necessary for battery replacement. It also does not tie a person to an external power source at all times. This improves patient’s quality …


Revisiting The 1992 Los Angeles Riots: An Analysis Of Geographical Perspectives, Paul Watts Jan 2003

Revisiting The 1992 Los Angeles Riots: An Analysis Of Geographical Perspectives, Paul Watts

LSU Master's Theses

The intent of this thesis is to investigate the complexities of the 1992 Los Angeles riots from a spatial perspective. To study the 1992 Los Angeles riots is an attempt to understand dynamic and unpredictable events, events that can result in multiple deaths, vast property damage, and leave irrevocable scars on a community for years. It is these reasons that should call geographers to the challenges of studying riots. Part of this thesis is to critically evaluate previous quantitative work on the 1992 Los Angeles riots and to argue for a new investigative approach in understanding riots in general. My …


Nekton Utilization Of Restored Habitat In A Louisiana Marsh, Christina Samantha Bush Jan 2003

Nekton Utilization Of Restored Habitat In A Louisiana Marsh, Christina Samantha Bush

LSU Master's Theses

Marsh terracing and coconut fiber mats are two restoration techniques currently being implemented at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. We tested two hypotheses related to these restoration techniques: (1) marsh terracing enhances nekton assemblages, so that nekton use is similar to those at natural marsh edges, and (2) coconut matted marsh edges enhance SAV recruitment, so that nekton use is similar to those found at natural marsh edges. Samples from terraces and coconut matted marsh were compared to samples from the natural marsh and open water habitats. We measured the following variables at each habitat: (1) nekton density and abundance, (2) …


Fine-Scaled Movements And Habitat Use Of Black Bears In South Central Louisiana, Dwayne Allen Hightower Jan 2003

Fine-Scaled Movements And Habitat Use Of Black Bears In South Central Louisiana, Dwayne Allen Hightower

LSU Master's Theses

Animal movements are related to many parameters of interest such as the search for food and other life requisites. Several measures, including home range, have been used to quantify and describe animal movement. However, fine-scaled movements of mammals have received less attention even though they are more directly related to energy expended for locating resources and provide information on how a home range is used. I tracked radiotagged female black bears (Ursus americanus) from two geographically separate populations in the Atchafalaya River Basin in south central Louisiana: the Coastal population at the southern extent and the Inland population at the …


Toxicity Of South Louisiana Crude Oil, Alaskan North Slope Crude Oil, And Dispersant Corexit 9500 To Gulf Killifish, White Shrimp, And Eastern Oyster, Bo Liu Jan 2003

Toxicity Of South Louisiana Crude Oil, Alaskan North Slope Crude Oil, And Dispersant Corexit 9500 To Gulf Killifish, White Shrimp, And Eastern Oyster, Bo Liu

LSU Master's Theses

To address public concern over potential ecological effects on commercially and ecologically important species following use of dispersants during oil spill response efforts, toxicity data was generated for three estuarine species indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico including juvenile Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis, white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus, and Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. The acute toxicity of the dispersant Exxon Corexit 9500, South Louisiana crude oil (SLC), Alaskan north slope crude oil (ANSC) and dispersed oils (SLC+9500 and ANSC+9500) to the species was determined for both nominal concentrations (NC) and hydrocarbon concentrations (HC). Two 24-h field toxicity trials were conducted with …


Behind The Scenes: Uncovering The Structures And Manipulations Of Tabloid Talk Show Workers, Guests And Audiences, Kelly Thompson Losch Deshotel Jan 2003

Behind The Scenes: Uncovering The Structures And Manipulations Of Tabloid Talk Show Workers, Guests And Audiences, Kelly Thompson Losch Deshotel

LSU Master's Theses

How talk show workers, guests and audiences behave behind-the-scenes is largely a mystery to the public. This research focuses on the behind-the-scenes workings of a daytime syndicated talk show to better understand the motivations of talk show guests and how talk show workers manipulate guests and audiences. While researchers have conducted studies of talk show guests using formal interviews and questionnaires, no researchers have posed as covert observers to study talk shows. The researcher conducted participant observation to study the behaviors of those involved with the on and offstage talk show structure. The researcher interned for the show without revealing …


Re-Evaluating The Mausoleum Of Galla Placidia, Lisa Onontiyoh West Jan 2003

Re-Evaluating The Mausoleum Of Galla Placidia, Lisa Onontiyoh West

LSU Master's Theses

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia has generated a lengthy bibliography over the centuries but, in spite of repeated investigations, the north and south arm barrel vaults have received almost no attention. Commentary on these areas of the mosaic program is usually brief and limited to a comparison between the appearance of the barrel vaults and patterns found in various textiles, such as carpets. This thesis seeks to fill the void in the body of scholarly research pertaining to the north and south arm barrel vaults by viewing their decorative motifs through the eyes of a fifth-century Christian. When seen from …


