Digital Commons Network^™

Uncharted Territory: Uvm Extension Data Visualization Needs Assessment, Sarah E. Lyman

Food Systems Master's Project Reports

Graphical displays are more effective than textual information at summarizing large volumes of data, improving retention of information, and in persuading behavior change. UVM Extension uses data visualizations every day in its mission to transform academic research into practical recommendations for Vermonters, in topics ranging from nutrition to agriculture. But how are these graphics generated across an organization with more than 100 employees? How can data visualization help advance goals which range from analyzing research to demonstrating community impact? This paper presents the results of a Master’s project study into what tools and skills are already being used at UVM …

Master’S Project: Vermont Town Forest Recreation Planning And Community Assistance Program: The Future Of Forest-Based Outdoor Recreation, Taylor M. Luneau

Rubenstein School Masters Project Publications

The Vermont Town Forest Recreation Planning Community Assistance Program (VTFRP) was a comprehensive community planning process held in ten diverse towns across Vermont. Led by the Urban and Community Forestry Program and the SE Group, the VTFRP helped towns develop a vision for the future management of their forests through open house workshops, site visits, steering committee meetings, and community surveys. The process provided towns with a forest recreation planning toolkit and an individualized action-based forest stewardship and recreation plan. By analyzing data from the community surveys and open house activities across all ten towns, my project considered the recreation …

Exosomes And Their Role In Asbestos Exposure And Mesothelioma, Phillip Blake Munson

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a locally invasive and highly aggressive cancer arising on the mesothelial surface of organ cavities (mainly pleural) as a direct result of asbestos exposure. The latency period of MM is long (20-50yrs) after initial asbestos exposure, and the prognostic outcomes are dismal with median life expectancy of 6-12 months post-diagnosis. There are no useful biomarkers for early MM diagnosis, no successful therapeutic interventions. These vast voids of knowledge led to our hypotheses that secreted vesicles, termed exosomes, play an important role in MM development and tumorigenic properties. Exosomes are nano-sized particles secreted from all cell types …

Endotoxin Increases Oxidative Stress And Oxygen Tension While Reducing Milk Protein Gene Expression In The Mammary Gland, Alexander Jonathan Spitzer

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Mastitis, the inflammation of the mammary gland by bacterial infection, is one of the costliest diseases to the dairy industry primarily due to a loss in milk production. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying reduced milk production during mastitis. We hypothesized that bacterial endotoxin induces cell apoptosis, oxidative stress and increases hypoxia while inhibiting milk gene expression in the mammary gland. To test this hypothesis, mice were bred to pregnancy, and 3 days post-partum the left and right sides of the 4th pair of mammary glands were alternately injected with either the endotoxin liposaccharide (LPS, …

Biobehavioral Predictors Of Cannabis Use In Adolescence, Philip Aaron Spechler

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Cannabis use initiated during adolescence may precipitate lasting consequences on the brain and behavioral health of the individual. However, research on the risk factors for cannabis use during adolescence has been largely cross-sectional in design. Despite the few prospective studies, even less is known about the neurobiological predictors. This dissertation improves on the extant literature by leveraging a large longitudinal study to uncover the predictors of cannabis use in adolescent samples collected prior to exposure. All data were drawn from the IMAGEN study and contained a large sample of adolescents studied at age 14 (N=2,224), and followed up at age …

An Analysis Of Beverage Consumption In The United States Using The National Health And Examination Survey 2007-2017, Sean Morris

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) are liquids sweetened with various forms of added sugar. They are the leading source of calories and added sugar in the American diet (Drewnowski & Rehm, 2014; National Cancer Institute, 2016; Powell, Chriqui, Khan, Wada, & Chaloupka, 2013). The health and nutrition literature has increasingly identified added sugars and SSBs as a key potential contributor to a host of public health issues including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (Johnson et al., 2009; Malik, Popkin, Bray, Despres, & Hu, 2010; Vartanian, Schwartz, & Brownell, 2007). Concern about these public health crises has recently animated regional …

Regulation Of Natural Killer T Cell Subset Development And Function By Slam Family Receptors, Victoria Devault

