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Localization Of Cck(+) Neurons In The Sensory Pathways Of Mus Musculis, Zachary Ryan Tepper

Honors Theses and Capstones

With dependence upon opioids, such as codeine, morphine, and heroin, steadily increasing amongst the American public, the withdrawal symptoms associated with disuse are receiving much more attention. Our research identifies neurons that are implicated in the hyperanalgesic response to the cessation of opiate-medication after dependence has been established. These neurons are identified by the Cholecystokinin protein (CCK). The first chapter of this research focuses on localizing these neurons in regions of the central nervous system that are responsible for transducing painful signals from the periphery to the brain. Our research supports the hypothesis that neurons with high levels of CCK …

A Changing Gulf Of Maine: Investigating The Role Of Benthic Water Temperature In Determining The Timing Of Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Arrival And Departure In The Gulf Of Maine, Benjamin Donald Gallo

Honors Theses and Capstones

Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) is a highly migratory elasmobranch that undergoes annual migrations along the East Coast of the United States. Spiny dogfish have been studied extensively on the West Coast, but little information currently exists on the life history of this species in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). In the last few years, commercial gillnet fishermen in the GOM have been reporting unusual catch patterns while fishing offshore, perhaps indicating an increased abundance in dogfish and an extension of the length of time that dogfish occupy the GOM in a given year. Concurrent with these changes, rising …

Ipo Ready? Illuminating The Dark Box Of Private Equity, Tyler Gregory Cornellier

Honors Theses and Capstones

The use of public equity data can help combat the challenges private equity funds currently face regarding data availability. The goal is to create a model to provide guidance to both investors and entrepreneurs in the decision-making process. The data gathered would provide insight on how close a private company is to a successful Initial Public Offering (IPO). The idea is that a model, showing the average financial metrics of companies within certain industries during an IPO, can provide new perceptiveness as to how the private company is performing.

Gender Roles In Public Accounting And The Absence Of Women In Upper Level Management, Sarah Elizabeth Keiran

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

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 …

Radiation Therapy Medical Physics Review – Delivery, Interactions, Safety, Feasibility, And Head To Head Comparisons Of The Leading Radiation Therapy Techniques, Cielle Collins

Honors Theses and Capstones

Radiation therapy uses high energy radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy for cancer treatment can take the form of photon therapy (using x-rays and gamma rays), or charged particle therapy including proton therapy and electron therapy. Within these categories, numerous methods of delivery have been developed. For example, a certain type of radiation can be administered by a machine outside of the body, called external-beam radiation therapy, or by a “seed” placed inside of the body near cancer cells, called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy. Approximately half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy, and the form of radiation …

Boldness And Natural Behaviors In The African Lion (Panthera Leo): How Are They Related?, Courtney M. Kamyk

Honors Theses and Capstones

The African lion (Panthera leo) population is diminishing rapidly, approximately 43% since 1993 (Bauer et al., 2016. The species is currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN (Bauer et al., 2016). With numerous threats to current populations including human conflict, prey depletion and habitat loss the African lion is in danger of becoming endangered or even critically endangered in the near future. Ex-situ conservation is a proposed method of restoring populations. The current study focuses on correlations of boldness with natural behaviors and sociality to further understand individual personality in hopes of connecting it with success after reintroduction. …

Genomic Evaluation Of Male Reproductive Adaptations And Responses To Dehydration In Peromyscus Eremicus (Cactus Mouse), Lauren Kordonowy

Doctoral Dissertations

Research elucidating the genetic architecture of physiological mechanisms enabling survival and reproduction in extreme environments is becoming prominent in evolutionary biology. The desert, in particular, poses numerous challenges for its endemic species, and mammals (and often, rodents) have been the focus for survival adaptations pertaining to water-limitation. However, desert rodent adaptation research has focused predominantly on survival, while potential physiological reproductive adaptations to dehydration have received less attention, aside from research evaluating water as reproductive cue. The fact that we do not know the physiological mechanisms enabling reproduction during dehydration is surprising, as desert rodents must possess adaptations to successfully …

