Life Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of Placental Tissue In The Skinks Eulamprus Tympanum And E. Quoyii, Lauren Yates

Honors Theses

The species Eulamprus tympanum and Eulamprus quoyii are viviparous skinks that are said to have a Type I placenta. This research compared histological characteristics of the oviduct during pregnancy in E. tympanum and E. quoyii and assessed whether structural features are consistent with a Type I placentation. A similarity was seen in both of these species and was not consistent with a Type I placenta. Extreme folding of the uterine tissue was observed in the early stages. An increase in glands around the later stages was observed while there was no change in blood vessel density over the course of …

Cloning, Expression, And Characterization Of Ara H 3, A Major Peanut Allergen, Cathryn E. Garvey

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract There are eight foods that contribute to food allergies in the western world and peanut is the most common. Currently, there are no medical treatments that can cure an individual of food allergy, so avoidance of the allergic food is the only option. In the United States, there are three immunodominant allergic proteins accountable for patient sensitization to peanut, Arachis hypogea 1, 2, and 3 (Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3). Therefore, research into why peanuts are more allergic than other foods that have homologous proteins is critical and may be obtained by studying the structural …

Localization And Mutational Analysis Of The Nuclear And Aggregation-Prone Ime4 Protein In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Patricia M. Dehon

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ime4 is a protein that is induced during meiosis and has a primary role in regulating sporulation in starving diploids. One function of Ime4 is methylation of adenosine residues within mRNA transcripts. Recent studies have shown Ime4 to be induced in haploids during the mating response, although its role in mating has not been determined. In this report, I identify the subcellular localization of Ime4 during the mating response through treatment with alpha factor. A plasmid containing IME4-GFP under the control of the medium strength promoter CYC1 was created in order to express the protein in a …

How Cultured Dairy Products Can Have A Long Shelf Life And A Clean Label, Phillip S. Tong

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

Quantifying Acclimation Levels Of Mimus Polyglottos In The Presence Of People, Jordan Rutherford

Honors Theses

The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a common bird species found in North America that in the past 150 years has expanded its distribution north. It is now commonly seen in urban and suburban areas were at one point, it was rarely seen outside of rural and forested areas. For the study, I observed northern mockingbirds at nine different sites over a period of a month between September and October 2012. After the study, I determined that there is a negative relationship between the number of people in the surrounding area and the distance when the birds flew away.

The Lyme Disease Spirochete In Tick Species Collected From Warren County, Kentucky, Cheryl C. Onwu

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The overall goal of this present study was to determine the prevalence of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in south central Kentucky. A survey of ticks collected from a single location in Warren County, Kentucky was conducted between the months of April and June, 2010. A total of 293 ticks were collected. Three species were identified: 264 (91.7 %) of the ticks were Amblyoma americanum, 18 (6.6%) were Dermacentor variabilis, and 1 (0.35%) was Ixodes scapularis. The ten remaining ticks were immature nymphs and could not be identified. After identifying the species and sex of …

Autonomic And Behavioral Reactivity To An Acute Laboratory Stressor, Jeremy C. Peres

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Stress has been widely shown to directly influence people’s emotional and behavioral processing as well as their underlying biological systems. This project examined physiological and behavioral responses as indicators of stress and coping in the context of a psychosocial stressor in a controlled laboratory setting. We examined the association between indicators of behavioral coping and underlying physiological reactivity within participants while experiencing stress. Participants included 68 emerging adults. Physiological measures include autonomic biomarkers (e.g., heart-rate, skin conductance) at rest and during the stressor while behavioral indicators that were coded include acute verbal and non-verbal actions exhibited by participants during the …

Lipophilic And Hydrophilic Quantitative Analysis Of Antioxidant Activity In Tomatoes And Tomato Products, Anna Tran Dinh

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The amount of antioxidants present in food varies depending on environmental conditions in which produce was grown and how products were processed prior to consumption. It would, therefore, be useful to quantify antioxidant activities in these foods. This study focused on quantitative analysis of antioxidant activities in commercially produced whole tomatoes and processed tomato products. For commercially processed tomatoes, diced tomatoes had total antioxidant activities (TAA) ranging from 1.243 to 2.243 μmol TE/g fresh weight (fw), juice 1.573 to 6.86 μmol TE/g fw, paste 6.3 to 13.248 μmol TE/g fw, sauce 1.62 to 3.168 μmol TE/g fw, and soup 1.073 …

The Influence Of Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Protein Urm1 On Prion Formation, Jacob Beaver

Honors Theses

Prions are infections proteins that are auto-catalyzing (form by altering a regular protein into the structurally different prion form), and are the cause of many common diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (or Mad Cow disease). This experiment tested the effect of three different plasmids, pH317, pER62 and pmp46 on prion formation in both wild-type and Urm1 deletion mutants in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The proposed hypothesis was overexpression of the prion forming protein would increase the frequency of prion formation, as well as yield less sustainable prion amyloids (or prion aggregations) that are easier to …

