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Observation And Study Of Giga Electron Volt Solar Energetic Particles Using The Milagrito Extensive Air Shower Detector, Abraham David Falcone

Doctoral Dissertations

Measurements of high energy emission from solar events can lead to an understanding of the solar energetic particle acceleration mechanism(s). Although the energy source of these mechanisms is known to reside in the solar magnetic field, the details of the acceleration process(es) have continued to elude researchers. By observing the particle emission at the upper limits of the spectrum, essential information about the location and the nature of the acceleration mechanism(s) can be obtained.

Milagrito was an extensive air shower observatory which operated as a prototype for the larger Milagro instrument. It operated from February 1997 to May 1998. Although …

Habitat Ecology Of The Native Subtidal Snail, Lacuna Vincta, In The Gulf Of Maine And The Impact Of Two Introduced Species, Suchana Chavanich

Doctoral Dissertations

Lacuna vincta (Montagu) is a small native herbivorous gastropod that feeds and lives on algae within the rocky subtidal zone of New England. In this study, a combination of field samplings and laboratory experiments were conducted in order to examine the seasonal abundance, feeding preference, and growth of snails on nine different algal species. The results showed that there were differences in the seasonal abundance patterns of L. vincta populations on different algal species. However, the snail populations in all size classes were found year round on Laminaria saccharina (L.) Lamour. Feeding preference experiments showed that L. vincta preferred Antithamnionella …

The Level Of Teacher Involvement In The Vermont Mathematics Portfolio Assessment Process And Instructional Practices In Grade 4 Classrooms, Carol Anne Fritz

Doctoral Dissertations

The comprehensive assessment system in Vermont includes student mathematics portfolios that are submitted to the state Department of Education for scoring. A student portfolio should include 5--7 pieces of best work selected by the student that can be scored. This alternative assessment process has been in place for ten years, but limited information has been available from classroom teachers about the instructional practices they use when teaching mathematics, or whether or not those practices have been influenced by the portfolio process.

The study was developed to answer questions about the instructional practices used by teachers. Teachers' responses were compared to …

Spatial Distribution Of Global Runoff And Its Storage In River Channels, Balazs M. Fekete

Doctoral Dissertations

The present dissertation attempts to improve our current understanding of some of the key elements of the surface runoff and its horizontal transfers in rivers. The dissertation presents an intensive analysis of the uncertainties in water balance calculations and the impact of uncertainties in the input data and the formulation of the water balance calculations on the runoff estimate. A simple technique is presented to combine observed river discharge and simulated runoff to derive accurate estimates of the spatially distributed runoff. Such composite runoff estimates are valuable for numerous earth science and water resource studies.

The dissertation also discusses the …

The Enzymatic Function Of The Ccr4 Protein, Junji Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

The CCR4-NOT complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which exists in two forms in vivo: 1.9 and 1.0 x 10 6 MDa in size, is a general transcriptional regulatory complex. It regulates mRNA transcription in initiation, elongation and degradation.

The 1.0 MDa complex was purified to near homogeneity, and mass spectrometric analysis was used to identify all the components of the complex. The 1.0 MDa complex contains CCR4, CAF1, NOT1--5, and two new proteins, CAF40 and CAF130. CAF130 and CAF40 are two unique yeast proteins, with CAF40 displaying extensive homology to proteins from other eukaryotes. Immunoprecipitation and gel filtration experiments confirm that …

Parenting And Child Competence: A Longitudinal Investigation Of The Moderating Influences Of Ethnicity, Family Socioeconomic Status, And Neighborhood Quality, Eric Curtis Dearing

Doctoral Dissertations

Although there is considerable evidence that parenting influences the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social development of children, the effects of some parenting behaviors may not be universal. In the present study, child ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, neighborhood quality (i.e., crime and median income), and cumulative risk (i.e., composite of family socioeconomic status and neighborhood quality) were modeled as potential moderators of associations between parenting (i.e., maternal sensitivity and traditional values) and four child outcomes (i.e., behavior problems, depression, loneliness, and school performance). Pathways of mediation for these parenting measures were also explored. In addition, age trends in neighborhood effects were …

Making Connections: Compartmentalization In Pre -Calculus Students' Understanding Of Functions, Hope H. Gerson

Doctoral Dissertations

Students develop knowledge constructs that they build into concepts through their experiences. Students demonstrate compartmentalization when they understand a construct or concept within one representation, but not another, or when they do not connect mathematically related ideas. For instance, a student may understand f(x) to mean plug x into the function within a symbolic representation, but the same student may understand f(x) to mean f times x within a tabular representation. A student with these understandings has a compartmentalized understanding of function notation.

