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Design, Synthesis, And Antibacterial Properties Of Dual-Ligand Inhibitors Of Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase And Mechanism Of Action For The Antibacterial Agent Moiramide B, Molly Anne Silvers Jan 2014

Design, Synthesis, And Antibacterial Properties Of Dual-Ligand Inhibitors Of Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase And Mechanism Of Action For The Antibacterial Agent Moiramide B, Molly Anne Silvers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An urgent demand for the development of new antibiotics has been created by the increase in clinical cases involving drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. A novel target for antibacterial development is acetyl-CoA carboxylase, a multifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step in fatty acid synthesis. The bacterial form of the enzyme consists of three proteins: biotin carboxylase, biotin carboxyl carrier protein, and carboxyltransferase. The research presented in this dissertation describes dual-ligand inhibitors incorporating selective inhibitors against biotin carboxylase and carboxyltransferase that were synthesized by covalently attaching them with saturated hydrocarbon linkers containing 7 and 15 carbon atoms. The ability to inhibit …

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Teacher Matters: Teacher Normative Influence And Student Persistence In College, Jonathan Paul Denham Jan 2014

Teacher Matters: Teacher Normative Influence And Student Persistence In College, Jonathan Paul Denham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation extends the work on teacher immediacy (TI) and student persistence by using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1985) to account for variability in college student persistence. Students provided perceptions of their teachers’ immediacy behaviors using modified versions of Gorham’s (1988) TI scale. Instruction prompts of the TI scale were manipulated to create four conditions. The results from Study 1 demonstrate that TI scale prompt language has an effect on the ways participants assess their teacher’s immediacy behaviors. The results from Study 2 show that student perceptions of their teacher’s immediacy behaviors change over the course of …

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Effects Of Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation On Bovine Oocyte Lipid Metabolism, Lipid Composition And Embryo Cryotolerance, Cody Lee Bailey Jan 2014

Effects Of Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation On Bovine Oocyte Lipid Metabolism, Lipid Composition And Embryo Cryotolerance, Cody Lee Bailey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Variation in cryotolerance exists between embryos from different animal breed, species and management conditions. Reduced tolerance to chilling and cryotolerance of oocytes and embryos has been associated with greater cytoplasmic lipids (Kim et al., 2001; Seidel, 2006). Previous studies in the cow have demonstrated nutrition-induced modification of follicular components. Trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was identified as a potent inhibitor of milk fat synthesis in lactating cows (Baumgard et al., 2000) and inclusion of CLA in bovine embryo culture medium improved post-thaw embryo survival (Pereira et al., 2007). Dietary supplementation of cows with CLA could alter oocyte fatty acid …

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Genetics And Genomics Studies Of Rice Disease Resistance And Development Of Alternative Disease Management Methods For Bacterial Panicle Blight And Sheath Blight, Bishnu Kumar Shrestha Jan 2014

Genetics And Genomics Studies Of Rice Disease Resistance And Development Of Alternative Disease Management Methods For Bacterial Panicle Blight And Sheath Blight, Bishnu Kumar Shrestha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bacterial panicle blight (BPB) and sheath blight (SB), caused by the bacteria Burkholderia glumae and B. gladioli, and the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, respectively, are two major rice diseases in southern rice growing regions of US. No completely resistant rice cultivars have been identified for these diseases. However, a medium-grain cultivar, Jupiter, showed partial resistance to BPB. In order to understand the mechanisms of rice resistance against BPB and SB, rice genetics and genomics studies have been conducted. Alternative methods to suppress BPB and SB were also studied. Broad-sense heritability and correlations were calculated for the traits, BPB and SB disease …

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Reducing Juvenile Justice Involvement Through A Childhood Truancy Intervention, Bret James Blackmon Jan 2014

Reducing Juvenile Justice Involvement Through A Childhood Truancy Intervention, Bret James Blackmon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study employed a mixed methods design to evaluate an elementary school truancy intervention in terms of reducing rates of juvenile delinquency over six years. Few (n = 11) participants became involved in the formal justice system, so the intervention’s effectiveness was measured by re-referrals for continued truancy. The regression discontinuity design was used to compare the intervention group to the comparison group. The intervention group received intensive case management and the comparison group received a warning letter. A regression discontinuity design using multivariate logistic regression indicated that the intervention did not reduce the likelihood of subsequent re-referrals, and the …

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Polymer Micro- And Nanofluidic Systems For In Vitro Diagnostics: Analyzing Single Cells And Molecules, Swathi Reddy Pullagurla Jan 2014

