Digital Commons Network^™

Quantifying The Impact Of Urbanization On N And P Inputs, Transformations, Removal And Fluxes In Watersheds Draining To The Plum Island Estuary, Nathaniel Burr Morse

Doctoral Dissertations

A five-fold global urban population increase over the last century is driving global land use change and causing coastal eutrophication and dead zones. This dissertation was designed to better understand how suburbanization in the Ipswich and Parker River watersheds, the two major rivers draining to the Plum Island Estuary, affects nutrient loading the Plum Island Estuary. I used an almost 17-year long-term nutrient record to test whether ongoing watershed suburbanization has affected net fluxes of nutrients to the Plum Island Estuary over the study period. Additionally, I paired this long-term study with spatial sampling of headwater watersheds across a range …

The Complexities Of Family Health: Effects On Women's Employment, Jess Carson

Doctoral Dissertations

An extensive sociological literature links women's health, their children's health, and their disproportionate designation as unpaid caregivers to variation in women's labor supply and earnings. However, there is a dearth of research that simultaneously considers the health of multiple family members to explore how the distribution of chronic conditions within and across families may relate to women's work. Using data from the 2007 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (and its supplemental surveys, the Child Development Supplement and the Transition into Adulthood Study), this dissertation conceptualizes health as a family-level construct and explores how the distribution of chronic conditions in families …

The Foliose Bangiales (Rhodophyta) In The Northern Part Of The North Atlantic And The Relationship With The North Pacific Foliose Bangiales - Diversity, Distribution, Phylogeny And Phylogeography, Agnes Mols-Mortensen

Doctoral Dissertations

Foliose Bangiales species have a long history of study in the North Atlantic, but regions, especially in the northern parts, need more attention. Based on both new collections and herbarium material from Iceland, the Faroe Islands, West Greenland, UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Northwest Atlantic coast (from Newfoundland to Florida) the aim was to document diversity and distribution of foliose Bangiales species in the North Atlantic and to make floristic comparisons between the geographical areas. Species Identification was based on DNA sequences using the mitochondrial cox1, chloroplast rbcL and 3' rbcL + 5' rbcL-S markers. The North Atlantic species …

The Ability Of Adventure Education To Influence The Social Skill Development Of Urban Middle School Students, Paul J. Shirilla

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the ability of adventure education to impact the social skill development of United States urban middle school students. The Project Adventure Inc. RESPECT adventure education program was delivered to students at three Boston Public middle schools over the course of three academic years. Students at two neighboring Boston Public middle schools were used as a comparison group. The RESPECT program was a comprehensive, whole-school program facilitated by school administrators and teachers trained by Project Adventure staff.

Social skill ability was measured by the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) Student Form, which was administered at the beginning and …

Development Of Genomic Resources And Identification Of Marker-Trait Associations In Strawberry, Lise L. Mahoney

Doctoral Dissertations

Crosses were performed and progeny populations were developed in diploid and octoploid strawberry (Fragaria) species for the purposes of genetic analysis and breeding. A high throughput genotyping platform - the Affymetrix IStraw90® Axiom® strawberry SNP array - was evaluated and employed for these purposes. Phenotyping was conducted with respect to several traits of interest, including flower color, flower and fruit pigment compositions, and verticillium wilt resistance, for the ultimate purpose of identifying marker-trait associations useful in breeding. In the ancestral diploid species Fragaria iinumae, an F2 mapping population was developed from a cross between two accessions previously collected in Hokkaido, …

Full-Waveform And Discrete-Return Lidar In Salt Marsh Environments: An Assessment Of Biophysical Parameters, Vertical Uncertatinty, And Nonparametric Dem Correction, Jeffrey Nickerson Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations

High-resolution and high-accuracy elevation data sets of coastal salt marsh environments are necessary to support restoration and other management initiatives, such as adaptation to sea level rise. Lidar (light detection and ranging) data may serve this need by enabling efficient acquisition of detailed elevation data from an airborne platform. However, previous research has revealed that lidar data tend to have lower vertical accuracy (i.e., greater uncertainty) in salt marshes than in other environments. The increase in vertical uncertainty in lidar data of salt marshes can be attributed primarily to low, dense-growing salt marsh vegetation. Unfortunately, this increased vertical uncertainty often …

Controlling Manganese Speciation For Optimizing Removals, Joshua Andrew Collins

Master's Theses and Capstones

Manganese has been a recurring seasonal issue at the Manchester, N.H. Water-Works Treatment Plant. Following pre-ozonation, Mn (II) is oxidized into colloidal MnOx solids that are difficult to remove by their anthracite and GAC biofilters without additional coagulation.