Differences In Food Availability For Venus Flytraps In Resident And Restored Populations, J. Mason Truluck

Honors Theses

Expanding on a previous two-year study of resident and restored populations of Venus flytraps in Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, the arthropod populations at resident and restored sites were sampled and compared to determine if there was a significant difference between them. Fourteen orders of invertebrates were collected from the sites, with the most numerous being Collembola (springtails) and Hymenoptera of the Family Formicidae (ants). There was no significant difference between the sample groups, though two of the traps from the restored sites were unusable. This study suggests that the arthropod population size and composition does not differ between the …

Effects Of Selenium On The Freshwater Alga Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii With And Without The Proteasome Inhibitor Mg132, E. Patrick Vallentine

Honors Theses

Selenium is a required nutrient in animal life but has not been shown to be needed in plants. The model plant cell Chlamydomonas reinhardtii may be an exception as it appears to increase its growth rate in the presence of selenium. Because selenium has the same valence state as sulfur it may be incorporated into proteins as the modified amino acid selenocysteine. This incorporation of selenocysteine into protein may disrupt the disulfide bridges that give proteins the correct conformation. Misfolded proteins can wreak havoc on a cell. This stress can be measured through several parameters. Chlorophyll levels, glutathione levels, growth, …

Essays On The U. S. Biofuel Policies: Welfare Impacts And The Potential For Reduction Of Ghg Emission, Kassu Wamisho Hossiso

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation study investigates the impact of the US biofuel policies related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission regulation, tax credit and renewable fuel standard (RFS2) mandate over production and consumption of ethanol as well as technical and environmental performance of corn ethanol plants. The study develops analytical models and provides quantitative estimation of the impact of various biofuel policies in each of the three chapters.

Chapter 1 of this dissertation examines the tradeoff between achieving the environmental goal of minimizing life cycle GHG emissions and minimizing production costs in recently built dry-grind corn ethanol plants. The results indicate that the …

Comparing Biology Grades Based On Instructional Delivery And Instructor At A Community College: Face-To-Face Course Versus Online Course., Amanda Rosenzweig

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through distance learning, the community college system has been able to serve more students by providing educational opportunities to students who would otherwise be unable to attend college. The community college of focus in the study increased its online enrollments and online course offerings due to the growth of overall enrollment. The need and purpose of the study is to address if there is a difference in students’ grades between face-to-face and online biology related courses and if there are differences in grades between face-to-face and online biology courses taught by different instructors and the same instructor. The study also …

The Effects Of Intracerebroventricular Leptin On Milk Availability In Lactating Rats, Brittany Lynita Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reports have linked energy balance along with adipocyte derived leptin action to improved fertility. Recent evidence indicates that leptin hormone is present in breast milk and leptin receptors are well expressed in mammary epithelial cells. The hypothesis that insufficiency of leptin restraint in the hypothalamus may underlie infertility in rodents and the failure of lactating breast to express adequate amount of milk was tested. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected leptin through intracerebroventricular cannulation (ICVC) of the third ventricle. Female rats were mated with stud males and observed throughout gestation. Compared to the control groups, leptin treatment increased prolactin levels in …

Application Of Web Mashup Technology To Oyster Information Services, Christian Chuindja Ngniah

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Web mashup is a lightweight technology used to integrate data from remote sources without direct access to their databases. As a data consumer, a Web mashup application creates new contents by retrieving data through the Web application programming interface (API) provided by the external sources. As a data provider, the service program publishes its Web API and implements the specified functions.

In the project reported by this thesis, we have implemented two Web mashup applications to enhance the Web site oystersentinel.org: the Perkinsus marinus model and the Oil Spill model. Each model overlay geospatial data from a local database …

Depth-Variable Settlement Patterns And Predation Influence On Newly Settled Reef Fishes (Haemulon Spp., Haemulidae), Lance K. B. Jordan, Kenyon C. Lindeman, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

During early demersal ontogeny, many marine fishes display complex habitat-use patterns. Grunts of the speciose genus Haemulon are among the most abundant fishes on western North Atlantic coral reefs, with most species settling to shallow habitats (≤12 m). To gain understanding into cross-shelf distributional patterns exhibited by newly settled stages of grunts (<2 cm total length), we examined: 1) depth-specific distributions of congeners at settlement among sites at 8 m, 12 m, and 21 m, and 2) depth-variable predation pressure on newly settled individuals (species pooled). Of the six species identified from collections of newly settled specimens (n = 2125), Haemulon aurolineatum (tomtate), H. flavolineatum(French grunt), and H. striatum (striped grunt) comprised 98% of the total abundance; with the first two species present at all sites. Prevalence of H. aurolineatum and H. flavolineatumdecreased substantially from the 8-m site to the two deeper sites. In contrast, …

