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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Xylose-Fermenting Yeast Species Found In The Wood Of Southeast Louisiana, Claire Reuter May 2008

Xylose-Fermenting Yeast Species Found In The Wood Of Southeast Louisiana, Claire Reuter

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Characterization Of A Non-Cytoplasmically Localized Dps Protein From Deinococcus Radiodurans, Brian Reon Apr 2008

Characterization Of A Non-Cytoplasmically Localized Dps Protein From Deinococcus Radiodurans, Brian Reon

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Toxic Gene Expression In Escherichia Coli Using Trpl As A Repressor, Ian Primm Apr 2008

Toxic Gene Expression In Escherichia Coli Using Trpl As A Repressor, Ian Primm

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Feasibility And Desirability Of Ethanol Production In The State Of Louisiana, John David Barreca Apr 2008

Feasibility And Desirability Of Ethanol Production In The State Of Louisiana, John David Barreca

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Responses Of The Sea Catfish, Ariopsis Felis, To Chemical Defenses From The Sea Hare, Aplysia Californica, Sheybani Arman Apr 2008

Responses Of The Sea Catfish, Ariopsis Felis, To Chemical Defenses From The Sea Hare, Aplysia Californica, Sheybani Arman

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Polyphasic Taxonomy Of A Group Of Globally Dispersed, Desiccation-Resistant Strains Of The Microvirga/Balneimonas Cluster, Bradley Tolar Apr 2008

Polyphasic Taxonomy Of A Group Of Globally Dispersed, Desiccation-Resistant Strains Of The Microvirga/Balneimonas Cluster, Bradley Tolar

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Hatchability Of End Of Lay Egg Production Broiler Breeder Eggs As Influenced By Prestorage Warming, Kyle Homan Apr 2008

Hatchability Of End Of Lay Egg Production Broiler Breeder Eggs As Influenced By Prestorage Warming, Kyle Homan

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


The Effects Of Epidermal Growth Factor And Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor On Cryopreserved Human Adipose Derived Stem Cells In Culture: Proliferation, Adipogenesis, And Osteogenesis, Teddi Leigh Hebert Apr 2008

The Effects Of Epidermal Growth Factor And Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor On Cryopreserved Human Adipose Derived Stem Cells In Culture: Proliferation, Adipogenesis, And Osteogenesis, Teddi Leigh Hebert

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Modeling Electric Fields In Microfluidic Devices, Micah Fincher Apr 2008

Modeling Electric Fields In Microfluidic Devices, Micah Fincher

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Factors Potentially Influencing The Abundance Of Mosquitoes In Louisiana Rice Fields, Ana Maria Sanchez De Cuadra Jan 2008

Factors Potentially Influencing The Abundance Of Mosquitoes In Louisiana Rice Fields, Ana Maria Sanchez De Cuadra

LSU Master's Theses

The rice stink bug (Oebalus pugnax) is the major pest of late-season rice in Louisiana. Prior studies indicate that large populations of mosquitoes are often present in rice fields during the time that rice fields are infested with rice stink bugs. Lambda-cyhalothrin (Karate®) is widely used to control rice stink bugs. The purpose of this study was to determine if application of the insecticide Karate® at a rate of 0.033 kg/ha, for rice stink bug control had an effect on the population of mosquitoes in rice fields. This effect was assessed by monitoring natural populations of mosquitoes before and after …


Influences Of Maternal Corticosterone On Incubation Length And Hatchability Of Eggs Laid By Quail Hens Selected For Divergent Adrenocortical Stress Responsiveness, Jason Berante' Schmidt Jan 2008

Influences Of Maternal Corticosterone On Incubation Length And Hatchability Of Eggs Laid By Quail Hens Selected For Divergent Adrenocortical Stress Responsiveness, Jason Berante' Schmidt