Macroinvertebrate Abundance And Distribution Of Hydrilla And Ceratophyllum Habitats In The Atchafalaya River Basin, Louisiana, Jose Checo Colon-Gaud Jan 2003

Macroinvertebrate Abundance And Distribution Of Hydrilla And Ceratophyllum Habitats In The Atchafalaya River Basin, Louisiana, Jose Checo Colon-Gaud

LSU Master's Theses

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) plays an important role in aquatic systems, providing shelter, breeding habitat, and epiphytic forage for numerous fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Since 1960, many lentic habitats in the southern U.S. have been invaded by Hydrilla verticillata, and in the last two decades this aggressive macrophyte has become the dominant species of SAV in the Atchafalaya River Basin in south central Louisiana. Because of its highly branched morphology and characteristically high densities, I found it difficult to quantitatively sample the macrofauna inhabiting hydrilla stands with traditional gears such as sweep nets, particularly under the canopy. As a consequence, …


Conceptualized Direct Perception: A Hybrid Theory Of Vision, Jason L. Megill Jan 2003

Conceptualized Direct Perception: A Hybrid Theory Of Vision, Jason L. Megill

LSU Master's Theses

I formulate a hybrid theory of perception, one in which the mind’s interaction with the world is a more direct affair than many suppose (no perceptual mental representations, no sense data, no Cartesian Theater), but one in which our concepts also play a role. My claims have implications for philosophical attempts to understand perception, cognitive science theories of vision, debates over the nature of consciousness, and philosophical debates concerning Artificial Intelligence.


Consumer Perception And Application Of Edible Coatings On Fresh-Cut Fruits And Vegetables, Sirisha Sonti Jan 2003

Consumer Perception And Application Of Edible Coatings On Fresh-Cut Fruits And Vegetables, Sirisha Sonti

LSU Master's Theses

Plasticized whey protein coatings have been shown to extend the shelf life of fresh produce. This thesis research was designed to determine consumer acceptance and perception of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (FCFV) and edible coatings (EC) and to determine effects of plasticized whey protein coatings on quality of fresh-cut apples. Two studies were conducted. In the first study, a questionnaire on FCFV and EC was prepared and completed by 611 consumers. The data were analyzed using Probit analysis. In the second study, physical and microbial quality of fresh-cut (FC) apples coated with three whey proteins (30% glycerol added) each at …


The Determination Of Appropriate Phosphogypsum: Class C Fly Ash : Portland Type Ii Cement Compositions For Use In Marine Applications, Pradyot Sudhakar Deshpande Jan 2003

The Determination Of Appropriate Phosphogypsum: Class C Fly Ash : Portland Type Ii Cement Compositions For Use In Marine Applications, Pradyot Sudhakar Deshpande

LSU Master's Theses

Phosphogypsum (PG, CaSO4·2H2O) is a waste by-product produced during the wet manufacturing phosphoric acid process. Phosphoric acid is manufactured by processing phosphate rock that contains relatively high concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive impurities which makes PG a radioactive material. PG also contains certain trace metals including As, Ba, Cd, Cr and Pb and radioactive contaminants such as Radium226 and Uranium238 that pose potential hazard to human health and the environment. According to USEPA, the current allowable disposal method for PG is stack piling. This research was focused on stabilizing PG with Portland Type II …


Swimming Versus Voluntary Running Exercise On Bone Health In Ovariectomized Retired Breeder Rats, Shelly Ann Duhe Jan 2003

Swimming Versus Voluntary Running Exercise On Bone Health In Ovariectomized Retired Breeder Rats, Shelly Ann Duhe

LSU Master's Theses

Physical activity may increase long bone calcium (Ca) content to preserve bone strength in postmenopausal women. This study determined the effect of compulsory swimming and voluntary running exercise on bone mineral density, bone Ca and phosphorus (P) content, and femoral neck and tibia strength in ovariectomized (OVX) retired breeder rats, as a model for postmenopausal women. Thirty-seven nine-month old Sprague Dawley rats were assigned randomly into one of four treatment groups for the nine-week study: OVX + running (OR; n=9); OVX + swimming (OS; n=10); OVX + no exercise (O; n=9); sham-surgery + no exercise (Sh; n=9). OR rats had …


