Digital Commons Network^™

Quantifying Contributions Of Sonar Systems On Marine Soundscapes: A Statistical And Machine Learning Analysis, Reilly Jacob Lessard

Master's Theses and Capstones

A variety of elements are used to characterize marine soundscapes, including natural and anthropogenic sound. One anthropogenic activity that potentially contributes to marine soundscapes, but is not sufficiently understood, is the use of different types of ocean-mapping sonar systems. Sonar systems are used abundantly in marine environments for purposes such as ocean floor mapping and military security purposes [Ryu et al., 2023] [Marszal and Salamon, 2013]. The systems used to conduct this research are the Kongsberg TOPAS PS40 sub-bottom profiler and the RESON SeaBat T51-R multibeam echosounder, along with SoundTrap recorders, which were deployed in the Gulf of Maine. Periods …

New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary, Part 1: Science, Jamie Carter, Anna Simpson, Chris Gloninger, John Trowbridge, Kirk Bosma, Jayne F. Knott, Mary Lemcke-Stampone, Elizabeth Burakowski, Jennifer Gilbert, Kirsten Howard, Lisa Wise

UNH Cooperative Extension

The New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary – Part 1: Science provides a synthesis of the state of the science relevant to coastal flood risks in New Hampshire. Specifically, this document provides updated trends projections of sea-level rise, coastal storms, groundwater rise, precipitation, and freshwater flooding for coastal New Hampshire. This 2025 report updates the earlier 2019 report. This information is intended to serve as the scientific foundation for the updated companion resource, Part II: Guidance for Using Best Available Science, which will be published in 2026.

How Human Personality Will Change With The Use Of Artificial Intelligence, John Mayer

UNH Personality Lab

INTRODUCTION: Human personality changes in response to new habits, situations, and maturation, among other causes. As people interact with artificial intelligence (AI), their personalities are likely to change, from their emotional responses to their self-concept.

METHODOLOGY: This theoretical account draws together empirical studies of how personality changed in response to past technological innovations, changes in personal interactions observed in people’s AI usage, changes that arise from the use and disuse of cognitive skills, and works on the self-concept. Research reports in the review were selected according to their relevance and quality.

THEORETICAL STATEMENT: While AI becomes increasingly human-like, humans increasingly …

American Institute Of Chemical Engineers Honor Two Unh Researchers, Brooks Payette

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

User Interface And Watchstation Improvements Required For Multi-Vehicle Usv Operations, Val Schmidt, Joshua Bergeron

Faculty Publications

In October 2024, the University of New Hampshire and NOAA’s Uncrewed Systems Office embarked on a mapping mission in the Gulf of Maine, simultaneously operating two DriX Un-crewed Surface Vehicles. Goals of the project were focused on testing hypotheses related to concepts of operation, including the safety of operations, cognitive loading of operators, management of vehicle endurance, vehicle logistics, maintenance and field support, refueling and a host of others.

Nitrogen Oxides In The Remote Marine Environment: Implications For Oceanic Emissions And Photolysis Of Particulate Nitrate, Foroozan Arkian, Chelsea Thompson, Jeff Peischl, Ilann Bourgeois, Jack E. Dibb, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jianghanyang Li, Steven Morey, Brian C. Mcdonald, Steven Wofsy, Siyuan Wang

Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) in the remote marine atmosphere is underestimated by chemistry-climate models. We explore the potential oceanic emissions of NO and its impacts using a global chemistry-climate model with a newly developed oceanic NO emission inventory, considering the abiotic photochemical production of NO in the seawater. The results are evaluated using global observations from the NASA Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom). We propose that the photochemical production of NO from the photolysis of dissolved inorganic nitrite and nitrate in the surface seawater could lead to an oceanic NOx source of ∼3 Tg N per year, which could explain the missing …

University Of New Hampshire 2025-2026 Faculty Senate Xxx - November 10, 2025 Minutes Summary, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas & Minutes

No abstract provided.