LSU Master's Theses

Unstressed and stressed quail hens selected for exaggerated (HS, high stress) rather than reduced (LS, low stress) plasma corticosterone (B) response to brief restraint deposit more B into their eggs than do their LS hen counterparts. HS hens implanted with B also show reduced egg lay when compared to LS- and HS-control and LS-B-implanted hens. Herein, the effects of stress line on length of egg incubation (LEI) and chick body weight at emergence (BWTE) (Exp. 1) and the interactive influences of line with maternal B-treatment (sub-Q control, CON-, or B-implants) on LEI (Exp. 2) and on egg fertility (FERT), total …


Systematically Increasing Contextual Interference Is Beneficial For Learning Novel Motor Skills, Jared Marak Porter Jan 2008

Systematically Increasing Contextual Interference Is Beneficial For Learning Novel Motor Skills, Jared Marak Porter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Traditionally, contextual interference (CI) has been investigated by the use of extreme low and high levels of CI (blocked and random practice schedules); with results generally suggesting that higher rather than lower amounts of CI facilitated motor skill learning (Magill & Hall, 1990). To better understand the CI effect, two experiments were conducted investigating an alternative form of practice schedule. Practice using this alternative schedule provided novices experiences with systematic increases in CI, which were compared to traditional blocked and random scheduling. Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that practicing variations of the same tasks with systematic increases in CI would …


Survival, Growth, And Behavior Of Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie) And Heliothis Virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) On Genetically Engineered Cotton Expressing The Vip3a Insecticidal Protein, Padma Latha Bommireddy Jan 2008

Survival, Growth, And Behavior Of Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie) And Heliothis Virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) On Genetically Engineered Cotton Expressing The Vip3a Insecticidal Protein, Padma Latha Bommireddy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Larval behavior, survivorship, and injury potential of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), was evaluated on cotton plants genetically engineered to express Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins, Vip3A and Vip3A +Cry 1Ab (VipCot™). Larvae (2-d-old) of both species were infested on plant terminals of vegetative or flowering stage cotton plants. Regardless of species, more larvae migrated from the plant terminals of Vip3A and VipCot plants compared to larvae infested on a conventional non-Bt cotton line (Coker 312). Larval (2-d-old) survivorship on VipCot™ plant structures was generally lower than that on similar structures of the Vip3A cotton line. …


A Comparison Of Fall-Related Psychological Measures In A Community-Based Setting, Delilah Susanne Moore Jan 2008

A Comparison Of Fall-Related Psychological Measures In A Community-Based Setting, Delilah Susanne Moore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Falls and the fall-related psychological concerns associated with these events pose a serious public health problem among aging adults. Fall-related psychological instruments can be useful in quantifying important endpoints for fall prevention programs (Jorstad et al., 2005), yet no research currently exists to justify the use of these psychological instruments in a community-based falls risk screening. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to examine the psychometric properties of several fall-related psychological measures in a falls risk screening context by: (a) examining the reliability and validity of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC), modified Survey of Activities …


Wax Extraction And Characterization From Full-Fat And Defatted Rice Bran, Junghong Kim Jan 2008

Wax Extraction And Characterization From Full-Fat And Defatted Rice Bran, Junghong Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rice bran oil (RBO) contains 3-4% waxes (rice bran wax, RBW), which are composed of wax esters (WE), hydrocarbons, and other minor constituents. Saponified rice bran wax esters (RBWE) generate fatty acids, long chain alcohols, and phytosterols. Phytosterols and long chain fatty alcohols (policosanol) are known to reduce serum cholesterol and inhibit hepatic cholesterol synthesis. The yields and RBWE contents of RBO and RBW extracted from full-fat RB (FFRB) and defatted RB (DFRB) were determined using 6 different conditions with Soxhlet and Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). The compositions of WEs from RBO and RBW were also compared. RBW was obtained from …


Development And Quality Evaluation Of Pre- And Post-Workout Sport Beverages, Maria Christine Pfister Jan 2008

Development And Quality Evaluation Of Pre- And Post-Workout Sport Beverages, Maria Christine Pfister

