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2011

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Essays On The Random Parameters Logit Model, Tong Zeng Jan 2011

Essays On The Random Parameters Logit Model, Tong Zeng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research uses quasi-Monte Carlo sampling experiments to examine the properties of pretest and positive-part Stein-like estimators in the random parameters logit (RPL) model based on the Lagrange Multiplier (LM), likelihood ratio (LR) and Wald tests. First, we explore the properties of quasi-random numbers, which are generated by the Halton sequence, in estimating the random parameters logit model. We show that increases in the number of Halton draws influence the efficiency of the RPL model estimators only slightly. The maximum simulated likelihood estimator is consistent and it is not necessary to increase the number of Halton draws when the sample …

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Costs And Benefits Of Induced Responses In Soybean, Amanda K. Accamando Jan 2011

Costs And Benefits Of Induced Responses In Soybean, Amanda K. Accamando

LSU Master's Theses

Herbivorous insects are known to negatively impact plant fitness, such that plants have evolved defense strategies to reduce the preference and performance of herbivores on those plants. However, a plant’s investment in defense may be costly when herbivores are absent from the environment. Defense traits that are induced only upon herbivory can mitigate costs associated with defense maintenance. Although costs and benefits of induced responses are generally assumed, empirical evidence for them is equivocal. We examined the fitness costs and benefits of jasmonic acid-induced responses by soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) in the absence and presence of soybean loopers (Chrysodeix …

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The Long-Term Effect Of A Brief Motivational Alcohol Intervention For Heavy Drinking Mandated College Students, Meredith Ashley Terlecki Jan 2011

The Long-Term Effect Of A Brief Motivational Alcohol Intervention For Heavy Drinking Mandated College Students, Meredith Ashley Terlecki

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study evaluated the long-term impact of a brief motivational intervention (BMI) among college undergraduates mandated to treatment relative to heavy drinking volunteer students. Participants (N = 225; 61% male) were randomized to a BMI (n = 115) or a control group (n = 110). Alcohol consumption (drinks per week, drinking frequency, typical drinks, peak drinks), alcohol-related problems, and readiness to change (RTC) were collected at baseline, 4 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months posttreatment. BMI participants significantly decreased drinks per week (treatment, M change = 7.33; control, M change = 3.60), typical drinks (treatment, M change = 1.46; control, …

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Emotion And Rhetoric In Bioshock, Jason Liban Rose Jan 2011

Emotion And Rhetoric In Bioshock, Jason Liban Rose

LSU Master's Theses

In this paper, I tie four concepts together to form a defense both of videogames as art, and of rhetoric as a value-neutral tool of expression, that can be both positive and useful for society. (1) In the first chapter, I explain the Platonic view of rhetoric as an “empty knack” and how it differs from other accounts of rhetoric, ancient and modern. (2) In the second chapter I present a nuanced understanding of the role emotion plays in practical moral reasoning under a computational model of the mind, as described by Antonio Damasio’s neurological somatic marker theory in Descartes’ …

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Dyadic Meta-Accuracy In Leader-Member Exchanges: An Examination Of Antecedents And Relational Outcomes, Jared A. Ledoux Jan 2011

Dyadic Meta-Accuracy In Leader-Member Exchanges: An Examination Of Antecedents And Relational Outcomes, Jared A. Ledoux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Work organizations are inherently social entities, dependent upon the social interactions between supervisors and subordinates. This study examined the role of interpersonal processes within organizational settings, focusing upon subordinates‟ accuracy in judging their supervisors‟ impressions of the subordinates‟ personality. This phenomenon, dyadic meta-accuracy, is examined within exchange relationships between supervisors and subordinates, drawing upon Leader Member Exchange (LMX) theory and the metaperception literature. A theoretical framework proposed potential antecedents of subordinate meta-accuracy, including: communication frequency, physical proximity, psychological closeness, and trait visibility. In addition, subordinate meta-accuracy was proposed as a determinant of the relational quality between subordinate and supervisor and …

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An African American Discourse Community In Black & White: The New Orleans Tribune, Kristi Richard Melancon Jan 2011

An African American Discourse Community In Black & White: The New Orleans Tribune, Kristi Richard Melancon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In An African American Discourse Community in Black & White: The New Orleans Tribune, an archival study of the first black-owned daily newspaper in the United States, I argue that the newspaper rhetorically constructed a literate African American discourse community worthy of citizenship and equal political rights within the public sphere of Reconstruction United States. Although contemporaneous media in the South depicted blacks as both unable to read and write and as culturally illiterate, I demonstrate how articles across the lifespan of the Tribune represented, as well as encouraged and enabled, multiple literacies within the African American community. I ultimately …

