Digital Commons Network^™

Supercritical Fluid Extraction And Analysis Of Plant Oils, Tianchuan Du

LSU Master's Theses

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum L.) seed, heartwood of Port-Orford cedar (POC) (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Alaska yellow cedar (AYC) (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), and Eastern red cedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum L. Roxb. ) seed was investigated in this study and compared with other extraction methods. For the oxeye daisy seed extraction, Soxhlet extraction (SE) with hexane, microwave assisted extraction (MAE), and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) were conducted. The results showed that as the extraction temperature decreased from 100 °C, the extraction rate increased until 30 °C using SFE. With an increase of extraction …

Scanning Probe Microscopy Investigations Of (1) Arrays Of Cysteine-Coated Cds Nanoparticles And (2) Structures Formed During The Early Stages Of The Corrosion Of Copper Surfaces, Brian Robert Lewandowski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) characterizations are becoming more prevalent for surface investigations due to their capabilities for obtaining structural information and physical measurements. New capabilities of SPM for studying and controlling nanoscale processes are emerging as valuable assets in research. A fundamental understanding of the interactions of surface reactions provides essential information for developing workable applications for nanotechnology. Two applications of SPM are discussed in this dissertation. The first investigation uses atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the characterization of nanostructures produced with a newly developed lithographic technique called “two-particle” lithography. This new technique is based on particle lithography for the …

Photocatalytic Reaction In Monolithic Optical Fiber Reactor With Inverse Opal Catalyst, Maoming Ren

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The development of photocatalytic reactor is essential for the successful application of heterogeneous semiconductor in environmental study, which has been shown to be photoactive and effective to oxidate organic pollutant and photoreduce CO2 to useful compounds. In this dissertation, a monolithic optical fiber reactor (MOFR) coated with inverse opal titania, which uses optical fibers as light-transmitting conductor and support of catalyst, was developed for both photodegradation and photoreduction. 1,2-dichlorobenzene, a volatile organic compound (VOC), was selected as the organic pollutant. This configuration of reactor and catalyst provides a high surface area, enhances mass transfer within the catalyst, manipulates photons transmission …

A Multi-Function, Disposable, Microfluidic Module For Mutation Detection, Tae Yoon Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recognition of point mutations in a codon 12 of the K-ras gene, most frequently observed, is considered to be useful in the early diagnosis of several types of the human cancers. We have developed a multifunction, disposable, microfluidic module which detects low-abundant point mutations in human genomic DNA in modular architecture. Each functional component including a microfluidic PCR reactor, a passive diffusional micromixer reactor, and a microfluidic LDR reactor was separately designed and fabricated. Fluidic interconnects were also developed to make a fluidic passage between the functional components. Polycarbonate substrates were micro-molded, using hot embossing with micro-milled brass mold inserts …

Collpas As Activity Hotspots For Frugivorous Bats (Stenodermatinae) In The Peruvian Amazon: Underlying Mechanisms And Conservation Implications, Adriana Bravo Ordonez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In western Amazonia, large numbers of frugivorous bats regularly visit natural forest clearings known locally as collpas (also called clay licks or mineral licks). Bats arrive at collpas to drink water that has accumulated in depressions created by larger mammals that consume soil. Although collpa visitation by bats appears relatively common in western Amazonia, little is known about its causes and its ecological implications. In this dissertation I describe general and seasonal patterns of collpa visitation by frugivorous bats in the Peruvian Amazon, and I investigate potential explanations for this unique behavior. Regardless of season, collpas seem to be activity …

Testicular Toxicity And The Potential For 1, 2 -Ethlyene Dichloride (Edc) To Initiate Epigenetic Disruption Of The Paternal Genome, Harold J. Daigle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Our genetic inheritance begins with one genome copy from each parent. The presence of one or more errors in either the maternal or the paternal genome can lead to genetic disease or disruption of the embryonic program and potential loss of the offspring. Numerous chemical and physical toxicants are known to produce germ line mutagenesis based on their ability to produce DNA sequence mutations. Exposures to these cytotoxic and mutagenic agents pose a risk for human offspring. However, very little is known regarding the sensitivity of the epigenetic patterns involved in reproductive functions to adverse effects of chemical agents. The …

Tnf-Alpha Inhibition Of Adiponectin Expression By Targeting Ppar-Gamma And C/Ebp In Adipocytes, Yanning Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Chronic inflammation is involved in the adipose tissue dysfunction through regulation of endocrine and storage function of adipocytes. As a representative proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-α was reported to inhibit expression of adiponectin. However, the mechanism of inhibition remains to be identified. Here, we provide experimental evidence that TNF-α inhibits adiponectin at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. In three animal models (aP2-P65, ob/ob and high fat diets-fed mice), an increase in TNF-α expression was associated with a decrease in adiponectin expression. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, TNF-α inhibition of adiponectin was observed at mRNA and protein levels. Luciferase reporter assay and mRNA stability tests …

