Digital Commons Network^™

Fish Cage Physical Scale Modeling, Michael J. Palczynski

Master's Theses and Capstones

Scale model tests were completed in the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wave/Tow tank to determine the movements and forces on two different fish cage models. The results of the testing were used to validate a finite element analysis and also were scaled up to that of a full sized, deployed fish cage used for aquaculture purposes.

The first model was a “skeleton” cage (without nets) rectangular in shape. This model was moored submerged in front of a viewing window and subjected to various regular waves. The motions were then recorded nonintrusively by means of an optical system acting through …

The Perceived Effects Of State -Mandated Testing In New Hampshire, Stephen A. Kossakoski

Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine the perceptions of third grade teachers in the state of New Hampshire concerning the state's mandated testing program, and (2) to determine if there was a relationship between teachers' perceptions and their schools' socioeconomic status. The survey instrument designed for this study contained 61 closed response Likert scale items that measured teachers' perceptions regarding changes in curriculum and instruction, sources of pressure to improve test scores, and attitude toward the third grade test. A stratified random sample of 310 third grade teachers was selected to participate in this study. The percentage …

Biogeochemical Cycling Of Methyl Bromide In Soils, Ruth Kerwin Varner

Doctoral Dissertations

Tropospheric methyl bromide (CH3Br) is a significant source of ozone (O3) destroying bromine to the stratosphere. Due to this threat, the cessation of the production and use of fumigant CH3Br has been slated for 2005 by the Montreal Protocol nations. This decision was based on CH3Br's relatively long atmospheric lifetime which is estimated from the current understanding of its natural and anthropogenic sources and sinks. The research presented in this dissertation has focused on determining the magnitude and characteristics of the biogeochemical exchange of atmospheric CH3Br with upland and wetland soils to attain a better understanding of these portions of …

Biodiversity And Phytogeography Of Bolivia's Wetland Flora, Nur Paul Ritter

Doctoral Dissertations

The composition, diversity, and phytogeographic affinities of the vascular flora of Bolivia's wetlands were examined and compared with wetland floras from the other Neotropical countries and the New World Temperate region. Forty-six wetlands distributed throughout Bolivia and ranging in elevation from 90 in to >4400 m were established as study sites. Regional and national wetland floras were compiled from field research, the literature, herbarium specimens, and available databases.

Two thousand and sixty species in 149 families and 666 genera were identified as associated with wetlands in Mesoamerica and tropical and subtropical South America. Of these, 1026 species in 126 families …

A Statistical Study Of The Dependence Of The Integrated Wave Power Of Geomagnetic Pulsations Between 01 Hz And 10 Hz Upon The Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure, Cristian C. Cocheci

Doctoral Dissertations

We present a statistical study of the influence of the solar wind dynamic pressure on the power of geomagnetic pulsations in the frequency range of 0.1 to 1.0 Hz (around the superposition of the Pc1 and Pc1--2 frequency ranges). The solar wind parameters are calculated using data from the Solar Wind Experiment and from the Magnetic Field Instrument on board the WIND spacecraft. Using ground data from the Antarctic AGO arrays and northern hemisphere stations we have compared the integrated power of pulsations between 0.1 and 1.0 Hz with the variations of the solar wind dynamic pressure, on scales of …

Characterization Of The Interactions Within The Ccr4 -Not Complex And The Interactions Between Adr1 And Tfiid Components, Yongli Bai

Doctoral Dissertations

The mechanisms of transcriptional regulation are well conserved from yeast to human cells. Most genes are regulated at the transcriptional level, particularly, at the transcription initiation step. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae at least one transcriptional activator, ADR1, and one transcription complex, CCR4-NOT, participate in the activation of the ADH2 gene. The core 1 x 106 dalton CCR4-NOT complex consists of CCR4, CAF1, the five NOT proteins (NOT1-NOT5), and three other uncharacterized proteins. Deletion of NOT3, NOT4, or NOT5 did not affect the association of CCR4 with CAF1 in the gel filtration analysis. In contrast, NOT2 inactivation caused partial destabilization of the …

