Digital Commons Network^™

A Mid-Rotation Bottomland Red Oak Stand Three Years After Thinning And Fertilization, Alexander J. Michalek

LSU Master's Theses

To determine the effects of intermediate silvicultural treatments on bottomland hardwoods, two types of thinning (crown thinning and low thinning) and one level of fertilizer (200 lb/ac N + 50 lb/ac P) were applied to a predominantly red oak stand in southeastern Texas. Treatments were applied in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement as a randomized complete block design of 12 ac in size. Crop trees were selected prior to the treatments, and diameter at breast height measurements were taken pre-treatment and for three proceeding years to assess diameter growth response of all trees. Epicormic branching measurements were also taken …

Development Of Gis As An Information Management System: A Case Study For The Burden Center, Zhitao Su

LSU Master's Theses

For a park site, it is very important and necessary to let the local planning authorities realize and understand the important aspects and benefits of the site and to establish the long-range development strategies for the location. In order to succeed during the planning process, the communication and information that flow among all the participants must be well organized. In this situation, a project-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) would be a good solution. The goal of this project is to explore the possibilities for administrative authorities to implement a GIS database system to support the site planning and management of …

Effectiveness Of Copper-Oxide Wire Particles On The Control Of Haemonchus Contortus In Sheep, Ariane Diane Watkins

LSU Master's Theses

Among the gastrointestinal nematode parasites that cause the most problems to small ruminants, Haemonchus contortus is one of major concern. Currently, the control of H. contortus and others is almost entirely based on the use of anthelmintics. Consequently, anthelmintic resistance has developed worldwide and this has become a serious problem in small ruminant nematode parasite control programs. In view of this, there is a need for alternative control methods. The use of Copper-Oxide Wire Particles (COWP) to help reduce parasite burden is one such alternative. Three trials were conducted to determine the effect of COWP on the reduction of H. …

A Disjoining Pressure For Small Contact Angles And Its Applications, Qingfang Wu

LSU Master's Theses

A thin liquid film experiences additional intermolecular forces when the film thickness h is less than roughly 100 nm. The effect of these intermolecular forces at the continuum level is captured by the disjoining pressure . Since dominates at small film thicknesses, it determines the stability and wettability of thin films. To leading order, a thin film can be treated as uniform and . This form, however, cannot be applied to films with non-zero contact angles. A recent ad-hoc derivation to include the slope leads to a that allows a contact line to move without slip. This work derives a …

Optimal Age At Fostering For The Derivation Of Helicobacter Hepaticus-Free Mice, Kem Boullion Singletary

LSU Master's Theses

Helicobacter hepaticus is well established as an unwanted variable in laboratory rodent colonies. Historically, caesarean section and embryo transfer have been used to derive Helicobacter-free mouse colonies. Neonatal transfer of newborn mice onto Helicobacter-free foster dams was recently reported as an alternative method of deriving Helicobacter-free mice, but until now, the age by which pups must be fostered to remain Helicobacter-free was unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the age by which mouse pups must be fostered to remain H. hepaticus-free. Beginning on the day of birth, 20 C57BL/6 mice were fostered from H. hepaticus-positive parents onto …

Heat Transfer In Outdoor Aquaculture Ponds, Jonathan Lamoureux

LSU Master's Theses

An energy balance was developed for heated and unheated earthen aquaculture ponds to 1) determine the relative importance of energy transfer mechanism affecting pond temperature; 2) predict pond temperatures; 3) estimate the energy required to control pond temperatures, and 4) recommend efficient heating and cooling methods. PHATR (Pond Heating and Temperature Regulation), a computer program using 4th order Runge-Kutta numerical method was developed to solve the energy balance using weather, flow rate and pond temperature data. By comparing measured and modeled pond temperatures, the average difference (the average bias) was 0.5°C for unheated ponds and 2.4°C for heated ponds. The …

Purification And Antioxidant Activities Of Soybean Isoflavones, Qiju Wu

LSU Master's Theses

An efficient procedure was developed and used to extract and purify isoflavones from defatted soy flour. The purity of the final product reached 94%. The antioxidant activities of soybean isoflavones (genistein and daidzein purchased from Sigma Chemical Co, and a mixture of isoflavone glycosides extracted from defatted soy flour) were investigated by a cholesterol oxidation model accelerated by 2,2’-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH). All components exhibited very high antioxidant activities in the inhibition of cholesterol oxidation. Genistein had higher inhibition to the formation of 5,6beta-epoxycholesterol (5,6b-EP) and 7-ketocholesterol (7-keto), while no significant difference was found between the antioxidant activities of daidzein and …

