Digital Commons Network^™

Indian Microfinance Sector: A Case Study, Sean P. Gillon

Honors Theses and Capstones

In developing areas of the world with very little economic structure, many activities are not monetized. In other words, money is not used to carry out these tasks because the people in these areas do not have the expendable funds required. In order to combat this problem, micro financing has become increasingly more apparent in these areas of distress. Microfinance is an economic development strategy that allows for those in need to borrow actual money in order to start a business, go to school, or even gain access to everyday living requirements. Microfinance has made tremendous strides over the years, …

Assessment Of The Intake And Knowledge Of Folate/Folic Acid Among Unh Students, Jessica Lee Pelletier, Ruth Reilly, Sherman Bigornia

Honors Theses and Capstones

There are 3,000 U.S. pregnancies affected by spina bifida and anencephaly annually. If women consume adequate amounts of folic acid (400 mcg/day) one month before pregnancy and through the first trimester, then the risk of their infant developing a neural tube defect (NTD) is reduced by 50-70%. However, approximately 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, with some of the highest rates among 18-24 year olds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge source, knowledge level, and intake of folic acid among college-aged students. Qualtrics surveys from 96 subjects (87.5% female, aged 18-24) were used for analysis. In the …

Feasibility Study Of Using Electrodialysis To Treat Anion Exchange Brine, Katerina Messologitis

Master's Theses and Capstones

In the drinking water sector, anion exchange technologies are increasingly used for color and disinfection by-products removal, which targets low molecular weight natural organic matter, particularly humic substances (HS). After treatment, resins are regenerated to 99.9% recovery with NaCl resulting in a saline waste stream, referred to as brine. The resulting brine contains left-over NaCl, as well as desorbed inorganic and organic anions (SO42-, HCO3-, HS, etc.) from raw water. Disposal of this brine is a problem, especially with regulations becoming increasingly strict. Fortunately, compounds in the brine can be reclaimed if properly separated: NaCl for direct reuse in the …

Characterizing Food Selectivity In Children With Autism, Samantha H. Wohlmacher

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food selectivity or “picky eating” affects a large percentage of children on the autism spectrum and as a result can have negative impacts on a child’s health and nutritional status (Cermak, Curtin, & Bandini, 2010). Few studies compare food selectivity in children on the autism spectrum to children with other developmental issues. Such a comparison may reveal how food selectivity presents itself uniquely in children on the autism spectrum. This study examined data from past health records collected from the Seacoast Childhood Development Center (SCDC). Thirty-eight children whose parents were concerned about their diets were taken from a larger sample …

Comparison Of Environmental Supports To A Healthy Lifestyle On The Unh Campus With Student Behaviors, Mary Hammar

Honors Theses and Capstones

Background: Environmental factors play a large role in shaping diet and lifestyle behaviors. Creating a college campus environment conducive to healthy dietary choices and physical activity may promote student health.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore and describe the availability of environmental supports for a healthy lifestyle on the UNH campus and student behaviors.

Design: The Healthy Campus Environmental Audit (HCEA), a comprehensive tool developed by a USDA multi-state research team led by Syracuse University, was implemented to measure the availability of healthy options in dining establishments (n=12) and the adequacy of recreation facilities (n=3) and walking/biking …

Exploring The Socio-Ecological Dimensions Of Agricultural Expansion In New Hampshire, Jennifer Wilhelm

Doctoral Dissertations

Forest ecosystems and agriculture represent coupled socio-ecological systems that are shaped by human activity. The extensification of agriculture (expansion of food production on the landscape) can cause significant changes in land use, and can contribute to the degradation of biodiverse ecosystems and the services these systems provide. Yet the need to increase food production capacity, either through agricultural intensification or extensification, continues to rise. In this dissertation, I address the critical issue of agricultural extensification from several angles.