A two-month study was conducted with a class of pre-calculus students enrolled in a parochial high school. …

The Specter Of Salem In American Culture, Gretchen A. Adams

Doctoral Dissertations

The specter of Salem witchcraft haunts the American imagination. No other historical event has provided such a wide range of scholars, dramatists, fiction writers, poets, and amateur sleuths with a subject that so stubbornly resists a final resolution. Although barely nine months passed from the first accusations of witchcraft to the last, those nine months of accusations, confessions, denials, trials, and executions have spawned a vast literature which for 300 years has sought to fix blame or find reason for the ordeal of the witch trials of 1692. The Specter of Salem in American Culture examines this persistent interest by …

Before Boulder: Professionalizing Clinical Psychology, 1896-1949, Ingrid Galusha Farreras

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation documents the early history that led to the scientist-practitioner ("Boulder") model of training in clinical psychology. It uncovers pre-Boulder training guidelines and programs suggested by individuals and psychological organizations while exploring two themes: (1) the boundary issues between the budding clinical psychologists and the more established, elite mental health providers, particularly psychiatrists, between academic psychologists and these new clinical or applied psychologists, and between the various applied psychologists, and (2) how these training models (and organization membership requirements, codes of ethics, licensing and certification issues, and institutional accreditation) served as a way to professionalize clinical psychology, to improve …

A Fine Group Of Fellows: Civilian Advisors, Eisenhower, And National Security Planning, Valerie Lynn Adams

Doctoral Dissertations

When President Dwight Eisenhower took office in January 1953, he was immediately faced with the challenges of the cold war. Throughout his two terms Eisenhower was forced to adapt to political changes within the Soviet Union, the advent of the hydrogen bomb, the development of ICBMs, and the dangers of radioactive fallout. Constantly facing new threats and fears in a rapidly changing technological world, Eisenhower often had to rethink certain security issues and make critical decisions. One tool which Eisenhower used to help him in his decision-making process was civilian committees.

Historian Richard Immerman recently wrote, "Eisenhower unquestionably valued civilian …

Life On The Edge: Community And Trade On The Anglo -American Periphery, Pemaquid, Maine, 1610--1689, Neill De Paoli

Doctoral Dissertations

Seventeenth-century New England's northern frontier has been an important but poorly understood place of contact between a diverse array of English, French, and Indian actors who traded, socialized, and fought with one another over land, commercial and political alliances. The English fishing settlement of Pemaquid was a key player in this world. Pemaquid emerged as one of New England's earliest year-round settlements after its beginning as a migratory fishing station in the early 1610s. In those early years, Pemaquid benefited and paid for its strategic position on the northern edge of New England. It was situated in a region that …

Identification Of Suppressors Of Spt10 That Affect Adh2 Expression In The Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Bradley David Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

Suppression of the effects of an spt10 mutation on ADH2 expression is a phenotype shared by a small number of genes involved in the regulation of gene expression. All six known suppressors of spt10 are either components of the CCR4-NOT Complex (CCR4, CAF1, NOT4), or have been shown to interact with the complex ( DBF2, SRB9, SRB10). This indicated that spt10 suppression may be characteristic of CCR4-like gene regulation. In this work, I conducted a screen for additional suppressors of spt10 at ADH2. The screen identified no less than ten complementation groups, including ADH2 and two known suppressors of spt10, …

Solar Flare Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy With Cgro-Comptel, Christopher Alex Young