Source, Production And Export Of Dissolved Organic Carbon And Nitrogen, Jacqueline A. Aitkenhead-Peterson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to quantify the major sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in forest soils and ascertain mechanisms for their production and export to surface waters. To quantify the source of DOC we made use of the on-going litter manipulation study (DIRT) at Harvard Forest, Massachusetts. The organic horizon supplies 74% of DOC to bulk soil solution, 12% is supplied by leaf litter, and 13% from root exudate and decay. In plots with no inputs, DON concentrations were 9% higher than the control plots. When either roots or litter were excluded, DON concentrations …

Internet Use And Its Relation To Mental And Physical Health Among Older Adults, Michael Anthony Mangan

Doctoral Dissertations

This exploratory study examined relations between frequency of Internet use among adults 65 and older and perceptions of social support and personal control. Additionally, standard multiple regression procedures were employed to assess the usefulness of frequency of Internet use, perceived social support, and perceived control as predictors of mental and physical health. Results were that frequency of Internet use was uncorrelated with perceptions of social support and personal control and was not predictive of mental or physical health. Perceived social support and perceived control emerged as predictors of mental and physical health. Recommendations for future research that refines measurement of …

Modeling The Friction Effects Of Eelgrass On The Tidal Flow In Great Bay, New Hampshire, Safak Nur Erturk

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study the frictional effects of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) on the tidal flow in Great Bay, NH is modeled using a bottom friction coefficient adjustment approach. A two-dimensional, non-linear, time stepping, finite element model, ADAM is used. ADAM model incorporates two-dimensional wave physics, with a porous medium beneath the sediment surface to simulate wetting and drying process on the tidal flats. The effectiveness of ADAM model in simulating the tidal flow in Great Bay with wetting and drying on the tidal flats is verified. The model is calibrated by adjusting the bottom friction coefficient for the M2, M2S2 …

The Moses Illusion In Reading Comprehension, Anne E. Cook

Doctoral Dissertations

The Moses Illusion refers to participants' failure to detect distortions in questions such as, "How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark?" although it was actually Noah's Ark. The Illusion is thought to depend on the semantic relation between the distorted term (e.g., Moses) and the correct term (e.g., Noah). The Illusion literature has been limited mostly to investigations of semantic memory and to a single-question format. The experiments reported in this dissertation examined whether the Illusion extends to longer passages of text and whether it is influenced by the presence of the correct term in …

A Comparison Of Direct Methods For Valuing Environmental Amenities: A Case Study Of The White Mountain National Forest, Wendy Harper

Doctoral Dissertations

New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest is well known for its mountain scenery as well as its many recreational opportunities. Upcoming changes in the electric utility industry may work to change the average level of visibility in the White Mountain National Forest. While the contingent valuation method has been extensively used to value public goods (in instances such as the case above), some view the procedure with skepticism. As a result, alternative methods such as conjoint analysis have been receiving more attention. This dissertation presents the results of a face-to-face survey that attempted to directly compare conjoint analysis and contingent …

Landscape-Scale Prediction Of Forest Productivity By Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Of Canopy Nitrogen, Marie-Louise Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Foliar nitrogen concentration represents a direct and primary link between carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Although foliar N is used by many ecosystem models to predict leaf-level photosynthetic rates, it has rarely been examined as a direct scalar to stand-level carbon gain. Significant improvements in remote sensing detector technology in the list decade now allow for improved landscape-level estimation of the biochemical attributes of forest ecosystems.

