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Patterns Of Intron Loss And Gain In Caenorhabditis, Gabrielle Giese

Master's Theses and Capstones

Introns, segments of genes that get spliced from the transcript before translation, are prevalent parts of many genomes and yet remain largely mysterious. Although their presence in the genome has been known for over thirty years, we still cannot answer the most fundamental questions about introns, such as where did they originate and, how are they gained and lost? In our most stringent dataset, we compared 137,453 intron positions in 6,257 pan-orthologs among four species of Caenorhabditis using a bioinformatics approach. While 82% of intron positions were conserved, we found a remarkable amount of intron variation. We also found evidence …

Ecology And Management Of Moose In Northern New England, Haley A. Andreozzi

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examined three facets of moose ecology in northern New England: impact of moose browsing on forest regeneration, physical characteristics of harvested bull moose, and winter habitat use. Forest regeneration was not considered a major problem in northern Vermont based on stocking levels of commercial tree species. Increasing dominance of softwood species coupled with suppressed growth of hardwoods suggests possible local shifts in composition. Bull moose in Maine had stable body weight and antler spread, and selective harvest of trophy bulls was not apparent over 30 years. Winter locations from aerial surveys indicated that moose preferentially used deciduous/mixed forest …

Masculinity And Sexual Violence: Comparison Between Japan And The United States, Kei Saito

Master's Theses and Capstones

Japan has received considerable attention in the field of criminology in its unique features, such as its low crime rate. Available research seems to suggest that the Japanese rate of sexual violence, like other crimes, is equally lower compared to the United States. The present study examines the potential influence of gender construction on sexual violence, building upon previous research on the Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression by Malamuth and his colleagues. Data from the General Social Survey in the United States and Japan were used to compare elements that relate to gender roles, gender identity, and sexual behavior to …

The Dilemma Of Response Among Early Childhood Educators To Rough-And Tumble Play In Educational Settings: Moving Beyond Expectations And Rediscovering Play, Carrie L. Smart

Master's Theses and Capstones

Early childhood educators often may struggle to find appropriate responses to rough-and-tumble play due to its unpredictable and risky nature. This case study examines the challenge of how two early childhood special educators in two inclusive public preschool classrooms make decisions about rough-and-tumble play for 4-year-old children. The stories presented are descriptive and based in an ecological context. Through the triangulation of interview, anecdotal observations, and frequency counts, three major themes of Teacher Beliefs, Context, and Teacher Reflection and Awareness emerged, illustrating the complex phenomenon of teacher response to rough-and-tumble play in inclusive settings. Analysis of the data revealed that …

Novel Synthesis Of Sulfur Based Ligands Used In Modeling Biological Hydrogen Bonding Interactions, Tyler Jesse Jacinto

Master's Theses and Capstones

Heme-thiolate proteins are known to have hydrogen bond donors proximal to the axial thiolate ligand. The specific roles of these conserved H-bond donors have not yet been elucidated. However, various sources agree upon the positive influence that increased X-H···S interactions have on protein redox potentials. For example, synthetic modeling studies of the cytochromes P450 show similar positive shifts in potential in iron-porphyrin-thiolate model systems. The ligands used in modeling the H-bonding interactions in the P450 cytochromes included a series of 2,6-substituted thiophenols, -S(2,6-(CX3CONH)2C6H3), where X = H, F, CH3. The current synthetic route to these ligands is vague and employs …

Joint Analysis Of Stressors And Ecosystem Services To Enhance Restoration Effectiveness, J. David Allan, Peter B. Mcintyre, Sigrid D. P. Smith, Benjamin S. Halpern, Gregory L. Boyer, Andy Buchsbaum, G. A. Burton Jr., Linda M. Campbell, W. Lindsay Chadderton, Jan J. H. Ciborowski, Patrick J. Doran, Tim Eder, Dana M. Infante, Lucinda B. Johnson, Christine A. Joseph, Adrienne L. Marino, Alexander A. Prusevich, Jennifer G. Read, Joan B. Rose, Edward S. Rutherford, Scott P. Sowa, Alan D. Steinman