Derivatization Of Diimine Tricarbonyl Re(I) Complexes For Cooperative Catalysis And Surface Immobilization, Michael Eric Louis

Doctoral Dissertations

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a known greenhouse gas and in recent years has been identified as one of the primary contributors to changes in global climate. Nature utilizes CO2 through photosynthesis in which the plants harness energy from the sun to extract electrons from water to convert CO2 into sugars to fuel cellular activities. Using this as inspiration, our research aims to photochemically convert CO2 to higher value products by designing appropriate catalytic systems. Diimine-tricarbonyl rhenium compounds have demonstrated excellent activity in photo and electrochemical CO2 reduction. A low-energy pathway has been postulated in which Re(I)-based catalysts mediate CO2 reduction …

Protein Phosphatase 2a Function In Response To Salt Stress In Arabidopsis Thaliana: Defining Pathways And Genetic Interaction Networks, Megan M. Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key regulator of many biological pathways. The PP2A heterotrimer is composed of a scaffolding/regulatory A subunit, regulatory B subunit, and catalytic C subunit. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the A, B and C subunits are encoded by 3, 17, and 5 genes, respectively. Despite the ubiquitous expression and high sequence conservation of the A and C subunits, plants with mutations in specific subunits display phenotypes. A subset of the A and C subunit mutants exhibited root skewing or curling phenotypes when grown on vertically-oriented plates supplemented NaCl. I characterized the root response of a1rcn1 and c4 …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Salt And Osmotic Stress Tolerance In Frankia Strains Isolated From Casuarina Trees, Rediet Oshone

Doctoral Dissertations

Globally, 20% of total cultivated and 33% of irrigated agricultural lands are affected by high salinity. By 2050, more than 50% of the arable land will be salinized. The hyper-ionic and hyper-osmotic stresses associated with salt-affected soils threaten the ability of cells to maintain optimal turgor pressure and intracellular ionic concentration for growth and functioning. The nitrogen-fixing soil actinobacterium Frankia shows marked variability in its tolerance to salinity. When in a symbiotic association with actinorhizal plants, Frankia enhances the tolerance of the plants to a range of abiotic stresses, including salinity. The Casuarina-Frankia association has been used to reclaim salt …

Edward Channing’S Writing Revolution: Composition Prehistory At Harvard, 1819-1851, Bradfield Edward Dittrich

Doctoral Dissertations

My dissertation, building on the work of John Brereton, Robert Connors, and others returns to the Harvard University Archives to reconstruct the Harvard rhetoric program under the leadership of Edward Tyrrel Channing from 1819 to 1851. During that time, coincident with the industrial revolution, U.S. publishers experienced a period of rapid growth as the cost of production for books, newspapers, and magazines dropped, and demand for print grew among a nascent middle class. Against that backdrop, and in spite of considerable resistance, Channing engineered a substantial shift at Harvard from an oratory-based curriculum to a writing-based one, just as the …

Chiral Biomolecule-Induced Chiroptical Activity In Quantum Dots, Benjamin Haynie

Master's Theses and Capstones

Chiroptical activity in cadmium selenide (CdSe) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) has been induced by interactions with chiral capping ligands, either with thiol functional group containing biomolecules (e.g. cysteine) or ‘thiol-free’ biomolecules (e.g. malic acid). This induced chirality is theorized to be the result of electronic orbital hybridization between the QD and ligand, not from physical distortion of crystal structure. The polarity of the resulting circular dichroism (CD) spectra shows a ‘mirror-image’ between enantiomers of the same ligand. However, it is possible for two ligands of the same absolute configuration to induce mirror-image CD spectra, as is the …

