Digital Commons Network^™

Influence Of Agronomic Hosts On The Susceptibility Of Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) To Genetically Engineered And Non-Engineered Cottons, J. Gore, B. R. Leonard, R. H. Jones

Faculty Publications

Field and laboratory studies evaluated the influence of selected crop hosts on Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) population dynamics in relation to genetically engineered Bt (Bollgard) and non-Bt cottons. Host specific H. zea colonies were initiated with a colony originally collected from sweet corn. The colony was allowed to complete one generation on meridic diet then split into cohorts and allowed to complete one generation on field corn, grain sorghum, soybean, cotton, or meridic diet in individual 29.5 ml plastic cups. During the first part of the study, larval developmental times, pupal weights, and survival were measured. H. zea survival was higher …

Deterrents To Participation In Parenting Education, Debora C. Johnson, Betty C. Harrison, Michael F. Burnett, Peter Emerson

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the deterrents to participation by adults in parenting education programs. The objectives were (a) to describe parents with children in selected day care facilities on selected sociodemographic characteristics, (b) to determine factors that deterred those parents from participating in parenting education, and (c) to determine if there was a relationship between selected sociodemographic characteristics and the parents' participation in parenting education programs. A simple random sample of parents was drawn from the accessible population. Factor analysis revealed five factors that deterred this population from participating in parenting education: Lack of Confidence, Lack …

Impotence And Capital The Debate Over Imported Beverages In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries, Sandra Sherman

1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

No abstract provided.

Diet And Preparation For Spring Migration In Captive Hermit Thrushes (Catharus Guttatus), Jennifer A. Long, Philip C. Stouffer

Faculty Publications

Seasonal changes in food choice by migratory birds often reflect changes in relative food abundance and increased energetic demand. Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus) in southeastern Louisiana are highly frugivorous during winter but forage exclusively on arthropods just prior to spring migration. We hypothesized that this switch to an exclusively arthropod diet would lead to an increase in fat reserves compared to a frugivorous diet, and that fat birds would initiate migration sooner and display more migratory activity than lean birds. We tested these hypotheses on captive Hermit Thrushes maintained on either an arthropod only diet or a mixed fruit and …

Adult Female Rats Defend "Appropriate" Energy Intake After Adaptation To Dietary Energy, Heli J. Roy, Michael J. Keenan, Erika Zablah-Pimentel, Maren Hegsted, Lisa Bulot, Carol E. O'Neil, L. Dwain Bunting, J. Marcos Fernandez

Faculty Publications

Objective: To determine if adult female rats adapt to lower and higher dietary energy density. Research Methods and Procedures: Study 1 compared high-fat (56%), high-energy density (HD) (21.6 kJ/g) and high-fat (56%), low-energy density (LD) (16.0 kJ/g) diets before surgery (two groups, 2 weeks, n = 16) and after surgery [ovariectomy (O) Sham (S); 2 X 2 factorial, n = 8; 6 weeks]. The second study (no surgery) compared high-fat (60.0%), high-energy (22.0 kJ/g) and low-fat (10.0%), low-energy (15.1 kJ/g) diets (n = 8). Results: In study 1, food intake was similar for the first 2 weeks, but rats on …

The Evaluation Of A Family Literacy Program, Katrina Denise Hopkins

LSU Master's Theses

Based on the literacy need in the state of Louisiana, this project was interested in whether the Ready to Learn: Between the Lions literacy workshop could equip parents to enhance and develop their child’s literacy skills and to enhance family literacy interactions. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of a Ready to Learn literacy workshop in two Baton Rouge Head Start preschool centers, Banks and Southern University. Participants attended workshops once a month from January to April, lasting approximately 30 minutes each. The workshop was evaluated using a pretest/posttest instrument consisting of seven likert-type …

Sensory Characteristics Of Flavored Milk Candies, Noemi Raquel Pavon

LSU Master's Theses

A natural milk candy, composed mainly of milk powder, has not been commercially sold in the U. S. market. The milk candy we developed contains calcium and other essential nutrients, which make it a potential food supplement for adults and children. This thesis research was designed to characterize sensory properties of flavored milk candies and to determine the consumer sensory profile driving product acceptance and purchase intent. A descriptive trained panel (n=12) developed a lexicon and evaluated 3 milk candies (plain, chocolate, and coffee) in triplicate using a 15-cm line scale. 335 adult consumers evaluated acceptability of appearance, size/shape, texture, …

Identification Of Morphological Characteristics In St. Augustinegrass And Zoyisagrass Cultivars During Establishment And Growing Under Shade And Sun, Chandrasekhar R. Komma

