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Insights Into 5-Lipoxygenase Active Site And Catalysis, Sunayana Mitra Jan 2015

Insights Into 5-Lipoxygenase Active Site And Catalysis, Sunayana Mitra

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Leukotrienes are potent immune-modulatory compounds involved in the inflammatory response. 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) is the enzyme that catalyzes the production of Leukotriene A4 (LTA4), which is further metabolized to pro- and anti-inflammatory compounds derived from the substrate Arachidonic Acid (AA), a polyunsaturated fatty acid. The crystal structure of a stabilized form of 5-LOX has been recently reported (Gilbert, Bartlett et al. 2011). However, the structure does not reveal the mode of substrate entry or recognition. The first step in the enzymatic reaction involves the removal of a hydrogen from the central carbon of a pentadiene present in the substrate. It is …

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Chemically Patterned Surfaces As Test Platforms To Study Magnetic And Solvent-Responsive Properties At The Nanoscale: Investigations Using Scanning Probe Microscopy, Shalaka Kulkarni Jan 2015

Chemically Patterned Surfaces As Test Platforms To Study Magnetic And Solvent-Responsive Properties At The Nanoscale: Investigations Using Scanning Probe Microscopy, Shalaka Kulkarni

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chemically patterned surfaces were fabricated using a combination of molecular self-assembly and particle lithography to generate billions of nanostructures of organosilane self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Monodisperse mesospheres were used as surface masks to prepare nanostructures on flat surfaces using the simple benchtop chemistry steps of mixing, centrifuging, evaporation, and drying. Periodic arrays of well-defined organosilane nanostructures serve as discrete surface sites for the selective deposition of polymers and magnetic nanoparticles.

In this dissertation, particle lithography approaches for surface patterning provide new directions for studying surface chemistry at the molecular-level using high resolution investigations with scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Atomic force microscopy …

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The False Idealization Of Heteronormativity And The Repression Of Queerness, Catherine Lynn Thurmond Jan 2015

The False Idealization Of Heteronormativity And The Repression Of Queerness, Catherine Lynn Thurmond

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, entitled “The False Idealization of Heteronormativity and the Repression of Queerness,” I examine heteronormativity as a social structure that is idealized over, and against, queerness. In the first chapter, I define heteronormativity and queerness. “Heteronormativity,” here, is simply a set of standards that dictate what one must do with their gender and sexuality, such as having sexual relations with the opposite sex, getting married, or having children. Heteronormativity is visible, validated, and normalized in society. Conversely, “queerness” refers to the social structures that dictate what one must not do with their gender and sexuality. Thus, queerness is …

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Mortuary Practices And Social Identity At Matrix 101, La Leche Valley, Peru, Jenna Renee Hurtubise Jan 2015

Mortuary Practices And Social Identity At Matrix 101, La Leche Valley, Peru, Jenna Renee Hurtubise

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the social identity of the individuals buried at a Late Middle Sicán (A.D. 1050-1120) mass grave designated Matrix 101. Matrix 101 is located in the Great Plaza of the Pomac forest archaeological complex in the La Leche Valley, north coast of Peru. My objectives are threefold: (1) to understand the social identities of the individuals, (2) to examine the complex mortuary practices that took place during the construction of the burial, and (3) to infer socio-political reasons for the construction of Matrix 101 and to see how they might relate to the Sicán societal collapse. Initial …

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Diversification And Biogeography Of Neotropical Cichlids, Caleb D. Mcmahan Jan 2015

Diversification And Biogeography Of Neotropical Cichlids, Caleb D. Mcmahan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The diversity of fishes in the Neotropics consists of nearly 6,000 species, approximately 10% of all vertebrate species on the planet. Evolutionary patterns and processes in fishes are often quite distinct from terrestrial biota, and the study of freshwater fishes can offer insight into understanding evolution and biogeography of regions. One of the major lineages of neotropical freshwater fishes, family Cichlidae, consist of over 500 species in the Neotropics but over 1,600 species overall. The aim of this study is to (1) assess diversification patterns within the family, with a focus on neotropical clades, (2) reassess phylogenetic relationships among northern …

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The Effect Of Teacher Vs. Student-Set Performance Goals On Academic Achievement In A Middle School Science Classroom, Tyne Nicole Courville Jan 2015

The Effect Of Teacher Vs. Student-Set Performance Goals On Academic Achievement In A Middle School Science Classroom, Tyne Nicole Courville

