Digital Commons Network^™

Mathematical Models For Estimating Volatile Chemical Emissions From Dredging Operations, Kenneth Alexander Fountain

LSU Master's Theses

Dredging operations have been a common remediation for contaminated sediment in an effort to reduce the harmful impact on the environment. The objective of this research was to create models used for estimating chemical release to air from remediating the Indiana Harbor and Canal (IHC) as three separate dredging operations; the Dredge Site, Exposed DM CDF, and Ponded CDF. The evaporative flux estimations are based on a two-resistance mass transport path inclusive of both the molecular diffusion in porous media and interfacial airside mass transport resistances. Several chemodynamic algorithms were used in calculating key transport parameters. Laboratory tests were performed …

Cholesterol Oxidation In Roasted Salmon Fish With Different Cooking Oils, Ting Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

The effects of plant source cooking oils on cholesterol oxidation during heating in cholesterol standard and salmon meat model were investigated. A GC-MS system was used to identify and quantify of cholesterol and cholesterol oxidation products. The capabilities of different plant source cooking oils in preventing cholesterol oxidation were compared. Commercial plant oils used in this experiment included corn oil, canola oil, olive oil, soybean oil, and rice bran oil. Two lab prepared crude soybean and rice bran oils were also used in this study to evaluate their capabilities of preventing cholesterol oxidation. The tocopherols and tocotrienols antioxidants in those …

Effects Of Gender Role On The Judgment Of Masculine Signs, Joseph C. Mitchell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Masculinity is a multi-dimensional, fairly pliable construct that some scholars approach from a biological perspective, others approach from a social constructionist perspective, and others approach from a unifying perspective. Part of the environment that informs the meaning of masculinity to a given culture is the mass media. This study takes the constructivist theoretical perspective, which attempts to explain the activation of schemata. The schematic process for this study concerns how people perceive, process, and judge masculine signs. This study seeks to explain gender role orientation’s influences on the development of schemata for masculinity as evidenced by differences in assessments of …

Revision Of Pocadius Erichson (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Andrew R. Cline

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A revision of Pocadius Erichson (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) was completed. A total of 46 species were (re)described, including 25 new species, a key to species constructed, and phylogenetic analysis performed. Taxonomic changes, including nomenclatural emendations, reinstatement of species, and description of new taxa, within this dissertation do not constitute formal changes as defined by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Illustrations of the genitalia, key characters, and dorsal habitus of species are provided. The phylogeny demonstrates a monophyletic Pocadius. The phylogeny suggests a Palearctic origin of the genus with subsequent speciation into the Old World tropics and New World. Host specialization …

Enantioselective Syntheses And Chemical Investigations Of Plant-Derived Bioactive Volatile Compounds, Anne Marie Sauer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research, inspired by nature, provides ample opportunity for discovery, ingenuity, and creative endeavor. For these reasons, the work and accomplishments presented herein focus on the total syntheses and related investigations of a variety of natural product derivatives, specifically (+)-nootkatone and jasmone. While the former consists of several independent projects: (a) an enantioselective synthetic route to (+)-nootkatone and derivatives, (b) examination of the valencane ring system, (c) determination of the absolute configuration of (+)-nootkatone, and (d) rearrangements of various sesquiterpenoid derivatives; the latter focuses on the construction ofƒndelta, epsilon-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, hetero Pauson-Khand substrates, via [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements.

Effects Of Hurricanes And Fires On Southeastern Savanna-Forest Landscapes, Heather Alicia Passmore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sequential large-scale disturbances may produce interacting effects that differ from those predicted for each disturbance in isolation. These non-additive effects can strongly influence the composition and structure of plant communities. Hurricanes and natural lightning-season fires are large-scale, frequent disturbances in southeastern savanna-forest landscapes. Although interactive effects have been proposed, my research is the first to develop and experimentally test mechanistic hypotheses for hurricane-fire interactions. I develop a predictive conceptual model for interacting disturbances. I propose that hurricane-fire interactions depend on the relative timing of disturbances and the duration of effects. To predict the conditions under which hurricane-fire interactions are expected, …

Host-Parasite Cophylogeny And Rates Of Evolution In Two Rodent-Louse Assemblages, Jessica E. Light

