Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Fall Coldfront Passages On The Nekton Community In A Tidal Creek In Port Fourchon, La, As Monitored By Hydroacoustics, David J. Harmon

LSU Master's Theses

Split-beam hydroacoustic sampling with two, 420 KHz, 2x6 degree elliptical transducers was evaluated as a tool to quantify nekton movements in a Louisiana estuary. I measured the effects of atmospheric cold front passages on nekton in a tidal creek in Port Fourchon, LA during the fall of 2000. Six “fronts” were sampled between October 6 and December 18, 2000. Nekton density ranged from 0 to 24.4 fish/m³ with an overall mean of 2.44 fish/m³. Net samples were taken to supplement the acoustic data with species composition data. Species composition changed from October to December. A higher number …

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction Of Lipids From Raw And Bioconverted Rice Bran, Rohit Badal

LSU Master's Theses

Rice bran is often discarded despite its nutritional value because the oil in rice bran easily becomes rancid. This has necessitated the search for a method for utilizing the rice bran. The present study involves the application of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and bioprocessing (microbial growth on rice bran media) for increasing the value of the rice bran to produce products of high value (nutraceuticals) with superior health benefit. This study was focused on determining the effect of particle size (>48 mesh and 16-48 mesh) and biotreatment on the yield and quality of rice bran oil. SFE technique (40°C, …

Treatment Of Organic And Inorganic Pollutants In Municipal Wastewater By Agricultural By-Product Based Granular Activated Carbons (Gac), Rishipal Rastrapal Bansode

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate pecan and almond shell-based granular activated carbon's viability to effectively remove organic and inorganic pollutants in municipal wastewater compared to commercial carbons, Filtrasorb 200 (bituminous coal-based), and GRC-20, 206C AW (coconut shell-based). The solution to the objective was approached under three distinct phases, namely (I) physical and chemical characterization of the pecan and almond shell-based experimental and bituminous coal and coconut shell-based commercial granular activated carbons; (II) treatment of organic contaminants in municipal wastewater by experimental and commercial GACs; (III) treatment of inorganic contaminants in municipal wastewater by experimental and commercial GACs. …

Ecologically Sensitive Wetland Sites: An Investigation Of Land Use Attitudes And Development Trends With Educational Objectives, Linda A. Chance

LSU Master's Theses

Acid bogs, one of the rare plant communities, are on the brink of extinction in the southeastern United States. This study uncovers what issues are at stake in land use, land development, and regulations of two specific areas in south Louisiana that contain this type of wetland. This is an educational project oriented toward development of methods and information related to planning and design for the use of wetland sites while still protecting them. A hypothesis is presented that a combination of education with land use guidelines, helpful resources and regulatory incentives may help slow the eradication of bogs in …

Building Community: An Environmental Approach To Crime Prevention, Gustavo A. Barreto

LSU Master's Theses

Crime cannot be understood as a single-solution problem. Participation of the community is important to complement and make more efficient any program of crime control by police authorities or any other law enforcement agency. This thesis is intended to create consciousness among designers of the urban environment of their social role. Cities must include places to promote community interaction and formation of social bonds. As social bonds among residents increase, and bonds with the place begin building a sense of territoriality in the community, the residents become active defenders of the place against crime. A theory summary presents different and …

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (Haccp), Microbial Safety, And Shelf Life Of Smoked Blue Catfish (Ictalurus Furcatus), Ligia Virginia Antonia Da Silva

LSU Master's Theses

Quality deterioration of smoked catfish is caused by lipid oxidation and microbial spoilage. Smoked catfish can be cross-contaminated during processing and may harbor several pathogens, e.g., Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. Lipid oxidation causes unpleasant flavor, thus making smoked fish unacceptable. Hydroperoxides and free radicals, formed during oxidation, may directly react with fish tissues to promote complex reactions. Through such complex reactions, physicochemical properties of smoked catfish may be adversely affected. A combination of smoking and treatments with antimicrobial agents and antioxidants would retard microbial spoilage, extend shelf life, and enhance safety of smoked catfish. The objective of this study …

