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Testing Protozoacidal Activity Of Ligand-Lytic Peptides Against Termite Gut Protozoa In Vitro (Protozoa Culture) And In Vivo (Microinjection Into Termite Hindgut), Claudia Husseneder, Amit Sethi, Lane Foil, Jennifer Delatte Jan 2010

Testing Protozoacidal Activity Of Ligand-Lytic Peptides Against Termite Gut Protozoa In Vitro (Protozoa Culture) And In Vivo (Microinjection Into Termite Hindgut), Claudia Husseneder, Amit Sethi, Lane Foil, Jennifer Delatte

Faculty Publications

We are developing a novel approach to subterranean termite control that would lead to reduced reliance on the use of chemical pesticides. Subterranean termites are dependent on protozoa in the hindguts of workers to efficiently digest wood. Lytic peptides have been shown to kill a variety of protozoan parasites (Mutwiri et al. 2000) and also protozoa in the gut of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Husseneder and Collier 2009). Lytic peptides are part of the nonspecific immune system of eukaryotes, and destroy the membranes of microorganisms (Leuschner and Hansel 2004). Most lytic peptides are not likely to harm higher …

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A Phylogenetic Approach To Disentangling The Role Of Competition And Habitat Filtering In Community Assembly Of Neotropical Forest Birds, Juan Pablo Gómez, Gustavo A. Bravo, Robb T. Brumfield, José G. Tello, Carlos Daniel Cadena Jan 2010

A Phylogenetic Approach To Disentangling The Role Of Competition And Habitat Filtering In Community Assembly Of Neotropical Forest Birds, Juan Pablo Gómez, Gustavo A. Bravo, Robb T. Brumfield, José G. Tello, Carlos Daniel Cadena

Faculty Publications

Methods that assess patterns of phylogenetic relatedness, as well as character distribution and evolution, allow one to infer the ecological processes involved in community assembly. Assuming niche conservatism, assemblages should shift from phylogenetic clustering to evenness with decreasing geographic scale because the relative importance of mechanisms that shape assemblages is hypothesized to be scale-dependent. Whereas habitat filtering is more likely to act at regional scales because of increased habitat heterogeneity that allows sorting of ecologically similar species in contrasting environments, competition is more likely to act at local scales because low habitat heterogeneity provides few opportunities for niche partitioning. We …

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Comparison Of Structure-Based And Threading-Based Approaches To Protein Functional Annotation, Michal Brylinski, Jeffrey Skolnick Jan 2010

Comparison Of Structure-Based And Threading-Based Approaches To Protein Functional Annotation, Michal Brylinski, Jeffrey Skolnick

Faculty Publications

To exploit the vast amount of sequence information provided by the Genomic revolution, the biological function of these sequences must be identified. As a practical matter, this is often accomplished by functional inference. Purely sequencebased approaches, particularly in the "twilight zone" of low sequence similarity levels, are complicated by many factors. For proteins, structure-based techniques aim to overcome these problems; however, most require high-quality crystal structures and suffer from complex and equivocal relations between protein fold and function. In this study, in extensive benchmarking, we consider a number of aspects of structure-based functional annotation: binding pocket detection, molecular function assignment …

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Louisiana Agriculture Winter, 2010, Lsu Agcenter Jan 2010

Louisiana Agriculture Winter, 2010, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

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Neuropoietin Activates Stat3 Independent Of Lifr Activation In Adipocytes, Ursula A. White, Jacqueline M. Stephens Jan 2010

Neuropoietin Activates Stat3 Independent Of Lifr Activation In Adipocytes, Ursula A. White, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

Neuropoietin (NP) is a member of the gp130 cytokine family that is closely related to cardiotrophin-1(CT-1) and shares functional and structural features with other family members, including ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and cardiotrophin-like cytokine (CLC). Studies have shown that NPcan play a role in the development of the nervous system, as well as affect adipogenesis and fat cell function. However, the signaling mechanisms utilized by NP in adipocytes have not been examined. In our present studies, we demonstrate that NP-induced activation of STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation is independent of leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) phosphorylation and degradation. Although it is widely …

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A Systems Model Of Exocytic Vesicles In Arabidopsis Pollen During Its Germination, Naohiro Kato Jan 2010

A Systems Model Of Exocytic Vesicles In Arabidopsis Pollen During Its Germination, Naohiro Kato