Grafting Melons Increases Yield, Harvest Period, And Resistance To Sudden Wilt, Janel Louise Martin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Melons [Cucumis melo L.], are potentially a high value crop for New England, but production is limited by cool soil temperatures and sudden wilt. The primary symptom of sudden wilt syndrome is rapid wilting of vines either just preceding or during the harvest period when plants have a heavy fruit-load. Typically, plants do not recover from these symptoms, resulting in reduced yield and fruit quality. The exact cause of sudden wilt is unknown; however, the main cause is thought to be a soil-borne pathogen with other compounding abiotic factors. Use of early cultivars, black plastic mulch, and rowcovers have brought …

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 …

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 …

Nature Of Formal Intimate Partner Violence Help Seeking: The Influence Of Individual And Community Characteristics, Desiree Ruth Wiesen-Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

Intimate partner violence is a public health concern, and intimate partner violence victim help seeking is the focus of many intervention/prevention policies and programs. Help seeking by victims of intimate partner violence from formal support services, such as the police, domestic violence shelters, and/or rape crisis centers, is relatively low (Kaukinen 2002; Davies, Block, and Campbell 2007; Campbell 2008; Kaukinen, Meyer, and Akers 2013; Zaykowski 2014), and the research which considers the nature of help seeking among those victims who seek help is quite limited. This dissertation investigates the nature of formal help seeking among intimate partner violence victims who …

Effects Of Alien Shrubs On Caterpillars And Shrubland-Dependent Passerines Within Three Transmission Line Rights-Of-Way In Southeastern New Hampshire, Matthew Tarr

Doctoral Dissertations

By altering plant species composition and reducing plant species richness, invasion of non-native (alien) plants can reduce caterpillar abundance in bird habitats and simplify the bird community, but whether these cascading effects of alien plants extend further to affect bird productivity has not been quantified. This study is the first to quantify how reduced caterpillar abundance associated with alien plant invasion affects the reproductive success of a breeding passerine, the common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas trichas). The study was conducted in three transmission line rights-of-way where plant composition in yellowthroat territories was dominated by a near monoculture of alien shrubs (“ALIEN” …

Biophysical Mechanisms Of Rhythm Generation In The Pre-Bötzinger Complex, Ryan S. Phillips

Doctoral Dissertations

The pre-Bötzinger complex (pre-BötC) is an essential rhythmogenic brainstem nucleus located in the ventrolateral medulla. Rhythmic output from the pre-BötC is relayed through premotor and motor neurons to the diaphragm and intercostal muscles to drive the active inspiratory phase of breathing. The specific biophysical mechanisms responsible for generating rhythmic bursting and network synchronization are not well understood and remain a highly debated topic within the field. Through extensive experimental and theoretical work two plausible rhythmogenic mechanisms have emerged. One mechanism is based on a slowly inactivating persistent sodium current (INaP) and the other on a calcium activated non-selective cation current …

Microbial Community And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Population Dynamics In Relayed Oysters, Michael Anthony Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations

The CDC estimates that 45,000 people are sickened each year by foodborne Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the United States. Filter-feeding bivalve shellfish, such as oysters, are routinely inhabited by human pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus and there currently is not a contaminant management process that effectively reduces concentrations of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters. The transplanting of V. parahaemolyticus -laden oysters to an area with low concentrations or no V. parahaemolyticus, called oyster relay, is one reduction strategy that holds promise for treating live oysters. A key consideration for effective strategies to reduce Vibrio spp. in shellfish is the influence of microbiota in natural …

Nitrogen Dynamics And Retention In The River Network Of A Tropical Forest, Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico, Richard Brereton

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation identifies gaps in the scientific understanding of nutrient cycling, particularly nitrogen (N) cycling, in streams and riparian zones of tropical montane forests, and addresses several of those gaps with original field-based research using study watersheds in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico as the model system. The Luquillo Mountains have features typical of mature montane tropical forests, such as high background N concentrations in streams and groundwater relative to streams in other biomes. As a USDA Forest Service Experimental Forest, the Luquillo Mountains are accessible to researchers and have abundant monitoring and experimental datasets from which to build …

A Study Of The Surface Structure Of Polymorphic Graphene And Other Two-Dimensional Materials For Use In Novel Electronics And Organic Photovoltaics, Maxwell Charles Grady