LSU Master's Theses

Self-regulation and self-efficacy are both necessary for students to be independent learners. During middle school, students begin to yearn for academic autonomy, but lack the ability to regulate themselves and are unreasonable about their abilities. Goals have been proven to promote the development of these two skills. The purpose of this investigation was to determine which type of performance goal most efficiently promotes the development of self-regulation. The effects of performance goal source were analyzed to determine if teacher-assigned or student assigned performance goals produce greater growth in content knowledge for seventh grade life science students. The effects of goal …

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An Evaluation Of Close Reading For Fourth Grade Students Receiving Tier 2 Responsiveness To Intervention Services, Marcy Boudreaux-Johnson Jan 2015

An Evaluation Of Close Reading For Fourth Grade Students Receiving Tier 2 Responsiveness To Intervention Services, Marcy Boudreaux-Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a close reading instructional routine (also known as analytical reading decades ago) that has been described in the literature and promoted as a process to help students reading complex text independently and proficiently. A single subject alternating treatments design was implemented with six fourth grade students who had been identified as at risk for academic failure and were receiving supplemental, small-group instruction in their rural public school. The alternating treatments design allowed for a direct comparison of the close reading instructional routine and a validated reading comprehension …

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Development Of Transition Metal-Catalyzed Polymerization Reactions And Their Applications For The Preparation Of Well-Defined Conjugated Polymer Architectures, Carlos Anthony Chavez Jan 2015

Development Of Transition Metal-Catalyzed Polymerization Reactions And Their Applications For The Preparation Of Well-Defined Conjugated Polymer Architectures, Carlos Anthony Chavez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The synthesis of conjugated polymers and design of complex materials based on them have become increasingly popular as the demand for low-cost efficient and processible optoelectronic and semiconducting devices escalates. While advanced applications of polymeric materials require some degree of sophistication, success can be achieved through careful consideration of polymerization techniques and methodologies. Controlling critical aspects of the polymerization process allows for synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures possessing unique and novel properties that may be worth of further comprehensive investigation. This dissertation primarily focuses on the development and preparation of well-defined hierarchical macromolecular architectures. The foundation of this work encompasses …

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Bioplastic Production In Cyanobacteria And Consensus Degenerate Pcr Probe Design, Courtney Edward Lane Jan 2015

Bioplastic Production In Cyanobacteria And Consensus Degenerate Pcr Probe Design, Courtney Edward Lane

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cyanobacteria show much promise in reducing biodegradable thermoplastic production costs; however, most currently characterized strains are ill-equipped to do so. The result of Objective I produced a high-throughput assay designed to discover existing cyanobacterial strains and rapidly characterize them as PHA-producers or potential PHA-producers. This assay will play an instrumental role in the attainment of a novel cyanobacteria environmental isolate capable of accumulating high levels of PHA naturally. Objective II produced an open source computer program which dramatically speeds the design of similar assays for any arbitrary genetic screening purpose. The program is not limited to this implementation alone. In …

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The Bioactive Compounds In Agricultural Products And Their Roles In Health Promoting Functions, Yixiao Shen Jan 2015

The Bioactive Compounds In Agricultural Products And Their Roles In Health Promoting Functions, Yixiao Shen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bioactive compounds from different agricultural food products have attracted great interest from food industries and researchers for their health promoting functions such as antioxidant, antiaging, anti-inflammatory and anticancer performance. In this study, hydrophilic and lipophilic fraction of two economical agricultural products sweet sorghum millet and sweet potato, as well as two herbs, butterfly pea and basil were extracted. The profiles and contents of phenolics, fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids and phytosterols in these selected agricultural products were determined by chromatography and mass spectrum methods. Additionally, the anti-lipid-oxidation capability of sweet sorghum millet and basil, and anti-cancer potential of butterfly pea seed …

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Thiol-Ene Scaffolds As Synthetic Augments And Silicate Ceramics As Osteogenic Components For Bone Tissue Engineering Applications, Cong Chen Jan 2015