In this study, relationships among forest growth (aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and aboveground woody biomass production (AWBP)), canopy chemistry and structure, and high resolution imaging spectrometry were examined for 88 long-term …

Carbon And Nitrogen Dynamics Of Northeastern United States Forests In Response To Environmental Stress: Measurements And Models At Local To Regional Scales, Scott V. Ollinger

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis stems from several ongoing efforts to characterize patterns of productivity and nitrogen cycling in northeastern US forests and to address the effects of nitrogen deposition, tropospheric ozone and rising atmospheric CO2. The work reported on involves two related projects; (1) an ecosystem model analysis that integrates physiological and biogeochemical processes with important environmental variables across the northeast region and (2) a field and remote sensing analysis that examines landscape-level patterns of forest biogeochemistry in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Chapter 1 presents a regional analysis of forest productivity using the PnET forest ecosystem model and discusses the …

Swellable Polymer Substrates For Use In Magnetochemical And Optical Chemical Sensing, Stephen Arnold Doherty

Doctoral Dissertations

Lightly cross-linked, animated polymers that swell and shrink with changing pH were prepared and evaluated. At low pHs amine sites protonate causing charge to accumulate along the polymer backbone. The polymer then swells to maximize the charge separation. The swelling of the polymer causes a change in a magnetic or optical property that can be measured and related to pH.

Animated hydrogel membranes were prepared by copolymerizing dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate(DMAEMA) with various comonomer hydrogels. Experiments were conducted to examine the effect of formulation on the ability of the hydrogel membrane to swell. Factors examined included cross-linker type, cross-linker concentration, …

Multipoint Measurements Of Large Electric Fields And Shears In The Auroral Zone, David Pietrowski

Doctoral Dissertations

This work presents results from the Auroral Turbulence II (AT II) sounding rocket launched from the Poker Flat Research Range, near Fairbanks, Alaska, on February 11, 1997. The rocket consisted of three identically instrumented payloads that reached an apogee of 550 km and flew through several arc structures in a pre-midnight auroral breakup. Three payload measurements were desired to separate the temporal from spatial aspects of auroral forms, and to investigate three dimensional flows and fields that cannot be resolved using traditional single point measurements. The focus of this study has been in the structure and changes in the dc …

Sustainable Living: A Case Study Of Nuns And Their Beliefs, Attitudes And Practices, Mary Catherine Clipson

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a case study of monastic nuns in the context of sustainable living. The essential core question is: How has the way of life of nuns in a monastic community been a sustaining one. There are six chapters: Introduction, Historical Context and Overview, Methodology, The Context and People of The Priory of Our Lady of Peace, Analysis of Data, and Synthesis and Interpretation.

The methodology used to get at the case study is, primarily, participant observation and individual interviews with twelve (of the eighteen) nuns; and secondarily, an ecological assessment of the community and buildings, and a questionnaire …

Modeling Plant-Soil-Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide Exchange Using Optimality Principles, Kevin Patrick Tu

Doctoral Dissertations

The exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere plays a central role in the ecology of the biosphere and the climate system. Towards quantification of ecosystem-atmosphere CO 2 exchange, a generalized model of plant-soil-atmosphere CO2 exchange (OPTICAL) was described and evaluated using eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) in arctic, boreal, temperate, and tropical landscapes. The model requires no calibration and is based on theories of plant resource optimization and plant-soil nutrient feedbacks. The model predicts canopy photosynthetic capacity (Pcmax), canopy photosynthesis (P c), plant respiration (Rp), and soil heterotrophic respiration (RH). …

Nitrated Poly(4 -Hydroxystyrene) Microspheres For Optical Ph And Potassium Ion Sensing Based On Turbidity Changes Accompanying Polymer Sweller, Hongming Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Porous poly(4-acetoxystyrene) swellable microspheres with diameters approximately 1∼2 mum were prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization. Toluene was used as the porogenic solvent and divinylbenzene was used as the crosslinker. The seed particles with diameters approximately 0.5∼1 mum were prepared by dispersion polymerization without adding porogenic solvent and crosslinker. Functionality was introduced by two derivatization reactions, hydrolysis and nitration, to form nitrated poly(4-hydroxystyrene). These polymer microspheres swell at high pH due to the deprotonation of the hydroxyl group on the polymer backbone. Swelling is accompanied by an increase in water content which causes the polymer refractive index to decrease. These microspheres, …

Lifers: A Study Of At -Risk Adolescent Readers, Pamela Nottage Mueller

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study I put a face and voice to the at-risk adolescent reader. No strangers to failure, these are students who by and large have struggled with reading their entire educational lives but who for whatever reason have been unable to escape the cycle of frustration in which they find themselves caught. These are students who have a great deal to say but who until now have had no forum in which to say it. These are students who deserve to be heard.