Polymer Micro- And Nanofluidic Systems For In Vitro Diagnostics: Analyzing Single Cells And Molecules, Swathi Reddy Pullagurla

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Polymer micro- and nanofluidic systems, with their critical dimensions, offer a potential to outperform conventional analysis techniques and diagnostic methods by enhancing speed, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. In this work, applications of microfluidics have been demonstrated to address the existing challenges in stroke diagnosis, by mRNA expression profiling from whole blood within <20 min. A brief overview of various biomarkers for stroke diagnosis is given in chapter 1 followed by design and testing of individual microfluidic modules (chapter 2 and 3) required for the development of POC diagnostic strategy for stroke. We have designed and evaluated the performance of polymer microfluidic devices for the isolation of leukocyte subsets, known for their differential gene expression in the event of stroke. Target cells (T-cells and neutrophils) were selected from with greater purities, from 50 µl whole human blood by using affinity based capture in COC devices within a 6.6 min processing time. In addition, we have also demonstrated the ability to isolate and purify total RNA by using UV activated polycarbonate solid phase extraction platform. Polymer-based nanofluidic devices were used to study the effects of surface charge on the electrodynamic transport dynamics of target molecules. In this work, we report the fabrication of mixed-scale micro- and nanofluidic networks in poly(methylmethacrylate), PMMA, using thermal nanoimprint lithography using a resin stamp and surface modification of polymer nanoslits and nanochannels for the assessment of the associated electrokinetic parameters – surface charge density, zeta potential and electroosmotic flow. This study provided information on possible routes that can be adopted to engineer proper wall chemistry of polymer nanochannels for the enhancement or reduction of solute/wall interactions in a variety of relevant single-molecule studies.

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Lopsided, Scarred, And Squint-Eyed: Ugly Women In The Work Of Southern Women Writers, Monica C. Miller Jan 2014

Lopsided, Scarred, And Squint-Eyed: Ugly Women In The Work Of Southern Women Writers, Monica C. Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ubiquity of ugly female characters in the work of southern women calls into question what W. J. Cash termed “gyneolatry,” the worship of the beautiful white woman upon which so much of southern ideology has been based. If the South functions as an internal other for the nation, then examining this fiction’s multiplicity of ugly women illuminates the ways in which women defy not only the norms of southern gender but also those of the larger American culture, in which the southern woman often acts as a representation of the South in general. By considering ugliness as a category …

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Population Genetic And Hybridization Studies Of Three Bornean Bird Species: Mountain Black-Eye (Chlorocharis Emiliae), White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus Malabaricus), And Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus Saularis), Dency Flenny Anak Augustine Gawin Gawin Jan 2014

Population Genetic And Hybridization Studies Of Three Bornean Bird Species: Mountain Black-Eye (Chlorocharis Emiliae), White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus Malabaricus), And Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus Saularis), Dency Flenny Anak Augustine Gawin Gawin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mountain Black-eye (Chlorocharis emiliae), Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis) and White-rumped Shama (C. malabaricus) are Bornean passerines with different population dynamics. To determine the effect of these differences on their population structures, I examined mitochondrial DNA sequences and morphological characters of populations within each species in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia. Chlorocharis is a white-eye (Zosteropidae), endemic to Borneo, with a unique “sky island” distribution. Molecular and previously obtained morphological data support its traditional division into at least three subspecies. An unexpected result of my comparisons was a marked genetic subdivision between its Sabah and Sarawak populations. C. malabaricus and C. saularis …

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From Micro- To Nano-Scale: Applications Of Solid-Phase Enzymatic Reactors For Biopolymer Disassembly, Nyote J. Calixte Jan 2014

From Micro- To Nano-Scale: Applications Of Solid-Phase Enzymatic Reactors For Biopolymer Disassembly, Nyote J. Calixte

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The process of immobilizing enzymes onto solid supports for bioreactions has some compelling advantages compared to their solution-based counterpart including the facile separation of enzyme from products, elimination of enzyme autodigestion, and increased enzyme stability and activity. We report in this work, the immobilization of λ-exonuclease onto poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) micro- and nano-pillars populated within a fluidic devices for the micro and nanoscale on-chip digestion of double-stranded DNA. Enzyme immobilization in both studies was successfully accomplished using 3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling to carboxylic acid functionalized PMMA micropillars. Our micro-scale results suggest that the reaction efficiency for the catalysis of dsDNA digestion …

