Digital Commons Network^™

Behavior Of Red Snapper, Lutjanus Campechanus, In Relation To Trawl Modifications To Reduce Shrimp Trawler Bycatch., Donna Reeve Rogers

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Behavioral responses of young-of-the-year red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, to alterations in water flow were examined in the laboratory and the field in an effort to facilitate their release from shrimp trawls. Experiments with red snapper, collected by divers, were conducted in a racetrack flume. Four vertical and two horizontal mesh and solid panel types were examined. Four snapper (out of 96) escaped with vertical panels and thirteen fish (out of 48) exited with horizontal panels. Escapes occurred primarily with solid panels containing 0.95-cm holes drilled at 5-cm intervals. However, snapper that escaped with solid horizontal panels frequently went back into …

Education For Liberation As (An) African-American Folk Theory., Denise Marie Taliaferro

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

African American people have historically expressed great faith in education as a path toward liberation. It is an idea--education for liberation--that is pervasive in African American discourse. It is well documented in research that focuses on the efforts of African Americans to educate themselves despite slavery, the fall of reconstruction, a brutal Jim Crow system, and desegregation in lieu of integration (Anderson, 1988; Lerner, 1972; Watkins, 1993). Yet despite our faithful proclamations, we have been represented otherwise in mainstream educational discourse. Intellectual inferiority, cultural deprivation, underachievement, and at-risk have been some of the terms used to explain the consistent and …

Mating System Differences And Genetic Effects For Preweaning Traits In Beef Cattle In The Gulf Coast Region Of The United States., Dian Allison Williams

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Preweaning data collected on 1,180 calves in generation five of a crossbreeding project were analysed. The systems involved were first-cross (F$\sb1$, three-breed terminal, two-, three-, and four-breed rotational and rotational-terminal. Angus (A), Brahman (B), Charolais (C), and Hereford (H) breeds were used in the F$\sb1$ and rotational phases, while Gelbvieh (G) and Simmental (S) were the terminal sire breeds. The traits studied were birth weight (BWT), preweaning gain (ADG), 205 d weight (WWT), and weaning height (WHT). Least squares analysis of variance procedures were used for comparisons of mating systems for all traits. Estimates of direct and maternal additive (Ig, …

The Role Of Curved Dna In Bacillus Subtilis Rna Polymerase-Promoter Interactions., Murad Mohammed Odeh

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Intrinsically curved DNA upstream of promoters was shown to affect the Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase-promoter interactions leading to transcription initiation. The Alu156, a B. subtilis bacteriophage dependent on the curved DNA located immediately upstream of the $-$35 region, and modified forms of Alu156 were used. Promoters were examined using gel retardation and DNase I footprinting assays. DNase I footprinting analysis of the Alu156 promoter demonstrated a unique pattern of DNase I hypersensitive and protected sites characteristic of DNA wrapped around the protein. This wrapping was observed upstream of the curved DNA. To examine the nature of curved DNA, the native …

Cloning And Identification Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Genes And Proteins Upregulated Under Low Carbon Dioxide Conditions., Aravind Somanchi

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A mechanism that concentrates CO$\sb2$ in cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, is induced when cells are grown at low CO$\sb2$ conditions. This mechanism increases the CO$\sb2$ concentration at the site of RuBisCO, and thereby improves the efficiency of C$\rm\sb{i}$ uptake and fixation. Cells adapting to low CO$\sb2$ show significant physiological changes. Few of the genes encoding proteins needed to produce these changes have been identified. A cDNA library has been constructed from C. reinhardtii to identify genes involved in these changes. The cloning and identification of several cDNAs that are upregulated under low CO$\sb2$ conditions are reported here. The possible roles …

An Analysis Of Factors Influencing The Teaching Of Biological Evolution In Louisiana Public Secondary Schools., Donald Wayne Aguillard

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Louisiana public school biology teachers were surveyed to investigate their attitudes toward biological evolution. A mixed method investigation was employed using a questionnaire and open-ended interviews. Results obtained from 64 percent of the sample receiving the questionnaire indicate that although teachers endorse the study of evolution as important, instructional time allocated to evolution is disproportionate with its status as a unifying concept of science. Two variables, number of college courses specifically devoted to evolution and number of semester credit hours in biology, produced a significant correlation with emphasis placed on evolution. The data suggest that teachers' knowledge base emerged as …