Crystal Structure Of Aura Virus Capsid Protease And Its Complex With Dioxane: New Insights Into Capsid-Glycoprotein Molecular Contacts., Megha Aggarwal, Satya Tapas, Preeti, Anjul Siwach, Pravindra Kumar, Richard J. Kuhn, Shailly Tomar

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The nucleocapsid core interaction with endodomains of glycoproteins plays a critical role in the alphavirus life cycle that is essential to virus budding. Recent cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies provide structural insights into key interactions between capsid protein (CP) and trans-membrane glycoproteins E1 and E2. CP possesses a chymotrypsin-like fold with a hydrophobic pocket at the surface responsible for interaction with glycoproteins. In the present study, crystal structures of the protease domain of CP from Aura virus and its complex with dioxane were determined at 1.81 and 1.98 Å resolution respectively. Due to the absence of crystal structures, homology models of …

Distribution And Social Structure Of An Estuarine Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Population In Northern South Carolina, Jamie L. Brusa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Information regarding habitat preference of apex predators may pinpoint areas dense in resources such as prey species. Knowledge of how animals use their habitat can enable the classification and targeted management of important habitat features. This study was conducted to determine the distribution and social structure of an inshore population of bottlenose dolphins within the North Inlet-Winyah Bay estuary in northern South Carolina. Photo-identification surveys were conducted along defined transect routes. Home ranges of individual dolphins were calculated using the minimum convex polygon method and the fixed kernel density method using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Mean group sizes and …

Stream-Associated Amphibian Habitat Assessment In The Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region, Andrew Evans Dietrich

Dissertations and Theses

This study assessed the influence of landscape development on stream-associated amphibians in forested riparian areas within the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. Human alteration of landscapes may dramatically affect the ecology of neighboring aquatic systems. It was hypothesized that lotic amphibians would be negatively associated with greater amounts of landscape development and positively associated with forested area within the surrounding watershed. Thirty-seven 1st-3rd order streams were sampled between June 21st and September 21st in 2011. Streams potentially providing adequate habitat for stream-obligate amphibians were randomly selected. Amphibians were surveyed along 30-meter stream transects using an active-cover search (ACS). Environmental variables associated with …

Depth-Variable Settlement Patterns And Predation Influence On Newly Settled Reef Fishes (Haemulon Spp., Haemulidae), Lance K.B. Jordan, Kenyon C. Lindeman, Richard E. Spieler

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

During early demersal ontogeny, many marine fishes display complex habitat-use patterns. Grunts of the speciose genus Haemulon are among the most abundant fishes on western North Atlantic coral reefs, with most species settling to shallow habitats (≤12 m). To gain understanding into cross-shelf distributional patterns exhibited by newly settled stages of grunts (<2 cm total length), we examined: 1) depth-specific distributions of congeners at settlement among sites at 8 m, 12 m, and 21 m, and 2) depth-variable predation pressure on newly settled individuals (species pooled). Of the six species identified from collections of newly settled specimens (n = 2125), Haemulon aurolineatum (tomtate), H. flavolineatum (French grunt), and H. striatum (striped grunt) comprised 98% of the total abundance; with the first two species present at all sites. Prevalence of H. aurolineatum and H. flavolineatum decreased substantially from the 8-m site to the two deeper sites. In contrast, H. striatum was absent from the 8-m site and exhibited its highest frequency at the 21-m site. Comparison of newly settled grunt delta density for all species on caged (predator exclusion) and control artificial reefs at the shallowest site (8-m) revealed no difference, while the 12-m and 21-m sites exhibited significantly greater delta densities on the caged treatment. This result, along with significantly higher abundances of co-occurring piscivorous fishes at the deeper sites, indicated lower predation pressure at the 8-m site. This study suggests habitat-use patterns of newly settled stages of some coral reef fishes that undergo ontogenetic shifts are a function of depth-variable predation pressure while, for at least one deeper-water species, proximity to adult habitat appears to be an important factor affecting settlement distribution.

Traversing Swanton Road, 10th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Darlene French, Darlene French, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

A Maine native, Darlene French hails from South Bristol. After spending part of her childhood in Florida, the family moved back to Maine and settled in Boothbay Harbor. After several years in restaurants and catering, French applied for a position in school food service. She was hired as a cook, she took every training available to her, and advanced to baker, and then manager, and finally is the current food service director in Boothbay Harbor.

Ramona Gaudette, Ramona Gaudette, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Ramona Gaudette went to work in school nutrition at Southport School, Maine, in 1957. She was still working there in December 2012, when this interview was conducted.