Faculty Publications

Abasic systems model for vesicle trafficking in Arabidopsis pollen tubes was constructed. The model was composed of transcriptome data and differential equations. The transcriptome data revealed some genes controlling vesicle trafficking in the pollen tubes, and the differential equations connected the molecular functions of the gene products. The computed pollen tube growth reasonably agreed with biological samples. Here, I expand the computational prediction into exocytic vesicles during pollen germination, which can be used to examine the accuracy of the systems model with biological samples. The computational analysis of the model predicts that the number of exocytic vesicles changes in an …

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Evolutionary Studies Illuminate The Structural-Functional Model Of Plant Phytochromes, Sarah Mathews Jan 2010

Evolutionary Studies Illuminate The Structural-Functional Model Of Plant Phytochromes, Sarah Mathews

Faculty Publications

A synthesis of insights from functional and evolutionary studies reveals how the phytochrome photoreceptor system has evolved to impart both stability and flexibility. Phytochromes in seed plants diverged into three major forms, phyA, phyB, and phyC, very early in the history of seed plants. Two additional forms, phyE and phyD, are restricted to flowering plants and Brassicaceae, respectively. While phyC, D, and E are absent from at least some taxa, phyA and phyB are present in all sampled seed plants and are the principal mediators of red/far-red-induced responses. Conversely, phyC-E apparently function in concert with phyB and, where present, expand …

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Nuclear Actin-Related Proteins At The Core Of Epigenetic Control, Richard B. Meagher, Muthugapatti K. Kandasamy, Aaron P. Smith, Elizabeth C. Mckinney Jan 2010

Nuclear Actin-Related Proteins At The Core Of Epigenetic Control, Richard B. Meagher, Muthugapatti K. Kandasamy, Aaron P. Smith, Elizabeth C. Mckinney

Faculty Publications

Nuclear Actin-Related Proteins (ARPs) and actin combine as heterodimers to bind a large helicase subunit and form a core complex essential to the assembly and function of most chromatin remodeling and modifying machines. They are the most common shared subunits of these large and diverse assemblies in eukaryotes. We recently argued that most nuclear ARPs evolved directly from actin prior to the divergence of the eukaryotic kingdoms and did not evolve from pre-existing ARPs.2 Arabidopsis plants defective in nuclear ARP4, ARP5, ARP6 or ARP7 have extreme developmental phenotypes. Our recent publication demonstrates that ARP5-defective plants are not only dwarfed and …

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A Conserved Interaction Between The Sdi Domain Of Bre2 And The Dpy-30 Domain Of Sdc1 Is Required For Histone Methylation And Gene Expression, Paul F. South, Ian M. Fingerman, Douglas P. Mersman, Hai Ning Du, Scott D. Briggs Jan 2010

A Conserved Interaction Between The Sdi Domain Of Bre2 And The Dpy-30 Domain Of Sdc1 Is Required For Histone Methylation And Gene Expression, Paul F. South, Ian M. Fingerman, Douglas P. Mersman, Hai Ning Du, Scott D. Briggs

Faculty Publications

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4) is methylated by the Set1 complex (Set1C or COMPASS). Besides the catalytic Set1 subunit, several proteins that form the Set1C (Swd1, Swd2, Swd3, Spp1, Bre2, and Sdc1) are also needed to mediate proper H3K4 methylation. Until this study, it has been unclear how individual Set1C members interact and how this interaction may impact histone methylation and gene expression. In this study, Bre2 and Sdc1 are shown to directly interact, and it is shown that the association of this heteromeric complex is needed for proper H3K4 methylation and gene expression to occur. …

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Targeted Gene Replacement By Homologous Recombination In Drosophila Stimulates Production Of Second-Site Mutations, Swarnava Roy, Craig M. Hart Jan 2010

Targeted Gene Replacement By Homologous Recombination In Drosophila Stimulates Production Of Second-Site Mutations, Swarnava Roy, Craig M. Hart

Faculty Publications

Gene replacement by homologous recombination is a powerful technique for generating mutations in Drosophila. While using this technique for the BEAF gene, we encountered non-targeted lethal mutations on the target chromosome that complicated the analysis of the BEAF mutations until they were discovered and removed by meiotic recombination. Subsequent experiments indicated that the gene-targeting method leads to a modest but significant three-fold increase in the rate of production of non-targeted lethal mutations. It is important to be aware of this phenomenon when using this method. © 2010 Landes Bioscience.

