Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Influencing The Perceived Usefulness Of An Information Delivery Website Among The United States Resident Viewership, Frederick Joseph Piazza

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the World Wide Web (Web) has become a major media outlet for disseminating information. Government and Higher Education institutions have both embraced Web technologies to serve the needs of their clientele. Thus, a method of developing targeted Web-based material that is optimized for the viewer to provide the greatest impact in terms of usefulness is needed. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic characteristics on the perception of usefulness among United States resident viewers of an information delivery website. The accessible population for this study was all viewers …

Numerical Modeling For Long Term Performance Of Soil-Bentonite Cut-Off Walls In Unsaturated Soil Zone, Sukanta Chakraborty

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The construction practices of containment walls are extremely important in this competitive economic market, but development is limited. Unsaturated zone is an integral part of the geotechnical problems, as it affects on any kind of soils structures. The unsaturated zone plays significant role in many aspects of water flow and contaminant transport, including containment system such as: cut-off walls, infiltration, soil moisture storage, evaporation, plant water uptake, ground water recharge, erosion, and runoff. This research focuses on the hydraulic sustainability and performance of soil-bentonite cutoff walls (Britton et al, 2004) models showing hydraulic behavior of barrier walls. The cutoff …

Building Codes: Mapping Technology And Tradition, James David West

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the crossroads between printmaking and digital technology as our culture shifts towards a more digital media focused existence. As technology shifts art-making more and more away from the analog creation process towards a more digitally mediated one, printmaking’s history stands out among other traditional mediums as well suited to embrace the transition whole-heartedly. By using the analogies of the matrix, the map, and the building, this body of work creates a bridge from the historical and time-tested approaches of printmaking towards the future of the art form; a chimera of technology and tradition.

Mechanistic Foam Modeling And Simulations: Gas Injection During Surfactant-Alternating-Gas Processes Using Foam-Catastrophe Theory, Ali Afsharpoor

LSU Master's Theses

The use of foam for mobility control is a promising means to improve sweep efficiency in subsurface applications such as improved/enhanced oil recovery and aquifer remediation. Foam can be introduced into geological formations by injecting gas and surfactant solutions simultaneously or alternatively. Alternating gas and surfactant solutions, which is often referred to as surfactant-alternating-gas (SAG) process, is known to effectively create fine-textured strong foams due to fluctuation in capillary pressure. Recent studies show that foam rheology in porous media can be characterized by foam-catastrophe theory which exhibits three foam states (weak-foam, strong-foam, and intermediate states) and two strong-foam regimes (high-quality …

Uva-Induced Photo Recovery During Early Zebrafish Embryogenesis, Qiaoxiang Dong, W. Todd Monroe, Terrence R. Tiersch, Kurt R. Svoboda

Faculty Publications

DNA photorepair has been widely studied in simple aquatic organisms that live in the marine environment, but is less understood in more complex species that live in freshwater. In the present study, we evaluated UVA-induced DNA photo recovery in embryonic stages of zebrafish, Danio rerio, a freshwater model species. Evaluation of UVB exposure and UVA photo recovery of zebrafish embryos revealed different UVB tolerances and capacities for UVA photo recovery at different stages of development. Effective UVA photo recovery was observed at 3 h post-fertilization (hpf), 6-7 hpf, and 12 hpf, but not in the early cleavage stage (2-32 cells). …

Two Evolutionarily Conserved Sequence Elements For Peg3/Usp29 Transcription, Jeong Do Kim, Sungryul Yu, Jung Ha Choo, Joomyeong Kim

Faculty Publications

Background: Two evolutionarily Conserved Sequence Elements, CSE1 and CSE2 (YY1 binding sites), are found within the 3.8-kb CpG island surrounding the bidirectional promoter of two imprinted genes, Peg3 (Paternally expressed gene 3) and Usp29 (Ubiquitin-specific protease 29). This CpG island is a likely ICR (Imprinting Control Region) that controls transcription of the 500-kb genomic region of the Peg3 imprinted domain. Results: The current study investigated the functional roles of CSE1 and CSE2 in the transcriptional control of the two genes, Peg3 and Usp29, using cell line-based promoter assays. The mutation of 6 YY1 binding sites (CSE2) reduced the transcriptional activity …

Identification Of Adropin As A Secreted Factor Linking Dietary Macronutrient Intake With Energy Homeostasis And Lipid Metabolism, K. Ganesh Kumar, James L. Trevaskis, Daniel D. Lam, Gregory M. Sutton, Robert A. Koza, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Pamela M. Rogers, Robert A. Kesterson, Marie Thearle, Anthony W. Ferrante, Randall L. Mynatt, Thomas P. Burris, Jesse Z. Dong, Heather A. Halem, Michael D. Culler, Lora K. Heisler, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Andrew A. Butler