Sialic Acid Conjugated Chitosan For The Attenuation Of Amyloid-Beta Toxicity, Dhruva Dilip Dhavale

LSU Master's Theses

Amyloid-beta (Aβ), a 39 to 43 amino acid long peptide, is the primary species identified in senile plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and has been implicated in the neurotoxicity associated with AD. It is believed that Aβ toxicity is mediated through the interaction with neuronal membranes. A variety of evidence indicates that 1) Aβ may bind to the cell surface sialic acids, 2) the affinity of this interaction is higher if the gangliosides or sialic acids on the cell surface are clustered, 3) the removal of the surface sialic acids attenuate Aβ toxicity. Based on this data, we hypothesized …

Atom-Based Computer Simulation Studies Of Gas-To-Liquid Nucleation In Atmospherically Relevant Systems: Clarifying Discrepancies And Elucidating Mechanisms, Ricky Bendanillo Nellas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For over a century, nucleation for all systems was thought simplistically to be a process that advances through the formation of critical clusters with a well-defined composition. Our results show intriguing nucleation mechanisms that challenge the aforementioned notion. We employed the simple TraPPE-UA (transferable potential for phase equilibria – united atom) force field and the AVUS-HR approach (a combination of aggregation-volume-bias Monte Carlo, umbrella sampling, and histogram reweighting), to investigate the homogeneous vapor-to-liquid nucleation of various nucleating systems. We found out that these systems could nucleate through a variety of unique non-ideal mechanisms. Alongside existing experimental investigations, this dissertation presents …

Intracellular Ice Formation In Adult Stem Cells In The Presence Of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone, Avishek Guha

LSU Master's Theses

The main objective of this work was to assess the effect of 10% (w/v) polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the pattern of intracellular ice formation (IIF) in human adipose tissue derived adult stem cells (ASCs) in the absence of serum and other cryoprotective agents (CPAs). Passage 1 (P1) ASCs were cultured, washed and suspended in either 1x PBS (Phosphate Buffered Saline) or 10% w/v solution of PVP in 1x PBS. The freezing experiments were carried out using a fluorescence microscope equipped with a Linkam™ cooling stage using two different temperature/time cooling protocols. Both the cooling protocols had a common cooling ramp: cells …

Seasonal Growth And Shading Potential Of Sugarcane (Saccharum Spp. Hybrids) And Shade Response Of Perennial Weeds, Mariana Ferreira Bittencourt

LSU Master's Theses

Seasonal growth characteristics and shading ability of six sugarcane varieties were compared during the second production year. For each variety, trend analysis of data showed a significant linear trend. Differences in shoot emergence among the varieties were observed beginning in early April and as the season progressed, shoot production and shoot height increased for ‘L 97-128’, ‘Ho 95-988’, ‘L 99-226’, and ‘L 99-233’ but lagged for ‘HoCP 96-540’ and ‘LCP 85-384’. Beginning in mid-April ground cover increased most rapidly for L 99-233. In late May ground cover was around 60% for LCP 85-384 and HoCP 96-540; around 70% for L …

Cbod₅ Treatment And Nitrogen Transformations Of The Marshland Upwelling System In Intermediate And Saltwater Marshes, Lorna Anne Putnam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The marshland upwelling system (MUS) was designed to treat domestic wastewater from coastal dwellings where conventional methods are inadequate due to high water tables, poor hydraulic soil conditions, anaerobic soils, and saline groundwater. Currently there is no adequate treatment system available and coastal dwellings are contributing to water quality problems. This study focused on determining the treatment effectiveness of the MUS for organic matter and understanding the specific processes involved in nitrogen treatment.

The treatment of organic matter, measured as five-day carbonaceous biological oxygen demand (CBOD₅), was effective in field tests for both saltwater and intermediate marshes. Global …

Characterization Of Endoreplicated Nuclei In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Rasheed A. Ahmad

LSU Master's Theses

A model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, duplicates its chromosomes without cell division, in a process known as endoreplication. The primary objective of this study was to identify genes and proteins that specifically accumulate in endoreplicated nuclei in Arabidopsis thaliana. Analysis of nuclei sorted by fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS) revealed that ploidy levels and nuclear volume were positively correlated. However, the protein amounts among 2C, 4C, and 8C nuclei had no significant differences. This indicated a decrease of the protein concentration in endoreplicated nuclei. In contrast, the RNA amount in the 8C nuclei was 1.3- and 1.4-fold higher than that in …

Isoflavone Distribution In Soy Seed And Antioxidant Activity Of Defatted Soy Flour Extract, Xiaohua Yue

