Digital Commons Network^™

A Conceptual And Empirical Approach For Valuing Biodiversity: An Estimate Of The Benefits Of Plant And Wildlife Habitat Preservation In The Tensas River Basin., Jack Coburn Isaacs

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This research estimated the passive use value of local species biodiversity in the Tensas River basin, a section of the Lower Mississippi River Valley. This research employed the contingent valuation method in eliciting willingness to pay for biodiversity conservation using the habitat needs of an umbrella species as a basis for valuation. This study designed and implemented the Lower Mississippi Valley Plant and Wildlife Survey for primary data collection. The sample included 1,351 households drawn from a hunting permit lottery conducted by the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge and 3,044 households drawn at random from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The …

Daniel Pratt Of Prattville: A Northern Industrialist And A Southern Town., Curt John Evans

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores the life of Daniel Pratt, one of the South's most important industrialists. Daniel Pratt was born in Temple, New Hampshire on July 20, 1799. In 1821, he migrated to Jones County, Georgia, where he worked as a carpenter-architect for ten years. He married Esther Ticknor of Connecticut in 1827 Samuel Griswold hired Pratt in 1831 to superintend his cotton gin factory in Jones County. Two years later, Pratt migrated to Autauga County in central Alabama, where he started his own gin shop. In 1839, Pratt founded Prattville, located fourteen miles from Alabama's capital, Montgomery. The next year, …

Purification And Antioxidant Properties Of Rice Bran (Gamma)-Oryzanol Components., Zhimin Xu

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A high purity $\gamma$-oryzanol was obtained from crude rice bran oil using a normal phase preparative scale HPLC. It was used in implementing a reverse phase HPLC method for separating each individual component of $\gamma$-oryzanol present in rice bran oil. Ten fractions were isolated in the reverse phase HPLC method. The ten components of $\gamma$-oryzanol were identified. Three of these, cycloartenyl ferulate, 24-methylene cycloartanyl ferulate, and campesteryl ferulate, were major components of $\gamma$-oryzanol. The yield of $\gamma$-oryzanol without saponification was significantly higher than that with saponification in solvent extraction. The solvent mixture with 50% hexane and 50% isopropanol (v/v.) at …

A Roll Call Analysis Of Family Policy Legislation In The United States House Of Representatives: 1979-1994., Elizabeth Stewart Atkinson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study is an examination of the roll call voting behaviors of members of the House of Representatives toward family policy legislation during the years 1979 to 1994. The two objectives of this study are (a) to determine whether a family policy domain exists among the legislation considered by the House during each of the sessions examined in this study, and (b) to explain and predict the voting behavior of House members toward family policy legislation. After a review of the theories of legislative voting behavior, the literature on legislative voting behavior, and the relevant family science literature, an empirical …

Moth Diversity In Louisiana Longleaf Pine Savannas And Mixed Mesophytic Hardwood Forests: Species Composition And Management Effects., Deborah Landau

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Two habitats, a mixed hardwood forest and a longleaf pine savanna, were selected for analysis of moth composition. Three studies assessed differences between moth diversity, efficiency of sampling intensities, and effects of management practices in these habitats. The first study compared diversity and community composition between the two habitats based on 4,337 moths representing 394 species. The mixed hardwood habitat contained 314 species and the longleaf pine 208. Species overlap between two longleaf pine sites was as low as overlap between longleaf pine and mixed hardwood habitats (38%). Differences in moth richness between habitats may be a reflection of differences …

Perception-Action Coupling During Goal-Directed Locomotion Without Vision., Robert D. Clark

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The ability to walk to distant targets accurately without the use of vision has been demonstrated in a number of studies (e.g., Elliott, 1987; 1990; Loomis, Da Silva, Philbeck, & Fukusima, 1996; Rieser, Ashmead, Talor, & Youngquist, 1990; Steenhuis & Goodale 1988; Thomson, 1983). Processes underlying the mechanisms involved in this ability however, are not completely understood. One possible mechanism examined involves non-visual sensory flows during locomotion. In Experiment 1, manipulations to normal walking led to significant increases in error relative to the control group. Error expressed as a percentage of target distance revealed that target distance did not affect …

Redefining Babes, Booze And Brawls: Men Against Violence. Towards A New Masculinity., Luoluo Hong

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Despite evidence that 90% of violent crimes are committed by men, higher education professionals and researchers still understand relatively little about the process by which mate students acquire the attitudes, knowledge, values and skills which serve as deterrents to perpetrating violence against women and against other men. Men Against Violence is a peer advocacy organization at a large, public Research I institution in the South which focuses on the special and unique responsibility men have to end violence. Through participation in a wide array of service learning, community action and leadership opportunities, MAV members challenge cultural norms which link masculinity …

Beta-Carotene And Exercise Performance: Effects On Race Performance, Oxidative Stress, And Maximal Oxygen Consumption., Kim Edward Leblanc

