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Diet And Preparation For Spring Migration In Captive Hermit Thrushes (Catharus Guttatus), Jennifer A. Long, Philip C. Stouffer Jan 2003

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 …


Influence Of Abiotic Factors On Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Mound Population Ratings In Louisiana, A. M. Pranschke, L. M. Hooper-Bùi Jan 2003

Influence Of Abiotic Factors On Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Mound Population Ratings In Louisiana, A. M. Pranschke, L. M. Hooper-Bùi

Faculty Publications

Colony size and reproductive status of Solenopsis invicta (Buren), red imported fire ants, is measured by a rating system developed by Harlan et al. (1981). Because this rating system is commonly used to evaluate chemical controls, especially insect growth regulators, and biological controls such as Thelohania spp., we evaluated the environmental conditions that would affect mound ratings in Louisiana. Increases in relative humidity and mound height were associated with population rating increases. Brood presence in the above ground portion of the nest (mound) was strongly associated with mound temperature. Brood was only found in mounds that had soil temperatures between …


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 Jan 2003

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 …


Characterization Of Protein Secretion In Mycobacterium Leprae Using Phoa Fusions In Escherichia Coli And Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marina Noemi Torrero Jan 2003

Characterization Of Protein Secretion In Mycobacterium Leprae Using Phoa Fusions In Escherichia Coli And Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marina Noemi Torrero

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Complete sequencing and annotation of the M. leprae genome has provided new information related to proteins constituting its hypothetical proteome. Since M. leprae can not be grown in vitro, novel approaches are needed to determine which proteins are expressed during infection and whether these proteins are related to pathogenesis. Secreted proteins represent a distinct group of protein with respect to their structure and function, contribution to virulence and are of particular importance for vaccine development because they are often immunogenic and have the potential to be recognized early in infection. The objectives of this study were: 1) to identify putatively …


Influences Of Selected Demographic Variables On The Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Of College Seniors, Mary Edith Whitehead Stacy Jan 2003

Influences Of Selected Demographic Variables On The Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Of College Seniors, Mary Edith Whitehead Stacy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study was designed (1) to describe college seniors demographically, (2) to assess college seniors perceived level of career-decision making self-efficacy (CDMSE), (3) to examine the relationship between the participant’s CDMSE scores, as measured by the subscales of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale – Short Form© (CDSE-SF), and selected demographic characteristics, and; (4) to determine if a model existed to explain a significant portion of variance in CDMSE based on the selected demographic characteristics. The sample consisted of 382 college seniors attending a four-year public university completing the application for graduation process in the 2002 fall semester. Along with the …


Design And Synthesis Of Constrained Dipeptide Units For Use As Β-Sheet Promoters, Umut Oguz Jan 2003

Design And Synthesis Of Constrained Dipeptide Units For Use As Β-Sheet Promoters, Umut Oguz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of factors promoting beta-sheet formation has recently gained interest due to the suspected involvement of beta-sheets in brain degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Understanding beta-sheet formation and the factors that stabilize beta-sheet structure may serve as a basis for future drug design. The extended structure of a beta-sheet can be stabilized by constrained amino acid analogs that are pre-organized to adopt the extended conformation. In this dissertation using innovative synthetic organic chemistry methods, two dipeptide units are designed and synthesized that are constrained to form the extended conformation and …


Role Of Endothelin-1 In The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Horses In Health And Disease, Ramaswamy Monickarasi Chidambaram Jan 2003

Role Of Endothelin-1 In The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Horses In Health And Disease, Ramaswamy Monickarasi Chidambaram

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Gastrointestinal tract disease is the leading natural cause of death in horses and horses with ischemic intestinal disease have the greatest mortality. We hypothesized there is basal synthesis of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the intestinal tract of healthy horses that is likely involved in regulating vasomotor tone, secretion and motility and that ET-1 synthesis increases with gastrointestinal tract disease, which may be involved in the pathophysiology of these disorders. Plasma ET-like immunoreactivity was increased in horses with naturally-acquired gastrointestinal disease, compared with normal horses; values were greatest in horses with large intestinal strangulation obstruction, enterocolitis and peritonitis. There was an association …


A Comprehensive Analysis Of Recently Integrated Human Line-1 Mobile Elements, Jeremy Shawn Myers Jan 2003