Faculty Publications

With increasing pressure placed on natural systems by growing human populations, both scientists and resource managers need a better understanding of the relationships between cumulative stress from human activities and valued ecosystem services. Societies often seek to mitigate threats to these services through large-scale, costly restoration projects, such as the over one billion dollar Great Lakes Restoration Initiative currently underway. To help inform these efforts, we merged high-resolution spatial analyses of environmental stressors with mapping of ecosystem services for all five Great Lakes. Cumulative ecosystem stress is highest in near-shore habitats, but also extends offshore in Lakes Erie, Ontario, and …

Investigation Of Sex Change, Sex Differentiation And Stress Responses In Black Seabass (Centropristis Striata), Danielle C. Duquette

Master's Theses and Capstones

Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) have been the focus of research as an aquaculture species for several years due to their high consumer demand and limited seasonable availability. As protogynous hermaphrodites, black sea bass initially develop as females in the wild, and undergo sex reversal between 2 and 6 years of age. Previous studies demonstrated that in captivity, however, a significant number of fish differentiate initially as males, and sex reversal is hastened in females. Full control of reproduction is required for successful commercial culture. Since captive environments pose several sources of stress upon the cultured species, this research investigates …

Population Structure Of Euonymus Alatus (Burning Bush) In Forests Of Southeastern New Hampshire And Potential For Further Spread, Rachel D M Johnson

Master's Theses and Capstones

Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is an exotic ornamental shrub invasive in forests of the northeastern United States. I sampled burning bush populations in four mid-successional forests and related burning bush success or "status" (based on presence and height in 4m2 plots) to environmental factors, including photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), soil nutrients, and abundance of other plants. All populations were multi-aged, with a greater number of younger than older stems, and with taller, older plants producing fruit. Burning bush status was significantly and positively related to percent total transmitted PAR, negatively to the basal area of shade tolerant trees 4-10 em …

Small Scale Raft Aquaponics: Evaluation Of Hybrid Striped Bass Growth And Plant Uptake Potential, Calvin Grant Diessner

Master's Theses and Capstones

Hybrid striped bass ([male]Morone saxatilis [female] Morone chrysopos) were successfully cultivated in two separate 48 day trials (t1 and t2) with seedlings of lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Rex) and pac choi (Brassica rapa cv. Win-Win) within a shared recirculating aquaponic system. It was determined that fish stocking density had no significant effect on the mean yield of lettuce and pac choi biomass in t1. Stocking density did have a significant effect on the elemental nutrients generated within the aquaponic systems. A nutrient deficiency was exhibited by the leaf tissue of pac choi grown with fish stocked at low a density …

Predation As A Vehicle To Aid Tunicate Invasion In The Biofouling Community, Helen Day

Master's Theses and Capstones

Competition for space can influence community dynamics in the sessile biofouling community. Within recent decades, community dynamics have shifted towards a community dominated by tunicates. This research proposed predation as a mechanism driving this shift.

In the Gulf of Maine, the non-native species Botrylloides violaceous became abundant when predators (i.e. the benthic fish Tautogolabrus adspersus and the sea star Asterias rubens) removed the cryptogenic (i.e. native) tunicate Molgula citrina. Moreover, B. violaceus was present in higher amounts in habitats with low abundances of M. citrina than it was in areas in which the two tunicate species were both abundant. Furthermore, …

The Failed Introduction Of The Sea Anemone Sagartia Elegans In Salem Harbor, Massachusetts, Christopher David Wells

Master's Theses and Capstones

Many studies have reported the arrival and subsequent range expansion of foreign species within the marine ecosystems, but few studies have documented species that arrive and fail to establish. In 2000, the sea anemone Sagartia elegans (Dalyell, 1848) was first found in Salem, MA and persisted seasonally until the winter of 2010-2011 after which it has not been found. In both laboratory and field based temperature growth studies, S. elegans began regressing in size at 11 °C, stopped asexually reproducing at 9 °C, and died by 4 °C; these temperatures are far above the average winter sea surface temperature in …

Modeling Long-Term Carbon Accumulation Of Tropical Peat Swamp Forest Ecosystems, Sofyan Kurnianto

Master's Theses and Capstones

Peatlands play an important role in the global climate system and carbon cycle; their large carbon stocks could be released to the atmosphere due to climate change or disturbance, resulting in increased climate forcing. I modified the Holocene Peat Model (HPM), a process-based model coupling water and carbon balance for simulating carbon dynamic over millennia, to be applicable for tropical peatlands.