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Climate Change Displacement And Global Governance: A Case Study Of Three Intergovernmental Organizations And The Conflict Between The Member States And Bureaucracy, Andrea C. S. Berringer Jan 2011

Climate Change Displacement And Global Governance: A Case Study Of Three Intergovernmental Organizations And The Conflict Between The Member States And Bureaucracy, Andrea C. S. Berringer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Climate change is a topic most often broached by environmental scientists and activists and its effects are discussed in terms of animal populations and atmospheric events. However, its direct effect on human life is yet to garner such attention. A changing climate will affect how people are able to use their environment, if at all. Sea level rise and desertification will force a shift in human habitation. How the world seeks to deal with this shift is yet to be seen. The global governance of climate change-induced displacement is currently at the stage of ad hoc development. Legal and conceptual …

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Improving Math Instruction In Schools That Serve The Poor, John, L. Jr. Sims Jan 2011

Improving Math Instruction In Schools That Serve The Poor, John, L. Jr. Sims

LSU Master's Theses

Public alarm concerning how well U.S. schools are performing in mathematics compared to other developed nations is increasing. Reports of inadequate teaching, poor curriculum design, and low performance on standardized test have been fueled by the media. These issues in American mathematics classrooms are far compounded in schools that serve the poorest in America. When comparing mathematical proficiency rates of U.S. schools with other countries, schools with less than 25% free and reduced lunch score competitively with counterparts in other countries. In contrast, schools with rates of free and reduced lunch higher than 50% score dismally in comparison. Conditions such …

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Writing William Burroughs, Performing The Archive, John Lebret Jan 2011

Writing William Burroughs, Performing The Archive, John Lebret

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Between 1958 and 1972, author William S. Burroughs undertook a series of radical experiments with alternative compositional modes based on the aleatory form of the Cut-up. Burroughs sold the entirety of his work from the period, assembled into an archive, to a collector in 1972. This study uses performative writing to document a year of archival research in Burroughs' collection, currently housed by The Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature at the New York Public Library. Melding Bakhtin's theories of the chronotope and the grotesque body with creative writing and experimental modes of scholarly …

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Replenishment Policies For A Tree-Type Three Echelon Supply Chain System, Ratkrit Rochanaluk Jan 2011

Replenishment Policies For A Tree-Type Three Echelon Supply Chain System, Ratkrit Rochanaluk

LSU Master's Theses

One of the common goals which most companies have is to maximize profits. There are two way to increase profit: increasing revenue or reducing cost. Lacking of ability to keep the cost down could potentially drive the companies out of the business. In recent years, many researchers have been paying more attention on improving supply chain system due to high potential of creating cost savings. The supply chain network considered in this research is a tree-type, three-echelon single producer, multiple distributors, and multiple retailers system. The goal of this research is to develop a replenishment policy which satisfies customers’ demand …

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Social Graces: The Natchez Garden Club As A Literacy Sponsor, June Graham Jan 2011

Social Graces: The Natchez Garden Club As A Literacy Sponsor, June Graham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study asks (1) how did the Natchez Garden Club conceptualize and promote literacy in their club and in the community?, (2) how might educational practices of select Southern, White, elite women be theorized in the lives of the Natchez Garden Club and its members during the 1930s, 40s and 50s?, and (3) how does an examination of the Natchez Garden Club illuminate understandings of select Southern, White, privileged women and the ways they took on roles as informal educators? To answer these questions, the study examined The Natchez Garden Club, an elite White women’s club in the South and …

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Situation Comedies And The Single Woman On Television, Ashli Leeann Dykes Jan 2011

Situation Comedies And The Single Woman On Television, Ashli Leeann Dykes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Through an historical overview of the never-married female character in twentieth century situation comedies and an in-depth analysis of three twenty-first century American sitcoms, this dissertation investigates how television creators, writers, producers, and actors have interpreted the figure of the single woman and attempted to make her appealing and acceptable to a broad viewing audience. Because of its traditionally family-friendly offerings and preponderance of female characters in comparison to other popular culture genres, the situation comedy presents a significant case study for the analysis of female representations on television. Through its encouraged identification with characters and portrayals of issues that …

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Teaching High School Geometry With Tasks And Activities, Margaret Ann Fazekas Jan 2011

Teaching High School Geometry With Tasks And Activities, Margaret Ann Fazekas

LSU Master's Theses

Task-based learning is an instructional method in which students complete coherently-structured activities in order to meet objectives set by the educator. This thesis illustrates learning communities as the ideal environment for a task-based learning classroom. It discusses the teacher’s role in a task-based classroom. This paper also describes three examples of tasks performed in my high school geometry classroom along with my observations of students’ interactions and discussions.