Thiol-Ene Scaffolds As Synthetic Augments And Silicate Ceramics As Osteogenic Components For Bone Tissue Engineering Applications, Cong Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bone tissue engineering approaches using polymer/ceramic composites show promise as effective biocompatible, absorbable, and osteoinductive materials. A novel class of in situ polymerizing thiol-acrylate based copolymers synthesized via an amine-catalyzed Michael addition was studied for its potential to be used in bone defect repair. Both pentaerythritol triacrylate-co-trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) (PETA-co-TMPTMP) and PETA-co-TMPTMP with hydroxyapatite composites were fabricated in solid cast and foamed forms. These materials were characterized chemically and mechanically followed by an in vitro evaluation of the biocompatibility and chemical stability in conjunction with human adipose-derived mesenchymal pluripotent stem cells (hASC). The solid PETA-co-TMPTMP with and without hydroxyapatite (HA) exhibited …

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Regulation Of The Chloride Store In The Retinal Amacrine Cells, Vijai Krishnan Jan 2015

Regulation Of The Chloride Store In The Retinal Amacrine Cells, Vijai Krishnan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nitric Oxide (NO) is a key gaseous messenger that has been shown to be produced by multiple cell types in the vertebrate retina. Research in our lab is aimed at unlocking critical synaptic functions of NO. A major finding from our lab is that NO affects synaptic responses in amacrine cells by altering the plasma membrane gradient for Cl-. This is due to release of Cl- from an internal store and this in turn dependent on a decrease in cytosolic pH. Determining the factors regulating cytosolic Cl- in neurons is fundamental to our understanding of the function of GABAergic and …

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Regulatory Impacts Of Assembled Pol Iii Complexes On Neighboring Pol Ii Transcribed Genes In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Qing Wang Jan 2015

Regulatory Impacts Of Assembled Pol Iii Complexes On Neighboring Pol Ii Transcribed Genes In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Qing Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcribes tRNAs as well as other small non-coding RNAs. tRNA genes contain internal promoter sequences (A- and B-boxes) which can be specifically recognized and bound by TFIIIC. Binding of TFIIIC facilitates TFIIIB recruitment, which in turn targets Pol III to be recruited and initiate transcription. In addition to typical tRNA genes, there are other chromosomal regions, referred as extra-TFIIIC (ETC) sites, that are only bound by TFIIIC. Apart from transcription of genes, both complete and partially assembled Pol III complexes perform extra-transcriptional functions such as influencing nearby Pol II transcription, displacement of nearby nucleosomes, as …

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Hybrid Electronic Materials: Characterization And Thin-Film Deposition, Kalyan Chakravarthy Kanakamedala Jan 2015

Hybrid Electronic Materials: Characterization And Thin-Film Deposition, Kalyan Chakravarthy Kanakamedala

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hybrid Electronic Materials (HEMs), as defined for this dissertation, are combinations of organic and inorganic materials as may be used to fabricate active device components in “beyond the transistor” electronics. However, the use of organics is often limited by issues such as thermal stability, compatibility with traditional (semiconductor) materials, and current processing technology. Thus, we began our exploration of HEMs with a “new” class of materials called GUMBOS (Group of Uniform Materials Based on Organic Salts) as derived from ionic liquids. For this first segment of our work, we investigated selected species of GUMBOS and nanoGUMBOS via their current-voltage characteristics, …

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Stress Tolerance Enhancement Of Rice By Genetic Manipulation Of A Bhlh-Myc2 Transcription Factor, Luis Eduardo Sanchez Timm Jan 2015

Stress Tolerance Enhancement Of Rice By Genetic Manipulation Of A Bhlh-Myc2 Transcription Factor, Luis Eduardo Sanchez Timm

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rice yield is adversely affected by various abiotic and biotic stresses. Jasmonic acid (JA) signaling has been implicated in stress response of plants. The nuclear localized basic helix loop helix (bHLH) Myc2 transcription factor is known to be a master regulator of genes involved in the response of the JA-mediated signaling pathway during stress and plant development. Myc2 is also induced by wounding and mechanical damage, and is associated with resistance against herbivore insects. In order to understand the mode of action of Myc2 in stress response of rice, overexpresser (OE) and knock-down (KD) mutants for OsMyc2 were generated in …

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Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study Of Single Dna Nucleotides Transport Through Nanoslits, Kai Xia Jan 2015

