Digital Commons Network^™

Estimating The Value Of Disease Regulation Services Under Climate Change: A Bioeconomic Model Of Coffee Leaf Rust And Shade-Grown Coffee, Khashayar Ghorbani

Master's Theses and Capstones

Coffee is the most valuable agricultural product in international trade. It is projected to face a decrease in production by as much as 50% by 2050, mainly due to rising temperature, changes in rainfall patterns, deforestation, and the spread of fungal pathogens and pests. Among the biological threats to coffee, the Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) has the most destructive economic impact all around the world. The most recent widespread outbreak resulted in a 16% harvest loss in Central America and a 31% loss in Colombia during the 2012-2013 season, and a record of 50% loss was reported in Costa Rica …

Microbial Activity Responses To Water Stress In Agricultural Soils From Simple And Complex Crop Rotations, Jorg Schnecker, D. Boone Meeden, Francisco Calderon, Michel Cavigelli, R. Michael Lehman, Lisa K. Tiemann, A. Stuart Grandy

Faculty Publications

Increasing climatic pressures such as drought and flooding challenge agricultural systems and their management globally. How agricultural soils respond to soil water extremes will influence biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen in these systems. We investigated the response of soils from long-term agricultural field sites under varying crop rotational complexity to either drought or flooding stress. Focusing on these contrasting stressors separately, we investigated soil heterotrophic respiration during single and repeated stress cycles in soils from four different sites along a precipitation gradient (Colorado, MAP 421 mm; South Dakota, MAP 580 mm; Michigan, MAP 893 mm; Maryland, MAP 1192 mm); …

"Backpack" Food Programs Linked To Higher Test Scores For School Children, Michael Kurtz, Karen S. Conway, Robert D. Mohr

Carsey Publications

Nationwide, over half a million children live in households that report very low food security among children, meaning a child is not eating enough, going hungry, skipping a meal, or not eating for a full day because the household can’t afford food. School meals cannot alleviate this need outside of school hours. To mitigate food insecurity on days when free school meals are unavailable, foodbanks have partnered with schools to create weekend feeding, or “BackPack,” programs that provide children with a bag of nonperishable food to nourish them over the weekend.

In this brief, authors Michael Kurtz, Karen Conway, and …

Quantitative Soundscape Analysis To Understand Multidimensional Features, Dylan Charles Wilford, Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, S. Bruce Martin, Daniel R. Howard, Kim Lowell, Anthony P. Lyons, Michael James Smith

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

A methodology for the analysis of soundscapes was developed in an attempt to facilitate efficient and accurate soundscape comparisons across time and space. The methodology consists of a collection of traditional soundscape metrics, statistical measures, and acoustic indices that were selected to quantify several salient properties of marine soundscapes: amplitude, impulsiveness, periodicity, and uniformity. The metrics were calculated over approximately 30 h of semi-continuous passive acoustic data gathered in seven unique acoustic environments. The resultant metric values were compared to a priori descriptions and cross-examined statistically to determine which combination most effectively captured the characteristics of the representative soundscapes. The …

Promoting Inclusion And Equity, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Divergent Controls Of Soil Organic Carbon Between Observations And Process-Based Models, Katerina Georgiou, Avni Malhotra, William R. Wieder, Jacqueline H. Ennis, Melannie D. Hartman, Benjamin N. Sulman, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, A. Stuart Grandy, Emily Kyker-Snowman, Kate Lajtha, Jessica A. M. Moore, Derek Pierson, Robert B. Jackson

Faculty Publications

The storage and cycling of soil organic carbon (SOC) are governed by multiple co-varying factors, including climate, plant productivity, edaphic properties, and disturbance history. Yet, it remains unclear which of these factors are the dominant predictors of observed SOC stocks, globally and within biomes, and how the role of these predictors varies between observations and process-based models. Here we use global observations and an ensemble of soil biogeochemical models to quantify the emergent importance of key state factors – namely, mean annual temperature, net primary productivity, and soil mineralogy – in explaining biome- to global-scale variation in SOC stocks. We …

