Digital Commons Network^™

Abiotic Immobilization Of Nitrate In Forest Soil: A Double Level Approach, Richard Graham Maclean

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abiotic immobilization of nitrogen may help explain nitrogen retention in soils under chronic nitrogen addition. Methodological limitations have made differentiating between abiotic and biotic immobilization in live soils difficult. This study attempted to make this differentiation with isotopically labeled nitrate, 15N18O3- . My hypothesis was that during biological reduction and assimilation of 15N, 18O would be lost as labeled water, but some 18O would be retained in abiotic reactions with soil chemicals. Lab incubations of soils from a Pinus resinosa stand were treated with 0.140 mg 15N g-1 dry soil of K15N18O3, for 0.25, 1 and 4 hours. Mean mass …

Determination Of Hydraulic Conductivity Using The Permeafor, Amy C. Larrabee

Master's Theses and Capstones

Hydraulic conductivity is a soil characteristic that describes the flow of water through soil due to the presence of interconnected voids. This property is difficult to accurately and rapidly evaluate in the laboratory and in the field. A device known as the Permeafor has been developed in Strasbourg, France aimed at evaluating hydraulic conductivity in situ. The tool is approximately 80 centimeters in length, and is specially designed to test lateral hydraulic conductivity. A half-scale of the Permeafor was constructed at the University of New Hampshire in order to test soils at shallow depth using a portable penetration system. The …

Numerical Simulations Of Combined Wave-Current Bottom Boundary Layers, Gary R. Margelowsky

Master's Theses and Capstones

The hydrodynamics of wave-current bottom boundary layers are examined with a quasi-three-dimensional non-hydrostatic bottom boundary layer model, Dune. Flow is simulated by resolving the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a k-o 2 nd order turbulence closure. The model simulations are performed for a range of theoretical and observed hydrodynamic forcing conditions to examine the boundary layer sensitivity to the wave and current forcing and bedform resolution. The model is evaluated with field observations of velocity profiles and seabed geometry collected at the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO, Edgartown, MA) in 2005 in 13 m water depth.

Model simulations forced by observed …

Regulation Of Photoreceptor Phosphodiesterase By Prenyl Binding Protein And By Other Interacting Proteins In Photoreceptor Cells, Hannah J. Gitschier

Master's Theses and Capstones

Photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6) is a central component of the visual pathway. While initial PDE6 activation following light stimulation of photoreceptors is well understood, regulation of PDE6 during recovery and light adaptation may require additional components that interact with PDE6. Two approaches were taken to characterize these potential interactions. The first explored the interaction of PDE6 with prenyl binding protein (PrBP/delta) and demonstrated that changes in membrane localization of PDE6 may occur during light adaptation as a result of association with PrBP/delta. The second approach characterized the PDE6 "interactome" by a mass spectrometric identification of 75 proteins that co-purify with PDE6 …

An Evaluation Of Supplemental Food To Increase Winter Survival Of Cottontail Rabbits, Toni Weidman

Master's Theses and Capstones

The New England cottontail is currently endangered throughout much of its range. The cause of this decline has been habitat loss that has facilitated intense predation. Cottontails living on small patches have high mortality rates due to lack of quality cover and browse and high predation pressure. The goal of this study was to determine if provisioning supplemental food during the winter could increase cottontail survival rates by reducing risky foraging behavior in poor habitat that exposes the rabbits to predators. Among fed rabbits the survival rate (70%) was substantially greater than the survival rate for unfed rabbits (32%). A …

Synthesis Of 1,4,7-Triazacyclononane Pendant-Armed Chelators And Their Metal Complexes, Elizabeth Garcia Cardona

