Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Self-Reported Physical Activity Levels On The Prediction Of Body Fatness From Bmi In White And Black College Students, Michael Zanovec

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that self-reported physical activity (PA) levels quantified from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) could be used to improve the prediction of percent body fat (%BF) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) from body mass index (BMI), gender, and race in White and Black college students. A total of 278 students, aged 18 – 24 yr, volunteered to participate. There were 133 males (85 White and 48 Black) and 145 females (77 White and 68 Black). Total activity levels were quantified in MET-hours per week (MET-hrs•wk-1) using the IPAQ short …

An Evaluation Of The Perceived Obstacles For Policy Officials Regulating The Post Harvest Treatment Of Raw Oysters To Control The Human Health Vibrio Vulnificus Problem, Amy Leah Oestringer

LSU Master's Theses

Vibrio vulnificus is the leading pathogen linked to seafood-associated deaths. This naturally occurring marine bacterium presents a human health risk when it is consumed in raw oysters. Hospitalization is necessary in 90 % Vibrio vulnificus illnesses and 40% end in death. (CDC) Several guidelines and regulations have been enacted to combat this human health issue, but have failed to reduce the steadily rising illness rate. Post-harvest processing requirements for raw oysters could be used to reduce illness rates. A survey was conducted to measure the perceived obstacles that regulators and industry representatives of the raw oyster industry face in policymaking …

Fractionation Of The Rice Bran Layer And Quantification Of Vitamin E, Oryzanol, Protein, And Rice Bran Saccharide, Rebecca Schramm, Alicia Abadie, Na Hua, Zhimin Xu, Marybeth Lima

Faculty Publications

Value-added processing with respect to rice milling has traditionally treated the rice bran layer as a homogenous material that contains significant concentrations of high-value components of interest for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Investigators have shown that high-value components in the rice bran layer vary from differences in kernel-thickness, bran fraction, rice variety, and environmental conditions during the growing season. The objectives of this study were to quantify the amount of rice bran removed at pre-selected milling times and to correlate the amount of rice bran removed at each milling time with the concentration of vitamin E, gamma-oryzanol, rice bran saccharide, …

From Population Sources To Sieves: The Matrix Alters Host-Parasitoid Source-Sink Structure, James T. Cronin

Faculty Publications

Field experiments that examine the impact of immigration, emigration, or landscape structure (e.g., the composition of the matrix) on the source-sink dynamics of fragmented populations are scarce. Here, planthoppers (Prokelisia crocea) and egg parasitoids (Anagrus columbi) were released among host-plant patches that varied in structural (caged, isolated, or in a network of other patches) and functional (mudflat matrix that impedes dispersal vs. brome-grass matrix that facilitates dispersal) connectivity. Planthoppers and parasitoids on caged patches exhibited density-dependent growth rates, achieved high equilibrium densities, and rarely went extinct. Therefore, experimental cordgrass patches were classified as population sources. Because access to immigrants did …

Rediscovering Civil War Classics: Civil War Books Not Yet Written, David Madden

Civil War Book Review

Civil War Books Not Yet Written

Impact Of Energy Intake, Physical Activity, And Population-Wide Weight Loss On Cardiovascular Disease And Diabetes Mortality In Cuba, 1980-2005, Manuel Franco, Pedro Orduñez, Benjamín Caballero, José A. Tapia Granados, Mariana Lazo, José Luís Bernal, Eliseo Guallar, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Cuba's economic crisis of 1989-2000 resulted in reduced energy intake, increased physical activity, and sustained population-wide weight loss. The authors evaluated the possible association of these factors with mortality trends. Data on per capita daily energy intake, physical activity, weight loss, and smoking were systematically retrieved from national and local surveys. National vital statistics from 1980-2005 were used to assess trends in mortality from diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and all causes. The crisis reduced per capita daily energy intake from 2,899 calories to 1,863 calories. During the crisis period, the proportion of physically active adults increased from 30% …

Cold Seeps And Associated Communities Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Charles Fisher, Harry Roberts, Erik Cordes, Bernie Bernard

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Fat-Replacing Ingredients On Process And Age Induced Soluble Nitrogen Content And Ultrastructure Of Lowfat Cheddar Cheese, Zahur U. Haque, Erdogan Küçüköner, Kayanush J. Aryana

Faculty Publications

Influence of fat-replacers on process and age (up to 6 months at 5°C) induced water soluble nitrogen generation in lowfat (5%, w/w) Cheddar cheese was investigated. Treatments with cellulose plus guar gum based Novagel NC200 (NOV), starch based Stellar (STEL), and protein based Dairy Lo (DL) and Simplesse (SIMP) were compared with lowfat (LFC) and fullfat (32%) controls. Nitrogen contents in aqueous extract were determined by Kjeldahl method. Process induced proteolysis followed the order DL > NOV > SIMP > STEL > LFO FFC. Age related proteolysis, which generated hydrophobic peptides, was rapid in the first 3 months, and resulted in an increase of …

Effect Of An Herbal Extract Number Ten (Nt) On Body Weight In Rats, David A. York, Sonyja Thomas, Frank L. Greenway, Zhijun Liu, Jennifer C. Rood

