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Phenotypic And Niche Evolution In The Antbirds (Aves: Thamnophilidae), Gustavo Adolfo Bravo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A pervasive goal in evolutionary biology has been to address why some clades are richer in species or phenotypic diversity than others. The Thamnophilidae is a large family of insectivorous passerine birds that provides great opportunities to study variation in species and phenotypic diversity. It comprises ca. 220 species that are mostly restricted to the lowlands and lower montane forests of the Neotropics. Its species are diverse in body size and shape, and the family exhibits high species richness, especially in Amazonian forests, where as many as 40 species may co-occur. Therefore, the fundamental research goal of my dissertation is …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Racial Climate In An Academic Unit At A Predominantly White, Southern Institution, Mark A. Dochterman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research describes faculty of color as a key to an equitable future for higher education. However, this approach problematically places the responsibility for multiculturalism on the shoulders of these individuals. This embedded, critical case study explored the racial climate of an academic unit in a southern, predominantly white institution. Through the lens of critical race theory I examined how the racial climate of the unit impacted the perceptions, roles, and relationships differently for faculty of color, doctoral students of color, white faculty, and white doctoral students and how the case in question exemplified Rankin and Reason’s (2008) six dimensions of …

Equipped To Serve Our Youth: A Phenomenological Study Of 4-H Extension Youth Educators' Perceptions Of The Value Of Mentoring, Allison Ann Bruchhaus

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Challenging economic times and increasingly complex social contexts intensify the demand for organizations to focus on areas of human resource development that positively contribute to developmental relationships of employees. One such method is the implementation of a formal mentoring program. Mentoring is especially important for 4-H youth educators. Youth educators are usually specialized in program development among other areas and plan, implement, and evaluate programs with the intent of bettering the quality of life for youth. The dynamics of working with today’s youth mandate effective professional development and developmental relationships for career enhancement. This study was developed for the researcher …

Natural Hazards, Risk Analysis And Emergency Preparedness: Applying Spatial Methods In Disaster Risk Management Applying Spatial Methods In Disaster Risk Management, Henrike Brecht

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Losses from natural hazards have been increasing steadily over the last decades. Yet, tools exist that can reduce risks to disasters and prevent hazards from turning into disasters. This study is intended to contribute to a reversal of the staggering economic losses by advancing the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the field of disaster risk management. Organized as a series of papers for publication, the dissertation first sets the stage by presenting a case study on Louisiana and its vulnerability to hurricanes. Thereafter, it examines and contributes to two fields that have proven to save lives and lower …

Trans-Atlantic Circulation Of Black Tropes: Èsù And The West African Griot As Poetic References For Liberation In Cultures Of The African Diaspora, Jean-Baptiste Meunier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My dissertation, under the direction of Dr Pius Ngandu Nkashama explores the spread of African rhetorical tropes in the Atlantic world. Building on Henry Louis Gates theory of Signifying, I use the West African God of fate Èsù and the West African cultural figure of the griot as cultural referents for the persistence of African tropes in the New World and their subsequent dissemination throughout the Atlantic world. Analyzing those two West African referents and their connections to New World cultures such as Afro-Brazilian capoeira angola, hip hop and African-American poetry, I attempt to demonstrate the centrality of the trope …

The Effect Of The Geomagnetic Field On Cosmic Ray Energy Estimates And Large Scale Anisotropy Searches On Data From The Pierre Auger Observatory, P. Abreu, M. Aglietta, E. J. Ahn, I. F.M. Albuquerque, D. Allard, I. Allekotte, J. Allen, P. Allison, J. Alvarez Castillo, J. Alvarez-Muñiz, M. Ambrosio, A. Aminaei, L. Anchordoqui, S. Andringa, T. Antičić, A. Anzalone, C. Aramo, E. Arganda, F. Arqueros, H. Asorey, P. Assis, J. Aublin, M. Ave, M. Avenier, G. Avila, T. Bäcker, M. Balzer, K. B. Barber, A. F. Barbosa, R. Bardenet, S. L.C. Barroso, B. Baughman, J. Bäuml

Faculty Publications

We present a comprehensive study of the influence of the geomagnetic field on the energy estimation of extensive air showers with a zenith angle smaller than 60°, detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The geomagnetic field induces an azimuthal modulation of the estimated energy of cosmic rays up to the ∼ 2% level at large zenith angles. We present a method to account for this modulation of the reconstructed energy. We analyse the effect of the modulation on large scale anisotropy searches in the arrival direction distributions of cosmic rays. At a given energy, the geomagnetic effect is shown to …