Developing Risk Assessment Maps For Schistosoma Haematobium In Kenya Based On Climate Grids And Remotely Sensed Data, Kelsey Lee Mcnally Jan 2003

Developing Risk Assessment Maps For Schistosoma Haematobium In Kenya Based On Climate Grids And Remotely Sensed Data, Kelsey Lee Mcnally

LSU Master's Theses

It is important to be able to predict the potential spread of water borne diseases when building dams or redirecting rivers. This study was designed to test whether the use of a growing degree day (GDD) climate model and remotely sensed data (RS) within a geographic information system (GIS), could be used to predict both the distribution and severity of Schistosoma haematobium. Growing degree days are defined as the number of degrees centigrade over the minimum temperature required for development. The base temperature and the number of GDD required to complete one generation varies for each species. A monthly climate …


Cryopreservation By Pellet Freezing Of Epididymal And Ejaculated Spermatozoa From Male Dogs, Brooke Fahrig Jan 2003

Cryopreservation By Pellet Freezing Of Epididymal And Ejaculated Spermatozoa From Male Dogs, Brooke Fahrig

LSU Master's Theses

In this study, I evaluated the cryopreservation by pellet freezing of spermatozoa from individual dogs. In Experiment I, spermatozoa from 15 pairs of epididymides were suspended in glycerol, frozen as pellets of 10, 50, 100, or 200 μl volumes, and thawed by dilution with TALP (Tyrode's solution plus albumin, lactate, pyruvate). In Experiment II, spermatozoa from 16 pairs of epididymides were suspended in glycerol, dimethyl sulfoxide, or ethylene glycol, frozen as 100 μl pellets, and thawed by dilution with TALP, canine capacitation medium (CCM), or 3% sodium citrate solution. In Experiment III, spermatozoa from 15 pairs of epididymides were suspended …


Sustainable Agriculture And The Red Stick Farmers' Market: An Exploration Of The Use Of Concept In Design, Lawrence Christopher Campany Jan 2003

Sustainable Agriculture And The Red Stick Farmers' Market: An Exploration Of The Use Of Concept In Design, Lawrence Christopher Campany

LSU Master's Theses

This is a treatise on an attempt to translate a concept -- the driving principle of a design in the parlance of the design studios at the Louisiana State University School of Landscape Architecture -- into practice, form and function. If form follows function, as states the oft quoted proverb of design credited to Louis Sullivan, then perhaps as much attention should be given to the design of the function as the form. What this treatise will demonstrate is that function designed around a concept can result in physical manifestations, or forms, of that concept. In this case a concept …


Modeling And Evaluating Evacuation Contraflow Termination Point Designs, Yu Yik Lim Jan 2003

Modeling And Evaluating Evacuation Contraflow Termination Point Designs, Yu Yik Lim

LSU Master's Theses

Prior studies showed that most evacuation contraflow designs have never been implemented. As a result, the effectiveness of these contraflow termination point designs remains unknown. To address this problem, a microscopic traffic simulation tool, CORSIM 5.0, was used. Ten simulation models were conducted and determined the factors that affect traffic operations in the vicinity of the various planned contraflow termination point with median crossover designs. The performance of various models was ranked by statistical test in terms of the total number of vehicles processed, traffic flow, speed, density and delay. The results that were based on theoretical simulations and assumptions …


Characterizing Spatially Explicit Patterns Of Antibiotic Resistance In The Marine Environment Using Top-Level Marine Predators, Jason Kenna Blackburn Jan 2003

Characterizing Spatially Explicit Patterns Of Antibiotic Resistance In The Marine Environment Using Top-Level Marine Predators, Jason Kenna Blackburn

LSU Master's Theses

This research is the first known study to characterize spatially explicit patterns of Antibiotic Resistance (ABR) in top-level marine predators. A total of 134 viable bacteria samples were isolated from cloacal swabs of seven shark species and one teleost species and then stratified by geographic location. Samples were collected using sterile rayon-tipped culturettes and transported to the LSU-SVM for classification and antibiotic resistance analyses using the Kirby-Bauer method. Samples were characterized by Gram-stain and morphology and placed into three groups: 1) Gram-negative rods, 2) Gram-positive cocci, or 3) Gram-positive rods. Prevalence rates were calculated for each study site as the …


Reducing Phosphorus Runoff Using Poultry Litter Derived From Phytase-Amended Diets, Anserd Julius Foster Jan 2003

Reducing Phosphorus Runoff Using Poultry Litter Derived From Phytase-Amended Diets, Anserd Julius Foster

