Digital Commons Network^™

Rletters: A Web-Based Application For Text Analysis Of Journal Articles, Charles H. Pence

Faculty Publications

While textual analysis of the journal literature is a burgeoning field, there is still a profound lack of user-friendly software for accomplishing this task. RLetters is a free, open-source web application which provides researchers with an environment in which they can select sets of journal articles and analyze them with cutting-edge textual analysis tools. RLetters allows users without prior expertise in textual analysis to analyze word frequency, collocations, cooccurrences, term networks, and more. It is implemented in Ruby and scripts are provided to automate deployment.

Igf1 And Adipose Tissue Homeostasis, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Modulation Of Il-27 In Adipocytes During Inflammatory Stress, Heesun Nam, Bradley S. Ferguson, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Ron F. Morrison

Faculty Publications

© 2015 The Obesity Society. Objective While it is well established that adipose tissue-derived inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenic mechanisms linking obesity with metabolic dysfunction, the inflammatory mediators involved have not been fully elucidated. Here, we explored IL-12 family cytokines with a focus on IL-27 during obesity-induced inflammation in mice and cultured adipocytes (ADs) following exposure to inflammatory stimuli. Methods Relative mRNA abundance of IL-12 cytokines was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in genetically obese B6-ob/ob mice as well as C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet and in ADs following exposure to inflammatory stimuli. …

Research Matters Spring 2016, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

Research Matters & RNR Newsletters

Research Matters is a publication which highlights ongoing research, international travel experiences, classroom happenings and degree program developments of and for the School of Renewable Natural Resources' students and faculty.

Searching For Freedom After The Civil War: Klansman, Carpetbagger, Scalawag, And Freedman, Justin Behrend

Civil War Book Review

The Origins of an Iconic Reconstruction Image

On September 1, 1868, a crude and simply-drawn cartoon appeared in the Tuscaloosa Independent Monitor that shocked newspaper readers across the country. Titled “A Prospective Scene in the ‘City of Oaks,’ 4th of March, 1869," it showed a ....

Picturing Frederick Douglass:An Illustrated Biography Of The Nineteenth Century\'S Most Photographed American, Leigh Fought

Civil War Book Review

A Life in Images: The Many Faces of Frederick Douglass Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass sat for a portrait nearly every year of his life from 1841 until his death in 1895. Although this frequency does not necessarily prove the headline-ready subtitle of Picturing Frederick Douglass: An Illu....

Centering Animals In Latin American History, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Obesity Impairs Skeletal Muscle Regeneration Through Inhibition Of Ampk, Xing Fu, Meijun Zhu, Shuming Zhang, Marc Foretz, Benoit Viollet, Min Du

Faculty Publications

© 2016 by the American Diabetes Association. Obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide and is accompanied by many complications, including impaired muscle regeneration. The obese condition is known to inhibit AMPK activity in multiple tissues. We hypothesized that the loss of AMPK activity is a major reason for hampered muscle regeneration in obese subjects. We found that obesity inhibits AMPK activity in regenerating muscle, which was associated with impeded satellite cell activation and impaired muscle regeneration. To test the mediatory role of AMPKα1, we knocked out AMPKα1 and found that both proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells are reduced after injury …

In Need Of Direction: An Evaluation Of The "Direct Effect" Requirement Under Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act, Claire L. Leonard

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Blocking Blockage, Ken M. Levy

All Scholarship

The Blockage Argument is designed to improve upon Harry Frankfurt’s famous argument against the Principle of Alternative Possibilities (PAP) by removing the counterfactual intervener altogether. If the argument worked, then it would prove in a way that Frankfurt’s argument does not that moral responsibility does not require any alternative possibilities whatsoever, not even the weakest “flicker of freedom” (such as the possibility of avoiding voluntary action).