Nutrient Reserves Of Lesser Scaup During Spring Migration In The Mississippi Flyway: A Test Of The Spring Condition Hypothesis, Michael J. Anteau

LSU Master's Theses

The continental scaup population (lesser [Aythya affinis] and greater scaup [A. marila] combined) has declined markedly during the past 20 years, and has remained below the population goal of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan since 1985. One hypothesis explaining the scaup population decline states that reproductive success has decreased because females presently are arriving on breeding areas in poorer condition than that historically (Spring Condition Hypothesis [SCH]). I tested the SCH by comparing fresh body masses (FBMs) and nutrient reserves (lipid, protein, and mineral) of lesser scaup at 4 locations (Louisiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Manitoba) in the Mississippi Flyway …

Nitrification Rates In A Reversed-Flow, Spouted-Bed, Bioreactor Applied To Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Jonathan Thomas Scott

LSU Master's Theses

The effects of media selection and organic loading on nitrification rates in a reversed-flow, three-phase, spouted-bed, bioreactor with draft-tube (A-1 Aquaculture Continuous-Cleaning Multifunctional Biofilter or CCMB) were studied. Experiments were conducted on three identical recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) each having a CCMB unit with a unique plastic pelletized media and operated over five successive trials with varying components and operating conditions. Based upon organic loading, three of the five trials were grouped into two organic loading regimes of approximately 91 mg/L COD and 149 mg/L COD. Comparing nitrification rates against the three media types by organic loading showed that media …

Analysis Of Consumer Perceptions Toward Biotechnology And Their Preferences For Biotech Food Labels, St. Everald A. Mclennon

LSU Master's Theses

Using a sample from the seven largest metropolitan areas in the United States, (Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, and Houston), consumer attitudes concerning agricultural biotechnology is examined. Conjoint analysis is used to examine consumer preferences for the labeling of biotech foods. The study examines the relationship between the consumer’s knowledge and attitudes regarding biotech foods and their preferences for food labels. Consumers’ attitudes regarding a healthy diet, and their risk perceptions regarding biotech foods were found to have a significant effect on the general use of food labels and preferences for labeling of biotech foods. The …

Leg-Extensor Strength And Continuous-Scale Physical Functional Performance In Independent-Living Older Adults, Kathryn O'Bryan Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

A clear relationship between age-related decrements in leg strength and physical function have been reported. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the relationship between quadriceps strength tested at various velocities and the CS-PFP 10 items. Thirty-three older adults (ages 70-95 years) were assessed using the CS-PFP 10 test battery and performed quadriceps strength testing at 0, 90, 180º/sec using the Biodex dynamometer. Values for torque are reported as peak torque (PT) and relative peak torque (AdjPT) in Nm/kg body weight. The range of values for PT was (PT0: 20.2-144.3 Nm; PT90: 14-113.6 Nm; PT180: 9.6-86.4 Nm). Simple correlation …

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) …

Free Will And Responsiblity: Indeterminism And Its Problems, Troy Dwayne Fassbender

LSU Master's Theses

This work is devoted to criticisms of libertarian philosophers who attempt to provide an account of agent freedom that relies solely upon indeterminism. First, the philosophy of Robert Kane is examined. I argue that Kane's account does not succeed as an intelligible libertarian account of freedom and at best makes compatibilist accounts more intuitive. I next examine objections to indeterminist accounts as lodged by Galen Strawson, Thomas Nagel, Daniel Dennett, and Richard Double before turning to an analysis of a debate among Peter van Inwagen, John Martin Fischer and Mark Ravizza. Van Inwagen argues that we are seldom able to …

Validation Of Annagnps At The Field And Farm-Scale Using An Integrated Agnps/Gis System, Glenn M. Suir

LSU Master's Theses

Non-Point Source (NPS) pollution models are effective watershed-scale predictors of NPS loadings and useful evaluators of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) and water quality Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The work reported in this thesis examined two applications of the AGricultural Non-Point-Source (AGNPS) pollution model: 1) predicting surface runoff, nutrient loading, and sediment yield predictions for an artificially delineated farm-scale watershed; and 2) evaluating relative benefits of different BMPs on reducing sediment accumulation in a lake surrounded by agricultural land. A procedure using identification, extraction, and processing of critical area data using an ArcView Geographic Information System (GIS) was used …