LSU Master's Theses

Surface-applied poultry litter generated using a phytase-amended diet may release less phosphorus (P) to runoff water than does litter from a conventional diet. The release of soluble reactive (SRP) and total dissolved P (TDP) from litter generated under conventional and phytase-amended diets was examined in three studies: 1) batch desorption, 2) flow-through cell, and 3) field micro-plot. In Study 1, samples of litter (10 from conventional, C, and 20 from phytase-amended, A, diets) were extracted with water at litter: water ratios from 1:5 to 1:200. Phosphorus in A litter was significantly less at the 1:10 extraction ratio; however, there was …


Biomechanical Effects Of Cyclic Loading On The Lower Back, Lakiesha Claude Jan 2003

Biomechanical Effects Of Cyclic Loading On The Lower Back, Lakiesha Claude

LSU Master's Theses

More than 30 million people in the United States may have low back pain at any time, and 10 million of them have chronic symptoms. Epidemiological studies indicate that along with axial compressive loads, other factors including repetitive twisting or lateral bending and lifting are significant risk factors for low-back disorders. Literature repeatedly confirms that cyclic occupational functions expose workers to a 10-fold increase in episodes of low back injury and pain. This study examined the biomechanical effects of cyclical loading on the lower back. Twenty in vivo feline preparations were subjected to passive cyclic loading at 20 N (n=6), …


Swimming Performance Of Juvenile Florida Pompano (Trachinotus Carolinus) And Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus Faber) Exposed To Sublethal Concentrations Of Ethylene Glycol And Methanol: Individual And Synergistic Effects, Mark Alan Stead Jan 2003

Swimming Performance Of Juvenile Florida Pompano (Trachinotus Carolinus) And Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus Faber) Exposed To Sublethal Concentrations Of Ethylene Glycol And Methanol: Individual And Synergistic Effects, Mark Alan Stead

LSU Master's Theses

Recently, new technology has pushed petrochemical exploration into increasingly deeper water (>305 m) at increased risks to marine fauna. One risk is from chemical additives used to enhance deepwater production such as ethylene glycol and methanol which are used during the production and treatment to prevent the formation of gas hydrates in deepwater wells and pipelines. Juvenile Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) were used in controlled experiments to test the effects of 3.0 % ethylene glycol (EG), 1.07 % methanol (MeOH) and a combination of the two chemicals(EG + MeOH) on swimming performance of individual fish. Swimming performance was evaluated …


Alternative Language Sample Analyses For The Assessment Of Low-Income African American Children, Christy Gayle Wynn Jan 2003

Alternative Language Sample Analyses For The Assessment Of Low-Income African American Children, Christy Gayle Wynn

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical utility of three language sample analyses when working with low-income, African American (AA) children. Eighteen normally developing and three at-risk AA three-year-old preschoolers participated in the study. Language samples were elicited from each child during a 15-20 minute play interaction. Three language sample analyses, contrastive analysis, average sentence length, and complex syntax use, were completed on each language sample. Also coded was each child’s use of nonmainstream African American English (AAE) patterns. Only the contrastive analysis generated reliable differences between the at-risk children and the normally developing children. Other group …


The Influence Of Alcohol Advertising In A Campus Newspaper On Students' Consumption Of Alcohol, Gwendolyn Anne Taylor Jan 2003

The Influence Of Alcohol Advertising In A Campus Newspaper On Students' Consumption Of Alcohol, Gwendolyn Anne Taylor

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose this study was to investigate the relationship between alcohol advertising policies in the campus newspaper, The Reveille, and students’ reported consumption of alcohol. Students’ reported consumption of alcohol was assessed using the Harvard School of Public Health’s College Alcohol Study (CAS) for the years 1997, 1999, and 2000. Five variables were used: (a) How many times have you had five or more drinks in a row? (b) During the last two weeks, how many times have you had four drinks in row, (but no more than that?) (c) The last you had four or more drinks in row, …


The Role Of Killer Joe In Tracy Letts' Killer Joe: A Production Thesis In Acting, Christopher C. Cariker Jan 2003

The Role Of Killer Joe In Tracy Letts' Killer Joe: A Production Thesis In Acting, Christopher C. Cariker

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis covers the experience of Christopher C. Cariker in his portrayal of the character Killer Joe Cooper in the play Killer Joe. It contains a character analysis, a daily record of the rehearsal process, an interview with the actor who played the original Killer Joe, Paul Dillon, a breakdown of the fight at the end of the show, acknowledgments, and thoughts/conclusions on the lessons learned throughout the experience of doing the play.