Eating Patterns And Physical Activity Characteristics Among Urban And Rural Students In Saudi Arabia, Omar I. Abuzaid

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Human obesity has become a global phenomenon. The main goal of this study was to investigate the differences in food consumption and physical activity among high school age youth in two diverse geographical locations (urban and rural areas) and the relationship of some of the factors that may lead to overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia. There were 300 (150 males and 150 females) high school senior grade level students, recruited from the urban city of Riyadh and 300 high school students recruited from the rural areas of Dawadami (150 males and 150 females). Approval for this study was given …

Transcriptome And Methylation Analysis Of Gossypium Petal Tissue, Aditi Rambani

Theses and Dissertations

Polyploidization instantly doubles all genome content by combining two genomes that have markedly different methylation and gene expression levels. This process may be accompanied by genetic and epigenetic changes in each genome. Sequencing of the transcriptome (RNA-seq) and the methylome (bisulfite treated libraries whole genome libraries) were used to measure gene expression and methylation levels of genic regions of allopolyploid cotton petals and petals of their diploid relatives. Many differentially expressed genes detected by RNA-seq were consistent with expression levels previously detected by microarrays. RNA-seq results also reconfirmed the presence of general polyploid gene expression trends like expression level dominance …

Transcriptome Analysis Of Drought Induced Stress In Chenopodium Quinoa, Joshua Arthur Raney

Theses and Dissertations

RNA-seq transcriptome analysis of Chenopodium quinoa at different water treatment levels was conducted in a greenhouse study using four water treatments (field capacity to drought) on a valley ecotype quinoa (variety Ingapirca) and an Altiplano Salares ecotype quinoa (variety Ollague). Physiological results support the earlier findings that the Salares ecotypes display greater tolerance to drought-like stress conditions than the valley ecotypes (as determined by growth rate, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and stem water potential). cDNA libraries from root tissue sample for each treatment x variety combination were sequenced using Illumina Hi-Seq technology in an RNA-seq experiment. De novo assembly of …

Thin Soils And Sacbes: The Soil Resources Of Uci, Yucatan, Mexico, Zachary S. Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to use pedological evidence in conjunction with Geographic Information Systems, and soil physical and chemical analyses as means to better understand the agricultural landscape surrounding the ancient Maya city of Uci. Specifically, the query of this thesis is to determine whether there is an association between settlement density and soil resources, and what relationship if any there is between the ancient sacbe of Uci and its surrounding agricultural potential. Stable carbon isotope analysis of the humin fraction of the soil organic matter was conducted on several profiles from karst depressions known as rejolladas near …

Long-Term Depression Of Excitatory Inputs To Gabaergic Neurons In The Ventral Tegmental Area, Philip J. Sandoval

Theses and Dissertations

Dopamine cells within the ventral tegmental area of the brain are involved in motivation and reward. Drugs of abuse target these dopamine cells altering their activity and plasticity resulting in addiction. While dopamine cell activity is primarily involved in addiction, the GABA neurons in the VTA have also been shown to have an indirect role. By decreasing the activity of the inhibitory GABA inputs onto dopamine neurons abusive drugs can indirectly increase dopamine cell activity resulting in addictive behaviors. However, although GABA neurons are important in the perception of reward, much less is known about how the excitatory inputs to …

The Pre-Application Of Hydrocortisone Cream And Its Effect On Transdermal Drug Delivery By Phonophoresis, Patrick Thomas Webb

Theses and Dissertations

Context: Transdermal delivery of hydrocortisone by phonophoresis is used for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. Research shows hydrocortisone and other white or opaque topical preparations transmit ultrasound energy poorly. Effective transmission of ultrasound is important in phonophoresis. Main Outcome measured: Samples of subcutaneous interstitial fluid were collected during and for 20 minutes following phonophoresis treatment. Cortisol concentrations were analyzed by an enzyme linked immune-assay (ELISA) test. Objective: Determine the subcutaneous cortisol concentration after two different phonophoresis treatments using a 2.5% hydrocortisone preparation. Design: Randomized design in which 22 healthy participants were assigned to receive a phonophoresis treatment where: 1) hydrocortisone …

Mtor Pathway Activation Following Sciatic Stimulation In Wild-Type And Desmin Knockout Mice, Daniel S. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

The 52 kDa intermediate filament protein desmin plays an important role in force transmission in skeletal muscle by connecting myofibrils at Z-lines and to the sarcolemma. Desmin content in muscle adapts to contractile activity and may be involved in cellular signaling mechanisms responsible for muscle growth. Purpose: To compare signaling responses of the mTOR pathway in wild type (WT) vs desmin knock out (KO) mice. Methods: WT (n=12) and KO (n=12) mice were exposed to high frequency electric stimulation of the left hindlimb to elicit an acute response of the mTOR pathway. Non-stimulated right hindlimbs were used as a within …