This research has investigated ways to effectively treat manganese and organic precursors by biofiltration without making major alterations to the existing treatment plant. The most promising treatment was controlling the speciation of manganese with the addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in conjunction with the existing ozone (O3) addition. Applying H2O2 immediately after ozonation appeared to convert particulate and colloidal manganese into its …

Vegetation Influences On The Ebullition Of Methane In A Temperate Wetland, Samantha Roddy

Master's Theses and Capstones

Ebullition, or bubbling, is one pathway of methane (CH4) emission to the atmosphere from wetland ecosystems. Rates of ebullition vary spatially and temporally according to dominant vegetation type, peat density and time of year or season. We studied the continuous and episodic nature of ebullition and how it varies with species composition using six acoustic and manual sensors deployed in a temperate wetland, Sallie's Fen, Barrington, NH, in 2011 and 2012. Six additional sensors were installed in June 2013 and all sensors ran from typically June to October. A subsample of the manual bubble collections at each sensor was analyzed …

Dynamics Of A Tension Force-Driven Wave Energy Converter, Jason Ebner

Master's Theses and Capstones

Two prototype wave energy buoys were designed, modeled, constructed and field tested at the University of New Hampshire's Center of Ocean Renewable Energy offshore site utilizing Oscilla Power Inc.'s power take-off (PTO) units. Oscillating wave forces are used to power the PTOs. Due to design limitations in a taut-moored buoy system having inline PTOs, a suspended heave plate system was proposed. Tension oscillations in the vertical stay from the slack-moored buoy to the heave plate were used to drive the PTOs. To verify the heave plate concept met the oscillating tension amplitudes required, dynamic tests were performed using Froude scaled …

Effects Of Ground Flaxseed Supplementation On Animal Production And Milk Fatty Acid Profile In Organically-Certified Lactating Jerseys During The Grazing Season, Brianna Jeanette Isenberg

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of supplementing a pasture-based diet with ground flaxseed (GFLAX) on milk production and composition, blood parameters, digestibility, ruminal characteristics, nitrogen excretion, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) production, and income over feed cost (IOFC). Twenty organically-certified lactating Jerseys were blocked by milk production and days in milk (DIM) and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) control (soybean meal and ground corn grain as 10% of total diet dry matter (DM) or 2) GFLAX as 10% of total diet DM. Treatments were top-dressed onto a 25% mixed grass-legume baleage, …

Encapsulation Of Anti-Traction Material, Brian Zukas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Anti-Traction Material (ATM) is a highly viscous and viscoelastic aqueous polymer solution that has been demonstrated as an effective area denial, non-lethal technology. However, current means of dispersing ATM require on site pumping of the reagents and large tanks for reagent storage. The moment that ATM is dispensed onto a surface it also begins to dry out, starting the clock on the time it is effective. To counter these problems, ATM has been successfully encapsulated using the inverse alginate gelation technique. To produce capsules of ATM, a novel method of producing drops of the highly viscous and viscoelastic ATM solution …

Video Copy Detection Utilizing Log-Polar Transformation, Daniel Reynolds

Master's Theses and Capstones

Video Copy Detection is the process of comparing two videos to determine their similarity and determine if they are copies. This thesis enhances some of the common algorithms used in Video Copy Detection by utilizing the Log-Polar transformation as a pre-processing step. This pre-processing step is expected to increase speed of the overall Video Copy Detection process while maintaining the accuracy of the algorithms. The results of this research show that the addition of a Log-Polar pre-processing step reduces the computation time of the overall Video Copy Detection process. The additional time necessary to perform the Log-Polar pre-processing step is …

A Field Method For Backscatter Calibration Applied To Noaa's Reson 7125, Briana Welton

Master's Theses and Capstones

Acoustic seafloor backscatter measurements made by multiple Reson multibeamecho-sounders (MBES) used for hydrographic survey are observed to be inconsistent, affecting the quality of data products and impeding large-scale processing efforts. A method to conduct a relative inter and intra sonar calibration in the field using dual frequency Reson 7125 MBES has been developed, tested, and evaluated to improve the consistency of backscatter measurements made from multiple MBES systems. The approach is unique in that it determines a set of corrections for power, gain, pulse length, and an angle dependent calibration term relative to a single Reson 7125 MBES calibrated in …