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies of cophylogeny greatly increase understanding of associations between hosts and their parasites. This study uses molecular data to test the hypothesis that members of two rodent families (Geomyidae and Heteromyidae) and their associated lice (Geomydoecus and Fahrenholzia, respectively) show a statistically significant pattern of cophylogeny. Both host groups are generally solitary organisms and both louse groups are obligate ectoparasites, often exhibiting extreme degrees of host specificity. This intimate and potentially long-term association likely has resulted in coevolutionary adaptations and counter adaptations on the part of both symbiotic partners. Phylogenetic analysis of chewing lice (Geomydoecus) reveals two major clades corresponding …

Angular Dependent Interaction Of Metastable Helium Molecules On The Surfaces Of Helium Nanodroplets, Raghuram Petluri

Open Access Dissertations

A metastable helium molecule is produced in a helium nanodroplet by electron bombardment. The molecule, identified as the long lived triplet state ([special characters omitted]), is found to reside on the surface of the droplet. Upon absorbing an infrared photon, it becomes detached from the surface of the droplet. The molecule is subsequently detected when it releases a secondary electron by striking a metal surface in the detector region. The photo-induced detachment process, which we call "Molecular Detachment Spectroscopy", is used to study the ro-vibrational structure of [special characters omitted] electronic transition in 910-985 nm region. The high resolution spectrum …

Advanced Glycation Endproducts Analysis Of Glucosamine With Reducing Sugars, Dna Nucleosides And Serum Proteins, Udayan Dutta

Open Access Dissertations

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) are a complex and heterogeneous group of compounds formed by the nonenzymatic reactions of reducing sugars with amino acids and proteins. The reaction is called the Maillard reaction and is central to all protein glycation studies. Accumulation of AGE in human tissue has been associated with the pathology of various diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, renal failure and ageing and has generated great interest in methods for characterizing the glycated products. Glucosamine GlcN is an unregulated high profile dietary supplement used for the treatment of osteoarthritis with few side effects. There is very little understanding on …

Validation Of A Tool To Measure Drug Knowledge: Evaluating Bioterrorism Preparedness Activities, Gregory A. Low

Open Access Dissertations

Background. Pharmaceutical supplies sufficient to protect millions of people are positioned to respond to a bioterrorist attack in the United States of America, but the educational resources, programs, material, and health professional staffing, to utilize those supplies optimally may be underdeveloped. Professionals and municipalities require objective tools to measure their ability to communicate necessary drug information to adhere to emergency prophylactic regimens. Objective. This research project created a survey tool and laid the foundation to establish the tool's validity to measure patient drug knowledge in bioterrorism preparedness activities that involve the dispensing of prophylactic medications. Methods. Test construction was based …

Management Of Occupational Manganism: Consensus Of An Experts' Panel, Claude Ostiguy, Paul Asselin, Sylvain Malo, Daniel Nadeau, Philippe Dewals

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

Contexte

Au cours des dernières années, plusieurs travailleurs exposés aux fumées de manganèse ont développé des symptômes évoquant un manganisme d’origine professionnelle. La CSST (la Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail), qui est l’organisme d’indemnisation de la province de Québec, faisait face à une situation dans laquelle elle ne disposait pas de techniques normalisées pour la prévention primaire, secondaire et tertiaire du manganisme, menant à la possibilité d’un différend médico-légal, de même qu’à la possibilité d’iniquité pour les travailleurs et les employeurs.

Objectif

Grâce à la définition …

Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature With E-Prints And Open Access Journals, Charles W. Bailey Jr.

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Scope of the Bibliography

The Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature with E-Prints and Open Access Journals presents over 1,300 selected English-language books, conference papers (including some digital video presentations), debates, editorials, e-prints, journal and magazine articles, news articles, technical reports, and other printed and electronic sources that are useful in understanding the open access movement’s efforts to provide free access to and unfettered use of scholarly literature. Most sources have been published between 1999 and August 31, 2004; however, a limited number of key sources published prior to 1999 are also included. Where possible, links are provided to sources …

Towards A Continuum Of Scholarship: The Eventual Collapse Of The Distinction Between Grey And Non-Grey Literature, Marcus A. Banks

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Abstract (from University of Arizona Campus Repository)

This paper argues that the distinction between grey and non-grey (or white) literature will become less relevant over time, as online discovery options proliferate. In the meantime, the political success of the open access publishing movement has valuable lessons for proponents of increasing access to grey literature.