Faculty Publications

Obesity and nutrient homeostasis are linked by mechanisms that are not fully elucidated. Here we describe a secreted protein, adropin, encoded by a gene, Energy Homeostasis Associated (Enho), expressed in liver and brain. Liver Enho expression is regulated by nutrition: lean C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet (HFD) exhibited a rapid increase, while fasting reduced expression compared to controls. However, liver Enho expression declines with diet-induced obesity (DIO) associated with 3 months of HFD or with genetically induced obesity, suggesting an association with metabolic disorders in the obese state. In DIO mice, transgenic overexpression or systemic adropin treatment attenuated hepatosteatosis and …

Identification Of Adropin As A Secreted Factor Linking Dietary Macronutrient Intake With Energy Homeostasis And Lipid Metabolism, K. Ganesh Kumar, James L. Trevaskis, Daniel D. Lam, Gregory M. Sutton, Robert A. Koza, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Pamela M. Rogers, Robert A. Kesterson, Marie Thearle, Anthony W. Ferrante, Randall L. Mynatt, Thomas P. Burris, Jesse Z. Dong, Heather A. Halem, Michael D. Culler, Lora K. Heisler, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Andrew A. Butler

Faculty Publications

Obesity and nutrient homeostasis are linked by mechanisms that are not fully elucidated. Here we describe a secreted protein, adropin, encoded by a gene, Energy Homeostasis Associated (Enho), expressed in liver and brain. Liver Enho expression is regulated by nutrition: lean C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet (HFD) exhibited a rapid increase, while fasting reduced expression compared to controls. However, liver Enho expression declines with diet-induced obesity (DIO) associated with 3 months of HFD or with genetically induced obesity, suggesting an association with metabolic disorders in the obese state. In DIO mice, transgenic overexpression or systemic adropin treatment attenuated hepatosteatosis and …

Escherichia Coli Ftna Acts As An Iron Buffer For Re-Assembly Of Iron-Sulfur Clusters In Response To Hydrogen Peroxide Stress, Jacob P. Bitoun, Genfu Wu, Huangen Ding

Faculty Publications

Iron-sulfur clusters are one of the most ubiquitous redox centers in biology. Ironically, iron-sulfur clusters are highly sensitive to reactive oxygen species. Disruption of iron-sulfur clusters will not only change the activity of proteins that host iron-sulfur clusters, the iron released from the disrupted iron-sulfur clusters will further promote the production of deleterious hydroxyl free radicals via the Fenton reaction. Here, we report that ferritin A (FtnA), a major iron-storage protein in Escherichia coli, is able to scavenge the iron released from the disrupted iron-sulfur clusters and alleviates the production of hydroxyl free radicals. Furthermore, we find that the iron …

Rocking The Vote: An Analysis Of What Makes The Millennial Generation Vote And The Correlation Of Civic Engagement To Empathy, Gabrielle Michelle Martinez

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Tfiiic Binding Sites Function As Both Heterochromatin Barriers And Chromatin Insulators In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Tiffany A. Simms, Sandra L. Dugas, Jason C. Gremillion, Megan E. Ibos, M. Nicole Dandurand, Tasha T. Toliver, Daniel J. Edwards, David Donze

Faculty Publications

Chromosomal sites of RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcription have been demonstrated to have "extratranscriptional" functions, as the assembled Pol III complex can act as chromatin boundaries or pause sites for replication forks, can alter nucleosome positioning or affect transcription of neighboring genes, and can play a role in sister chromatid cohesion. Several studies have demonstrated that assembled Pol III complexes block the propagation of heterochromatin-mediated gene repression. Here we show that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae tRNA genes (tDNAs) and even partially assembled Pol III complexes containing only the transcription factor TFIIIC can exhibit chromatin boundary functions both as heterochromatin barriers …

Magnetism And Homogenization Of Microresonators, Robert V. Kohn, Stephen P. Shipman

Faculty Publications

Arrays of cylindrical metal microresonators embedded in a dielectric matrix were proposed by Pendry et al. [IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., 47 (1999), pp. 2075.2084] as a means of creating a microscopic structure that exhibits strong bulk magnetic behavior at frequencies not realized in nature. This behavior arises for H-polarized fields in the quasi-static regime, in which the scale of the microstructure is much smaller than the free-space wavelength of the fields. We carry out both formal and rigorous two-scale homogenization analyses, paying special attention to the appropriate method of averaging, which does not involve the usual cell averages. We …

Three-Dimensional Seismic Analysis Of High-Amplitude Anomalies In The Shallow Subsurface Of The Northern Indus Fan: Sedimentary And/Or Fluid Origin, Géròme Calvès, Mads Huuse, Anne Schwab, Peter Clift

Faculty Publications

We report on a detailed analysis of amplitude anomalies in three-dimensional (3D) seismic reflection data and their surrounding strata in the shallow subsurface of the northern part of the Indus Submarine Fan, Arabian Sea. Our analysis reveals the presence of distributary lobe complexes and a relict fluid migration system, including a buried mud volcano, linked to contractional anticlines overlying deep-seated strike-slip faults buried below the Indus slope. Building on a regional tectonic and stratigraphic framework, we have used a 3D seismic survey to map in detail the occurrence of high-amplitude anomalies in the shallow subsurface. We link these to gas …

