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Micro-Topological Effects On Redox-Sensitive Nutrient Availability Of Manganese, Iron, Sulfur, And Phosphorus, Lindsey C. Ruhl

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The working hypothesis for this study was that small elevation differences in field depressions affect the availability of redox active nutrients because the bottom of the depression remains waterlogged and in reducing conditions longer than the edge of the depression. Mn, Fe, S and P availabilities were investigated in a field depression with a 20 meter radius and 0.5 meter depth on a flood-prone, organic vegetable farm. One depression (Depression 1) was sampled seven times during three field seasons (May 2012-June 2014). The last two dates included sampling in an additional three depressions to allow a comparison among depressions on …

Short Food Supply Chains: Expectations And Reality, Richard Roberto Richards

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Alternative food systems (AFSs) are so defined because they purport to challenge a value or ameliorate a negative impact of the dominant conventional food system (CFS). Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are a type of AFS whose alterity is defined by socially proximal economic exchanges that are embedded in and regulated by social relationships. This relational closeness is argued to have benefits with respect to economic, environmental, and social sustainability. However, it would be a mistake to assume that AFSs and CFSs are paradigmatically differentiated or that their structures engender particular outcomes.

The first article traces a misguided attempt to …

Effect Of Radiation On Polymerization, Microstructure, And Microbiological Properties Of Whey Protein In Model System And Whey Protein Based Tissue Adhesive Development, Ning Liu

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Whey proteins are mainly a group of small globular proteins. Their structures can be modified by physical, chemical and other means to improve their functionality. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of radiation on protein-protein interaction, microstructure, and microbiological properties of whey protein-water solutions. Whey protein isolate (WPI) solutions (27-36% protein) were treated with different dosages (10-35 KGy) of gamma radiation. The protein solutions were analyzed for viscosity, turbidity, soluble nitrogen, total plate count, and yeast and mold counts. The interactions between whey proteins were also analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and …

Amygdala Pacap As A Mediator Of The Emotional Components Of Pain, Galen Missig

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Chronic pain alters sensory responses and carries a strong emotional component. Persistent pain can heighten pain experiences, resulting in hyperalgesia and allodynia. Further, patients suffering from chronic pain are more prone to experience a range of affective disorders including depression, sleep dysregulation, panic disorders, anxiety abnormalities and stress-related disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hence while pain serves a protective function to prevent additional physiological harm by driving behavioral and cognitive responses, chronic or persistent pain can lead to maladaptive nociceptive responses and exacerbate psychopathologies. Among brain regions, the amygdala is centrally situated to integrate the many descending and ascending …

Lake Trout Spawning Site Use In Lake Champlain & The Development Of The Binomial Rolling Residence Test, Victoria M. Pinheiro

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Lake trout populations were extirpated from the lower four Great Lakes by 1960 and from Lake Champlain by 1900. The decline of lake trout populations fueled a wave of restoration-based research that spanned the Great Lakes and filled in many of the gaps in our knowledge of lake trout behavior and ecology. However, remarkably little is known about lake trout spawning behavior, even less about sex-specific differences in spawning site use. Lake trout use specific spawning sites, and may return to the same site year after year. More males are caught on spawning sites than females and are present at …

Exchange Mechanisms In Macroscopic Ordered Organic Magnetic Semiconductors, Naveen Rawat

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Small molecule organic semiconductors such as phthalocyanines and their derivatives represent a very interesting alternative to inorganic semiconductor materials for the development of flexible electronic devices such as organic thin field effect transistors, organic Light Emitting Diodes and photo-voltaic cells. Phthalocyanine molecules can easily accommodate a variety of metal atoms as well in the central core of the molecule, resulting in wide range of magnetic properties. Exploration of optical properties of organic crystalline semiconductors thin films is challenging due to sub-micron grain sizes and the presence of numerous structural defects, disorder and grain boundaries. However, this can be overcome by …