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Image-Based Pore-Scale Modeling Of Inertial Flow In Porous Media And Propped Fractures, Yijie Shen Jan 2014

Image-Based Pore-Scale Modeling Of Inertial Flow In Porous Media And Propped Fractures, Yijie Shen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Non-Darcy flow is often observed near wellbores and in hydraulic fractures where relatively high velocities occur. Quantifying additional pressure drop caused by non-Darcy flow and fundamentally understanding the pore-scale inertial flow is important to oil and gas production in hydraulic fractures. Image-based pore-scale modeling is a powerful approach to obtain macroscopic transport properties of porous media, which are traditionally obtained from experiments and understand the relationship between fluid dynamics with complex pore geometries. In image-based modeling, flow simulations are conducted based on pore structures of real porous media from X-ray computed tomographic images. Rigorous pore-scale finite element modeling using unstructured …

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Comparison Of Immune Responses During Gastrointestinal Helminth Self-Cure Expulsion Between Resistant Gulf Coast Native And Susceptible Suffolk Sheep, Javier Jesus Garza Jan 2014

Comparison Of Immune Responses During Gastrointestinal Helminth Self-Cure Expulsion Between Resistant Gulf Coast Native And Susceptible Suffolk Sheep, Javier Jesus Garza

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The immune response to the self-cure phenomenon seen during gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasitism of small ruminants was compared between sheep breeds that are resistant or susceptible to Haemonchus contortus infection. Fifty-four Gulf Coast Native (resistant) and Suffolk (susceptible) lambs were allowed to acquire a natural GIN infection on pasture and were then randomly allocated into 4 groups. After being moved to parasite free housing for 2 months, lambs were given a challenge infection of 20,000 H. contortus L3. Fecal egg counts (FEC) were monitored throughout the study and animals were necropsied at 0, 1, 3, and 7 days post infection …

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Modeling Near Surface, Gas-Induced Seafloor Deformation Using Thin Plate Mechanics In The Thunder Horse Oil Field, Gulf Of Mexico And Ninilchik Field, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska, Michael I. Thoma Jan 2014

Modeling Near Surface, Gas-Induced Seafloor Deformation Using Thin Plate Mechanics In The Thunder Horse Oil Field, Gulf Of Mexico And Ninilchik Field, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska, Michael I. Thoma

LSU Master's Theses

Seabed topographic expressions such as pockmarks and domes caused by the vertical migration and accumulation of methane are found in muddy, cohesive sea beds around the world. These surface features range from 10-1000 m in diameter and 1-20 m in relief (Judd and Hovland, 2007). The mechanics of soft, cohesive sediment deformation due to overpressure from rising gas is not well understood or quantitatively defined despite the hazards they present to offshore drilling. Shallow gas pockets and overpressured sediments formed by the migration of subsurface gas to the seafloor can cause drilling blowouts, resulting in the release of large amounts …

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Examining The Psychometrics Of The Psychopathology Inventory For Mentally Retarded Adults-Ii For Adults With Mild And Moderate Intellectual Disabilities, Brian Christopher Belva Jan 2014

Examining The Psychometrics Of The Psychopathology Inventory For Mentally Retarded Adults-Ii For Adults With Mild And Moderate Intellectual Disabilities, Brian Christopher Belva

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With growing recognition of the occurrence of psychological disorders in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), researchers and clinicians alike have placed emphasis on developing measures to assess for psychopathologies in this population. Despite an increased interest in the topic, there is still a dearth of psychometrically robust measures available to assess for psychopathology in adults with mild and moderate ID. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a revised measure for psychopathology in individuals with mild and moderate ID, the Psychopathology Inventory for Mentally Retarded Adults – Second Edition (PIMRA-II). Internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and …

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The Moderating Effect Of Gender On The Relationship Between Socialization And Internalizing Problems In Early Childhood, Hilary Lynn Adams Jan 2014

The Moderating Effect Of Gender On The Relationship Between Socialization And Internalizing Problems In Early Childhood, Hilary Lynn Adams

LSU Master's Theses

Researchers in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have confirmed that comorbidities are a common problem among diagnosed individuals. Current estimates suggest that more than two thirds meet criteria for an additional diagnosis of psychopathology. In particular, rates of several internalizing problems (i.e., anxiety, depression) appear to be greater for individuals with ASD than their typically developing counterparts. However, little research has been conducted examining factors apart from autism symptomatology that could influence this prevalence difference. Additionally, it is well established that anxiety and depression are more common in females than males in the general population. However, few studies …

