Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Tuning Of Alternative Splicing - Switch From Proto-Oncogene To Tumor Suppressor, Aleksandra Shchelkunova, Boris Ermolinsky, Meghan Boyle, Ivan Mendez, Michael Lehker, Karen S. Martirosyan, Alexander V. Kazansky

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

STAT5B, a specific member of the ST AT family, is intimately associated with prostate tumor progression. While the full form of STAT5B is thought to promote tumor progression, a naturally occurring truncated isoform acts as a tumor suppressor. We previously demonstrated that truncated STAT5 is generated by insertion of an alternatively spliced exon and results in the introduction of an early termination codon. Present approaches targeting ST AT proteins based on inhibition of functional domains of STAT's, such as DNA-binding, cooperative binding (protein-protein interaction), dimerization and phosphorylation will halt the action of the entire gene, both the proto-oncogenic and tumor …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 18, 2012, David Simeral

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 18, 2012 (12/18/12) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Relating Nanoparticle Properties To Biological Outcomes In Exposure Escalation Experiments, Trina Patel, Cecile Low-Kam, Zhaoxia Ji, Haiyuan Zhang, Tian Xia, Andre E. Nel, Jeffrey I. Zinc, Donatello Telesca

COBRA Preprint Series

A fundamental goal in nano-toxicology is that of identifying particle physical and chemical properties, which are likely to explain biological hazard. The first line of screening for potentially adverse outcomes often consists of exposure escalation experiments, involving the exposure of micro-organisms or cell lines to a battery of nanomaterials. We discuss a modeling strategy, that relates the outcome of an exposure escalation experiment to nanoparticle properties. Our approach makes use of a hierarchical decision process, where we jointly identify particles that initiate adverse biological outcomes and explain the probability of this event in terms of the particle physico-chemical descriptors. The …

Ultra-Stable Protein-Polymer Bioconjugates, Kyle S. Cole

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Nursing Females Are More Prone To Heat Stress: Demography Matters When Managing Flying-Foxes For Climate Change, Stephanie T. Snoyman, Jasmina Munich, Culum Brown

Ecological Impacts of Climate Change Collection

Determining the underlying mechanisms responsible for species-specific responses to climate change is important from a species management perspective. The grey-headed flying-fox, Pteropus poliocephalus, is listed as vulnerable but it also a significant pest species for orchardists and thereby presents an interesting management conundrum. Over the last century, the abundance of the grey-headed flying-fox, P. poliocephalus, in Australia has decreased due to a variety of threatening processes but has increased in abundance in urban areas. These flying-foxes are highly susceptible to extreme heat events which are predicted to increase in the future under climate change scenarios. Exceptionally hot days result in …

Implementation Of Signal Conditioning Circuitry For Co2 Sensor For Monitoring Co2 Emissions From Coal Fired Power Plant In Neyveli Lignite Corporation (Tamil Nadu, India), Muruganand Prabhakaran

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The most significant anthropogenic greenhouse gas causing global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2). Due to the increase of burning of fossil fuels by industries, the atmospheric CO2 concentration increased by more than 30% in 10 years and is expected to continue to increase. This dissertation analyses a sensor unit used to monitor the emission levels of carbon dioxide from the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) coal fired power plant which is located in the southern part of India. Most of India’s power generation sectors are based on coal fired power plants. The NLC power plant is owned by the central government …

Energy Audits In Malta, Trustin Farrugia Cann

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Energy is the driving force of our society. Industry, economy and the general public, all depend on safe, secure, sustainable and affordable energy. But at the same time, energy related emissions account for almost 80% of the European Union’s total green house gas emissions. The European Union has set itself a great challenge and a target was set in 2007 to reduce by 20% of its primary energy consumption, to increase the share of renewable energy by 20% and to reduce the green house gasses by 20% until 2020. Energy auditing is an effective energy management tool which identifies and …

Assessing The Feasibility Of Small Hydropower In Northern California, Andrea Peterson

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Small hydropower is an underutilized form of clean energy generation. In order for any potential for small hydropower to be developed or utilized, the amount of potential power needs to be estimated accurately. A number of studies have been conducted, though none of these studies have taken local climate into account, which affects the accuracy of their results. A number of places in Northern California have potential that has not yet been utilized, but a more accurate assessment of that potential is called for. Although studies can be conducted through a number of different methodologies, most use GIS technology to …

Influence Of Tidal Cycles On Movements Of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In South Carolina Coastal Environments, Lauren Albrittain