Becoming Transdisciplinary: Exploring Process In A Research Initiative On Climate Change, Emil Tsao

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The subject of this case study is the Vermont Agricultural Resilience in a Changing Climate initiative, a transdisciplinary research team at UVM that has maintained success in meeting research and outreach objectives despite collaborating in a way that does not follow any particular ideal-type transdisciplinary process. In following recent science and technology (STS) studies' accounts of cross-disciplinary collaboration, the hypothesis pursued is that the transdisciplinary study of messy or "wicked" problems like climate change brings forth an array of responses from researchers whose disciplinary backgrounds already position them to pursue their research differently, particularly when they involve outside stakeholders in …

Ruo2 Nanorods As An Electrocatalyst For Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis, Richard Smith

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The desire for pure diatomic hydrogen gas, H2(g), has been on the rise since the concept of the hydrogen economy system was proposed back in 1970. The production of hydrogen has been extensively examined over 40 + years as the need to replace current fuel sources, hydrocarbons, has become more prevalent. Currently there are only two practical and renewable production methods of hydrogen; landfill gas and power to gas. This study focuses on the later method; using various renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaics, to provide off-peak energy to perform water electrolysis. Efficient electrolysis takes place in electrochemical cells which …

Towards A Structural Understanding Of Spore Germination In Clostridium Difficile, Chloe M. Adams

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes a toxin-mediated disease, typically in individuals whose normal intestinal flora has been compromised by antibiotic therapy. C. difficile is naturally resistant to many antibiotics and produces spores that can withstand harsh environmental conditions and many disinfectants, making the infection difficult to clear and easy to spread. The infection begins when spores from the environment are ingested and germinate upon exposure to taurocholate and glycine in the digestive tract. This germination process is required to initiate infection and thus represents a good target for the development of novel therapeutics. Although spore germination is …

The Role Of Motivation And Curriculum In Shaping Pro-Sustainable Attitudes And Behaviors In Students, Kathleen Bamford

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Sustainability is an area of growing pertinence as our future and the future of our planet depends on its acceptance and application. Determining patterns in pro-sustainable attitudes and behaviors, and revealing motivations behind these behaviors have important implications for the future of sustainability education. The primary objective of this study is to discover the relationships between educational experience and sustainability attitudes and behaviors in elementary school students. A secondary objective is to determine the motivation behind pro-sustainability behaviors and to establish the role this plays in educational programs. The study utilizes mixed methodology through two modes of data collection: 1. …

Boys, Writing, And The Literacy Gender Gap: What We Know, What We Think We Know, Nancy Disenhaus

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The existence of a persistent gender gap in literacy achievement, and particularly in writing, is not in dispute: boys trail girls in every assessment at state, national, and international levels. Yet although this basic fact is not in dispute, nearly everything else concerning the gender gap in literacy achievement--its causes, consequences, and potential solutions--remains hotly contested, particularly in the public and professional discourse. Scholarly research offers insights that frequently challenge the prevailing public discourse, but this research has been conducted primarily in the U.K., Australia, and Canada, leaving the experiences of U.S. students largely unexplored. Herein lies the problem: an …

New Insights For The Future Of Lake Champlain: Practical Approaches And Useful Tools For Grappling With Uncertainty And Weighing Trade-Offs In Watershed Management., Philip Halteman

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The effective management of non-point source nutrient pollution continues to prove elusive. Though the scientific literature is unequivocal that all anthropogenic land uses contribute to non-point source (NPS) pollution, variable levels of contribution over time and across location and complex relationships between cost and effect make finding technologically effective management solutions difficult. In addition, these solutions are implemented in a world of scarce resources, diverse and often competing concerns and values, and intense public scrutiny. Clearly, making the best possible decision about how to manage NPS pollution under these conditions is not simple. My overarching goal was to develop and …

Monitor: Automation Tools For Landscape-Scale Acoustic Monitoring, Jonathan Edward Katz

