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No Simple Tradeoffs: Centaurea Plants From America Are Better Competitors And Defenders Than Plants From The Native Range, Wendy Margaree Ridenour

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses for invasive success have important evolutionary implications. The 'natural enemies' hypothesis posits that exotic invaders explode in abundance because they are not suppressed by specialist herbivore consumers in their invaded range. The 'novel weapons' hypothesis posits that exotic invaders explode in abundance because they possess biochemicals that are more effective against evolutionarily naïve plants, microbes, and generalist herbivores than against those species that have evolved tolerance in their communities of origin. I explored the potential for novel allelopathic or herbivore defense biochemicals as a potential alternative mechanism to tradeoff-driven evolution of increased competitive ability in invasive …

A Taxonomic Survey Of Lamp Flora (Algae And Cyanobacteria) In Electrically Lit Passages Within Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Thomas Smith, Rick Olson

International Journal of Speleology

A taxonomic survey of the lamp flora from electrically lit passages in Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, identified 28 species. Overall, cyanobacteria were dominant represented by 14 species (50% of the total), green algae had eight species (29%), and six diatoms species (21%) were present. There was not a correlation between species diversity and temperature, but there is a general trend of increasing diversity with warmer temperatures. There were two algal or cyanobacterial species identified in this study that overlapped with previous studies. There is a lack of continuity between previous studies only having one species identified in more …

Disability Human Rights, Michael Ashley Stein

Faculty Publications

Responding to the absence of an international treaty expressly protecting people with disabilities, the United Nations General Assembly will soon adopt a disability-based human rights convention. This Article examines the theoretical implications of adding disability to the existing canon of human rights, both for individuals with disabilities and for other under-protected people. It develops a "disability human rights paradigm" by combining components of the social model of disability, the human right to development, and Martha Nussbaum's version of the capabilities approach, but filters them through a disability rights perspective to preserve that which provides for individual flourishing and modifying that …

Energy Flow In A Floodplain Aquifer Ecosystem, Brian Reid

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

We developed an energy budget to identify energy sources for the invertebrate community of a large 20 km2 floodplain aquifer, based on biomass distributions, organismal respirometry, in situ community respiration, mesocosm and microcosm experiments, stable isotopes and invertebrate gut contents. The invertebrate respiration scaling exponent was 0.474 (+/- 0.068, 95% CI) across six orders in body mass, which is significantly lower than the ¾ power scaling predicted by metabolic theory. Invertebrate production was dominated by copepods (Diacyclops, Acanthocyclops, Bryocamptus), Stygobromus amphipods, and amphibiont stoneflies, and ranged from 26.9 to 4200 mg C/m3 sediment/year. Production and density showed a U-shaped response …

Old Icelandic Gaglviðr, Aurelijus Vijūnas

Quidditas

This essay discusses a debated word form gaglviðr occurring in stanza 42 of the Old Icelandic poem VÄluspá 'The Prophesy of the Seeress'. The noun gaglviðr is problematic both from the semantic point of view (Old Icelandic gagl 'gosling', viðr 'tree; forest' 'gosling forest'?), and because it possesses a variant spelling galgviðr ('gallows' tree;’gallows' forest') which occurs in another manuscript containing the same poem. In the present paper, the form gaglviðr is considered to be the correct and the original form of this word, whereas the form galgviðr is interpreted as a scribal error. Various existing semantic analyses of the …

Toward A Sui Generis View Of Black Rights In Canada? Overcoming The Difference-Denial Model Of Countering Anti-Black Racism, Lolita Buckner Inniss

Publications

No abstract provided.

Results Of The Chemical Analyses Produced At The Irsst For 2001-2005, Claude Ostiguy, Mathieu Fournier, Thierry Petitjean-Roget, Jacques Lesage, Alain Lajoie

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

Le réseau québécois de prévention compte plusieurs centaines de personnes qui interviennent régulièrement dans les entreprises afin d’y prélever des échantillons permettant d’évaluer la qualité de l’air. Ces échantillons sont analysés à l’IRSST.