Master's Theses and Capstones

Pendant-armed cyclic polyamines have been demonstrated to be promising ligands for the development of new metal-based radiopharmaceuticals for positron-emission tomography (PET). Macrocyclic polyamines bearing pendant arms can effectively bind specific metals with suitable complexation kinetics and stability while attached to a tumor-targeting vector or peptide. 64Cu-radiolabeled peptides containing the chelator 1,4,7-triazacyclononane 1,4,7-triacetate have been shown to possess superior properties which overcome commonly observed problems such as demetallation and accumulation of the radio-metal in non-targeted tissues. To model these radiolabeled bioconjugates and to gain insight into this observed bio-stability, the synthesis of a copper (II) complex of a new triazacyclononane derivative …

Hydrologic And Nutrient Dynamics In An Agriculturally Influenced New England Floodplain, Michelle Galvin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Non point-source pollution from agricultural activity is a major cause of water quality degradation. In particular, nutrient loading can lead to eutrophication and related anoxia in rivers, streams and lakes. Floodplains adjacent to these water bodies are sites of active nutrient cycling that can mediate the flux of nutrients to and from these water bodies. This study examines the hydrologic and nutrient dynamics of an agriculturally-influenced creek and floodplain in Lee, New Hampshire. Chemical mixing models were used to assess cycling of nutrients in response to flooding. The floodplain acted primarily as a sink for phosphate (PO43-), ammonium (NH4+) and …

The Genetics Of Sex Determination In Fragaria Virginiana: A Candidate Gene Approach, Benjamin Bryant Orcheski

Master's Theses and Capstones

The evolutionary genetics of plant reproduction is a fascinating aspect of plant biology, involving an astounding diversity of reproductive strategies. While the majority of flowering plants are hermaphroditic (monoecy), many species have opted for an alternate mode, whereby male and female gametes originate on different plants (dioecy).

Wild strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, is a particularly interesting species, as its members can be female, male, or hermaphroditic. Its female flowers display arrested development of male reproductive organs (stamens), evidently conditioned by a single dominant allele of an unknown genetic locus. My aim was to isolate and characterize the gene(s) responsible for male …

Protecting Water Resources And Managing Stormwater: A Bird's Eye View For New Hampshire Communities, Julia Peterson, Amanda Stone, James J. Houle

UNH Stormwater Center

No abstract provided.

Blue Carbon: The Role Of Healthy Oceans In Binding Carbon, Christian Nellemann, Emily Corcoran, Carlos M. Duarte, Cassandra De Young, Luciano E. Fonseca, Gabriel Grimsdith

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Habitat Models For The Common Loon (Gavia Immer), Alexis M. Rudko

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) has been collecting field data for the common loon (Gavia immer) in New Hampshire for thirty-six years. A habitat model for lakes throughout New Hampshire was created by Dr. Mark Brennan for the time period 1980--2002. This project re-evaluates Brennan's habitat model using new data from 2003--2008. Two additional models, one with all lakes and another with the three largest lakes excluded, were created and compared to Brennan's model to see if the overall accuracy improved. These models show which lakes have high and low potential for loon habitat. The results of the re-evaluation of …

Growing Winter Sprouting Broccoli In Unheated High Tunnels In New Hampshire, Clifton A. Martin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Winter sprouting broccoli was grown in a two-year study in unheated high tunnels in Durham, NH. Eleven cultivars were grown in a 9.1 m by 18.2 m unheated high tunnel and evaluated for yield, duration of harvest, and number of days from seed to harvest. Secondary rowcover applications were also evaluated for effects on yield, duration of harvest, number of days from seed to harvest, and for their effects on air temperature at plant height. All cultivars were harvested between March and May of 2008 and 2009. Yields ranged from 0.6 to 1.4 kilograms per meter squared. While mortality was …

Evaluation Of Remediation Agents For Ddt- And Pcb-Contaminated Wetlands, Scott Cloutier

Master's Theses and Capstones

Wetland sediments that are contaminated with hydrophobic organic compounds, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can be remediated via in-situ methods. Four different amendment agents, activated carbon, zero valent iron, organoclay and seaweed were assessed. Activated carbon provided the greatest reduction in both PCB and DDx porewater concentrations: an average of 90% or greater reduction of the six congeners detected. Two amendment delivery technologies were evaluated in a microcosm experiment: a granular activated carbon slurry and Aquablok containing powdered activated carbon. The addition of activated carbon via both delivery techniques was found to significantly decrease PCB porewater concentrations …