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Climate change coupled with land-use change will likely alter habitats and affect state parameters of the animal populations that dwell in them. Affected parameters are anticipated to include site occupancy and abundance, population range, and phenophase cycles (e.g., arrival dates on breeding grounds for migrant bird species). Detecting these changes will require monitoring many sites for many years, a process that is well suited for an automated system. We developed and tested monitoR, an R package that is designed for long-term, multi-taxa automated passive acoustic monitoring programs. monitoR correctly identified presence for black-throated green warbler and ovenbird in 64% and …

Chemical Composition, Probiotic Survivability And Shelf Life Studies Of Symbiotic Buttermilk, Dong Zhang

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Cultured buttermilk is becoming popular as an ingredient for bakery applications and for direct consumption in the U.S.. The objective of this study was to develop a symbiotic cultured buttermilk, containing inulin as a prebiotic and the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp. The cultured buttermilk was prepared using a commercial mesophilic starter CHN22 (Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Leuconstoc mesenteorides subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis) and the probiotics. The control buttermilk was prepared using CHN22 and the symbiotic buttermilk were analyzed for chemical composition, probiotics survivability, mold, yeast …

Exploring Catholic Education In The Twenty-First Century: Teaching Practices, Technology Integration, And Educational Goals, Meredith Swallow

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Although Catholic schools are the largest sector of the national private and faith-based educational market, the overall student enrollment in Catholic K-12 schools has steadily declined. In order for Catholic schools to remain sustainable and competitive among the many different educational options in the twenty-first century, they must set themselves apart from other schools by offering unique learning opportunities that support twenty-first century education while promoting Catholic educational values. Recognizing the need for updated teaching practices, balanced pedagogy with Catholic educational values, and focused research on Catholic education, this two-year multiple-case study explored the instructional practices of eight middle level …

Multi-Sensory Stimulation Environments For Use With Dementia Patients: Staff Perspectives On Reduction Of Agitation And Negative Behaviors, Megan Houston

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Background: Dementia is a degenerative neurological disorder that afflicts a growing proportion of the global population. Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) modalities are under investigation for their therapeutic value in the management of dementia.

Purpose: Nursing care of dementia sufferers can include managing agitation and negative behaviors; this study investigates staff appraisal of the Multi-Sensory Stimulation Environment (MSSE) as an intervention for these nursing challenges.

Methods: A purposive sample of nursing staff employed in residential care for dementia patients were recruited 10 weeks after the initiation of an open-access MSSE at the facility to complete a confidential self-administered questionnaire.

Results: 79% …

A Prelimary Study Of Differences Between Voluntary And Involuntary Retirement From Driving: Quality Of Life And Depression In A Rural Population, Elizabeth Ann Pruitt Saxton

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Research has revealed a variety of negative health consequences for older adults who stop driving, and with the "graying of America," this will be a frequently encountered issue for healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in quality of life and depressive symptoms between former drivers who made the decision to stop driving voluntarily and former drivers who made the decision involuntarily (either in a resistant or in a reluctant manner). In this cross-sectional cohort comparison study, community dwelling older adults were asked to complete questionnaires of depression (using the Geriatric Depression Scale), …

Reverse Engineering The Human Brain: An Evolutionary Computation Approach To The Analysis Of Fmri, Nicholas Allgaier

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The field of neuroimaging has truly become data rich, and as such, novel analytical methods capable of gleaning meaningful information from large stores of imaging data are in high demand. Those methods that might also be applicable on the level of individual subjects, and thus potentially useful clinically, are of special interest. In this dissertation we introduce just such a method, called nonlinear functional mapping (NFM), and demonstrate its application in the analysis of resting state fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) from a 242-subject subset of the IMAGEN project, a European study of risk-taking behavior in adolescents that includes longitudinal …

The Health Care Provider's Experience With Fathers Of Overweight And Obese Children, Eliza Weston Anti

