Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Hot Water Treatment Of In-Shell Pecans On Physicochemical Properties And Consumer Acceptability Of Roasted Pecan Kernels, Karuna Kharel, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy, Charles J. Graham, Achyut Adhikari

Faculty Publications

The effect of hot water pre-treatment of in-shell pecans on physicochemical properties, consumer acceptance and purchase intent of dehulled and roasted kernels was evaluated. In-shell pecans were first subjected to hot water at 70, 80 and 90 °C for 8.6, 6.6 and 4.6 min respectively and kernels were later dry roasted at 160 °C for 10 min. The physicochemical properties of hot water treated and untreated nuts, before and after roasting were determined. Furthermore, consumer acceptance and purchase intent of the roasted kernels were determined. Hot water treatment, alone and subsequent roasting had minimal effect on pecans’ physicochemical properties. Consumers …

Changes In Salivary Antimicrobial Protein Concentrations In Response To Maximal Exercise In Collegiate Swimmers, Katelyn Hardin

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Characterizing The Subcellular Localization, Activity, And Physiological Properties Of Α-Carbonic Anhydrases In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Kayla Schwartzenburg

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Nutritional Value Of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia Illucens) Used For Reptile Foods, Kimberly L. Boykin

LSU Master's Theses

Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae have been studied extensively in animal feed production, but there is limited research for non-production species, such as reptiles, despite their popularity as a calcium-rich feeder insect. The goals of this thesis were to determine the nutritive value of BSF larvae for a lizard species and as an ingredient in a diet formulated for snakes.

BSF larvae are deficient in fat soluble vitamins (A, D, and E). Using vitamin A as a test nutrient, several factors were identified that affect the success and consistency of gut loading. Based on the results, the following gut loading …

Branch Elongation And Formation Of New Stem Units As Influenced By Reductions In Leaf Photosynthetic Capacity, Shannon D. Kidombo, Thomas J. Dean

Faculty Publications

Leaf area is the primary site for photosynthesis in plants and therefore has a controlling effect on tree growth. Elongation of shoots and formation of stem units on stressed branches were investigated using a series of defoliation and shade treatments. The initial diameter and length of the branch in addition to the modifying effect of treatments on leaf area were used to assess elongation of the terminal bud. Results indicate that elongation of branch terminal shoots was significantly reduced by defoliation or shading of previous years' foliage. The number of new fascicles in the second year of growth after treatment …

Determining Nutrient Recommendations For Agricultural Crops Based On Soil And Plant Tissue Analyses Between Different Analytical Laboratories, Lauren Liuzza

LSU Master's Theses

There is limited information concerning the disparities between soil and plant tissue testing laboratories. Soil and plant tissue analyses are crucial to determining nutrient applications for agricultural field crops. Accurate fertility inputs improve crop production and long-term agricultural sustainability. The over application of nutrients can potentially decrease yields and reduce profits. A study was established in 2016 at Louisiana State University at Alexandria (LSUA) in Alexandria, Louisiana to 1) assess and compare soil and plant tissue nutrient values, ratings and recommendations between research and commercial laboratories for field corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max), and …

Antioxidant Properties Of Pecan Shell Bioactive Components Of Different Cultivars And Extraction Methods, Cameron J. Cason

LSU Master's Theses

Pecan nuts are a highly valued but underutilized crop. Pecan production generates nearly 150 million pounds of shell by-product annually in the United States, of which approximately 6 million pounds are attributed to Louisiana. Pecan shells are a rich source of various phenolic compounds with potential antioxidant properties. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of pecan variety and method of extraction on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of pecan shell extracts. A total of 20 different pecan cultivars from the same orchard, under similar growing conditions were processed to obtain defatted shell powder of …

Linking Water Quality To Aedes Aegypti And Zika In Flood-Prone Neighborhoods, Rebeca De Jesus Crespo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Sorghum Cultivar, Phenological Stage, And Fertilization On Development And Reproduction Of Melanaphis Sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Blake E. Wilson, Jeffrey Davis, Thomas Reagan, Luna Lama

Faculty Publications

The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an invasive pest of grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench (Poaceae). Since its first outbreak in sorghum in 2013, severe infestations have spread throughout the southern USA, causing major economic losses. Whereas insecticide applications can mitigate some of the pest's impacts, a sustainable ecology-based management program is needed to reduce reliance on chemical control. Two greenhouse assays examined the influence of selected host plant characteristics on M. sacchari life table parameters. We studied the effects of silicon (rates equivalent to 0 and 3,360 kg silicon per ha) and nitrogen (rates equivalent …