Honors Theses

When studying estuarine environments that are directly fed by the ocean tides, the impact of the changing tide is vital in studying the migration and travel behaviors of organisms within those environments. This study was aimed at determining the influence of the daily tidal currents on movement with or against the tides by Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Data collection occurred from March to October 2012, at three study sites: the ACE River Basin National Wildlife Refuge, the Hilton Head estuary, and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Photo identification transect surveys were conducted to observe resident Atlantic bottlenose dolphins …

Investigating Volatility Trends Of Silver Through An Analysis Of Stock Options Prices, Dylan Houston

Honors Theses

Volatility is a statistical measure that describes the amount of fluctuation in prices for a given investment; generally, the higher the volatility for an investment, the riskier it is perceived to be. Traders study volatility history so that they can make informed decisions on how to invest capital. The purpose of this article is to analyze implied volatility values, which are derived from the investment's price and are considered the market's estimate of the investment's actual volatility, for silver electronically traded fund (ETF) options in periods of both high and low price movement. In doing so, we desired to see …

The Tsunami Of March 11, 2011 As Observed By The Network Of Tide Gauges Of French Polynesia, Jean-Pierre Barriot, Jonathan Serafini, Lydie Sichoix, Dominique Reymond, Olivier Hyvernaud

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

We present here the network of tide gauges spanning French Polynesia, and the set of records made by this network of the tsunami wave of March 11, 2011 (Tōhoku earthquake). We also outline the least-squares procedure used to separate the tsunami signal from the oceanic tides signal.

Interannual Variability Of Wintertime Sea Surface Temperatures In The Eastern Taiwan Strait, Mu-Tun Tzeng, Kuo-Wei Lan, Jui-Wen Chan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sea surface temperatures (SSTs) at a 1.1-km spatial resolution, we investigated the long-term SST variability in winter in the eastern Taiwan Strait (TS) in 1995~2008. We performed an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of spatial and time series variances for 15-day mean images. The first three modes in the EOF analysis respectively accounted for 25.9%, 16.61% and 4.59% of variances. In the first mode, the spatial amplitude showed positive values in the northeastern TS and negative values south of Chang-Yuen Rise (CYR). This suggests that warmer water occurred south of the CYR and …

Open Source Remote Sensing:Introspect And Prospect, Sanggoo Kang, Hee Young Yoo, Kiwon Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

It is noteworthy that open source applications have been developed and studied in various fields as well as remote sensing field. Open sources for GIS have long history related to open standards over three decades, but those of remote sensing do relatively short. Moreover, there are still no summary reports for open sources for remote sensing. In this study, we summarized characteristics of open source applications for remotely sensed image processing and discussed their strengths and weaknesses at first. Based on the summary, two open source applications for InSAR Processing and Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis are practically implemented to introspect …

Assessment Of Disaster Losses In Rice Paddy Field And Yield After Tsunami Induced By The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Yuei-An Liou, Hsueh-Chun Sha, Ting-Ming Chen, Tai-Sheng Wang, Yi-Ting Li, Yen-Cheng Lai, Min-Hsin Chiang, Li-The Lu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 triggered an extremely destructive tsunami that hit the Tohoku region of Japan severely. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishes of Japan, Tohoku accounted for 27.59% of Japan’s rice yield in 2010. It is an impact to a country that relies on rice as its main food source. This paper utilizes remote sensing techniques to estimate the disaster losses in rice field and yield in Fukushima and Miyagi, the most severely damaged coastal prefectures of the Tohoku region, by using a developed Rice field Identification and riCe …

An Object-Oriented Analysis For Characterizing The Rainfall-Induced Shallow Landslide, Kuan-Tsung Chang, Jin-King Liu, Chu-I Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Landslides are natural phenomena for the dynamic balance of the earth's surface. Because of frequent occurrences of typhoons and earthquakes in Taiwan, mass movements are common threats to people's lives. In this paper, the interpretation of knowledge is quantified as recognition criteria. Multisource high-resolution data, for example, a SPOT satellite image, 20 m × 20 m Digital Terrain Model (DTM) reduced from Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data, and aerial orthophotos were used to construct the feature space for landslide analysis. Landslides were recognized by an objectoriented method combining edge-based segmentation and a Supported Vector Machine (SVM) method. The classification …

Quantataive Analysis Of Relationship Between Alos Palsar Backscatter And Forest Stand Volume, Choen Kim

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

To estimate forest stand volume, topographic effects should be considered in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data processing, because most forests are located on mountainous areas in Korea. This paper shows how the effects on the ALOS Phased-Array L-Band SAR (PALSAR) backscatter in Kwangneung Experiment Forest can be reduced by gammanought γ 0 . Regardless of coniferous and deciduous forests, the gammanought γ 0 values are always lower compared to the sigmanought σ0 values at HH and HV polarization for 58 standwise tree volume of the fore-slope (here, the west-facing slope) and are always higher in case of far-slope (here, east-facing …