Lineage Diversification And Morphological Evolution In A Large-Scale Continental Radiation: The Neotropical Ovenbirds And Woodcreepers (Aves: Furnariidae), Elizabeth P. Derryberry, Santiago Claramunt, Graham Derryberry, R. Terry Chesser, Joel Cracraft, Alexandre Aleixo, Jorge Pérez-Emán, J. V. Remsen, Robb T. Brumfield

Faculty Publications

Patterns of diversification in species-rich clades provide insight into the processes that generate biological diversity. We tested different models of lineage and phenotypic diversification in an exceptional continental radiation, the ovenbird family Furnariidae, using the most complete species-level phylogenetic hypothesis produced to date for a major avian clade (97% of 293 species). We found that the Furnariidae exhibit nearly constant rates of lineage accumulation but show evidence of constrained morphological evolution. This pattern of sustained high rates of speciation despite limitations on phenotypic evolution contrasts with the results of most previous studies of evolutionary radiations, which have found a pattern …

Functional Genomics Of Physiological Plasticity And Local Adaptation In Killifish, Andrew Whitehead, Fernando Galvez, Shujun Zhang, Larissa M. Williams, Marjorie F. Oleksiak

Faculty Publications

Evolutionary solutions to the physiological challenges of life in highly variable habitats can span the continuum from evolution of a cosmopolitan plastic phenotype to the evolution of locally adapted phenotypes. Killifish (Fundulus sp.) have evolved both highly plastic and locally adapted phenotypes within different selective contexts, providing a comparative system in which to explore the genomic underpinnings of physiological plasticity and adaptive variation. Importantly, extensive variation exists among populations and species for tolerance to a variety of stressors, and we exploit this variation in comparative studies to yield insights into the genomic basis of evolved phenotypic variation. Notably, species of …

Networks In The Legislative Arena: How Group Dynamics Affect Cosponsorship, Kathleen A. Bratton, Stella M. Rouse

Faculty Publications

In this study, we explore the determinants of cosponsorship activity within state legislatures. Utilizing a social dynamic framework, we develop and test a model of the interplay of the activities of sponsorship and cosponsorship that includes both individual-level and social network characteristics as determinants of agenda-setting behavior; the latter demonstrating how collaboration and mutual interests shape the agenda-setting process. We find several consistent factors that influence the frequency of cosponsorship activity: (1) ideological distance, (2) proximity of legislators' districts, (3) homophily (similar characteristics such as race, gender, and ethnicity), and (4) transitivity (the idea that friends of my friends are …

Spatial Ecology Of The Palm-Leaf Skeletonizer, Homaledra Sabelella (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae), James T. Cronin

Faculty Publications

Understanding the processes that determine the distribution of populations is a fundamental goal in ecology. In this study, I determined the relative contribution of space and the biotic and abiotic environment to the distribution of the palm-leaf skeletonizer Homaledra sabalella (PLS; Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae) among patchily distributed dwarf palmettos (Sabal minor; Arecaceae). Based on surveys conducted at two sites in the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, Louisiana, I found that the distribution of the PLS was primarily related to local environmental conditions - number of PLS increased with palmetto height, was greater in dry versus wet habitats, and varied in an inconsistent …

Fire Ant Decapitating Fly Cooperative Release Programs (1994-2008): Two Pseudacteon Species, P. Tricuspis And P. Curvatus, Rapidly Expand Across Imported Fire Ant Populations In The Southeastern United States, Anne Marie A. Callcott, Sanford D. Porter, Ronald D. Weeks, L. C. Fudd Graham, Seth J. Johnson, Lawrence E. Gilbert

Faculty Publications

Natural enemies of the imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren S. richteri Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and their hybrid, include a suite of more than 20 fire ant decapitating phorid flies from South America in the genus Pseudacteon. Over the past 12 years, many researchers and associates have cooperated in introducing several species as classical or self-sustaining biological control agents in the United States. As a result, two species of flies, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier and P. curvatus Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), are well established across large areas of the southeastern United States. Whereas many researchers have published local and state information about …

Plexus: A New Model For New Orleans Public Healthcare, Jonathan Lejune

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Coming Of Age In Louisiana, Black And White Southern Womanhood, Christina Jones

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

What Readers Want: Motivation, Interaction, And Value As Key Factors Influencing The Future Of Book Publishing, Stephanie A. Stevens

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Unfolding The Graticule Of The Microcontext, Mari Claire Russ

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Dental Genetic Traits Of Selected Maya Burials From Wild Cane Cay And Moho Cay, Belize, Kelly Heim

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

I Will Return As Millions: Bolivia’S Experiment With Neoliberalism And Decentralization, James Stowe

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

“Human Rights, Development, And Global Justice”, Ian Cruise

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Newsletter, April 2011, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