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Endoreplication Controls Cell Fate Maintenance, Jonathan Bramsiepe, Katja Wester, Christina Weinl, Farshad Roodbarkelari, Remmy Kasili, John C. Larkin, Martin Hülskamp, Arp Schnittger Jan 2010

Endoreplication Controls Cell Fate Maintenance, Jonathan Bramsiepe, Katja Wester, Christina Weinl, Farshad Roodbarkelari, Remmy Kasili, John C. Larkin, Martin Hülskamp, Arp Schnittger

Faculty Publications

Cell-fate specification is typically thought to precede and determine cell-cycle regulation during differentiation. Here we show that endoreplication, also known as endoreduplication, a specialized cell-cycle variant often associated with cell differentiation but also frequently occurring in malignant cells, plays a role in maintaining cell fate. For our study we have used Arabidopsis trichomes as a model system and have manipulated endoreplication levels via mutants of cell-cycle regulators and overexpression of cell-cycle inhibitors under a trichome-specific promoter. Strikingly, a reduction of endoreplication resulted in reduced trichome numbers and caused trichomes to lose their identity. Live observations of young Arabidopsis leaves revealed …

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Pr10 Expression In Maize And Its Effect On Host Resistance Against Aspergillus Flavus Infection And Aflatoxin Production, Zhi Yuan Chen, Robert L. Brown, Kenneth E. Damann, Thomas E. Cleveland Jan 2010

Pr10 Expression In Maize And Its Effect On Host Resistance Against Aspergillus Flavus Infection And Aflatoxin Production, Zhi Yuan Chen, Robert L. Brown, Kenneth E. Damann, Thomas E. Cleveland

Faculty Publications

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major crop susceptible to Aspergillus flavus infection and subsequent contamination with aflatoxins, the potent carcinogenic secondary metabolites of the fungus. Protein profiles of maize genotypes resistant and susceptible to A. flavus infection and/or aflatoxin contamination have been compared, and several resistance-associated proteins have been found, including a pathogenesis-related protein 10 (PR10). In this study, RNA interference (RNAi) gene silencing technology was employed to further investigate the importance of PR10. An RNAi gene silencing vector was constructed and introduced into immature Hi II maize embryos through both bombardment and Agrobacterium infection procedures. PR10 expression was …

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Development Of A Prototype Bayesian Network Model Representing The Relationship Between Fresh Market Yield And Some Agroclimatic Variables Known To Influence Storage Root Initiation In Sweetpotato, Arthur Villordon, Julio Solis, Don Labonte, Christopher Clark Jan 2010

Development Of A Prototype Bayesian Network Model Representing The Relationship Between Fresh Market Yield And Some Agroclimatic Variables Known To Influence Storage Root Initiation In Sweetpotato, Arthur Villordon, Julio Solis, Don Labonte, Christopher Clark

Faculty Publications

A prototype phenology-driven Bayesian belief network (BBN) model, named BxNET, was developed to represent the relationship between fresh market yield (U.S. #1 grade) and agroclimatic variables known to influence the critical storage root initiation stages in 'Beauregard' sweetpotato. This data-driven model was developed from experimental data collected over 3 years of field trials in which management variables were kept as uniform as possible. The BBN was developed assuming that soil moisture measured at the 15-cm depth was not a limiting variable during the first 20 days after transplanting, during which the onset of storage root initiation determined the majority of …

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Components, Volume 6 (2010), Lsu Center For Computation & Technology Jan 2010

Components, Volume 6 (2010), Lsu Center For Computation & Technology

Components

No abstract provided.

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Chitosan On The Postharvest Control Of Soft Rot In 'Rama Forte' Persimmon, Patrícia Cia, Eliane Aparecida Benato, Sérgio Florentino Pascholati, Ely Oliveira Garcia Jan 2010

Chitosan On The Postharvest Control Of Soft Rot In 'Rama Forte' Persimmon, Patrícia Cia, Eliane Aparecida Benato, Sérgio Florentino Pascholati, Ely Oliveira Garcia

Faculty Publications

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of chitosan in addition to de-astringency process on the control of Rhizopus stolonifer in 'Rama Forte' persimmon and on in vitro mycelial growth. Persimmon were submitted to de-astringency process using CO2 (70% / 18 h), in hermetic chambers. Next, fruit were inoculated through subcuticular injections of a R. stolonifer spore suspension (3x105 spore mL-1) and 2 hours later at 25 °C immersed into chitosan (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%), for 1 min. Fruit were stored at 25 °C / 80% RH, and checked for rot severity and incidence of …

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Darwinian Populations And Natural Selection, Grant Ramsey, Hope Hollocher, Agustín Fuentes, Charles H. Pence, Edwin Siu Jan 2010

Darwinian Populations And Natural Selection, Grant Ramsey, Hope Hollocher, Agustín Fuentes, Charles H. Pence, Edwin Siu