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Recently Integrated Human Line-1 Mobile Elements, Jeremy Shawn Myers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Long INterspersed Elements (LINE or L1) have had an enormous influence on human genomic structure, comprising about 20% of the mass of the human genome. In this analysis the most recent L1 insertions in the human genome belonging to L1Hs Ta and preTa subfamilies were examined to further understand the impact L1 elements have had on human genomic structure and diversity. Collectively, over 800 human specific L1 elements from the draft sequence of the human genome were characterized. Estimates suggest that human specific L1 mobilization alone is responsible for increasing the size of the human genome by roughly 1.4 million …


Off Road Vehicle Soil Suitability Analysis Within The Kisatchie National Forest, Jacqueline Avellanoza Prudente Jan 2003

Off Road Vehicle Soil Suitability Analysis Within The Kisatchie National Forest, Jacqueline Avellanoza Prudente

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Soil degradation due to improper use of off road vehicle (ORV) is among the major problems in the Kisatchie National Forest (KNF), especially in Catahoula (CRD), Evangeline Unit, Calcasieu (ERD), and Kisatchie Ranger (KRD) districts. The USDA-Forest Service (USFS) maintains designated trails within the forest, but many ORV users create their own trails. To address this issue, a research project was initiated in 2001 to assess the suitability of KNF soils for ORV traffic using Geographical Information System (GIS) software. The objectives were achieved by utilizing soil properties, rainfall events, soil trafficability ratings, Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), and infiltration parameters. …


Genome Analysis: Mutation Analysis Using Near Infrared Laser-Induced Fluorescence (Nir-Lif) And Single Molecule Detection In Microfluidic Devices, Musundi Ben Wabuyele Jan 2003

Genome Analysis: Mutation Analysis Using Near Infrared Laser-Induced Fluorescence (Nir-Lif) And Single Molecule Detection In Microfluidic Devices, Musundi Ben Wabuyele

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A number of genotyping methods have been developed for mutation analysis, each of which has its own unique advantage. DNA amplification via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provides an unlimited supply of material for subsequent genetic analysis even in case where only a single copy of the DNA molecule is present in the sample. Research presented in this dissertation first examines the efficiency of in vitro amplification of single copy DNA with subsequent sequencing analysis of PCR product. The PCR products (amplicons) were investigated for possible alteration, distortions or mutations due to the amplification process. The sequencing data for single copy …


Social Sector Participatory Development In Honduras: A Process Across Institutions, Culturesval And Continents, Denese Ashbaugh Vlosky Jan 2003

Social Sector Participatory Development In Honduras: A Process Across Institutions, Culturesval And Continents, Denese Ashbaugh Vlosky

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research was conducted to determine whether our participatory process of curriculum development for vocational technical schools in Honduras was successful. This study analyzed program documents and correspondence to answer two questions: a) How did individual stakeholders perceive and negotiate the participatory process? and b) What factors --individual and environmental-- promoted and impeded the participatory process of development in this project? Participatory development concepts applied to Human Ecology Theory guided this research. Qualitative methodologies were utilized to develop the curriculum—Phenomenology-- and to evaluate the process of development—Grounded Theory and Matrix Analysis. An analysis of individual counterpart contacts revealed that stakeholder …


Mediators Of Weight Loss In An Internet-Based Intervention For African American Adolescent Girls, Marney A. White Jan 2003

Mediators Of Weight Loss In An Internet-Based Intervention For African American Adolescent Girls, Marney A. White

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary aim of this study was to assess the process variables involved in a weight loss program for African-American adolescent girls. This internet-based intervention compared a behavioral treatment program to an educational treatment program; it was hypothesized that participants randomized to the behavioral condition would lose more weight at 6 months than those in the educational condition. Several process variables have been identified as affecting success in in vivo weight loss programs for adults and children, including program adherence, self-efficacy, and social support. The current study sought to broaden the understanding of these process variables as they pertain to …


Treatment Of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds Using Wetland Systems, Gabriel Roderick Kassenga Jan 2003

Treatment Of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds Using Wetland Systems, Gabriel Roderick Kassenga

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bench-scale continuous vertical flow column and microcosm studies were conducted to investigate the attenuation potential of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) in constructed wetland soil mixtures prepared from peat, compost and sand and in a pristine natural freshwater wetland soil. The study also determined geotechnical properties of potential synthetic peat mixtures for construction of treatment wetlands for CVOCs. Trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE) and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) were the main test chemicals used during the studies. Based on geotechnical and sorption characteristics, two mixtures (one comprised of sand and peat and the other comprised of sand, peat and compost product) were selected …