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Autologous Adipose Derived Adult Multipotent Stromal Cells Alter The Porcine Systemic Immune And Bone Biomarkers Response To Cancellous Bone Xenografts, Jonathan Francis Bova Jan 2014

Autologous Adipose Derived Adult Multipotent Stromal Cells Alter The Porcine Systemic Immune And Bone Biomarkers Response To Cancellous Bone Xenografts, Jonathan Francis Bova

LSU Master's Theses

The use of a porcine model in assessing bone grafts in vivo is common when a large animal model is necessary. In this thesis we aimed to improve the porcine model of facial reconstruction through the use of a local anesthesia and novel methods of assessing the immune response to and bone forming ability of adult adipose derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASC). The goals of the research were: 1) evaluate the effect of a bupivacaine mandibular nerve block on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in response to surgical stimulation and the need for systemic analgesics postoperatively, 2) quantify …

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“Trans-Positioning” Carbons Within Strained Caged Bicyclic(S): Rom/Rcm (Ring-Opening/Ring-Closing) Metathesis And Dieckmann/Retro-Dieckmann Condensation Routes To A Cis-Decalin Infrastructure, Stefan Malone Cooper Jr Jan 2014

“Trans-Positioning” Carbons Within Strained Caged Bicyclic(S): Rom/Rcm (Ring-Opening/Ring-Closing) Metathesis And Dieckmann/Retro-Dieckmann Condensation Routes To A Cis-Decalin Infrastructure, Stefan Malone Cooper Jr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes methodology work involving a “Trans-Positioning” motif engaging strategically positioned carbons within a strained bi-carbocyclic core and on a tethered free-dangling hydrocarbon chain ultimately for skeletal rearrangement. Trans-alkenylation and trans-acylation processes are devised for investigation with bicyclo[2.2.2]octyl and bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl strained cores. Recent advances in olefin metathesis led to an independent proposal of the now applicable, RRM (Ring-Rearranging Metathesis) for trans-alkenylation purposes. A resourceful Dieckmann/retro-Dieckmann sequence is devised for trans-acylation motives. Finally, this dissertation includes atypical diastereoselective reductions and additions which were serendipitously found with trigonal carbon atoms appended to our pertinent strained systems while in pursuit of our …

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Factor Analysis And Cut-Off Scores For The Autism Spectrum Disorders-Observation For Children, Megan Alice Hattier Jan 2014

Factor Analysis And Cut-Off Scores For The Autism Spectrum Disorders-Observation For Children, Megan Alice Hattier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Optimal prognoses for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) often rely upon early intervention; thus, there has been a call for reliable and valid assessment tools in order to ensure accurate diagnoses among youth at risk for developmental disabilities (DDs) such as autism. The target of this paper is to inspect the underlying factor structure of a recently developed observation tool for assessing autistic symptoms, the Autism Spectrum Disorders – Observation for Children (ASD-OC). More importantly, cutoff scores were also developed for clinical use in order to distinguish between those with and without an ASD. Given that marked changed were …

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Chronic Toxicity Of Nano Metallics On Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkii) In Laboratory And Mesocosm Studies, Jake Andrew Farlow Jan 2014

Chronic Toxicity Of Nano Metallics On Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkii) In Laboratory And Mesocosm Studies, Jake Andrew Farlow

LSU Master's Theses

Nanotechnology has become integrated in commercial, industrial and medical products, and its use has grown exponentially in the past several years. Although potential applications of nanoparticles (NPs) are numerous, concerns about their water quality, environmental, and human health impacts remain unclear. Crayfish are ubiquitous to streams and wetland habitats, are used as a food source, and inhabit areas that could be impacted by water quality issues. Numerous studies have been conducted on the toxicity of various classes of agricultural pesticides and oils to crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) as a non-target organism. However, there is little evidence published on chronic toxicity of …

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Synthetic Routes To Therapeutic Agents Via Masked Functionalities: From Orthogonal Peptide Crosslink To Photothermal Cancer Prodrug, Chyree Shantel Batton Jan 2014

