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Run For Your Life: Spectacle Primaries And The Success Of 'Failed' Primary Candidates, Sean Patrick Mckinley

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis qualitatively examines the personal career outcomes of major presidential primary candidates from 1976-2008. It argues that the primary process fundamentally changed with the introduction of reform in the 1970s. It has continued to evolve into the "spectacle primary," a system whereby mere participation, not necessarily electoral success, can convey manifold benefits to subsequent careers in the public or private sectors. It also finds far less risk in primary participation than conventional wisdom might assume. Therefore, this thesis holds that prospective candidates when weighing a presidential primary bid, should consider these ulterior benefits beyond electoral success and all else …

Image Pre-Processing To Improve Data Matrix Barcode Read Rates, Nathan P. Brouwer

Master's Theses and Capstones

The main goal of this study is to research image processing methods in attempts to develop a robust approach to image pre-preprocessing of Data Matrix barcode images that will improve barcode read rates in an open source fashion. This is demonstrated by element state classification to re-create the ideal binary matrix corresponding to the intended barcode layout through pattern recognition theory.

The research consisted of implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of many image processing algorithms types, as well as evaluating key features that clearly delineate different element states. The algorithms developed highlight the use of morphological erosion and region growing …

Iran, Sanctions, And Nuclear Proliferation: In Search Of A Strategic Alternative, Michael J. Cole

Master's Theses and Capstones

The complex political landscape of Iran is often excluded from political discourse, contributing to oversimplified, at times incoherent policy approaches that reflect fundamental misunderstandings and typically undermine rather than complement U.S. nonproliferation objectives. Domestic receptivity to international inducements is conditioned by specific characteristics of the domestic political environment. Economic sanctions have distributional effects that weaken moderate factions needed to pressure the hardline constituencies of the regime. Coercive instruments have strangled Iranian civil society, the private sector and the middle-class, severing crucial state-society networks, leaving reformist forces vulnerable to the new wave of hardline conservatism that has, in spite of U.S. …

Evaluating Phenotypic Differences Between High Tunnel Tomato Cultivars And The Functional Role Of Diversity In A Broccoli - Living Mulch Agroecostytem, Nicholas Warren

Master's Theses and Capstones

Recently, there has been a growing effort to increase the availability of locally grown food in New England, and the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of these changes require careful consideration. This work consists of two experiments evaluating typical food production systems in New England. The high tunnel tomato cultivar trial evaluates indeterminate beefsteak tomatoes for important phenotypic differences. Understanding these differences will aid in the selection of different cultivars of tomatoes for local growers. Increasing the intraspecific diversity of high tunnel tomatoes may help balance the tradeoffs observed between cultivars. The broccoli-living mulch experiment is an evaluation of the competitive …

Experimental Investigation Of The Turbulent Axisymmetric Wake With Rotation Generated By A Wind Turbine, Nathaniel P. Dufresne

Master's Theses and Capstones

An experimental investigation of the axial and azimuthal (swirl) velocity field in the wake of a single 3-bladed wind turbine with rotor diameter of 0.91m was conducted, up to 20 diameters downstream. The turbine was positioned in the free stream, near the entrance of the 6m x 2.7m cross section of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Flow Physics Facility. Velocity measurements were conducted at different rotor loading conditions with blade tip-speed ratios from 2.0 to 2.8. A Pitot-static tube and constant temperature hot-wire anemometer with a multi-wire sensor were used to measure velocity fields. An equilibrium similarity theory for …

Spectroscopic Investigations Of The Photochemical Properties Of I. Spiropyran On Y Zeolite For Photochromic Applications Ii. Rhenium(I) Bipyridyl Tricarbonyl On Mesoporous Zsm-5 Zeolite And Silica For Photocatalytic Reduction Of Carbon Dioxide, Kevin Dubois