LSU Master's Theses

Athletes and gym goers are continuously searching for sports supplements that will set them apart from others. Resistance training is a popular form of exercise that enables one to increase in strength and power. Resistance or strength training, however, results in several degradation processes. A popular way of enhancing workouts and recovering after workouts is through the consumption of sports drinks. In study one, a preliminary study, eight pre-workout and eight post-workout sports drinks were formulated that contained whey proteins, sugars, natural fruit flavors, and other vitamins and supplements. A consumer acceptance test was preliminarily conducted to evaluate consumer acceptability …


The Effects Of Quercetin On Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Oxphos Regulation, Jeff Lee Soileau Jan 2008

The Effects Of Quercetin On Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Oxphos Regulation, Jeff Lee Soileau

LSU Master's Theses

A high fat diet causes a reduction in the expression of the genes of the electron transport chain, mitochondrial carrier proteins, and PGC-1α and PGC-1ß mRNA. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to numerous chronic diseases. The antioxidant quercetin has been shown to protect against damage caused by exogenous and endogenous free radicals. The purpose of this study was to determine if quercetin would protect the genes of mitochondrial biogenesis (PGC-1α and PGC-1ß) and OXPHOS regulation (NDUFB5 and SDHB) from the downregulation caused by consumption of a high fat diet. The quadriceps muscle was removed from 21 male, C57BL/6J mice that …


Estimating The Economic Impacts Of Hurricane Damage On Coastal Fishing Infrastructure, Tanza Erlambang Jan 2008

Estimating The Economic Impacts Of Hurricane Damage On Coastal Fishing Infrastructure, Tanza Erlambang

LSU Master's Theses

Two severe Hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, caused devastating damages in the northern Gulf of Mexico during late summer and early fall 2005. Louisiana was the most heavily impacted state, where both storms made initial landfall. The storms caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private infrastructure, with particularly strong impacts to coastal fishing businesses. Numerous assessments of coastal fisheries infrastructure damage were developed by state and federal agencies following the storms. The range of estimates varied greatly (from $275 million to $3.5 billion), because of a wide range of methods and assumptions. This study describes two alternative damage …


Molecular Diversity And Coat Protein Expression Of Sweet Potato Leaf Curl Virus, Dina Lida Gutierrez Reynoso Jan 2008

Molecular Diversity And Coat Protein Expression Of Sweet Potato Leaf Curl Virus, Dina Lida Gutierrez Reynoso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Leaf curl virus diseases have been reported in sweetpotato throughout the world. One of the causal agents is Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) which belongs to the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae). In the United States, SPLCV has been found infecting an ornamental sweetpotato and several breeding lines but not in sweetpotatoes grown for commercial production. SPLCV does not cause symptoms on Beauregard, the predominant sweetpotato cultivar in the US, but it can reduce its yield. Since SPLCV could become an important constraint for sweetpotato production; diagnosis, identification, and characterization are essential steps to develop an effective management program. The …


Enzymatic Production And Biological Activities Of Cellobio-Oligosaccharides From Lignocellulose, Misook Kim Jan 2008

Enzymatic Production And Biological Activities Of Cellobio-Oligosaccharides From Lignocellulose, Misook Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer in nature and is the major component of lignocellulosic biomass. It has potential to produce not only glucose but value¨Cadded products such as cellobiose and oligosaccharides. Typically, enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose produces glucose and a small amount of cellobiose. Modification of cellulase solutions altered ratio of glucose to cellobiose produced. The addition of glucose oxidase, gluconolactone, or gluconic acid significantly increased the amount of cellobiose remaining at the end of cellulose hydrolysis. Addition of glucose oxidase resulted in cellobiose being 23.7% of the product sugars from pure cellulose and 14.1% from ligonocellulose (sugarcane bagasse). …


Is Oxidative Stress The Cause Of Death When Recalcitrant Spartina Alterniflora Seeds Are Dried?, James Hammond Chappell Jan 2008