Dynamics And Management Of Insecticide Resistance In The Horn Fly, Haematobia Irritans Irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae)., Antonio Thadeu Medeiros De Barros

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Studies on resistance of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (L.), to insecticides were conducted in Louisiana from 1989 to 1998. These studies included monitoring resistance and resistance dynamics under different strategies of insecticide use, monitoring the efficacy of insecticide products, establishing a relationship between bioassay findings and product efficacy, and evaluation of a new insecticide class. In four years (1989--1992), efficacy of 20% diazinon-impregnated car tags used yearly was reduced from greater than twenty to just one week of control, and tag failure was observed with resistance ratios (RR) from 1.8 to 5.7. Diazinon resistance developed more slowly and …

Chiral Recognition With Polymerized Dipeptide Surfactants In Capillary Electrophoresis., Eugene Joseph Billiot

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The research presented in this dissertation involves the use and characterization of polymerized amino acid based surfactants for the enantiomeric separation of chiral compounds using capillary electrophoresis. The first section, Chapter 1, is an introduction to three topics which are relevant to the work presented in this manuscript. The topics include a brief discussion about chirality and chiral recognition, followed by a description of surfactants and micellar systems. The last part of the introduction pertains to capillary electrophoresis and the use of micellar electrokinetic chromatography for enantiomeric separation of chiral compounds. In Chapter 2, the effect of amino acid order …

Directed Search In K-System Reconstruction., Christopher W. Branton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

K-systems analysis is a factor analysis technique created through the generalization of key reconstructability analysis definitions and algorithms. The method is applied to functions on systems of discrete variables to discover a set of factors which can explain the bulk of the function's variation from the mean. K-systems analysis uses principles of information theory to reveal interactions which are often masked by the assumptions implicit in traditional methods. The method has been used successfully to analyze systems in several disciplines. Despite the success of k-systems analysis, obstacles to the creation of a mature methodology still exist. Some issues and open …

An Exploratory Study Of The Impact Of Hypermedia-Based Approach And Science-In-Fiction Approach For Instruction On The Polymerase Chain Reaction., Lynda A. Britton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Exploration of meaningful learning of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed instruction by a researcher-developed hypermedia computer program that incorporated human constructivist principles and a "science-in-fiction" chapter of a novel that described PCR. Human constructivism is the Ausubel-Novak-Gowin (1997) meaningful learning theory that supports science learning through graphic representations and multiple examples. Science-in-fiction is a new genre of fiction introduced by the prominent scientist, Carl Djerassi, to engender an appreciation for science, and its ethical dilemmas. Chapter 19 of Djerassi's 1994 novel, The Bourbaki Gambit, was placed into hypermedia format to standardize the presentation. As part of a clinical microbiology …

Purification Of Porphobilinogen Deaminase And The Sequencing And Expression Of Thehemc Gene Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus., Keith A. Canada

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Rhodobacter capsulatus uses the common tetrapyrrole pathway to synthesize heme, bacteriochlorophyll, siroheme and vitamin B-12. As part of our studies on the regulation of this pathway, the product of the hemC gene, porphobilinogen deaminase was purified approximately 200-fold. The molecular weight, isoelectric point, pH optimum and Km of the enzyme were all similar to other porphobilinogen deaminases. The stoichiometry of the enzyme was found not to be the expected four porphobilinogens used per one uroporphyrin formed. Rather a 9:1 ratio was typically seen. Further study of this atypical ratio uncovered evidence of possible in vivo regulation of porphobilinogen deaminase dependant …

Spatial Variability Of Coastal Organic Soil Characteristics., L. Cecil Dharmasri

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation is a part of the Louisiana NASA/EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) global change research, which studied the fate of carbon and sediments within the Barataria Bay Basin, Louisiana. It studied water composition to assess seawater influence within the marsh. Ion exchange resin strips were used to study the effect of salinity and Chloride (Cl) on sulfate (SO4) reduction and their potential for water and soil analysis. Chloride dominated the water system and the Cl/SO 4 ratio can be used to assess the seawater influence. Resin extractable sulfur (S) predicted non-pyritic S fraction for the marsh soils. …

The Nature And Extent Of Species Interactions With The United States Gulf Menhaden Fishery., Janaka Anthony De Silva