Some philosophers have rejected the Blockage Argument solely on the basis of their intuition that the inability to do otherwise is incompatible with moral responsibility. I will argue, however, that it is not merely …

Removing The Mass Misperception: A Consideration Of Mass Environmental Torts And Removal Jurisdiction Under The Class Action Fairness Act, Kirsten Z. Myers

Valparaiso University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Missing The Trees For The Forest: The Socioecological Significance Of Dispersed Farmland Trees In Northern Ethiopia, Jacob A. Wall, Travis W. Reynolds

Honors Theses

Scattered trees are prominent features in the agricultural landscape of the Ethiopian highlands. The dry Afromontane forests of the Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia have faced centuries of deforestation - the FAO estimates only 3% of the region is forested today. The remaining landscape has been largely converted into agricultural and grazing lands, with the exception of some limited government-protected lands, as well as thousands of small forest fragments left around Orthodox Churches (“church forests”). But while a growing body of scholarship has highlighted the ecological and cultural importance of church forests and other natural forest fragments, the roles of …

Missing The Trees For The Forest: The Socioecological Significance Of Dispersed Farmland Trees In Northern Ethiopia, Jacob A. Wall

Honors Theses

Scattered trees are prominent features in the agricultural landscape of the Ethiopian highlands. The dry Afromontane forests of the Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia have faced centuries of deforestation - the FAO estimates only 3% of the region is forested today. The remaining landscape has been largely converted into agricultural and grazing lands, with the exception of some limited government-protected lands, as well as thousands of small forest fragments left around Orthodox Churches (“church forests”). But while a growing body of scholarship has highlighted the ecological and cultural importance of church forests and other natural forest fragments, the roles of …

Entering Into Dialogue With Pope Francis' Laudato Si: On Care For Our Common Home, Sarah Jeanne Shimer

Honors Theses

Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home brings together the spheres of science and religion. In this document, Francis puts forth a call for action towards religious and non-religious communities alike to address climate change. The strength of the document lies in the way Francis expresses his call. By drawing on scientific and religious tradition, he situates the encyclical in a broader conversation about the moral obligation for humans to care for the environment. This thesis explores the reception of Laudato Si by religious and environmental communities through political cartoons, written critiques, and personal interviews. …

Pharmaceutical And Personal Care Products Concentrations In The Belgrade Lakes: A Possible Threat To Aquatic Ecosystems And Human Health, Serena Haver

Honors Theses

Pharmaceuticals and active ingredients from personal care products (PPCPs) include prescription and over-the-counter drugs, sunscreen, fragrances, and soaps. Recently researchers have detected PPCPs in surface waters, posing a threat to aquatic biota and human health. These compounds can enter the environment through dumping, direct excretion, or sewage effluent streams. We tested 14 water samples from East Pond, Great Pond, and Long Pond in Maine for the presence of 23 different PPCPs. Of those, we only detected significant levels of caffeine, 1,7-dimethylxanthine, and amphetamine all below 1µg/L. There were no significant differences between any of the three lakes for any of …

Assessing Lakesmart: The Development And Effectiveness Of A Lake Protection Program, Alexa A. E. Junker

Honors Theses

Maine’s nearly 6,000 lakes are a vital resource for the state, generating $6 billion in annual economic activity and sustaining 52,000 jobs. Over the course of the last several decades, this resource has increasingly been threatened by development and related problems, especially nutrient runoff. LakeSmart is a lake protection program designed to stem the flow of nutrient runoff by promoting and rewarding the use lake-friendly landscaping practices.

For this project, I traced the history of LakeSmart from its roots in the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and, through stakeholder interviews and surveys, chronicled its development into the flagship program of …

The Historical Ecology Of Queensland’S Australian Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus), Emily M. Walker

Honors Theses

Human wildlife conflict is a critical aspect of many societies, as it often plays a large role in government decisions. The iconic saltwater Australian crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is one example of a species that has become the subject of human-wildlife conflict in Queensland, Australia. Decades of intensive hunting in Queensland, beginning at the time of the Second World War, drastically depleted crocodile populations, leading to a federal embargo on crocodile exports in 1972 and their protection in Queensland in 1974. Since protection, populations appear to be recovering with increasing densities in the north and increased sightings along the …

Petrography, Mineralogy, And Geochemistry Of Greenish- And Reddish-Gray Siltstones Straddling The Vertebrate-Defined Permian–Triassic Boundary In South Africa, Jiawen Li