Seasonal Nitrate Dynamics In An Agriculturally Influenced New Hampshire Headwater Stream, Catherine Rutherford Dunlap

Master's Theses and Capstones

Nitrate (NO3-) uptake and denitrification in small headwater streams can have significant implications for downstream water quality. I measured seasonal NO3- uptake and longitudinal patterns in potential sediment denitrification in a New Hampshire agriculturally influenced stream during 2009. NO3- uptake was measured through short-term NO3- enrichments and potential denitrification was measured using the Chloramphenicol-amended acetylene-inhibition method. NO3 - was taken up in autumn but not in spring or summer. In autumn, on average 87% of the daily NO3- load was taken up and a maximum of 4% was removed via denitrification. Results suggest that, in this stream, carbon availability from …

Examination Of Thermal Impacts From Stormwater Bmps, Nicholas P. Digennaro

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study presents the examination of 4 years of monitoring of runoff temperature for a range of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in relation to established environmental indicators for a study in Durham, NH. Stormwater BMPs examined include conventional, Low Impact Development, and manufactured treatment designs. Surface systems that are exposed to direct sunlight have been shown to increase already elevated summer runoff temperatures, while other systems that provide treatment by infiltration and filtration can moderate runoff temperatures by thermal exchange with cool subsurface materials. The storm sewer system saw an annual average event mean temperature (EMT) greater than the …

A Multi-Scale Evaluation Of Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon Platirhinos) Habitat Selection At The Northern Extent Of Its Range, Celine Goulet

Master's Theses and Capstones

A complex interaction of biotic and abiotic variables structure landscapes into a hierarchal assemblage of habitats. Species respond to this environmental hierarchy by selecting habitat based upon a set of ecological variables occurring across a range of organizational levels. However, as the criteria for selection may be scale-dependent, it is vital to quantify the influence these variables have on species distribution at each spatial scale. Two years of telemetry data from 17 individuals were used to examine the multi-scale selection process in the northern population of Heterodon platirhinos on the New Boston Air Force Station in New Boston, New Hampshire. …

Aspects Of The Reproduction Of An Invasive Crab, Hemigrapsus Sanguineus, In Northern And Southern New England, Emily F. Gamelin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Populations of the invasive shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus , were studied in northern and southern New England to determine if crabs differ in reproductive behavior or characteristics between these regions. Additionally, effects of temperature on reproductive activity were quantified through laboratory experimentation.

Number of broods per season increased with temperature, but the seasonal total was limited to three broods in laboratory experiments. Broods experienced limited success at the lowest temperature, 10°C. The reproductive season was longer at lower latitudes, and females at this site had smaller average ovigerous size. Patterns of ovigery varied between the regions, suggesting the production of …

Magnetostratigraphy Of The Hell Creek And Lower Fort Union Formations In Northeast Montana, Rebecca Lecain

Master's Theses and Capstones

Magnetostratigraphic evaluation of a well-exposed stratigraphic section in northeast Montana has been undertaken to expand upon and better understand the timing of the deposition of Hell Creek and Fort Union Formations. Characteristic remnant magnetizations show clear magnetostratigraphic patterning of chrons C28n, C28r, C29n, C29r, C30n, and possibly C30r. Differentially corrected GPS coordinates, including elevation, were recorded at each sample site allowing the magnetostratigraphic framework to be precisely relocated in the field and traced laterally across the landscape. Localities in Montana that have been sampled for fossil studies have been mapped and correlated to the same stratigraphic sections as the magnetostratigraphy, …

Investigating Pheromone Variability In A Terrestrial Woodland Salamander, Adam James Chowinard