Leveraging Natural Resources Toward Resilience: Outreach, Restoration, And Monitoring For A Resilient Nh Coast, Alyson Eberhardt, David M. Burdick, Gregg E. Moore

Faculty Publications

Both sound science and meaningful community engagement are critical to creating resilient coastlines given that important natural resources and high population densities coexist in these areas. Salt marshes and sand dunes provide important benefits to the people who live near them, such as mitigating flood impacts, when the condition of the ecosystem is robust enough to support such functions. To enhance the ability of these systems to perform ecosystem services, the goals of this project were to 1. Empower landowners to sustainably manage their own property to support coastal ecosystems and the benefits they provide, 2. Restore eroded sand dunes …

Gsc Undergraduate Academic Catalog: 2021-2022, Granite State College

Granite State College Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Granite State College 2021-2022 Graduate Catalog, Granite State College

Granite State College Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Complexes With Atomic Gold Ions: Efficient Bisligand Formation, Felix Duensing, Elisabeth Gruber, Paul Martini, Marcelo Goulart, Michael Gatchell, Bilal Rasul, Olof E. Echt, Fabio Zappa, Masoomeh Mahmoodi-Darian, Paul Scheier

Faculty Publications

Complexes of atomic gold with a variety of ligands have been formed by passing helium nanodroplets (HNDs) through two pickup cells containing gold vapor and the vapor of another dopant, namely a rare gas, diatomic molecule (H₂, N₂, O₂, I₂, P₂), or various polyatomic molecules (H₂O, CO₂, SF₆, C₆H₆, adamantane, imidazole, di-cyclopentadiene, and fullerene). The doped HNDs were irradiated by electrons; ensuing cations were identified in a high-resolution mass spectrometer. Anions were detected for benzene, di-cyclopentadiene, and fullerene. For most …

Unh: The Magazine Of The University Of New Hampshire, Spring/Summer 2021, Unh Magazine

UNH Magazine

This editon of UNH Magazine was digital only due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is an archived version of web content originally found at https://magazine.unh.edu/

Effects Of Timber Harvest On Epigeous Fungal Fruiting Patterns And Community Structure In A Northern Hardwood Ecosystem, Benjamin W. Borgmann-Winter, Ryan B. Stephens, Anthony W. D'Amato, Serita D. Frey, Rebecca J. Rowe

Faculty Publications

Epigeous fungal fruiting has important impacts on fungal reproduction and ecosystem function. Forest disturbances, such as timber harvest, impact moisture, host availability, and substrate availability, which in turn may drive changes in fungal fruiting patterns and community structure. We surveyed mushrooms in 0.4 ha patch cuts (18 months post-harvest) and adjacent intact hardwood forest in northern New Hampshire, USA, to document the effects of timber harvest on summer fruiting richness, biomass, diversity, and community structure of ectomycorrhizal, parasitic, and saprobic mushroom taxa. Fungal fruiting richness, diversity, and community heterogeneity were greater in intact forests than patch cuts. Among functional groups, …

Variability Of Usa East Coast Surface Total Alkalinity Distributions Revealed By Automated Instrument Measurements, Christopher W. Hunt, Joseph Salisbury, Douglas Vandemark, Steffen Aßmann, Christopher Melrose, Rik Wanninkhof, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott

Faculty Publications

Seawater total alkalinity (TA) is one important determinant used to monitor the ocean carbon cycle, whose spatial distributions have previously been characterized along the United States East Coast via discrete bottle samples. Using these data, several regional models for TA retrievals based on practical salinity (S) have been developed. Broad-scale seasonal or interannual variations, however, are not well resolved in these models and existing data are highly seasonally biased. This study reports findings from the first long duration deployment of a new, commercially available TA titrator aboard a research vessel and the continuous underway surface TA measurements produced. The …