The first chapter assesses agricultural expansion through the lens of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) through systematic review of the literature. I …

Development Of Novel Bio- And Heterogeneous Catalysts For The Production Of Bio- And Green Diesel, Ye Deng

Doctoral Dissertations

Diminishing petroleum reserves and increasing environmental awareness has led to an urgent need to develop alternative fuels, such as biodiesel. Enzymatic trans/-esterification of waste cooking oils with a lipase catalyst is a promising environmentally-friendly process to produce biodiesel, compared to the current industrial chemical process. Despite several advantages, there are a few technical and economical obstacles that limit this process, such as insufficient availability of large quantities of inexpensive lipase suitable for catalysis, and bad performance at low temperatures due to biodiesel’s low cetane number. These limitations are addressed in this dissertation using genetic engineering of plants to produce the …

Improving The Understanding Of Different Diets On The Concentration And Metabolism Of The Mammalian Lignan Enterolactone In Dairy Cattle, Caren Paludo Ghedini

Doctoral Dissertations

Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) is the richest source of the plant lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), which is precursor for the synthesis of the mammalian lignans enterolactone (EL) and enterodiol (ED) by the gastrointestinal microbes in mammals. There is a great deal of interest in promoting increased intakes of lignans in humans’ diet due to their potential health benefits, especially in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, hypercholesterolaemia, breast and prostate cancers, and osteoporosis. Consumption of milk and dairy products enriched in EL could be an excellent strategy to increase the intake of lignans by humans. The first (Chapter II) and second (Chapter …

Effects Of Agricultural Practices On Soil Communities And Their Associated Ecosystem Services, Lesley W. Atwood

Doctoral Dissertations

To maximize crop yields, commodity crop production systems typically rely on inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation; simplification of crop rotations (e.g., monocultures); and strategic use of soil disturbance (e.g., tillage, cultivation, etc.). While these practices are intended to optimize the soil conditions for crop development and reduce spatial and temporal variability in crop yield, they also impact soil biological diversity and the important agroecosystem services soil communities provide. Identification of management practices that are less prone to causing undesirable changes in the soil food web community are central to improving the sustainability of our agricultural systems. In this dissertation, …

Manganese Limitation As A Mechanism For Reduced Decomposition In Soils Under Long-Term Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition, Emily D. Whalen

Master's Theses and Capstones

Long-term atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has been shown to reduce leaf litter and lignin decomposition in forest soils, leading to an accumulation of soil carbon. Reduced decomposition has been accompanied by altered structure and function of fungal communities, the primary decomposers in forest ecosystems; however, a mechanistic understanding of fungal responses to chronic N enrichment is lacking. A reduction in soil and litter manganese (Mn) concentrations under N enrichment (i.e., Mn limitation) may explain these observations, because Mn is a cofactor and regulator of lignin-decay enzymes produced by fungi. We conducted a 6-month incubation study to evaluate the effect of …

Phylogenetic And Phylogeographic Analyses Reveal A Species Complex In The Estuarine Nudibranch Tenellia Adspersa, Amanda Sobel

Master's Theses and Capstones

Until recently, the nudibranch genus Tenellia (Nudibranchia: Fionidae) was thought to include a single or group of species restricted to temperate estuarine waters. Given the addition of numerous other species from recent studies, the genus now encompasses species from polar, temperate, and tropical oceans from oceanic to estuarine salinities. One such fionid, Tenellia adspersa, is found in temperate estuarine waters globally and its presence is ecologically important as its congeners are capable of decimating colonies of their hydroid prey within a single generation (approx. 20-60 days). The literature is historically vague and conflicted on the morphology, taxonomy, and geographic distribution …

Supplementation Of Sodium Butyrate To Post-Weaned Heifer Diets: Effects On Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, And Health, Emily Margaret Rice

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of varying levels of sodium, butyrate (SB) on the growth, digestibility, and health of post-weaned heifers. Forty Holstein, dairy heifers with a mean age of 84 d and average body weight (BW) of 100.88 kg were housed, in a naturally ventilated freestall barn. Heifers were blocked by birth date and randomly assigned, to 1 of 4 treatments in a completely randomized block design: (1) 100 g of soybean meal carrier, (control; CON); (2) 0.25 g SB/kg of body weight + carrier (0.25SB); (3) 0.50 g SB/kg of BW +, carrier …