Master's Theses and Capstones

Immobilization of photoactive molecules on porous and nano-sized solid supports provides unique interactions which affect photophysical properties. In situ diffuse reflectance FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopies were primarily used to investigate the properties of surface functionalized materials. Spectroscopic characterization of photochromic spiropyran molecules physically adsorbed on Y zeolite revealed the importance of surface water in controlling kinetics and reversibility of photoswitching by stabilizing the merocyanine isomer. Re(bpy)(CO)3C1 was both physically adsorbed on a mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite and covalently bound via the bipyridyl ligand on fumed silica to generate photocatalytic CO2 reduction materials. Upon light irradiation of the solids in the presence …

Novel Synthesis Of Sulfur Based Ligands Used In Modeling Biological Hydrogen Bonding Interactions, Tyler Jesse Jacinto

Master's Theses and Capstones

Heme-thiolate proteins are known to have hydrogen bond donors proximal to the axial thiolate ligand. The specific roles of these conserved H-bond donors have not yet been elucidated. However, various sources agree upon the positive influence that increased X-H···S interactions have on protein redox potentials. For example, synthetic modeling studies of the cytochromes P450 show similar positive shifts in potential in iron-porphyrin-thiolate model systems. The ligands used in modeling the H-bonding interactions in the P450 cytochromes included a series of 2,6-substituted thiophenols, -S(2,6-(CX3CONH)2C6H3), where X = H, F, CH3. The current synthetic route to these ligands is vague and employs …

Covalent Attachment Of A Diimine Tricarbonyl Re(I) Catalyst On Solid State Nano-Material Surfaces For Solar Carbon Dioxide Reduction, He He

Master's Theses and Capstones

Reduction of carbon dioxide to useful chemicals and fuels is of significant interest. Transition metal complexes, such as tricarbonyl rhenium(I) compounds, are efficient molecular catalysts for photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction. To improve the stability and catalytic activity of homogeneous catalysts, a mesoporous silica material, SBA-15, was synthesized and applied as catalyst support for immobilizing the tricarbonyl rhenium(I) compound via both covalent bonding and physical adsorption. The covalently bonded tricarbonyl rhenium(I) catalyst in SBA-15 exhibited excellent stability and good activity during the photocatalytic reduction process, compared with its homogeneous counterpart and the physically absorbed one. Another solid-state nano-material, Kaolin, was also …

Small Scale Raft Aquaponics: Evaluation Of Hybrid Striped Bass Growth And Plant Uptake Potential, Calvin Grant Diessner

Master's Theses and Capstones

Hybrid striped bass ([male]Morone saxatilis [female] Morone chrysopos) were successfully cultivated in two separate 48 day trials (t1 and t2) with seedlings of lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Rex) and pac choi (Brassica rapa cv. Win-Win) within a shared recirculating aquaponic system. It was determined that fish stocking density had no significant effect on the mean yield of lettuce and pac choi biomass in t1. Stocking density did have a significant effect on the elemental nutrients generated within the aquaponic systems. A nutrient deficiency was exhibited by the leaf tissue of pac choi grown with fish stocked at low a density …

Undergraduate Latinas' Self-Definition Of Academic Success, Carla Machado Rodrigues

Master's Theses and Capstones

This master's level thesis's objective was to gain a better understanding of how a sample of 13 undergraduate Latinas who graduated high school and immediately enrolled into college define academic success. Through interviews, these undergraduate Latinas explain where these self-definitions came from, mentors that may have influenced these definitions, and if their ethnicity and gender has played any role in the way they perceive academic success. The study also considers findings from previous research regarding academic resilience factors associated with Latinas, such as: being involved in college ready initiatives, obtaining academic support from significant others, having mentors, receiving various messages …

Internet Use And Sense Of Community Among Rural Adolescents, Rebecca Benson

Master's Theses and Capstones

There is currently a debate about the way Internet use affects community outcomes. Some suggest positive effects while others propose negative effects. The current study seeks to add to this discussion by using two waves of data to examine how frequency and type of Internet use affect sense of community in a sample of rural youth. Competing hypotheses are posed---Internet use will increase sense of community and Internet use will decrease sense of community. Using data from the Rural Youth Study, results indicate mixed effects of Internet use on sense of community dimensions, community attachment, support and emotional connection with …