Master's Theses and Capstones

The communication system of Plethodontid salamanders relies heavily upon chemical signaling. Pheromone molecules convey a tremendous amount of information to conspecifics, and facilitate a wide variety of the essential social functions of these animals. Much of the information contained within the pheromone mixture is variable from one individual to the next, such as the ability to recognize specific individuals, the size of the sender, and the relative "quality' of the signal. In order for variable information to be conveyed through chemical signals, the corresponding variability must be contained within the pheromone mixture itself. This variability may exist as a gradient …

Elucidating The Microbial Community Within A Trichloroethene Contaminated Competent Bedrock Aquifer Located At Pease International Tradeport, Portsmouth, Nh, Michelle M. Majko

Master's Theses and Capstones

A trichloroethene (TCE)-contaminated competent bedrock aquifer exists at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH. Characterization by the Bedrock Bioremediation Center (BBC) at the University of New Hampshire showed active in situ anaerobic degradation of TCE. Formation water from discrete, hydraulically connected fractures was extracted to characterize and enumerate the prevalent TCE biodegradation processes using Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Eubacteria (90%), Archaea (5%), and sulfate reducing bacteria within Desulfobacteriaceae (1--26%) were present at all depths (13--30 meters). Two probes targeting the anaerobic TCE-dechlorinating genus, Dehalococcoides (4--10%) were developed. FISH in combination with Flow Cytometry was employed to automate the analysis; …

Is A Communication Event Stressful For Individuals With Expressive Aphasia?, Emily E. Warner

Master's Theses and Capstones

Objective. This study presents an effort to understand both stress perception and physiologic responses related to expressive communication in individuals with expressive aphasia, acquired as the result of a stroke.

Method. Eight individuals with aphasia and five age-matched, healthy controls participated in a public communication task. Salivary cortisol and perception of stress and mood was measured on one day at home as well as during the ordering task.

Results. A significant difference between groups was found in diurnal cortisol levels in the evening, as well as a non-significant trend in the afternoon measure. Individuals in the aphasia group perceived higher …

Stream Temperature Impacts Of Culverts And Impervious Areas, Gary Lemay

Master's Theses and Capstones

Water temperature in small, headwater streams may reveal much about stream health. Yet, our understanding of stream temperature and its driving factors is limited compared to other water quality parameters. In addition to natural factors, research suggests that watershed urbanization may impact a stream's thermal regime. This research quantified culverts and impervious area's stream temperature impacts across coastal NH streams using experimental data and a deterministic temperature model. Impervious areas were found to increase streams' daily average temperatures, possibly accentuate storm temperature surges, but not diurnal temperature ranges. Road crossings were found to increase the variability of diurnal temperature ranges, …

Production Of Biodiesel From Microalgae, Nkongolo Mulumba

Master's Theses and Capstones

Biodiesel production from microalgae is a promising technique, with advantages of high biomass yield with high lipid content. Challenges include effective techniques to harvest the grown microalgae, extraction of the algal oil and its transesterification to biodiesel. A microalgae strain was selected from 8 different species screened for growth rate and lipid content. A Tubular Photobioreactor was designed and constructed to study microalgae growth. Productivity of 1 g of dry algal biomass per liter of medium within 12 days was achieved, with lipid content up to 20 %. The observed 10 fold increase in biomass is higher than those reported …

Modeling Permafrost Stability In Peatlands With Climate Change And Disturbance, Claire Treat

Master's Theses and Capstones

Boreal and arctic regions are predicted to warm faster and more severely than temperate latitudes. They contain large stocks of below- ground soil carbon in peatlands and frozen soil, and the flux of the soil C to the atmosphere may be a strong feedback to climate change.

Increases in air temperature due to climate change will increase surface soil temperatures, soil temperatures at depth, active layer depths, and growing season length, but not degrade permafrost by 2100 at this site. Both wildfire and climate change increase active layer depths by 25 cm, but effects of wildfire diminish following vegetation recovery.