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Soy isoflavones distribution in soy cotelydon, coat and germ were determined. The ƒÀ-Glucoside form of isoflavones was the major class of isoflavones in all three soy parts. Soy germ was the richest source of the isoflavones among the three soybean parts. Distribution of the isoflavones in soy cotyledon was different from that in soy coat or germ. As defatted soy flour is a main byproduct in the soy oil refining process, utilizing the low value byproduct as a valuable food antioxidant was investigated in this study. The level of isoflavones in the defatted soy flour extract was 55 mg/g, which …

The Additive Effect Of Melengestrol Acetate (Mga) Priming And Sodium Monensin On Reproductive Performance In Beef Heifers, Jonathan Lance Roberts

LSU Master's Theses

Breeding beef heifers to produce calves at 2 years of age could be a profitable management decision. The current practices have proved inefficient, which has justified further research in the area. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of repeated progestogen priming on the attainment of puberty by prepubertal heifers, to evaluate the potential additive effect of progestogen priming plus sodium monensin on the attainment of puberty by prepubertal heifers, to examine subsequent reproductive performance, including the response to synchronization of the estrous cycle, first-service pregnancy rates and overall pregnancy rates and to examine the effects of …

The Modification, System Software Development, Validation, And Clinical Trial Of A Novel Ankle Stiffness Testing Device, T. Tyler Clement

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this project is to modify, validate, and gather preliminary clinical data on a novel ankle stiffness device that measures stiffness (torque / degree) and range of motion (ROM) of the ankle joint complex (AJC). The initial device was designed by a mechanical engineering design group at Louisiana State University in 2006, but had not been tested on human participants. Clinical evaluation of the ankle joint is important in patients afflicted with diabetes mellitus, Hansen’s disease, or peripheral neuropathies. The combination of peripheral neuropathies, decreased ankle range of motion, and increased stiffness pose a threat to these patients, …

Ananda Devi's Narrative Strategies And Subversions., Ritu Tyagi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a feminist narratological study of texts by Ananda Devi, a contemporary Francophone writer from Mauritius. I examine three principle narrative strategies that allow Devi to challenge the dominant androcentric discourses. These discourses ignore the feminine world of domesticity and impose images of submission on women, thereby curbing feminine expression and quest. Inspired by the efforts of critics such as Alison Case, Robyn Warhol, Susan Lanser to study narrative structures in the context of cultural constructions of gender, I argue that Devi employs narrative strategies that allow her marginalized narrators to intervene in dominant structures of narrative construction …

Fabrication Of Nanostructured Surfaces With Well-Defined Chemistry Using Particle Lithography, Jie-Ren Li

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Natural self-assembly processes provide nanofabrication capabilities for designing surfaces with nanoscale control of surface chemistry and relative orientation of the nanomaterials on the surfaces. Particle lithography was used to produce periodic arrays of protein nanostructures. Monodisperse mesoparticles can be applied to rapidly prepare millions of uniform protein nanostructures on flat surfaces using the conventional benchtop chemistry steps of mixing, centrifuging, evaporation and drying. Nanopatterns of bovine serum albumin and staphylococcal protein A were produced with particle lithography. The immobilized proteins remain attached to the surface and form nanopatterns over micron areas corresponding to the thickness of a single layer of …

Impact Of Intrafraction Motion On Post-Mastectomy Tomotherapy Of The Chest Wall, Shima Ito

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: The present work investigates the impact of intrafraction motion of the chest wall due to respiration on Post Mastectomy Radiotherapy (PMRT) with TomoTherapy. The hypothesis of this work is that the impact of intrafraction motion on TomoTherapy PMRT will be insignificant as (1) the largest intrafraction movement of the chest wall (CW) in the medial-lateral, anterior-posterior, and superior-inferior dimensions will not exceed 1 cm and (2) that 95% of in-vivo CW point doses on the patient surface will be within 5% of calculated dose and all doses within 10% of calculated dose. Methods: 4DCT scans were acquired and intrafraction …

A Modular Approach To High Throughput Microsystems, Pin-Chuan Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A modular high throughput microsystem was developed using microfabrication technology and nucleic acid analysis. The purpose of developing this microsystem is to identify acute infectious disease and prevent contagious outbreak in a matter of time. This microsystem included three major components, a reagent distribution device, a 96 CFPCR array, and a multi-zone thermal system, to efficiently amplify specific DNA fragments to determine the disease status or precisely pinpoint a disease from multiple patients. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the key component in the nucleic acid analysis for disease because it can be used to amplify interested DNA fragments by repeatedly …

Thermomechanical Characterization Of A Shape Memory Polymer Based Syntactic Foam, Damon Nettles