Is Oxidative Stress The Cause Of Death When Recalcitrant Spartina Alterniflora Seeds Are Dried?, James Hammond Chappell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recalcitrant seeds, which die when desiccated, can be difficult to study because of their generally large size, high metabolism, and poor storage properties. However, recalcitrant seeds from the salt-marsh grass Spartina alterniflora are unique when compared to most other recalcitrant species because the seeds are dormant and small; Spartina pectinata and S. spartinae, which produce orthodox seeds, can be used as controls. Because of these somewhat rare characteristics, S. alterniflora is a good model system to study recalcitrance. In the present study, the following physiological parameters were examined: Cardinal temperatures for germination, a viability test to determine if seeds are …


Effects Of Probiotics And Yeast Culture On Rumen Development And Growth Of Dairy Calves, Jennifer Marie Laborde Jan 2008

Effects Of Probiotics And Yeast Culture On Rumen Development And Growth Of Dairy Calves, Jennifer Marie Laborde

LSU Master's Theses

Forty-eight calves (heifers n=20, bulls n=28) were randomly assigned one of four dietary treatments which included no additive (C); the yeast culture Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YC); the probiotics Bacillus lichenformis and Bacillus subtilis (P); and both yeast culture and probiotics (YCP). Calves were administered treatments from day 2 to 56 in starter and from day 57 to 84 in grower diets. Body weights were measured at birth and weekly thereafter until day 112 of age. Wither and hip heights were measured weekly. Feed intake, water intake, and fecal scores were recorded twice daily until day 56. Rumen fluid was collected on …


Brachial Artery Flow Mediated Vasodilation: Effect Of Chemical Analytes, Diet, Exercise, And Genetic Markers, Joanie Brocato Wilson Jan 2008

Brachial Artery Flow Mediated Vasodilation: Effect Of Chemical Analytes, Diet, Exercise, And Genetic Markers, Joanie Brocato Wilson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this research was to gain a better understanding of interplay between molecular biology, physiology, biochemistry, functionality with disease and interventions. The primary findings of the first study were that there was a significant inverse correlation between homocysteine and brachial artery flow mediated dilation (BAFMD) and baseline brachial artery diameter. Interestingly, there was a significant difference in BAFMD between methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype groups. Regression analysis indicated that the MTHFR genotype, homocysteine and age were significant predictors of BAFMD. The second study revealed that vascular reactivity as measured by BAFMD was modifiable. A meta-analysis of 22 intervention …


Hatchability Of Post-Peak Egg Production Broiler Breeder Eggs As Influenced By Pre-Incubation Warming, Cameron Benjamin Wiggins Ii Jan 2008

Hatchability Of Post-Peak Egg Production Broiler Breeder Eggs As Influenced By Pre-Incubation Warming, Cameron Benjamin Wiggins Ii

LSU Master's Theses

This research was conducted to determine the effects of pre-incubation warming on the hatchability of post-peak egg production broiler breeder eggs. An experiment with six trials was conducted with 7,920 freshly laid eggs from Ross 308 and 708 broiler breeders from 61-67-wks of age. For each trial, 1,320 eggs were used to determine if pre-incubation warming treatments of 0, 2, 4, and 6, or 0, 3, 6, and 9, or 0, 9, 12 and 15 hrs (at 37.6°C) could improve the hatchability of eggs stored (at 15.5°C) for three days. After a storage period of three days, the eggs were …


Characterizing The Epidemiology Of Bluetongue Virus Serotype One In South Louisiana, Michael Edward Becker Jan 2008

Characterizing The Epidemiology Of Bluetongue Virus Serotype One In South Louisiana, Michael Edward Becker

LSU Master's Theses

In November 2004, bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 1 was detected for the first time in the U.S. from a hunter-killed deer in the marsh area of the Atchafalaya Delta in St. Mary Parish, LA. Subsequent serum surveys of three cattle farms further inland from the area where the deer was shot found bluetongue virus serotype 1 positive cattle on two of the three farms. The purpose of this study was to determine potential BTV vectors in the area where BTV-1 positive animals were detected and compare different trapping techniques for capturing specimens of the genus Culicoides. The study was conducted …