Pcr Inhibition And Toxic Effects By Sediment Samples Exposed To Drilling Muds, Neal Gilpin Satterly

LSU Master's Theses

This study evaluated the PCR inhibition and toxic effects by sediment samples exposed to drilling muds. This information was gathered in an attempt to identify what effect, if any, drilling muds had on the microbial community structure in sediments around four specific oil-drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Sediment samples were taken before and after drilling had taken place around two platforms (GB516 and VK916), and sediment samples were taken after drilling had taken place around two other platforms (MC292 and GB602). After using traditional, non-selective DNA extraction methods, successful amplification took place via PCR with all pre-drilling samples …

Salinity Tolerance Of Juveniles Of Four Varieties Of Tilapia, Robert Welsh Nugon

LSU Master's Theses

Juvenile (4 g) tilapia of four varieties, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), blue tilapia (O. aureus), Florida red tilapia (O. urolepis hornorum x O. mossambicus), and Mississippi commercial tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) were tested for salinity tolerance. This was accomplished by subjecting them to four salinity regimes during a 97-h period with as long as 63 h acclimation. Salinity regimes represented salinities found along coastal Louisiana. Each variety was challenged individually against every other variety and thus in triplicate. All four varieties are commercially produced in the southeastern United States. The Florida red tilapia and Mississippi commercial tilapia are hybrid-based varieties (distinct …

Susceptibility Of Bacillus Anthracis To Gamma And Cherry Bacteriophage, Preston A. Fulmer

LSU Master's Theses

Bacillus anthracis is a bacterium that causes severe disease mainly in ruminants, but can affect any mammal, including humans. A popular method for the detection of this organism is susceptibility of the bacterial isolate to g bacteriophage. However, to date no study on the resistance of a wide variety of B. anthracis isolates has been conducted. The following study examines the rate of resistance of a wide range of B. anthracis isolates to g phage as well as another phage specific for B. anthracis known as Cherry phage. We also compared susceptibility to phage with another detection method, susceptibility to …

Sustainable Development Principles For East Baton Rouge Parish, Xia Li

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines and analyzes the sustainable development indicator data and determines what improvements and recommendations are needed for East Baton Rouge Parish’s development. This thesis has identified methods and indicators for studying sustainable developments, studied patterns of sustainable developments in the East Baton Rouge Parish to identify trends and developed recommendations that would encourage sustainable development in the East Baton Rouge Parish. It forms fourteen sustainable principles that would encourage sustainable development in East Baton Rouge Parish and a framework for a sound development.

Fine-Scaled Movements And Habitat Use Of Black Bears In South Central Louisiana, Dwayne Allen Hightower

LSU Master's Theses

Animal movements are related to many parameters of interest such as the search for food and other life requisites. Several measures, including home range, have been used to quantify and describe animal movement. However, fine-scaled movements of mammals have received less attention even though they are more directly related to energy expended for locating resources and provide information on how a home range is used. I tracked radiotagged female black bears (Ursus americanus) from two geographically separate populations in the Atchafalaya River Basin in south central Louisiana: the Coastal population at the southern extent and the Inland population at the …

The Correlation Between College Students' Familiarity With Potentially Offensive Popular Music And Self-Reported Tolerance Of Obscene Language And Sexual Behavior, Harry Emons Martin

LSU Master's Theses

This study's purpose was to examine the correlations among popular music preference, sexual behavior tolerance, and potentially obscene language usage. Subjects (N = 81) were college freshmen over the age of 18 who graduated from high school in 2001. They were drawn from one section each of a Music Appreciation course (non-music majors) and an Introduction to Music Study course (music majors). The top 20 songs from the October 27, 2001 Billboard Magazine's Top 100 charts were analyzed for occurrences of potentially offensive words and whole lines of lyrics containing sexual references. Subjects responded to a 4-part questionnaire. In part …

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 …

Swimming Versus Voluntary Running Exercise On Bone Health In Ovariectomized Retired Breeder Rats, Shelly Ann Duhe