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

I employed categorical techniques to explain patchy data on the releasable bycatch in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery looking for species and areas of potential concern and potential solutions. For fishing grounds east of the Mississippi River, the odds of observing sets with high bycatch in spring and summer were greater than in the fall. Furthermore, spring bycatch rates were higher east of 89°W than in areas west of 93°W. Correspondence analysis indicated that the fate of the releasable bycatch could be classified into three major species-fate groupings. Two distinct bycatch species assemblages from April through August that …

A Review Of The North American Squalodontidae (Mammalia, Cetacea)., Alton Cline Dooley Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

All available North American specimens of squalodont whales were examined to determine species assignments, and to determine functional aspects and ecological implications. Only two existing species of the 17 referred to Squalodontidae from North America are members of that family, Squalodon atlanticus and Squalodon calvertensis. Of these two species, only S. calvertensis is based on adequate material for consideration as a valid species. Squalodon calvertensis is redescribed, based on the material which has been collected since 1923. These specimens indicate that the species is found from New Jersey to North Carolina, in the Miocene Kirkwood, Calvert, and Pungo River Formations. …

Materials Fluxes Across Different Scales Of Time And Space In The Rhone Delta, France., Philippe Francois Hensel

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A study of materials fluxes across different scales of time and space was conducted in the Rhone Delta, France, to test the applicability of a conceptual model of deltaic ecosystem function in a scenario of accelerated sea-level rise to a mediterranean delta which has been heavily altered by human activities. Natural pulsing events such as tides, river floods and storms cause sediment surfaces to maintain elevation in the face of relative sea level rise through the process of soil formation. These pulses also enhance ecosystem function through habitat creation, food production, materials transformation, water quality and storm and flood protection. …

A Comparative Study Of Communication Intervention For Nonverbal Children With Autism., Kelly C. Higgins

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Communication intervention for 3 nonverbal children with autism was compared in an alternating treatment design. Subjects were three males, ages 4--7, 3--6, and 3--5 who met diagnostic criteria for Autism and who were considered to be nonverbal according to developmental history, parent/teacher report and behavioral observation. Alternating treatment conditions included the established treatment format that each subject was receiving in his school setting (Treatment A) and a developmentally-integrated format of intervention structured to facilitate integrated cognitive, social and communicative development (Treatment B). Each intervention was characterized according to profiles of Traditional-Behavioral or Semantic Pragmatic-Developmental intervention formats. Characteristics of adult interaction …

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 …

Influence Of Diet And Genetic Strain On Desirable Flavors In Farm-Raised Catfish., Carol Ann Kelly

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This farm-raised catfish quality study measured desirable flavor attributes, Chickeny, Nutty, Fat Complex, Corn, Sweet, with the objective to determine effects of feed ingredients, time-on-diet and genetic strain. Overall flavor impact differences were tested by triangle tests. The diets were Casein-base reference feed by itself or partially substituted with: 10% catfish meal, 10% meat and bone meal, 10% rice bran, or 3% menhaden oil and commercial feed formulation. Fish were grown indoors to minimize environmental flavors for 70, 160, 210 and 318 days. The genetic strains evaluated were channel, albino channel, blue, hybrid channel x blue, and black bullhead catfish. …

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 …

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 …

Airbirds: Adaptative Strategies To The Aerial Lifestyle From A Life History Perspective., Manuel Marin-Aspillaga

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

"Airbirds" are defined as those birds that are adapted to almost constant life on the wing and do not perch, except for breeding and roosting. They use the air as the only medium in which to find and gather food. One taxon meets that definition: the swifts (Apodidae). Foraging zones of airbirds can be segregated in terms of clutch size, commuting foraging distance, nestling period, and nestling feeding rate. This study looked at foraging behavior and nestling diet, incubation patterns and mode of development in cypseloidine swifts, that as a group has extreme life history patterns. In a temperate one-egg …

Investigation Of Two Treatment Approaches For Improving College Students' Comprehension Of Science Text., Nancy L. Martino

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Many college freshmen are unable to read expository material at a level of proficiency necessary for understanding and integrating information from their textbooks. Providing intervention that addresses these deficits and results in rapid improvements is critical if these students are going to pass their current courses and remain in college. This study examined whether an instructional approach termed Communicative Reading Strategies (CRS) would result in improvement in the ability to comprehend expository text. CRS uses interactive strategies that teach students to comprehend a text as it is read. The CRS approach was compared to a skills approach that addressed similar …

