Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

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 …

Piety, Politeness, And Power: Formation Of A Newtonian Culture In New England, 1727--1779, Frances Herman Lord

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores how men and women deployed the mathematical and experimental science of Isaac Newton and the new science based upon his work as the framework for a "Newtonian culture" in New England between 1727 and 1779, which established our modern view of the natural world and the authority of science. Their endeavors often involved co-opting the authority, and the cachet, of Newton's name and redirecting it toward new ends that involved both the affirmation and challenge of prevalent cultural, religious, and social values. This study examines the uses of Newtonian natural philosophy within the context of the cultural …

Mathematics And Socio -Cultural Behavior: A Case Study Of The Enculturation Of A New Mathematician, Timothy Byron Gutmann

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has shown that mathematics as we know it is a product of the socio-cultural climate in which it was developed. This research attempts to address the related question of how being involved in mathematics influences the socio-cultural lives of mathematicians. A new Ph.D. mathematician hired in his first faculty position was observed for a period of 13 weeks, most during his first semester. Analysis of this long-term, in depth case study followed ethnographic methods and drew on theories of rites of passage, organizational socialization, self-identity, and evolution. The role of mathematics in the departmental culture and in the newcomer's …

Soil Hydraulic Controls Over Nitrogen Oxide Emissions And Nitrogen Cycling In Tropical Agriculture, Antje M. Weitz

Doctoral Dissertations

Soils are the major natural source of nitrous oxide (N2O). Intensive land use increased atmospheric concentrations of this greenhouse gas. Soil microbes produce and consume nitrogen oxides (NO, N2O) during the processes of nitrification (aerobic) and denitrification (anaerobic). Micro-scale variability of controlling factors cause nitrification and denitrification to occur simultaneously in soils, resulting in high spatial variability of nitrogen oxide emissions. Fertilization increases nutrient availability and thus N2O fluxes. Forest soils in the humid tropics account for 20--50% of all N2O sources. Expansion and intensification of tropical agriculture is expected to increase atmospheric N2O concentrations.

We measured N2O fluxes from …

Hazards, Risk And The Press: A Comparative Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Nuclear And Chemical Weapons Sites, Karen Lowrie, Michael Greenberg, Lynn Waishwell

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors present a comparative analysis of newspaper coverage for four hazardous substance containment facilities located in different parts of the country.

Net Ecosystem Productivity And Its Uncertainty In A Diverse Boreal Peatland, Jill L. Bubier, Steve Frolking, P Crill, Ernst Linder

Earth Sciences

Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO₂ was measured in four peatlands along plant community, hydrologic, and water chemistry gradients from bog to rich fen in a diverse peatland complex near Thompson, Manitoba, as part of the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS). A simple model for estimating growing season net ecosystem productivity (NEP) using continuous measurements of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and peat temperature was constructed with weekly chamber measurements of NEE from May to October 1996. The model explained 79–83% of the variation in NEE across the four sites. Model estimation and parameter uncertainty calculations were performed using nonlinear regression …

Recent Laboratory Tests Of A Hard X-Ray Solar Flare Polarimeter, Mark L. Mcconnell, John R. Macri, M Mcclish, Jack Ryalls

Space Science Center

We report on the development of a Compton scatter polarimeter for measuring the linear polarization of hard X-rays (50 - 300 keV) from solar flares. Such measurements would be useful for studying the directivity (or beaming) of the electrons that are accelerated in solar flares. We initially used a simple prototype polarimeter to successfully demonstrate the reliability of our Monte Carlo simulation code and to demonstrate our ability to generate a polarized photon source in the lab. We have recently fabricated a science model based on a modular design concept that places a self-contained polarimeter module on the front-end of …

The Economic Implications Of Hla Matching In Cadaveric Renal Transplantation., Mark A. Schnitzler, Christopher S. Hollenbeak, David S. Cohen, Robert Woodward, Jeffrey A. Lowell, Gary G. Singer, Raymond J. Tesi, Todd K. Howard, T Mohanakumar, Daniel C. Brennan

Health Management & Policy

Abstract

Background: The potential economic effects of the allocation of cadaveric kidneys on the basis of tissue-matching criteria are controversial. We analyzed the economic costs associated with the transplantation of cadaveric kidneys with various numbers of HLA mismatches and examined the potential economic benefits of a local, as compared with a national, system designed to minimize HLA mismatches between donor and recipient in first cadaveric renal transplantations. Methods: All data were supplied by the U.S. Renal Data System. Data on all payments made by Medicare from 1991 through 1997 for the care of recipients of a first cadaveric renal transplant …