Agronomic And Molecular Characterization Of Louisiana Native Spartina Alterniflora Accessions, Alicia Beatriz Ryan Jan 2003

Agronomic And Molecular Characterization Of Louisiana Native Spartina Alterniflora Accessions, Alicia Beatriz Ryan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Coastal erosion and wetland deterioration are serious and widespread problems affecting Louisiana’s coastal zone. The application of agronomic and molecular techniques for improving crop species is well documented. However, these have not been routinely applied to species of ecological and environmental value. Spartina alterniflora is used extensively for shoreline protection and tidal marsh restoration because of its aggressive spreading habit and tolerance to salinity. The progress of marsh revegetation projects is limited by the costs and labor associated with vegetative propagation of Spartina. Hence, a breeding program was initiated to develop improved smooth cordgrass accessions with superior seed producing ability …


The Contribution Of The Alpha Subunit Of The Bacillus Subtilis Rna Polymerase In The Enhancement Of Transcription By Curved Dna, Caroline Telles Jan 2003

The Contribution Of The Alpha Subunit Of The Bacillus Subtilis Rna Polymerase In The Enhancement Of Transcription By Curved Dna, Caroline Telles

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Adenine-tract mediated, intrinsic DNA curvature is found upstream of highly transcribed promoters in bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis, curved DNA immediately upstream of the core promoter stimulates promoter function. The curved DNA functions in a position-sensitive fashion indicating that it likely interacts with the RNA polymerase. There are two components of the curved DNA that mediate this interaction with RNA polymerase, the A+T rich nature of the runs of adenines spaced with the helical repeat of the DNA and the curved shape of the DNA. The alpha subunit of the RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli is known to bind to A+T …


Optimization And Automation Of A Thermal Oyster Shucking Process, Daniel Edgar Martin Jan 2003

Optimization And Automation Of A Thermal Oyster Shucking Process, Daniel Edgar Martin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Louisiana Gulf Coast oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were subjected to thermal shucking treatments to effect adductor muscle release from both left and right valves. The oysters were instrumented with thermocouples to monitor and record process temperatures in the oysters and on the shell. Following treatment, the oysters were evaluated for relaxation and release of the adductor muscle, meat quality and texture, and for the effect of the treatments on the storage life of the oysters as measured by total microbial plate counts. The treatments of many oysters resulted in a complete release of the adductor muscle from the shell while maintaining …


Abundance Trends And Environmental Habitat Usage Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Lower Barataria And Caminada Bays, Louisiana, Cara Edina Miller Jan 2003

Abundance Trends And Environmental Habitat Usage Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Lower Barataria And Caminada Bays, Louisiana, Cara Edina Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The paucity of research into the environmental requirements, stock membership, abundance and residency patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in coastal Louisiana creates difficulty in understanding how local ecosystems and threats (such as fishery interactions, habitat degradation and pollution) affect populations. This study combined fine-scale environmental measurements and photo-identification techniques to describe patterns of habitat usage and abundance of bottlenose dolphins in lower Barataria Basin from June 1999 to May 2002. In addition I investigated the validity and limitations of using mark-recapture models to estimate abundance from cetacean photo-identification data. Bottlenose dolphins were present year-round in a wide range of …


Biology And Ecology Of Leptographium Species And Their Vectos As Components Of Loblolly Pine Decline, Lori G. Eckhardt Jan 2003

Biology And Ecology Of Leptographium Species And Their Vectos As Components Of Loblolly Pine Decline, Lori G. Eckhardt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) decline (LPD) has been present in upland sites of central Alabama since the 1960s. Symptoms of LPD (fine root deterioration, short chlorotic needles, sparse crowns, reduced radial growth) begin in the 30-40 yr age class, resulting in premature death at ages 35-50. Previously, declining loblolly was diagnosed as littleleaf disease (LLD); however, site conditions associated with LPD are different from LLD sites. Littleleaf disease only occurs on eroded, heavy clay soils and is secondarily associated with the fungus, Phytophthora cinnamomi. In contrast, LPD occurs on sandy, well-drained soils and is associated with Leptographium spp., as …


The Perceptions Of Effects Of A Study Skills Course, "Dynamics Of Effective Study," On The Academic Achievement Of African American Students At A Dedicated Academic Magnet High School, Josephine Ann Allen Jan 2003