Designing And Testing A Cost-Effective Device For The Harvest Of White Worms, Andrew S. Pompeo

Master's Theses and Capstones

Rising global populations are causing a food crisis that can only be solved with novel, sustainable methods of food production. Many countries, including the United States, are increasing their aquaculture production to meet the appetites of an increasing population. Alternative feeds for aquaculture are necessary to reduce the pressure on overfished forage fish species and create low cost feeds. White worms are an effective, sustainable live feed for several fish species and cost very little to cultivate. However, for white worms to be a competitive alternative feed, they need to be harvested from the soil in which they are cultivated …

Moose Density, Habitat, And Winter Tick Epizootics In A Changing Climate, Kyle Ball

Master's Theses and Capstones

Unregulated hunting and habitat loss led to a near extirpation of moose (Alces alces) in New Hampshire in the 1800s. After state protection in 1901, the estimated population increased slowly to ~500 moose in 1977, then increased rapidly in the next 2 decades to ~7500 following an increase in browse habitat created by spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) and related timber salvage operations, and then halved from 1998-2016 despite highly available optimal habitat. The declining population was partially related to the specific management objective to reduce moose-vehicle collisions, and a possible change in deer hunter and moose behavior that influence population …

Effects Of The Biomedical Bleeding Process On The Behavior And Physiology Of The American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus, Meghan Owings

Master's Theses and Capstones

Horseshoe crabs are harvested by the biomedical industry in order to create Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) to test medical devices, vaccines and pharmaceutical drugs for pathogenic gram-negative bacteria. Previous studies of the impacts of the biomedical bleeding process on horseshoe crabs have primarily focused on mortality rates and sublethal impacts, using animals held in the laboratory. Therefore, the first goal of this project was to determine the effects of the bleeding process on horseshoe crab behavior once they are released back into their natural environment. In addition, previous studies have typically only investigated the impacts of the full bleeding procedure, …

Race And Income Disparities In Disaster Preparedness In Old Age, Katherine M. Cox

Master's Theses and Capstones

Objective: Older adults are one of the most vulnerable populations impacted by disasters and communities continue to struggle addressing preparedness. This study investigated to what extent income status and race/ethnicity in old age interplayed with disaster preparedness.

Methods: Data came from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel survey of older Americans over 51 years old. Our sample was restricted to respondents who participated in a special survey about disaster preparedness (N=1,705). Disaster preparedness was measured as a score, which includes 13 variables related to personal, household, program, and medical preparedness. Race/ethnicity was categorized by White, Black, …

An Examination Of The Economic Viability Of Local Agriculture In Northern New England, Samantha Lynn Werner

Master's Theses and Capstones

Over the past decade, Northern New Englanders have focused on expanding local agricultural production despite a lack of economic research on regional market dynamics. This thesis follows a two-tiered approach to investigate the consumers and producers of local agriculture in northern New England. The first tier identifies the current constraints and expansion barriers faced by regional local growers using focus group methods. The second tier investigates regional consumers’ purchasing habits, values, and willingness to pay for locally grown fresh produce using a consumer survey and discrete choice analysis techniques.

The qualitative results from producer focus groups (n = 48) suggest …

Teacher Prep: Ngss Correlation Matrix, Nh Globe Carbon Cycle Protocol Team

Carbon

No abstract provided.

Strafford County 2016 Annual Report Of The Commissioners, Treasurer, Other County Officers And The Strafford County Delegation Strafford County, New Hampshire For The Year Ending December 31, 2016., Stafford County Representatives

Strafford County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a county in the state of New Hampshire.