Kingswood Lake Management Plan, Sarah Martina Tierney

Honors Theses and Capstones

High water quality and natural buffers exist on Kingswood Lake located in Brookfield, New Hampshire. A comprehensive lakes inventory (CSI) was recorded and health of the land, wildlife, and waterways were observed. Educational outreach was taken to inform the local community and to instruct them on proper stewardship of the land. A completed watershed management plan was constructed including key recommendation of limiting nitrogen loading in the area, checking septic systems for leaching, stabilizing shoreline from erosion, and establishing man-made rain gardens to help preserve water quality. The Kingswood watershed management plan acts as a guide for the town of …

Developing Genetic Tools For Geobacillus, Brittany Artale

Honors Theses and Capstones

Bacillus and Geobacillus are the primary bacterium used in biotechnology industries due to their ability to excrete extracellular materials such as proteins, enzymes and other byproducts. Bacillus subtilis, has a well-characterized competence machinery, giving way to characterized genetic tools. However, a significant problem associated with working with Bacillus is the regulation of endospore formation. An alternative to Bacillus is Geobacillus, a thermophilic bacterium. Thermophiles offer significant advantages over other bacteria as host organisms in biofuel, bioremediation, and biocatalyst processes. However, the genetic tools and competency associated with Geobacillus is still unknown. Through, genetic engineering the ability …

Syntheses And Characterizations Of Linearly Extended Thiazinium Salts As Organic Semiconductors, Yanmei Rong

Master's Theses and Capstones

Organic semiconductors have been the subject of both academic and industrial interest due to their potential advantages over inorganic semiconductors. Based on the type of charge transporting (hole or electron), organic semiconductors can be categorized as n-type (electron transporting) or p-type (hole transporting). Most attention has been concentrated on the development of p-type organic semiconductors and their development has led to dramatic enhancements in the performance of hole transporting material. However, the investigation and application of electron transporting organic semiconductors has not drawn as much attention. In this project, we focus on the exploration, design, synthesis and characterization of novel …

The Cold Surrender Of Midnight's Passing, Dana Marie Roach

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Diel Vertical Migration Strategies Of Zooplankton In Oligotrophic Russell Pond, New Hampshire, Kelsey Ann Dobe

Honors Theses and Capstones

Russell Pond is an ultra-oligotrophic lake with low chlorophyll a (1.9 mg L^-1), total phosphorus (3.4 mg L^-1), high Secchi Disk (10.4 m) and high light transmission (water coefficient of water, k_w=0.33). Vertical migration of Chaoborus, Bosmina, Daphnia, and copepods were examined using net collections of zooplankton discrete depth counts and sonar. Three contrasting patterns of vertical migration were observed in Russell Pond. Chaoborus punctipennis larvae vertical migration began at 7 pm and migrated through the entire lake water column, a total of 23 m from the sediments to the surface water in …

Overexpression And Characterization Of A Laccase From Geobacillus Thermoglucosidasius, Anthony Castagnaro

Master's Theses and Capstones

The use of enzymes as industrial oxidants has become popular due to their high substrate specificity and mild reaction conditions. Specifically, laccases are multi-copper oxidases that can oxidize a disparate range of organic substrates using oxygen and producing water as a byproduct without requirement for additional reactive compounds. Currently, all laccases used in industrial processes are fungal in origin. Although fungal laccases have high activities under near-ambient conditions, their use is limited at higher temperatures. Also, expression of fungal laccases in heterologous hosts is limited due to incorrect glycosylation. Bacterial laccases are much easier to express heterologously and are more …

A Comparison Of Absolute And Relative Stand Density Measures Used In The Northeastern United States, Rachel Knapp

Master's Theses and Capstones

The quantification of observed stand density relative to a desired density, a measure known as relative density, is a critical component of many silvicultural treatments. Calculating stand density is more complicated when there are multiple species involved. I compared four regionally appropriate relative density measures to frequently used absolute density measures such as biomass, basal area, trees per area and stand density indices. I found absolute measures inferior to relative measures of stand density in that they lack an accepted reference point that allows for the comparison of one stand to the next in a meaningful and biologically accurate way. …

An Evaluation Of Citizen Science-Based Indices For Monitoring The Distribution And Abundance Of Bobcats (Lynx Rufus), Tyler James Mahard