Fiberglast: A Scintillating Fiber Approach To The Glast Mission, Geoffrey N. Pendleton, W Robert Binns, Martin W. Israel, P L. Hink, M L. Cherry, W Paciesas, R M. Kippen, Robert S. Mallozzi, Thomas A. Parnell, Gerald J. Fishman, O T. Tumer, Mark J. Christl, Robert B. Wilson, J Buckley, Georgia A. Richardson, Surasak Phengchamnan, Keith R. Rielage, Gerald Karr, Donald B. Wallace, James M. Ryan, Mark L. Mcconnell, John R. Macri

Space Science Center

FiberGLAST is a scintillating fiber gamma-ray detector designed for the GLAST mission. The system described below provides superior effective area and field of view for modest cost and risk. An overview of the FiberGLAST instrument is presented, as well as a more detailed description of the principle elements of the primary detector volume. The triggering and readout electronics are described, and Monte Carlo Simulations of the instrument performance are presented.

Beam Test Results For The Fiberglast Instrument, Robert S. Mallozzi, R M. Kippen, Geoffrey N. Pendleton, W Paciesas, Georgia A. Richardson, Surasak Phengchamnan, Gerald Karr, Donald B. Wallace, Gerald J. Fishman, Thomas A. Parnell, Robert B. Wilson, Mark J. Christl, W Robert Binns, P L. Hink, Martin W. Israel, Keith R. Rielage, John W. Epstein, Paul F. Dowkontt, J Buckley, James M. Ryan, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, O T. Tumer, M L. Cherry, T G. Guzik, J G. Stacy, S C. Kappadath, Muzaffer Atac, Katsushi Arisaka, David B. Cline, Yuriy Pischalnikov

Space Science Center

The FiberGLAST scintillating fiber telescope is a large-area instrument concept for NASA's GLAST program. The detector is designed for high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, and uses plastic scintillating fibers to combine a photon pair tracking telescope and a calorimeter into a single instrument. A small prototype detector has been tested with high energy photons at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. We report on the result of this beam test, including scintillating fiber performance, photon track reconstruction, angular resolution, and detector efficiency.

Coded-Aperture X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Telescope For Arc-Minute Localization Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, M L. Cherry, P P. Altice, D L. Band, J Buckley, T G. Guzik, P L. Hink, S C. Kappadath, John R. Macri, J L. Matteson, Mark L. Mcconnell, Terence J. O'Neill, James M. Ryan, K R. Slavis, J G. Stacy, Allen Zych

Space Science Center

MARGIE will be a large-area, wide field-of-view, hard x- ray/gamma-ray imaging telescope capable of providing accurate positions for faint gamma-ray bursts in near-real- time and of performing a sensitive survey of both steady and transient cosmic sources. The instrument is designed to image faint bursts at the low-intensity end of the log N - log S distribution. MARGIE was recently selected by NASA for a mission-concept study for an Ultra Long Duration Balloon flight. We describe a program to develop an instrument based on the new detector technology of either cadmium zinc telluride room-temperature semiconductors or pixelated cesium iodide scintillators …

Recent Progress In The Development Of A Solar Neutron Tracking Device (Sontrac), James M. Ryan, Wenhui Li, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, Carlos Castaneda, Juan L. Romero

Space Science Center

We report the results of recent calibration data analysis of a prototype scintillating fiber tracking detector system designed to perform imaging, spectroscopy and particle identification on 20 to 250 MeV neutrons and protons. We present the neutron imaging concept and briefly review the detection principle and the prototype description. The prototype detector system records ionization track data on an event-by-event basis allowing event selection criteria to be used in the off-line analysis. Images of acrylic phantoms from the analysis of recent proton beam calibrations are presented as demonstrations of the particle identification, imaging and energy measurement capabilities. The measured position …

Development And Testing Of A Fiber/Multianode Photomultiplier System For Use On Fiberglast, Keith R. Rielage, Katsushi Arisaka, Muzaffer Atac, W Robert Binns, J Buckley, M L. Cherry, Mark J. Christl, David B. Cline, Paul F. Dowkontt, John W. Epstein, Gerald J. Fishman, T G. Guzik, P L. Hink, Martin H. Israel, S C. Kappadath, Gerald Karr, R M. Kippen, Daniel Leopold, Mark L. Mcconnell, John R. Macri, Robert S. Mallozzi, W Paciesas, Thomas A. Parnell, Geoffrey N. Pendleton, Surasak Phengchamnan, Yuriy Pischalnikov, Georgia A. Richardson, James M. Ryan, J G. Stacy, O T. Tumer, Gerald J. Vissor, Donald B. Wallace, Robert B. Wilson

Space Science Center

A scintillating fiber detector is currently being studied for the NASA Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission. This detector utilizes modules composed of a thin converter sheet followed by an x, y plane of scintillating fibers to examine the shower of particles created by high energy gamma-rays interacting in the converter material. The detector is composed of a tracker with 90 such modular planes and a calorimeter with 36 planes. The two major component of this detector are the scintillating fibers and their associated photodetectors. Here we present current status of development and test result of both of these. …

