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Urban Tree Phenology: A Comparative Study Between New York City And Ithaca, New York., Ishwar Dhami

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Studies on phenology have demonstrated that "Global warming" effect is influencing vegetation phenological processes. In order to accurately predict how climate warming affects vegetation phenology, a clear understanding of vegetation phenology and its relationship to temperature is needed. Although finding the effects of global warming on phenology across larger areas is difficult, heat island phenomena associated with urbanized area presents a unique place to investigate the local effect of warming on phenology. Thus, this study looked at the response of trees to increasing temperatures by comparing the phenological patterns of trees in a highly urbanized New York City (NYC) and …

Lignin Degradation In Wood-Feeding Insects, Scott M. Geib, Timothy R. Filley, Patrick G. Hatcher, Kelli Hoover, John E. Carlson, Maria Del Mar Jimenez-Gasco, Akiko Nakagawa-Izumi, Rachel L. Sleighter, Ming Tien

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The aromatic polymer lignin protects plants from most forms of microbial attack. Despite the fact that a significant fraction of all lignocellulose degraded passes through arthropod guts, the fate of lignin in these systems is not known. Using tetramethylammonium hydroxide thermochemolysis, we show lignin degradation by two insect species, the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) and the Pacific dampwood termite (Zootermopsis angusticollis). In both the beetle and termite, significant levels of propyl side-chain oxidation (depolymerization) and demethylation of ring methoxyl groups is detected; for the termite, ring hydroxylation is also observed. In addition, culture-independent fungal gut …

Characterization And Synthesis Of Nanoscale Materials, Jinfeng Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focuses on the systematic study of techniques for characterization and synthesis of nanoscale materials. We have achieved several goals. Firstly, high number density uniform zinc oxide nanostructure growth has been achieved using thermal evaporation, through control of experimental parameters that include source material temperature, substrate temperature, substrate material, gas flow rate, and choice of catalyst. Aligned zinc oxide nanowires, randomly oriented zinc oxide nanowires, zinc oxide container-shaped structures, and zinc oxide nanobelts have been synthesized with high yield. Secondly, using a one parameter family of lattice fringe geometry curves, we show how to examine the epitaxial relationship between …

Functional Domains Of P450 1a1 And 1a2: Molecular Modeling-Guided Structure-Function Study., Youbin Tu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cytochromes P450 are a large family of heme-thiolate enzymes which metabolize a wide variety of both endogenous and xenobiotic compounds. Human P450 1A1 and 1A2 are two major members of the P450 1A subfamily. They share 72% sequence identity but display different specificities towards various substrates. In order to further understand the structure-function relationships of these enzymes, we have performed several molecular modeling-based studies that examined various functional domains of P450 1As. In the first part of this project, we have investigated the ligand binding domain by developing a specificity prediction model based on the correlations between MD (Molecular Dynamics)-based …

A Tour-De-Force In Polymer Crosslinked Aerogels, Sudhir Mulik

Doctoral Dissertations

"In the quest of building mechanically strong materials with low density and high porosity, polymer crosslinked aerogels stand as the most promising nano-engineered examples. Covalent attachment of polymers and bridging of skeletal nanoparticles of typical aerogels is demonstrated by using surface initiated polymerization (SIP) with a bidentate free-radical initiator structurally related to azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and confined on mesoporous silica surfaces. Different monomers were introduced in the mesopores and upon heating at 70⁰C, all mesoporous surfaces throughout the entire skeletal framework were coated conformally with a 10-12 nm thick polymer layer indistinguishable spectroscopically from the respective commercial bulk materials. The new …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Vegetable (Soybean) Oil Based Epoxy Resin For Beverage Can Coating And Enzymatic Synthesis And Characterization Of Tailored N&C End Protected Oligopeptides, Ying Gao

Doctoral Dissertations

"Research described in this dissertation covers two topics. Part-I is related to the development of a soybean oil based epoxy resin and its application in beverage can coatings. Interior surfaces of beverage can are invariably coated with polymer coating. The most commonly used coatings at present are derived from bisphenol A (BPA) based epoxy reins. However, due to perceived endocrine disrupting nature of BPA and consequential adverse effects on humans and wildlife concerns for the use of BPA based coatings and its leaching into beverages have been expressed. The research in the first part describes the synthesis and evaluation of …