For my primary source of data, I utilized Seidman's phenomenological approach to interviewing, conducting a series …

Improvements Of X-Band And Q-Band Epr /Endor Spectrometers Studies Of Ferritin Iron Nitrosyl And Copper Cis, Cis-1,3,5-Triaminocyclohexane Chloride Complexes, And The Application Of Q -Band Epr To The Dating Of Fossil Teeth, Junlong Shao

Doctoral Dissertations

Several modifications were made on a Varian Q-band EPR/ENDOR spectrometer, including the installation of a microwave amplifier in the E110 bridge, design and assembly of a new cavity coupler, addition of frequency counting capability, as well as other useful minor changes. The performance of the spectrometer was improved in signal-to-noise ratio, convenience of tuning and operation and accuracy of g-value and hyperfine coupling measurements. The signal-to-noise ratio was increased by a factor of six.

Improvements were also achieved with our X-band EPR/ENDOR spectrometer by design and assembly of a new printed ENDOR coil for use in a TE104 rectangular cavity. …

Exploring Other Worlds: Margaret Fox, Elisha Kane, And The Antebellum Culture Of Curiosity, David Alexander Chapin

Doctoral Dissertations

Antebellum Americans had a strong interest in the unknown, which manifested itself simultaneously in highbrow, middlebrow, and lowbrow culture. Venues such as scientific institutions, lyceums, lecture halls, the "penny-press," and the dime-museum all catered to American curiosity. Exploring Other Worlds examines this "culture of curiosity," arguing that curiosity was a defining trait of antebellum America, transcending many of the boundaries we often associate with the era. Curiosity promoted intellectual interest in science, but it also led to the sensationalism of modern commercial popular culture.

The inter-related lives of Elisha Kane and Margaret Fox demonstrate this thesis. Kane was America's first …

Reading For *Class: Virginia Woolf, Rebecca West, And Sylvia Townsend Warner, Laurie Ann Quinn

Doctoral Dissertations

Reading for Class is a feminist materialist study of three twentieth-century British writers: Virginia Woolf (1882--1941), Rebecca West (1892--1983), and Sylvia Townsend Warner (1893--1978). In triangulation, Woolf, West, and Warner provide the specific grounding for the project's more general exploration of the intersections between class issues and literature. The Introduction forges the eclectic critical method defined as reading for class, and articulates the historical-political purposes of the method and of the study itself. In Chapter One, analyses of two of Woolf's lesser-known texts, the "Introductory Letter" to the collection Life as We Have Known It (1931) and Nurse Lugton's Golden …

The Effects Of Ultraviolet Radiation, Highway Contamination, And Synergism Of The Two On Spotted Salamander Embryos, Sarah Letitia Turtle

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, I examined the effects of ultraviolet radiation, highway contamination and a synergism of both factors on the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum embryos in field and laboratory experiments. There are numerous reports of amphibian population declines from around the world. There are several possible factors causing the decline, including, habitat loss, environmental pollution, disease, and ultraviolet B radiation (UVB, 290--320 nm). Results of studies conducted to date seem to indicate that the impacts of these factors vary greatly among species and across geography. Amphibians have unique characteristics and life histories that make them more vulnerable to changes in …

X- And Gamma -Ray Observations Of The 15 November 1991 Solar Flare, Martina Belz Arndt

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation expands the current understanding of the 15 November 1991 X1.5 solar flare. This flare was a well observed event in radio to gamma-ray energies and is the first gamma-ray flare to be extensively studied with the benefit of detailed soft and hard X-ray images. In this work, we add data from all four instruments on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO), spanning 20 keV--300 MeV. From these data we determined that the accelerated electron spectrum above 170 keV is best fit with a power law with a spectral index gamma ≈ -4.6. We determined that the accelerated proton …

An Image Of Enduring Plurality In Economic Theory: The Root -Metaphor Theory Of Stephen C Pepper, Michael C. Daley