Correctional System Involvement And Health Outcomes, Sarah Mason Eck ,Ph.D

All Materials

The Institute for Health Policy and Practice (IHPP) at the University System of New Hampshire commissioned Scientific Health to conduct an evidence-based review of the relationship between criminal justice system involvement and health outcomes. This research synthesized findings from recently published, peer-reviewed academic literature and relevant reports to examine how correctional system involvement affects physical health, mental health, and overall well-being among incarcerated individuals, their families, and communities. The review identified common themes related to behavioral health, chronic conditions, and systemic impacts, providing insight into the broader health implications of mass incarceration and deinstitutionalization. These findings aim to inform policy …

Fall 2025 Environmental Sciences Seminar Series, Eric Roy, Eric Roy

NRESS Seminars

Transitioning to a more circular economy where materials are recycled to reduce pollution and create further value is central to human prosperity and environmental responsibility. However, this transition presents several challenges that require innovative solutions. In this seminar, Dr. Roy will first provide an overview of work underway in the new Casella Center for Circular Economy & Sustainability at the University of Vermont. Then he will focus on nutrient recycling, a key objective for more circular economies, in more detail. Nutrient recycling can potentially: (i) reduce nutrient losses to the environment and the associated adverse effects, (ii) reduce overall use …

Unhsc Performance Curve Calculator, Daniel Macadam

UNH Stormwater Center

No abstract provided.

Write Free Or Die: Vol. 12, No. 01, Unh Writing Programs

Writing Program Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Fall 2025 Environmental Sciences Seminar Series, Robyn Barbato, Robyn Barbato

NRESS Seminars

Dr. Robyn Barbato is from the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory where she studies the permafrost microbiome. She and her research group have thawed and mixed terrestrial ice and permafrost to study the resulting microbiome. They have also cultivated and characterized isolates from permafrost to be􀆩er understand their behaviors and biomaterials.

University Of New Hampshire 2025-2026 Faculty Senate Xxx - September 15, 2025 Minutes Summary, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas & Minutes

No abstract provided.

Synthetic And Analytical Methods For Metal Targeting Peptides For The Sensing And Removal Of Metals Across Various Matrices, Emily Andrews

Doctoral Dissertations

Metal chelators developed from peptides boast favorable attributes such as low toxicity, ease of synthesis, and high tunabilty to the target metal ion. It is for these reasons that peptides are used for metal sensing and sequestration in the body and environment. Herein, two unique sets of metal targeting peptides are discussed: (1) bifunctional Szeto-Schiller and Kelley peptide probes to signal the presence of and remove labile iron (Fe2+ and Fe3+) in the mitochondria, to mitigate the progression of Ferroptosis and (2) Pb2+ targeting peptides designed to exist in aqueous environments for the removal of toxic lead ions from waterways. …

Multiscale Modeling And Analysis Of Biomedically Relevant Uhmwpe-Based Composite Materials, Stanislav Buklovskyi

Doctoral Dissertations

The development of ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMWPE) based composite materials continues to present significant opportunities in biomedical engineering, particularly in joint arthroplasty and implant technologies. As applications expand, the need for accurate modeling of microstructure–property relationships to guide informed material design and manufacturing decisions is increasing. This dissertation presents a multiscale numerical modeling framework informed by X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) data to corelate the effective mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of biomedically relevant composite systems with their microstructure.

Two material systems are considered: UHMWPE reinforced with conductive carbon black (CB) nanoparticles, and porous UHMWPE with two processes of pores generation. For CB/UHMWPE …

From Structure To Specificity: Biophysical Characterization Of Functional Interfaces In Protein Systems, Logan M. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

Proteins are nature’s dynamic molecular machines, operating across a spectrum from highly ordered scaffolds to intrinsically disordered systems, and executing functions that depend on both precise structures and conformational flexibility. Yet, the mechanistic rules linking sequence, structure, and activity particularly in disordered proteins and specialized functional adaptations remain incompletely understood. This dissertation addresses that gap by integrating structural biology, biophysics, and protein engineering to dissect molecular recognition, stability, and function across three diverse yet thematically connected protein systems. Building on this understanding of protein structure and function, the following four projects apply these concepts to address diverse biological questions, ranging …

Interpolated Factored Green's Function (Ifgf) Method Of Acceleration For Electromagnetic Scattering Off Of A Perfectly Electrically Conducting Surface, Mathew D'Amico

Doctoral Dissertations

Boundary integral equation (BIE) methods are advantageous in scattering problems due to their reduction of the problem's dimensionality as well as their automatic satisfaction of far-field radiation conditions. Specifically, for electromagnetic scattering off of perfectly electrically conducting (PEC) geometries, we are concerned with the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE). Typically, BIE implementation is iterative, with each direct integration requiring $\mathcal{O}(N^2)$ operations for a grid size $N$. For large $N$, this incurs very large computation times. To date, all existing methods that reduce the asymptotic operational complexity of evaluating the MFIE integral to $\mathcal{O}(N\log N)$ rely on use of the Fast …