A Geomorphological Model For Landslide Detection Using Airborne Lidar Data, Jin-King Liu, Kuo-Hsin Hsiao, Peter Tian-Yuan Shih

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study analyzes multi-temporal LiDAR data of high accuracy and high resolution by installing a geomorphometric model for extracting landslides. First, two sets of LiDAR data were acquired for before and after a heavy rainfall event. The landslides which took place from 2005 to 2009 were classified automatically by satellite images, and subsequently the landslides were interpreted and edited manually. Geomorphometric parameters including slope, curvature, OHM, OHM roughness, and topographic wetness index were then extracted using stencils of landslide polygons overlaid on respective thematic maps derived from LiDAR, DEM and DSM. The ranges of every parameter were derived from the …

Evaluating The Uncertainty Of The Population Growth Parameter Estimates Of Larval Anchovy In The Southwestern Waters Of Taiwan Using Monte Carlo Simulations, Sheng-Ping Wang, Ming-An Lee, Wen-Yu Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

To estimate the population growth parameter (maximum sustainable yield, carrying capacity, catchability, the ratio of initial biomass to carrying capacity and model shape parameter) of larval anchovy in the southwestern waters of Taiwan, a non-equilibrium production model was used to fit to historical catch data and standardized CPUE series. The results of standardized CPUE indicated that the sea surface temperature was the most effective variable for explaining the CPUE variation of larval anchovy abundance. This study also evaluated impact of the uncertainty associated with the catch and CPUE data on the model estimations using Monte Carlo simulations. Although the impacts …

Super Long Conductive Channel Production By Impulsar, Victor Victor Apollonov, Nikolay Vlad Pletnev

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The attempts to create a super long conductive channels were taken in order to study the upper atmosphere and to settle special tasks, related to solar energy transmission, accumulated by orbital solar stations. There upon the program of creation of “Impulsar” represents a great interest, as this program in a combination with high-voltage high repetition rate electrical source can be useful to solve the above mentioned problems. The principle of conductive channel production can be shortly described as follows. The “Impulsar”- laser jet engine vehicle - propulsion take place under the influence of powerful high repetition rate pulse-periodic laser radiation. …

Seasonal Prediction Of Climate Extremes For The Pacific: Tropical Cyclones And Extreme Ocean Temperatures, Yuriy Kuleshov, Claire Spillman, Yan Wang, Andrew Charles, Roald De Wit, Kay Shelton, David Jones, Harry Hendon, Catherine Ganter, Andrew Watkins, Jemishabye Apajee, Aurel Griesser

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Climate change and climate extremes have a major impact on Australia and Pacific Island countries. Of particular concern are tropical cyclones and extreme ocean temperatures. As a practical response to climate change, through the Pacific Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation planning Program (PACCSAP), enhanced web-based information tools to provide seasonal forecasts for climatic extremes in the Western Pacific have been developed. Using the dynamical seasonal prediction model POAMA (Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia), we aim to improve accuracy of seasonal forecasts of tropical cyclone activity and extreme sea surface temperatures for the Western Pacific. Since the PACCSAP has …

Cold Sea Surface Temperature Near Cheju Island Responding To Strong Cyclonic Wind And Positive Geopotential Tendency Behind A Typhoon Center Along Its Track, Hyo Choi, Mi-Sook Lee, Soo Min Choi

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The response of sea surface temperature (SST) before and after the passage of Typhoon-18 Songda in the vicinity of Chjeu Island in the southern sea of Korea was investigated using satellite-derived GOES-MCSST (SST), GOES infrared cloud image and a three dimensional WRF-3.0 model with FNL initial meteorological data on September 5 to 8, 2004. On September 4, before the typhoon passed by Cheju Island, the SST extending southwards and eastwards of the island was 27°C. However, after the typhoon passed by the island at 2100 LST, September 7, the SST decreased by 2°C to 25°C. Asymmetrical-cyclonic surface wind generated by …

Blow-Up Of Solutions To The Generalized Inviscid Proudman-Johnson Equation, Alejandro Sarria

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The generalized inviscid Proudman-Johnson equation serves as a model for n-dimensional incompressible Euler flow, gas dynamics, high-frequency waves in shallow waters, and orientation of waves in a massive director field of a nematic liquid crystal. Furthermore, the equation also serves as a tool for studying the role that the natural fluid processes of convection and stretching play in the formation of spontaneous singularities, or of their absence.