LSU Master's Theses

Physical activity may increase long bone calcium (Ca) content to preserve bone strength in postmenopausal women. This study determined the effect of compulsory swimming and voluntary running exercise on bone mineral density, bone Ca and phosphorus (P) content, and femoral neck and tibia strength in ovariectomized (OVX) retired breeder rats, as a model for postmenopausal women. Thirty-seven nine-month old Sprague Dawley rats were assigned randomly into one of four treatment groups for the nine-week study: OVX + running (OR; n=9); OVX + swimming (OS; n=10); OVX + no exercise (O; n=9); sham-surgery + no exercise (Sh; n=9). OR rats had …

Mathematical Modeling Analysis Of Floating Bead Biofilter Applications To Domestic Wastewater Treatment, Qiang Wu

LSU Master's Theses

Floating Bead Biofilters (FBFs) have been applied to aquacultural recirculating tanks and domestic wastewater treatment systems for controlling total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and total suspended solids (TSS). Support modified media in these FBFs provide a large surface area (1150~1475 m2/m3) so that the active biofilm can be retained in the FBF by attaching to the media surface. Understanding the theories involved in biofilm processes greatly helps in sizing, designing, and modeling of FBF systems. Fundamental biofilm processes like mass transport of various substrates into the biofilm and the substrate utilization within the biofilm were studied. A …

Evaluation Of Static Low Density Media Filters For Use In Domestic Wastewater Treatment, Cynthia Wagener

LSU Master's Theses

Static Low Density Media (SLDM) filters are submerged granular medium filters that contain a static matrix of floating media. These filters provide concurrent biological and physical treatment, and are therefore classified as bioclarifiers. Through different design and operation strategies, SLDM filters may be used for a variety of functions such as: solid-liquid separation alone, organic conversion and solids capture, nitrification and solids capture, and denitrification and solids capture. For operation as an aerobic unit, an external aeration strategy was developed to preserve the static nature of the bed. In this study, SLDM filters treated a highly variable flow domestic wastewater …

Sugarcane Seed Response To 2,4-D And Alternative Herbicides For Red Morningglory (Ipomoea Coccinea L.) Control, Jonathan Daniel Siebert

LSU Master's Theses

Field studies conducted over two growing seasons evaluated the effect of 2,4-D applied at 1.6 kg ai/ha to LCP 85-384 sugarcane (Saccharum interspecific hybrid) 7, 5, 3, and 1 wk before planting (WBP). Sugarcane was planted in mid-September using both whole stalk and billet (45 cm) seed pieces. When 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer to planting, sugarcane shoot emergence and population averaged across planting methods was reduced 5, 7, and 28 wk after planting (WAP) when compared to the nontreated control. Sugarcane height in one of two years was reduced when 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer …

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 …

Disarming The Externalist Threat To Self-Knowledge, Gabriel Guy Cate

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine various attempts to disarm the externalist threat to self-knowledge. That threat is engendered by a certain causal theory of meaning and reference, which suggests that empirical investigations may be required to know the contents of our own thoughts. It is claimed, then, that direct, non-inferential self-knowledge of our own mental states, is not possible if externalism is true. The leading compatibilist strategies that attempt to reconcile these apparently conflicting theses are explored and criticized. I conclude by offering what I take to be the essential features of a more successful compatibilist strategy.

Regional Water Quality Models For The Prediction Of Eutrophication Endpoints, Anindita Das

LSU Master's Theses

Eutrophication is a process by which a waterbody progresses from its origin to its extinction. During this period, there is a gradual accumulation of nutrients and organic biomass, accompanied by a decrease in average depth of the water due to sediment accumulation, and an increase in primary productivity, usually in the form of dense algal blooms. Cultural eutrophication occurs when humans, through their various activities, greatly accelerate this process. Eutrophication can cause loss in species diversity, fish kills, and decrease the aesthetic value of a waterbody. The EPA is trying to prevent cultural eutrophication by setting standards for water quality …

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 …

Sustainable Agriculture And The Red Stick Farmers' Market: An Exploration Of The Use Of Concept In Design, Lawrence Christopher Campany