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"We Live In A Used World": Cultural Geographies Of American Garage Sales, Gentry Powell Hanks Jan 2011

"We Live In A Used World": Cultural Geographies Of American Garage Sales, Gentry Powell Hanks

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis seeks to understand the emotional geographies of American garage sales, which I argue are liminal. Through a methodology of narrative surveys (open-ended questionnaires), mental maps, participant-observation, and interviews, I make the case that garage sales, through absent and/or present items, narratives, and exchanged histories, can reveal much in terms of identity, values, and cultural practices. These archives on the margins hold stories, artifacts, and performances of a distant or near past, giving geographers an innovative lens through which to explore the intricacies of materiality, place, and representation. This thesis provides a range of theoretical and practical perspectives on …

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The Expression Of Cardiotrophin-1 Is Differentially Regulated In Murine And Human Obesity Type Ii Diabetes, Kelesha Crystal Sarjeant Jan 2011

The Expression Of Cardiotrophin-1 Is Differentially Regulated In Murine And Human Obesity Type Ii Diabetes, Kelesha Crystal Sarjeant

LSU Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in all developed nations. Several independent studies have shown that cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) serum levels are modulated in patients with various types of cardiovascular disease including ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, and accelerated arthrosclerosis. CT-1 is a member of the Interleukin-6 family, or gp130 family of cytokines. It is also known to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo, and is a critical component for cardiomyocyte survival. CT-1 is a naturally occurring protein with a molecular mass of approximately 21.5 kD and a 200 amino acid long sequence, it was discovered …

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Stay Calm And Tweet: A Best Practice Approach To The Use Of Social Media In A Crisis Situation, Elizabeth Barrow Tadie Jan 2011

Stay Calm And Tweet: A Best Practice Approach To The Use Of Social Media In A Crisis Situation, Elizabeth Barrow Tadie

LSU Master's Theses

At some point in its history every organization will face a crisis situation. How an organization responds to a crisis incident decides its survival. As Internet technology flourishes, public relations practitioners are provided with additional tools to manage crisis situations. This study investigates the role that emerging social media components play in the field of crisis management. It presents a best practice approach to using new technology in times of emergency. A qualitative study of Louisiana public relations practitioners analyzes how and why social media is being integrated into crisis communication plans. Social media components are used to quickly communicate …

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Analysis Of Major Hydrologic Events In Ascension Parish, La, Jessica Irene Mason Jan 2011

Analysis Of Major Hydrologic Events In Ascension Parish, La, Jessica Irene Mason

LSU Master's Theses

Ascension Parish is located in Southern Louisiana and is characterized by low slope and low elevation. This combination allows for much hydrologic storage during a flood event. Because Ascension Parish is one of the most rapidly growing areas in the United States, it is necessary to accurately predict the hydrologic and hydraulic properties of flow and accurately model them. Several processes within a hydrologic model greatly influence the output flow hydrographs so selecting correct methods and parameters is important. Transform methods describe how excess precipitation is transformed into runoff. There are several methods that can be used as a transform …

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Modeling Effects Of Coupled Convection And Co2 Injection In Stimulating Geopressured Geothermal Reservoirs, Tatyana Plaksina Jan 2011

Modeling Effects Of Coupled Convection And Co2 Injection In Stimulating Geopressured Geothermal Reservoirs, Tatyana Plaksina

LSU Master's Theses

Geopressured geothermal brines are a vast geothermal resource in the US Gulf of Mexico region. In particular, geopressured sandstones near salt domes are potential sources of geothermal energy because salt diapirs with high thermal conductivities may pierce younger, cooler strata. These characteristics enhance transfer heat from older, hotter strata at the base of the diapir into shallower strata. Moreover, widespread geopressure in the Gulf region tends to preserve permeability, enhancing productivity. As an example, the Camerina A sand of South Louisiana was chosen as a geomodel for a numerical simulation study of effects of CO2 injection and coupled convection as …

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Proteomic Analysis Of The Blood Of Alligator Mississippiensis, Lancia Nadinia Fallen Darville-Bowleg Jan 2011

Proteomic Analysis Of The Blood Of Alligator Mississippiensis, Lancia Nadinia Fallen Darville-Bowleg