The Perceptions Of Effects Of A Study Skills Course, "Dynamics Of Effective Study," On The Academic Achievement Of African American Students At A Dedicated Academic Magnet High School, Josephine Ann Allen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students, teachers, and administrators on the effectiveness of a study skills course, "Dynamics of Effective Study," on the academic achievement of African American students at a dedicated academic magnet high school. Qualitative research methods were utilized in this study. Fifteen African American students who completed the study skills course, fifteen African American students who did not take or complete the study skills course, five former study skills teachers, and three administrators from the dedicated academic magnet high school volunteered to participate in the study. Open-ended interviews were conducted with …


Quantitative Inheritance Of Calpastatin Activity As An Assessment Measure For Meat Tenderness In Brahman Steers, Fuad Mohammad Tawfiq Odeh Jan 2003

Quantitative Inheritance Of Calpastatin Activity As An Assessment Measure For Meat Tenderness In Brahman Steers, Fuad Mohammad Tawfiq Odeh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Calpastatin activity at 24 h postmortem is inversely proportional to postmortem tenderization and accounts for a greater proportion of the variation in beef tenderness. Tenderness was determined by measurement of 24 h postmortem longissimus muscle calpastatin activity (CA) and Warner-Bratzler shear force after 7 and 14 d of steak aging. The quantitative inheritance of tenderness in Brahman steers was investigated phenotypically by Multiple Trait Derivative-Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (MTDFREML) procedures and genotypically by using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP), a microsatellite marker, and DNA sequence analyses. In experiment 1, MTDFREML was used to obtain the genetic parameters of tenderness traits …


The Louisiana Calf-To-Carcass Program: Growth And Carcass Traits, James E. Devillier Jan 2003

The Louisiana Calf-To-Carcass Program: Growth And Carcass Traits, James E. Devillier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Feedlot and carcass data from 1,533 weanling steers consigned to the Louisiana Calf-to-Carcass program from 1992 to 1998 were used to evaluate the influence of feeder calf grade, sire breed, and initial feedlot weight on growth and carcass traits. Each October, spring born calves were delivered to Clinton, Ruston, or Lake Charles loadout sites. Steers were identified by sire breed, tagged, weighed, assigned a feeder calf grade. Forty-six, 18, 26, and 10 percent of the steers graded large frame-thick muscle, large frame-moderate muscle, medium frame-thick muscle, and medium frame-moderate muscle, respectively. Steers were trucked to a commercial feedlot and sorted …


"Science In Skirts": Representations Of Women In Science In The "B" Science Fiction Films Of The 1950s, Bonnie Noonan Jan 2003

"Science In Skirts": Representations Of Women In Science In The "B" Science Fiction Films Of The 1950s, Bonnie Noonan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project shows how central representations of women in science were to the “B” science fiction films of the 1950s and uses these films as valuable indicators for cultural analysis. I argue that the emergence of the modern American science fiction film in 1950 combined with the situation of post-W.W.II women in science to create a genre explicitly amenable to exploring the tension between a woman’s place in the home and her place in the work force, particularly in the fields of science. Out of a context of 114 “B” science fiction films produced between 1950 and 1966, I offer …


Chemical Coupling In Wood-Polymer Composites, Ziqiang Lu Jan 2003

Chemical Coupling In Wood-Polymer Composites, Ziqiang Lu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chemical coupling plays an important role in improving interfacial bonding strength in wood-polymer composites. In this study, the effects of coupling agent type and structure, graft polymerization of coupling agents, interfacial wettability, coupling treatment and process, coupling agent distribution, and coupling agent performance on chemical coupling were investigated. Coupling mechanisms were established based on maleated polyethylene copolymers. For maleated wood veneer, the relationship among graft rate, concentration, and retention of coupling agent followed three-dimensional parabloid models. Wettability of maleated wood surface was related to acid number, amount of free or ungrafted maleic anhydride groups, and coupling agent concentration. Dynamic contact …


The Means Of Ignorance: Genuine Dialogue And A Rhetoric Of Virtue, Daniel Anthony Grano Jan 2003

The Means Of Ignorance: Genuine Dialogue And A Rhetoric Of Virtue, Daniel Anthony Grano