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Computational Methods For The Analysis Of Primate Mobile Elements, Richard Cordaux, Shurjo K. Sen, Miriam K. Konkel, Mark A. Batzer Jan 2010

Computational Methods For The Analysis Of Primate Mobile Elements, Richard Cordaux, Shurjo K. Sen, Miriam K. Konkel, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

Transposable elements (TE), defined as discrete pieces of DNA that can move from one site to another site in genomes, represent significant components of eukaryotic genomes, including primates. Comparative genome-wide analyses have revealed the considerable structural and functional impact of TE families on primate genomes. Insights into these questions have come in part from the development of computational methods that allow detailed and reliable identification, annotation, and evolutionary analyses of the many TE families that populate primate genomes. Here, we present an overview of these computational methods and describe efficient data mining strategies for providing a comprehensive picture of TE …

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Laboratory Methods For The Analysis Of Primate Mobile Elements, David A. Ray, Kyudong Han, Jerilyn A. Walker, Mark A. Batzer Jan 2010

Laboratory Methods For The Analysis Of Primate Mobile Elements, David A. Ray, Kyudong Han, Jerilyn A. Walker, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

Mobile elements represent a unique and powerful set of tools for understanding the variation in a genome. Methods exist not only to utilize the polymorphisms among and within taxa to various ends but also to investigate the mechanism through which mobilization occurs. The number of methods to accomplish these ends is ever growing. Here, we present several protocols designed to assay mobile element-based variation within and among individual genomes. © 2010 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.

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Research Matters Summer 2010, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College Jan 2010

Research Matters Summer 2010, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

Research Matters & RNR Newsletters

Research Matters is a publication which highlights ongoing research, international travel experiences, classroom happenings and degree program developments of and for the School of Renewable Natural Resources' students and faculty.

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School Of Renewable Natural Resources Newsletter, Fall 2010, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College Jan 2010

School Of Renewable Natural Resources Newsletter, Fall 2010, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

Research Matters & RNR Newsletters

The annual newsletter from the School of Renewable Natural Resources was a publication which aimed to update and entertain interested readers with the news and research from RNR faculty, students and staff.

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The Dynamics Of Goethe's Novelle The Never-Ending Journey To Newton's Burg, Heather I. Sullivan Jan 2010

The Dynamics Of Goethe's Novelle The Never-Ending Journey To Newton's Burg, Heather I. Sullivan

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

No abstract provided.

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"Sickness Among The Slaves" Undermining Pathologies Of The African In Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative, Tara Czechowski Jan 2010

"Sickness Among The Slaves" Undermining Pathologies Of The African In Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative, Tara Czechowski

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

No abstract provided.

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Phenological Partitioning Among Drifting Insect Genera Within Families In A Subtropical, Coastal Plain Stream (Louisiana, Usa), Michael D. Kaller, James D. Hudson Jan 2010

Phenological Partitioning Among Drifting Insect Genera Within Families In A Subtropical, Coastal Plain Stream (Louisiana, Usa), Michael D. Kaller, James D. Hudson

Faculty Publications

We investigated invertebrate drift in a subtropical, coastal plain stream in Louisiana, USA. Once monthly, at a single site on Big Brushy Creek, eight three-hour drift samples (24 hours total) were collected using two 250-micron, 0.13-m2 drift nets. We examined the data for seasonal trends in overall drift density by analysis of covariance and taxonomic composition by principal component analysis and multivariate analysis of covariance. We found no statistically significant seasonal differences in overall drift density, although community composition did statistically differ among months. More interestingly, we found that 26 genera (38%) exhibited asynchrony in peak drift timing within families. …

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Habitat Use, Movements And Spring Migration Chronology And Corridors Of Female Gadwalls That Winter Along The Louisiana Gulf Coast, Jacob M. Gray Jan 2010

Habitat Use, Movements And Spring Migration Chronology And Corridors Of Female Gadwalls That Winter Along The Louisiana Gulf Coast, Jacob M. Gray

LSU Master's Theses

The Louisiana Gulf Coast is an important wintering area for North American gadwall (Anas strepera). Conservation of winter habitat is a top priority of the Gulf Coast Joint Venture. Quantitative estimates of habitat use by wintering gadwall would help improve energetic demand models and subsequent estimates of habitat requirements. I used satellite telemetry (PTTs) to estimate winter habitat and refuge uses, spring migration chronology and corridors, as well as inter- and intra-regional winter movements of females. I used a split-plot MANOVA to evaluate the effects of individual females, female age, winter, hunt periods within winter, time of day, and all …

