Digital Commons Network^™

“The Real Cost Of Mining: How Digging For Rare Earth Metals Could Pose A Greater Cost Than Evs Can Save”, Brahim Khalil Yatim

Honors Theses and Capstones

The Paris Climate Agreement proposes to have 20% of all road transport vehicles be electric by the year 2030. Implementation of this policy is critical to help obtain a 2 degrees Celsius reduction in the increase of global temperatures by 2030. This paper dives into the true costs of taking on a project that large scale. This study finds that though the benefits of this project would result in a 351,785,600 tons of GHG saved by the electric conversion there are significant environmental and human costs associated with the mining necessary to complete the agreement's goal. With current technologies and …

Investigating Signs Of Orbital Decay In The Tres-1 Exoplanetary System, Amanda F. Wester

Honors Theses and Capstones

Transit observations of exoplanetary systems can be used to investigate orbital decay. TrES-1b is an exoplanet hypothesized to be experiencing orbital decay due to observed transit timing variations (TTVs) [12]. Numerous transits must be observed to establish a long term pattern to conclusively determine if the planet’s orbit is decaying. Measurements were made using the UNH Observatory where 2 transits were observed of the TrES-1b transiting system on February 27, 2022 and March 5, 2022. A CCD camera was used to image the transit and capture calibration images. The software AstroImageJ (AIJ) was used to calibrate the images and perform …

Combating Climate Change: Saving American Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure, Seamus Quinn

Honors Theses and Capstones

Climate change is a significant issue currently facing the United States’ wastewater treatment sector. It is becoming increasingly clear that its effects have the potential to damage and disrupt the operations of both treatment facilities and associated systems. This study aims to determine which effects of climate change contribute to this risk based on feedback from a combination of academic researchers and industry professionals. A case study of the city of Warwick, Rhode Island’s wastewater treatment facility was used to supplement this information based on an evaluation of how this particular system has been impacted by the effects of climate …

Supporting The Oral Language Development Of Young Dual Language Learners: Perspectives Of El Teachers In Nh, Maria C. Chouinard

Honors Theses and Capstones

Demographic shifts in the US over the last two decades have increased the diversity gap between teachers and their students. The majority of multilingual children entering US public schools face the challenge of learning academic content in not just one, but two languages. Despite many of the positive effects of being bilingual, Dual Language Learners (DLLs) often face more challenges in education achievement and opportunities than their monolingual English-speaking peers. A key factor of this challenge is the fact that DLLs tend to have monolingual English-speaking peers, and teachers have been shown to play a critical role in student learning. …

Controls On Carbon Gas Fluxes From A Temperate Forest Soil, Natalie A. White, Ruth K. Varner, Clarice R. Perryman

Honors Theses and Capstones

Forest soils consume atmospheric methane (CH₄), serving as a major global CH₄ sink that uptake an estimated 22 ± 12 Tg of CH₄ per year. Temperature and soil moisture have been identified as key controls of the microbial consumption of CH₄ in forest soils. Climate-driven warming and changing moisture regimes may impact forest soils’ role in the carbon cycle, and recent works suggests that forests could become weaker CH₄ sinks. Long-term monitoring sites can capture these changes, leading to better predictions of CH₄ exchange between the atmosphere and soils under climate change. This study …

Examining The Brand Image Of Paul College, Rebecca E. Milbury

Honors Theses and Capstones

The idea of a company’s brand image is a marketing subject that many companies need to consider. How consumers see or feel about a company is extremely important especially for higher education. Business schools are very competitive and in order to succeed, they need to understand how their students, alumni, faculty, and staff feel about their school. The results of the brand image survey are compared to those from a recent study completed in 2016. There are a few changes made to this survey, including adding alumni, faculty, and staff to the respondent pool. In doing so, this research will …

Finding The Best Predictors For Foot Traffic In Us Seafood Restaurants, Isabel Paige Beaulieu

Honors Theses and Capstones

COVID-19 caused state and nation-wide lockdowns, which altered human foot traffic, especially in restaurants. The seafood sector in particular suffered greatly as there was an increase in illegal fishing, it is made up of perishable goods, it is seasonal in some places, and imports and exports were slowed. Foot traffic data is useful for business owners to have to know how much to order, how many employees to schedule, etc. One issue is that the data is very expensive, hard to get, and not available until months after it is recorded. Our goal is to not only find covariates that …