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to uncover the experience of health care providers (HCPs) as they work with fathers of children who are overweight and obese in the outpatient setting. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for data collection and analysis in this study. Seven HCPs were interviewed about their experiences. Two major themes emerged from the experiences of these HCPs: "dad in the backseat," and "paternal resistance." The theme of "dad in the backseat" captured to the HCPs' perception of parental roles and related stereotypes with respect to fathers' lack of presence in the health-care setting, family roles that …

Discourse As Social Process In Outdoor Recreation And Natural Resource Management: Arguing, Constructing, And Performing, Monika Marie Derrien

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the language-based, discursive processes through which meanings and experiences are socially constituted in outdoor recreation and natural resource environments. Language use and discourse are seen as interactive, constructive processes, approached through the theoretical perspectives of argumentation, social constructionism, and performance.

Three qualitative studies, based in data collected at Acadia National Park and forest-related sites throughout Vermont, comprise this dissertation. The first study uses rhetorical analysis to examine the ways National Park Service managers and community leaders argue for the meanings and management of dark night skies in and around Acadia. The second study examines how national park …

How Wildlife Information, Recreation Involvement And Demographic Characteristics Influence Public Acceptability Of Development, Jessica Espenshade

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Increasing development like roads and houses will alter the future landscape of Vermont. Development provides important resources for people and society, but also results in consequences for wildlife and opportunities for recreation. Managing development requires information on the public's acceptability of development and how acceptability is shaped by information on various consequences. In this study, I examined three questions: 1) What is the public's acceptability of development? 2) Does wildlife information influence public acceptability of development and 3) Is the maximum amount of acceptable development influenced by views about wildlife, involvement in recreation, and demographic factors? I surveyed 9,000 households …

The Effect Of Biodiesel Blends On Particle Number Emissions From A Light Duty Diesel Engine, Tyler Samuel Feralio

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Numerous studies have shown that respirable particles contribute to adverse human health outcomes including discomfort in irritated airways, increased asthma attacks, irregular heartbeat, non-fatal heart attacks, and even death. Particle emissions from diesel vehicles are a major source of airborne particles in urban areas. In response to energy security and global climate regulations, the use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel for petrodiesel has significantly increased in recent years. Particle emissions from diesel engines are highly dependent on fuel composition and, as such, the increased use of biodiesel in diesel vehicles may potentially change the concentration, size, and composition of …

An Embodied Approach To Evolving Robust Visual Classifiers, Karol Zieba

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

From the very creation of the term by Czech writer Karel Capek in 1921, a "robot" has been synonymous with an artificial agent possessing a powerful body and cogitating mind. While the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics have made progress into the creation of such an android, the goal of a cogitating robot remains firmly outside the reach of our technological capabilities. Cognition has proved to be far more complex than early AI practitioners envisioned. Current methods in Machine Learning have achieved remarkable successes in image categorization through the use of deep learning. However, when presented with novel …

Nazi Collaborators, American Intelligence, And The Cold War: The Case Of The Byelorussian Central Council, Mark Alexander

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

When the military forces of the Third Reich invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the German authorities used local anti-Communist collaborators to facilitate the invasion and the occupation of the conquered territories. Many of these Byelorussian collaborators became complicit in the perpetration of the Holocaust and eagerly created a puppet regime under the direct control of the Schutzstaffel (SS). However, this regime and the crimes of its members remain largely unknown.

As the Third Reich crumbled, the members of the SS-sponsored Byelorussian Central Council (BCC) hid themselves in the confusion of postwar Europe’s Displaced Persons camps, where they began …

Investigation Of A Ring Fragmentation Reaction For The Synthesis Of Tethered Aldehyde Ynones And Medium Sized Cyclic Ynones And Ynolides, Ali Bayir

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The fragmentation of γ-silyloxy-β-hydroxy-α-diazoesters to provide tethered aldehyde ynoates was discovered and developed in Prof. Brewer's laboratory. This reaction is a Lewis acid mediated heterolytic cleavage of the Cβ-γ bond of a γ-silyloxy-β-hydroxy-α-diazocarbonyl functional group array contained in a ring compound.