Doctoral Dissertations

The X-ray and gamma-ray emission from solar flares provides important information about high-energy particles in solar flares. Energetic protons and ions interact with the solar atmosphere, giving rise to nuclear line emission at MeV energies and higher energy photons from the decay of neutral and charged pions. Electrons interact with the solar atmosphere producing a bremsstrahlung continuum. The solar flare spectrum is generally a superposition of these spectra with nuclear line emission dominating from ∼1--8 MeV and the bremsstrahlung at lower and higher energies. The main goal of this thesis has been to explain a small part of a gamma-ray …

The Composition Of Anonymity: Toward A Theory, History, And Pedagogy, Timothy Thomas Dansdill

Doctoral Dissertations

In keeping with its recognized function of non-identity through the suppression of proper name recognition, anonymity is not recognized as "essential" to nominalist consciousness or to intersubjective action through language. The founding philosophical discourses of identity, authority, and community reveal an "anonymous function"---a transgressive discourse of impersonation, authenticity, and immunity---which this dissertation traces in phenomenology, discourse theory, poetics, rhetoric, and composition.

The first two chapters draw from phenomenology (Schutz and Natanson), and discourse theory (Foucault), to propose a theory of anonymity as integral to any understanding of personal identity across the entire performative range of self/other orientations. Chapter three draws …

Using Satellite Remote Sensing To Model And Map The Distribution Of Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus Bicknelli) In The White Mountains Of New Hampshire, Stephen Roy Hale

Doctoral Dissertations

Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper satellite imagery was used to model Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) distribution in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The proof-of-concept was established for using satellite imagery in species-habitat modeling, where for the first time imagery spectral features were used to estimate a species-habitat model variable. The model predicted rising probabilities of thrush presence with decreasing dominant vegetation height, increasing elevation, and decreasing distance to nearest Fir Sapling cover type. To solve the model at all locations required regressor estimates at every pixel, which were not available for the dominant vegetation height and elevation variables. Topographically normalized …

Ecological Impacts Of Shrimp Trawling On Juveniles Of Selected Benthic Fish Species In The Southwestern Gulf Of Maine, Augustine Japieni Mungkaje

Doctoral Dissertations

The ecological impacts of shrimp trawling on juveniles of selected benthic fish were studied in the southwestern Gulf of Maine. The fish community and selected environmental variables were sampled at two sites in summer and winter during 1998 and 1999. The community was composed of 24 species in 12 families. Site 1 was dominated by longhorn sculpin, Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus , while American plaice, Hippoglossoides platessoides, was the dominant species in Site 2. Red hake, Urophycis chuss was abundant at both sites. There were also seasonal differences in the flux of fish at the two sites.

Correlation analysis showed the abundance …

A Study Of Mathematics Course Sequence And Student Performance In Mathematics In A Block Scheduled High School, John Harvell Moody

Doctoral Dissertations

The 1983 study of the condition of American Education, A Nation at Risk, brought a significant amount of attention to the way in which schools provided students with the skills necessary to be productive citizens. Many of the recommendations contained in A Nation at Risk focused on the perceived poor performance of American students when compared to their counterparts worldwide. The year after publication of A Nation at Risk, the National Commission on Time and Learning published Prisoners of Time, a report that called for the establishment of high academic standards for students and a major restructuring of the school …

Maasai Oxen, Agriculture And Land Use Change In Monduli District, Tanzania, Andrew Bernard Conroy

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the sustainability of the use of oxen by the Maasai and Arusha (WaArusha) people, in Monduli District, Tanzania. Traditionally pastoralists, the Maasai are undergoing a social and agricultural transformation process of sedentarization in this region. The villages included in the case study were Arkatan, Engaruka, Esilalei, Lashaine, Lendikenya, Lolkisale, Losirwa, Mbuyuni, Mswakini, and Selela. Using semi-structured interviews the heads of 130 Maasai homesteads (bomas), as well as, other informants were interviewed. The history, issues of technology transfer and future prospects of animal traction were examined, as well as, the obstacles and constraints facing the Maasai in their …

Multipoint Measurements Of Field Aligned Current Density In The Auroral Zone, Yihua Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

In this thesis we discuss the results of the Enstrophy sounding rocket, launched from Poker Flat Research Range on the evening of February 11, 1999. The rocket flew through a very dynamic auroral region with multiple bright arcs and into the polar cap. Four Free Flying Magnetometers employing autonomous, nano-spacecraft technology and designed by JPL were deployed from the main payload during the flight and multipoint magnetic field measurements were made.