Fungal Community Response To Long-Term Soil Warming With Potential Implications For Soil Carbon Dynamics, Gregory J. Pec, Linda T. A. Van Diepen, Melissa A. Knorr, A. Stuart Grandy, Jerry M. Melillo, Kristen M. Deangelis, Jeffrey L. Blanchard, Serita D. Frey

Faculty Publications

The direction and magnitude of climate warming effects on ecosystem processes such as carbon cycling remain uncertain. Soil fungi are central to these processes due to their roles as decomposers of soil organic matter, as mycorrhizal symbionts, and as determinants of plant diversity. Yet despite their importance to ecosystem functioning, we lack a clear understanding of the long-term response of soil fungal communities to warming. Toward this goal, we characterized soil fungal communities in two replicated soil warming experiments at the Harvard Forest (Petersham, Massachusetts, USA) which had experienced 5°C above ambient soil temperatures for 5 and 20 yr at …

Management Intensive Grazing On New England Dairy Farms Enhances Soil Nitrogen Stocks And Elevates Soil Nitrous Oxide Emissions Without Increasing Soil Carbon, Alexandra R. Contosta, Kyle A. Arndt, Eleanor E. Campbell, A. Stuart Grandy, Apryl L. Perry, Ruth K. Varner

Faculty Publications

Management intensive grazing (MIG), also known as rotational grazing or multi-paddock grazing, is purported to sequester carbon (C) in soils compared to other agricultural management systems. Prior research examining the potential for MIG to enhance soil C has been inconclusive, and past investigations have not addressed whether higher nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions may accompany increases in soil C stocks. Here we examined linkages among MIG, soil C accumulation, and N2O emissions in cool-season, organic pastures of the northeastern United States. We found that pastures under MIG increased soil C concentrations by 11% from 0–15 cm depth but that soil C …

A Holistic Framework Integrating Plant-Microbe-Mineral Regulation Of Soil Bioavailable Nitrogen, Amanda B. Daly, Andrea Jilling, Timothy M. Bowles, Robert W. Buchowski, Serita D. Frey, Cynthia M. Kallenbach, Marco Keiluweit, Maria Mooshammer, Joshua P. Schimel, A. Stuart Grandy

Faculty Publications

Soil organic nitrogen (N) is a critical resource for plants and microbes, but the processes that govern its cycle are not well-described. To promote a holistic understanding of soil N dynamics, we need an integrated model that links soil organic matter (SOM) cycling to bioavailable N in both unmanaged and managed landscapes, including agroecosystems. We present a framework that unifies recent conceptual advances in our understanding of three critical steps in bioavailable N cycling: organic N (ON) depolymerization and solubilization; bioavailable N sorption and desorption on mineral surfaces; and microbial ON turnover including assimilation, mineralization, and the recycling of microbial …

Sodah: The Soils Data Harmonization Database, An Open-Source Synthesis Of Soil Data From Research Networks, Version 1.0, William R. Wieder, Derek Pierson, Stevan Earl, Kate Lajtha, Sara G. Baer, Ford Ballantyne, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Sharon A. Billings, Laurel M. Brigham, Stephany S. Chacon, Jennifer Fraterrigo, Serita D. Frey, Katerina Georgiou, Marie-Anne De Graaff, A. Stuart Grandy, Melannie D. Hartman, Sarah E. Hobbie, Chris Johnson, Jason Kaye, Emily Kyker-Snowman, Marcy E. Litvak, Michelle C. Mack, Avni Malhotra, Jessica A. M. Moore, Knute Nadelhoffer, Craig Rasmussen, Whendee L. Silver, Benjamin N. Sulman, Xanthe Walker, Samantha Weintraub

Faculty Publications

Data collected from research networks present opportunities to test theories and develop models about factors responsible for the long-term persistence and vulnerability of soil organic matter (SOM). Synthesizing datasets collected by different research networks presents opportunities to expand the ecological gradients and scientific breadth of information available for inquiry. Synthesizing these data is challenging, especially considering the legacy of soil data that have already been collected and an expansion of new network science initiatives. To facilitate this effort, here we present the SOils DAta Harmonization database (SoDaH; https://lter.github.io/som-website, last access: 22 December 2020), a flexible database designed to harmonize diverse …

Unh Faculty Senate Motion # Xxv-M20 To Approve The 2021 Engaged Scholarship Report And Endorse Its Six Recommendations, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Motions

No abstract provided.