HPMTrop outputs are generally consistent with the field observations from Indonesia. The simulated long-term carbon accumulation rate for coastal and inland peatlands were 0.63 and 0.26 Mg C ha-1 y -1, and the resulting peat carbon stocks at the …

Viability Of Butternut (Juglans Cinerea L) In The Northeastern United States: An Assessment Of The Genetic Diversity, Health, And Hybridization And Recruitment Of Butternut In The Northeast, Andre A W Boraks

Master's Theses and Capstones

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) trees are being extirpated from their natural range by means of an epidemic caused by a fungal pathogen. Widespread mortality is reminiscent of past epidemics on American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and American elm (Ulmus americana ). Understanding the course of contemporary decline of this tree species will provide greater insight on processes of potential extinction and the results of management to prevent it.

This thesis applies an interdisciplinary approach to characterize butternut of the northeastern Unites States. While there is evidence of weak genetic structuring, butternut appears to have maintained sufficient dispersal to prevent isolation and inbreeding …

An Examination Of The Reduction Of Effective Impervious Cover And Ecosystem And Watershed Response, Viktor Hlas

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examined the reduction of effective impervious cover (EIC) and watershed response by Low Impact Development (LID) and stream restoration efforts. The Berry Brook Watershed Renewal Project consisted of day lighting approximately 1,100 feet of stream and installation of 13 LID systems for a combined impervious area treatment of 20.7 acres on a 185 acre watershed. Watershed response was measured and modeled by hydrologic and water quality parameters.

Hydrologic daily flow analysis revealed that there was a significant decrease in average, maximum and minimum flows between preuo and postuo LID implementation and stream restoration improvements periods in the direction …

Baboosic Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Conway Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Crystal Lake, Enfield, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Great East Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Merrymeeting Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Milton Three Ponds, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

North River Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Squam Lake Deep Haven, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Squam Lake Loon Reef, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Squam Lake Site 16 Dog Cove, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Squam Lake Site 5 Livermore Cove, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Squam Lake Site 8 Rattlesnake Cove, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Townhouse Pond, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Development Of Alternative Host Models To Assess Virulence Potential Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, Jeffrey Sun

Master's Theses and Capstones

V. parahaemolyticus infection from ingesting shellfish is a global problem and incidence rates are on the rise in the U.S. Current detection methods are ineffective due to the lack of definite pathogenic marker thus studies to elucidate virulence mechanism are crucial and impeded by the lack of an efficient high-throughput model that emulate disease. Of multiple alternative models investigates, only C. elegans was able to discern different virulence potential among V. parahaemolyticus strains. In addition, the pandemic strain had greater colonization ability when in direct competition with the pre-pandemic strain in C.elegans intestine. A transposon insertion mutant library was generated …

Population Ecology Of American Marten In New Hampshire: Impact Of Wind Farm Development In High Elevation Habitat, Alexej Peder Kelly Siren

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examined marten ecology relative to wind farm development using radio-marked marten, camera trapping, and snow track surveys to meet study objectives. The local population was mostly breeding adults and was considered near carrying capacity. Mortality (predation) was biased towards females and young. Seasonal home ranges were small overall, and largest during summer and when marten used more regenerating and softwood forest. Selection at the landscape scale was more pronounced than at the stand scale; regenerating forest was selected against year-round. Stand selection for mature mixed-wood and softwood occurred in winter. Disturbance from wind farm construction resulted in less …

Understanding Spawning Behavior And Habitat Use By Anadromous Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus Mordax) Using Passive Integrated Transponder Systems And Telemetry, Claire L. Enterline

Master's Theses and Capstones

Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) are anadromous fish that spawn in coastal streams and rivers and provide an important prey base to many marine predators. Populations range-wide have experienced severe decline possibly due to habitat degradation and loss of spawning habitat. This study quantified within-season repeat spawning behavior by rainbow smelt at two spawning sites in the Gulf of Maine, and described movements and habitat use during and following the spawning season in the Great Bay and Piscataqua River estuary complex in New Hampshire. Repeat spawning behavior was found to be a predominantly male behavior, consistent with past studies. …