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School Of Renewable Natural Resources Newsletter, Fall 2005, 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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Grotesques— Rocaille—Laocoon "Remembering Nature" In Winckelmann, Erdmannsdorff, Chodowiecki, And Goethe, Christiane Hertel

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

No abstract provided.

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Home-Range Size, Response To Fire, And Habitat Preferences Of Wintering Henslow's Sparrows, Catherine L. Bechtoldt, Philip C. Stouffer

Faculty Publications

Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) is a declining, disturbance-dependent grassland bird that winters in the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem of the southeastern United States. During two winters (2001, 2002), we estimated the relative abundances, movement patterns, and habitat associations of Henslow's Sparrows wintering in habitat patches differing in time since last burn (burn treatment). We conducted our study in southeastern Louisiana in Andropogon spp.-dominated longleaf pine savanna habitat. Henslow's Sparrows were most abundant in savannas burned the previous growing season, with a mean relative abundance of 2.6 individuals/ha. The most dramatic decline occurred between burn year 0 and year 1 …

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Role Of The Posterior Vacuole In Spraguea Lophii (Microsporidia) Spore Hatching, Ann M. Findley, Earl H. Weidner, Kevin R. Carman, Zhimin Xu, J. Samuel Godbar

Faculty Publications

Microsporidia constitute a large group of obligate intracellular protozoan parasites that inject themselves into host cells via the extrusion apparatus of the infective spore stage. Although the injection process is poorly understood, its energy source is thought to reside in the posterior vacuole that swells significantly during spore firing. Here we report the presence and localisation of the key peroxisomal enzymes catalase and acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX) within the posterior vacuole of Spraguea lophii (Doflein, 1898) spores. Western blot analyses show that these enzymes discharge out of the spore and end up in the medium external to the extruded sporoplasms. The …

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Storage Stability Of Lutein During Ripening Of Cheddar Cheese, S. T. Jones, K. J. Aryana, J. N. Losso

Faculty Publications

Lutein (3,3′-dihydroxy-α-carotene) has been identified as a dietary factor that can delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, available food sources of lutein contain only modest amounts of the carotenoid. Food fortification with lutein extract has been identified as a low-budget approach to prevent the onset or progression of AMD. The objectives of this study were to 1) incorporate various amounts of lutein into Cheddar cheese; 2) examine the color, pH, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of the Cheddar cheese during storage; and 3) analyze the stability of lutein during the cheese maturation process. Lutein extracted from corn was …

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The Effect Of High Tunnels And Row Covers On Tomato Plant Growth And Production In Louisiana, Koji Takeuchi

LSU Master's Theses

Field studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of high tunnels (HT) and spunbonded polyester row covers (RC) on tomato plant growth and yield during the spring growing season. High tunnels significantly increased minimum, mean and maximum air and soil temperatures and high tunnels used in combination with row covers had the highest minimum, mean, and maximum air and soil temperatures. The minimum air and soil temperature for the 3 coldest days each season were highest in the combination high tunnel and row cover treatment and growing degree days were highest with this treatment. Plants in high tunnels grew faster …

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Effects Of White-Tailed Deer Herbivory On The Growth And Survival Of Seedlings In A Coastal Wetland Forest, Seth Taylor Bordelon

LSU Master's Theses

Studies in upland forests of the northeastern and upper mid-western U.S. indicate that high densities of white-tailed deer can reduce vegetation abundance, survival, and richness through over-browsing. In the southern U.S., few studies have examined the effects of deer herbivory on vegetation, and even fewer have done so in forested wetlands. At Jean Lafitte National Park's Barataria Preserve in south Louisiana, managers were concerned that white-tailed deer were concentrating and limiting forest regeneration near a walking trail, where hunting is not allowed. An exclosure study was started there in December 2002 and was conducted through July 2004 to quantify the …

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"Sacred Duties": How Historical Constructs Of Gender And Work Inform Women's Involvement In U.S. Higher Education, Amber Leigh Vlasnik