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Parameterization Of Microwave Assisted Oil Extraction And Its Transesterification To Biodiesel, Akanksha V. Kanitkar Jan 2010

Parameterization Of Microwave Assisted Oil Extraction And Its Transesterification To Biodiesel, Akanksha V. Kanitkar

LSU Master's Theses

Currently, a majority of the world’s energy needs are met through use of fossil fuels, petroleum, coal and natural gas. The depletion of petroleum reserves, rising and extremely volatile crude oil prices, and environmental concerns have led to search for renewable and environmentally friendly fuels. The ultimate goal of this research was to develop, test and optimize a batch microwave system using traditional and alternate non-food feedstocks. Microwave assisted extraction (MAE) of oil from conventional feedstocks (soybeans and rice bran) and an alternative feedstock (Chinese tallow tree (CTT) seeds) was carried out. The study concluded that MAE of oil is …

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Effects Of Delays To Response Blocking When Used As Treatment For Problem Behavior Maintained By Automatic Reinforcement, Megan Leigh Kliebert Jan 2010

Effects Of Delays To Response Blocking When Used As Treatment For Problem Behavior Maintained By Automatic Reinforcement, Megan Leigh Kliebert

LSU Master's Theses

Response blocking and response interruption are common interventions for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement in the treatment literature, but these interventions may be extremely challenging for caregivers to implement with fidelity (i.e., immediately blocking each instance). We evaluated the effects of challenges to the procedural integrity of response blocking and interruption procedures upon the maintenance of treatment effects for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement for two young men by measuring aberrant behavior under several conditions including a baseline condition, an immediate response blocking or interruption condition, and delayed response blocking or interruption conditions (e.g., 3-s, 15-s, and 30-s …

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Cell Extract-Based Reprogramming Of Somatic Cells, Laura Whitney Coley Jan 2010

Cell Extract-Based Reprogramming Of Somatic Cells, Laura Whitney Coley

LSU Master's Theses

The differentiation potential of adult stem cells (ASC) has long been thought to be limited to cell lineages present in the organ from which they are derived; however, several studies have challenged this notion by demonstrating that some ASC exhibit a remarkably high degree of plasticity. Unlike terminally differentiated somatic cells, the less differentiated state of ASC can assume the functional phenotypes and expression profiles of cells unique to other tissues. The expansive repertoire of differentiation potential exhibited by ASC suggests these cells possess characteristics similar to pluripotent cells, including epigenomic regulatory pattern. Therefore, ASC may be better equipped for …

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The Returns And Volatility Of Agribusiness Stocks: How Do They Measure Up To Non-Agribusiness Stocks?, Benjamin Michael Clark Jan 2010

The Returns And Volatility Of Agribusiness Stocks: How Do They Measure Up To Non-Agribusiness Stocks?, Benjamin Michael Clark

LSU Master's Theses

Little literature exists that analyzes the historical risk and return associated with investing in the US agricultural sector. However, several observable trends have recently made investing in the US agricultural sector an area of interest among investors. Stock price indexes are a commonly used tool for summarizing the historical performance of a specific sector. A market-capitalization weighted stock price index is created to represent the largest US agribusiness firms since 1970, using the US Census Standard Industrial Classification system and the Economic Research Service’s definition of agribusiness. Geometric returns, standard deviation, Sharpe Ratio, and beta values are calculated for one, …

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Quantification Of Energy Intake Using Food Image Analysis, Sertan Kaya Jan 2010

Quantification Of Energy Intake Using Food Image Analysis, Sertan Kaya

LSU Master's Theses

Obtaining real-time and accurate estimates of energy intake while people reside in their natural environment is technically and methodologically challenging. The goal of this project is to estimate energy intake accurately in real-time and free-living conditions. In this study, we propose a computer vision based system to estimate energy intake based on food pictures taken and emailed by subjects participating in the experiment. The system introduces a reference card inclusion procedure, which is used for geometric and photometric corrections. Image classification and segmentation methods are also incorporated into the system to have fully-automated decision making.

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Effective Use Of Web-Based Homework In High School Physics, Elizabeth Pullig Hitt Jan 2010

Effective Use Of Web-Based Homework In High School Physics, Elizabeth Pullig Hitt

LSU Master's Theses

High school physics tests and web-based homework grades were analyzed to determine if web-based homework improves test grades; if the number of web assignments before a test affects the test grade; and if the length of the web assignment affects the number of students that complete the homework assignment. The test grades of students who did their homework were compared to test grades of students who did not do their homework; the assumption was that doing web-based homework improved test grades at this school during the four years studied. The homework group scored seven points higher on average than the …

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