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LSU Master's Theses

2002

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Denitrification Potential Of Sediment From A Future Mississippi River Diversion Site In Louisiana, Roy Ryuta Iwai Jan 2002

Denitrification Potential Of Sediment From A Future Mississippi River Diversion Site In Louisiana, Roy Ryuta Iwai

LSU Master's Theses

Denitrification potential was determined in surface sediment from Lake Cataouatche, the receiving basin for a future Mississippi River diversion located in the northern portion of the Barataria Basin estuary. Nitrate removal and denitrification was measured in the laboratory using static sediment microcosms flooded with lake water. Dissolved potassium nitrate (KNO3) was added to the microcosms to achieve: 1) an initial nitrate concentration similar to the mean Mississippi River concentration (~1.4 mg NO3-N l-1), and, 2) a high initial nitrate concentration to elicit a denitrification potential (~50 mg NO3-N l-1). Denitrification …

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Hard Surface Coating Experimental Evaluation And Thermomechanical Analysis Of A Seal With Micro Heat Exchanger, Yifan Qiu Jan 2002

Hard Surface Coating Experimental Evaluation And Thermomechanical Analysis Of A Seal With Micro Heat Exchanger, Yifan Qiu

LSU Master's Theses

Mechanical face seals are important components of many rotating machinery. Minimizing the friction between seal faces and efficiently removing the heat generated between seal surfaces are two crucial considerations in the design of mechanical seal. Thin film coating and MEMS technology hold great promise for improving the performance of mechanical seals from the viewpoint of reducing friction and heat at the interface in these two aspects. To reveal what effect the coating and MEMS technology can have on tribological properties of seals, friction and wear characteristics of Ti-C:H coatings on seal-like rings and heat transfer performances of a seal prototype …

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Corporate America And Web Access For The Blind: Are Public Relations Practioners Communicating With The Blind Public?, Jenice Daigle Jan 2002

Corporate America And Web Access For The Blind: Are Public Relations Practioners Communicating With The Blind Public?, Jenice Daigle

LSU Master's Theses

Advances in technology have given the blind public a new voice in corporate America. Today, blind individuals are able to utilize the Internet independently using screen access software. However, like ramps for wheelchairs in physical spaces, Web site accommodations are needed in cyberspace for successful use. A review of the current literature indicates trends in public relations are shifting toward a corporate ethic of social responsibility, but on-line concerns for the disabled are not clearly demonstrated among the leading corporations in the United States. The purpose of this research is to determine if blind consumers are being accommodated on corporate …

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Impacts Of Vertebrate Herbivores And Hurricane Georges On Densities Of Belowground Plant Material On Shallow Mudflats In The Active Mississippi River Delta, Scotland Talley Jan 2002

Impacts Of Vertebrate Herbivores And Hurricane Georges On Densities Of Belowground Plant Material On Shallow Mudflats In The Active Mississippi River Delta, Scotland Talley

LSU Master's Theses

Delta National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) is located in the active Mississippi River Delta (MRD). Resource managers at DNWR are implementing a marsh creation program that consists of dredging crevasses (openings) in the natural or man-made levees of major distributaries to divert sediment rich waters in to open bays. The mudflats thus created are colonized by stands of delta duck-potato (Sagittaria platyphylla) and delta three-square (Schoenoplectus deltarum). These plant communities stabilize the mudflats and provide high quality habitat for wintering waterfowl and nutria. Two challenges for the maintenance of these plant communities is disturbance from tropical storms and intense winter grazing. …

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Hybridization Of Lepomid Sunfishes By Use Of Cryopreservation, C. Brian Whaley Jan 2002

Hybridization Of Lepomid Sunfishes By Use Of Cryopreservation, C. Brian Whaley

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of this project was to integrate cryopreservation into the hybridization of sunfishes. The first objective was to evaluate the conditioning of sunfishes to spawn in cages in warmwater ponds. Bluegill and green sunfish were stocked in cages in ponds heated to 27 C by geothermal water. Fish in heated ponds did not spawn on artificial nests in cages. Fish were also brought into the laboratory for artificial spawning. There were 22 spawns yielding 47 ± 19% (mean ± SD) fertilization. The second objective was to develop methods for the refrigerated and frozen storage of sperm of bluegill Lepomis …