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis explores how arguments about gender and labor roles have determined women's exclusion from or acceptance to the academy throughout the history of the United States. Race, gender, and class are identified as interlocking identities that shape experiences and women's gendered relationship to labor is demonstrated through the use of a materialist feminist framework. By tracing the distinct eras of colonial and United States history, the thesis illustrates the debates and public mindset of each time period and how they relate to women and higher education. The thesis concludes that popular social conceptions of the female body and women's …

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Genetic Diversity Among Sugarcane Clones Using Target Region Amplification Polymorphism (Trap) Markers And Pedigree Relationships, Jie Alojado Arro

LSU Master's Theses

Genetic diversity is indispensable to sustain genetic gain in breeding programs. Cultivated sugarcane is a highly heterozygous hybrid derived from crossing two highly heterozygous parents. Sugarcane breeders traditionally rely on pedigree records to select parents. Molecular markers now make it possible to assess genetic diversity at the DNA level. Sixty three sugarcane clones were characterised using Target Region Amplification Polymorphism (TRAP) markers and pedigree relationship (Coefficient of parentage (COP)). The TRAP is a PCR-based marker with a fixed primer designed from Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) sequences paired with an arbitrary primer. It is supposed to unravel trait based polymorphism in …

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Using Site-Specific Art As An Alternative For Interpreting Port Hudson State Historic Park, Louisiana, Yi-Chia Chen

LSU Master's Theses

This study investigates the use of site-specific art as a means of enhancing and interpreting an historic battlefield. The finding of this study are demonstrated in a series of designs for interpretive installations for the Port Hudson State Historic Site, a Civil War battlefield located in Louisiana. The interpretive methods commonly used in historic battlefields today, as identified in chapter two of this thesis, tend to produce remote relationship between visitors of the current generation and the site. To help visitors understand the meaning of historic battlefields batter, site-specific art is introduced in this thesis as an instrument to retrieve …

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Herbicide Retention As Affected By Sugarcane Mulch Residue, Brian J. Naquin

LSU Master's Theses

Best management practices are used by agricultural producers to control or reduce the transport and generation of contaminants to the water resources of the state, ultimately increasing the quality of surface and ground waters. One such practice is residue management used during sugarcane production. The impact of sugarcane residue may have on the retention and release of two herbicides namely; atrazine and metribuzin was the focus of this study is studied. Adsorption-desorption and transport behavior of herbicides are important processes that influence the amount of herbicide retained by the soil or crop residue and that which is susceptible to runoff …

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Detailed Geochronology Of The Mississippi Sound During The Late Holocene, Brian Velardo

LSU Master's Theses

The Mississippi Sound is a bar-built estuary that parallels the Mississippi Coast. It is bounded on the west by the St. Bernard lobe of the Mississippi River delta, Mobile Bay to the east, and the Gulf Coast barrier islands to the south. Few studies have investigated the late Holocene history of Mississippi Sound. In the present study, historical deposition in the Sound has been investigated using core data collected throughout the western, central, and eastern Mississippi Sound. The sediments within Mississippi Sound compose a complex depositional system that have responded to changes in sea level and hydrodynamics. Two factors that …

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Modeling Of Chemical Fate And Transport In The Environment, Andre Marquette

LSU Master's Theses

The Environmental Engineering discipline remains on the forefront of discovery due to advancements in computer technology, advancements in experimental methods and an ever increasing public interest in mitigating the harmful effects of the chemical process industry. Experimental methods have a critical role in defining environmental processes and effects but are limited in their ability to predict future environmental conditions. Conceptual and mathematical models are needed in order to evaluate the effect of environmental conditions far into the future as well as to extend and apply the knowledge gained from experimentation. Models can be used to predict chemical exposure levels, design …

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Physical Function And Health Related Quality Of Life In Culturally Diverse Elders: Evidence Of Environmental Press, Robyn M. Bossier