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Semi-invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are critical components of the host immune response in peripheral tissues such as the lung, liver, and gut, and they play important roles in cancer, bacterial infections, autoimmunity, wound repair, and atherosclerosis. Tissue-resident iNKT cells exert their effects early in the developing immune response by rapidly producing a wide variety of cytokines and chemokines, and it was recently discovered that different tissues possess iNKT cell subsets that preferentially produce IFN-γ (NKT1), IL-4 (NKT2), or IL-17 (NKT17). Despite their critical role in the immune response, the mechanisms that regulate iNKT cell function in the periphery …

Organic Dairy Profitability In Vermont: Measuring The Impacts Of Management And Market Forces On Farm Financial Performance, Jonathan Patrick Walsh

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The total number of operating dairy farms in the US has decreased by 74.1% over the past 25 years, dropping from 155,339 in 1992 to just 40,219 in 2017. As milk prices have fallen and become more volatile, profit margins have tightened, causing farmers to leave the business due to low profitability. Some Vermont farmers are currently looking for new economic strategies. One approach has been to transition from conventional to organic production in order to take advantage of better prices and new market opportunities. In order to make production decisions, farmers need accurate financial information on the costs and …

Studies On The Molecular Mechanism Of S-Tide Mediated Activation Of Pkg-Iα, Joseph William Charles

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKG) are key players in intracellular second messenger signaling within many cellular systems throughout the body. Most notably PKG is known for its role in smooth muscle relaxation (Pfeiffer et.al, 1999). The Iα PKG isozyme has been identified as the primary effector of the nitric oxide pathway (and serves to be a novel drug target). To date the overall knowledge of structure and function of PKG is lacking in terms of the mechanisms of activation and the structural orientations that coordinate them. Recently, our laboratory has solved the crystal structure of the regulatory domain of PKG Iα, …

Comparison Of Methods For Detection Of Listeria On Wooden Shelves Used For Cheese Aging: Challenges Associated With Sampling Porous Surfaces, Gina Christine Frontino

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examined the efficacy of various sampling and detection methods used for environmental monitoring of Listeria species on wooden surfaces used for cheese aging. Government agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommend enrichment methods coupled with use of environmental sponges and swabs. Our study compared efficacy of sponge swabs manufactured by 3M™ and World Bioproducts. There is a lack of research validating the best performing swab type and enrichment method combination that is sensitive when used on rough, porous surfaces. The sensitivity of these environmental sampling tools and methods are …

From Maintenance To Stewardship: Green Stormwater Infrastructure Capacity In Vermont Towns & Design And Participatory Processes To Provide Cultural Ecosystem Services, Holly Lee Greenleaf

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The impervious surfaces of built landscapes create stormwater runoff that causes water quantity and quality problems downstream, upsetting natural hydrology and harming aquatic ecosystems. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) includes practices that reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and the pollutants it carries utilizing plants, soils, and other materials to capture, store, reuse, infiltrate, evapotranspire, and filter stormwater. GSI helps to restore developed landscapes, mimicking natural hydrologic processes and providing important water treatment functions as well as beneficial green spaces in urban areas. However, there are many challenges associated with the implementation and maintenance of GSI in our communities and cultures. …

Impact Of A Winter Rye Cover Crop On Edge-Of-Field Nutrient Losses And Corn Silage Production, Keegan Griffith

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Cover crops have the potential to reduce environmental impacts of corn production. The objective of this study was to quantify differences in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loading between corn plots with or without a winter rye cover crop (Secale cerale). Four field plots (30 x 46 m) in Chazy, NY with edge-of-field monitoring were used for the study. Two plots were randomly assigned a rye cover crop treatment and planted with a grain drill at a rate of 112 kg ha-1 after corn silage harvest in 2015 and 2016. Continuous water flows were monitored from surface runoff and tile …

Physicochemical Properties Of Residuals From Anaerobic Digestion Of Dairy Manure And Food Waste: Nutrient Cycling Implications And Opportunities For Edible Mushroom Cultivation, Brendan J. O'Brien