Doctoral Dissertations

For some time there has been interest in the fundamental physical properties of low- dimensional material systems. The discovery of graphene as a stable two-dimensional form of solid carbon lead to an exponential increase in research in two-dimensional and other re- duced dimensional systems. It is now known that there is a wide range of materials which are stable in two-dimensional form. These materials span a large configuration space of struc- tural, mechanical, and electronic properties, which results in the potential to create novel electronic devices from nano-scale heterostructures with exactly tailored device properties. Understanding the material properties at 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 …

Patterns And Drivers Of Carbon Fluxes In Temperate Forests, Andrew Ouimette

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite decades of carbon cycling research in terrestrial ecosystems, a complex suite of biotic and abiotic interactions make a complete understanding of the natural carbon cycle elusive. This thesis aims to advance our understanding of the carbon cycle, and stems from several ongoing projects aimed at quantifying carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems across a range of scales, with a specific effort to include both above and belowground components of forest ecosystems. I begin with a project using detailed chemical measurements on specific segments of root systems from two different tree species, in order to help refine methods that quantify the …

Simulation Studies Of Signaling And Regulatory Proteins, Hossein Mohammadiarani

Doctoral Dissertations

I used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as a primary tool to study folding and dynamics of signaling and regulatory proteins. Specifically, I have studied two classes of proteins: the first part of my thesis reports studies on peptides and receptors of the insulin family, and the second part reports on studies of regulatory proteins from the G-protein coupled receptor family. The first problem that I investigated was understanding the folding mechanism of the insulin B-chain and its mimetic peptide (S371) which were studied using enhanced sampling simulation methods. I validated our simulation approaches by predicting the known solution structure of …

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, …

Hilic-Ms/Ms Method Development For The Analysis Of Select Paralytic Shellfish Toxins In Shellfish Harvested From New Hampshire Coastal Waters, Jessica Henry

Doctoral Dissertations

A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of select paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins: decarbamoylsaxitoxin (dcSTX), neosaxitoxin (NEO), and saxitoxin (STX). The method employs a bare silica core-shell stationary phase and isocratic elution conditions to achieve chromatographic separation of the selected toxins. The HILIC-MS/MS method was applied to the analysis of sixteen mussel samples harvested from the New Hampshire coastline during the 2016 harvest season. Of these selected mussel samples analyzed, STX was detected in all of the samples; NEO was detected in two samples; and dcSTX was not detected in any sample. …

Technique For Normalization Of Cross-Linked Peptide Ion Intensity To Elucidate Enzymatic Conformational Changes, Donna Hogan

Master's Theses and Capstones

Cross-linking coupled to Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (CXMS) has become an invaluable technique for examining protein-protein interactions and monitoring enzymatic conformational changes. Thus far, comparative quantitation of cross-linked peptides measured by their mass spectrometry (MS) ion intensity is employed to deduce residue cross-linking propensity and spatial proximity. Using two distinct conformations of a structurally well-characterized model protein, we examined the correlation of cross-linked peptide MS signals and distances, but were not able to observe any obvious correlation. Conceivably, several physiochemical factors can affect residue reactivities thus MS signal intensity of the corresponding cross-linked peptides. For NHS ester chemical cross-linkers, the NHS …

Understanding The Efficacy Of Fish Ladder Use By Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus), Kevin M. Sullivan

Master's Theses and Capstones

River herring, the collective name given to North American populations of Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Blueback Herring (A. aestivalis), are iteroparous, anadromous members of the family Clupeidae, with similar morphology, ecological roles, and overlapping distributions. Once abundant in coastal rivers of New Hampshire, many factors including commercial fishing, habitat degradation, and dam construction resulted in a precipitous decline of the species along the entire coast. Successful efforts to restore populations have included the construction of fish ladders at dams. However, fish ladders require constant operation and maintenance to efficiently pass river herring, and only provide access to spawning habitat up …