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

There is evidence in the literature that suggests a possible worthwhile role of antioxidants during athletic endeavors and exercise performance. Several studies have evaluated the antioxidant ability of beta-carotene and demonstrated a beneficial influence. However, these studies have investigated beta-carotene's effects within an antioxidant mixture which included other antioxidant vitamins. Consequently, this study attempted to isolate the antioxidant role of beta-carotene during exercise. Three parameters of beta-carotene influence were measured using eleven well-trained runners: serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (a marker of free radical generation), 5000 meter race performance, and maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max). Subjects were tested using a double-blinded cross-over …

Components That Should Be Included In An Ethics Enhancement Program For State Legislatures., Kenneth Ward

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the study was to identify the components and sub-components that should be included in an ethics enhancement program for a state legislature, as perceived by a national panel of experts in the areas of legislative ethics. A Delphi panel comprised of state legislators and state ethics officers was established and comprised of persons representing each of the four regions of the United States. In Round One of the study, the panel identified 12 primary components and 124 related sub-components for an ethics enhancement program in a state legislature. Each of the suggested items were unique and nearly …

The Nature Of Undergraduates' Conceptual Understanding Of Oxygen Transport And Utilization In Humans: Can Cardiopulmonary Simulation Software Enhance Learning Of Propositional Knowledge And/Or Diagnose Alternative Conceptions In Novices And Intermediates?, Dennis Robert Wissing

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the this research was to explore undergraduates' conceptual development for oxygen transport and utilization, as a component of a cardiopulmonary physiology and advanced respiratory care course in the allied health program. This exploration focused on the student's development of knowledge and the presence of alternative conceptions, prior to, during, and after completing cardiopulmonary physiology and advanced respiratory care courses. Using the simulation program, SimBioSysTM (Samsel, 1994), student-participants completed a series of laboratory exercises focusing on cardiopulmonary disease states. This study examined data gathered from: (1) a novice group receiving the simulation program prior to instruction, (2) a …

Literacy Stories: Attitudes Toward Literacy And Motivation To Read Among African-American Males In An Urban Community., Donna Parham Washington

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Through methods of ethnographic research this study explores the attitudes toward literacy and the motivation to read of African American male secondary school students in an urban community. This study includes historical inquiry obtained through the gathering of oral histories from men who experienced their youth and adolescence in the same geographic area as the secondary school students. Over the past fifty years the neighborhood focused on in this study has undergone tremendous change, both societal and structural. Information obtained through the interviews of the older men and the younger men will be compared to determine changes in literacy attitudes, …

Reconceiving Citizenship: The Social Education Of Seven Members Of Students Against Driving Drunk., Cheryl Jeannette Edwards

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative study centers on education for citizenship, a topic which is explored through an analysis of case studies of seven participants who were members of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) in high school. Data was collected in two phases. The first phase occurred between September of 1988 and May of 1991. During this period, the researcher was a participant-observer and conducted individual and group interviews with members. Phase two took place in 1995, with follow-up interviews being conducted with seven former members who served as key informants for the study. The primary research questions addressed in this study are: …

Sustainable Resources Utilization And Implications For Economic Development In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study Of Cote D'Ivoire., Ahile Nicolas Koudou

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In the 1960's, sub-Saharan Africa had one of the world's largest rain forests. Today, however, Africa accounts for only 27 percent of the world's forest area. Expansion of agricultural lands at the expense of forests remains the fundamental contributor to deforestation in Cote d'Ivoire. Other factors include a high natural rate of population growth (3.9 percent annually) and flexible immigration policies that create land use pressures. Consequently, Cote d'Ivoire has lost almost 83 percent of its 16 million hectares (39.5 million acres) of tropical forests. Some corrective actions, such as halting illicit harvesting, reforestation and reforming logging activities, have been …

Passion Plays In The United States: The Contemporary Outdoor Tradition., Charlene Faye Monk

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this dissertation is to trace the development of the outdoor passion plays in the United States, comparing their content and approach with the continental medieval tradition and analyzing how effectively the current American plays are modifying their presentations to meet the expectations of today's modern society. This study documents the historical development and physical plants for the eight passion play productions in the United States that maintained membership in the Institute of Outdoor Drama and played during the summer seasons of the research period from 1992-1996: The Black Hills Passion Play (1939, Spearfish, South Dakota), The Great …

Evaluation Of Chemical Treatments And Intrinsic Factors That Affect The Mutagenic Potential Of Aflatoxin B1-Contaminated Corn., Armando Burgos-Hernandez

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In the present project the use of ammoniation and fermentation as an integrated process was studied in order to give aflatoxin-contaminated corn an alternative use. Aflatoxin-contaminated corn can be fermented to obtain fuel alcohol and decontaminated distiller's dried solid grains (DDSG) can be used for animal feed. The efficacy of a fermentation process, with the inclusion of ammonium persulfate, for the decontamination of aflatoxin B$\sb1$-contaminated yellow corn was studied, as well as the effect of peroxides on the ethanol production. Addition of 2.0% ammonium persulfate decreased the aflatoxin B$\sb1$ levels by 87%. Peroxides did not have an effect on ethanol …