Magnetic field data reduction was performed on data obtained from the FFMs. The data reduction procedure is very complicated in the sense that it requires transformation from a spinning …

The Effect Of Freeze /Thaw Temperature Fluctuations On Microbial Metabolism Of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminated Antarctic Soil, Conrad George Leszkiewicz

Doctoral Dissertations

Petroleum contaminated soil exists at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. These soils were contaminated with historic releases of JP-8 jet fuel. Over time, there does not appear to have been significant reduction in the petroleum concentrations in these soils. This lack of reduction has been attributed to the extremely cold Antarctic environment and the lack of available moisture.

Cold temperatures and/or lack of moisture may not be the factors inhibiting biodegradation. Soil temperatures can exceed 20 degrees centigrade (°C) during the austral summer and melt water becomes available. However, the soil temperatures have also been reported to fluctuate rapidly. Swings of …

Remote Optical Fiber Sensing Based On Reflectance Due To The Swelling Of Polymer Particles Produced By Dispersion Polymerization, Siobhan P. Milde

Doctoral Dissertations

Poly (4-vinyl pyridine) particles produced by dispersion polymerization were suspended in a hydrogel membrane and used for remote measurements employing fiber optic sensors. The refractive index of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) particles is higher than the refractive index of the hydrogel. At low pH, protonation of the poly(vinyl pyridine) causes the particles to swell reducing their refractive index and lowering membrane turbidity. The membrane response to pH was monitored using instrumentation originally that was constructed by Michael Civiello and was further developed in this work. A new hydrogel, HYPAN, was evaluated as the medium in which the particles are suspended. Methods for …

Discrete Modeling Of Sculptured Surface Machining For Robust Automatic Feedrate Selection, Jeffrey Gordon Hemmett

Doctoral Dissertations

Traditional feedrate selection techniques currently used in three and five-axis CNC machining reduces milling efficiency. Manually estimated feedrates tend to be conservative and constant, greatly increasing mill time. The goal of this research is to develop robust techniques and software tools for automatically generating optimized feedrates for use on three and five-axis CNC mills, to both simplify the feed selection process and to increase the safety and efficiency of the milling operation through milling process simulation.

The simulation software estimates milling force vectors for each tool move, and identifies a feedrate that maintains a desired peak force. The desired cutting …

An Experimental And Finite Element Investigation Of Thermally Induced Inelastic Deformation Of Single-Level Damascene Copper High Density Interconnect Structures, Nazri B. Kamsah

Doctoral Dissertations

An atomic force microscope was used to investigate thermally induced deformation mechanisms in the areas of copper and polyimide vias in copper-polyimide interconnect structure, as a result of a thermal cycle to 350°C. The copper films exhibited evidence of copper grain boundary sliding, Coble creep, and voids formation. Cu-Ta interfacial sliding was observed in the Cu and polyimide via areas. The direction of the Cu-Ta sliding changes as the polyimide via size decreases. The polyimide experienced a residual deformation attributed to the Cu-Ta sliding and in-plane deformation of the copper vias.