De 2001 à 2005, dans le cadre de l’entente de service avec la CSST et son réseau et les ASP, des rapports annuels ont permis d’identifier certaines substances retrouvées en fortes concentrations dans les grands groupes industriels de la Classification des activités économiques du Québec (CAEQ) de 1984 (classification à deux chiffres). Le présent rapport dresse un portrait …

Utilisation De Sensibilisants Ou D'Irritants Dans Un Milieu D'Enseignement De Métiers De La Construction, Brigitte Roberge, François Lemay, Rodrigue Gravel, Éric Audet, Denise Gautrin

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’asthme est une maladie respiratoire répandue dans les pays industrialisés. Plusieurs cas d’asthme sont attribuables au travail, d’autres sont exacerbés par les conditions de travail. Partant de ce fait, l’équipe de chercheurs du Centre asthme et travail mène des études chez les apprenants de métiers de la construction.

Compte tenu que le milieu d’apprentissage peut exacerber les symptômes de cette maladie, il devient pertinent de caractériser celui-ci en termes du risque d’exposition des apprenants à des substances sensibilisantes ou irritantes. Une grande diversité de produits est utilisée de façon intermittente en quantité variable au cours des modules d’apprentissage en atelier …

Effect Of Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta Buren) On The Nesting Success Of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus L.), Michael Andrew Seymour

LSU Master's Theses

The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus L.) has experienced average yearly decline of 3% in the United States from 1966-2005. Factors implicated in decline include habitat destruction, alteration of farm practices, and red imported fire ant (RIFA) (Solenopsis invicta Buren). Effect of RIFA on bobwhites has been a hot topic leading to formation of polarized camps – those who believe RIFA have little effect and those who believe the effect will further threaten the species’ survival. The main objective of this study was to determine if RIFA affect nesting of bobwhites and at what stage in nesting birds are most vulnerable. …

Watershed-Scale Patterns Of Seaward Migration In Lentipes Concolor, A Hawaiian Stream Goby, Mark Gordon Mcrae

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The native stream fishes of the Hawaiian Islands are uniquely adapted to colonize and thrive in lotic habitats in this extremely isolated archipelago. Chapter 1 of this dissertation introduces the five native fishes of Hawaii's streams and describes the variety of lotic habitats they occupy. All five species have amphidromous life cycles, and, as such, their larvae must migrate to the ocean soon after hatching. Of the five species, Lentipes concolor is able to scale Hawaii’s highest waterfalls during the migration back into fresh water, and therefore inhabits the widest variety of stream types. Adult L. concolor are found a …

Evaluation Of Consolidation Parameters Of Cohesive Soils Using Pcpt Method, Rohit Raj Pant

LSU Master's Theses

The piezocone penetration test (PCPT) has emerged as most widely used in situ method for obtaining soil profile as well as physical properties. The PCPT method provides three independent and nearby continuous measurements with the depth; they are: tip stress (qc), sleeve friction (fs) and pore pressure (u1, u2, or u3). These measurements have been successfully used to correlate various soil properties such as undrained shear strength, unit weight and consolidation parameters. This study presents the evaluation of the PCPT interpretation methods for their capability to reasonably estimate the consolidation parameters namely constrained modulus, overconsolidation ratio and vertical coefficient of …

Investigation On The Antioxidant Capabilities Of Spice Extracts In Inhibition Of Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Oxidation And Cholesterol, Sandeep D. Bhale

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Antioxidant capabilities of the spice extract of ginger, oregano, rosemary and turmeric were evaluated by monitoring inhibition of DHA and EPA in a menhaden fish oil model and cholesterol oxidation model system. The spice extracts were mixed with the fish oil at 1, 2.5 and 5 % (w/w) and 1, 2.5 and 5mg (dw) were used in cholesterol study. The temperatures 150oC and 175oC were used for the oxidation study and a 60oC was used for incubation storage. The methanol extracts of all four spices demonstrated significant capability in retaining the DHA and EPA, after subjected to oxidation when compared …