2020-2021 Faculty Senate Xxv - May 3, 2021 Minutes Summary, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas & Minutes

No abstract provided.

Oil Spill Modeling For Improved Response To Arctic Maritime Spills: The Path Forward, Megan Patricia Verfaillie

Master's Theses and Capstones

Maritime shipping and natural resource development in the Arctic are projected to increase as sea ice coverage decreases, resulting in a greater probability of more and larger oil spills. The increasing risk of Arctic spills emphasizes the need to identify the state-of-the-art oil trajectory and sea ice models and the potential for their integration. The Oil Spill Modeling for Improved Response to Arctic Maritime Spills: The Path Forward (AMSM) project, funded by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC), provides a structured approach to gather expert advice to address U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) core needs for decision-making. …

Existence Of Mutual Stabilization In Chaotic Neural Models, John Parker

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent work has demonstrated that interacting chaotic systems can establish persistent, periodic behavior, called mutual stabilization, when certain information is passed through interaction functions. In particular, this was first shown with two interacting cupolets (Chaotic Unstable Periodic Orbit-lets) of the double scroll oscillator. Cupolets are highly accurate approximations of unstable periodic orbits of a chaotic attractor that can be generated through a control scheme that repeatedly applies perturbations along Poincaré sections. The decision to perturb or not to perturb the trajectory is determined by a bit in a binary control sequence. One interaction function used in the original cupolet research …

Mathematical Analysis Of A Model Of Blood Flow Through A Channel With Flexible Walls, Madeline Mayes Edwards

Doctoral Dissertations

The present research is devoted to the problem of stability of the fluid flow moving in a channel with flexible walls and interacting with the walls. The walls of the vessel conveying fluid are subject to traveling waves. Experimental data shows that the energy of the flowing fluid can be transferred and consumed by the structure (the walls), which induces “traveling wave flutter.” The problem of stability of fluid-structure interaction splits into two parts: (i) stability of fluid flow in the channel with harmonically moving walls and (ii) stability of solid structure participating in the energy exchange with the flow. …

An Improv-Able Legacy: Shining The Composition Spotlight On Viola Spolin’S Improvisational Pedagogy, Cory Richard Chamberlain

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is an archival study of the works of Viola Spolin who is considered by many to be the founding mother of improvisational theater. During her life she published Improvisation for the Theater which is essential reading for anyone interested in doing improvisational theater as well as Theater Games for The Classroom where she adapted some of her techniques and games to an educational setting outside of theater. Along with these works, I was able to examine two of her unpublished works, a handbook on education and What’s Your Score? as well as various notes, correspondences and interviews housed …

Speeding-Up A Random Search For The Global Minimum Of A Non-Convex, Non-Smooth Objective Function, Arnold C. Englander

Doctoral Dissertations

The need to find the global minimum of a highly non-convex, non-smooth objective function over a high-dimensional and possibly disconnected, feasible domain, within a practical amount of computing time, arises in many fields. Such objective functions and/or feasible domains are so poorly-behaved that gradient-based optimization methods are useful only locally – if at all. Random search methods offer a viable alternative, but their convergence properties are not well-studied. The present work adapts a proof by Baba et al. (1977) to establish asymptotic convergence for Monotonic Basin Hopping, a random search method used in molecular modeling and interplanetary spacecraft trajectory optimization. …

Performance Evaluation And Review Framework Of Robotic Missions (Perform): Autonomous Path Planning And Autonomy Performance Evaluation, Allisa Dalpe

Doctoral Dissertations

The scope of this work spans two main areas of autonomy research 1) autonomous path planning and 2) test and evaluation of autonomous systems. Path planning is an integral part of autonomous decision-making, and a deep understanding in this area provides valuable perspective on approaching the problem of how to effectively evaluate vehicle behavior.