Chorale And Canon In Alfred Schnittke's Fourth String Quartet, Aaminah Durrani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Alfred Schnittke's String Quartet No. 4 (1989) is a passionate essay, full of fervor and anguish expressed through an eloquent and highly refined style. Essential to this style are the counterpoised textures of chorale and canon. Not only does the coherence of the Quartet's expansive formal design rest largely on the effective deployment of chorale and canon, but these devices are the very engines that drive Schnittke's musical argument. Perhaps the most stunning event of the Fourth Quartet occurs in the finale. In the closing moments of this long work, Schnittke replaces the dissonant and dynamic fury of the fortissimo …

Feminist Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction As Political Protest In The Tradition Of Women Proletarian Writers Of The 1930s, Laura Ellen Ng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Contemporary feminist hard-boiled detective fiction has been studied as an adaptation of the traditional masculine hard-boiled detective genre. Writers such as Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, and Marcia Muller create compelling feminist protagonists to fill the role of detective. The successes and failures of these feminist detectives have then been measured against the standards created in the classic genre by Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain. The classic hard-boiled masculine genre came of age in the 1930s and 1940s at the same time as proletarian literature. The two genres share many characteristics including reliance upon first person narrative, the …

Modeling Of Chemical Fate And Transport In The Environment, Andre Marquette

LSU Master's Theses

The Environmental Engineering discipline remains on the forefront of discovery due to advancements in computer technology, advancements in experimental methods and an ever increasing public interest in mitigating the harmful effects of the chemical process industry. Experimental methods have a critical role in defining environmental processes and effects but are limited in their ability to predict future environmental conditions. Conceptual and mathematical models are needed in order to evaluate the effect of environmental conditions far into the future as well as to extend and apply the knowledge gained from experimentation. Models can be used to predict chemical exposure levels, design …

Computer-Aided Diagnosis Tool For The Detection Of Cancerous Nodules In X-Ray Images, Pallavi Bomma

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis involves development of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) tool for the detection of cancerous nodules in X-ray images. Both cancerous and non-cancerous regions appear with little distinction on an X-ray image. For accurate detection of cancerous nodules, we need to differentiate the cancerous nodules from the non-cancerous. We developed an artificial neural network to differentiate them. Artificial neural networks (ANN) find a large application in the area of medical imaging. They work in a manner rather similar to the brain and have good decision making criteria when trained appropriately. We trained the neural network by the backpropagation algorithm and …

Mobile Elements And Primate Genomic Variation, Jinchuan Xing

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mobile elements comprise approximately 50% of the human genome and have significant influence on human genomic architecture and stability. SINEs (Short INterspersed Elements) are a class of non-autonomous mobile elements that are usually <500 bp in length and have no open reading frames. As the most successful SINEs in primate, Alu elements have expanded to more than one million copies in the human genome. To understand the biology of Alu family of mobile elements, we first analyzed the AluYd lineage in the human genome. Computational analysis of the AluYd lineage from the human genome draft sequence resulted in the identification of two new AluYd subfamilies, Yd3 and Yd6. Two hundred AluYd3 and Yd6 loci were screened to determine their phylogenetic origin and associated levels of human genomic diversity. Second, we examined the mutation spectra of Alu elements in the human genome. We analyzed the mutation patterns for 5296 Alu elements comprising 20 subfamilies. Our results indicate a relatively constant CpG versus non-CpG substitution ratio of ~6 for the young (AluY) and intermediate (AluS) Alu subfamilies and a more complex non-linear relationship when older (AluJ) subfamilies were included in the analysis. This study provides an updated, more accurate estimate of the disparity in the rate of mutation within Alu elements and provides a better understanding of the CpG decay process during primate evolution. Third, we analyzed the evolutionary history of AluYb lineage. We show that the major AluYb lineage expansion is human specific while the lineage originated in early hominoid evolution. We suggest that the evolutionary success of the Alu family may be driven at least in part by “stealth driver” elements that maintain low retrotranspositional activity over extended periods of time and occasionally produce short-lived hyperactive copies responsible for the formation and remarkable expansion of Alu elements within the genome. Finally, we identified 285 Alu insertion loci that have Alu elements integrated in sixteen different Old World monkey genomes at various time and utilized these elements to construct a phylogenetic tree of Old World monkeys. Our study represents one of the most robust Cercopithecid molecular phylogenies reported to date.