Synthetic Routes To Therapeutic Agents Via Masked Functionalities: From Orthogonal Peptide Crosslink To Photothermal Cancer Prodrug, Chyree Shantel Batton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The theonellamides are a family of compounds distinguished by their crosslinking ô-histidinoalanine (ô-HAL) residue. Part one of this dissertation details the synthesis of an orthogonally protected ô-HAL building block that will be incorporated into a total synthesis of theonellamide C. Selective deprotection of each amine and acid of this orthogonally protected building block is also demonstrated. Various reaction partners for the assembly of ô-histidinoalanine were explored. One approach involved the coupling of N-Fmoc-â-iodoalanine benzyl ester and (Nðim)-blocked histidine nucleophiles including a fused bicyclic urea and a Boc-His(Nð-Pac)-OMe. While the imidazolium salts were identified by mass spectrometry, elimination of the iodide …

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The Worlds Of Agriculture In Asia : Agricultural And Economic Development, Lorna Econg Amrinto Jan 2014

The Worlds Of Agriculture In Asia : Agricultural And Economic Development, Lorna Econg Amrinto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The agro-fundamentalists consider agriculture as the engine of growth while agro-pessimists argue that economic growth causes agricultural productivity. It is the main engine of growth in agriculture-based countries; less important in transforming economies; and plays the same role as other tradable sectors in urbanized countries (World Bank, 2008). This work revisits agriculture’s role in the development process within the experience of Asia where the majority of the population heavily depends on agriculture. Chapter 2 presents the results of causality tests between agriculture and economic growth in bivariate systems using the TYDL methodology. For some of agriculture-based Asia (Bhutan, Lao, Cambodia …

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A Standardized Ultrasonography Classification For Channel Catfish Ovarian Development, Noel D. Novelo Jan 2014

A Standardized Ultrasonography Classification For Channel Catfish Ovarian Development, Noel D. Novelo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to develop application of ultrasonography as a decision-making tool in genetic improvement programs for channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. A literature review on the use of ultrasonography in fish reproduction generated a comprehensive reference data set intended to benefit existing and potential users. It exposed the need for reporting of instrument control settings and standardization of fish handling and imaging procedures. These issues were addressed from the onset of this work by assessing more than 6,300 channel catfish ovaries by use of initial fish handling and imaging procedures developed (2004-2005) at the Louisiana State University …

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Characterization Of Hybrid Electronic Materials Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Madhavi Divakar Rajathadripura Jan 2014

Characterization Of Hybrid Electronic Materials Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Madhavi Divakar Rajathadripura

LSU Master's Theses

Miniaturization in the electronics industry has been driven by advancements in material science. Recently, Hybrid Electronic Materials (HEMs) have been postulated to have unique material properties that can be used within the semiconductor industry. As such, the main focus of this research is to characterize the relevant properties of HEMs using atomic force microscopy (AFM), conductive probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM), and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Emphasis is placed on characterizing [R6G][TPB] GUMBOS which are a Group of Uniform Materials Based on Organic Salts. GUMBOS exhibit properties such as fluorescence and magnetic susceptibility, both of which may be important with respect …

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The Effect Of Modifying The Higher-Order Structure Of Plant High-Affinity Phosphate Transporters, Elena Batista Fontenot Jan 2014

The Effect Of Modifying The Higher-Order Structure Of Plant High-Affinity Phosphate Transporters, Elena Batista Fontenot

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient taken up by plants in the form of phosphate and is a component of key molecules, such as ATP, DNA, and RNA, and is one of the most frequently limiting macronutrients for plant growth. More than 80 % of phosphorus found in soil exists as non-inorganic forms and is unavailable for plant uptake, demonstrating the importance for genes induced to cope with phosphate starvation, including high-affinity phosphate transporters (Phts). Phts are membrane-localized transporters involved in the transport of phosphate and arsenate and have a high capacity for transporting phosphate in areas where phosphate concentrations are …

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Design, Synthesis, And Exploration Of A Chimeric Antioxidant And New Crosslinkers For Molecular Imprinting, Danielle Songe Meador Jan 2014

Design, Synthesis, And Exploration Of A Chimeric Antioxidant And New Crosslinkers For Molecular Imprinting, Danielle Songe Meador

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The improvement and utility of crosslinkers are important topics of molecular imprinting. Crosslinker significance is evident when molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) composition related to performance as separation media is examined. Crosslinkers account for the bulk of MIP formulations made through traditional imprinting (80-90%) and is even greater when the One Monomer Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (OMNiMIP) approach is utilized (100%.) It is not surprising that alteration of the bulk component will result in different separation performances. Crosslinkers studied in this work were designed, synthesized, and evaluated toward improvement in OMNiMIP selectivity. In particular, functionality and number of polymerizable groups, addition of …

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Reductive Alkylation Of Proteins Towards Structural And Biological Applications, Kevin Jerome Roberson Jan 2014