Energy And Position Resolution Of A Cdznte Gamma-Ray Detector With Orthogonal Coplanar Anodes, O Tousignant, L A. Hamel, Pierre C. Dufour, F Joly, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan, V T. Jordanov

Space Science Center

We report on the simulation, construction and performance of prototype CZT imaging detectors employing orthogonal coplanar anodes. These detectors employ a novel electrode geometry with non-collecting anode strips in 1D and collecting anode pixels, interconnected in rows, in the orthogonal dimensions. These detectors retain the spectroscopic and detection efficiency advantages of single carried charge sensing devices as well as the principal advantage of conventional strip detectors with orthogonal anode and cathode strips, i.e. an N X N array of imagin pixels are realized with only 2N electronic channels. Charge signals induced on the various electrodes of a prototype detector with …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 89 [90], No. 13 (Oct. 15, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 89, but it is the 90th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Reactive Nitrogen Budget During The Nasa Sonex Mission, R. Talbot, Jack E. Dibb, Eric Scheuer, Y Kondo, M Koike, H B. Singh, L Salas, F Fukui, J O. Ballenthin, R F. Meads, T M. Miller, D E. Hunton, A A. Viggiano, D R. Blake, N J. Blake, Elliot Atlas, F Flocke, D J. Jacob, L Jaegle

Earth Sciences

The SASS Ozone and Nitrogen Oxides Experiment (SONEX) over the North Atlantic during October/November 1997 offered an excellent opportunity to examine the budget of reactive nitrogen in the upper troposphere (8–12 km altitude). The median measured total reactive nitrogen (NO_y) mixing ratio was 425 parts per trillion by volume (pptv). A data set merged to the HNO₃ measurement time resolution was used to calculate NO_y (NO_y sum) by summing the reactive nitrogen species (a combination of measured plus modeled results) and comparing it to measured NO_y (NO_y meas.). Comparisons were done for tropospheric …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 89 [90], No. 12 (Oct. 12, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 89, but it is the 90th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 89 [90], No. 11 (Oct. 8, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 89, but it is the 90th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

A Scintillating Plastic Fiber Tracking Detector For Neutron And Proton Imaging And Spectroscopy, James M. Ryan, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, Richard A. Messner, Wenhui Li, Hansford H. Cutlip, Quihua Zheng, Carlos Castaneda, Juan L. Romero

Space Science Center

We report the results of recent calibration data analysis of a prototype scintillating fiber tracking detector system designed to perform imaging, spectroscopy and particle identification on 20 to 250 MeV neutrons and protons. We present the neutron imaging concept and briefly review the detection principle and the prototype description. The prototype detector system records ionization track data on an event-by-event basis allowing event selection criteria to be used in the off-line analysis. Images of acrylic phantoms from the analysis of recent proton beam calibrations (14 to 65 MeV range) are presented as demonstrations of the particle identification, imaging and energy …

Mapping A Continental Shelf And Slope In The 1990s: A Tale Of Three Multibeams, James V. Gardner, J.E. Hughes Clarke, Larry A. Mayer, Art Kleiner, Mark Paton

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Increasing societal pressures on the U.S. continental shelves adjacent to dense population centers have brought to light the lack of accurate base maps in these areas. Existing bathymetric maps and random sidescan sonar surveys are either not accurate enough or do not provide the coverage necessary to make policy decisions. Until the mid 1990s, it was not financially prudent nor technically efficient to map the shallow shelves. However, the availability of high-resolution multibeam mapping systems now allow efficient and accurate mapping of the continental margins. In 1996 the U.S. Geological Survey began a large-scale seafloor mapping campaign on the continental …

Data Handling Methods And Target Detection Results For Multibeam And Sidescan Data Collected As Part Of The Search For Swissair Flight 111, John E. Hughes Clarke, Larry A. Mayer, John Shaw, R Parrott, Mike Lamplugh, Jim Bradford

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The crash of SwissAir Flight 111, off Nova Scotia in September 1998, triggered one of the largest seabed search surveys in Canadian history. The primary search tools used were sidescan sonars (both conventional and focussed types) and multibeam sonars. The processed search data needed to be distributed on a daily basis to other elements of the fleet for precise location of divers and other optical seabed search instruments (including laser linescan and ROV video). As a result of the glacial history of the region, many natural targets, similar in gross nature to aircraft debris were present. These included widespread linear …

Pollution Prevention: Factors Behind Toxic Release Reduction In The U.S. Paper Industry, John P. Tiefenbacher, William D. Solecki

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Drs. Tiefenbacher and Solecki analyze the factors associated with, and influential in, the reduction of toxic releases in the U.S. paper industry.