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Organics recycling is increasing in New England as multiple states have enacted laws to divert organic materials, including food scraps and food processing residuals, away from landfills. Anaerobic digesters on dairy farms represent an attractive approach to food waste recycling because existing infrastructure is in place and co-digestion of dairy manure with food waste can increase renewable biogas production. In addition, anaerobic digestion results in effluents that can be separated into solid and liquid residual materials, or 'digestates'. Screw-press separated solids consist of lignocellulosic biomass resistant to microbial degradation during anaerobic digestion. These separated solids are typically recycled on farms …

Repelling Contarinia Nasturtii (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), A Brassica Specialist, Using Non-Host Essential Oils, Chase Stratton

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an invasive pest causing marketable losses on Brassica crops in the Northeastern United States and throughout southern Canada. Heading brassicas, like cauliflower and broccoli, are particularly susceptible because larvae feed concealed inside meristematic tissues of the plant, where head formation occurs. Our work details the development of a sustainable, affordable pest management tactic for swede midge – plant derived repellents.

First, it was necessary to establish both a damage and marketability threshold for swede midge, so we developed a technique to manipulate larval density of swede midge on cauliflower, We asked: (1) …

Uncovering The Drivers Of Non-Native Plant Invasions Using Ecological Data Synthesis, Marina Golivets

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Understanding what promotes invasiveness of species outside their native range and predicting which ecosystems and under which conditions will be invaded is an ultimate goal of the field of invasion ecology. Obtaining general answers to these questions requires synthesis of extensive yet heterogeneous empirical evidence, coupled with a solid theoretical background. In this dissertation, I sought to provide insight into the drivers of non-native plant invasions through combining and synthesizing ecological data from various sources using advanced statistical techniques. The results of this work are presented as three independent research studies.

In the first study, I aimed to understand what …

Patterns, Processes, And Scale: An Evaluation Of Ecological And Biogeochemical Functions Across An Arctic Stream Network, Samuel P. Parker

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Ecosystems are highly variable in space and time. Understanding how spatial and temporal scales influence the patterns and processes occurring across watersheds presents a fundamental challenge to aquatic ecologists. The goal of this research was to elucidate the importance of spatial scale on stream structure and function within the Oksrukuyik Creek, an Arctic watershed located on the North Slope of Alaska (68°36’N, 149°12’W). The studies that comprise this dissertation address issues of scale that affect our ability to assess ecosystem function, such as: methodologies used to scale ecosystem measurements, multiple interacting scales, translation between scales, and scale-dependencies.

The first methodological …

Relationships Between Undigested And Physically Effective Fiber In Lactating Dairy Cow Diets, Wyatt Alexander Smith

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, economic, social, and environmental factors have encouraged higher forage diets to be fed to dairy cows. Consequently, a better understanding of both the chemical and physical properties of dietary forage fiber is needed. Undigested neutral detergent fiber after 240 hours of fermentation (uNDF240) is the fiber residue remaining after 240 hours of in vitro fermentation and has only recently been defined. Physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF) was defined about two decades ago and is the fraction of dietary fiber with a particle size (i.e., ≥1.18-mm screen) that stimulates chewing behavior, forms the rumen digesta mat, and …

Comprehensive Farm-To-School: A Mixed-Methods Case Study Of The Classroom, Cafeteria, And Community, Suzanna Elkin

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Farm-to-school (FTS) programs are supported at federal, state, and local levels as a cross-sectoral intervention to curb rising levels of obesity, strengthen local food systems, and improve school climate and academic outcomes. Comprehensive FTS programming, according to the “3-C” approach embraced by leaders in the FTS movement, includes interventions in three domains: the cafeteria, classroom, and community. FTS programming in these domains may include procurement of local food; school gardens; and education related to food, agriculture, and nutrition. Existing research supports the comprehensive FTS approach, illustrating that multi-component programs with strategies that are integrated across these environments improve outcomes for …

Neurodevelopmental Roles Of Semaphorin6a/Plexina2 Signaling In Zebrafish, Sarah Elizabeth Emerson

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

A multitude of complex cellular changes are required throughout development in order for a single cell to transform into a fully functioning organism. Cellular events including proliferation, migration, and differentiation have to be carefully controlled in order for development to proceed correctly. In order to study such dynamic processes, in vivo models are often utilized. Using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system, we have investigated the role of an axon guidance signaling pair, Semaphorin6A (Sema6A) and PlexinA2 (PlxnA2), in neurodevelopment.