Formation And Removal Of Pesticides And Pesticide Transformation Products During Water Treatment, Evelyn F. Chamberlain

Doctoral Dissertations

"A comprehensive suite of over 60 pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) representing a variety of classes at environmentally relevant concentrations (low µg/L) were screened for reactivity under typical drinking water conditions and dosages. The most common oxidants/transformation agents in water treatment systems were examined for reactivity including free and combined chlorine, chlorine dioxide, permanganate, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet radiation, and high pH (alkaline hydrolysis). Due to the broad nature of the study, pesticide compounds were analyzed as multiple mixes broken into two groups based on analytical methods, those analyzed by GC/ECD and those by LC/MS. Combinations of reactive disinfectant/oxidant and …

"I Will Learn You Something If You Listen To This Song": Southern Women Writers' Representations Of Music In Fiction, Courtney George

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation offers a rhetorical analysis of the formation of women’s memory, history, and communities in intersections of musical and literary expression in the American South, a region graced with a vital but underexamined tradition of female musicianship. Recent scholars have deconstructed the imagined narrative of southern culture as static, patriarchal, and white to uncover alternative stories and cultures that exist outside of canonical literature. This project significantly expands current understandings of these conflicting narratives by investigating how women writers recall, reclaim, and re-envision women’s roles in southern music to challenge, comply, and/or identify with women’s prescribed place in the …

Environment, Labor, And Race: An Historical Geography Of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, 1878-1956, Amy Rhiannon Sumpter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, is known as a white suburb of New Orleans. It also has a well-known history as a health resort for wealthy New Orleanians during the summer months, particularly during yellow fever outbreaks in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth centuries. This research investigates the historical geography of this parish in terms of race and attempts to answer the question of how St. Tammany became an attractive place for the development of white subdivisions in the 1950s. I uncover the connections between race, labor, the environment, and political culture of the parish from 1878—the year Reconstruction ended—to …

Retro Models Of The Cisplatin-Dna Cross-Link With Carrier Ligands Having Sp2 N-Donor Triazine Rings, Vidhi Maheshwari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rapid rotation of guanine base derivatives about Pt–N7 bonds results in fluxional behavior of models of the key DNA intrastrand G–G cross-link leading to anticancer activity of Pt(II) drugs (G = deoxyguanosine). This behavior impedes the characterization of LPtG2 models (L = one bidentate or two cis-unidentate carrier ligands; G = guanine derivative). The objective of this study is to understand the types of conformers formed as L is systematically varied. This work, relevant to Pt(II) anticancer drugs, has evolved from published studies with sp3 N-ligands (e.g., 2,2'-bipiperidine), to C2 symmetrical or unsymmetrical sp2 N-ligands having pyridine and/or triazine rings. …

Native Spiritualities As Resistance: Disrupting Colonialism In The Americas, Kirstin Lea Squint

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project analyzes eight novels which represent revolt or resistance by varied Native peoples against the European and Euro-American colonization of the Americas. I take a comparative approach to literatures of the Americas because of the dearth of research examining the literatures of both continents side by side, particularly literatures by and about Indigenous Americans. Chapter One introduces the theoretical bases for the project, including colonial and postcolonial theories, Native American literary theories, and aesthetic concerns specific to American Indian literatures. The second chapter is a comparative analysis of Miguel Angel Asturias’s Men of Maize and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac …

Phylogeogaphy Of Nothoprocta Tinamous And The The Phylogeny Of The Tinamidae, Thomas Valqui

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding how diversity is attained and maintained is one of the central questions in biology. In the Neotropics most attention has centered on the Amazonian lowlands, despite the recognized importance of the role of the Andes in South American diversity. In this dissertation, I address the question by using Nothoprocta tinamous as a model case for examining diversification in the Andes. As a group, they are a manageable size, they exhibit near-restriction to the Andes, they show multi-species parapatric distributions, and they have presumed limited dispersal ability. These are all useful attributes for a system to study speciation and diversification. …