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to identify group differences in physical function and HRQL between older adults living in different environments, and to compare information from these groups to data from a random sample of elders pulled from the general population. METHODS: Seventy-eight older adults were evaluated for physical function using the continuous-scale physical functional performance test (CS-PFP) and HRQL using the SF-36 v.2. Subjects were 26 predominantly African American participants (LOW group; age 72.2 ± 8.1 years), 26 Caucasian adults (HIGH group; age 77.6 ± 4.8 years), and 26 adults selected from a population-based study (POP group; age …

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Restoration Success Of Backfilling Canals In Coastal Louisiana Marshes, Joseph Baustian

LSU Master's Theses

The need for effective marsh restoration techniques in Louisiana is a pressing issue as the state continues to lose coastal wetlands. Returning spoil banks to canals, known as "backfilling", is an attractive restoration option because it restores marsh, prevents future wetland loss, and is cost effective. The direct conversion of marsh to canals and spoil banks accounted for over 22% of Louisiana's wetland loss from 1930 to 1990, and the indirect losses associated with canal dredging are even larger. The restoration success of 30 canals, backfilled twenty years ago, was examined in this study and compared to restoration success shortly …

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Identification Of 'Structural Alerts' And Associated Mechanisms Of Action Of Mammary Gland Carcinogens In Female Rodents, Shanna Tommika Moss

LSU Master's Theses

A new structure-activity relationship (SAR) approach to modeling was utilized to study mammary gland carcinogens. A set of chemicals tested for mammary tumorigenesis that have been analyzed in the Carcinogenic Potency Database (CPDB) were subjected to several computational analyses in an attempt to predict each chemical’s carcinogenic potential. A total of six learning sets (rat and mouse mammary gland carcinogen, CPDB rat and mouse, and female-specific rodent models) were developed and validated using a SAR modeling algorithm called categorical-SAR (cat-SAR). The predictive cat-SAR program evaluates active and inactive compounds of known biological activity and predicts their biological activity from this …

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Modeling And Experimentation Of Drying Of Adipose Derived Adult Stem Cells, Surbhi Mittal

LSU Master's Theses

Development of protocols for storing desiccated cells at ambient temperatures offers tremendous economic and practical advantages over traditional storage procedures such as cryopreservation and freeze-drying. An integrated frame work of experimentation and modeling is adopted in the present work to develop procedures for storage of adult stem cells at ambient temperature. As a first step, we have measured the post-rehydration membrane integrity of two passages, Passage-0 (P0) and Passage-1 (P1), of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs). hASCs were dried using a convective stage at three different drying rates (slow, moderate and rapid) in D-PBS with trehalose (50 mM) and glycerol …

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A Study Of Distributed Clustering Of Vector Time Series On The Grid By Task Farming, Arun B. Nayar

LSU Master's Theses

Traditional data mining methods were limited by availability of computing resources like network bandwidth, storage space and processing power. These algorithms were developed to work around this problem by looking at a small cross-section of the whole data available. However since a major chunk of the data is kept out, the predictions were generally inaccurate and missed out on significant features that was part of the data. Today with resources growing at almost the same pace as data, it is possible to rethink mining algorithms to work on distributed resources and essentially distributed data. Distributed data mining thus holds great …

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Platform Recruited Reef Fish, Phase I: Do Platforms Provide Habitat That Increase The Survival Of Juvenile Reef Fishes?, Lauren Kay Nowling

LSU Master's Theses

There are currently over 4000 functioning oil and gas platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). Platform operations, and their prior drilling operations, produce trace amounts of lead, barium, vanadium, and lanthanum residues that are leached into the surrounding waters and are deposited on the sea floor. These residues have isotopic ratios different from those typical of the Gulf seafloor and can be used as harmless ‘fingerprints’ if they become incorporated into hard-parts or tissues in fishes associated with oil and gas platforms. From 2002 to 2004, 115 red snapper were collected from oil and gas platforms and artificial …

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Identifying Asphalt Construction As A Point Source Emitter Of Volatile Organic Compounds Near The Louisiana State University Ozone Monitoring Station, Sean Jason Kice