A previous investigation into the developmental expression patterns of sema6A and plxnA2 in zebrafish, revealed overlapping expression …

Governing Water Quality Limits In Agricultural Watersheds, Courtney Ryder Hammond Wagner

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The diffuse runoff of agricultural nutrients, also called agricultural nonpoint source pollution (NPS), is a widespread threat to freshwater resources. Despite decades of research into the processes of eutrophication and agricultural nutrient management, social, economic, and political barriers have slowed progress towards improving water quality. A critical challenge to managing agricultural NPS pollution is motivating landowners to act against their individual farm production incentives in response to distant ecological impacts. The complexity of governing the social-ecological system requires improved understanding of how policy shapes farmer behavior to improve the state of water quality. This dissertation contributes both theoretically and empirically …

The Role Of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide In The Dentate Gyrus In Regulating Behavior And Neurophysiology, Gregory Charles Johnson

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Fear and anxiety disorders are potentially crippling conditions that often stem from past experience of trauma and chronic stress. One clear feature of these disorders is the failure to use proximate spatial and contextual information presented in the environment to regulate reflexive physiological threat responses. The central nervous system networks that govern spatial navigation and contextual learning and memory are a series of complex circuitries in which the hippocampus is integrally involved. Deficits in hippocampal function have been linked to severe anterograde and mild retrograde amnesia of semantic and episodic memory, and specific deficits in contextual processing. These deficits manifest …

The Role Of The Prelimbic, Infralimbic, And Cerebellar Cortices In Operant Behavior, Megan Laura Shipman

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Operant (instrumental) conditioning is a laboratory method for investigating voluntary behavior and involves training a particular response, such as pressing a lever, to earn a reinforcer. Operant behavior is generally divided into two categories: actions and habits. Actions are goal-directed and controlled by response-outcome (R-O) associations. Habits are stimulus-driven and controlled by stimulus-response associations (S-R). Behavior is determined to be goal-directed or habitual by whether or not it is sensitive (action) or insensitive (habit) to reinforcer/outcome devaluation. Many brain regions have been linked to the learning and/or expression of actions and/or habits. This dissertation investigates a few different brain regions …

Biochemical And Functional Characterization Of Semaphorin6a-Plexina Signaling In Zebrafish Eye Development, Riley St. Clair

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

During embryonic development, cells respond to extracellular signals to establish proper tissue organization. Semaphorins (Semas) are a large class of secreted and transmembrane proteins that signal through Plexin (Plxn) receptors to guide migrating cells to their correct position and thus play critical roles in the development of various tissues including the nervous and cardiovascular systems. We have previously shown that Sema6A-PlxnA2 signaling is essential for visual system development, as decreasing endogenous Sema6A or PlxnA2 in zebrafish results in decreased cohesion of the early eye field, impaired retinal lamination, and smaller eye size. However, the molecular mechanisms governing these phenotypes are …

Cisco Science: Using Omics To Answer A Range Of Key Questions, Hannah Lachance

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Coregonines, including cisco (Coregonus artedi), kiyi (Coregonus kiyi), and bloater (Coregonus hoyi), are a focus for prey fish conservation and restoration efforts throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, fundamental questions about coregonine ecology and genetics remain. For example, we know little about how the early life stages of coregonines respond to environmental change at either the genotypic or phenotypic level. We also have limited knowledge about how to identify different species at the larval stage and the genetic relationships among species, which makes the different species difficult to study at the larval stage. To increase the probability for success in …

Future Forest Composition Under A Changing Climate And Adaptive Forest Management In Southeastern Vermont, Usa, Matthias Taylor Nevins