LSU Faculty Senate Publications

Message from President: In my last “welcome” column, I addressed the question of Louisiana universities after the economic crisis, suggesting a variety of adjustments that would increase morale and promote economic justice in institutions that reward fashion and momentary stellar performances more often than they recognize adventurous dissent or long-term projects. Although not inexhaustible, the topic of higher education after our present calamities merits a bit more consideration, especially with regard to structural changes that might advance our institution even in the midst of economic distress. Having commenced its career as the cultural equivalent of a fortification, LSU has always …

The Sacrum Of The Poole-Rose Ossuary: Health Status, Variation, And Demography, Elizabeth A. Moffett

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Sediment History From K‟Ak‟ Naab‟ Column Sample 2: Human-Environment Interaction At A Classic Period Maya Salt Works Site, Jessica Harrison

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Middle Eastern Conflict And Syrian Economic Policy, Emily Halk

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Nuclear Versus Mitochondrial Dna: Evidence For Hybridization In Colobine Monkeys, Christian Roos, Dietmar Zinner, Laura S. Kubatko, Christiane Schwarz, Mouyu Yang, Dirk Meyer, Stephen D. Nash, Jinchuan Xing, Mark A. Batzer, Markus Brameier, Fabian H. Leendertz, Thomas Ziegler, Dyah Perwitasari-Farajallah, Tilo Nadler, Lutz Walter, Martin Osterholz

Faculty Publications

Background: Colobine monkeys constitute a diverse group of primates with major radiations in Africa and Asia. However, phylogenetic relationships among genera are under debate, and recent molecular studies with incomplete taxon-sampling revealed discordant gene trees. To solve the evolutionary history of colobine genera and to determine causes for possible gene tree incongruences, we combined presence/absence analysis of mobile elements with autosomal, X chromosomal, Y chromosomal and mitochondrial sequence data from all recognized colobine genera. Results: Gene tree topologies and divergence age estimates derived from different markers were similar, but differed in placing Piliocolobus/Procolobus and langur genera among colobines. Although insufficient …

Troubled Waters Of The Gulf Of Mexico, N.N. Rabalais

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Mississippi River Campaign, 1861-1863: The Struggle For Control Of The Western Waters, Thomas A. Deblack

Civil War Book Review

Navigating the Mississippi River Campaign

A recent documentary on the Civil War noted that the first two years of the war were a virtual stalemate. That was true only in regard to events in the Eastern Theater. As Benton Rain Patterson makes clear in The Mississippi River Campaign,....

Cwbr Author Interview: The Union War, Gary Gallagher

Civil War Book Review

Interview with Dr. Gary Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia

Interviewed by Nathan Buman

Civil War Book Review (CWBR): Today, I'm delighted to be joined by Gary Gallagher who is John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia to discuss his most recent book The Union War. Professor Gallagher, thank you for talking with us today. Gary Gallagher (GG): Thanks for inviting me.

How Incipient Colonies Create Territory: The Textual Surveys Of New Spain, 1520s–1620s, Andrew Sluyter, Richard Hunter

Faculty Publications

The study of colonial surveying and cartography has become key to understanding the history of European colonialism because of the recognition that land surveys and maps not only represent territory but form part of the process through which territory comes into being. While many studies have therefore focused on the history of instrumental surveying and cartography in New Spain, roughly equivalent to present-day Mexico, between the seventeenth and twentieth century, the textual surveys of the sixteenth century that helped to bring the initial colonial territory into being have gone largely unstudied. Content analysis of textual land surveys included in sixteenth-century …

A Multiple Additive Regression Tree Analysis Of Three Exposure Measures During Hurricane Katrina, Andrew Curtis, Bin Li, Brian D. Marx, Jacqueline W. Mills, John Pine

Faculty Publications

This paper analyses structural and personal exposure to Hurricane Katrina. Structural exposure is measured by flood height and building damage; personal exposure is measured by the locations of 911 calls made during the response. Using these variables, this paper characterises the geography of exposure and also demonstrates the utility of a robust analytical approach in understanding health-related challenges to disadvantaged populations during recovery. Analysis is conducted using a contemporary statistical approach, a multiple additive regression tree (MART), which displays considerable improvement over traditional regression analysis. By using MART, the percentage of improvement in R-squares over standard multiple linear regression ranges …

Components, Volume 7 (2011), Lsu Center For Computation & Technology

Components

No abstract provided.

The Roots Of Rough Justice: Origins Of American Lynching, Michael A. Trotti

Civil War Book Review

Seeking the Roots of Violence

This slender volume – a prequel to Pfeifer’s Rough Justice: Lynching and American Society, 1874-1947 – engages with important historical questions and issues: connections between lynching and older Anglo-American traditions of popular justice and, pa....