Dyslexic College Students: Quest For Literacy., Frances Grace Crochet

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The initial purpose of this study focused on an Orton-Gillingham phonics remediation program and the effect the program had on college students. The emphasis of the study changed due to the fact that the Orton-Gillingham phonics program did not impact the college students' learning, which was mainly due to the students having previously received some form of phonics instruction. The students had learned to compensate for their poor spelling ability through invented spelling, and the use of the computer and the spell checker. The other accommodations that decreased their need for knowledge of a spelling program were the use of …

Serological And Molecular Biological Studies Of Marine Predator-Prey Systems., Marilyn J. Hoyt

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Two aspects of species identification were addressed; a molecular approach to identify anchovy larval and serological methods for prey detection in predator gut washes. Analysis of the pattern of restriction fragments of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from adult anchovies from the Gulf of Mexico was employed to speciate four anchovy species. MtDNA isolated from white muscle of adult Anchoa mitchilli, A. hepsetus, A. nasuta and Engraulis eurystole produced an amplified 2.4 Kb DNA product when primers for NADH dehydrogenase 5 and 6 genes were used in polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Digestion of the amplified sequence with Dpn II produced a unique …

Aflatoxin B(1) And Fumonisin B(1) Co-Contamination: Interactive Effects, Possible Mechanisms Of Toxicity, And Decontamination Procedures., Rebeca Lopez-Garcia

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The current study evaluated interactions between the mycotoxins aflatoxin B$\sb1$ (AFB$\sb1$) and fumonisin B$\sb1$ (FB$\sb1$) in pure systems as well as in corn. During storage at 25$\sp\circ$C with high moisture (ca. 50%), corn contaminated with Aspergillus flavus (L13) and/or Fusarium moniliforme (A00102) presented different aflatoxin and fumonisin levels. Toxin production/degradation varied over storage time (0-45 days). Evaluation of the mutagenicity of unifungal or bifungal corn extracts with the Salmonella/microsomal assay (tester strains TA-100 and TA-98) with metabolic activation (S9) showed positive mutagenic responses. Different ratios of pure AFB$\sb1$/FB$\sb1$ produced divergent mutagenic responses (tester strains TA-100 and TA-98) with S9. The …

Development And Assessment Of A Property Rights-Based Measure Of State Regulatory Climate., Ferdinand Francis Wirth Iii

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

States implement many of the environmental laws enacted during the last thirty years. A key policy issue is the effect of differences in state institutions and environmental policies on the location of livestock agriculture. There is widespread belief that the stringency of state environmental regulations, known as regulatory climate, is an important factor influencing the location, growth and expansion decisions of livestock agriculture. Existing regulatory climate measures are not tailored to agriculture, and their use has given mixed results. Conceptual and empirical models were developed for the U.S. aquaculture industry, based on elements of public choice and firm location theories …

Wavelet-Based Registration Of Medical Images., Raj Sharman

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Registration is the process of spatially aligning two objects and is normally a preprocessing step in most object recognition algorithms. Registration of images and recognition of signatures of objects in images is important for clinical and diagnostic purposes in medicine. Recognizing structure, potential targets for defense purposes and changes in the terrain, from aerial surveillance images and SAR images is the focus of extensive research and development today. Automatic Target Recognition is becoming increasingly important as the defense systems and armament technology move to use smarter munitions. Registration of images is a preprocessing step in any kind of machine vision …

Remarks To The Board Of Trustees Of The Natural Resources Defense Council Symposium - The Phoenix Rises Again: The Nondelegation Doctrine From Constitutional And Policy Perspectives: Democracy And Delegation, David Schoenbrod

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

Cancer In Louisiana: 1989-1993, Volume 9, Louisiana Tumor Registry, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Catherine N. Correa, Patricia A. Andrews, Fang Li, Javed A. Joy, Vivien W. Chen

Policy & Position Papers

Mission:

To collect and report complete, high-quality, and timely population-based cancer data in Louisiana to support cancer research, control, and prevention.

Vision:

To reduce suffering and death from cancer using information collected by the Louisiana Tumor Registry.

History:

Cancer registration in Louisiana began in 1947 at the Charity Hospital Tumor Registry in New Orleans. In 1974, as part of its Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, the National Cancer Institute provided funds for a population-based cancer incidence and survival registry covering Jefferson, Orleans, and St. Bernard parishes. Five years later, the Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR) was transferred to the …

The Effect Of Choice On Off Task Behavior In A Child With Autism, Stacia Gibson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Shaping Competition Policy In The Americas: Scope For Transatlantic Cooperation?, Shanker A. Singham

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Japan's Big Bang Financial Reforms, Ernest T. Patrikis

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Medical Monitoring, Andrew R. Klein

Brooklyn Law Review

No abstract provided.

Who Needs Congress? An Agenda For Administrative Reform Of The Endangered Species Act, J.B. A. Ruhl

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This article comprehensively examines the history and content of the numerous administrative reforms of the Endangered Species Act program carried out under the tenure of Department of the Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. The assessment is that these reforms provide a tremendous impetus for innovation of species conservation.

Ay 1997/1998 Faculty Senate Roster, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Ay 1997/1998 Fs Meeting Minutes, 1998-02-18, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Ay 1997/1998 Fs Meeting Minutes, 1997-12-10, Special Meeting, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.