Use Of An Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Model To Assess Impacts Of Development And Management Practicies [Sic] In An Urban Watershed, John Admiral Cross

LSU Master's Theses

A Geographical Information System (GIS) linked to a Non-Point Source (NPS) model are being used to predict the effectiveness of storm water management strategies and examine the impact of proposed land use changes on Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) attainment. This study tests a methodology for analyzing land use changes and management using GIS analyses of impervious surfaces and AGricultural Non-Point Source (AGNPS) pollution modeling in an approximate 1100 acre urban watershed located in East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP), Louisiana. The GIS analyses of Total Impervious Area (TIA) quantified increases in urbanization and provided land use data utilized in AGNPS …

An Exploration Of The Impact Of Picture Book Illustrations On The Comprehension Skills And Vocabulary Development Of Emergent Readers, Judy Lavender Nicholas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The formal instruction process of teaching reading to emergent and beginning readers needs to incorporate a much more multimodal approach. People today, not only in America but in many other countries as well, are more graphically oriented than any other generation has ever been. Children in our society expect to experience pictures and images in almost everything they encounter. This graphic orientation needs to be taken advantage of and incorporated into the educational process in ways that can be beneficial to the learning environments of children in our schools. Reading programs need to forego one-dimensional teaching methods and learn how …

Early Flotant Establishment And Growth Dynamics In A Nutrient Amended Wetland In The Lower Mississippi River Delta, Caleb W. Izdepski

LSU Master's Theses

Nutrient dynamics and seasonal marsh growth were examined in a newly formed Panicum virgatum floating marsh at Thibodaux LA. The floating marsh formed in a cleared area of forested wetland receiving secondarily treated effluent. Net Areal Primary Productivity (NAPP), total belowground biomass, NO₃, and δ¹⁵N ratios varied significantly (P <0.05) along a 75m marsh transect while mean δ¹³C varied between plant species. The upland end of the transect had the highest NAPP (3876 g m^-2y^-1), total belowground biomass (4079.0 ± 298.5 g m^-2), and mean NO₃ (5.4 ± 2.9 mg l^-1). The mean floating-marsh …

Polymorph Characterization And Control, Michael J. Donahue

Open Access Dissertations

Sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry will require the ability to monitor, and ultimately control production processes in real time. One area of particular concern is that of polymorphism, where there is a change of crystalline state for a compound, resulting in varied physiological properties. For this work we have looked at three such processes. First, an investigation of the ability to monitor polymorphic transitions in a pharmaceutical product, glycine, has been developed though optical spectroscopy. Second, the ability to induce nucleation of a particular polymorph via a novel method of acoustic levitation has been explored. Lastly, a method of characterization …

The Impact Of Climate Change On Benthic-Pelagic Coupling And The Biogeochemical Cycling Of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, Robinson Walter Fulweiler

Open Access Dissertations

Climate change has altered the phenology or seasonal sequencing of events in many ecosystems, including Narragansett Bay, RI (USA). The timing and magnitude of the winter-spring bloom has changed dramatically over the last three decades resulting in a 60% decline in water column chlorophyll a concentrations in mid-Narragansett Bay. This large decline is linked to a long-term warming trend. We hypothesized that the decline in chlorophyll led to a decrease in the quantity and/or quality of organic matter deposition to the benthos and fundamental changes in sediment biogeochemical cycling and benthic-pelagic coupling. We observed significant decreases in sediment respiration and …

Ideology In The Guise Of Science, David Grandy

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of Richard Dawkins. The God Delusion.