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study Of Single Dna Nucleotides Transport Through Nanoslits, Kai Xia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There is potential for flight time based DNA sequencing involving disassembly into individual nucleotides which would pass through a nanochannel with 2 or more detectors. Molecular dynamics simulation of electrophoretic motion of single DNA nucleotides through 3 nm wide hydrophobic slits was performed. Electric field strength (E) varied from 0.0 to 0.6 V/nm. Slit walls were smooth or had a roughness similar to nucleotide size. Multiple nucleotide-wall adsorptions occurred. The electric field did not influence the nucleotide adsorption and desorption mechanism for E ¡Ü 0.1 V/nm, but influenced nucleotide orientation relative to the field direction. The nucleotide-wall interactions differed due …

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Social Functioning In Schizotypy: An Exploration Of Communicative Effectiveness Through Speech Analysis And Observer Rated Performance In A Socially Demanding Task, Tracey Lauren Auster Jan 2015

Social Functioning In Schizotypy: An Exploration Of Communicative Effectiveness Through Speech Analysis And Observer Rated Performance In A Socially Demanding Task, Tracey Lauren Auster

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Individuals with schizotypal traits have demonstrated sub-clinical symptoms of psychosis (e.g. perceptual disturbances, self-reported social functioning impairment, self-reported memory problems, and delusions). However, the evidence has been mixed regarding what impairments exist, particularly with regards to social functioning domains. As schizotypy is posited to reflect an underlying vulnerability for development of clinical levels of psychosis/risk conversion, individuals with these traits are an important group to study in order to identify these vulnerabilities. Research has indicated that current measures of social functioning (whether they are localized objective measures of verbal and non-verbal communication or global self-report of functioning) are missing some …

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Essays On Corruption, Chandan Kumar Jha Jan 2015

Essays On Corruption, Chandan Kumar Jha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Corruption is a global concern and requires attention because of its detrimental effects on economic growth and development. This dissertation includes three different essays that identify some of the instruments that can be used to fight corruption. The first essay investigates whether women's presence in economic and political arenas can have a significant impact on corruption. It finds evidence that while women's presence in parliament does reduce corruption other measures of female participation in economic activities are shown to have no effect. The second essay shows that internet and Facebook have an adverse effect on corruption. Finally, in a theoretical …

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The Role Of Rhizobial Mutualisms In The Establishment And Colonization Of Exotic Acacia Species In Novel Ranges, Metha Martine Klock Jan 2015

The Role Of Rhizobial Mutualisms In The Establishment And Colonization Of Exotic Acacia Species In Novel Ranges, Metha Martine Klock

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Comparing species establishment and expansion across regional and global scales and comparing congeners that differ in invasive capacity can provide novel insights into mechanisms driving species invasions. Acacia species introduced from Australia around the globe constitute an ideal group for comparing drivers of establishment across different regions and species. Acacias form mutualistic associations with nitrogen-fixing root-nodule bacteria (i.e. rhizobia), which may be a key factor in invasion success. In this dissertation, I examine the acacia-rhizobia mutualism across a suite of host species to explore a key mechanism influencing patterns and processes of acacia invasion. I used three complementary approaches to …

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Design And Application Of Task-Specific Organic Salts For Chemical And Biochemical Sensing, Waduge Indika Subodha Galpothdeniya Jan 2015

Design And Application Of Task-Specific Organic Salts For Chemical And Biochemical Sensing, Waduge Indika Subodha Galpothdeniya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There is an increasing demand for development of new sensors and sensor strategies for accurate detection and discrimination of various analytes. In this regard, colorimetric and fluorometric sensor approaches have attracted considerable attention, primarily because they represent facile and inexpensive analytical tools. In this dissertation, I discuss the design and application of sensors and sensor arrays using task specific organic salts: ionic liquids (ILs) and a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS). As compared to typical ionic compounds, these two classes of organic salts exhibit relatively lower melting points due to bulky organic cations and/or anions. Interestingly, …

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Synergistic Properties-Driven Synthesis Of Aluminides, Antiomonides, And Bioceramics, Pilanda Watkins-Curry Jan 2015