Faculty Publications

Background: Chinese herbal extract Number Ten (NT) is a dietary herbal formulation prepared from rhubarb, ginger, astragalus, red sage and tumeric. This study tested the effectiveness of NT in reducing body weight gain in rats. Methods: Sixty female Wistar rats were fed a high fat diet and acclimated to gavage feeding. The rats were divided into five treatment groups: (1) Control (n = 15); (2) NT-H (n = 15), 1.5 g/day; (3) NT-L (n = 10), 0.75 g/day; (4) Pr-fed (n = 10), pair fed to NT-H; (5) d-FF (n = 10), d-fenfluramine 2 mg/kg. Ten rats per group were …

Comparative Microbiota Of Rickettsia Felis-Uninfected And -Infected Colonized Cat Fleas, Ctenocephalides Felis, Walairat Pornwiroon, Michael T. Kearney, Claudia Husseneder, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso

Faculty Publications

Fleas serve as arthropod vectors for several emerging and re-emerging infectious disease causing agents including, Rickettsia felis. Although the prevalence of R. felis infection in colonies of fleas has been examined, the influence of the R. felis infection on flea microbiota has not been investigated. We identified three colonies of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis, with varying prevalence of R. felis infection (Louisiana State University (LSU), 93.8; Professional Laboratory and Research Services Inc. (PLRS), 16.4; Elward II (EL), 0) and subsequently utilized polymerase chain reaction amplification, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and sequencing of the 1.4-kb portions of 16S rRNA genes …

Description, Life History, And Parasitism Of A New Species Of Delphacid Planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea), James T. Cronin, Stephen W. Wilson

Faculty Publications

Delphacodes scolochloa Cronin & Wilson (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) is a newly discovered delphacid planthopper that feeds and oviposits exclusively on the stems of sprangletop, Scolochloa festucacea (Willd.) Link (Poaceae: Pooidae), in the prairie pothole region of northeastern North Dakota. D. scolochloa is bivoltine. It is also wing dimorphic, but populations are composed predominantly of flightless brachypters. Macropters incur a substantial cost in terms of reduced longevity and fecundity relative to brachypters. The parasitoid complex attacking D. scolochloa consists of two egg parasitoids, Anagrus nigriventris Girault and Anagrus columbi Perkins (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), and one undescribed dryinid. The proportion of eggs parasitized averages …

Fungi Isolated From Integument And Guts Of Coptotermes Formosanus And Their Antagonistic Effect On Gleophyllum Trabeum, Poornima Jayasimha, Gregg Henderson

Faculty Publications

In our earlier efforts to demonstrate the spread of a brown rot fungus, Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers.) Murrill by Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, we found not only that C. formosanus does not spread G. trabeum but also that G. trabeum did not survive in the presence of C. formosanus. Further investigation of this antagonistic interaction between this termite and fungus led to a hypothesis that green-spored fungi may be carried by termites and that they play a role in suppressing the growth of G. trabeum. Fungal cultures were isolated from integument and guts of laboratory-maintained colonies of C. formosanus …

Functional Analysis Of Polyphenol Oxidases By Antisense/Sense Technology, Piyada Thipyapong, Michael J. Stout, Jutharat Attajarusit

Faculty Publications

Polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) catalyze the oxidation of phenolics to quinones, the secondary reactions of which lead to oxidative browning and postharvest losses of many fruits and vegetables. PPOs are ubiquitous in angiosperms, are inducible by both biotic and abiotic stresses, and have been implicated in several physiological processes including plant defense against pathogens and insects, the Mehler reaction, photoreduction of molecular oxygen by PSI, regulation of plastidic oxygen levels, aurone biosynthesis and the phenylpropanoid pathway. Here we review experiments in which the roles of PPO in disease and insect resistance as well as in the Mehler reaction were investigated using …

Seed Preferences Of Wintering Henslow's Sparrows, Jennifer K. Dimiceli, Philip C. Stouffer, Erik I. Johnson, Claudia Leonardi, Edgar B. Moser

Faculty Publications

The Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), a species of conservation concern, winters primarily in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest ecosystems in the southeastern U.S. These pine savannas have been reduced to 5% of their former range, with remaining patches requiring active management with fire to maintain characteristic structure and plant diversity. Wintering Henslow's Sparrow abundance tracks growing-season fires; bird abundance peaks in the winter following burning, then declines in subsequent winters. Fire also determines dominant plant species, suggesting that Henslow's Sparrows may respond to abundance of preferred seeds. To determine diet preferences of Henslow's Sparrows, we tested seeds from eight species …

Louisiana Agriculture Summer, 2007, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Genome-Wide Association Scan Shows Genetic Variants In The Fto Gene Are Associated With Obesity-Related Traits, Angelo Scuteri, Serena Sanna, Wei Min Chen, Manuela Uda, Giuseppe Albai, James Strait, Samer Najjar, Ramaiah Nagaraja, Marco Orrú, Gianluca Usala, Mariano Dei, Sandra Lai, Andrea Maschio, Fabio Busonero, Antonella Mulas, Georg B. Ehret, Ashley A. Fink, Alan B. Weder, Richard S. Cooper, Pilar Galan, Aravinda Chakravarti, David Schlessinger, Antonio Cao, Edward Lakatta, Gonçalo R. Abecasis