Louisiana Agriculture Spring, 2019

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Proximal Tubular Cell–Specific Ablation Of Carnitine Acetyltransferase Causes Tubular Disease And Secondary Glomerulosclerosis, Claudia Kruger, Trang Tiffany Nguyen, Chelsea Breaux, Alana Guillory, Margaret Mangelli, Kevin T. Fridianto, Jean Paul Kovalik, David H. Burk, Robert C. Noland, Randall Mynatt, Krisztian Stadler

Faculty Publications

© 2019 by the American Diabetes Association. Proximal tubular epithelial cells are highly energy demanding. Their energy need is covered mostly from mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. Whether derailments in fatty acid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction are forerunners of tubular damage has been suggested but is not entirely clear. Here we modeled mitochondrial overload by creating mice lacking the enzyme carnitine acetyltransferase (CrAT) in the proximal tubules, thus limiting a primary mechanism to export carbons under conditions of substrate excess. Mice developed tubular disease and, interestingly, secondary glomerulosclerosis. This was accompanied by increased levels of apoptosis regulator and fibrosis markers, increased …

Characterization Of Iron-Sulfur Cluster Proteins From Methanococcus Maripaludis, Melody Salmanian

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Virulence-Driven Trade-Offs In Disease Transmission: A Meta-Analysis*, Miguel A. Acevedo, Forrest P. Dillemuth, Andrew J. Flick, Matthew J. Faldyn, Bret D. Elderd

Faculty Publications

© 2019 The Author(s). Evolution © 2019 The Society for the Study of Evolution. The virulence–transmission trade-off hypothesis proposed more than 30 years ago is the cornerstone in the study of host–parasite co-evolution. This hypothesis rests on the premise that virulence is an unavoidable and increasing cost because the parasite uses host resources to replicate. This cost associated with replication ultimately results in a deceleration in transmission rate because increasing within-host replication increases host mortality. Empirical tests of predictions of the hypothesis have found mixed support, which cast doubt about its overall generalizability. To quantitatively address this issue, we conducted …

Evaluation Of Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis For The Assessment Of Body Composition In Individuals With Obesity, P. A. Sullivan, C. D. Still, S. T. Jamieson, C. B. Dixon, B. A. Irving, J. L. Andreacci

Faculty Publications

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare body composition measurements estimated by multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MF-BIA) with air displacement plethysmography (ADP) in individuals with obesity. Methods: Bariatric patients were recruited from Geisinger's Center for Nutrition and Weight Management Clinic in Danville, Pennsylvania. Sixty-two participants (age = 52.4 ± 9.3 years; body mass index = 38.9 ± 8.0 kg m−2) reported for a same-day testing visit. Body composition was measured using a common MF-BIA analyzer (InBody 720, Biospace Co., Beverly Hills, CA) and ADP. Results: Strong relationships were observed between MF-BIA and ADP methods (r = 0.88–0.96, P < 0.001). There were no differences between MF-BIA and ADP measures of per cent body fat, fat mass or fat-free mass for the total sample or when examined by gender. Conclusions: The InBody 720 MF-BIA analyzer produced body composition measurements that were similar to ADP supporting the use of this technology in the obese population.

Ionic Liquid Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis For Improved Separation Of Proteins And Small Egg White Peptides, Michael C. Brands

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Plant Viruses On Vectors And Non-Vector Herbivores In Three Different Pathosystems, Sunil Paudel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Plant viruses are an important component of agro-ecosystems and the knowledge of impacts they can cause on their hosts, and on different vectors and non-vector herbivores associated with the hosts, is very crucial in devising sound management strategies for virus disease and vector control in the landscape. The interactions between these components, however, are difficult to predict and vary according to the system under investigation. In order to understand some of these interrelationships, different sets of experiments were carried out in three different pathosystems to look at the impacts of plant viruses on vector and non-vector herbivores. Firstly, in Sorghum …

Productivity And Meat Quality With Meat Goat Management, Trent Drae Dugas

LSU Master's Theses

The growth of kid meat goats and their carcass and meat characteristics with monensin sodium or decoquinate coccidiostats in feed were studied. Seventy-three goats of various breeds were divided into six groups with the treatments of control, monensin and decoquinate. Half of the goats were harvested at day 45 and the rest at day 60. The second harvest monensin group had a larger percentage of the goat carcass as the hind leg (P

Supplementation of permanent pasture with sunn hemp forage or concentrate feed were compared for influences on growth, carcass traits, and meat properties of kid meat goats. Goats …

Ale Beer Containing Free And Immobilized Lactobacillus Brevis, A Potential Delivery System For Probiotics, Kriza Faye Albacite Calumba