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Aimed at core problems of contemporary moral rhetoric - pluralistic argument, incommensurable disagreement on ordering terms, and a theoretical move away from essence to relativism - this study is an attempt to restore rhetoric as an art capable of investigating and positing terms of order and being. This restoration relies upon viewing rhetoric as a practice of epistemic mediation between the experiential and language-based knowledge of the local, and the perfected knowledge of the Absolute. I propose characteristically Socratic notions of contingency and ignorance as the bases for this mediated approach. As a recognition of what is unknown and uncertain …


Assia Djebar. Le Corps Invisible: Voir Sans Etre Vue, Anna Rocca Jan 2003

Assia Djebar. Le Corps Invisible: Voir Sans Etre Vue, Anna Rocca

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis traces the evolution of attitudes towards the body, desire, autobiography, and self-affirmation, in three novels of Assia Djebar: L'amour, la fantasia, Vaste est la prison, and Les nuits de Strasbourg. The three novels share a common trait: the narrators' will to express their body and their desires. This body, which is simultaneously anonymous and concealed, is at the very center of a contradiction; it is often relegated to representation as a ghost without any corporeal reality. It is been our objective to follow the narrators' introspective reflection on the multiple relationships between Algerian women and public space, designated …


From Gamete Collection To Database Development: Development Of A Model Cryopreserved Germplasm Repository For Aquatic Species With Emphasis On Sturgeon, William Rittenhouse Wayman Jan 2003

From Gamete Collection To Database Development: Development Of A Model Cryopreserved Germplasm Repository For Aquatic Species With Emphasis On Sturgeon, William Rittenhouse Wayman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Development of a cryopreserved sperm repository could greatly benefit the study and recovery of endangered species. Currently, a national repository for endangered aquatic species does not exist. This dissertation addressed the development of methods for the creation of a model germplasm repository, which included methods to reduce bacterial contamination within sperm samples, verify sample identification, store sperm (refrigerated or cryopreserved), evaluate sperm quality before and after thawing, and maintain sample and broodstock information. Although these methods were developed for sturgeon, they could be adapted for any aquatic species. Accurate species identification of sperm samples is essential for an archival repository. …


Where Have All The Flowers Gone?: A Modular Systems Perspective Of It Infrastructure Design And Productivity, Pratim Datta Jan 2003

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?: A Modular Systems Perspective Of It Infrastructure Design And Productivity, Pratim Datta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Assessing value of IT infrastructure investments has been both difficult and ambiguous. This research develops and tests a conceptual framework to understand the productivity process. A lagged and recursive framework is used to trace the relationship between IT infrastructure investments, infrastructure design, and organizational productivity along with contingencies of IT management and the environment. A major contribution of this study is the use of the systems perspective to disaggregate the concepts of IT infrastructure and productivity into collectively exhaustive types. Findings reveal that IT investments do not significant affect productivity but do so when used to develop an IT infrastructure …


Parallel Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Dynamics Of Oxidation And Reactive Wetting In Metal/Ceramic Systems, Gurcan Aral Jan 2003

Parallel Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Dynamics Of Oxidation And Reactive Wetting In Metal/Ceramic Systems, Gurcan Aral

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Oxidation of a flat aluminum (111) surface and the reactive wetting of the aluminum (Al) droplet on a flat alumina (α-Al2O3) surface are investigated by using parallel molecular-dynamics simulations with dynamic charge transfer among atoms on a microscopic length scale. The interatomic potential, based on the formalism of Streitz and Mintmire, allows atoms to vary their charges dynamically between anions and cations, when atoms move and their local environment is altered. We investigate the oxidation thickness as a function of time and the oxygen density which is 10-40 times that of the normal state (1 atm …


Arm Crank Power And Hyperammonemia In Respones To L-Aspartic Acid Supplementation, William W. Edwards Jan 2003

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 …


Molecular-Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assembled Monolayers (Sam) On Parallel Computers, Satyavani Vemparala Jan 2003

Molecular-Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assembled Monolayers (Sam) On Parallel Computers, Satyavani Vemparala

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the properties of self-assembled monolayers, particularly alkanethiols and Poly (ethylene glycol) terminated alkanethiols. These simulations are based on realistic interatomic potentials and require scalable and portable multiresolution algorithms implemented on parallel computers. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of self-assembled alkanethiol monolayer systems have been carried out using an all-atom model involving a million atoms to investigate their structural properties as a function of temperature, lattice spacing and molecular chain-length. Results show that the alkanethiol chains tilt from the surface normal by a collective angle of 25o along next-nearest neighbor direction at 300K. At …