Faculty Publications

The obesity epidemic is responsible for a substantial economic burden in developed countries and is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The disease is the result not only of several environmental risk factors, but also of genetic predisposition. To take advantage of recent advances in gene-mapping technology, we executed a genome-wide association scan to identify genetic variants associated with obesity-related quantitative traits in the genetically isolated population of Sardinia. Initial analysis suggested that several SNPs in the FTO and PFKP genes were associated with increased BMI, hip circumference, and weight. Within the FTO gene, rs9930506 …

Suppression Of Growth Of A Brown Rot Fungus, Gloeophyllum Trabeum, By Formosan Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Poornima Jayasimha, Gregg Henderson

Faculty Publications

Although a brown rot fungus, Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers.) Murrill, has been shown to be attractive and beneficial to subterranean termites, including Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), no research has been conducted to determine whether the association is mutualistic. We first investigated whether the fungus could be spread by C. formosanus, because this would represent an obvious benefit to the fungus. We found that Formosan subterranean termites did not spread G. trabeum, rather they suppressed its growth. To further investigate this phenomenon, wood chips were inoculated with G. trabeum, and fungal growth was measured in treatments with termites or without termites …

Applications Of Chitosan For Improvement Of Quality And Shelf Life Of Foods: A Review, H. K. No, S. P. Meyers, W. Prinyawiwatkul, Z. Xu

Faculty Publications

Chitosan is a modified, natural biopolymer derived by deacetylation of chitin, a major component of the shells of crustacean. Recently, chitosan has received increased attention for its commercial applications in the biomedical, food, and chemical industries. Use of chitosan in food industry is readily seen due to its several distinctive biological activities and functional properties. The antimicrobial activity and film-forming property of chitosan make it a potential source of food preservative or coating material of natural origin. This review focuses on the applications of chitosan for improvement of quality and shelf life of various foods from agriculture, poultry, and seafood …

A Comparison Of Print And Broadcast News, Amanda Ferren Johnson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Validation Of Commercial Dna Tests For Quantitative Beef Quality Traits, A. L. Van Eenennaam, J. Li, R. M. Thallman, R. L. Quaas, M. E. Dikeman, C. A. Gill, D. E. Franke, M. G. Thomas

Faculty Publications

Associations between 3 commercially available genetic marker panels (GeneSTAR Quality Grade, GeneSTAR Tenderness, and Igenity Tender-GENE) and quantitative beef traits were validated by the US National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium. Validation was interpreted to be the independent confirmation of the associations between genetic tests and phenotypes, as claimed by the commercial genotyping companies. Validation of the quality grade test (GeneSTAR Quality Grade) was carried out on 400 Charolais x Angus crossbred cattle, and validation of the tenderness tests (GeneSTAR Tenderness and Igenity Tender-GENE) was carried out on over 1,000 Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle. The GeneSTAR Quality Grade marker …

Using Public Health Indicators To Measure The Success Of Hypertension Control, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Study Of Hurricane Rita On The Food Supply And Food Availability In Women Living In Rural Southwest Louisiana, Natalie Kristine Davis

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Landscape Context Outweighs Local Habitat Quality In Its Effects On Herbivore Dispersal And Distribution, Kyle J. Haynes, Forrest P. Dillemuth, Bryan J. Anderson, Alyssa S. Hakes, Heather B. Jackson, S. Elizabeth Jackson, James T. Cronin

Faculty Publications

Past studies with spatially structured herbivore populations have emphasized the primacy of intrinsic factors (e.g., patch quality), patch geometry (e.g., patch size and isolation), and more recently landscape context (e.g., matrix composition) in affecting local population abundance and dispersal rate. However, few studies have examined the relative importance of each factor, or how they might interact to affect herbivore abundance or dispersal. Here, we performed a factorial field experiment to examine the independent and interactive effects of patch quality (plant biomass, leaf protein, leaf phenolics) and matrix composition [mudflat or non-host grass (Bromus inermis)] on planthopper (Prokelisia crocea) emigration from …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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. …

The Role Of The Specific, Profilaggrin-Containing Keratohyalin Granules In The Developing Epidermis Of The Fetal Horse Hoof, Hermann H. Bragulla, Dominique G. Homberger

Faculty Publications

The adult equine hoof is subdivided into distinct segments with various keratinization modes. In the periople and bulbs of the heel, the epidermis forms a Stratum granulosum with basophilic keratohyalin granules during soft keratinization, whereas in the coronet, wall proper, sole, and frog, the epidermis undergoes hard keratinization by keratinizing and comifying without forming keratohyalin granules. The present study tests the hypothesis that the presence of specific (profilaggrin-containing) keratohyalin granules in the hoof epidermis is correlated with the water-binding capacity and mechanical properties of the hoof horn. To identify these specific profilaggrin-containing keratohyalin granules, tissue samples of fetal hooves were …