A finite element method was used to simulate the …

Optical And Radar Remote Sensing Of Land Use And Land Cover Change In The Tropics: An Assessment Of Deforestation And Secondary Vegetation, William Albert Salas

Doctoral Dissertations

Quantification of the direct impact of land use in the tropics on net biotic carbon flux requires estimates of rates of deforestation, pre- and post-disturbance biomass, and fate of the cleared land. Synoptic observations of the extent, persistence, rates of secondary succession, and structure or biomass of regrowing forests would also help constrain estimates of net carbon flux due to tropical land use. While remote sensing applications can provide estimates of the rates of deforestation and the fate of the cleared land (pasture, croplands, or secondary vegetation), techniques for estimating persistence, rates of succession, and biomass of secondary vegetation are …

The Ecological, Behavioral, And Genetic Factors Influencing The Diversification Of Lake Malawi's Rock -Dwelling Cichlids, Patrick D. Danley

Doctoral Dissertations

Rapid evolutionary radiations provide insight into the fundamental processes involved in species formation. Here I examine the diversification of one such group, the rock-dwelling cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi (mbuna), which have radiated from a single ancestor into more than 200 species over the past 700,000 years. Through the examination of several molecular phylogenies, a phylogenetic history of the mbuna is proposed. The diversification of this group has proceeded in three major bursts of cladogenesis each of which has been dominated by a single selective force (selection on habitat preferences, trophic morphology, and male nuptial coloration, respectively). A divergence with …

Reflexivity, Elementary Operators And Cohomology, Jiankui Li

Doctoral Dissertations

Let H be a separable complex Hilbert space and let B(H) be the set of all bounded operators on H. In this dissertation, we show that if S is a n-dimensional subspace of B( H), then S is [ 2n ]-reflexive, where [t] denotes the largest integer that is less than or equal to t.

We obtain some lattice-theoretic conditions on a subspace lattice L which imply alg L , is strongly rank decomposable. Let S be either a reflexive subspace or a bimodule of a reflexive algebra. We find some conditions such that T has a rank one summand …

The Physiological Role And Characterization Of Melanin Produced By Shewanella Algae Bry, Charles Edwin Turick

Doctoral Dissertations

Shewanella algae BrY is a Gram negative, facultative anaerobe isolated from the Great Bay Estuary of New Hampshire. This member of the gamma Proteobacteria demonstrates extensive versatility in the variety of terminal electron acceptors it uses for anaerobic respiration. Since the natural habitat of this non-fermenting organism is the oxiclanoxic interface of sediments, the ability to utilize various terminal electron acceptors contributes to its survival and growth. Among the terminal electron acceptors used by S. algae BrY are insoluble iron minerals. The transfer of electrons from a bacterial cell to an insoluble compound presents a strategic challenge for this organism. …

Relational Learning For A Sustainable Future: An Eco -Spiritual Model, Mary Elizabeth Westfall

Doctoral Dissertations

We are facing unprecedented environmental challenges as we enter the new millennium as human choices and practices have repeatedly led to environmental degradation. Increasingly there are individuals and groups seeking to address this environmental crisis and move toward more sustainable patterns of living. But in order to make alternative choices it will be essential to draw upon the wealth and variety of human capabilities.

For nearly 350 years Western culture has looked to reason and rationality to provide truth and direction. The affective side of being human, feelings, intuition, love, care, wonder, mystery and hope have largely been devalued. In …

Open Ocean Fish Cage And Mooring System Dynamics, David Wayne Fredriksson

Doctoral Dissertations

To satisfy the global need for seafood, marine aquaculture is expected to play an increasing role as wild fish stocks decline. The expansion of near-shore aquaculture is becoming more difficult because of multi-use issues and environmental impact concerns. As a result, a national objective has been initiated to establish an open ocean aquaculture industry. To design and evaluate fish cages and moorings for the energetic open ocean requires a systematic approach utilizing physical and numerical modeling techniques. Using these methods, two robust fish cage and mooring systems were designed, deployed and have survived two New England winters. Prior to the …

Embodied Narratives: Ways Of Reading Student Literacy Histories, Stephanie Diane Paterson

Doctoral Dissertations

When asked about their former experiences and attitudes towards reading and writing first-year students often begin with statements like, " I don't know how to write," or "I'm not a big reader," or "I'm not creative." Behind these facile and familiar sentences is a world of experience we know very little about and are hard-pressed to explain.

Students are situated on a precarious fault line within the academy and their narratives function like maps of this treacherous terrain. Their stories do not simply reflect personal, private crises but cultural phenomena---including taken-for-granted issues surrounding the "necessity" of discipline and an almost …