This dissertation describes a further study of this ring fragmentation reaction and application of this fragmentation to the preparation of synthetically useful organic molecules. The purpose of this dissertation work was three fold. The first objective was to extend this ring fragmentation reaction to the synthesis of tethered aldehyde ynones by fragmenting various γ-silyloxy-β-hydroxy-α-diazo ketone compounds. The second objective …

Examining Two Green Payment Options To Support Dairy Farm Viability In Northern New England: Anaerobic Digestion And Organic Production, Deborah Ann Krug

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the details and profitability of two distinct operational strategies utilized by dairy operations as alternatives to expanding milk production. It features farms that have either transitioned to organic production or installed a farm-scale anaerobic digester, motivated in part by the opportunity for market specialization or income diversification to increase the viability of their dairy farm businesses.

The first analysis examines the demographics and production characteristics impacting the profitability of organic dairy farmers in Vermont and Maine. This provides policymakers, educators, lenders, and suppliers with a profile of this sector that accounts for 23% of dairy farms in …

Physicochemical Properties, Microstructure And Probiotic Survivability Of Non-Fat Goat's Milk Yogurt Using Heat Treated Whey Protein Concentrate As A Fat Replacer, James Thomas Mccarthy

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Probiotic dairy foods, especially non- and low-fat dairy products, are becoming popular in the US. A non-fat goat's milk yogurt containing probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp.) was developed using heat-treated whey protein concentrate (HWPC) as a fat replacer and pectin as a thickening agent. Yogurts containing non-heat treated whey protein concentrate (WPC) and pectin as well as one with only pectin were also produced. A fat-free cow's milk yogurt with pectin was also used as a control yogurt. The yogurts were analyzed for chemical composition, water holding capacity (syneresis), microstructure, changes in pH and viscosity, mold, yeast and coliform …

Using Mutli Criteria Decision Analysis To Develop Sustainability Assessment Tools: Biomass Supply Chains, Deandra Marie Perruccio

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Energy access remains a significant challenge in nations lacking access to resources and strong infrastructure systems, creating barriers to economic development and to increased standards of living. Small scale biomass gasification energy (BGE) systems have been developed to meet energy needs in rural areas, creating synergies between agricultural and agro-forestry systems through utilization of biomass feedstock for energy generation. The sustainability of such systems requires sophisticated planning and coordination of the biomass supply chain.

The goal of this thesis is to investigate and improve structural and process related characteristics of sustainability assessments for small scale bio-energy systems, specifically focusing on …

Inhibitory Control Efficiency In Successful Weight Loss Participants, Kathryn Curran Olds

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Eating unhealthy foods and eating past satiety are inappropriate behaviors that promote obesity. The ability to effectively inhibit an inappropriate behavior is a key component of cognitive restraint and its impairment has been previously linked to obesity. In this study, a Go/No-Go fMRI task was completed by a cohort of adult women that had experienced initial weight loss followed by various levels of weight regain or continued weight loss. Region of interest fMRI analysis revealed that greater total weight loss was significantly related to decreasing activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus and the right superior frontal gyrus. These results …

The Lived Experience Of Transgender College-Aged Students Receiving Healthcare, Lisa Schaffer

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Background

There is a relative dearth of information regarding transgender patient perceptions of healthcare provider interactions and experiences. Previous studies have examined the experiences of transgender patients across multiple generations.

Purpose

This research focuses on understanding the lived experience of transgender college-aged students receiving healthcare. The goal of this research is to help inform the practices of healthcare providers in order to improve care experiences.

Methods

Hermeneutic phenomenology was utilized to illuminate the lived experiences of three college-aged transgender patients receiving healthcare. Interviews were conducted with research participants. After transcription, interview content was read and re-read for significant statements. Significant …