In this work, we study blow-up, and blow-up properties, in solutions to the generalized, inviscid Proudman-Johnson equation endowed with periodic or Dirichlet boundary conditions. More particularly,regularity of solutions in an Lp setting will …

Application Of Digital Forensic Science To Electronic Discovery In Civil Litigation, Brian Roux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Following changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in 2006 dealing with the role of Electronically Stored Information, digital forensics is becoming necessary to the discovery process in civil litigation. The development of case law interpreting the rule changes since their enactment defines how digital forensics can be applied to the discovery process, the scope of discovery, and the duties imposed on parties. Herein, pertinent cases are examined to determine what trends exist and how they effect the field. These observations buttress case studies involving discovery failures in large corporate contexts along with insights on the technical reasons those …

Geochemical Evidence For Vertical Migration Of Deep Formation Fluids Through The Baton Rouge -Denham Springs Fault System, Lesley C. Prochaska

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Accumulations of brackish groundwater exist across south Louisiana within the shallow, south-dipping Pleistocene to Upper Miocene Baton Rouge Aquifer System (BRAS). This research investigates the source of brackish groundwater through geochemical analysis of representative groundwater samples by comparing the following geochemical ratios along with other trace elements. Low Bromide (Br)/Chloride (Cl) and Potassium (K) /Cl ratios, high Sodium (Na) /Cl ratios, trace Magnesium (Mg) concentrations, and low Strontium (Sr) ⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ in brackish waters from the BRAS are inconsistent with in situ saline water from marine formation fluids of similar age. The ratios are consistent with in situ saline-water …

Rainwater Utilization To Reduce Flooding In Low-Lying Areas Of Taipei City, Taiwan, Andrew Lo

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

She-Zih is a low-lying area in Taipei City where the Tanshui River and Keelung River meet. Average elevation is about 2.5 m. Perennial flood events occur very often. The only flood prevention facility is the 6 m levee built around the perimeter to overcome 20-yr flood events. The main cause of the flooding problem is the instantaneous extreme high rainfall events that often exceed the drainage capacity of She-Zih. Current solutions to relieve this water hazard, suggested by the Water Resources Agency, include channel widening and many water pumping installations. At present, all emergency facilities are insufficient to combat unexpected …

Title Ix Compliance: A Comparison Of Division I Equality, Jacqueline Leake

Honors Theses

The passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 has had a significant impact on college athletics. However, there is still a large disparity between opportunities offered for men and women. This study determined the true gender equality within Division I athletics. Inequalities were assessed in the areas of athletic participation, athletically related student aid, recruiting expenses, and total expenses. Data from these areas were gathered from the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Analysis Cutting Tool. Ratios and the difference between the ideal and current values were calculated for each category. Institutions were ranked in each category, as well …

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 …

Reaction Of Halogenated Hydrocarbons With Cysteine And Nucleotides, Brittany S. Morgan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Our objective is to develop a simple, inexpensive model to better understand the biologically relevant reactions of halogenated hydrocarbons and characterize them by NMR spectroscopy. We currently have a model that mimics the adduct created by the reaction of ethylene dibromide (a known toxin and carcinogen) with cysteine and guanosine 5’-monophosphate. Early attempts led to side products including ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol; however, our most promising method to date reacts cysteine with 2-bromoethanol in sodium methoxide/methanol followed by reaction of the 2-hydroxyethyl adduct with HCl and later with guanosine 5’-monophosphate. By reacting other halogenated hydrocarbons through the same method, …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Metallocorrole And Metalloporphyrin Complexes For Catalytic Oxidations, Zhibo Yuan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Macrocyclic ligand-complexed transition metal-oxo intermediates are the active oxidizing species in a variety of important biological and catalytic oxidation reactions. Many transition metal catalysts have been designed to mimic the predominant oxidation catalysts in nature, namely the cytochrome P450 enzymes. Metal porphyrin complexes have been the center of research as catalysts in this context. This study focuses on the synthesis of porphyrin and corrole macrocyclic ligands and the corresponding ruthenium and iron complexes which are fully characterized by UV-vis and NMR spectroscopies.

The catalytic oxidation reactions towards organic sulfides by these metal complexes were also studied. Two ruthenium porphyrin complexes …

An Elastica Model Of The Buckling Of A Nanoscale Sheet Perpendicular To A Rigid Substrate, Shawn D. Ryan, Dmitry Golovaty, Patrick Wilber

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We study a variation on the classical problem of the buckling of an elastica. The elastica models a nanoscale sheet that interacts with a rigid substrate by intermolecular forces. We formulate a buckling problem in which the sheet is perpendicular to the substrate and a load is applied to the edge of the sheet further from the substrate. Our study is motivated by problems in nanomechanics such as the bending of a graphene sheet interacting with a rigid substrate by van der Waals forces. After identifying a trivial branch, we combine computation and analysis to determine the stability and bifurcations …