Synergistic Properties-Driven Synthesis Of Aluminides, Antiomonides, And Bioceramics, Pilanda Watkins-Curry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The synthesis, characterization, and properties of selected intermetallics and ceramic materials are presented in this dissertation. In our quest to grow single crystal intermetallics from the metal flux technique, new strategies were employed to avoid thermodynamically stable phases and to ensure sample homogeneity of the crystalline product for structure elucidation and accurate measurements of their magnetic and electrical properties. The relationship between the complex crystal structures and magnetic properties are reported for LnCo2Al8 (Ln = La-Nd, Sm, Yb), CeCo2-xMnxAl8 (0 < x < 1), and Pr2Fe4-xCoxSb5 (1 ≤ x < 3). The discovery of magnetic frustration in LnCo2Al8 (Ln = Ce, Nd) and complex magnetic ordering coupled with large positive magnetoresistance of up to 150% and 60% at 200 K with relatively low field of H = 1 T in Pr2Fe4-xCoxSb5 (x ≈ 2 and 2.5) is also reported. The demand of new inorganic solid materials as scaffolds for the engineering of bone tissue has led to the synthesis of calcium magnesium silicates such as, diopside (CaMgSi2O6), akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7), monticellite (CaMgSiO4), and merwinite (Ca3Mg(SiO4)2)) for studying dimensionality and mechanical properties. This dissertation highlights the synergism of solid state chemistry at the interface of condensed matter physics and biological engineering. The discovery of compounds with tunable magnetic, electrical, and mechanical properties will be described herein.

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Dietary Strategies To Influence Appetite: Effects Of Oat Beta-Glucan And Thylakoids From Spinach On Satiety And Reward-Induced Eating Behavior, Candida Joan Rebello Jan 2015

Dietary Strategies To Influence Appetite: Effects Of Oat Beta-Glucan And Thylakoids From Spinach On Satiety And Reward-Induced Eating Behavior, Candida Joan Rebello

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of these studies was to examine the effects of oat-based cereals and a spinach extract, on eating behavior. The cereals compared included instant oatmeal (IO), old fashioned oatmeal (SO), and a ready to eat cereal (RTEC), each containing the soluble fiber beta-glucan. The spinach extract containing thylakoids, the internal photosynthetic membrane of plants, was compared with a placebo. The first study, a randomized crossover trial compared the effect of IO and SO on subjective ratings of satiety, with the RTEC. Subjects consumed isocaloric 150kcal servings of the cereals in random order. Visual analogue scale ratings evaluating satiety were …

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Just Throw It In The Pot! The Cultural Geography Of Hidden Landscapes And Masked Performances In South Louisiana Gumbo Cooking, Corey David Hotard Jan 2015

Just Throw It In The Pot! The Cultural Geography Of Hidden Landscapes And Masked Performances In South Louisiana Gumbo Cooking, Corey David Hotard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One of Louisiana's gifts to the world is gumbo. Yet, gumbo is not just a local dish of renown. It is a metaphor which describes the people, a food that represents a region, and a symbol that stands in for the state. It is also the official dish of Louisiana. The association of gumbo with South Louisiana is recognized worldwide. The word itself evokes images of Louisiana's swampy Cajun landscapes. Yet gumbo is not indigenous to Louisiana nor is it a strictly Cajun dish. This dissertation is about the cultural and historical geography of gumbo. This study delves into the …

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I. Synthesis Of Ascarosides For Chemical Biology Studies In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Ii. A Photochemical Approach To Delavayine, And Iii. Remote Hydroxylation By Radical Translocation And Polar Crossover, Kyle Allen Hollister Jan 2015

I. Synthesis Of Ascarosides For Chemical Biology Studies In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Ii. A Photochemical Approach To Delavayine, And Iii. Remote Hydroxylation By Radical Translocation And Polar Crossover, Kyle Allen Hollister

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The foci of this dissertation are the synthesis of analogs for chemical biology studies, synthetic chemistry method development (with an emphasis on photochemistry), and the application of these methods toward total synthesis. Chapter 1 outlines the synthesis of an array of pheromone analogs that are derivatives of the dideoxy sugar ascarylose. Referred to as ascarosides, such compounds have recently been shown to influence important biological processes in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans secretes ascarosides into its environment, where the compounds then act as signaling molecules by providing information on factors like population density. Chapter 2 describes the biological …

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Comparison Of 3d And 4d Cbct For The Localization Of Moving Targets, Runyon Colie Woods Jan 2015

Comparison Of 3d And 4d Cbct For The Localization Of Moving Targets, Runyon Colie Woods

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: Compare the localization accuracy of 3D cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and 4D CBCT for a dynamic respiratory phantom, considering cases with and without respiratory variations between planning and treatment. Methods and Materials: A respiratory phantom was imaged using 3D CBCT and 4D CBCT. Measurements of the amplitude of motion in 3D CBCT and 4D CBCT and size of the sphere at its exhale position in 4D CBCT were acquired. The phantom was then misaligned by known distances relative to a reference position. 3D CBCT and 4D CBCT were used to re-align the phantom by comparing localization images to …