Under Supreme Court Review: An Evaluation Of The United States Court Of Appeals For The Ninth Circuit, 1994-2005, Matthew C. Coker

Master's Theses and Capstones

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is one of the most controversial courts in the United States due, in large part, to its high rate of reversal by the United States Supreme Court. The existing scholarship advances several potential explanations for the Ninth Circuit's reversal rate, particularly the Ninth Circuit's reputation as a very liberal court. This study evaluates the Ninth Circuit cases reviewed by the Supreme Court during the 1994-2004 terms to determine whether there are explanatory patterns to the Supreme Court's disposition of cases from the Ninth Circuit over time. Examining the effects of …

A New Model Of Procedural Justice: Legal Legitimacy, Legal Cynicism, And Satisfaction With Government Officials, Lindsey R. Phelan

Master's Theses and Capstones

The alternative model of legal socialization proposes that legal legitimacy and legal cynicism mediate the relation between procedural justice and rule-violating behavior (Triter, 2012). In contrast, the direct model of procedural justice proposes that procedural justice predicts satisfaction with government (Tyler, 1988). The current study tested these models using secondary analysis of data collected in Eastern and Western Europe during the 1990s. The present study tested two competing hypotheses: legitimacy and cynicism would mediate the relation between procedural justice and satisfaction with government officials (alternative model) and procedural justice would predict satisfaction (direct model). Results indicated that procedural justice predicted …

Sex, Infection, And Trust: Condom Use Among Gay Men And Their Perceptions Of Hiv, Michael Jeffrey Staley

Master's Theses and Capstones

Unprotected anal intercourse among gay men remains high, despite the well-known fact that HIV/AIDS still disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM). This qualitative, exploratory study seeks to understand the meanings and motivations of gay men's condom use and non-use. I observed three organizations that center on gay identities in the spring and fall of 2010 and in the spring of 2011. Additionally, using a semi-structured format, I interviewed 19 gay or bisexual men between the ages of 19 and 39. Condom non-use was high; 16 men reported not using a condom in their sexually active lifetime. Three …

Consequences Of A Separatist Platform? The Rise And Fall Of The Bloc Quebecois, Zachary Azem

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis analyzes the contributing factors to the Bloc Quebecois' overwhelming loss in the 2011 Canadian Federal Election. Using both qualitative evidence and statistical analysis, it will investigate the extent in which five potential causes affected this outcome: a shift in support of the New Democratic Party, the distribution of Francophone protest party votes, campaign strategies of the New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois, changing views on separatism, and the single member district plurality system.

How Age And Religiosity Affect Forgiving Others, Andrew Schaefer

Master's Theses and Capstones

Using data from the General Social Survey (1998), Robert Wuthnow's Forgiveness Survey (1999), and ten in-depth interviews of members of an evangelical church (2010--11), I investigate three research questions: (1) How are age and religiosity related to people's attitudes toward forgiving others? (2) Do age and religiosity have the same effect on people's forgiving behaviors? (3) How do respondents' accounts of their own experiences forgiving others help explain and contribute to answers of the first two questions? I found that those with the highest levels of religiosity were most likely to have positive attitudes toward forgiving and to have engaged …

Nationalism, The Anti-Conquest Norm, And Lockean Cultures Of Anarchy, Matthew D. Dilorenzo

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis explores the structural effects of nationalism on the international state system using Alexander Wendt's "cultures of anarchy" typology. The quantitative portion employs a logistic regression model to determine whether states with "stronger" national identities are less likely to pursue territorial conquest as a goal of using force. Because of the problematic nature of measuring nationalism quantitatively, case studies in US foreign policy towards the Dominican Republic are used to highlight the ways that appeals to the anti-conquest norm are often justified on the basis of national self-determination. Leaving open the issue of whether the anti-conquest norm is a …

Without The Consent Of The Governed: Why National Health Care Reform Passed In 2010 Despite Public Opinion Against It, Walter Tibbetts

Master's Theses and Capstones

Usually the will of the people is reflected in public policy on such a salient issue as health care. This was the case with Medicare in 1965 and President Clinton's health care reform efforts in 1993--4. However, this was not the case in 2010, when President Obama's health care plan was passed despite 53 percent of the American people being against it.