Autonomous decision-making capabilities must include reliability, robustness, and trustworthiness in a real-world environment. A major component of robot decision-making lies in intelligent path-planning. Serving as the brains of an autonomous system, an efficient and reliable path planner is crucial to mission success and overall safety. A …

Exploring Mathematical Connections Preservice Teachers Make Between Abstract Algebra And Secondary Mathematics: Implications For Learning And Teaching, Cammie Gray

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract algebra has been identified as an important course for preservice secondary mathematics teachers because much of the abstract algebra content is connected to, and thus relevant for, secondary mathematics teaching (Wasserman et al., 2017). However, many preservice teachers do not recognize the usefulness of an undergraduate abstract algebra course and see no relation between abstract algebra and secondary school mathematics (Christy & Sparks, 2015; Ticknor, 2012). While much of the research regarding preservice teachers making connections to secondary school mathematics in abstract algebra has been conducted in courses designed for preservice teachers, the research suggests that most universities with …

Development Of A Sunken Oil Transport Tool Using Mesoscale Experiments, Melissa Denise Gloekler

Doctoral Dissertations

Oil spilled into fresh or saline water can float, become submerged in the water column (i.e., submerged oil), or sink to the bottom (i.e., sunken oil). Once introduced to the environment, oil can negatively impact ecological and public health, and the economy. Non-floating oil spills pose unique challenges to responders including the complexity of trajectory modeling; the inability to detect, track and recover oil due to limited visibility; the lack of readily deployable response technology; and limited understanding of how bottom substrate dynamics influence its fate and behavior. This dissertation research determined that the driving factors used to predict sunken …

Validation And Optimization Of A Steady-State Moving Boundary Model For A Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle, Charles Klewicki

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this work is to conduct physical experiments to validate and optimize a steady state moving boundary model of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle (VCRC). The experimental facility includes a controlled heat source and a VCRC system for heat rejection. Pressure, temperature, and flow measurements of the VCRC are acquired at specific points in the flow loop from which thermodynamic cycles are created and cycle integrated variables are computed.

Nine sets of experiments were conducted to train the steady state moving boundary model with respect to empirical formulations for the volumetric, isentropic, and combined efficiencies of the compressor. …

Cognitive Control And Language Network Connectivity Associated With Language Production In Aphasia, Jessica Lee

Master's Theses and Capstones

Aphasia is the breakdown of language comprehension and production due to an acquired brain injury of the left hemisphere. Investigation of the neurological underpinnings of aphasia have advanced from post-mortem investigation of specific regions in the 1800s to the utilization of brain imaging technology to understand brain networks. These approaches have helped us to appreciate the reorganization of the brain and its networks post stroke, particularly as it relates or is modified for adequate versus impaired performance. Research into neuroplastic changes can elucidate differences between healthy and lesioned brains. Furthermore, identification of adaptive (or maladaptive) neuroplastic changes can also inform …

An Empirical Evaluation Of Visual Cues For 3d Flow Field Perception, Andrew Harlan Stevens

Doctoral Dissertations

Three-dimensional vector fields are common datasets throughout the sciences. They often represent physical phenomena that are largely invisible to us in the real world, like wind patterns and ocean currents. Computer-aided visualization is a powerful tool that can represent data in any way we choose through digital graphics. Visualizing 3D vector fields is inherently difficult due to issues such as visual clutter, self-occlusion, and the difficulty of providing depth cues that adequately support the perception of flow direction in 3D space. Cutting planes are often used to overcome these issues by presenting slices of data that are more cognitively manageable. …