Reductive Alkylation Of Proteins Towards Structural And Biological Applications, Kevin Jerome Roberson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a proven technique for protein structure and dynamic studies, typically requiring the incorporation of stable magnetic isotopes to improve sensitivity and assign resonances. Degenerate levels of 13C-incorporation have been the biggest obstacle for mass spectrometry-assisted assignment of 13C-dimethylamine resonances in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Reductive 13C-methylation is an alternative labeling method for proteins not amenable to bacterial host overexpression. Because reductive 13C-methylation adds sparse, isotopic labels, traditional methods of assigning the NMR signals are not applicable. The research presented in the first part of this dissertation explores several methods used to break the …

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The Roles Of Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, And Neurotransmitters In An Animal Model Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Carl Brad Wilson Jan 2014

The Roles Of Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, And Neurotransmitters In An Animal Model Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Carl Brad Wilson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a trauma- and stressor-related disorder, is a condition that can develop in response to life-threatening situations. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5), a diagnosis of PTSD necessitates exposure to a life-threatening event, intrusive recollections, avoidance of associated stimuli, hyperarousal, and a significant social impairment. All of these symptoms must persist for at least 30 days and not be due to illness, medication, or substance abuse. To date, no definitive diagnostic biomarkers have been identified for PTSD. Recent research, however, points toward physiological abnormalities in the brain, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and …

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An Analysis Of Osteoarthritis Of The Upper Limbs In The Tchefuncte Site (16st1), Mallory Baldridge Jan 2014

An Analysis Of Osteoarthritis Of The Upper Limbs In The Tchefuncte Site (16st1), Mallory Baldridge

LSU Master's Theses

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disorder of the synovial joints which is frequently linked to activity and age, as well as numerous other etiologies. In particular, osteoarthritis of the shoulder is often shown to correlate with age, while osteoarthritis of the elbow is often shown to correlate with physical activity. The presence and pattern of osteoarthritis has been investigated in numerous Native American populations, but to date, its presence has not been investigated in the skeletal collection from the Tchefuncte site (16ST1), a Tchula Period shell midden site in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Osteoarthritis of the upper limbs is examined in …

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Piezoelectric Based Energy Harvesting On Low Frequency Vibrations Of Civil Infrastructures, Ye Zhang Jan 2014

Piezoelectric Based Energy Harvesting On Low Frequency Vibrations Of Civil Infrastructures, Ye Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Piezoelectric-based energy harvesting is an efficient way to convert ambient vibration energy into usable electric energy. The piezoelectric harvester can work as a sustainable and green power source for different electric devices such as sensors and implanted medical devices. However, its application on civil infrastructures has not been fully studied yet. This dissertation aimed to study and improve the piezoelectric-based energy harvesting on civil infrastructures, especially on bridge structures. To reach the objective, a more accurate model for piezoelectric composite beams was built first, which can be adopted for the modeling of different kinds of energy harvesters. The model includes …

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Novel Nanostructured Titania And Titania Nanocomposites For Photovoltaics And Photocatalysis, Xinning Luan Jan 2014

Novel Nanostructured Titania And Titania Nanocomposites For Photovoltaics And Photocatalysis, Xinning Luan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the consumption of energy continually increasing around the world and the main source of this energy, fossil fuels, slowly being depleted, the need for alternate sources of energy is becoming more and more pertinent. Demand for solar energy has experienced exponential increase over the last decade. Nanostructured TiO2 has attracted significant attention due to its nontoxicity, low cost and wide applications in photovoltaics and photocatalysis. This research is focused on novel synthesis and surface modification of TiO2 nanotube arrays for applications in advanced dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and efficient photocatalysis. The first part of this work entails fast synthesis …

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Sign Learning Kink Based Quantum Monte Carlo Applied To Multiple Large Systems H2O, N2, F2, Xiaoyao Ma Jan 2014

Sign Learning Kink Based Quantum Monte Carlo Applied To Multiple Large Systems H2O, N2, F2, Xiaoyao Ma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A Sign Learning Kink (SiLK) based Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method is used to calculate the ground state energies for H2O, N2 and F2 molecules. This method has two stages. The first (learning stage) reduces the minus sign problem by optimizing the states which are used in the second (QMC stage). I test the method in Single, Double excitations (SD), Single, Double, and Triple excitations (SDT), and Full Configuration Interaction (FCI) vector spaces. I also perform exact diagonalization in those vector spaces as a benchmark. In each vector space and for each molecule, I perform SiLK …

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