The subject of this case study is the anomaly that was the 2009--2010 health care reform debate and vote. The relationship between public opinion and public policy is explored, and a narrative of the 2009--2010 health care debate …

The Big Book & The Sword: A Study Of Native American Disappointment With White Morality, Brendan Mccaughey

Master's Theses and Capstones

The following thesis investigates the sources of Native American disappointment with white morality from the mid-eighteenth century into the early nineteenth century. Countless studies have focused on violence and resistance in the American backcountry throughout the late colonial period as well as the native revitalization movements that often fueled that resistance.

This study focuses on a group of people who were constantly in contact with examples of white morality. After witnessing the examples of white missionaries, Native Americans were repeatedly perplexed by white settlers who did not adhere to the principles of their religion. This disappointment continued in the Republican …

The Color Of Labor: The Changing Racial And Spatial Distribution Of Middle-Skill Employment, Justin R. Young

Master's Theses and Capstones

Research regarding the growing gap between rich and poor has not wholly considered the dissolution of America's middle-skill jobs (occupations that require training/education beyond the high-school level, but less than a four-year degree). I draw on data from the CPS (1990 to 2009) to uncover the extent to which low, middle, and high-skill employment are distributed among white and nonwhite workers in rural, suburban and urban regions, and how this distribution has changed since 1990. Blacks and Hispanics remain overrepresented in low-skill employment and underrepresented in high-skill labor, although blacks made the most significant percentage gains in high-skill employment since …

Western Maine Saints: The First Mormons Of Western Maine 1830--1890, Carole A. York

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis is about the forty-nine individuals and ten families who converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Bethel and Newry, Maine and the missionaries who brought them into the church. The account includes a brief history of these small back country towns, providing the historical context for the early church in Maine, and continues with the experiences of these Saints as they fled from persecution in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. In February, 1846, the Mormons began the arduous trek to the Great Salt Lake Basin. This thesis shows that these converts, typical of other …

Does Democracy Impact The Lives Of The Poor In Nicaragua?, Tanisha Shandie Brown Mitchel

Master's Theses and Capstones

Does democracy help the poor? Nicaragua, the emphasis of this study, will be used to analyze the impact democracy might be having on improving the lives of the poor. The World Development Indicators (World Bank) and the Human Development Index (United Nations) from 1992--2006 will be used in this study to measure economic growth in Nicaragua. The Latin America Public Opinion Project data on Latin America measures Nicaragua public opinion regarding democracy and economic growth in the country.

The graphs from the World Bank illustrate that the standard of living for the poor in Nicaragua is improving and that democracy …

Isotopic Analysis Of Arctic Ground Squirrel Tissues And Potential Food Sources, Julee Shamhart

Master's Theses and Capstones

Given limited knowledge of the food sources of Arctic ground squirrels, an important arctic prey species, it is difficult to predict the implications of changes in food source availability that could result from climate change. I hypothesized that Arctic ground squirrels at two colonies, Atigun and Toolik, would have similar feeding habits and mushrooms would contribute to their diet The Arctic ground squirrels at Toolik had significantly higher del15N (3.7 per mill difference) and del13C values (1.3 per mill difference) than those at Atigun. Mixing models indicated that the signatures observed in the Atigun hair could result from a combination …

Electron Transitions And Propagation Characteristics Of Dipolarization Fronts Observed By Cluster, Jinyoung Park