A Comparison Of Perceptions Of Labor Support Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Grace Krein

Honors Theses and Capstones

Satisfaction with the experience of birth has been shown to be affected by the quality of support received by the birthing individual and how closely the experience aligns with their expectations. This is important because the hospital and societal restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic may have altered individuals’ experiences of birth during this time. This is further concerning as there is a known correlation between a negative birth experience and the risk for postpartum depression. This study aimed to identify birthing parents’ perceptions of support during birth and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted support practices. A survey …

College Of Health And Human Service Faculty’S Confidence And Inclusion Of Lgbtq+ Health Content In Curriculum, Carley S. Kanter

Honors Theses and Capstones

In the health care system, those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, (LGBTQ+) face discrimination and health disparities. Students who are better prepared in higher education to provide care for this population have higher levels of confidence in LGBTQ+ health content than those who have less exposure. Therefore, faculty who teach curriculum related to health and wellness have an opportunity to prepare students to provide high quality, patient centered care by teaching culturally competent care that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ populations. The aim of the study is to determine whether the degree of confidence in teaching LGBTQ+ health …

Early Evidence On Critical Audit Matters In Expanded Audit Reports, Maria Koch

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Robot Guided Exercise Training: The Role Of The Human Model, Selena R. Richards

Honors Theses and Capstones

Physical therapy after an injury can be difficult for patients to access, whether it be due to location, finances, or other factors. To make physical therapy more accessible, robot-guided exercise training can be used. Commercial anthropomorphic robots have been created and have human-like movement, but may still lack qualities that make it easy for a human to understand its intentions intuitively. A human model that mimics the movement of a robot performing human exercises can be used to complement the robot and increase human understanding. The ideal model would be viewable from different angles and could visibly show the difference …

Creating An Integration Framework For The European Union? Comparing The Role Of Language In Integration Policy Regarding Education And Labor Participation Rates In Germany And Sweden, Kate Elizabeth Persson

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Gaps: Addressing The Need For Palliative Care Education For University Nursing Students, Odin Todd Bickford

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study aimed to analyze undergraduate nursing students’ primary palliative care knowledge to determine if there is a need for further palliative care education in undergraduate, pre-licensure curriculums. To make this determination, this study utilized the Undergraduate Nursing Palliative Care Knowledge Survey (UNPCKS), created by Dr. Andra Davis and Dr. Megan Lippe, a 27-question survey that addresses the 6 domains of holistic palliative care; i) holistic, patient-centered care (Whole person care), ii) collaborative (Interprofessional), iii) understanding of primary palliative care as a resource and how to support patients/families (Advocacy and Knowledge of Primary Palliative Care), iv) the importance of understanding …

Sustainability And Performance Analysis In University Endowments, Sarah Wilkinson

Honors Theses and Capstones

University endowments are a great way for a university to show their values and commitment to sustainability. This paper conducts an analysis to test whether or not those universities with high overall sustainability scores have endowments that outperform the market and those of other universities with no sustainability focus. A case study was also done with University of New Hampshire and Arizona State University to further examine how two schools can go about their sustainable investing in different ways. Overall, it was found that the average excess return of a sustainable endowment did outperform its counterpart however the findings were …

Experiential Learning Versus Microcredentials: Educational Needs Of Undergraduate Students And Working Professionals, Hannah Wirth

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper looks at the characteristic differences between undergraduate students and working professionals and whether experiential learning or microcredentials are more effective in satisfying the educational needs of either group of learners. The characteristics used to define undergraduate students, working professionals, experiential learning, and microcredentials are choices, needs, motivation, learning style, and self-awareness. Based on these characteristics, the study predicted that experiential learning would better suit the educational needs of undergraduate students and microcredentials would better suit the needs of working professionals. The study’s hypotheses were designed from observations of the Business in Practice program at the University of New …

The Effects Of Corporate Tax Rates And Foreign Investment On Unemployment In Tax Haven Nations, Timothy M. Campbell