Investigations Into Prior Knowledge And Self-Efficacy As Predictors Of Exam Performance In General Chemistry, And Student Interactions With Chemistry Textbooks, Gordon Hunter

Doctoral Dissertations

The first chapter addresses the validity and reliability of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) as a tool for chemistry education research. The study shows that the original MSLQ did not meet modern standards of reliability and presents a modified version that better captures self-efficacy in chemistry-specific contexts. The revised instrument shows improved model fit, reinforcing the importance of refining assessment tools for chemistry education research.The effects of prior knowledge and self-efficacy on student performance in a first-semester general chemistry course are investigated in the second chapter. Self-efficacy, defined as a learner's belief in their capability to successfully accomplish …

Planning Responses To Drinking Water System Emergencies, Jingyan Huang

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite extensive efforts to ensure clean and safe drinking water, drinking water contamination emergencies remain a persistent challenge in the United States. These events can result in widespread public health impacts, economic losses, and long-term environmental damage, particularly when triggered by hazardous chemical releases. Effective management of such crises requires a dual focus on both technical preparedness and human decision-making. This dissertation addresses these challenges through a two-part investigation that bridges pre-incident planning and post-incident response. It is guided by two core research objectives: (1) to evaluate commonly applied emergency countermeasures from both resilience and sustainability perspectives; and (2) to …

Psychological Factors Of Acting Talent And Success: You've Got "It", Lorelei Tierney Himlin

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of an actor is to become invisible, bringing a character to life so convincingly that the audience forgets the actor exists outside the role. Different schools of acting often describe differing methods of portraying characters to this same general effect. To followers of the Meisner school, for example, “acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances” (Meisner et al., 1987). The “truthful” part involves creating a comprehensive mental model of a character’s imagined personality in order to fully embody that personality and extrapolate it to a situation. Then the actor uses a variety of acting techniques to think and …

Multi-Level Characterization And Testing Of Fatigue, Fracture And Creep Of The Ultra-High Strength Low-Alloy Steel Fabricated Via Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Nemanja Kljestan

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive experimental investigation of the mechanical behavior of an high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The work focuses on fatigue strength, laser shock peening (LSP) effects, creep behavior, fatigue crack growth and fracture toughness. Fatigue strength was assessed using rotating bending tests, showing superior performance of LPBF specimens compared to as-cast materials due to the dual-variant martensitic microstructures. Laser shock peening enhanced fatigue life by inducing compressive residual stresses, delaying crack initiation and slowing crack propagation. Creep behavior was evaluated for different layer thicknesses, with thinner layers improving secondary creep resistance …

Analyzing Regions For The Study Of Localized Fluctuations In The Ground Magnetic Field For The Development Of A Global Risk-Assessment Forecast, Michael Kavanagh Coughlan

Doctoral Dissertations

The dynamic relationship between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field can produce rapid changes in the geomagnetic field measured on the ground ($dB_H/dt$). The fluctuations can be highly localized, with differences of up to 100s of nT/min in a small geographic area. The field of space weather is entering a more data-driven era, with enormous amounts of publicly available datasets from satellites and ground measurements. In this work modern machine learning techniques were employed to make forecasting risk-assessment predictions of large and localized $dB_H/dt$, and model explainability methods were employed to understand the non-linear connections being made. These …

Counting Kelp: Development And Assessment Of Modelling Approaches To Improve Understanding Of Kelp Bed Abundance And Resilience In The Gulf Of Maine, Constance N. Tyler

Doctoral Dissertations

Kelp habitats in the Gulf of Maine are threatened by rising ocean temperatures and marine invasions. The replacement of kelps with red turf macroalgae fundamentally alters these habitats and disrupts the ecosystem services they provide. Thorough assessment and monitoring of kelp habitats is needed for proper conservation of these habitats, but most long-term monitoring is performed using traditional survey methods that are restricted in the amount of space they can cover. Habitat modelling approaches are required to expand our knowledge of Gulf of Maine kelp habitats, and to better understand the interactions between kelp and red turf habitats across the …

Verifying Interchange Reconnection Models For Magnetic Switchbacks Using The Parker Solar Probe And Mms, Emily Owen Mcdougall