Nifh Diversity Associated With Montastraea Cavernosa Identified Using An Optimized Primer Protocol, Nathan D. Olson

Master's Theses and Capstones

The diversity of nitrogen fixing bacteria in any system must be identified to in order to fully understand their ecological role. PCR is commonly used to investigate bacterial diversity. To capture the full diversity PCR primers must bind to and amplify all targeted DNA sequences. For this study I analyzed published universal nifH primers' ability to capture the full diversity of nitrogen fixing bacteria. Based on this work I developed a new protocol for capturing the full diversity of nifH sequences. Using this optimized protocol I investigated community differences in nitrogen fixing bacteria between orange and brown color morphs of …

Langmuir Circulation In The Presence Of Lateral Density Gradients, Ke Li

Master's Theses and Capstones

Comparably little is known about the impact of lateral density gradients associated with, e.g., submesoscale fronts on Langmuir circulation in the ocean surface mixed layer. In this investigation, two-dimensional pseudospectral numerical simulations of the laterally stratified Craik--Leibovich (CL) equations are performed to elucidate the effect of an imposed horizontal density gradient on Langmuir cells. The dominant instability mode is found to consist of counter-rotating cells with up- and downwelling jets inclined to the vertical. Linear stability analysis confirms that, although no instability occurs in the absence of the CL vortex torque, the dominant instability mode exhibits growth rates exceeding those …

Evaluating Sampling-Induced Stress In Atlantic Cod (Gadus Morhua), Travis S. Ford

Master's Theses and Capstones

Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, have historically been regarded as one of the most commercially and recreationally important fishes in the Gulf of Maine. All fish involved in fishing and aquaculture are subject to stress, indicated by elevated plasma cortisol concentrations. Given the amount of research conducted on Atlantic cod, stress, and cortisol, little has been done to compare different blood sampling methods and the effects they might have on plasma cortisol concentrations, particularly in adult fish. This study examined three different methods of repeated blood sampling (standard handling caudal vessel puncture, reduced handling caudal vessel puncture, and cannulation) in Atlantic …

Phenotypic Characterization Of Palmitoyltransferase Mutants Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Ulkucan Kaplan

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study seeks to understand the effects of loss of palmitoylation catalyzed by PAT14 on the phenotype of Arabidopsis thaliana. In this project, I focused on two T-DNA insertion mutants of the PAT14 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana: pat14-1 and pat14-2. PAT14 is one of 23 PAT genes encoding palmitoyltransferase (PAT) proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. PAT proteins are responsible for palmitoylation, one of several cellular mechanisms to modify proteins by lipidation. The purpose of this research was to describe the effect of T-DNA insertion mutations in the PAT14 gene on the phenotype of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Characterization of palmitoyltransferase mutants of …

Microbial Interactions With Oysters From The Great Bay Estuary: Characterization Of Endemic Vibrio Choleraeand Oyster Metagenetics, Brian Michael Schuster

Master's Theses and Capstones

Within the last two decades the number of gastroenteritis seafood-borne outbreaks due to Vibrio species has increased. These infections are usually caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish. I took two approaches to describe the ecology of Vibrios in the Great Bay Estuary, Durham, New Hampshire. First, I performed a phenotypic and multi-locus sequence analysis of 31 V. cholerae strains isolated from oysters, water and sediment in 2008 and 2009. I concluded that the V. cholerae population is endemic, diverse and highly recombinatory, but none of the isolates contain the virulence markers indicative of clinical strains. Next, I …

The Impact Of Sensory Stimuli On The Stress Response Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Noelle Schreiber

Master's Theses and Capstones

This is a multiple subject research study looking at children with ASD (N=8) and a control group (N=6). We looked at cortisol samples along with behavioral observations on a sensory probe and short sensory profile scores to determine differences among the groups. All children showed a change in cortisol over the course of the day however, there was no difference seen in patterns by group. There was a high likelihood based on statistical analysis that children with ASD respond negatively to at least five out of the eight sensory probe items. Short sensory profile scores also showed that there was …