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Dirty Secrets: Blood Protein And Vfa Analysis Of Soil From Execution And Grave Site In The Former Yugoslavia, Hugh Tuller Jan 2002

Dirty Secrets: Blood Protein And Vfa Analysis Of Soil From Execution And Grave Site In The Former Yugoslavia, Hugh Tuller

LSU Master's Theses

Blood proteins and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) deposited in crime scene soil may remain biologically active and detectable after a considerable lapse of time. Soils were sampled from three sites of known criminal activity in the former Yugoslavia. From an execution site near Stutica, Kosovo, soil samples were analyzed for year-and-a-half-old blood proteins using an immunological test, cross-over immunoelectrophoresis. From a total of 72 samples, 44 returned positive results for human blood proteins. Soil solution from grave soils sampled at a cemetery in Duz, Kosovo, and a mass grave in Knin, Croatia were analyzed for VFAs using gas chromatography (GC) …

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The Synthesis Of New Biotin Derivatives And Their Bioactivity, Latisha Chanette Johnson Jan 2002

The Synthesis Of New Biotin Derivatives And Their Bioactivity, Latisha Chanette Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

Biotin is an essential growth factor found in all living cells. It functions as a cofactor for a group of coenzymes that catalyze transcarboxylation, decarboxylation, and carboxylation reactions. Acetyl CoA carboxylase catalyzes the first committed and regulated step in fatty acid synthesis in which malonyl CoA is the product. The biotin-dependent enzyme is found in all animals, plants, and bacteria. We studied the kinetic and structural aspects of acetyl CoA carboxylase, and in 1999 we reported the bioactivity and total synthesis of a unique first generation biotin-derived inhibitor of acetyl CoA carboxylase, 1(BP1). Kinetic studies on the activity of E. …

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Development Of A Phosphorus Management Model To Address Filamentous Algae In A Shallow, Subtropical, Urban Hypereutrophic Lake, Jennifer Eileen Ruley Jan 2002

Development Of A Phosphorus Management Model To Address Filamentous Algae In A Shallow, Subtropical, Urban Hypereutrophic Lake, Jennifer Eileen Ruley

LSU Master's Theses

City Park Lake is a shallow, subtropical, urban hypereutrophic lake located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. By the late 1970’s, this artificial lake had experienced extreme eutrophication and suffered from frequent algal blooms and fish kills. Restoration of City Park Lake occurred in 1983 and consisted of dredging nutrient-laden sediments and the rehabilitation of sewage pipelines. Pre- and post-restoration water quality monitoring programs have provided valuable information by which to gage the long-term success of the restoration work. Following the restoration effort, dramatic improvements were observed in the lake including lower nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a concentrations, reduced frequencies in algal blooms …

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Directing The Threepenny Opera, Alexander G. Harrington Jan 2002

Directing The Threepenny Opera, Alexander G. Harrington

LSU Master's Theses

This production thesis on directing Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera is divided into two sections. The first section consists of four research/critical chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the director’s understanding of the theories of Bertolt Brecht. Chapter two discusses potential differences between the director’s aesthetic point of view and Brecht’s theories. Chapters 3 and 4 lay out the findings and opinions based on those findings of research into two issues that influenced production decisions: Chapter 3 focuses on Brecht’s relationship with totalitarian communism and Chapter 4 looks into questions raised about the authorship of The Threepenny Opera. Section …

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Quantification Of The Spatial Gradient Of Local Volume Fraction From Tomography Images, Yongping Wang Jan 2002