LSU Master's Theses

Probiotic products can improve gastrointestinal health and probiotics in ale beer may be attractive to health-conscious consumers. However, the alcohol in beer may decrease probiotic viability. A powder produced from durian fruit (Durio zibethinus) rind, a by-product that is currently unutilized, contains large amounts of fiber which can be used to immobilize probiotics. The objective of this study was to produce ale beer with free Lactobacillus brevis (FLB) and immobilized cells (ILB) on durian rind powder (DRP) as a potential delivery system for probiotics. L. brevis was immobilized in DRP then the morphology of FLB and ILB was …

Efficacy Of Aqueous And Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide In Reducing Salmonella, E. Coli O157:H7, And Listeria Monocytogenes On Sweet Potatoes, Strawberries, And Blueberries, Phillip Luu

LSU Master's Theses

Chlorine dioxide, a stronger oxidizing agent, is effective against a broad spectrum of microorganisms. This study evaluated the efficacy of chlorine dioxide on reducing Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes on sweet potato (aqueous ClO₂), strawberries and blueberries (gaseous ClO₂). Sweet potatoes inoculated with multi-strain cocktails of each bacterial pathogen (10⁷ CFU/cm²) were treated with 5 ppm aqueous ClO₂ or water for 10, 20, and 30 minutes. Strawberries and blueberries spot inoculated with multi-strain cocktails of each bacterial pathogen (10⁷ CFU/g) were treated with gaseous ClO₂ sachets (63 mg/l for strawberry and 30 mg/l for blueberry) …

Source Effects Of Health Information And Digital Health Literacy Among College Students: An Elaboration Likelihood Model Perspective, Julia Morton

LSU Master's Theses

While advertising and persuasion is a widely researched area in mass communication, the impact of health marketing on consumer behavior remains a relatively new arena. The complex health information landscape online is comprised of both public health organizations seeking to improve health behaviors as well as businesses seeking to sell their products or services. It is well documented in the communication literature that the source of information can impact the recipient in a multitude of ways. Digital health literacy is undoubtedly an essential skill for anyone interacting with health information online, spurring the question, do individuals with low and high …

Sacroiliac Joint Fusion In Nulliparous And Parous Females And Males, Meredith Aulds

LSU Master's Theses

Previous research shows that sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion is age and sex dependent. Older individuals—specifically starting in the fifth or sixth decade of life—are more likely to develop SI fusion. Females have a lower frequency of SI joint fusion than males, perhaps due to pregnancy or parturition. This study examines the relationship between SI joint fusion with both sex and parity status in females. The issue is whether the prevalence of SI fusion in nulliparous females is more similar to that of males or parous females. The sample consists of 46 nulliparous females, 119 parous females, and 158 males from …

Effects Of Dietary Sugars And Sugar Alcohols On Mortality And Thermal Tolerance In Culex Quinquefasciatus And Aedes Aegypti, Madeleine Chura

LSU Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti (L. 1762), the yellow fever mosquito, and Culex quinquefasciatus Say 1823, the southern house mosquito, are prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide and are responsible for the spread of a number of devastating diseases to humans and livestock. The development of new control methods, as well as continued study of mosquito biology, is vital for improving human health. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of sugar alcohols as a novel means for mosquito control, as well as how sugar alcohols and other factors are involved in thermal tolerance in mosquitoes.

No-choice tests with the sugar alcohols …

Naus, Justin Greene

LSU Master's Theses

A collection of poems and nonfiction vignettes, naus entails a navigation of my experience with Tourette Syndrome and, consequently, what it can mean to have a noisy body. Rather than situate noise as a negatively construed iteration of sound, I contend that, following the work of Michel Serres, it is instead a disruption within a system, a parasitical interception, an affective force that has the potential to alter the positions and orientations of a given constellation of bodies, human or otherwise. Similar to how sound, as a verb, can be understood as “to fathom” or “to make sense of,” naus …

Estimating Sex Using The Human Mandibular Canine, Brittney Blevins

LSU Master's Theses

Sexual dimorphism can be quantified in human mandibular canines; therefore, these teeth can be used to estimate sex of skeletonized individuals. This study complements and expands previous research by comparing mesiodistal diameter (MD), buccolingual diameter (BL), and crown area of human mandibular canines. Measurements were taken from a sample of skeletal individuals from the Terry Collection (n=677), the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology Skeletal Collection (n=86), and a random sample of dental casts from the James K. Economides Orthodontic Case File (JKE, n=624), for a total study sample of 741 males and 677 females. Both left and right canines were measured, …

Blueberry Pectin-Anthocyanin Binding Kinetics And Stability Under In Vitro Digestion, Jee Won Koh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Blueberry pectins were sequentially extracted from highbush blueberry powder and precipitated in alcohol to obtain water soluble fraction (WSF) and chelator soluble fraction (CSF). WSF was high methoxyl pectin (degree of esterification: 53), rich in in neutral sugars (40 mol%), and had less negative charge (-21 mV) whereas CSF was low methoxyl pectin (degree of esterification: 21), rich in uronic acids (92 mol%), and had lower negative charge ( -26 mV).