LSU Master's Theses

Shade is one of the most important factors affecting turfgrass growth for home lawns. It affects both shoot and root growth and the overall quality of the turf stand. A study was initiated to investigate the effects of shade on growth and quality of St. Augustinegrass (“Bitterblue”, “Delmar”, “Floratam”, “Palmetto”, “Raleigh”, “Seville”, and“TR-610”) and two cultivars of zoysiagrass (“Empire” and “Empress”) were planted in both the shade and sun to study the effects on growth and quality. Quality measurements were taken for color, texture, density, uniformity, and overall quality on a monthly basis. Growth parameters were taken for internode length …

The Integration Of A Formal Garden Curriculum Into Louisiana Public Elementary Schools, Leanna Lynn Smith

LSU Master's Theses

School gardens have been and are in use today at schools around the United States to supplement their curriculum. Very little research, however, has been conducted to quantify the benefits that gardening provides to students. The first four chapters of a hands-on gardening curriculum (Junior Master Gardener Handbook Level One) were introduced into three East Baton Rouge Parish elementary schools the fall semester of 2002. Science achievement tests developed at Texas A&M University specifically for the Junior Master Gardener program, were given both before and after the students participated in the gardening activities to determine whether or not the activities …

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 …

Do Terraces And Coconut Mats Affect Seeds And Submerged Aquatic Vegetation At Sabine National Wildlife Refuge?, Aaron Bailey Caldwell

LSU Master's Theses

Terraces are a widely used wetland restoration tools in coastal Louisiana, yet the benefits of terraces are poorly documented. Like terraces, coconut mats also may increase abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), but their benefits are undocumented. I compared SAV and seed abundance in a marsh pond among three treatments: terrace, coconut mat, and marsh.

I evaluated terraces constructed in 1999 and coconut mats installed in 2001 in portions of unit 7 of Sabine National Wildlife Refuge that converted from emergent marsh to open water between 1956 and 1978. I randomly selected 3 terrace, marsh, and coconut mat stations. I …

Diet Similarity Of Pen-Raised Versus Native, Louisiana White-Tailed Deer In Southeastern Louisiana, Kristopher Scott Davis

LSU Master's Theses

Previous studies have shown that pen-raised deer may be already predisposed to malnutrition at a higher rate then their native counterparts because they are normally raised on a pelleted ration and may not forage efficiently once released into wild habitats. Therefore, twenty pen-raised white-tailed deer that were offspring of deer obtained from Missouri (Odocoileus virginianus) were released onto a marsh pump-off habitat in southeast Louisiana (Da Bunch) to compare their diets to the diets of the native, wild, white-tail deer population already established in the area over four consecutive seasons to test this hypothesis. The microhistological analysis technique was used …

Habitat Assessment And Subspecies Identification Of Sandhill Cranes Wintering In Louisiana, Joseph Michael Mcgowan

LSU Master's Theses

The two biggest flocks of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) wintering in Louisiana are located in Cheneyville and Holmwood, LA. Resident Sandhill Cranes were once located in Louisiana, but because of habitat loss and over harvest these residents were extirpated from Louisiana in the early 1900’s. In the 1960’s, migrating Sandhill Cranes had returned to LA and were wintering in Cheneyville. Observations and habitat characteristics were conducted on these two flocks in the winter of 2002 and 2003 because of the lack data on these flocks. The two flocks contained about 1,300 individuals with four other known flocks throughout Louisiana ranging …

Effects Of Free Methionine And Lysine On In Vitro Fermentation And In Vivo Performance And Ruminal Fermentation Of Late Lactation Holstein Cows, Yi-Hua Chung

LSU Master's Theses

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of free Met and Lys supplementation on ruminal fermentation in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, supplementation of Met and Lys had effects on concentrations of total VFA and NH₄⁺, proportions of acetate, propionate, butyrate, isovalerate, valerate, and the ratio of acetate to propionate. Percentages of microbial N synthesis in effluent pellets were not affected by supplementing Lys and Met. The combination of 0.52% Met and 1.03% (90% DM) Lys resulted in the highest concentration of total VFA, second highest concentration of NH₄⁺, …

Dechlorination Of 1,2,3,4-Tetrachlorobenzene In Organic Matter- And Mineral-Dominated Soils And Effects Of Typha Latifolia Roots, Lizhu Lin

LSU Master's Theses

A variety of environments are contaminated with chlorinated benzenes. Therefore, investigating the biodegradation of chlorobenzenes in different types of soils is useful in assessing the feasibility of bioremediation. One mineral-dominated soil: PPI (Petro Processors Inc. site) soil, and three organic matter-dominated soils (natural wetland soil, constructed wetland soil (a mixture of peat, compost and sand), and river sediment) were used to investigate anaerobic biodegradation of 1,2,3,4-Tetrachlorobenzene (1,2,3,4-TeCB) using laboratory microcosms. To determine whether methanogens were directly responsible for dechlorination, a comparative study using 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BES) for inhibition of methanogenesis was conducted. Hydrogen and methane concentrations, and microbial diversities were …

Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms Characterization Of Sea Oats (Uniola Paniculata L.) Accessions From Southeastern Atlantic And Gulf Coasts Of The United States, Neil Prieto Parami

LSU Master's Theses

Uniola paniculata, commonly known as sea oats, is a C4 perennial grass capable of stabilizing sand dunes. The genetic relationship and diversity among U. paniculata accessions from southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States was established by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. One hundred ninety U. paniculata plants belonging to nineteen different accessions were selected to represent eight locations; Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Twelve AFLP EcoRI+MseI primer combinations generated a wide range of polymorphisms (42-81%) with a mean of 59%. EcoRI-CAG+MseI-CGA, EcoRI-ACT+MseI-CTC and EcoRI-CAG+MseI-ACG have the highest polymorphic rate at …

A Comparison Of Microbial Communities In Soil With And Without A Sugarcane Cropping, Carolyn Faye Savario

LSU Master's Theses

Sugarcane (inter-specific hybrids of Saccharum) is grown largely under long-term monoculture production in Louisiana. This can lead to a complex problem termed "yield decline" that results in poor root health and reduced productive capacity of sugarcane. This problem has been documented to be a limiting factor for sugarcane production in diverse regions, including Louisiana, Hawaii, Jamaica, and Australia. Previous work showed that biological factors affect root health and contribute to yield decline. The objectives of this study were to increase our understanding of microbial communities in sugarcane soils, to determine if there are differences in microbial communities associated with sugarcane …

Interaction Of Fire And Insects In The Restoration And Management Of Longleaf Pine, Tessa Annette Bauman

LSU Master's Theses

The interactions of insects and fire on the health and restoration of longleaf pines in Louisiana were investigated. Insects found to be economically and ecologically important were considered, primarily bark beetles and weevils. First, insect populations in an area of fire exclusion of the Palustris Experimental Forest within the Kisatchie National Forest were quantified using baited flight intercept and pitfall traps. The possible influence of temperature and precipitation on insect abundance also was studied. Insects were most abundant during March and April and with correlating temperatures from 10-20 °C. Precipitation was not found to have an effect on insect abundance. …

The Relationship Of Feeding Problems With The Use Of Antiepileptic Medication Among Persons With Severe And Profound Mental Retardation, Rinita B. Laud

LSU Master's Theses

Epilepsy and/or seizure activity are frequently occurring phenomena and a significant co-morbid condition for persons with severe to profound intellectual disability (Burke, McKee, Pathak, Donahue, Parasuraman & Baltenhorst, 1999). The majority of seizure activity leads to deficits across a number of social, physical,occupational, and personal variables, and if left untreated, may lead to death in these individuals. The treatment of this condition frequently utilizes anti-epileptic medication, but these medications are often associated with a variety of side effects such as dental complications and disturbed gait. Previous researchers have suggested that these side effects may be manifested in forms of maladaptive …

Resistant Rice Starch Development, Siow Ying Tan

LSU Master's Theses

This study showed that enzyme treatments were effective in producing resistant starch from rice flour and starch. Rice starch produced higher resistant starch yields than rice flour. The lower resistant starch yields in rice flour could be attributed to the presence of lipids and proteins which were competitively binding to amylose, resulting in decreased recrystallization of amylose. The gelatinization type and incubation periods were not as influential as enzyme treatments in the resistant starch formation. The rapid visco amylograph (RVA) analysis indicated that the gelatinized samples have minimal pasting characteristics since they had been gelatinized prior to enzyme treatments. Pasting …

Use Of Urine Ph To Predict Incidence Of Ketosis In Transition Dairy Cows, Amy Elizabeth Beem

LSU Master's Theses

Forty-one (10 primiparous and 31 multiparous) Holstein cows were used in an experiment to determine the effects of prepartum dietary energy (PDE) and supplemental Ca-propionate on the incidence of ketosis in transition dairy cows and to evaluate the usefulness of urine pH as a predictor for ketosis. Treatment factors were prepartum dietary energy concentration (normal vs. high) with or without 113.5g Ca-Propionate/day (Nutro Cal®, Kemin Industries, Inc., Des Moines, IA). All cows were fed the same basal diet postpartum. Ca-propionate supplementation continued postpartum. Cows were individually fed and dry matter intakes (DMI) were measured daily. Milk production was measured and …