The Strategic Bombing Campaign Against Germany During World War Ii, Julius Rigole

LSU Master's Theses

Early attempts at strategic bombing led theorist to reason that it could offer a revolutionary new means of winning wars. Airpower visionaries such as Guilio Douhet, Hugh Trenchard, and Billy Mitchell advocated a Sherman - like strategy of attrition in which air strikes on the enemy’s vital economic centers would destroy his war – making capability and crush his will to resist. In the inner – war period the Air Corps Tactical School, occupied with formulating a strategic air doctrine, refined that idea, which was the central concept underlying AWPD-1, the basic statement governing strategic bombing elaborated by the Air …

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. …

Refrigerated Storage And Cryopreservation Of Sperm For The Production Of Red Snapper And Snapper Hybrids, Kenneth Lee Pickrell Riley

LSU Master's Theses

The red snapper Lutjanus campechanus is an economically valuable sport and commercial fishery, and because of its high market value and limited commercial harvest, red snapper have received considerable attention as a candidate for marine aquaculture and stock enhancement programs. The goal of this thesis was to improve hatchery techniques for artificial spawning of red snapper Lutjanus campechanus. The objectives were to: 1) refine protocols for collecting, handling, transport, and holding of mature red snapper broodstock for induced spawning; 2) establish methods for strip-spawning of red snapper to optimize egg quality; 3) develop procedures for the collection, storage, and use …

The Effects Of Phytase In Nutritionally Adequate Diets, Diets Deficient In Calcium And Phosphorus, And The Interactive Effects Of Phytase And Eimeria Acervulina Infection In Broiler Chicks, Brandy Centrell Watson

LSU Master's Theses

Six experiments were conducted to determine the interactive effects of Eimeria acervulina (E. acervulina) infection and phytase, and the effects of phytase in nutritionally adequate diets and in diets deficient in Ca and available P (aP). Corn-soybean meal (C-SBM) diets were used. In Exp 1, treatments were: 1) C-SBM, 1.0% Ca and 0.45% aP; 2) C-SBM, 0.80% Ca and 0.25% aP; 3) Diet 1 + 600 FTU phytase/kg; 4) Diet 2 + 600 FTU phytase/kg; 5 to 8) Diets 1 to 4 but infected with coccidiosis. Weight gain (ADG), feed intake (ADFI), and gain:feed were reduced (P < 0.01) by the coccidial infection and the reduction in Ca and aP. Phytase increased (P < 0.02) ADG and ADFI, regardless of the Ca and aP content of the diet or the presence of coccidiosis. Gain:feed was increased by phytase but only in uninfected chicks (phytase x coccidiosis interaction, P < 0.02). Phytase increased (P < 0.02) bone ash percentage but only in diets deficient in Ca and aP (P < 0.01). Experiments 2 and 3 included only treatments 1 to 4 of Exp 1. The reduction in Ca and aP reduced (P < 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and gain:feed. Phytase addition increased (P < 0.02) ADG and ADFI in diets deficient in Ca and aP and in the nutritionally adequate diets. Experiments 4, 5, and 6 were conducted to determine the effects of phytase on intestinal transit time in broilers. Diets were: 1) C-SBM, 0.9% Ca and 0.35% aP; 2) C-SBM, 0.80% Ca and 0.25% aP + 600 FTU phytase/kg. Transit time on Day 1, but not on Day 7, was faster (P < 0.03) in chicks fed phytase. These data indicate that phytase is effective in the presence of a coccidial infection, but it may not be as effective as in uninfected chicks. Futhermore, phytase increases growth in diets deficient in Ca and aP and in diets formulated to be adequate in all nutrients. This increase in growth may be due to a faster transit time of feed through the digestive tract, resulting in a greater feed intake and gain.