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Expertise And Disbelief: Post-1945 American Attitudes Toward The Authority Of Knowledge, Terry Wagner Jan 2015

Expertise And Disbelief: Post-1945 American Attitudes Toward The Authority Of Knowledge, Terry Wagner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

“You can’t beat brains,” said President John Kennedy of the intellectuals and technicians he assembled in his cabinet. Kennedy was perhaps the greatest political champion for the virtues of expertise. However, all over America during the 1960s and ‘70s, diverse groups voiced doubts about how much experts, such as social scientists, policy specialists, and others, actually improved life. This dissertation examines how movements on the political left and right, and spiritual ruptures such as the rise of ‘60s counterculture and of evangelicalism, spoke in different language to express a similar point: human mastery over the world is profoundly limited. Many …

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Pattern Mining And Events Discovery In Molecular Dynamics Simulations Data, Shobhit Sandesh Shakya Jan 2015

Pattern Mining And Events Discovery In Molecular Dynamics Simulations Data, Shobhit Sandesh Shakya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Molecular dynamics simulation method is widely used to calculate and understand a wide range of properties of materials. A lot of research efforts have been focused on simulation techniques but relatively fewer works are done on methods for analyzing the simulation results. Large-scale simulations usually generate massive amounts of data, which make manual analysis infeasible, particularly when it is necessary to look into the details of the simulation results. In this dissertation, we propose a system that uses computational method to automatically perform analysis of simulation data, which represent atomic position-time series. The system identifies, in an automated fashion, the …

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Healing-On-Demand Polymer Composites Based On Shape Memory Polyurethane Fibers And Polymeric Artificial Muscles, Pengfei Zhang Jan 2015

Healing-On-Demand Polymer Composites Based On Shape Memory Polyurethane Fibers And Polymeric Artificial Muscles, Pengfei Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, the healing-on-demand polymer composites based on shape memory polyurethane fibers and artificial muscles are investigated, for understanding and developing a novel healing-on-demand composite so that it would be used for industrial applications that could heal structural-length scale damage and leaking autonomously, repeatedly, efficiently, timely, and molecularly. Firstly, the structural relaxation behavior of shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) fiber was studied by theoretical analysis and experimental test. Then, a self-healing composite based on cold-drawn short SMPU fiber was prepared and tested for evaluating its crack-healing performance. After that, polymer artificial muscle based healing-on-demand composite was developed and characterized. Based …

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Informal Landscape Architecture: A Tool To Improve Water Quality For Informal Settlements Along Waterways In Bangkok, Jidapa Chayakul Jan 2015

Informal Landscape Architecture: A Tool To Improve Water Quality For Informal Settlements Along Waterways In Bangkok, Jidapa Chayakul

LSU Master's Theses

The canals of Bangkok were a vital form of infrastructure from when the city was founded in 1782 until the 1850s, when the road system was introduced. Built for agricultural irrigation, the canals served as the primary means of transportation and significantly influenced the form and orientation of Bangkok’s early settlements and public institutions. With the implementation of roads, new buildings were constructed to be oriented towards the streets and away from the canals. The canals and their communities subsequently decreased in visibility. Today, most of the land along the waterways is publically owned. As a result, the land adjacent …

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Biostabilization Of Lipid Bilayers: Dealing With Water Stress In Embryos Of Artemia Franciscana, Daniel Steven Moore Jan 2015

Biostabilization Of Lipid Bilayers: Dealing With Water Stress In Embryos Of Artemia Franciscana, Daniel Steven Moore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate stabilization of lipid bilayers during water stress by protectants found in embryos of Artemia franciscana. Two LEA proteins were used: AfrLEA2 and AfrLEA3m. AfrLEA3m was experimentally demonstrated to reside in the matrix. Two detergents were used to differentially solubilize the outer and inner membranes of mitochondria isolated from A. franciscana. Release of AfrLEA3m occurred simultaneously with the release of fumarase, a matrix-resident marker. As a second independent method to corroborate the above findings, I demonstrated that recombinant AfrLEA3m can be imported into mitochondria isolated from rat liver. Molecular modeling of AfrLEA2 and …

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