Digital Commons Network^™

Inflammatory Reproductive White Adipose Tissue Characterizes The Obese Preeclamptic-Like Bph/5 Mouse Prior To Pregnancy, Kelsey Olson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Characterizing The Subcellular Localization, Activity, And Physiological Properties Of Α-Carbonic Anhydrases In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Kayla Schwartzenburg

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Synthesis, Characterization, And Evaluation Of Near-Ir Boron Dipyrromethene Bioconjugates For Labeling Of Adenocarcinomas By Selectively Targeting The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, Nichole E.M. Kaufman, Qianli Meng, Kaitlin E. Griffin, Sitanshu S. Singh, Achyut Dahal, Zehua Zhou, Frank R. Fronczek, J. Michael Mathis, Seetharama D. Jois, M. Graça H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. A series of five boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) bioconjugates containing an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted pegylated LARLLT peptide and/or a glucose or biotin ethylene diamine group were synthesized, and the binding capability of the new conjugates to the extracellular domain of EGFR was investigated using molecular modeling, surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence microscopy, competitive binding assays, and animal studies. The BODIPY conjugates with a LARLLT peptide were found to bind specifically to EGFR, whereas those lacking the peptide bound weakly and nonspecifically. All BODIPY conjugates showed low cytotoxicity (IC50 > 94 μM) in HT-29 cells, both …

Conversion Of Cu(Ii)-Polluted Biomass Into An Environmentally Benign Cu Nanoparticles-Embedded Biochar Composite And Its Potential Use On Cyanobacteria Inhibition, Ronghua Li, Hui Huang, Jim J. Wang, Wen Liang, Pengcheng Gao, Zengqiang Zhang, Ran Xiao, Baoyue Zhou, Xiaofeng Zhang

Faculty Publications

Disposal of heavy metal-polluted biomass obtained from bioremediation through harmless approaches is a big challenge. In this work, we investigated the effects of pyrolysis temperatures on the conversion of exhausted Cu(II)-laden biomass into Cu nanoparticles (NPs) embedded biochar composite (CBC), Cu(II) chemical form and behavior variation, and associated ecotoxicity evolution. The potential of the resulted biochar products on the growth inhibition of harmful cyanobacterium species Microcystis aeruginosa was also evaluated. At the present study, the increase of pyrolysis temperature from 350 °C to 750 °C increased the pH value, surface area, total pore volume, and Cu concentration of CBC. Ecotoxicity …

Rule-Governed Behavior: Teaching Essential School Readiness Skills Via Rule-Following To Children With Autism, Rachel Lorraine Bradley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rule-governed behavior (RGB) is behavior that is controlled by verbal descriptions of contingencies rather than by direct contact or a history of direct contact with the contingencies. Humans rely on RGB to navigate a multitude of life experiences, and in doing so, we avoid direct contact with destructive or harmful contingencies or contingencies that would be inefficient to contact. However, individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) do not naturally demonstrate RGB, leaving them at increased risk of contacting dangerous consequences. Thus, acquiring RGB is a critical concern that affects the development and wellbeing of individuals with ASD. The current study …

Building A Better Batture: A Regional Recreational Enhancement Around The Morganza To The Gulf Levee, Taylor N. Fehmel

LSU Master's Theses

Twenty-five years ago, the existing flood protection levees along the Louisiana coastline were removed and construction was started by Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District on a new project called ‘Morganza to the Gulf’ or MTG. This project was undertaken to construct a new flood protection levee system around Louisiana in the communities in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish. The MTG Levee is one of the first coastal projects in Louisiana to incorporate a risk-based analysis for a double levee system containing both local parish drainage levees and future storm surge levees of MTG. It was designed to protect approximately 250,000 people …

Rules Of Distributary Engagement: Cultural Adaptation And Digital Enhancement Of Hydro-Ecological Decision-Making In The Mekong Delta, Việt Nam, Clare-Mai H. Nguyen

LSU Master's Theses

Focused on current initiatives for climate resilience, this paper explores a culturally adaptive approach to participatory planning in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. It details key engagement components to accompany the use of Tangible Landscape, an interactive, data-driven modeling platform, in a series of workshops sponsored by the World Bank. Innovations like Tangible Landscape hold the potential to significantly increase stakeholders’ accessibility to scientific data and scenario models. To what extent do the specificity of place and culture determine the efficacy of these tools in democratizing decision-making?