Bombarding The City Of The Dead: Who Has A Right To The Past?, Corey David Hotard

LSU Master's Theses

This study focuses on the relationship between tourism and archaeology at Saint Louis Cemetery Number One in New Orleans. In the past two decades, the discipline of archaeology has been thrust into the gaze of the public. The Information Age has led to the increased accessibility of archaeological sites to anyone who may have an interest. Due to this increased accessibility, professional archaeologists have turned to public archaeology in order to satiate the public’s curiosity. Although public archaeology is a growing field, a good bit of the subject still deals mainly with legislation and preservation rather than direct contact with …

Genetic Mapping Of Agronomic Traits From The Interspecific Cross Of Oryza Sativa (L.) And Oryza Glaberrima (Steud.), Gabriel Kayode Aluko

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wild relatives of cultivated rice varieties offer new genetic sources for enhancing economic value, but traditional interval mapping techniques have not gained widespread support among applied researchers for marker assisted selection. The objectives of this study were to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for agronomic traits in a hybrid mapping population and compare the non-parametric Discriminant Analysis (DA) procedure with traditional approaches for accuracy and precision. In addition, the effects of population structure on marker-assisted classification were explored. A molecular linkage map comprising 100 SSR markers that spanned the rice genome at intervals of 10.5 cM on the average was …

"Baleful Weeds And Precious-Juiced Flowers": Romeo And Juliet And Renaissance Medical Discourse, Erica Nicole Daigle

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis claims that Shakespeare exaggerated the characterization of two figures in Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence and the apothecary, to make a statement about the conditions of medical treatment in sixteenth century London. These two figures represent two very different approaches to healing, one that is informed with ancient holistic medical theory and one that is driven by economics, and this work attempts to explain the cultural conditions that warranted such a discrepancy in the play. I address these two medical figures in the contexts of the events of the text, of the contemporary medical profession, and of materialism …

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 …

Evaluation Of Fertilizer And Irrigation Production Systems For Large Nursery Containers, Anthony Lynn Witcher

LSU Master's Theses

Container-grown woody ornamentals require high volumes of water and sufficient nutrients to develop into healthy, high quality plants. The increased awareness of possible contamination of ground and surface water resources from nursery runoff has forced growers to implement higher water use efficiency techniques to maximize fertilizer efficiency and reduce nutrient and irrigation runoff. Components of a large container production system that could affect irrigation volume, substrate nutrition levels and runoff include fertilizer placement, irrigation frequency and irrigation method. Irrigation and fertilization components were evaluated in two experiments to determine which would maximize growth, minimize effluent and reduce the amount of …

Arm Crank Power And Hyperammonemia In Respones To L-Aspartic Acid Supplementation, William W. Edwards

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of L-Aspartic Acid (L-Asp) supplementation on short-term arm-crank power (i.e. W·min^-1) and exercise-induced hyperammonemia in two gender-specific investigations. METHODS: The male investigation (MALE) used nine highly-trained intercollegiate water polo players (WP) and nine moderately-trained college students (MOD); the female investigation (FEM) used 18 recreationally-trained college students. All exercised to exhaustion on two occasions following counterbalanced double-blind ingestion of 12.5g x 2 of L-Asp or placebo (P). The warm-up phase began at 25 W·min^-1 and increased in 25 W·min^-1 stages every 30 seconds (constant 100 rpm). Performance began (i.e. the subjects turned …

Characteristics Of Fat Free Yogurt As Influenced By The Incorporation Of Folic Acid, Charles August Boeneke

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Folic acid fortification is used in the prevention of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and ancencephaly, heart defects, facial clefts, urinary tract abnormalities, and limb deficiencies. Although yogurt is not a good source of folic acid, fortification could aid in prevention of above mentioned defects. Fortification of yogurt with folic acid may or may not change its physico-chemical characteristics. Fat free sugar free yogurt was manufactured using 0, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the recommended daily allowance of 400 micrograms of folic acid. Treatments included addition of folic acid at these levels before and after pasteurization. Lemon …

A Comparison Of Life Histories And Ecological Aspects Among Snappers (Pisces: Lutjanidae), Fernando Martinez-Andrade

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An extensive search for data on life-history and ecological variables was conducted for a representative number of the species within the family Lutjanidae. After creating different databases and standardizing all data, these variables were examined in statistical, correlation and graphic analyses. Additionally, a series of Principal Component Analyses were used to examine patterns among variables. Life-history variables included age at length zero, asymptotic length, maximum length, longevity, asymptotic weight, length at maturity, age at maturity, reproductive life span, growth rate and mortality rate. Ecological variables included latitudinal and vertical distribution, habitat selection (represented by substrate type), and spawning seasons. The …

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 …