Using Color Infrared Imagery To Detect Sooty Mold And Fungal Pathogens Of Glasshouse-Propagated Plants, Kenneth R. Summy, Christopher R. Little

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Fungi are major biotic constraints for optimum production and quality of glasshouse plants. When plants are infested with sooty mold (Capnodium spp.) or infected with pathogens, the reflected wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum are altered. Spectroradiometric measurements and color infrared (CIR) images of control, honeydew- coated, and sooty mold-infested saplings and individual leaves from trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata), sour orange (Citrus aurantium), ‘Valencia’ orange (C. sinensis), and ‘Bo’ tree (Ficus religiosa) were obtained. Grapefruit saplings and individual leaves infected with Mycosphaerella citri (greasy spot) were imaged under glasshouse conditions. Similarly, muskmelon foliage showing low and high levels of powdery mildew …

Neptunia Plena (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) Rediscovered In Texas, Alfred Richardson, Ken King

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

On October 17, 1938, Robert Runyon collected a specimen of Neptunia plena from a shallow pond south of Armstrong in Kenedy County, Texas. No subsequent collections from Texas have been reported . It was assumed that it was not a permanent member of our flora. On October 27, 2007, a population of N. plena was found near the same locality.

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El 17 de octubre de 1938, Robert Runyon recogió un espécimen de Neptunia plena de una charca somera de Armstrong en el condado de Kenedy, Tejas. No se ha encontrado ninguna colección posterior de Tejas. Fue asumido que no …

Evolutionary Origins, Diversification, And Biogeography Of Liver Flukes (Digenea, Fasciolidae), Wael M. Lotfy, Sara V. Brant, Randy J. Dejong, Hoa Le Thanh

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Fasciolid flukes are among the largest and best known digenetic trematodes and have considerable historical and veterinary significance. Fasciola hepatica is commonly implicated in causing disease in humans. The origins, patterns of diversification, and biogeography of fasciolids are all poorly known. We have undertaken a molecular phylogenetic study using 28S, internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA, and mitochondrial nicotinamide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) that included seven of the nine recognized species in the family. The fasciolids examined comprise a monophyletic group with the most basal species recovered from African elephants. We hypothesize fasciolids …

Growth And Properties Of Metal-On-Metal Nanostructures: Ag On Cu(110) And Co On Ag(110), Indrajith Chandima Senevirathne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Heteroepitaxial nanostructures have a diverse array of applications and show novel phenomena that arise from the exotic physics exhibited in reduced dimensions. We have investigated two nano-structured systems in order to gain insights into the dynamics of their nucleation, growth and have observed striking differences, due in part to a competition between lattice strain, surface and interfacial free energies. When Ag is deposited on clean, single-crystal Cu(110), it initially wets the surface with a (111) monolayer, and spontaneously nucleates nanowires as the coverage is increased. The nanowires nucleate at defects and step edges and grow aligned along the [1–10] direction. …

Numerical Simulations Of Flow And Mass Transport In Micro-Fluidic Components For Modular Bio-Analytic Chip Applications, Sudheer D. Rani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Microfluidics has received a great deal of attention in the past decade. The ability of modular microfluidic chips to miniaturize integrate chemical and biological systems (µTAS) can be greatly productive in terms of cost and efficiency. During the design of these modular devices, misalignment of materials, geometrical or both is one of the most common problems. These misalignments can have adverse effect in both pressure driven and electrokinetically driven flows. In the present work, Numerical Simulations have been performed to study the effect of material and geometrical mismatch on the flow behavior and species progression in microfluidic interconnects. In the …

Characterization And Comparison Of Cell Frequency, Growth, And Multipotential Differentiation Of Adult Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived From Equine Bone Marrow And Adipose Tissue, Martin Andreas Vidal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ASCs) were compared for frequency within their respective tissues, cell doubling characteristics and differentiation multipotential in culture based on histochemical staining and compositional analysis. Equine MSCs and ASCs from young adult horses were harvested and isolated from sternal bone marrow and supragluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue, respectively, and grown up to passage 10 (P10) to determine cell doubling characteristics. Limit dilution assays were performed on primary and passaged (P2, P4) MSCs and ASCs to determine the frequency of colony forming units with a fibroblastic phenotype (CFU-F), and the frequency …