Detailed Geochronology Of The Mississippi Sound During The Late Holocene, Brian Velardo

LSU Master's Theses

The Mississippi Sound is a bar-built estuary that parallels the Mississippi Coast. It is bounded on the west by the St. Bernard lobe of the Mississippi River delta, Mobile Bay to the east, and the Gulf Coast barrier islands to the south. Few studies have investigated the late Holocene history of Mississippi Sound. In the present study, historical deposition in the Sound has been investigated using core data collected throughout the western, central, and eastern Mississippi Sound. The sediments within Mississippi Sound compose a complex depositional system that have responded to changes in sea level and hydrodynamics. Two factors that …

Sacred Trust: The Voluntary Removal And Reburial Of Human Remains From A Historic Cemetery In Louisiana, Christian Williamson

LSU Master's Theses

Members of the Randolph family, a prominent plantation family that has lived in Louisiana since the late eighteenth century, contacted a team of anthropologists from Louisiana State University to help recover thirteen individuals from St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bayou Goula, Louisiana. The cemetery had been abandoned since 1970, its graves overgrown with weeds and desecrated by vandals. Of the thirteen individuals recovered, three sets of remains did not have associated grave markers. These three were taken back to the lab and analyzed using standard forensic procedures. Documentary research on the history of the cemetery, the once associated church, and the …

Spotted Sea Trout (Cynoscion Nebulosus) And Pinfish (Lagodon Rhomboides) Dietary Analysis According To Habitat Type, Micah Russell

LSU Master's Theses

The diets of a transitory fish (spotted sea trout, Cynoscion nebulosus) and a fish with presumed greater site-fidelity (pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides) were analyzed with respect to habitat. Sampling occurred in Barataria Bay, Louisiana between May 2003 and May 2004. Spotted sea trout were caught using gillnets, and pinfish were caught using baited fish traps. Each gear was used on three habitats: mud bottom, oyster shell, and marsh edge. In addition, sampling for spotted sea trout was repeated at three locations along a salinity gradient. A total of 175 spotted sea trout stomachs and 137 pinfish stomachs were examined. Seventeen prey …

An Application Of Parallel Computation To Collaborative Optimization, Shahab Nayyer

LSU Master's Theses

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) has evolved as a discipline which provides a body of methods and techniques to assist engineers in solving large scale design problems. There are many frameworks for formulating MDO problems. These frameworks can be broadly classified as single-level or bi-level formulations. Collaborative Optimization (CO) is one of the popular bi-level formulations to solve an MDO problem. There are numerous design optimization problems which are highly CPU time intensive and require a long simulation time. With the advent of cheaper and faster available PC’s, distributed parallel computer clusters have become very popular. These clusters provide large computing …

Development And Characterization Of Antimicrobial Edible Films From Crawfish Chitosan, Kandasamy Nadarajah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Inherent antibacterial/antifungal properties and film-forming ability of chitosan make it ideal for use as a biodegradable antimicrobial packaging material. This study was attempted to develop antimicrobial films from crawfish chitosan. Traditional chitosan production involves: deproteinization (DP), demineralization (DM), decolorization (DC), and deacetylation (DA). Modification of chitosan production affects film properties. Effects of chitosan production protocols, film-casting solvents, and plasticizer contents on physicochemical, mechanical and antibacterial properties were investigated. Four chitosans were prepared from traditional (DPMCA) and modified processes [excluding either DP, DC or both DP and DC]. Chitosan (1%w/v) was dissolved in 1% acetic, ascorbic, citric, formic, lactic and/or malic …