LSU Master's Theses

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a type of smart material capable of “remembering” multiple shapes and transitioning between them in response to an external stimulus. They offer the potential to self-seal macro-length scale damage in a nearly autonomous fashion. Syntactic foams are lightweight structural materials currently used in the marine and aerospace industries. This study seeks to bring syntactic foams and SMPs together, retaining characteristics of both components, to create a low-density smart composite. The SMP based syntactic foam is used as the core of a grid stiffened sandwich structure capable of healing impact damage multiple times. In order to …

Rate Of Change With Applications In Physics Problems, Maria Ludu

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis we approach the concept of Rate of Change as a mathematical model, and we apply it to a few physics problems. Its main goal is to help students to bridge concepts form mathematical models and the real life applications. We begin with a review of measurements, proportionality and similarity based on Euclidean geometry; then, we review linear and affine functions, and we introduce a mathematical model for the average and instantaneous rate of change. This mathematical model is applied to problems from physics following the four representations of functions: verbal, algebraic, tabular and graphical. By doing so, …

Anthropogenic And Natural Perturbations On Lower Barataria Bay, Louisiana: Detecting Responses Of Marsh-Edge Fishes And Decapod Crustaceans, Agatha-Marie Fuller Roth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Barataria Bay, Louisiana is a dynamic estuary with ongoing disturbances that is in need of restoration. Development and validation of a lower Barataria Bay index of biotic integrity (IBI) for the summer season was the focus of my research. This IBI was created using 2005 data and evaluated with 2006 and 2007 data to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach in coastal Louisiana. The IBI successfully distinguished sites with differing levels of degradation using nine fish metrics. While pursuing this effort, two serendipitous events occurred when an oil spill then a hurricane impacted the study area. This gave me opportunities …

A Non-Invasive Semiconductor Optical System To Measure Skin Tension, Anna Charron Dugas

LSU Master's Theses

The objectives of this project are to design, construct, validate and test a low-cost, non-invasive and painless device to measure skin tension. Skin is a complex, multi-layered, anisotropic material with non-linear viscoelastic behavior during stress application. The intricate balance of different semi-elastic fibers and continuous regeneration has brought difficulty to the accurate measurement of its mechanical properties. Commercial skin tension measurement products have been described, but are too expensive to be readily accessible for skin research and clinical utilization. The device to be developed in this project differs from existing devices in that it measures skin deformation under vacuum using …

Student Approaches To Learning: An Exploratory Study, Leila Halawi, Richard Mccarthy, Nenna Muoghalu

Publications

In this study, the partial least square approach (PLS) is applied to investigate students’ approaches to learning in the framework of online or hybrid courses. A total of 140 valid responses from students who have finished or are currently enrolled in at least one MIS online or hybrid course were analyzed using a structural equation model and the results are presented herein.

A Recombinant,Infectious Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 Expressing The Enhanced Green Fluorescentprotein For Use In High-Throughput Antiviral Assays, J. P. Roth, J. K. Li, Donald F. Smee, John D. Morrey, Dale L. Barnard

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The ability to rescue an infectious, recombinant, negative-stranded, RNA virus from a cDNA clone, has led to new opportunities for measuring viral replication from a viral expressed reporter gene. In this study, the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene was inserted into the human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV-3) antigenome and a recombinant, infectious virus was rescued. Maximum EGFP expression levels, measured by fluorescence, were seen at day 3. Comparison of a three-day, viral expressed EGFP fluorescence assay to a seven-day, neutral red assay, based on complete cell destruction in virus infected MA-104 cells, yielded Z′-factor values of 0.83 and …

First Parents: Reconceptualizing Newborn Adoption, James G. Dwyer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Birthright: The State, Parentage, And The Rights Of Newborn Persons, James G. Dwyer

Faculty Publications

State parentage laws, dictating who a newborn child's first legal parents will be, have been the subject of constitutional challenges in several U.S. Supreme Court and many lower court decisions. All of those decisions, however, have focused on constitutional rights of adults (especially unwed biological fathers) who wish to become, or to avoid becoming, legal parents. Neither courts nor legal scholars have considered whether the children have any constitutional rights that constrain legislatures and courts in deciding which adults will be their legal parents. If a state enacted a parentage law that said, for example, that any child born to …

Family Law For The Underclass: Underscoring Law's Ideological Function, David Ray Papke

Faculty Publications

This article underscores the manner in which family law for the contemporary underclass assumes a distinctly ideological function. Marriage promotion programs not only urge members of the underclass to marry but also deplore their declining commitment to marriage as an institution. "Deadbeat dad" legislation suggests the failure of underclass fathers to pay child support regularly and on time is a major cause of poverty in American life. Adoption law facilitates the placement of underclass children in middle and upper-class families, insisting in the process that this must surely be best for the children. Overall, family law for the underclass suggests …

Carbon Into Gold: Forest Carbon Offsets, Climate Change Adaptation, And International Law, David Takacs

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.