Distributions And Associations Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In The Leptin Gene Of Bos Taurus And Bos Indicus Cattle, Douglas Henry Fischer, Jr Jan 2008

Distributions And Associations Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In The Leptin Gene Of Bos Taurus And Bos Indicus Cattle, Douglas Henry Fischer, Jr

LSU Master's Theses

In recent years, the use of genetic markers has become more and more prevalent in beef breeding programs. This research focused on four previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms in a leptin gene on chromosome 4 of beef cows. The SNP were E2FB, T945M, UA1, and UA2. Beef cows used in this research were maintained at the Louisiana State University AgCenter Central Research Station. Cows consisted of purebred Bos tauras and Bos indicus cattle as well as crossbreds. The objectives were to estimate genotypic and allelic frequencies for each SNP and to determine the influence of cow breed type, cow age, …


The Use Of Serum Uric Acid As An Indicator Of Amino Acid Utilization In Diets For Broilers, Amanda L. Donsbough Jan 2008

The Use Of Serum Uric Acid As An Indicator Of Amino Acid Utilization In Diets For Broilers, Amanda L. Donsbough

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to determine if serum uric acid (SUA) could be used as an indicator of amino acid (AA) utilization in broilers and to determine the Lys requirement of broilers using SUA as a response variable. Treatments were replicated with at least 6 pens with at least 6 broilers per pen. Experiments (Exp.) were conducted from 0- to 14, 17, or 18- d posthatching in brooder batteries. Five experiments were conducted to determine if SUA and uric acid content of the excreta (UAE) could be used to determine AA adequacy of a diet. The results of …


Exercise And Peripheral Vascular Function In Health And Disease, Arturo Arce Jan 2008

Exercise And Peripheral Vascular Function In Health And Disease, Arturo Arce

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

“Chronic disease will never reach its clinical horizon to compromise health if it is attacked at its origin” [1]. Knowledge that one’s risk for cardiovascular events is related to the severity of endothelial dysfunction, and evidence that exercise training can improve endothelial function, has prompted speculation that measures of vascular function may serve as a “barometer” for cardiovascular health. This dissertation consists of three experiments intended to study vascular function and the manner in which it may influence or may be influenced by physical function. Project one examined the influence of high and low volume circuit weight training on forearm …


The Integration Of Mosquito Avian Host Preference With West Nile Virus Activity In Wild Bird And Mosquito Populations In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jessica Erin Brauch Jan 2008

The Integration Of Mosquito Avian Host Preference With West Nile Virus Activity In Wild Bird And Mosquito Populations In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jessica Erin Brauch

LSU Master's Theses

West Nile virus (WNV) infection rates in wild birds and mosquitoes, and the blood-feeding patterns of mosquitoes were examined at two study sites in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to identify the potential avian reservoir hosts and mosquito vectors of West Nile virus (WNV). Blood samples from a total of 2,442 wild birds in the orders Passeriformes, Piciformes and Columbiformes were collected from May 2006 to April 2008 and tested for the presence of WNV RNA using RT-PCR and antibodies to WNV using an epitope-blocking ELISA. WNV was detected in 3.77% of wild bird blood samples and antibodies to WNV were detected …


Analysis Of The Impact And Importance Of Re-Wholesalers In The Ornamental Market, Marco Absalón Velástegui Jan 2008

Analysis Of The Impact And Importance Of Re-Wholesalers In The Ornamental Market, Marco Absalón Velástegui

LSU Master's Theses

Sales by ornamental nurseries in the United States have grown, recently, at an impressive rate. For example, sales of the greenhouse and nursery crops component increased about 18% from 2000 to 2006 (USDA, 2007). The evolution of a diverse set of market channel alternatives, including the garden center, landscaper, home center, mass merchandiser and re-wholesaler channels, has been one of the reasons for this growth. Knowledge about growers’ use of the individual marketing channels is indispensable for the development of appropriate sales strategies for better income and profits. Periodic survey data indicates that the re-wholesaler channel is a frequently used …