LSU Master's Theses

The EPA has classified Baton Rouge as a non-attainment area for ozone pollution for many years. Since then Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS) and other ozone monitoring stations around the metropolitan area have monitored for ozone, NOx, and more than 50 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are considered precursors to ozone pollution. Traditionally, automobile engines and industrial plants and refineries have been blamed as major point sources for VOC emissions and the ozone pollution they cause. This research focuses on another possible point source for failing ozone levels at one of the ozone monitoring stations located on the campus of …

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Mathematical Models For Estimating Volatile Chemical Emissions From Dredging Operations, Kenneth Alexander Fountain

LSU Master's Theses

Dredging operations have been a common remediation for contaminated sediment in an effort to reduce the harmful impact on the environment. The objective of this research was to create models used for estimating chemical release to air from remediating the Indiana Harbor and Canal (IHC) as three separate dredging operations; the Dredge Site, Exposed DM CDF, and Ponded CDF. The evaporative flux estimations are based on a two-resistance mass transport path inclusive of both the molecular diffusion in porous media and interfacial airside mass transport resistances. Several chemodynamic algorithms were used in calculating key transport parameters. Laboratory tests were performed …

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Cholesterol Oxidation In Roasted Salmon Fish With Different Cooking Oils, Ting Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

The effects of plant source cooking oils on cholesterol oxidation during heating in cholesterol standard and salmon meat model were investigated. A GC-MS system was used to identify and quantify of cholesterol and cholesterol oxidation products. The capabilities of different plant source cooking oils in preventing cholesterol oxidation were compared. Commercial plant oils used in this experiment included corn oil, canola oil, olive oil, soybean oil, and rice bran oil. Two lab prepared crude soybean and rice bran oils were also used in this study to evaluate their capabilities of preventing cholesterol oxidation. The tocopherols and tocotrienols antioxidants in those …

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Evaluation Of Lutein And Protein In Ozone Treated Corn, Yu Wang

LSU Master's Theses

The present study was conducted to determine the influence of an ozonation process on lutein and protein in clean and contaminated corns. This study aimed (1) to determine the levels of antimutagenic compounds to aflatoxin in corn before and after ozonation; (2) to verify the antimutagenic potential of these compounds against aflatoxin using the Ames test; and (3) to evaluate proteins in the corn before and after ozonation. HPLC was used to separate and identify the lutein in corn. Nitrogen analysis and SDS-PAGE were used to analyze protein content and molecular weights in corn. Clean ozone-treated corn had a total …

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Simulations And Experimental Analysis Of High-Aspect-Ratio Diffusive Micro-Mixers, Amit Maha

LSU Master's Theses

Passive (diffusional) mixing has been used in designing high-aspect-ratio micro-mixers for the purpose of performing the Liagase Detection Reaction (LDR). A simple model was used to design such mixers optimized for pressure drop or time required to deliver a prescribed volume of mixture. The types of mixers considered are simple, cheap, and durable and can perform over a broad range of volumetric flow rates at reasonably modest pressure drops. The fluids typically have a very low diffusion coefficient of=1.2x10^10m^2/s, and thus diffusional mixing can only be effective in high-aspect-ratio micro-channels. A realizable aspect ratio of 6 has been considered initially …

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Characterizing The Health Status Of The Louisiana Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus), Orlando Diaz-Figueroa

LSU Master's Theses

Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations have experienced precipitous declines from habitat loss, and human and disease related mortality. The goal of this study was to characterize the health status of free-ranging Louisiana gopher tortoises. Gopher tortoises were collected during two distinct trapping seasons: fall (August-October 2002) and spring (April-June 2003). Captured tortoises were given a physical exam and the carapace and plastron length and width, weight, and body temperature were recorded. Blood was collected from the subcarapacial vein and submitted for the following testing procedures: complete blood count, plasma chemistry, infectious disease serology (Mycoplasma), and toxicologic screen (copper, mercury, zinc, …

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Offshore Oil And Gas Platforms As Stepping Stones For Expansion Of Coral Communities: A Molecular Genetic Analysis, Amy D. Atchison