Chemical Ecology, Fungal Interactions And Forest Stand Correlations Of The Exotic Asian Ambrosia Beetle, Xylosandrus Crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Curculionidae), Eric Paul Ott

LSU Master's Theses

Increasing evidence of non-indigenous ambrosia beetles aggressively attacking hosts in their new environment in the United States has led to concern over the potential for damage to urban trees, nurseries, orchards, and forests. A novel technique of flooding host trees was devised to stimulate ambrosia beetle attacks, with ambrosia beetle attraction peaking four days following flooding. In-situ sampling identified significant differences in the composition, quantity and point of release (leaf or bole) of volatiles emitted by the flooded and non-flooded trees. Coupled gas chromatography electroantennographic detection revealed olfactory sensitivity by the ambrosia beetle Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) to 29 of these …

In Vitro Development Of Bovine Embryos Cultured In A Frozen-Thawed Commercial Culture Medium, Jeanne Lee Glaser

LSU Master's Theses

As in vitro fertilization (IVF) becomes more acceptable for the treatment of human infertility, it is essential for clinics to have in place an optimal embryo culture system. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether freezing and storing human embryo culture medium will alter embryo post-thaw viability. In consecutive experiments, commercial culture medium was frozen at -20°C and at -80°C and stored at 4°C until its use in IVF. Each IVF-derived replicate of bovine embryos contained a laboratory control group, a fresh commercial culture medium group(s) and a frozen-thawed commercial culture medium group(s). The commercial culture medium was …

An Hedonic Analysis Of Southwestern Louisiana Wetland Prices Using Gis, Baifu Xu

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana is the beneficiary of more than 30% of the U.S. coastal wetlands, but the state’s wetland loss accounts for about 90% of the total throughout the continental United States. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act of 1990 and the $1.9 billion that has recently been dedicated by Congress for coastal restoration activities will certainly aid in restoration efforts. However, these dedicated funds are but a small fraction of the total monies that will be required to maintain/restore Louisiana’s degraded wetlands. Recent estimates suggest restoration activities will cost, at a minimum, about $14 billion. The research, based on …

Assessing The Influence Of Religion On Health Behavior, David B. Creel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A primary aim of this study was to confirm the factor structure of the Health and Religious Congruency Scale (HARCS), a measure previously developed by the same research team. The HARCS questions directly link religious beliefs/activities to health behaviors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the current data fit poorly to the factor structure found in the pilot study. Because the current sample was more religiously diverse than the pilot study sample, and could potentially provide a factor structure that better reflects the views of individuals from different religious affiliations, a principal components analysis was conducted on the current data. …

Acoustic Tagging Of Black Drum On Louisiana Oyster Reefs: Movements, Site Fidelity, And Habitat Use, Gerald James George

LSU Master's Theses

The black drum, Pogonias cromis (Sciaenidae), is a molluscivorous, coastal/estuarine species, often associated with oyster reefs, that is sought in recreational and commercial fisheries. I used a radio-acoustic positioning system and an array of moored receivers to monitor movements of 34 black drum around oyster reefs in Barataria Bay, Louisiana from March 2006 to February 2007. Residence time was variable; five fish were detected almost daily for more than 60 days, but others only on the day of release. Daily movements exceeded spatial coverage, and home range sizes could not be determined. Short-term site fidelity to reefs was higher in …

Biodegradation And Characterization Of A Bio-Based Polyester, Benjamin Edward Stevens

LSU Master's Theses

Anaerobic biodegradation in sewage sludge and aerobic biodegradation in compost of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) were investigated to determine degradation kinetics and identify changes in polymer properties. To determine the impact of a natural plasticizer on biodegradation, tributyl citrate (TBC) was blended with some test specimens. For comparison to another bioplastic, polylactic acid (PLA) was biodegraded in the anaerobic study. Evolved gaseous carbon was measured to assess biodegradability according to ASTM standards D5210 and D5338. Mass loss experiments were performed to facilitate determination of degradation kinetics. Melt-pressed plates of the bioplastic with five different initial mass-to-surface-area ratios (plate thicknesses of 0.24, 0.5, …