The Impacts Of Using A Safety Compliance Standard In Highway Design, Paul J. Ossenbruggen

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Ossenbruggen introduces an algorithmic method to objectively test and evaluate safety in the highway design process.

Maximum Temperature Trends In The Himalaya And Its Vicinity: An Analysis Based On Temperature Records From Nepal For The Period 1971–94, Arun B. Shrestha, Cameron P. Wake, Paul A. Mayewski, Jack E. Dibb

Earth Sciences

Analyses of maximum temperature data from 49 stations in Nepal for the period 1971–94 reveal warming trends after 1977 ranging from 0.068 to 0.128C yr21 in most of the Middle Mountain and Himalayan regions, while the Siwalik and Terai (southern plains) regions show warming trends less than 0.038C yr21. The subset of records (14 stations) extending back to the early 1960s suggests that the recent warming trends were preceded by similar widespread cooling trends. Distributions of seasonal and annual temperature trends show high rates of warming in the high-elevation regions of the country (Middle Mountains and Himalaya), while low warming …

Table Of Contents Volume 10, Number Four, Fall 1999, Risk Editorial Board

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Table of contents for the journal RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (ISSN: 1073-8673)

Development Of A Hard X-Ray Polarimeter For Astrophysics, Mark L. Mcconnell, John R. Macri, M Mcclish, James M. Ryan, D J. Forrest, W T. Vestrand

Space Science Center

We have been developing a Compton scatter polarimeter for measuring the linear polarization of hard X-rays (100-300 keV) from astrophysical sources. A laboratory prototype polarimeter has been used to successfully demonstrate the reliability of our Monte Carlo simulation code and to demonstrate our ability to generate a polarized photon source in the lab. Our design concept places a self-containedpolarimeter module on the front-end of a a 5-inch position sensitive PMT (PSPMT). We are currently working on the fabrication of a science model based on this PSPMT concept. Although the emphasis of our development effort is towards measuring hard X-rays from …

Chemical Characteristics Of Air From Differing Source Regions During The Pacific Exploratory Mission-Tropics A (Pem-Tropics A), Ashley S. Board, H Fuelberg, G L. Gregory, B J. Heikes, Martin G. Schultz, D R. Blake, Jack E. Dibb, S T. Sandholm, R. Talbot

Earth Sciences

Ten-day backward trajectories are used to determine the origins of air parcels arriving at airborne DC-8 chemical measurement sites during NASA's Pacific Exploratory Mission-Tropics A (PEM-T) that was conducted during August-October 1996. Those sites at which the air had a common geographical origin and transport history are grouped together, and statistical measures of chemical characteristics are computed. Temporal changes in potential temperature are used to determine whether trajectories experience a significant convective influence during the 10-day period. Those trajectories that do not experience a significant convective influence are divided into four geographical categories depending on their origins and paths. Air …

Constraints On The Age And Dilution Of Pacific Exploratory Mission-Tropics Biomass Burning Plumes From The Natural Radionuclide Tracer 210pb, Jack E. Dibb, R. Talbot, David Meeker, Eric Scheuer, N J. Blake, D R. Blake, G L. Gregory, G W. Sachse

Earth Sciences

During the NASA Global Troposphere Experiment Pacific Exploratory Mission-Tropics (PEM-Tropics) airborne sampling campaign we found unexpectedly high concentrations of aerosol-associated ²¹⁰Pb throughout the free troposphere over the South Pacific. Because of the remoteness of the study region, we expected specific activities to be generally less than 35 μBq m⁻³ but found an average in the free troposphere of 107 μBq m⁻³. This average was elevated by a large number of very active (up to 405 μBq m⁻³) samples that were associated with biomass burning plumes encountered on nearly every PEM-Tropics flight in the southern …

Ozone And Aerosol Distributions And Air Mass Characteristics Over The South Pacific During The Burning Season, Marta Fenn, Edward V. Browell, Carolyn Butler, William B. Grant, Susan A. Kooi, Marian B. Clayton, G L. Gregory, Reginald E. Newell, Yong Zhu, Jack E. Dibb, H Fuelberg, Bruce E. Anderson, A R. Bandy, D R. Blake, J D. Bradshaw, B J. Heikes, G W. Sachse, S T. Sandholm, H B. Singh, R. Talbot, D C. Thornton

Earth Sciences

In situ and laser remote measurements of gases and aerosols were made with airborne instrumentation to establish a baseline chemical signature of the atmosphere above the South Pacific Ocean during the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE)/Pacific Exploratory Mission-Tropics A (PEM-Tropics A) conducted in August-October 1996. This paper discusses general characteristics of the air masses encountered during this experiment using an airborne lidar system for measurements of the large-scale variations in ozone (O₃) and aerosol distributions across the troposphere, calculated potential vorticity (PV) from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), and in situ measurements for comprehensive air …