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My research focus was to investigate alligator blood using mass spectrometry-based proteomics methods to understand their innate immune systems. The first goal was to sequence peptides and proteins from the blood serum and leukocytes using tandem mass spectrometry and de novo sequencing. The second goal was to determine the function of these biological molecules and their relationship to the immune system. One- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to separate proteins from alligator leukocytes, which were enzymatically digested. The peptides were measured using reversed phase nano-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (nano-HPLC-MS/MS) followed with de novo sequencing. …

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Moral Dilemmas In Contemporary Virtue Ethics, Nicholas Schroeder Jan 2011

Moral Dilemmas In Contemporary Virtue Ethics, Nicholas Schroeder

LSU Master's Theses

A simple definition of a moral dilemma is a situation where an agent ought to do two different things but can only do one. Though this definition may seem straightforward enough, it has created a stir over the last fifty years. Bernard Williams first used the concept of moral dilemmas to call the adequacy of the major ethical theories into question, challenging the possibility of consistent ethical systems. More recently, virtue ethicists, like Rosalind Hursthouse, have used moral dilemmas to challenge the two dominant schools of moral philosophy: deontology and utilitarianism. These attacks have been instrumental in setting up virtue …

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Evaluation Of Selected Plant Products As Dietary Protein Sources For Florida Pompano (Trachinotus Carolinus), Gregory Lech Jan 2011

Evaluation Of Selected Plant Products As Dietary Protein Sources For Florida Pompano (Trachinotus Carolinus), Gregory Lech

LSU Master's Theses

Profitability of aquaculture enterprises worldwide has been affected by rising fish meal prices. Plant proteins are promising replacements for fish meal because of their lower cost and worldwide availability. The goal of this research was to provide nutritional information for the development of all-plant diets for Florida pompano by evaluating growth of fish fed soy-based, fish-meal-free diets and assessing the nutritional value of several plant protein sources. In the first experiment, juvenile Florida pompano were fed five, soy-based, fish-meal-free diets containing graded levels of soybean meal (SBM, or M) at 0, 20, 25, 30, or 35%, with the remaining protein …

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Hmo2, A Yeast Hmgb Protein That Preferentially Binds To Dna Ends, Sreerupa Ray Jan 2011

Hmo2, A Yeast Hmgb Protein That Preferentially Binds To Dna Ends, Sreerupa Ray

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

DNA damage is a common hazard that all cells have to combat. Saccharomyces cerevisiae HMO2 is a high mobility group protein (HMGB) that is a component of the chromatin remodeling complex INO80, which is involved in double strand break repair. I show here using DNA end-joining and exonuclease protection assays that HMO2 binds preferentially to DNA ends. While HMO2 binds DNA with both blunt and cohesive ends, the sequence of a single stranded overhang significantly affects binding, supporting the conclusion that HMO2 recognizes features at DNA ends. Analysis of the effect of duplex length on the ability of HMO2 to …

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"The Prince And His People": A Study Of Edwardian Propaganda, 1547-1549, Allison Claire Cooper Jan 2011

"The Prince And His People": A Study Of Edwardian Propaganda, 1547-1549, Allison Claire Cooper

LSU Master's Theses

One of the most important events of Edward VI’s reign, the 1549 rebellions, has been intensely studied by historians of the period. However, most monographs of the rebellions pinpoint the enclosure commissions or Edward Seymour’s inability to govern effectively as the reasons behind the riots. What is ignored is the intimate relationship between the eastern rebels’ language in their petitions and the rhetoric employed in evangelical propaganda from Edward’s accession in January 1547 to the outbreak of the rebellions in May 1549. My research in Edwardian propaganda during Somerset’s protectorate reveals a dialogue established between evangelicals and Catholics concerning doctrine …

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Temporal Changes Of Coastal Community Resilience In The Gulf Of Mexico Region, Kenan Li Jan 2011

Temporal Changes Of Coastal Community Resilience In The Gulf Of Mexico Region, Kenan Li

LSU Master's Theses

The Gulf of Mexico Region is a region where coastal hazards are frequently occurring. To study the resilience of the counties along the Gulf of Mexico is of great importance to its sustainable planning and development. It also plays a huge role in coastal hazard mitigation. This study assesses the temporal changes of coastal community resilience of 132 counties along the Gulf of Mexico. The basic analytical framework to assess resilience consists of three dimensions (exposure, damage, and recovery) and two relationships (vulnerability and adaptability). Vulnerability refers to the relationship between exposure and damage, whereas the relationship between damage and …

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Stage Specific Cotton Water Use Crop Coefficients In Northeast Louisiana, Vipan Kumar Jan 2011