Quantification Of The Spatial Gradient Of Local Volume Fraction From Tomography Images, Yongping Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Asphalt concrete has three constituents: aggregate, asphalt binder and air voids. In the mixture, aggregates serve as a skeleton of the mixture; asphalt serves as a binder to hold the aggregates together; and air voids prevent asphalt concrete from bleeding to avoid plastic mixes. The properties of asphalt concrete are controlled by the interaction of these three components. In asphalt concrete, asphalt binder, voids and aggregates are not uniformly distributed. The local volume fractions of these constituents vary with spatial locations. As a result, there exist a spatial gradient of the local volume fractions between two locations. Due to the …

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Bayesian Updating Of Simulated Household Travel Survey Data For Small/Medium Metropolitan Areas, Sirisha Murthy Kothuri Jan 2002

Bayesian Updating Of Simulated Household Travel Survey Data For Small/Medium Metropolitan Areas, Sirisha Murthy Kothuri

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis tests an approach for generating simulated travel survey data that has local characteristics incorporated in it. Travel survey data are generally required for estimating and calibrating travel demand models for a region. The high cost associated with travel surveys puts them beyond the budget of most small/medium MPOs. Therefore simulation of travel survey data provides a viable alternative for these data starved regions to generate data. The simulated data is produced by combining socio-demographic data along with a national survey data set. Updating the simulated data distributions with the distributions obtained by surveying a small sample of local …

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Antipredator Conditioning In Mississippi Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canadensis Pulla), Jennifer Jill Heatley Jan 2002

Antipredator Conditioning In Mississippi Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canadensis Pulla), Jennifer Jill Heatley

LSU Master's Theses

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pulla), the most endangered North American crane, is considered critically endangered and is protected by Federal and State law. Substantial funding has established the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Mississippi and an artificial insemination / breeding facility at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans, Louisiana to promote species recovery. In spite of extensive time, labor, and money invested in captive propagation, juvenile Mississippi Sandhill Cranes suffer substantial mortality due to predation by bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans) and red tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) upon reintroduction …

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The Interaction Between Hydrology And Water Quality For Urban Rainfall-Runoff: Implications For Management Strategies, Christopher Michael Dean Jan 2002

The Interaction Between Hydrology And Water Quality For Urban Rainfall-Runoff: Implications For Management Strategies, Christopher Michael Dean

LSU Master's Theses

In urban environments, anthropogenic activity deposits potentially hazardous residuals onto impervious surfaces. To investigate the process of wet-weather constituent transport, twelve rainfall/runoff events collected at an experimental catchment site in Baton Rouge, Louisiana were analyzed for temporal delivery of aggregate constituents (SSC, COD, TDS) as well as dissolved and particulate-bound metal concentrations (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn). Event mean concentrations for the parameters analyzed often exceeded USEPA discharge limits. Rainfall-runoff events were characterized as either mass-limited or flow-limited. Events designated as mass-limited exhibited a high runoff volume, low vehicle to volume ratio (VPV), high stream power and a low correlation …

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A Correlation Between The Optical And Mechanical Properties Of Novel Polysilane/Polysiloxane Nanocomposites, Sungho Lee Jan 2002

A Correlation Between The Optical And Mechanical Properties Of Novel Polysilane/Polysiloxane Nanocomposites, Sungho Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Polysilanes are ¥ò-conjugated conductive polymers with a one-dimensional Si backbone and organic substituted side chains. The conventional Wurtz-type coupling reaction has been used for preparing various alkyl substituted polysilanes, i.e. poly(di-n-hexyl)silane and poly(hexylmethyl)silane. For each polysilane examples with methoxy (-OCH3) and allyl (-CH2CH=CH2) end caps have been prepared. The solution UV absorption characteristics of the polysilanes at room temperature have been measured, from which the wavelength maximum of the UV-VIS absorption and the absorptivity have been obtained. Allyl end capped polysilanes have the same wavelength maximum as methoxy end capped polysilanes. However, the absorptivities of allyl end capped polysilanes are …

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Computing Moments Of A Binary Horizontally/Vertically Convex Image Using Run-Time Reconfiguration, Cheowway Neoh Jan 2002

Computing Moments Of A Binary Horizontally/Vertically Convex Image Using Run-Time Reconfiguration, Cheowway Neoh