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Global environmental change represents one of the greatest challenges facing forest resource managers today. The uncertainty and variability of potential future impacts related to shifting climatic and disturbance regimes on forest systems has led resource managers to seek out alternative management approaches to sustain the long-term delivery of forest ecosystem services. To this end, forest managers have begun incorporating adaptation strategies into resource planning and are increasingly utilizing the outcomes of forest landscape simulation and climate envelope models to guide decisions regarding potential strategies to employ. These tools can be used alongside traditional methods to assist managers in understanding the …

Evolutionary History Of The Angiosperm Npf1 Gene Subfamily: Duplications, Retention And Functional Implications For Root Symbioses And Development, Giovanna Sassi

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

The success of land plants can be attributed to the evolution of beneficial associations between plant roots and soil microbes. Root-microbe mutualisms extend the range of plant nutrient acquisition delivered through the hyphal network of mycorrhiza, an ancient and widespread plant symbiosis, or by the more recent adaptive innovation of nitrogen-fixing nodule symbioses. A plant’s genetic toolkit governs its selection of beneficial symbionts and the developmental extent of these intimate interactions. However, the evolutionary origins and function for only a few symbiotic signaling components have been explored. The central aim of this dissertation is to resolve the evolutionary events …

Residual Soil Phosphorus In Tropical Oxisols: An Opportunity To Enhance Fertilizer Use Efficiency?, Lauren Bomeisl

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Phosphorus (P) is essential to life on Earth and often the limiting nutrient in agricultural systems. P fertilizer is thus an essential resource to maintain food security. In the last half century, agricultural intensification has led to an increase in P fertilizer consumption from 4.6 to 17.5 Tg of P/year to meet rising global food demand. Mineral P (i.e., phosphate rock) is a non-renewable resource in the context of the Anthropocene, and its price is vulnerable to global market fluctuations. Increased efficiency of P use on farms is considered the most effective strategy to conserve P. The soybean industry demands …

Caught In Motion: Structural Studies Of Nucleic Acid Repair Enzymes, Brittany Carroll

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Cells synthesize proteins, the molecular instruments of all cellular processes, via

intermediate biomolecules that are susceptible to damage at every step. Known as the

central dogma of molecular biology, genes encoded in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are

transcribed, spliced, and matured into messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). These

nucleic acids direct protein synthesis by the pairing of nucleotide triplets with transfer

RNA (tRNA). tRNAs concomitantly decode the so-called codon, as they escort the

correct amino acid to the ribosome for extension of the nascent polypeptide chain.

Damage to any of these intermediate biomolecules can be highly damaging to protein

synthesis, leading to …

Mitigating Gaseous Nitrogen And Carbon Losses From Northeastern Agricultural Soils Via Alternative Soil Management Practices, Kyle Michael Dittmer

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Traditional agricultural practices often result in gaseous losses of nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3), and carbon dioxide (CO2), representing a net loss of nutrients from agricultural soils, which negatively impacts crop yield and requires farmers to increase nutrient inputs. By adopting best management practices (BMPs; i.e., no-tillage, cover crops, sub-surface manure application, and proper manure application timing), there is great potential to reduce these losses. Because N2O and CO2 are also greenhouse gases (GHGs), climate change mitigation via BMP adoption and emissions reductions would be an important co-benefit. However, adopting a no-tillage and cover cropping system has had setbacks within …

Examination Of Bovine Rumen Fluid And Milk Fat Globule Membrane Proteome Dynamics, Mallory Cate Honan

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Proteomic technology has been increasingly incorporated into agricultural research, as characterization of proteomes can provide valuable information for potential biomarkers of health and physiological status of an animal. As dairy cattle are a dominant production animal in the USA, their biofluids such as milk, blood, urine, and rumen fluid have been examined by proteomic analysis. The research outlined herein was performed to further characterize the dynamics of specific proteomes and relate them to dairy cattle physiology.

The first experiment evaluated the diurnal dynamicity of the rumen metaproteome in Holstein dairy cattle. Rumen fluid was collected from three mid to late …