Quantitative And Spatial Analysis Of The Microscopic Bone Structures Of Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Dog (Canis Familiaris), And Pig (Sus Scrofa Domesticus), Zoe Hensley Morris

LSU Master's Theses

Structure and morphology of bone tissue are variable by species. The influence of different factors on structure and morphology is still debated. Qualifying and quantifying these differences are necessary in the evaluation of fragmentary bones in order to identify specific species. To understand the influence of species of origin on the microscopic structure of bone tissue, the influence of developmental and biomechanical forces specific to a skeletal element must also be assessed. This research is a preliminary analysis of the histological bone structures in terms of their area, density and spatial organization. To achieve this research goal, the cross-section of …

Modeling Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Surface Moisture Content And Groundwater Table Fluctuations On A Fine-Grained Beach, Padre Island, Texas, Yuanda Zhu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The basic goals of this study are to document, represent and model beach surface moisture dynamics. Achieving these goals requires that the dynamics be understood within the context of the key associated processes including evaporation and groundwater table fluctuations. Atmospheric parameters including wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity, evaporation, beach surface moisture content, groundwater table fluctuations and tidal oscillations were directly monitored in an eight-day field experiment. Field measurements demonstrated that beach surface moisture content has a relatively high degree of variability in the cross-shore direction and a relatively low variability in the alongshore direction. The highest levels of …

Brucella Melitensis: The Evaluation Of A Putative Hemagglutinin Gene's Effect On Virulence In The Caprine Model, Quinesha Laticia Perry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Brucella melitensis is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes abortions in goats and sheep and Malta fever in humans. The zoonotic disease brucellosis causes severe economic losses in the Mediterranean region and parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With the completion of the genomic sequences of B. abortus 2308 and B. melitensis 16M, no classical virulence factors were found; and the chromosomes were virtually identical. However, in B. melitensis, a putative hemagglutinin gene was identified which is absent in B. abortus. The possibility of the hemagglutinin gene being a potential virulence factor was evaluated via gene replacement/deletion in …

Evaluation Of Harvesting Disturbance And Establishment Practices On Early Height Growth Of Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda L.), Shanna Marie Mccarty

LSU Master's Theses

Land for forest plantations is declining while demand for forest products is increasing, creating concern over sustainable forest management. Maintenance of site productivity is fundamental to forest sustainability, and an assessment of cumulative height growth is a useful index of productivity. Loblolly pine height data were used from four research plantations installed by the project Cooperative Research in Sustainable Silviculture and Soil Productivity from Texas to Georgia. The sites vary in soil characteristics, management history, nutrient status at time of planting, and age (from 4 to 9 years). Each site is a randomized complete block design with a factorial treatment …

The Role Of Olympia In Charles Mee's Big Love: A Production Thesis In Acting, Elizabeth Nicole Travis

LSU Master's Theses

The role of Olympia in Charles Mee’s Big Love was selected as a thesis project in the fall semester of 2006. This thesis is a written record of the actor’s work on the character throughout the rehearsal process and performance in the form of an Actor’s Score. It also includes an Introduction, a Chapter on the Rehearsal Process, Character Analysis, News Article, Production Photo and a Conclusion.

Mechanism Of Intraspecific Toxin Inhibition In Aspergillus Flavus, Changwei Huang

LSU Master's Theses

Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus was demonstrated by others as a promising biocontrol agent to minimize preharvest aflatoxins in susceptible crops. But the mechanism was unclear. A filter insert-well plate system was used to study the mechanism in lab. There was no inhibition when toxigenic A. flavus isolate 53 and inhibitory atoxigenic isolates were separated by 0.4 µm membrane, approximately 50% inhibition occurred when separated by 12 µm membrane, and complete inhibition occurred when a 74 µm membrane was used. This result suggested that touching or close physical interaction is needed for toxin inhibition and the nutrient competition hypothesis was not supported. …