Honors Theses and Capstones

Corporate tax haven nations are infamous for offering corporations lower tax rates so that they can operate at lower costs and increase their profits. How the tax policies of tax havens impact the citizens of those nations is seldom discussed. This paper aims to determine if the policies undertaken by tax havens to increase foreign investment benefit the welfare of the citizens of those nations in terms of employment rate. Using a small preliminary sample of havens and non-havens, an inverse relationship is observed between corporate tax rate and foreign direct investment, and corporate tax rate and employment. A larger …

Crime And The Effects It Has On Business Development, Alexis Pimental

Honors Theses and Capstones

This reading highlights the topic of crime through exploring what crime is as well as the different types of crimes in our everyday lives. Specifically, this research paper wants to highlight the crimes that may affect businesses, as well as the relationships between crime and business development. By using facts and statistics, we will dive into the relationship between the two and see why certain businesses may find success while other businesses struggle. We will also be looking at different pieces of literature, reviewing them, and drawing conclusions from the literature being discussed. The literature review as well as assessments …

Comparing Twins Ion Temperature Maps With Mms, Ampere, And Themis Observations During July 26, 2017 Reconnection Event, Isabella M. Householder

Honors Theses and Capstones

The solar wind releases a constant stream of ionized particles into space which causes complex behaviors to occur within Earth’s magnetosphere. These disruptions can initiate magnetic reconnection and cause flow reversal of ions in the magnetotail. Two flow reversal events were locally detected by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) on July 26, 2017 at 0700 UT and 0730 UT. The Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers (TWINS) provide a global measurement of heated signatures of the magnetic field and detected an increase in ion temperature during these reconnection events without the presence of a geomagnetic storm. Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics …

Barbarians & Heretics: Anti-Greek And Anti-Latin Sentiments In Crusade-Era Chronicles, 1096-1204, Ryan Saputo

Honors Theses and Capstones

Historians have debated the role of stereotypes and hostile language in the diversion of the Fourth Crusade to Constantinople mostly through the outdated "Clash of Civilizations" lens. This work investigates the role of hostile stereotypes in both Western and Byzantine narrative histories discussing the first four crusades through a deep textual and literary analysis. This work argues that contemporary narrative histories from the first four crusades demonstrate that virulently hostile attitudes abounded in both Byzantine and Western sources, and that these attitudes greatly affected diplomatic and political decision making during Byzantine-Crusader interactions from 1096-1204. This work's close textual examination of …

The Technical Skills Valued By Public Accounting Firms, Nicholas P. Mokas

Honors Theses and Capstones

Accounting firms are continually working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their work. As part of these efforts, firms adopt new technologies like bots, analytics, and specialized software. As accounting firms become increasingly reliant on newer technologies, colleges need to continually reevaluate their required curricula to ensure that their students are adequately prepared for their future careers in accounting. To fill a gap in the extant literature, the objective of this study is to examine the technologies and skills accounting firms value and the proficiency of new hires with these technologies and skills. To complete this objective, a survey …

Location And Calibration Of Lightning Pulses From Lofar Radiation Measurements, Nicholas R. Demers

Honors Theses and Capstones

Lightning has the power to shock and awe as an incredible force of nature, yet so many phenomena surrounding lightning are still not well-understood. In fact, the very physics regarding what actually sparks a lightning strike remain poorly defined. In an effort to understand how lightning initiation is achieved, data collected from the Low Frequency Array in the Netherlands were calibrated and interferometry performed to map the flash in 4D space. The calibration process itself is explored, from choosing lightning sources to calibrate, to the various stages of calibration leading to a fully calibrated flash ready for interferometric analysis. Using …

Timeliness Of Electrocardiograms Within The Emergency Department: A Quality Improvement Project, Spencer Burke

Honors Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Timeliness in obtaining an electrocardiogram (ECG) is imperative for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with signs and symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend performing an ECG within 10 minutes of patient arrival. Delays in door-to-electrocardiogram (DTE) times were evident in the walk-in (WI) patient population who presented to the ED waiting room (WR) where this quality improvement (QI) project took place. The aim of this QI project was to reduce the median DTE time to 10 minutes through improving the point of contact process upon …

Enhancing Peripheral Intravenous Line Maintenance Practices Among Nurses In A Critical Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Jaylene Velasquez

Honors Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: One of the major risks of infection lies in a patient’s intravenous (IV) access. On a cardiac intensive unit, a Levell II trauma center, preventing adverse events (i.e. infections, sepsis, etc.) is essential within this unit due to the nature of these health conditions. To ensure patient safety, nurses must abide by evidence-based practices and facility guidelines regarding intravenous line management. This quality improvement (QI) project implemented interventions to enhance nursing practices for peripheral intravenous therapy.