Novel Methods For The Control Of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae), Thomas Michael Mascari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In arid and semi-arid parts of the Old World, Phlebotomus paptasi is a significant biting pest of man and is the primary vector of Leishmania major, the causative agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL). Phlebotomus papatasi exhibits a close association with the burrowing rodents that serve as the reservoirs of L. major. Rodent burrows are considered to be the primary habitat of immature P. papatasi in ZCL foci, and sand fly larvae have been observed feeding on rodent feces. In laboratory studies, five insecticides (diflubenzuron, novaluron, methoprene, pyriproxyfen, or ivermectin) were incorporated into the diet of Syrian hamsters and evaluated …

Neuropsychological Performance And Dementia Symptoms In A Hiv Positive Population, Kathleen E. Kendra

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which affects millions of individuals worldwide. This syndrome is associated with many medical complications. Fortunately, patients with HIV and AIDS have longer life expectancy than in past decades with HIV and AIDS; however, the risk of cognitive impairment is greater in this population. Identification of dementia due to HIV/AIDS by health care professionals is hampered by the unclear relationship between cognitive functioning and HIV-related health status in the HIV/AIDS research literature. For the current study, individuals with HIV/AIDS who are symptomatic with infection but do …

Effects Of Induced Acute Phase Response In Ewes On Early Embryo Survival, Tina Lynn Dow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early pregnant ewes, 5/6 day post coitus (dpc) were used as a model to study early embryonic loss via gram-positive bacterial infections, such as mastitis. Ewes 5/6 dpc were injected with a gram-positive bacteria cell wall component, peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS), to induce an innate immune system acute phase response (APR). The induction of the APR and its reactant molecules, such as cytokines and acute phase proteins (APP), were initiated to study their effects on embryonic loss. Twenty Suffolk ewes were synchronized for estrus and bred by fertile rams. At 4 dpc ewes were anesthetized and catheters were surgically placed in the …

Thermal Rearrangement Of 4-Aryl-4-Hydroxy-2-Cyclobuten-1-Ones And Application Of The Methodology In The Formation Of Benzofuronaphthoquinones And Benzocarbazolequinones, Kimberly Denise Fisher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cyclobutenediones have proven useful as starting materials for synthesis of highly functionalized biologically relevant molecules. The rearrangement of cyclobutendiones has a wide synthetic scope and can be utilized as a key step in the construction of quinones, benzo[o]isoxazoles, and 3-methylenoxoindoles having a variety of substitution patterns. Construction of these molecules involves thermolysis of 4-hydroxy-2,4-di-aryl-2-cyclobutenones derived from squaric acid ester. In each of the cases the mechanism proceeds through an initial ring opening of the cyclobutene to afford a ketene intermediate that subsequently undergoes a ring closure with various intermolecular nucleophiles. This methodology has been utilized in the construction of an …

Lidar, Gis, And Multivariate Statistical Analysis To Assess Landslide Risk, Horseshoe Run Watershed, West Virginia, Kory M. Konsoer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Current stream restoration practices focus on stabilizing banks, transporting sediment, and creating aquatic habitats. However, only channel morphology data are collected prior to typical restoration project designs. A more thorough approach to assessing restoration projects incorporates the geomorphology of the contributing hillslopes within the watershed. For this project, a landslide risk assessment was conducted for Horseshoe Run watershed in West Virginia using LiDAR data, GIS, and multivariate statistical analysis to provide the restoration projects with information concerning the geomorphology of the hillslopes and identify areas of greater risk for slope failure. A landslide inventory map was created using field observations …

Thresholds And Tolerance Of Physical Pain Among Young Adults Who Engage In Self-Injury, Katrina Mccoy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Prevalence rates of non-suicidal self-injury among college students ranges from 17% to 38%. Research indicates that individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) who self-injure sometimes report an absence of pain during self-injury. Furthermore, self-injury in the absence of pain has been associated with more frequent suicide attempts. The present study examined pain thresholds and tolerance among 44 college students (11 self-injurious and 33 non-self-injurious). Pain thresholds and tolerance were measured using an algometer pressure device which has been used to produce pain previous laboratory research. Self-injurious participants had higher pain tolerances than those who do not engage in self-injury. In …