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis describes electron transitions at the dipolarization fronts (DPFs) observed by Cluster using high time-resolution data. The sharp electron transitions occur within the rising phase of the magnetic field component Bz normal to the magnetotail current sheet. The electron transitions provide a new constraint on the DPFs generation models that are related to reconnection. A sudden Bz rise without a small dip prior to the increase was observed suggesting that tearing instabilities in the reconnection exhaust may not be required for the generation of DPFs. Based on timing and minimum variance analysis, the DPFs are found to have a …

Oral Language Milestone Acquisition In Children Adopted From China, Hannah Harwood

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study contains language milestone acquisition information for 14 children adopted from China between 8 and 12 months of age. A retrospective questionnaire was utilized to gain information regarding the specific ages at which these adoptees demonstrated an understanding of English along with the ages where they demonstrated proficient usage of English. Parent responses indicated that these adoptees developed English language milestones comparable to their monolingual peers, for both age of acquisition and order of acquisition. This research adds to the literature on what may be expected regarding language development in children adopted from China prior to one year of …

Job Satisfaction Of New Hampshire Nursing Faculty, Patricia Marie Puglisi

Master's Theses and Capstones

The nursing shortage is a growing concern with the shortage of nurse faculty restricting entry of qualified students. A descriptive study of faculty from 11 New Hampshire nursing schools was conducted to determine nurse faculty satisfaction and factors contributing to satisfaction. A modified version, sent electronically of the Nurse Faculty Satisfaction Questionnaire measured faculty satisfaction. Of 159 faculty invited 74 (47%) participated. Overall, NH nurse faculty were highly satisfied as nurse educators with 78.4% rating overall satisfaction of 8 or higher on a 0 - 10 scale. The top three satisfiers were opportunity to work independently, sense of accomplishment from …

Asset Forfeiture: State Restrictions And Equitable Sharing, Charles Kucher

Master's Theses and Capstones

Civil asset forfeiture is criticized for its lack of procedural protections for property owners and for skewing the priorities of law enforcement. Federal civil forfeiture law allows federal agencies to prosecute civil forfeiture cases for state and local law enforcement agencies, a practice that is criticized for allowing the circumvention of state laws. This thesis looks at three factors governing forfeiture at the state level (standard of proof, conviction requirement and financial incentive) and examines their effect on federal equitable sharing payments. The results indicate that both conviction requirement and standard of proof affect equitable sharing payments and suggests that …

Why Latinas Swing Left: Ideological Self-Identification In Conservative Chile, Kristyn A. Call

Master's Theses and Capstones

As recently as 2006, Latin American citizens have shifted to the left ideologically. This study begins by exploring the ideological orientation of women in socially conservative Chile. After analyzing existing literature on gender and ideology, this study goes on to suggest what has led Chilean women to ideologically self-identify to the left. Using a combination of case study analysis and Latin America Public Opinion Project analysis, this thesis proposes that specific social demographics, attitudes toward social issues, the economy, and government intervention are related to the ideological orientation of women. This study focused on multivariate ordinary least squares regression model …

The Lived Experience Of Adolescents With Dyslexia, Josefine M. Garcia

Master's Theses and Capstones

In this study, interviews with 8 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 16 were performed to explore how young people with dyslexia experienced school in terms of well-being, educational performance and challenges, self-esteem, peer relations, the roles of teachers and parents, and views on support. The elementary years of school seemed to be the most difficult for interviewees. While peer interactions were often seen as a crucial part of school, all students reported that they had experienced or feared ridicule from peers. Academic and personal self-esteem seemed low for all participants, and while many students saw their problems as …

The Limits Of Democracy And Economic Growth: Institutionalized Inequality In Peru, Elizabeth Kyriacou

Master's Theses and Capstones

The gap between the rich and the poor is widening at the global level, and at national level in many Latin American states. The poor distribution of assets and resources serves as an obstacle to overall economic development and threatens political and social stability. Such inequality has persisted despite substantial economic and political change in many Latin American states, fueling a development debate among theorists, economists, social scientists, and policymakers. How can persistent inequality be explained? As a nation with high inequality, economic growth, and democracy Peru serves as a pertinent case study. A qualitative analysis of regime type, economic …