Development Of Scenarios For Land Cover, Population Density, Impervious Cover, And Conservation In New Hampshire, 2010–2100, Alexandra M. Thorn, Cameron P. Wake, Curt D. Grimm, Clayton R. Mitchell, Madeleine M. Mineau, Scott V. Ollinger

Faculty Publications

Future changes in ecosystem services will depend heavily on changes in land cover and land use, which, in turn, are shaped by human activities. Given the challenges of predicting long-term changes in human behaviors and activities, scenarios provide a framework for simulating the long-term consequences of land-cover change on ecosystem function. As input for process-based models of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem function, we developed scenarios for land cover, population density, and impervious cover for the state of New Hampshire for 2020–2100. Key drivers of change were identified through information gathered from six sources: historical trends, existing plans relating to New …

A Coupled Terrestrial And Aquatic Biogeophysical Model Of The Upper Merrimack River Watershed, New Hampshire, To Inform Ecosystem Services Evaluation And Management Under Climate And Land-Cover Change, Nihar R. Samal, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Shantar Zuidema, Robert J. Stewart, Zaixing Zhou, Madeleine M. Mineau, Mark E. Borsuk, Kevin H. Gardner, Stanley J. Glidden, Tao Huang, David A. Lutz, Georgia Mayrommati, Alexandra M. Thorn, Cameron P. Wake, Matthew Huber

Faculty Publications

Accurate quantification of ecosystem services (ES) at regional scales is increasingly important for making informed decisions in the face of environmental change. We linked terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem process models to simulate the spatial and temporal distribution of hydrological and water quality characteristics related to ecosystem services. The linked model integrates two existing models (a forest ecosystem model and a river network model) to establish consistent responses to changing drivers across climate, terrestrial, and aquatic domains. The linked model is spatially distributed, accounts for terrestrial–aquatic and upstream–downstream linkages, and operates on a daily time-step, all characteristics needed to understand regional …

Isotopic Analysis Of Sporocarp Protein And Structural Material Improves Resolution Of Fungal Carbon Sources, Janet Chen, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Erik A. Hobbie

Faculty Publications

Fungal acquisition of resources is difficult to assess in the field. To determine whether fungi received carbon from recent plant photosynthate, litter or soil-derived organic (C:N bonded) nitrogen, we examined differences in δ13C among bulk tissue, structural carbon, and protein extracts of sporocarps of three fungal types: saprotrophic fungi, fungi with hydrophobic ectomycorrhizae, or fungi with hydrophilic ectomycorrhizae. Sporocarps were collected from experimental plots of the Duke Free-air CO2 enrichment experiment during and after CO2 enrichment. The differential 13C labeling of ecosystem pools in CO2 enrichment experiments was tracked into fungi and provided novel insights into organic nitrogen use. Specifically, …

Swipe It Forward, Jody Record

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Gmo Awareness And Eating Behaviors Among College Students, Sarah Galvin

Perspectives

This study examines college students’ awareness of genetically modified (GM) foods and whether it alters his or her eating behaviors. This study draws on data from a sample of 318 undergraduate students enrolled at the University of New Hampshire, who completed an online survey via Qualtrics. The survey looked specifically at how aware students are of genetically modified foods, and how many GM meals he or she consumes per week. The results of this survey showed a strong correlation between higher levels of awareness and more consumption of GM food. These findings suggest that people with less awareness of GM …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 106 [107], No. 24 (Dec. 1, 2016), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 106, but it is the 107th volume in the series.

(Local) Flavors Of Fall, Cierra Dubinsky

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Sampling A Superfruit, Cierra Dubinsky

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Fall 2016, A Very Successful Journey: International Student Alumnus Manwar Hossain, Allison Riley

UNH International Educator Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Riding Circuit: Bringing The Law To Those Who Need It, Susan Zago

Law Faculty Scholarship

This article surveys the Access to Justice movement in the United States and proposes including more types of professionals to develop longer term solutions that will alleviate barriers to the court system. This article discusses the need to expand the access to justice concept to reach beyond the courthouse to address civil legal issues before they blossom into litigation. Mobile outreach providing preventive lawyering and early treatment of societal problems can prevent delays and the bottleneck that many courts are seeing with the vast numbers of Self-Represented Litigants. A team of professionals including lawyers, social workers, nurses, counselors, translators and …

Write Free Or Die: Vol. 03, No. 01, Unh Writing Programs

Writing Program Newsletter

No abstract provided.