Electrochemical Fabrication Of Auco Nanostructures, Maoshi Guan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Electrodeposited Au/CoAu multilayered nanowires are materials with alternating layers of Au and CoAu in a wire where the layer thickness and wire diameter are nanometer size. They can be used for different applications. For example, the wires may exhibit giant magnetoresistance (GMR), a change in the materials resistance with a magnetic field, having applications as a sensor material for microdevices. If Co is etched from CoAu nanowires, rough, porous gold nanostructures will be left behind, which could be used as novel catalysts. In this study, the electrodeposition of Au/CoAu multilayered nanowires and nanotubes in nanoporous templates was explored from a …

Chemotactic And Inflammatory Responses To And Recognition Of Encephalitozoon Spp. Of Microsporidia, Jeffrey Lynn Fischer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Microsporidiosis is an emerging disease among immunocompromised individuals who often present with chronic diarrhea. The intracellular, eukaryotic parasites responsible for this pathology can often disseminate, causing multiorgan infections. Dissemination of these pathogens is believed to occur through vehicular spread by macrophages. The macrophage response to microsporidia is poorly understood. The information, described herein, is focused on defining the host-pathogen interaction and subsequent inflammatory response in human monocyte-derived-macrophages (MDM) against Encephalitozoon spp. of microsporidia. Initial studies were designed to better define the infection kinetics in MDM using various microscopic analysis and novel staining approaches. Spore adherence and uptake occurs within the …

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination Of Asiatic Acid In Human Plasma, Phensri Thongnopnua

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Asiatic acid, an active metabolite of asiaticoside, is one of the biological active triterpenoids in Centella asiatica. A single liquid-liquid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method have been developed and validated for the ...

Effects Of Hexosamine Biosynthesis On An In Vitro Model Of Cardiacischemia, Voraratt Champattanachai

All ETDs from UAB

Increased levels of protein O-linked-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) have been correlated with increased cell survival following stress. Therefore the goal of this study was to determine whether enhanced flux through the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP), which leads to elevated levels of O-GlcNAc, improved the tolerance of isolated neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. NRVMs were exposed to hypoxic medium for 4 hours, followed by oxygenated complete medium for 16 hours. Acute treatment with 5 mM glucosamine showed an increase in viability and decreased both necrosis and apoptosis following I/R. Glucosamine increased O-GlcNAc levels maximally at 2 hours and went …

Structural And Functional Properties Of Human Αa-Crystallin, Jose Mauro Chaves

All ETDs from UAB

The three specific aims of the project were: (1) compare effects of deamidation alone (i.e., αA-N101D, αA-N123D, αA-N101/123D), truncation alone (αA-NT mutant [deletion of residue no. 1-63], or αA-CT mutant [deletion of residue no. 140-173]), or both truncation plus deamidation on structural and functional properties of human lens αA-crystallin; (2) identify components of complexes in the water soluble-high molecular weight (WS-HMW) proteins of normal aging and cataractous human lenses; and (3) determine interactions among WT-αA, αA-NT and αA-CT crystallin species with filensin and phakinin (beaded filament proteins) in vitro. The comparative structural and functional differences between αA-deamidated and/or truncated mutants …

The Reproductive Cycle Of Lytechinus Variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) From The Florida Panhandle, Adele Cunningham

All ETDs from UAB

The range of the regular echinoid Lytechinus variegatus extends from the Carolinas along the US Atlantic coast to Brazil. To our knowledge, the present study is the northernmost study to examine histology of the reproductive cycle of Lytechinus variegatus. From April 2001 to September 2003, at intervals of about 4-6 weeks, L. variegatus with an average diameter of 45 mm were collected at Eagle Harbor in St. Joseph’s Bay, Florida.. A staging system for gamete development and maturation based on histology of the gonad was devised for female and male L. variegatus. Histology indicated a period of nutrient storage and …