The stability of blueberry pectin-anthocyanin complex was investigated under simulated in vitro digestion. Binding of blueberry pectins with three anthocyanin standards (malvidin-3-glucoside; M3G, cyanidin-3-glucoside; C3G, and delphinidin-3-glucoside; D3G) and …

Sensory Analysis For Determining The Influence Of Visual Stimuli Upon Eating Experiences, Pitchayapat Chonpracha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Consumers are currently more conscious about salt and sugar intake than they were in the past. Visual cues have been shown to impact consumers’ cognitive and their taste perceptions. Current research information about visual cues enhancing human’s tastes expectation of saltiness and sweetness is limited. The sophisticated sensory analysis for products containing a reduced amount of salt and sugar is undoubtedly time–consuming and costly if the sensory experiment is designed with many samples. Therefore, the following three studies were achieved: I) an examination of how intrinsic and extrinsic visual cues affect the overall consumer eating experiences; II) a comparison of …

Fate Of Selected Pollutants Of Concern On Particulate Matter (Pm) Surface, Ajit Ghimire

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research focuses on the environmental fate of particle associated pollutants such as Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (EPFRs) with a special emphasis on their transformation due to interaction with a matrix or co-pollutants. It encompasses two approaches to the stated problems: analysis of samples collected in the environment and laboratory simulation of the molecular transformations.

The PBDE studies relied on the ambient air Particulate Matter (PM) samples collected from Bangkok, Thailand. Results showed the presence of various PBDE homologs from tri- to hepta-PBDEs on both PM_2.5and Total Suspended Particle (TSP) …

Effect Of Environmental Factors And Residual Sanitizers On Survival And Attachment Of Indicator Organism And Human Pathogens On Fresh Produce, Vijay Singh Chhetri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A comprehensive understanding of the behavior of microbial contaminants on produce surfaces in agricultural farms and during post-harvest activities is essential for the development of produce safety risk management strategies. Our studies investigated the survival and the attachment of E. coli on watermelon surfaces in agricultural settings with different levels of vegetation, and the effect of residual sanitizers on the survival and the attachment of E. coli O157: H7 and L. monocytogenes on spinach leaves. The attachment strength (S_R) of the E. coli cells on watermelon surfaces significantly increased (P<0.05) from 0.04 to 0.99 in the first 24 h, which was primarily due to the decrease in loosely attached population, given that the population of strongly attached cells was constant. The daily die-off rate of E. coli ranged from -0.12 …

Mechanisms To Regulate Genes Encoding Clinically Relevant Multidrug Transporters At The Crossroads Of Antibiotic Resistance And Oxidative Stress Detection, Afsana Sabrin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Regulators (MarRs) are DNA binding proteins involved in bacterial survival and pathogenesis. My PhD dissertation focuses on a MarR homolog, OstR, which regulates genes encoding major multidrug transporters, a resistance-nodulation-division (RND) and an E. coli multidrug resistance B (EmrB) efflux pump homolog in Burkholderia thailandensis. The ostR gene is divergently oriented from genes encoding a hypothetical protein (Hyp) and an RND transporter and adjacent to a gene encoding an EmrB transporter. OstR binds to the promoters of each gene (K_d = 64.9 ± 8.0 nM, K_d = 126.1 ± 10.9 nM and K …

Can Assisted Reproductive Technologies Help Conserve 300 Million Years Of Evolution? A First Attempt At Developing These Technologies For Male Reptiles, Sean M. Perry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Biodiversity loss is the most critical environmental problem threatening ecosystem, animal, and human health today. Increases in extinction rates have been observed over the past 50 years, with reptile losses occurring twelve times faster than traditional extinction rates. This demonstrated biodiversity loss is secondary to climate change, habitat destruction, infectious disease, invasive species, poaching, and unsustainable trade. Approximately 20% of all reptiles are threatened with extinction and population declines are approaching rates similar to the current amphibian extinction crisis. Preventing the extinction of reptiles will require humans to acknowledge these losses and develop plans to preserve these evolutionary sentinel species. …