Synthesis And Spectroelectrochemistry Of N-Cobaltacarborane Porphyrin Conjugates, Erhong Hao, Min Zhang, E. Wenbo, Karl M. Kadish, Frank R. Fronczek, Brandy H. Courtney, M. Graça H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

N-Substituted porphyrins are well-known for the distortion they exhibit of the porphyrin plane through the sp3 hybridization of one of the pyrrolenic units. They have served as model compounds in investigations of many biochemical processes. In this paper, we developed an efficient route to N-substituted porphyrins, and report the synthesis of a series of new N-substituted cobaltacarborane - porphyrins containing one or two cobaltabisdicarbollide anions linked by (CH2CH2O) 2 chains to either the core porphyrin nitrogens or to a meso-aminophenyl group. These conjugates show different degrees of distortion of the porphyrin macrocycle, which affect their spectroscopic and electrochemical properties. In …

Restoration Of Dredged Canals In Wetlands: A Comparison Of Methods, Joseph Baustian, R. Eugene Turner, Nancy F. Walters, David P. Muth

Faculty Publications

A comparison of two methods for restoring dredged canals to wetlands was examined at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve’s Barataria Preserve Unit near New Orleans, LA. Both northern and southern canals had the remnant dredged spoil material returned to the canal, but the southern canal had additional sediment pumped in from a nearby lake. The water depth in the southern canal shallowed significantly from 1.2 to 0.4 m following backfilling and sediment addition, while the depth of the northern canal (which received no additional sediment) remained unchanged following backfilling. Neither site had complete soil restoration, but the …

Drought Stress And Preharvest Aflatoxin Contamination In Agricultural Commodity: Genetics, Genomics And Proteomics, Baozhu Guo, Zhi Yuan Chen, R. Dewey Lee, Brian T. Scully

Faculty Publications

Throughout the world, aflatoxin contamination is considered one of the most serious food safety issues concerning health. Chronic problems with preharvest aflatoxin contamination occur in the southern US, and are particularly troublesome in corn, peanut, cottonseed, and tree nuts. Drought stress is a major factor to contribute to preharvest aflatoxin contamination. Recent studies have demonstrated higher concentration of defense or stress-related proteins in corn kernels of resistant genotypes compared with susceptible genotypes, suggesting that preharvest field condition (drought or not drought) influences gene expression differently in different genotypes resulting in different levels of "end products": PR(pathogenesis-related) proteins in the mature …

Toll-Like Receptor 2 Recognition Of The Microsporidia Encephalitozoon Spp. Induces Nuclear Translocation Of Nf-Κb And Subsequent Inflammatory Responses, Jeffrey Fischer, Colby Suire, Hollie Hale-Donze

Faculty Publications

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites that are ubiquitous in nature and have been recognized as causing an important emerging disease among immunocompromised individuals. Limited knowledge exists about the immune response against these organisms, and virtually nothing is known about the receptors involved in host recognition. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are pattern recognition receptors that bind to specific molecules found on pathogens and signal a variety of inflammatory responses. In this study, we show that both Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis are preferentially recognized by TLR2 and not by TLR4 in primary human macrophages. This is the first demonstration of host receptor …

Louisiana Agriculture Fall, 2008, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Combustion Byproducts And Their Health Effects: Summary Of The 10 Th International Congress, Barry Dellinger, Antonio D'Alessio, Andrea D'Anna, Anna Ciajolo, Brian Gullett, Heather Henry, Mel Keener, Jo Ann Lighty, Slawomir Lomnicki, Donald Lucas, Günter Oberdörster, Demetrio Pitea, William Suk, Adel Sarofim, Kirk R. Smith, Tobias Stoeger, Paige Tolbert, Ron Wyzga, Ralf Zimmermann

Faculty Publications

The 10th International Congress on Combustion Byproducts and their Health Effects was held in Ischia, Italy, from June 17-20, 2007. It is sponsored by the US NIEHS, NSF, Coalition for Responsible Waste Incineration (CRWI), and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The congress focused on: the origin, characterization, and health impacts of combustion-generated fine and ultrafine particles; emissions of mercury and dioxins, and the development/application of novel analytical/diagnostic tools. The consensus of the discussion was that particle-associated organics, metals, and persistent free radicals (PFRs) produced by combustion sources are the likely source of the observed health impacts of airborne PM rather …

Faculty Senate Resolution 08-15, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

LSU Faculty Senate Publications

Faculty Senate Resolution commending the Emergency Operations Center, adopted on September 10, 2008.

Awaiting The Heavenly Country: The Civil War And America's Culture Of Death, Robert C. Kenzer

Civil War Book Review

Death and Dying in the Civil War