Stage Specific Cotton Water Use Crop Coefficients In Northeast Louisiana, Vipan Kumar

LSU Master's Theses

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important commercial crop in the northeastern part of Louisiana. Research-based information for irrigation scheduling in cotton is lacking in this region. A two-step reference evapotranspiration (ETo) - cotton crop coefficient (Kc) approach is considered a standard method of crop water use (ETc) estimation. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine stage-specific cotton water use crop coefficients (Kc), a ratio of ETc to ETo at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station in 2010. For ETc estimation, paired weighing lysimeters were used. Cotton variety ‘Stoneville 5458 B2RF’ was planted on weighing lysimeters by hands and surrounding …

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Investigation Into The Cause Of Earthen Embankment Instability Along The "V-Line" Artificial Levee In Marrero, Louisiana, Usa, Jason Hicks Jan 2011

Investigation Into The Cause Of Earthen Embankment Instability Along The "V-Line" Artificial Levee In Marrero, Louisiana, Usa, Jason Hicks

LSU Master's Theses

The “V-line” levee, located in Marrero, LA, has a crack along its crest, measuring approximately 100 meters in length, 30 centimeters in depth, and 30 centimeters in width. This crack is a sign of levee instability. Seismic shear wave, CPT, and laboratory shear strength data were collected and processed to identify the cause of the instability. A zone of low seismic shear wave velocity was interpreted approximately 3 meters deep from the berm of the levee. Because of the large spacing between laboratory shear strength test sampling and CPT sites, a similar zone of low shear strength was not found …

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The Relationship Between Visual Attention And Prospective Memory, Noelle L. Brown Jan 2011

The Relationship Between Visual Attention And Prospective Memory, Noelle L. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study examined the role of attention in prospective memory. Prospective memory refers to the ability to form an intention to do something in the future, such as email a colleague, and additionally remembering to do so at the appropriate moment. Theories of prospective memory retrieval suggest that attention is required to complete an intention. However, the exact role of attention and whether it is always required remains unclear. One challenge in examining the allocation of attentional resources in prospective memory is that a direct measure of these resources does not exist. The current study attempted to address this …

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Characterization And Prototyping Of The Rotating Modulator Hard X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Telescope, Brent Budden Jan 2011

Characterization And Prototyping Of The Rotating Modulator Hard X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Telescope, Brent Budden

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A hard x-ray/gamma-ray telescope with high sensitivity and wide field of view would be capable of performing an all-sky census of black holes over a wide range of obscuration and accretion rates. As an example, NASA's Black Hole Finder Probe mission was designed to provide a 5-sigma flux sensitivity in a 1-year observation of ~0.02 mCrab in the 10 - 150 keV energy range and 0.5 mCrab in the 150 - 600 keV energy range with 3 - 5 minutes of arc angular resolution. These are significantly higher sensitivity and resolution goals than those of current instruments. The design focus …

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Stochastic Modelling Of Eukaryotic Cell Cycle, Murali Krushna Koneru Jan 2011

Stochastic Modelling Of Eukaryotic Cell Cycle, Murali Krushna Koneru

LSU Master's Theses

Stochastic models are developed to capture the inherent stochasticity of the biochemical networks associated to many biological processes. The objective of the present thesis is to present a detailed picture of stochastic approach for the mathematical modeling of eukaryotic cell cycle, to demonstrate an important application of such model in chemotherapy and to present a methodology for selecting the model parameters. The stochastic cell cycle model, developed using stochastic chemical kinetics approach, leads to the formation of an infinite dimensional differential equation in probabilities of system being in a specific state. Using Monte Carlo simulations of this model, dynamics of …

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A Systematic Study Of Xylella Fastidiosa Strains Isolated From Pecan, Grapevine, Oleander, And Sycamore In Louisiana, Rebecca Ann Melanson Jan 2011

A Systematic Study Of Xylella Fastidiosa Strains Isolated From Pecan, Grapevine, Oleander, And Sycamore In Louisiana, Rebecca Ann Melanson

LSU Master's Theses

Xylella fastidiosa causes disease in a number of economically important crops and landscape shrubs and trees including grapevine, citrus, oleander, and sycamore. In pecan, X. fastidiosa causes pecan bacterial leaf scorch (PBLS), which leads to defoliation and reduces nut yield. No economically effective treatments are available for PBLS. In order to improve PBLS management practices, it is necessary to determine the subspecies of X. fastidiosa strains that infect pecan so potential sources of inoculum can be identified. Multiprimer PCR and phylogenetic analyses using nucleotide sequence data from the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region and pglA consistently identified strains …

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