Master's Theses and Capstones

Carnivores substantially impact humans, but are elusive and difficult to monitor. Although less precise than intensive methods (e.g., capture-recapture), indices of relative abundance are widely used to monitor carnivore numbers. This study assessed public sightings and hunter surveys as approaches to monitoring the distribution and relative abundance of bobcats (Lynx rufus) in New Hampshire. To validate indices, I used a telemetry-based model of habitat suitability and information from camera surveys conducted by volunteers in three study areas. Bobcats were found widely distributed in New Hampshire with lower abundance in northern and mountainous regions. Public sightings and hunter surveys (both effort-corrected) …

Measurments Of Haptoglobin, Serum Amyloid A, Fibrinogen, And Leukocytes To Evaluate Stress In Organically Managed, Pasture-Fed And Conventional Managed, Totally Mixed Ration-Fed Jersey Cattle., Dorothy Ann Perkins

Master's Theses and Capstones

In cattle sub-acute inflammatory disorders are difficult to assess because visual symptoms of diseases are not easily detectable with large numbers of dairy cattle in loose housing. In addition, inflammation is not always followed by leukocytosis in cattle, which makes the use of common blood tests like total white blood cell counts less reliable as a diagnostic tool. More sensitive and objective methods are needed to evaluate health status. Research has been focused on the use of acute phase proteins (APPs) to diagnose acute and chronic illness in cattle, because acute phase proteins respond very quickly when an inflammation event …

Effects Of Discharge In Residence Time Distributions In A Small Headwaters Wetland In The Ipswich River Watershed, Katherine D. Lawrence

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Ipswich River Watershed, a 401 km2 watershed located in northeastern Massachusetts, has been observed to be undergoing increasing urbanization with resulting increases in nutrient loading, in particular, nitrogen. Nitrogen uptake occurs in a 1st-order process which is dependent on the concentration of nitrogen as well as the amount of time the water containing nitrogen remains within the wetland, which is described as the residence time distribution (RTD). To better understand how discharge affects the RTD of the wetland, a number of tracer studies were conducted between May 2011 and August 2011. Additionally, fluxes into and out of the wetland …

Lake Wentworth, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Milton Three Ponds, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Depot Pond, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Townhouse Pond, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Optimization Of An Integrative Suspension Cell Culture/Quantitative Pcr Technique For The Detection Of Enteroviruses In Surface Water, Stephanie Nicole Tornberg

Master's Theses and Capstones

Enteroviruses are pathogens which exist in water sources, and are passed via the fecal-oral pathway. These viruses are of public health concern due to the high occurrence globally of human infections and potential for serious illness or death. Current methods employed by the EPA for the detection of enteroviruses involve using both cell culture and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Laboratories working with samples independent of the EPA often use a detection method that integrates cell culture and qPCR (ICC/qPCR). Substituting suspension cultures for traditional monolayers has been proposed as a less expensive alternative method with higher sensitivity than traditional monolayers while …

Drought Sensitivity Of Slash Pine And Longleaf Pine Deduced By Tree Ring Analysis, Conor Madison

Honors Theses and Capstones

Annual tree rings give us the opportunity to investigate the adaptation of trees to climate and environmental changes over a long period of time. In particular, the physical characteristics of each ring (width and earlywood and late wood differentiation) can be used to reconstruct past environment conditions. Physiological responses of trees will be evaluated for two conifers species, i.e. Longleaf pine and Slash pine, giving the opportunity to compare the two species and understand how each species (Longleaf pine and Slash pine) adapt their water use to thrive in such extreme environments. Growth data will then be related to the …

Do Flame Retardants Promote Vitamin D Deficiency?, Audrey Petteruti

Honors Theses and Capstones

Vitamin D deficiency in the Unites States has become more prevalent in recent years. Research has shown that environmental chemicals such as flame-retardants induce hepatic enzymes in the cytochrome P450 family such as CYP24 and CYP3A that are important in vitamin D metabolism. To determine if exposure to one class of flame-retardants known as polybrominated diethyl ethers (PBDEs) promotes vitamin D deficiency, 15 rats consumed a diet marginally deficient in Vitamin D - 85 IU Vitamin D/kg diet - for 56 days. On day 28 of the experiment, 7 rats were gavaged daily with 7 mg/kg BW PBDEs and 8 …