LSU Master's Theses

The northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is one of the most productive oil and gas exploration areas in the world, currently containing approximately 3,800 offshore platforms. These platforms serve as artificial reefs in shallow water, which until their introduction was nearly devoid of shallow hard substrata. The question is raised whether this newly available substrate could help expand coral populations in the GOM. In this study, I examined adult scleractinian corals on oil and gas platforms in the northern GOM, in the vicinity of the Flower Garden Banks (FGB; approximately 180 km SE of Galveston, Texas) and attempted to determine …

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Do Predator Exclusion, Position, And Plant Architecture Influence Hydrilla-Dwelling Macroinvertebrate Communities?, Jonathan C. Fisher

LSU Master's Theses

Hydrilla verticillata invaded south central Louisiana during the 1970s subsequently becoming the dominant submerged macrophyte in floodplain habitats of the Atchafalaya River Basin. The effects of hydrilla on littoral habitat structure, water quality, fish, and macroinvertebrates have been pervasive, and I hypothesized that dense hydrilla stands would also impact vertebrate predation on resident macroinvertebrates, although predation effects would likely be mediated by bed position. During 2003 and 2004, I conducted exclosure experiments in the Atchafalaya River Basin with artificial substrates to test for variations in hydrilla bed macroinvertebrate communities caused by predation, plant architecture, and bed position. To determine invertebrates …

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Evaluation Of Selected Refuges In A Bollgard Cotton Production System: Heliothine Movement And Effects On Boll Injury, Rhett Hunter Gable

LSU Master's Theses

During 2001-2003, distribution of heliothine- (bollworm, Helicoverpa zea [Boddie], and tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens [F.]) injured bolls in a transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) Bollgard® and non-Bt refuge cotton system was evaluated in several experiments. Heliothine-damaged bolls were significantly higher and seedcotton yields were lower in the non-Bt refuge than in the Bollgard® areas of fields. The highest probability in occurrence of damaged bolls was at sites near the center of the non-Bt refuge. Number of damaged bolls and probability values describing occurrence decreased from the center of the refuge to sites near the interface (adjacent rows) of the non-Bt …

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Secular Change In The Skull Between American Blacks And Whites, Nicole Danielle Truesdell

LSU Master's Theses

Biologically, discernable differences exist between and within populations based on environmental and genetic factors. Understanding these differences is necessary in forensic anthropology as biological ancestry is asked of forensic anthropologists when assessing an individual’s biological profile. In order to make this assessment, secular changes in population dynamics need to be tracked. The purpose of this research is to examine nonmetric racial characteristics in the skull between American blacks and whites. This study used twelve nonmetric traits as criteria on two different temporal groups from collections at the Smithsonian Institution (N=408) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (N=218). Frequencies were calculated, …

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Image Processing Techniques To Identify Predatory Birds In Aquacultural Settings, Uma Devi Nadimpalli

LSU Master's Theses

Bird predation is a major problem in aquaculture. A novel method for dispersing birds is the use of a vehicle that can sense and chase birds. Image recognition software can improve their efficiency in chasing birds. Three recognition techniques were tested to identify birds 1) image morphology 2) artificial neural networks, and 3) template matching have been tested. A study was conducted on three species of birds 1) pelicans, 2) egrets, and 3) cormorants. Images were divided into 3 types 1) Type 1, 2) Type 2, and 3) Type 3 depending upon difficulty to separate from the others in the …

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Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

School Of Renewable Natural Resources Newsletter, Fall 2005, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

Research Matters & RNR Newsletters

Grotesques— Rocaille—Laocoon "Remembering Nature" In Winckelmann, Erdmannsdorff, Chodowiecki, And Goethe, Christiane Hertel

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

Home-Range Size, Response To Fire, And Habitat Preferences Of Wintering Henslow's Sparrows, Catherine L. Bechtoldt, Philip C. Stouffer

Faculty Publications

Role Of The Posterior Vacuole In Spraguea Lophii (Microsporidia) Spore Hatching, Ann M. Findley, Earl H. Weidner, Kevin R. Carman, Zhimin Xu, J. Samuel Godbar