Methods: This project included statistical analysis and audits to measure the impact of the interventions. The variables being observed in this project …

Distributed Partial Differential Equation Solving With Julia Fast Fourier Transform Library, Christopher E. Mottola

Honors Theses and Capstones

Scientific computing relies on advanced computational and mathematical techniques to solve complex problems in scientific domains. For the numerical rendering of spectral, nonlinear, and dynamic phenomena, there is a growing need for greater availability of a broad class of Fourier-based algorithms to perform large scale operations on multidimensional data in distributed and optimized ways. To this effect, the Julia programming language is new and has significant advantages compared to other common languages used in scientific computing. The research presented here formulates a basis for further development in high-performance scientific computing of periodic partial differential equations through the application of distributed …

Attempts To Measure Nanosecond Resolved Electronic Dynamics Of Charge Density Wave Phase Transition In 1t-Tas2, Ben Campbell

Honors Theses and Capstones

Scanning tunneling microscopes allow for atomic spatial resolution but the resulting images are necessarily time-averaged and fast dynamics are lost. Pump-probe spectroscopy is a common optical technique used to measure ultrafast electronic dynamics but the integration of optical pump-probe spectroscopy into an STM requires specialized knowledge and equipment. Alternatively, an all-electronic pump-probe spectroscopy technique has recently been developed for use with an STM that replaces the laser pulses of optical pump-probe with voltage pulses. In this paper, I implemented an all-electronic pump-probe scheme into an existing scanning tunneling microscope using an arbitrary waveform generator and a lock-in amplifier. I developed …

Realtime Event Detection In Sports Sensor Data With Machine Learning, Mallory Cashman

Honors Theses and Capstones

Machine learning models can be trained to classify time series based sports motion data, without reliance on assumptions about the capabilities of the users or sensors. This can be applied to predict the count of occurrences of an event in a time period. The experiment for this research uses lacrosse data, collected in partnership with SPAITR - a UNH undergraduate startup developing motion tracking devices for lacrosse. Decision Tree and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models are trained and perform with high success rates. These models improve upon previous work in human motion event detection and can be used a reference …

Paying Attention: The Effects Of Different Social Media Posts On Consumers, Noah Lapointe

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Should Cryptocurrency And Nft’S Be Used As Collateral?, John M. Helmanis

Honors Theses and Capstones

Nothing has captured the attention of modern finance quite like cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFT), whether it’s the massive skyrocketing price or the next day's sudden drop wiping out millions of dollars seemingly overnight. This paper seeks to understand cryptocurrencies and NFT's position in modern finance in terms of collateral. Specifically, the question that will be answered is should cryptocurrencies and NFTs be used as collateral? This question has relevance because widespread use as collateral would signify validation as an asset class that holds value. Some cryptocurrency brokers are making loans backed by cryptocurrency, but currently, no major banks are …

The Effect Of Post-Meal Walking On 24-Hour Central Blood Pressure In Young Women With And Without Excess Adiposity, Maison P. D'Amelio, Bilal A. Chaudhry, Ciana B. Lazu

Honors Theses and Capstones

Post-meal walking (PMW) performed after breakfast, lunch, and dinner has been demonstrated to reduce blood glucose. However, no studies have examined the potential additive benefits of post-meal walking exercise on daytime central blood pressure (BP) in young women. METHODS: Thirteen physically inactive, non-hypertensive women (Age: 20±1 years; percent body fat: 28.2±13%) completed the study during the early follicular or placebo phase of their contraceptive cycle. Participants completed a control day (CON; no exercise/excess physical activity) and PMW day (3 bouts x 15 minutes of brisk walking) over five days in random order. Daytime ambulatory BP and accelerometry data (to estimate …

The Newsworthiness Of Increasingly Expected Murder: Foreign Press Coverage Of The Parkland Shooting, Jasmine Skye Taudvin

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.