Honors Theses

The Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction (PTME) is considered the largest in Earth’s history, yet the terrestrial response is not well understood. The Karoo Basin, South Africa, hosts abundant exposures of terrestrial deposits that span the Permian– Triassic Boundary (PTB). The terrestrial PTB is defined by a turnover in vertebrate assemblage zones and has been associated with a transition from greenish-gray to reddish-gray siltstone. The current PTME model states that the siltstone color change is a reflection of aridification and eolian deposition, which is believed to represent rapid climate change directly linked with the event. Greenish- and reddish-gray siltstones were collected from …

The Voluntourism Encounter: Affect, Discomfort, And Transformation In Yaxunah, Caroline Tegeler

Honors Theses

Within the massive tourism and travel industry, the niche market of volunteer tourism has risen recently in both notoriety and popularity with its promises of a more conscious form of experiencing the world and its people. I explore in this thesis project the encounter between volunteer tourist and host community by examining the motivations, expectations, and imagined roles and identities of each side of the voluntourism encounter. The volunteer tourism industry frames voluntourism as a path towards a more personal, ethical and responsible tourism, but has created experiences filled with discomfort for tourists in their encounter with the communities in …

Shifting Baselines Of Iconic Marine Species In The Caribbean, Samantha Lovell

Honors Theses

As the degradation of Caribbean coral reefs occurs, memory of past states is lost so the degraded status is used as a standard in management, a phenomenon known as “shifting baselines.” To set restoration targets, marine historical ecology studies are helpful to document baselines of species and understand the past productivity of ecosystems. In this study, I examine the historical ecology of the islands Barbuda, Curaçao, and Montserrat. I analyzed archival materials, including historical maps and other documents from the islands to identify previously abundant or iconic species and understand historical changes. From the archival resources I identified 30 places …

The Effect Of Cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia Echinulata In The Belgrade Lakes, Maine, Harriet T. Rothschild

Honors Theses

Gloeotrichia echinulata is a cyanobacteria species that has been increasingly forming blooms in oligotrophic lakes in the Northeastern United States. The Belgrade Lakes in central Maine have experienced increasing blooms over the past decades. Long Pond and Great Pond in the Belgrade Lakes region are popular locations for summer tourism and year-round residents. Research into G. echinulata is important to the Belgrade community because of potential effects to water quality, public health, and recreation. Studying G. echinulata bloom density throughout the summer and how it may affect the phosphorous cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the plankton community will help scientists …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns In Irruptive Fringillid Movements, Paul J. Dougherty

Honors Theses

Historic Christmas Bird Count and eBird data indicate that during winter invasions, North American irruptive fringillid species occur in relatively even numbers across latitudes east of the Rocky Mountains. Most boreal breeding species show large southward invasions every other winter, with this pattern typically being strongest across the northern and mid United States. eBird data confirms that many northern fringillids irrupt synchronously, and both datasets also show positive correlations between the winter movements of southern breeding species in many areas. Winter abundance records show negative correlations between northern breeding species and southern breeding species in nearly all monitored areas of …

Don't Know, Do Not Resuscitate: A Principle For The Creation Of The Kingdom Of Ends In The Icu, Griffen Isaac Allen

Honors Theses

In the United States today 20% of all Americans die in Intensive Care Units, or ICUs. These were developed in the 50s, 60s, and 70s to centralize medical resources to help treat critically ill patients with new technologies like ventilators, dialysis, and other tools that are now commonplace. This occurred simultaneously with the emergence of individualistic autonomy, understood as the patient's right to dictate their treatment, as the dominant force in medical ethics. Ostensibly both of these developments would seem beneficial for patients. However, the ultimate result is overly aggressive care that strips patients of their dignity and ensures that …

Environmental Contingency Of Seed-Fungi Interactions In Coexisting Invasive Purple Loosestrife And Native Cattail, Shayla R. Williams

Honors Theses

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is a highly invasive species able to quickly take over entire wetlands, especially after disturbances. Bountiful seed production and a persistent and prolific seed bank play a key role in loosestrife’s ability to invade. However, some competing native species, such as cattails (Typha spp.) have comparable seed production rates but less abundant seed banks, suggesting that there may be a difference in belowground seed survival. I investigated the abundance of loosestrife and cattail seeds in soils at roadside sites relative to above-ground stem densities. Given the importance of fungal pathogens to seed …