Belowground Productivity Of Mangrove Forests In Southwest Florida, Beatriz Eugenia Giraldo Sánchez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies in belowground dynamics are limited mainly due to the difficulty of studying roots despite wide recognition of its importance. This dissertation focused on methods for analyzing mangrove roots, root responses to phosphorus and flooding, and variation in root production between forest types. Techniques to separate live and dead roots such as colorimetric, fluorescence, buoyancy, and visual assessment were compared. The traditional method of visual assessment combined with root buoyancy was accurate, fast, and applicable to larger samples. Additionally, techniques such as rhizotrons, root ingrowth cores, and root image analysis were useful to study mangrove roots. Root and litter production, …

Arthur Koestler's Hope In The Unseen: Twentieth-Century Efforts To Retrieve The Spirit Of Liberalism, Kirk Michael Steen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The analysis in this dissertation connects Arthur Koestler’s nonfiction and fiction to the political circumstances that defined Europe during the early twentieth century. It draws particular attention to events in the 1930s as representing a paucity of choices that frustrated certain liberal values held by Koestler and others. It shows how after taking sides with the German Communist Party in the early 1930s, he confronted then rejected the politics of the extreme left and right, leading himself toward a dual career as social philosopher and anti-Communist. This paper will explain how Koestler’s reporting of the Spanish Civil War, combined with …

Modulation Of Adipocyte Genes By Signal Transducers And Activators Of Transcription, Jessica C. Hogan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Members of the STAT transcription factor family are expressed in adipocytes, including STATs 1, 3, 5A, 5B, and 6. Although STATs 1 and 5 proteins are known to be induced during adipogenesis, the functions of these STATs in mature adipocytes are not known. Hence we have sought to identify adipocyte genes which are transcriptionally regulated by STATs to elucidate a role of these proteins in fat cells. We have characterized STAT binding sites in the promoters of four adipocyte genes, PPARγ2, LPL, FAS and C/EBPδ. PPARγ2 expression decreases in adipocytes following exposure to IFNγ, an activator of STAT1. IFNγ induces …

Comorbidity Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Low Income Urban Youth, Karen Ann Laslie

LSU Master's Theses

Chronic exposure to violence is becoming increasingly common for urban children, placing them at an increased risk of developing psychopathology. For children exposed to chronic violence, two common diagnoses are Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, symptom overlap between these disorders has made differential diagnosis difficult. Most studies looking at the comorbidity between ADHD and PTSD have focused only on maltreated children. This study is the first to look at comorbid rates of ADHD and PTSD for children exposed to chronic violence, not limited to maltreatment. Specifically, this study evaluated rates of PTSD symptoms in children with …

Associations Among Mothers' Reports Of Family Daily Hassles And Family Resources And Children's Cognitive Ability: An Exploratory Study, Troy D. Stuart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among daily hassles, family resources, and children’s cognitive ability. Particular emphasis was placed on examining the relationships among the variables by family structure. A total of 205 children in first-grade and third-grade and their mothers participated in the study. There were 120 children from intact families and 85 children from single mother families in the study. All mothers completed assessments on family level variables and all children completed the BIA test of cognitive ability. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to examine the relationships among the variables. Daily hassles and cohesion …

Urokinase And Urokinase Receptor In The Urinary Tract Of The Dog, Trina Racquel Bailey

LSU Master's Theses

Urokinase (uPA) and urokinase receptor (uPAR) are present in the urinary tract of people, mice, rats and cows. The presence of urokinase and urokinase receptor in the urinary tract of dogs has not been documented. Documenting the presence of uPA and uPAR in the urinary tract of healthy dogs will help determine the role these proteins play in pathology of the urinary tract in further research. Urine was collected from fifty-four healthy dogs. A fluorescence assay was developed using the fluorogenic substrate Z-Gly-Gly-Arg-AMC, HCl. This assay documented presence of active uPA-like protein in concentrated urine. A direct sandwich ELISA assay …

Common Sense Philosophy And Politics In America: John Witherspoon, James Mccosh, And William James, Scott Philip Segrest

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the political significance of the two leading strains of common sense thought in the history of American philosophy—Scottish Common Sense and Pragmatism—as suggested in the writings of John Witherspoon and James McCosh in the Scottish Common Sense line, and of the more famous co-founder of Pragmatism, William James. These two strains of American common sense are placed in context of the larger Western common sense tradition. Each is shown to aim at finding a solid middle ground epistemologically between skeptical doubt and idealistic certitude that could serve as a stable basis for moral and political life. Witherspoon, …