This paper delves into Việt Nam’s socioeconomic development through Mekong agriculture, as well as …

Assessment Of Barrier Island Restoration Planning And Management In The Terrebonne Basin, Louisiana, Sean Russell Williams

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana holds the majority of the contiguous United States’ coastal wetlands by area, providing significant benefits to users in the form of ecosystem services. Climate change, relative sea level rise, and coastal sediment budget deficits among other anthropogenic processes impact the resilience and sustainability of Louisiana’s coastal systems. Since the implementation of the Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) to restore coastal wetlands in the United States, multiple barrier island restoration projects have taken place in the greater Terrebonne Basin. Amassing a catalog of case studies elucidates the social, ecological, and economic frameworks behind barrier island restoration and …

Retreating Marsh Shoreline Creates Hotspots Of High-Marsh Plant Diversity, Tracy Elsey-Quirk, Giulio Mariotti, Kendall Valentine, Kirk Raper

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Picture Cued And Speech Production Cued Approaches For Speech Sound Learning, Michelyve C. Petit

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined the use of speech production cued cards, MorphoPhonic faces (MPF), and plain picture (PP) cards when seeking to remediate speech sound errors, specifically sounds / ɹ / and / s / in the word initial position. Fourteen children were provided articulation therapy at their public school using both stimulus types across four weeks. Each week, the total number of correct productions of target phoneme / s / and /ɹ/ were recorded and averaged. These results were used to graphically showcase trends in their performance with both stimulus types. The results demonstrated that MPF cards were advantageous for …

Women Of The Edward J. Gay Family As Textile And Dress Consumers In Louisiana, 1849-1899, Lindsay Danielle Reaves

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Economic, social, and cultural historians have studied and analyzed consumption behaviors throughout the 20^th century and into the 21^st century. Decorative household textiles and dress items are two product categories that follow the consumption process. American consumption behaviors during the introduction of mass-produced textiles and dress items throughout the 19^th century have not been well documented.

The purpose of this research is to expand the knowledge of Southern planter-class women’s consumer behavior in relation to decorative household textiles and dress items. Arnould and Thompson’s (2005) Consumer Culture Theory and Belk’s (1988) research into possessions and the extended …

An Overview Of Rice Qtls Associated With Disease Resistance To Three Major Rice Diseases: Blast, Sheath Blight, And Bacterial Panicle Blight, Seyedeh Soheila Zarbafi, Jong Hyun Ham

Faculty Publications

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important crops that are produced as human food, directly feeding people more than any other crop. Hence, it is important to increase the yield potential of rice through improving the disease resistance to prevailing rice diseases. Blast caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, sheath blight caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, and bacterial panicle blight caused by the bacteria Burkholderia glumae and B. gladioli are serious rice diseases in many rice-producing regions. In spite of the chronic damages from these major diseases, the quantitative resistance to each of them is …

The Corridor Des Arts, Kade M. Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Arnaudville is a small rural town in south central Louisiana with a population of 1200. In 2010, the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) named Arnaudville as one of fourteen cities that were classified as a successful case study of “Creative Placemaking.” The NEA defines creative placemaking as community partnerships that use arts and culture to shape the social, environmental, and economic identity of a place. The NUNU Arts and Culture Collective, a Louisiana Cajun French non-profit arts organization centered in Arnaudville, is the main catalyst of this effort.

Members of NUNU have identified five other rural towns within close …

Behavioral Health Practice Competencies Among Graduate Social Work Students: A Program Evaluation, Jane C. Barney

LSU Master's Theses

The Health Services and Resource Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has recognized a need for mental health and substance abuse services for children, adolescents, and transitional youth who are at-risk for developing behavioral health disorders. In response to this need, the Obama administration delegated funds to multiple universities for the purpose of expanding the social work labor force. Louisiana State University is among those that received a block grant, allowing some of the students in the School of Social Work to participate in a Behavioral Health Workforce Education Training (BHWET) Program. This quasi-experimental study …

Toxic Culture: An Emotion And Sentiment Analysis Of College Football Fans In Relation To Controversy And Win-Loss Records, Joshua R. Jackson

LSU Master's Theses

Fans of certain college football teams will experience a wide array of emotions when their team is involved in a scandal. This study examined the fan bases of three university football teams as they learn about and react on social media to their schools and head coaches becoming implicated in controversies. Under the protection of those with similar likes and the secrecy of social media, users can voice opinions in favor of and against the football team’s firing of a coach or handling of an investigation. Fan bases analyzed in the study are Ohio State University, Maryland University, and Baylor …

Assessing The Nutritional Value Of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia Illucens) Used For Reptile Foods, Kimberly L. Boykin

LSU Master's Theses

Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae have been studied extensively in animal feed production, but there is limited research for non-production species, such as reptiles, despite their popularity as a calcium-rich feeder insect. The goals of this thesis were to determine the nutritive value of BSF larvae for a lizard species and as an ingredient in a diet formulated for snakes.