Biology And Ecology Of The Anopheles Quadrimaculatus Sibling Species Complex In Louisiana., Cynthia Roxanne Rutledge

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A polymerase chain reaction method for identifying individuals in the Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say sibling species complex was validated for wild mosquitoes from Louisiana and Mississippi. This method distinguished An. quadrimaculatus species A, B, C, and D by detecting species-specific differences in the 2nd internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA and was 100% specific and 95% sensitive. A polymerase chain reaction assay that detects differences in the second internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA was tested for its usefulness in identifying all immature stages of two representatives in the An. quadrimaculatus sibling species complex. The technique was successful in amplifying DNA …

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 …

Patterns Of Time, Place, And Culture: Land Use Zoning In Portland, Oregon, 1918-1924, Meg Merrick

Dissertations and Theses

Until recently, few have questioned the notion that the separation of uses in land use zoning is inherently correct. Many observers of the city are now suggesting that zoning, as it has been practiced in this country over the last 80 years, has created cities that are fractured and function poorly. Others propose that zoning should be reconsidered as a remedy for urban dysfunction. They suggest that the whole notion of zoning be rethought.

The purpose of this study is to uncover some of the underlying rationales and methodologies that set the model for zoning. This study examines the rationales …

Ecology, Wilderness Selection, And The Salmonhuckleberry Roadless Area, Jason Scot Barker

Dissertations and Theses

In the 1970s, the Forest Service used ecology in the process that led to the SalmonHuckleberry roadless area in the Mount Hood National Forest becoming a Congressionally designated Wilderness in 1984. This case study of the history of SalmonHuckleberry roadless area confirms the criticism made by environmentalists that noncommercial forest values have received much less priority than commercial uses in forest planning during the late 1960s and 1970s. This study of the area also reveals that the Forest Service's planning process was fundamentally flawed because Forest Service planners often lacked scientific data to support management decisions and downplayed the sigificnace …

Enculturing Nature, William Lloyd Cornett

Dissertations and Theses

Human activity is embedded within a myriad of seldom-acknowledged ecological relationships. Anthropology and ecology, two holistic disciplines concerned with these activities, struggle with the topic of human/nature relationships because both are grounded within larger western discourses separating human behaviors from those of the natural world. This thesis examines the histories of anthropology and ecology in the 20th Century, and the effect these disciplines have had upon the formulation of contemporary urban worldviews that are based upon the separation of humans from nature.

Gender Socialization Of Preschoolers : The Influence Of Parental Orientation And Preschool Environment, Alice Blackwell Passannante

Dissertations and Theses

Because there are different sets of attitudes and standards that are applied to girls and boys, and because society is permeated with messages delineating the differences between females and males, there is a rapid accumulation of knowledge by children about those differences. There is a need for further examination of the overall impact of different facets of gender socialization.

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the ways in which parental beliefs and practices as well as daycare environment affect the gender-typing of preschoolers. Seventy-nine children from three different preschools were interviewed using Likert, forced-choice, and open-ended items. …

“Just A Drop In The Bucket” : An Analysis Of Child Rescue Efforts On Behalf Of Korean Children, 1951 To 1964, Sydne J. Didier

Dissertations and Theses

From 1951 to 1964, American sponsored relief and adoption agencies evacuated more than two thousand children from the nation of South Korea, adopting these children into American families and inspiring some of the most intensive discussions about international adoption yet to occur in the United States.

Intervention on behalf of Korean children began in the 19.SOs when American Gis sought to aid child victims of war, a relief effort that was carefully documented by American media outlets seeking some means of understanding the U.S. intervention in Korea. When the Korean War ended in stalemate in 1954, many were inspired by …

The Stigma Of Obesity : Beliefs About And Attitudes Toward Fat/Obese Persons, Sally Jean Clute

Dissertations and Theses

This research explores the relationship between beliefs about and attitudes toward fat/obese persons, specifically in regard to issues of attribution and perceived responsibility for the physical condition. The purpose of the research is to assess the extent to which fat/obese persons are derogated, given whether or not they are perceived to be held responsible for their fatness/obesity. It utilizes attribution theory (Heider, 1958; Jones & Davis, 1965; Kelley, 1967; Weiner, 1986), in particular, internal locus of control and issues of consensus and distinctiveness (Kelley, 1967) and controllability (Weiner, 1986). The main hypothesis is that fat/obese people will be viewed more …