LSU Master's Theses

This is a treatise on an attempt to translate a concept -- the driving principle of a design in the parlance of the design studios at the Louisiana State University School of Landscape Architecture -- into practice, form and function. If form follows function, as states the oft quoted proverb of design credited to Louis Sullivan, then perhaps as much attention should be given to the design of the function as the form. What this treatise will demonstrate is that function designed around a concept can result in physical manifestations, or forms, of that concept. In this case a concept …

Heavy Smokers Choose Large, Immediate Rewards With Large Penalties On A Simulated Task Of Gambling, Michael Shawn Businelle

LSU Master's Theses

The Gambling Task is a complex neuropsychological test (in the form of a card game) that examines the ability of individuals to assess potential immediate gains over long-term losses. Gambling Task performance has been examined in previous studies with individuals who are dependent on alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamine. These studies have shown that those who are dependent on the aforementioned substances perform more poorly on the Gambling Task than controls. Specifically, in relation to controls, drug/alcohol dependent individuals show impairment by tending to pick more cards that have large immediate gains and very large delayed punishers. The delayed punisher …

Carbon Dioxide Capture From Flue Gas Using Regenerable Sodium-Based Sorbents, Ya Liang

LSU Master's Theses

The overall objective of this project is to develop a simple and inexpensive process to separate carbon dioxide (CO2) as an essentially pure stream from a fossil fuel combustion gases using a regenerable sodium-based sorbent. This objective of this phase of the project is to evaluate CO2 capture using sodium-based sorbents in single-cycle and multicycle tests as a function of calcination and carbonation conditions. The sorbent precursors investigated were sodium bicarbonates supplied by Church and Dwight, Inc., and natural trona supplied by Solvay. All precursors were first calcined to sodium carbonate and then converted to sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) or Wegscheider’s …

Instantaneously Trained Neural Networks With Complex Inputs, Pritam Rajagopal

LSU Master's Theses

Neural network architectures that can handle complex inputs, such as backpropagation networks, perceptrons or generalized Hopfield networks, require a large amount of time and resources for the training process. This thesis adapts the time-efficient corner classification approach to train feedforward neural networks to handle complex inputs using prescriptive learning, where the network weights are assigned simply upon examining the inputs. At first a straightforward generalization of the CC4 corner classification algorithm is presented to highlight issues in training complex neural networks. This algorithm performs poorly in a pattern classification experiment and for it to perform well some inputs have to …

Gateways Into The Atchafalaya: Developing A Framework For Water-Based Recreation In The Atchafalaya Basin Parishes, Steven Joseph Lumpkin

LSU Master's Theses

The term “gateways” has been used in many contexts as a means of providing entry or connection. Gateways are where people congregate to leave a realm of familiarity to one of uncertainty and adventure. They can also mark the entrance into an area of interest. Gateways may have a significant impact on an individual’s impression of a particular destination. This thesis provides arguments for using boating gateways into the Atchafalaya Basin (AB) region as the basis for a recreational framework that encompasses eight parishes. A common theme that exists in all eight AB parishes is their boat launches. They represent …

Quantifying Habitat Quality Of Larval Bay Anchovy (Anchoa Mitchilli) In Chesapeake Bay By Linking An Individual-Based Model With Spatially-Detailed Field Data, Aaron Thomas Adamack

LSU Master's Theses

Larval bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) habitat quality in Chesapeake Bay was predicted using an individual-based model applied to spatially-detailed field data from Rilling and Houde (1999). Habitat quality was predicted using the ratio of instantaneous mortality rate to instantaneous growth rate. Model predictions of habitat quality were compared to field estimates of habitat quality derived from the spatially-detailed field data. Three sets of one-day simulations were performed to estimate larval growth and mortality rates throughout Chesapeake Bay during June and during July 1993. Field-based simulations used field data to estimate the model inputs of water temperature, zooplankton densities, and the …

Physical Function And Quality Of Life In The Very- And Oldest-Old: Gender Differences, Kellye A. Ferachi

LSU Master's Theses

Age is associated with deterioration in physical function (PF) and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Recent investigations suggest that a decrease in function may have a greater impact on perceived activities of daily living (ADL) competency in women than in men. The purpose of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that the association between PF and HRQL among older adults is influenced by gender. We examined 108 older adults aged 60 years or older, for PF (Continuous Scale-Physical Function Performance test (CS-PFP10) and Functional Status Index (FSI)) and HRQL (SF-36). In order to address this question we assigned subjects …

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 …