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, we present a design for computing moments of a binary horizontally/vertically convex image on an FPGA chip, using run-time reconfiguration. We compute the moments of up to third order for a total of 16 moments. We address how run-time reconfiguration speeds up moment computations without taking up huge hardware resources. Since we are considering a binary horizontally/vertically convex image, we look at an alternative method in moment computations that utilizes constant coefficient multipliers. We divide the image into segments and process one segment at a time. We reconfigure the constant coefficient multipliers before processing the next segment. …

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Liminal Recollection...Between Memory And Reality, Blake Jamison Williams Jan 2002

Liminal Recollection...Between Memory And Reality, Blake Jamison Williams

LSU Master's Theses

In the year I applied to graduate school, the objects in my life acquired a distinct preciousness after my grandparents passed away within three months of each other. I realized that the things we collect, and those that surround us, reveal our narratives and silently map our personalities. I discovered that material items triggered memories for me specific to their function and relationship to me. My grandmother’s set of ten figurines reminded me of the many times we would sit and drink tea together. I became acutely aware of material items that were results of human actions. A used teabag …

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Buckling Analysis Of Grid Stiffened Composite Structures, Samuel Kidane Jan 2002

Buckling Analysis Of Grid Stiffened Composite Structures, Samuel Kidane

LSU Master's Theses

Buckling of a stiffened composite cylinder is a very complex phenomenon that involves complex interactions between the skin and the stiffeners. Depending on different configurations of the skin and stiffener, different buckling failure modes and failure loads are observed in stiffened cylinders. In this work failure modes and buckling loads of stiffened composite cylinders under uniaxial loading condition is investigated by using analytical and experimental approaches. In the first Chapter an improved smeared method is developed to model the buckling problem of an isogird stiffened composite cylinder. In this model the stiffness contributions of the stiffeners is computed by analyzing …

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Discrete Mathematics Topics In The Secondary School Curriculum, Aimee Beth Boyd Jan 2002

Discrete Mathematics Topics In The Secondary School Curriculum, Aimee Beth Boyd

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis discusses two topics of discrete mathematics in a manner suitable for presentation at a secondary-school level. The introduction outlines the benefits of including discrete mathematics in the secondary-school curriculum. The two chapters which follow include detailed treatment of the two selected topics: the Traveling Salesman Problem and RSA encryption. The discussion of the Traveling Salesman Problem consists of introduction to the problem through several real-life scenarios, followed by a discussion of various methods for solving the problem. We discuss exact and approximate algorithms together with their computational complexity and practical limitations. The discussion of RSA encryption begins with …

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Discrimination Of Cardiac Health And Disease By Assessment Of Heart Rate Variability: Wavelet Vs. Fast Fourier Transformation, Jusonda Leray Derouen Jan 2002

Discrimination Of Cardiac Health And Disease By Assessment Of Heart Rate Variability: Wavelet Vs. Fast Fourier Transformation, Jusonda Leray Derouen

LSU Master's Theses

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation of the heart is of clinical importance because of its relevance to risk of life threatening arrhythmic events. Decomposition of heart rate variability (HRV) has been used to quantify ANS control of the heart. The traditional method for frequency analysis has involved the use of fast Fourier transformation (FFT). However, heart rate data typically violate assumptions of the FFT. Therefore, the assessment of HRV may benefit from other, potentially more suitable, mathematical approaches. For example, the discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) appears to have promise with respect to its ability to discriminate between healthy and …

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Prenursing Students' Perceptions Of The Nursing Profession, Essie Dee Scott Cockrell Jan 2002

Prenursing Students' Perceptions Of The Nursing Profession, Essie Dee Scott Cockrell

LSU Master's Theses

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the nursing perceptions among prenursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate prenursing program. Objectives in the study included describing undergraduate baccalaureate prenursing student on selected demographic characteristics such as age, gender, ethnic background, etc., determining the perceptions of students about the nursing profession, and determining if a relationship existed between students' perceptions of nursing and selected personal characteristics such as classification, reason for choosing nursing, area of nursing practice most interested, etc. A total of 207 (66.35%) prenursing students enrolled in prerequisite courses for a baccalaureate nursing program participated in the study. …