Modeling Adsorption Of Cane Sugar Colorant In Packed-Bed Ion Exchangers, Hugh Anthony Broadhurst

LSU Master's Theses

The removal of cane sugar solution colorant by packed-bed ion exchangers was modeled using a linear driving force (LDF) adsorption model. Adsorption of colorant is of interest to the developers of the White Sugar Mill (WSM) process as it is a complex subject. The problem is that color is an indiscrete mixture of many components making it difficult to measure and even more challenging to model. Colorant formation was investigated using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with the objective of developing a method to define pseudo-components representative of cane sugar solution colorants. WSM is a process for producing white sugar directly …

Design And Microfabrication Of A Molded Polycarbonate Continuous Flow Polymerase Chain Reaction Device, Michael Mitchell

LSU Master's Theses

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an amplification technique that is used with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and can produce millions of copies of the starting material, even from single molecules. Since its discovery by Kary Mullis in the mid-1980s, PCR has been one of the most important techniques in the arsenal of tools used for genetic analyses. For this research a continuous flow polymerase chain reaction (CFPCR) system was designed, microfabricated from molded polycarbonate, and tested. Finite element modeling was used to model thermal and microfluidic response of the system. X-ray LIGA was used to fabricate mold inserts for the …

The Effects Of Rock And Fluids Characteristics On Reservoir Wettability, Chandra S. Vijapurapu

LSU Master's Theses

Wettability is the ability of a fluid to spread or adhere on a rock surface in the presence of other immiscible fluids. Knowledge of wettability is important to decide what production strategy needs to be employed for optimum oil recovery. Wettability is affected by rock mineralogy, rock surface roughness, and brine compositions. Previous studies have dealt with solid-liquid-vapor systems and those involving wettability characterization in solid-liquid-liquid systems have used contact angle techniques known to have reproducibility problems. In this study, a new technique called the Dual-Drop-Dual-Crystal (DDDC) Technique has been used to characterize wettability in terms of dynamic contact angles. …

The Effects Of Growth Hormone Or Melatonin On The Reproductive Axis Of Stallions, William Andrew Storer

LSU Master's Theses

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of growth hormone (GH) or melatonin on the reproductive axis of the stallion. In Experiment 1, nine stallions were treated with GH (20 µg/kg BW) or saline for 21 d starting in January. During the last week of treatment, stallions were subjected to low and high dose injections of luteinizing hormone (LH), as well as low and high dose combined injections of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH). Two months after the onset of GH treatment, semen was collected from all stallions every other day for 2 weeks. Treatment …

Storm Deposition Of Pisoids In The Humboldt Oolite Member Of The Gilmore City Formation (Mississippian), North-Central Iowa, Shawn C. Thomas, John R. Groves

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Pisoids (concentrically laminated carbonate grains, > 2 mm in diameter) are abundant in the upper Humboldt Oolite Member of the Gilmore City Formation (Mississippian). Their cortices are isopachous and nuclei include both intraclasts and fragments of preexisting

pisoids. They occur both as floating grams m a fine grainstone matrix and concentrated at the bases of distinct layers that may be crudely graded beds. Sorting characteristics and the presence of broken and abraded pisoids suggest not only their origin as primary free grams, but also storm influence in the deposition of local pisolite layers. Regionally, the upper Humboldt Oolite is characterized by …

Information Domain Modeling Of Emergent Phenomena, Ron Fulbright

Theses and Dissertations

Study in fields such as distributed artificial intelligence (DAI), decentralized artificial intelligence (DzAI), parallel artificial intelligence (PAl), multiagent systems (MAS), computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), artificial life (AL), and complex adaptive systems (CAS) is concerned with the cooperation, coordination, communication, and coherence of multiple agents working together to achieve a common goal. The notion that the ability of a collective can exceed the sum of the individuals is a fundamental concept and a generally accepted truth. However, no general theoretical explanation exists as to why this could or should be the case. This dissertation explores such an explanation by considering …

The Development And Validation Of The Parent Instruction-Giving Game With Youngsters (Piggy) In A Head Start Population, Stephen Danial Anthony Hupp