The Impact Of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals On Wildlife Conservation, Eda Reed

Honors Theses

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as those from plastics and pesticides, have been hypothesized to affect wildlife populations. According to the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, EDCs ‘are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife.’ A growing number of studies suggest wildlife are being exposed to EDCs, but how EDCs affect wildlife health and wildlife conservation is less well-understood. Through scientific literature analysis and a survey of wildlife conservationists and practitioners, this study aims to determine the current state of knowledge and data …

Taxonomy, Ecology And Control Of Thalassina Mud Lobsters On Carey Island And Kelanang Shore (Peninsular Malaysia) / Moh Heng Hing, Heng Hing Moh

Student Works (2010-2019)

Thalassinid mud lobsters are large burrowing crustaceans commonly found on mangrove shores. They are not well studied due to their cryptic nature and subterranean habit. Mangrove land reclamation puts this enigmatic creature at odds with humans where their burrowing activities wreck coastal dykes and culture ponds. This study investigated the species of mud lobsters in Malaysia, and their abundance and distribution in relation to environmental factors on Kelanang shore and particularly, Carey Island, where coastal dykes are built to protect largely oil palm estates. Thus, a goal of this study was to find environmental-friendly ways to control mud lobster infestations …

Antioxidant And Antiproliferative Activities Of Several Marine Organisms From The West Coast Of Peninsular Malaysia / Chia Yin Yin, Yin Yin Chia

Student Works (2010-2019)

Three species of seaweeds (Padina tetrastromatica, Caulerpa racemosa and Turbinaria ornata) and a sponge (Spheciospongia vagabunda) were evaluated for their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities in the human breast adenocarcinoma cell line, MCF-7. The crude extracts of the seaweeds and sponge were sequentially extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol. The extracts showed potent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, nitric oxide, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. The crude extracts were also evaluated for their antiproliferative effects on MCF-7 cells using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. None of the extracts showed any toxicity in the normal breast cell line, 184B5. …

Potential Protective Effects Of Tualang Honey And Ficus Deltoidea Dack Var.Deltoidea Against Bisphenol A Induced Toxicity In The Reproductive System Of Pre-Pubertal Female Rats / Siti Sarah Mohammad Zaid, Mohammad Zaid Siti Sarah

Student Works (2010-2019)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most ubiquitous environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals that can disrupt the normal development and functions of the female reproductive system. In the last few decades, considerable amount of evidence has shown that young women are put at high risk of reproductive infertility from their routine exposure to numerous BPA-products since BPA induces increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is responsible for reducing the levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and increasing the levels of lipid peroxides. Thus, natural products containing high antioxidant properties such as tualang honey (Malaysian wild local honey) and Ficus …

Seroepidemiology And Characterisation Of Neutralisation Escape Mutants Of Enterovirus A71 / Nik Nadia Nik Mohd Nasir, Nik Mohd Nasir Nik Nadia

Student Works (2010-2019)

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is an important emerging pathogen causing large epidemics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in children. In Malaysia, since its first epidemic in 1997, recurrent cyclical epidemics have occurred every 2-3 years. Currently, no study of the seroepidemiology of EV-A71 infection has been done in Malaysia. The objectives of the current study were to determine the seroepidemiology of EV-A71 infection in children up to 12 years of age, and general urban and rural populations in Malaysia; to identify risk factors for seropositivity to EV-A71 in the rural population; and to generate EV-A71 neutralisation escape mutants to …

Biological Activities Of Curcuma Purpurascens Bi. Rhizome Extract Using In Vitro And In Vivo Models / Elham Rouhollahi, Rouhollahi Elham

Student Works (2010-2019)

Curcuma purpurascens BI. is a medicinal plant from the Zingiberaceae family, which is widely used as a spice and in folk medicine for the treatment of wounds, scabies, itching, fever, cough and boil. In this study, chemopreventive properties of dichloromethane and hexane extracts of C. purpurascens BI rhizome (DECPR and HECPR) on azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF), gastroprotective and wound healing potential in rats were been evaluated. The acute toxicity test of DECPR and HECPR in rats, carried out in two doses, i.e. 2 and 5 g/kg, showed that these two plant extracts were safe even at a high …