BSF larvae are deficient in fat soluble vitamins (A, D, and E). Using vitamin A as a test nutrient, several factors were identified that affect the success and consistency of gut loading. Based on the results, the following gut loading …

Falling On Deaf Ears: Social Workers’ Attitudes About Deafness, Hearing Loss, And Deaf Cultural Competence, Esperanza J. Garibay

LSU Master's Theses

D/deaf and hard of hearing people have lower health literacy and higher rates of misdiagnosis of serious illnesses than their hearing counterparts (Sheier, 2009). This is, in part, a result of the inaccessible and culturally incompetent care provided to d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals (Kuenburg, Fellinger & Fellinger, 2016; Hoang, LaHousse, Nakaji & Sadler, 2010 Sheier, 2009). Inaccessible and culturally incompetent care may be byproducts of human service providers’ attitudes towards d/Deaf and hard of hearing people (Ulloa, 2014; Cooper, Mason & Rose, 2005), and providers’ level of competence with properly caring for d/Deaf and hard of hearing clients …

Contextualizing Gender Inequality In Division Of Household Labor And Family Life: A Cross-National Perspective, Hyojung Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation aims to provide contextual understanding of the persistence of gender inequality at home from a comparative perspective. Although the equality between men and women has been considered desirable and mostly achieved in the domain of paid labor in most industrial societies, unpaid labor in the domestic sphere is one of the most obstinate realms of gender inequality. Previous comparative research on housework provides valuable insights into the mechanism underlying the gender division of household labor and has revealed that both micro- and macro-level gender equalities play a key role in explaining the gender division of household labor. Building …

Branch Elongation And Formation Of New Stem Units As Influenced By Reductions In Leaf Photosynthetic Capacity, Shannon D. Kidombo, Thomas J. Dean

Faculty Publications

Leaf area is the primary site for photosynthesis in plants and therefore has a controlling effect on tree growth. Elongation of shoots and formation of stem units on stressed branches were investigated using a series of defoliation and shade treatments. The initial diameter and length of the branch in addition to the modifying effect of treatments on leaf area were used to assess elongation of the terminal bud. Results indicate that elongation of branch terminal shoots was significantly reduced by defoliation or shading of previous years' foliage. The number of new fascicles in the second year of growth after treatment …

Đổi Mới Diy: Tactical Ruralism And Tangible Modeling In The Mekong Delta, Phillip Fernberg

LSU Master's Theses

In recent years, the integrity of the Mekong Delta has been put at risk by a combination of environmental and institutional factors. Understanding that the degradation of the Delta would have far-reaching socioeconomic implications for both Vietnam and the Indochinese Peninsula, The World Bank has responded to the situation by implementing initiatives for climate-smart planning tools and improved water management practices throughout the lower Mekong basin. Seeing the potential for tangible modeling as a participatory planning tool, the Bank has hired a team of consultants from Louisiana State University to introduce a methodology called Tangible Landscape to its climate resilience …

In Search Of National Identity: Portraits Of Motherless Women In Clarín And Galdós, Leslie I. Quezada

LSU Master's Theses

Drawing on novels by Leopoldo Alas Clarín and Benito Pérez Galdós, I will examine the portraits of women in La Regenta (1885), Tristana (1892), andLa de San Quintín (1894). By exploring how women in the works are reflected in terms of identity and nature of their role from a male-authored perspective, I will study how different aspects influence the development of their character, as well as the issues they face when searching for their identity. Galdós and Clarín unravel the women to embody the nation of Spain and the conditions it was going through before the …

Coupling Of Acetaldehyde To Crotonaldehyde On Ceo 2-X (111): Bifunctional Mechanism And Role Of Oxygen Vacancies, Chuanlin Zhao, Charles Watt, Paul R. Kent, Steven H. Overbury, David R. Mullins, Florencia C. Calaza, Aditya Savara, Ye Xu

Faculty Publications

Selective C-C coupling of oxygenates is pertinent to the manufacture of fuel and chemical products from biomass and from derivatives of C 1 compounds (i.e., oxygenates produced from methane and CO 2 ). Here we report a combined experimental and theoretical study on the temperature-programmed reaction (TPR) of acetaldehyde (AcH) on a partially reduced CeO 2-x (111) thin film surface. The experiments have been carried out under ultra-high-vacuum conditions without continuous gas exposure, allowing better isolation of active sites and reactive intermediates than in flow reaction conditions. AcH does not undergo aldol condensation in a typical TPR procedure, even though …

Evaluation Of Ventilation Assistance For Improving Respiratory Reproducibility In Radiation Therapy, Cameron J. Sprowls

LSU Master's Theses

Background: Respiratory motion affects all tumor sites in the thorax and abdomen. Variations of the respiratory pattern cause variations of the tumor motion which can result in differences between the planned and delivered dose distributions. Previous breathing guidance techniques have been investigated to improve respiratory reproducibility; however, ventilation assistance has not been investigated. We evaluated using bi-level positive airway pressure (BIPAP) ventilation assistance for improving respiratory reproducibility in patients with tumor sites impacted by respiratory motion.