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Head Start families demonstrate many of the risk factors that relate to the development of noncompliance and other behavior problems in young children, such as low income, limited education, teenage pregnancy, isolation, family stress, single parenthood, and parental psychopathology. Noncompliant preschool-aged children often continue to display difficulties through adolescence. Parent Management Training programs have been developed which can improve child compliance. However, many of the same risk factors that lead to child noncompliance also reduce the effectiveness of parenting interventions. Thus, more efficient assessment and intervention strategies need to be developed to facilitate the treatment of child behavior problems in …

Outcrop To Subsurface Stratigraphy Of The Pennsylvanian Hermosa Group Southern Paradox Basin U.S.A., Alan Lee Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) sedimentary rocks within the Paradox Basin Four Corners area of the western United States afford a unique opportunity to study the development of sedimentary successions in a complex marine to nonmarine depositional setting. The close association of thick intervals of nonmarine fan-delta facies adjacent to and in time equivalent position to marine carbonate-evaporite facies suggests complex relationships between the factors affecting deposition. Development of an effective scheme to differentiate the depositional signatures from within these sedimentary successions is the primary goal of this study. To achieve this goal, two objectives were pursued. The first was to calibrate the …

Invoking State Responsibility In The Twenty-First Century, Edith Brown Weiss

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This essay reviews the articles on the invocation of state responsibility, analyzes them in historical context, and notes where they represent progressive development of international law. It then surveys a wide range of contemporary situations where individuals, other nonstate entities, and international organizations invoke state responsibility by initiating judicial or other formal complaint proceedings. The essay concludes that, in light of this contemporary practice, the articles usefully advance the codification and development of international law but do not deal sufficiently with the right of individuals and nonstate entities to invoke the responsibility of states.

16s Ribosomal Dna Sequencing Confirms The Synonymy Of Vibrio Harveyi And V. Carchariae, Eric J. Gauger, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Seventeen bacterial strains previously identified as Vibrio harveyi (Baumann et al. 1981) or V. carchariae (Grimes et al. 1984) and the type strains of V. harveyi, V. carchariae and V. campbellii were analyzed by 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing. Four clusters were identified in a phylogenetic analysis performed by comparing a 746 base pair fragment of the 16S rDNA and previously published sequences of other closely related Vibrio species. The type strains of V. harveyi and V. carchariae and about half of the strains identified as V. harveyi or V. carchariae formed a single, wellsupported cluster designed as ‘bona …

The Relation Between Electrodermal Activity In Sleep, Negative Activity Affect, And Stress In Patients Referred For Nocturnal Polysomnography, Laura Elaine Lajos

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of electrodermal activity (EDA) began over a century ago, and the phenomenon has been linked to many aspects of emotion, arousal and attention. A subset of studies has focused on the occurrence of EDA in sleep (EDAS). These investigations have led to definitive conclusions on when EDA is most likely to occur during the sleep cycle, i.e., slow-wave sleep. Studies have also shown that at least moderate stress tends to increase EDAS, but these studies have fallen short methodologically. The aims of the present study were: (a) to investigate the relation of negative affect and stress to EDAS, …

Local, Regional, And Global Patterns Of Woodpecker (Picidae) Diversity: Ecological Explanations And Practical Applications, Alison Robinson Styring

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored foraging ecology in a guild of 13 woodpecker species found in the lowland rainforests of peninsular Malaysia. The data collected were used for two purposes: (1) to compare species from temperate and tropical woodpecker assemblages in an attempt to understand patterns of diversity, and (2) to determine the effects of logging on Malaysian woodpeckers. Ecological and morphological patterns of diversity were investigated in woodpeckers from tropical sites in Malaysia (Pasoh Forest Reserve and Sungai Lalang Forest Reserve) and Guatemala, and two temperate sites in North America. Multivariate analyses separated species into two ecomorphs: “conventional” - species that …

Ordered Liberty And The Homeland Security Mission, James E. Baker

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper will start with a brief discussion of the terrorism threat because the threat remains predicate for any serious discussion of where we draw our legal lines. I will then suggest a legal model for looking at questions of homeland security called ordered liberty. The model is simple. First, given the nature of the threat, the executive must have broad and flexible authority to detect and respond to terrorism-–to provide for our physical security. Second, the sine qua non for such authority is meaningful oversight. Oversight means the considered application of constitutional structure, executive process, legal substance, and relevant …