Doctoral Dissertations

Ever since their initial observation by the Ulysses probe, many models of magnetic switchbacks were put forth, but relatively little empirical evidence exists to verify these models, especially in terms of the ions that make up the accompanying plasma. I take energetic particle data from the Parker Solar Probe within switchbacks to provide experimental evidence to bolster the interchange reconnection driven models with particular interest in the interchange reconnection driven linear model. Statistical Analysis of switchbacks in the vicinity of CMEs, solar flares, and high-speed streams show properties consistent with the linear interchange reconnection model, and an analysis of switchbacks …

Bio-Acoustical Statistical Signal Processing For Detection, Classification, And Population Estimation In Wildlife Monitoring, Yue Liang

Doctoral Dissertations

Sound is a primary way for many animal species to communicate, forage, navigate, and assess their environment. As a result, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), the recording and analysis of animal vocalizations, has become a valuable, non-invasive alternative to visual surveys. However, the massive volume of acoustic data generated annually, often reaching hundreds of terabytes, presents a significant challenge for efficient analysis. Since manual inspection of every frame in such data is infeasible, it is essential to develop automated detection and classification tools.

This thesis investigates and develops several statistical signal processing and machine learning techniques to address this challenge. The …

Resolving The Role Of Wave-Induced Pressure Gradients On The Movement Of Sediments In Nearshore Environments, Melissa Marry

Doctoral Dissertations

Characterizing the hydrodynamic forces responsible for the initiation of sediment motion is fundamental for improved understanding of large-scale sediment transport processes in nearshore environments. Traditional sediment transport models assume incipient sediment motion is only driven by the force applied by bed stress (Bagnold, 1966; Shields, 1936) while more recent work has shown that incipient motion is influenced by the forcing of the horizontal pressure gradient due to surface gravity waves (Foster et al., 2006; Frank et al., 2015; Sleath, 1999). Wave-induced vertical pressure gradients can also destabilize the sediment bed through the process of momentary liquefaction (Florence et al., 2022b; …

Essays On International Trade, Aochen Xiao

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation has two chapters.In Chapter 1, I develop a model of international trade with innovation and trade surplus to examine the effects of China’s large trade surplus on productivity. I abstract from future benefits from holding a present trade surplus and focus on the present gains in productivity. I find that the average productivity increase caused by trade surplus ranges from 1.2 percentage points to 5.46 percentage points when the innovation cost changes. These results explain China’s long-term export promotion policies and align with its new policy goal of developing “new productivity forces”. I also identify a negative effect …

Technologies To Support Remote Work For Collaborative Groups, Alberta Ansah

Doctoral Dissertations

The nature of work continues to evolve, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. While a substantial number of employees have returned to traditional, in-person work environments, many continue to engage in remote or hybrid work arrangements. Online meetings are a significant aspect of remote work, and while there has been a significant increase in this area, there are still aspects of these meetings that are not fully understood. Existing research in this area has primarily focused on the development of tools to facilitate meeting execution and content management. In contrast, relatively few studies have explored the social dynamics …

Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Genomics In A Well-Mixed Estuarine System: Examining Population Structure, Viability, And Response To Stressors, Alyssa Strickland

Doctoral Dissertations

Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, are foundational estuarine species that contribute to a variety of ecosystem services including water filtration, nutrient cycling, habitat creation, and shoreline protection. However, populations have declined due to disease, overharvesting, habitat loss, and climate change, especially in northern systems such as New Hampshire’s Great Bay Estuary (GBE), located in the Gulf of Maine, one of the world’s fastest warming waters. This dissertation uses genomic and transcriptomic approaches to understand the drivers of population structure, decline, and resilience in GBE oyster populations, aiming to aid restoration and aquaculture. Chapter 1 used low-coverage whole-genome sequencing to understand population …

Addressing Economic Valuation Issues Of Outdoor Recreation: Case Studies Of Lake Michigan Invasive Carp And Plum Island Visits, Iris Tryfoni

Doctoral Dissertations

Environmental valuation is the process of assigning monetary value on environmental goods and services, which do not easily have market prices. It is, however, possible to over- or underestimate the economic valuation of outdoor recreation issues, specifically (1) recreational fishing and (2) beach recreation. Despite their different focuses, both case studies share a common objective of refining methodologies to better understand and address complex environmental issues from an economic perspective. Traditional recreation valuation techniques often lack explicit connection to ecology, which can be impacted by various factors. Addressing this gap, in the first part of my dissertation, I propose a …