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation establishes an image of enduring plurality in economic theory based on four stable and adequate world hypotheses identified by philosopher of science Stephen C. Pepper. According to Pepper's metaphilosophy---a theory of philosophy---a world hypothesis is a conceptual system founded on a root metaphor. A root metaphor serves as a cognitive focal point or image that guides in the transformation of uncriticized, commonsense, evidence into criticized evidence and thought. A description of a world hypothesis is developed using the root-metaphor method, which derives a unique set of structural categories identified with each root metaphor. In Pepper's system, four sets …

Conservation And Ecology Of Fringing Salt Marshes Along The Southern Maine/New Hampshire Coast, Pamela Ann Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations

The small, fringing salt marshes that line the edges of estuaries in southern Maine and New Hampshire were the focus of this research. Although larger meadow marshes in New England have been studied extensively, little is known about the ecology of fringing marshes. Not only are fringing marshes much more numerous than meadow marshes in northern New England, they are often restored or created as mitigation for marsh impacts. Five ecological functions (primary production, soil organic matter accumulation, sediment trapping and binding, wave dampening and maintenance of plant diversity) were compared in meadow marsh and fringing marsh sites, and sometimes …

Remote Sensing Of Forest Damage In The Czech Republic Using Hyperspectral Methods, Petya K. Entcheva

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study assesses the potential of hyperspectral data for monitoring the initial stages of damage in Norway spruce forests characterized by subtle changes in foliar chlorophyll and chemistry. Both field and airborne high spectral resolution reflectance measurements were obtained for selected study sites in the Krusne hory, Czech Republic.

High spectral resolution airborne canopy data and field foliar samples were acquired simultaneously in August 1998 for a total of 51 study sites within the Krusne hory. The sites were selected to represent a full range of damage conditions in even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) stands located between …

Finite Element Modeling Of Tidal Flow And Bed -Load Transport In The Great Bay Estuarine System, New Hampshire, Ata Bilgili

Doctoral Dissertations

Current, sea level and bed-load transport are investigated in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire---a shallow, well-mixed system with low freshwater input. Main channel tidal currents are over 2 m/sec, and its dynamic balance is dominated by the pressure gradient and bottom friction. Current and sea level forced by the M2, M4, M6 tides at the estuary mouth are simulated by two numerical models---a three-dimensional, harmonic model that solves the linearized shallow water equations (FUNDY5); and a vertically averaged, time stepping, non-linear model (ADAM). ADAM makes use of a kinematic assumption (that is, the local and advective accelerations are neglected) …

Rational Design And Syntheses Of 4-Phosphino-Catechol Hybrid Ligands For Mixed -Metal Clusters, Xiankai Sun

Doctoral Dissertations

Based on the concepts of Incommensurate Symmetry-Driven Cluster Formation, an approach to mixed-metal cluster formation has been proposed and realized by using the incommensurate symmetry requirements at two different metal centers bridged by a hybrid ligand. Critical to this strategy is the proper design and synthesis of hybrid ligands with coordination sites selective towards each metal. 4-Phosphino-Catechol hybrid ligands with both hard catecholate and soft phosphine donor sites have been shown to serve such a role. Three new ligands; 4-PPh2-Catechol (H2L), 4-PH2-Catechol (H2 2) and 4-P(CH2OH)2-Catechol (H23) as well as their precursors 4-PPh2-Veratrole and 4-PH2-Veratrole have been synthesized and characterized. …

Tuned In: Television And The Teaching Of Writing, Bronwyn Thomas Williams

Doctoral Dissertations

College writing teachers often consider the reading and writing experiences students have had in elementary and high school classes as their only relevant discursive influences. When they do so they risk ignoring what is perhaps the most powerful and ubiquitous form of public discourse and communication in our society: television. This dissertation explores how the pervasive discourse of popular culture on television influences the ways in which incoming college students perceive and engage in writing and reading when they enter a first-year composition course. Through interviews with students and observations of them watching television, I have studied the skills students …