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Useful Field Of View Of An Indicator Of Accident Risk: Results From A College Sample, Jeffrey James Schneider Jan 2002

Useful Field Of View Of An Indicator Of Accident Risk: Results From A College Sample, Jeffrey James Schneider

LSU Master's Theses

Driving is an important part of daily life in our society. Neurocognitive deficits acquired from a head injury can affect driving ability. Determining when it is safe for a person recovering from a head injury to return to the road can often be difficult. With the risk involved in an on-the-road driving evaluation, effective measures are needed to determine when patients are ready to be evaluated. Some neuropsychological measures have shown promise in this area. The Useful Field of View (UFOV) is one test that has been used successfully with older drivers to predict accident risk. Research has also been …

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Significance Of Variations Among Ancient Deltaic Deposits In The Arkoma Basin, North-Central Arkansas, Christine Michelle Wright Jan 2002

Significance Of Variations Among Ancient Deltaic Deposits In The Arkoma Basin, North-Central Arkansas, Christine Michelle Wright

LSU Master's Theses

The Arkoma Basin is one of several foreland basins formed in association with the Ouachita orogeny. The Arkoma Basin has been studied in depth with regard to stratigraphy, depositional environments, structure and its relationship to the Appalachian-Ouachita orogenic event. This study focuses on the variability of the deltaic deposits within the Arkoma Basin and the significance of the variables to both the delta complex and the overall tectonic setting. The specific characteristics to be investigated include variations in paleocurrent directions, bed thicknesses, bed geometries, organic contents, sand/shale ratios, mineral assemblages and fossil assemblages. In the case of the Arkoma deltaic …

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Enhanced Bioremediation Of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane In Wetland Soils, Jason S. House Jan 2002

Enhanced Bioremediation Of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane In Wetland Soils, Jason S. House

LSU Master's Theses

This research investigated the capability of wetland soils to function as a medium for the degradation of 1,1,2,2-TeCA and its daughter products, and the influence of different hydrogen donors and nutrients on this process. The rate constants calculated for this study, show that removal of 1,1,2,2-TeCA is occurring in the microcosms receiving hydrogen donors as well as the biotic controls. The parent compound was undergoing complete degradation to ethene, which was confirmed by ethene analysis, as well as monitoring the intermediate compounds. The analysis for the degradation products of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethene is important in determining the overall potential for successful degradation …

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A Comparison Of Self-Report And Performance-Based Measures Of Physical Function In Older Adults, Amy Elizabeth Dunbar Jan 2002

A Comparison Of Self-Report And Performance-Based Measures Of Physical Function In Older Adults, Amy Elizabeth Dunbar

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the associations between perceived quality of life (QOL)and self-report and performance-based measures of function. An additional purpose of this thesis was to determine whether the afore-mentioned tests could differentiate between independent-living and assisted-living older adults. A total of 36 residents, independent-living (n=22) and assisted-living (n=14), of a continuing care retirement community (age range=65-94) completed the study. Perceived QOL was assessed using the SF-36 and Nottingham Health Profile. The Barthel Index and Functional Status Index (FSI) were used to assess Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Physical function was measured using the reduced Continuous …

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Fine Aggregate Characterization Using Digital Image Analysis, Tongyan Pan Jan 2002

Fine Aggregate Characterization Using Digital Image Analysis, Tongyan Pan

LSU Master's Theses

A comprehensive literature review shows that performance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) is influenced by properties of aggregate. Current situation is that only limited efforts were dedicated to aggregate tests and criteria on aggregate, compared to researches on new binder tests, especially to that of fine aggregate. Superpave (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavement) tests/criteria on aggregate need to reflect those properties that influence performance. Representatives of the aggregate industry and the Superpave Mixture/Aggregate ETG (Expert Task Group) have reached the consensus for the need to improve aggregate tests and criteria as one of the most needed aspects left to complete in …