Methods: Written informed consent was obtained for 10 patients currently undergoing radiation therapy treatment. Patients participated in sessions over their course of treatment, which …

Determining Nutrient Recommendations For Agricultural Crops Based On Soil And Plant Tissue Analyses Between Different Analytical Laboratories, Lauren Liuzza

LSU Master's Theses

There is limited information concerning the disparities between soil and plant tissue testing laboratories. Soil and plant tissue analyses are crucial to determining nutrient applications for agricultural field crops. Accurate fertility inputs improve crop production and long-term agricultural sustainability. The over application of nutrients can potentially decrease yields and reduce profits. A study was established in 2016 at Louisiana State University at Alexandria (LSUA) in Alexandria, Louisiana to 1) assess and compare soil and plant tissue nutrient values, ratings and recommendations between research and commercial laboratories for field corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max), and …

Antioxidant Properties Of Pecan Shell Bioactive Components Of Different Cultivars And Extraction Methods, Cameron J. Cason

LSU Master's Theses

Pecan nuts are a highly valued but underutilized crop. Pecan production generates nearly 150 million pounds of shell by-product annually in the United States, of which approximately 6 million pounds are attributed to Louisiana. Pecan shells are a rich source of various phenolic compounds with potential antioxidant properties. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of pecan variety and method of extraction on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of pecan shell extracts. A total of 20 different pecan cultivars from the same orchard, under similar growing conditions were processed to obtain defatted shell powder of …

Making The Commercial Non-Commercial: Traditional Ad Effects On Tv Billboards, Ian M. Skupski

LSU Master's Theses

Using a 2x2 experimental design, this study evaluated the effectiveness of two ad factors on TV billboards. Four experimental conditions were created around a previously aired Olympic hockey game to measure how contextual fit and cross-promotion affect audience evaluations of a brand presented on a TV billboard. The hypotheses predicted measurable effects based on past advertisement and sponsorship literature. A total of 150 usable respondents returned significant main effect results, as well as supporting interaction effect results. Particularly, contextual fit encouraged participant purchase intention and the presence of cross-promotion encouraged more positive attitudes toward a brand. Limitations and future research …

Identification And Reduction Of Uncertainties In Watershed-Scale Flow And Water Quality Modeling, Maryam Roostaee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study identified important uncertainties affecting watershed-scale flow and water quality simulations and recommended modeling options for reducing the uncertainties by means of the Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) model. Specifically, parameter-induced uncertainties in HSPF model were estimated along with uncertainties associated with DEM resolutions and sources. National Elevation Dataset (NED) DEMs with original and resampled resolutions of 3.5, 10, 30 and 100m were utilized for manual and automatic delineation of three watersheds with different gradients in HSPF model to identify the effects of DEM resolution, DEM resampling, delineation method and watershed gradient on the simulation of streamflow, nitrate (NO_{3 …}

La Poétique Du Dépassement Dans Les Littératures D'Expression Française Des Antilles Et De L'Océan Indien, Jeanne Jegousso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project argues for a new critical approach to contemporary Caribbean and Oceanic literatures through a poetics of dépassement. A key concept to understanding the work of the Martinican theorist and author Édouard Glissant as a whole, dépassement generally designates, first, a dialectical process in literature that Glissant uses to analyze texts in order to portray a global and universal poetical knowledge. Secondly, dépassementimplies transcending literary genres and historical approaches to the point that formal and conventional constraints are no longer pertinent. Through a study dedicated to the original interpretations of literature in Glissant’s early work (1953-1969), which …

Measurement Of The Photon-Plasmon Coupling Phase Shift, Akbar Safari, Robert Fickler, Enno Giese, Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza, Robert W. Boyd, Israel De Leon

Faculty Publications

Scattering processes have played a crucial role in the development of quantum theory. In the field of optics, scattering phase shifts have been utilized to unveil interesting forms of light-matter interactions. Here we investigate the phase shift experienced by a single photon as it scatters into a surface plasmon polariton and vice versa. This coupling phase shift is of particular relevance for quantum plasmonic experiments. Therefore, we demonstrate that the photon-plasmon interaction at a plasmonic slit can be modeled through a quantum-mechanical tritter, a six-port scattering element. We show that the visibilities of a double-slit and a triple-slit interference patterns …

Linking Water Quality To Aedes Aegypti And Zika In Flood-Prone Neighborhoods, Rebeca De Jesus Crespo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.