Faculty Publications

Storage Stability Of Lutein During Ripening Of Cheddar Cheese, S. T. Jones, K. J. Aryana, J. N. Losso

Faculty Publications

The Effect Of High Tunnels And Row Covers On Tomato Plant Growth And Production In Louisiana, Koji Takeuchi

LSU Master's Theses

Effects Of White-Tailed Deer Herbivory On The Growth And Survival Of Seedlings In A Coastal Wetland Forest, Seth Taylor Bordelon

LSU Master's Theses

"Sacred Duties": How Historical Constructs Of Gender And Work Inform Women's Involvement In U.S. Higher Education, Amber Leigh Vlasnik

LSU Master's Theses

Genetic Diversity Among Sugarcane Clones Using Target Region Amplification Polymorphism (Trap) Markers And Pedigree Relationships, Jie Alojado Arro

LSU Master's Theses

Using Site-Specific Art As An Alternative For Interpreting Port Hudson State Historic Park, Louisiana, Yi-Chia Chen

LSU Master's Theses

Herbicide Retention As Affected By Sugarcane Mulch Residue, Brian J. Naquin

LSU Master's Theses

Detailed Geochronology Of The Mississippi Sound During The Late Holocene, Brian Velardo

LSU Master's Theses

Modeling Of Chemical Fate And Transport In The Environment, Andre Marquette

LSU Master's Theses

Physical Function And Health Related Quality Of Life In Culturally Diverse Elders: Evidence Of Environmental Press, Robyn M. Bossier

LSU Master's Theses

Restoration Success Of Backfilling Canals In Coastal Louisiana Marshes, Joseph Baustian

LSU Master's Theses

Identification Of 'Structural Alerts' And Associated Mechanisms Of Action Of Mammary Gland Carcinogens In Female Rodents, Shanna Tommika Moss

LSU Master's Theses

Modeling And Experimentation Of Drying Of Adipose Derived Adult Stem Cells, Surbhi Mittal

LSU Master's Theses

A Study Of Distributed Clustering Of Vector Time Series On The Grid By Task Farming, Arun B. Nayar

LSU Master's Theses

Platform Recruited Reef Fish, Phase I: Do Platforms Provide Habitat That Increase The Survival Of Juvenile Reef Fishes?, Lauren Kay Nowling

LSU Master's Theses

Identifying Asphalt Construction As A Point Source Emitter Of Volatile Organic Compounds Near The Louisiana State University Ozone Monitoring Station, Sean Jason Kice

LSU Master's Theses

Mathematical Models For Estimating Volatile Chemical Emissions From Dredging Operations, Kenneth Alexander Fountain

LSU Master's Theses

Cholesterol Oxidation In Roasted Salmon Fish With Different Cooking Oils, Ting Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

Evaluation Of Lutein And Protein In Ozone Treated Corn, Yu Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Simulations And Experimental Analysis Of High-Aspect-Ratio Diffusive Micro-Mixers, Amit Maha

LSU Master's Theses

Characterizing The Health Status Of The Louisiana Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus), Orlando Diaz-Figueroa

LSU Master's Theses

Offshore Oil And Gas Platforms As Stepping Stones For Expansion Of Coral Communities: A Molecular Genetic Analysis, Amy D. Atchison

LSU Master's Theses

Do Predator Exclusion, Position, And Plant Architecture Influence Hydrilla-Dwelling Macroinvertebrate Communities?, Jonathan C. Fisher

LSU Master's Theses

Evaluation Of Selected Refuges In A Bollgard Cotton Production System: Heliothine Movement And Effects On Boll Injury, Rhett Hunter Gable

LSU Master's Theses

Secular Change In The Skull Between American Blacks And Whites, Nicole Danielle Truesdell

LSU Master's Theses

Image Processing Techniques To Identify Predatory Birds In Aquacultural Settings, Uma Devi Nadimpalli

LSU Master's Theses