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Parametric And Sensitivity Analysis Of A Vibratory Automobile Model, Kanika Nicole Vessel Jan 2002

Parametric And Sensitivity Analysis Of A Vibratory Automobile Model, Kanika Nicole Vessel

LSU Master's Theses

Vibration response is an important aspect of any engineering problem. This thesis deals with developing a method to obtain the vibration, parametric and sensitivity of an automobile analyzed as a 2-DOF rigid body system with damping. The focus of the vibration analysis is to obtain the poles, eigenvectors, and natural frequencies of the system. The parametric analysis gave information on how the natural frequency is affected when one of the parameters is perturbed. Information about how much the system is affected by the change in one parameter is what is obtained from the sensitivity analysis. The theoretical solution contained in …

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Chinese Intervention In The Korean War, Harry Martin Crocker Jan 2002

Chinese Intervention In The Korean War, Harry Martin Crocker

LSU Master's Theses

In late October 1950, the People's Republic of China (PRC) committed approximately 260,000 troops to combat in North Korea. The initial Chinese decision to intervene in the Korean conflict was based on a misperception of American commitment to halt communist expansion. American actions seemed to communicate the desire to avoid confrontation. The withdrawal of U.S. troops and the limited equipping and training of the South Korean army implied Washington's lack of interest in the fate of Korea. Therefore, Mao endorsed North Korea's proposal for the military reunification of Korea. China stood to gain international prestige and access to Soviet equipment …

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Induction Of Tetraploidy In Zebrafish Danio Rerio And Nile Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus, Eric Christopher Herbst Jan 2002

Induction Of Tetraploidy In Zebrafish Danio Rerio And Nile Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus, Eric Christopher Herbst

LSU Master's Theses

The goals of this thesis were to: 1) induce tetraploidy in zebrafish; 2) characterize single-female spawning in Nile tilapia for egg collection; 3) design and construct hatching systems for tilapia eggs; 4) induce tetraploidy in Nile tilapia. Tetraploidy was induced in zebrafish Danio rerio, by applying a 41 C heat shock to eggs for 2 min at 11, 13, 15, 17, or 20 min after fertilization (AF). A trend of increasing percent tetraploid yield occurred the later the shocks were applied. Shocks applied at 11 min AF yielded 1% tetraploidy and shocks applied at 20 min AF yielded 10%. There …

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A Comparison Of Storm Hydrographs From Small Urban Watersheds With Different Land Use Patterns In Baton Rouge, Josey Wade Walker Jan 2002

A Comparison Of Storm Hydrographs From Small Urban Watersheds With Different Land Use Patterns In Baton Rouge, Josey Wade Walker

LSU Master's Theses

Statistics gathered by FEMA indicate that nine of ten federal disasters are related to flooding. Research has demonstrated that increases in flooding can be contributed to urbanization or the construction of new residential and commercial developments (Anderson, 1970; Arnold & Gibbons, 1996; Putnam, 1972). New development has two main problems associated with it. First is the increase in impervious surfaces due to new parking lots, buildings, and streets (Booth & Leavitt, 1999; Seaburn, 1969). Second is the elimination of natural vegetation, which reduces evapotranspiration and lowers the soil’s ability to absorb precipitation (Hewlett, 1982). This study first demonstrates the relationship …

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The Chemistry Of Change: A Production Thesis In Directing, Anthony Greenleaf Winkler Jan 2002

The Chemistry Of Change: A Production Thesis In Directing, Anthony Greenleaf Winkler

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is an account of the production process involved in directing The Chemistry of Change by Marlane Meyer. Particular attention is paid to the Suzuki and Viewpoint methods of actor training used in rehearsal; periods of discussion with the playwright regarding the script; negotiations with designers; and an evaluation of the audience reception of the public performances. These aspects of producing a play for the theatre are recorded from the point of view of the director and described with the intention of revealing the learning process for all involved in the collaborative process.

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