Digital Commons Network^™

The 5 Rs Of Environmentally Conscious Research, Nicholas Gosling

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Effects Of School Curriculum On Adolescents With Eating Disorders, Gary Von George

M.S. in Health Care Management

This project explores the relationship between school curriculum and the development of eating disorders among adolescents. It examines the perspectives of eating disorders advocates to shed light on how educational institutions can contribute positively to promoting a healthy body image and preventing the onset of eating disorders through early intervention. By analyzing the available literature and incorporating insights from advocates, this project will compare a New Hampshire school system curriculum and provide recommendations to the school system for implementing education strategies that foster body positivity and mental well-being among their students.

A video recording of this presentation is available here.

Convergence: Eos News And Updates, April 2023, Unh Institute For The Study Of Earth, Oceans And Space

Convergence: EOS News and Updates

No abstract provided.

Using Spatial Transcriptomics To Investigate Gene Expression In Cactus Mice, Sarah Nicholls

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

At first glance, the cactus mouse seems like any other small mammal—whiskered, furry, adorable—but it’s hiding a shocking superpower: It can live its entire life without drinking water. How can this flagrant breach of life’s basic rules be possible? Through the Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP), I joined Dr. MacManes’ genomics lab in 2022 to help investigate this mystery. My research focuses on transcriptomics, a process examining levels of gene expression, meaning the conversion of genetic information into a physiological function. We measure gene expression by determining the amounts and molecular sequences of mRNA transcripts, an intermediate molecule between …

Searching For Control Of The Bacillus Subtilis Spore Surface, Charlotte Thomas

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

Proteins are involved in an endless number of biological processes. However, their utility in engineering and medical purposes is limited by their fragility outside of their native environment. One method that scientists have developed to remedy this is by genetically engineering the bacterial spores of Bacillus subtilis to present the proteins of interest on their surface. In summer 2022, with funding from the Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) at UNH, I performed research that aimed to improve this technique. Our goal was to further develop a system to control the amount of protein expressed on the surface of the …

The Battle Against "Ecology Nuts": An Examination Of Olympic Oil Refinery Proponents, Samantha Dinatale

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

In the early 1970s, the United States was facing an oil embargo that sparked concern in citizens across the nation. In 1973, as the winter months were approaching, gasoline prices continued to skyrocket and rationing heating oil was highly encouraged. Americans struggled to adjust to such abrupt changes after having essentially unrestricted access to petroleum supplies. During this crisis, Aristotle Onassis swooped in and proposed to construct a massive oil refinery on the seacoast of New Hampshire. This plant, his team promised, would bring an abundance of fuel, jobs, and tax revenue to the area. However, a vast number of …

Cardiorespiratory And Metabolic Responses To Low-Intensity Blood Flow Restricted Running, Violet Sullivan

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

Competitive long-distance running can result in overuse injuries which may hinder participation and success. Reducing running frequency and intensity can lead to detraining, meaning losing fitness. Blood flow restricted exercise is a rehabilitative training method wherein a pressurized cuff is applied to the upper portion of the upper or lower extremities, reducing blood flow. Blood flow restriction can be applied to low-intensity aerobic exercise such as running or walking and may elicit higher cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses than training without blood flow restriction, though still lower than that of high-intensity training. For this reason, runners could benefit from low-intensity blood …

Understanding The Behavioral And Neurobiological Mechanisms Of Relapse In Alcohol Use Disorder, Hannah Manning

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

Excessive alcohol consumption causes 95,000 fatalities in the United States every year, making it a leading cause of death. Approximately 14.5 million people, ages 12 and up, suffer from alcohol use disorder (AUD), otherwise known as alcoholism or alcohol addiction. Alcohol use disorder is a chronic, relapsing brain condition that causes impaired cognitive functioning towards alcohol. While there are treatments available, the propensity for alcoholics to relapse during recovery remains a major challenge to successful treatment. Understanding the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying relapse into alcohol abuse is a current research interest for those who are trying to improve treatment …

Climate Resiliency Strategies For New Hampshire Ski Areas, August Murray

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

Skiing in New Hampshire is becoming increasingly endangered by the effects of climate change. Reduced snowfall, increased rainfall, shorter winters, and higher average temperatures through the ski season are all issues that the state and its ski industry must overcome. Through a literature review and triple bottom line analysis, I researched new and existing climate adaptation measures for ski areas to identify potential solutions in hopes of saving the ski industry in New Hampshire. Existing strategies were adapted and improved to better apply to ski areas found within the state while considering factors such as resort size, elevation, existing infrastructure, …

Spring 2023 Inquiry Journal: Abstracts, Brigid C. Casellini

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Dissolved Oxygen On The Degradation And Transformation Of Netfose Within A Secondary Wastewater Treatment Bioreactor System, Alexis Eaton

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

With funding from a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), I studied how dissolved oxygen levels influence the degradation and transformation of N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamido ethanol (NEtFOSE) during wastewater treatment. NEtFOSE is a toxic compound used to make protective paper coatings. It has a tendency to degrade and transform into even more harmful perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances such as perfluorooctanesulfonate, also referred to as PFOS, under certain environmental conditions. The goal was to build a semi-permeable membrane bioreactor that could be placed in the secondary treatment basin of Exeter, New Hampshire’s wastewater treatment plant and used to safely evaluate this toxic compound’s …

Developing Emotional Intelligence Characteristics In Leaders To Increase Leadership Effectiveness, Katelyn Komisarek

M.S. in Leadership

The purpose of this research is to provide an insight as to how emotional intelligence is a far superior leadership characteristic over cognitive intelligence. The intent of this research delves into how teaching and continuing to develop emotional intelligence in leaders cultivates leadership effectiveness. Leadership effectiveness is crucial for subordinate satisfaction, employee retention, and team productivity. This research takes into consideration years of prior studies and research conducted regarding ways emotionally intelligent leaders directly correlate to leadership effectiveness and functional team behaviors. In conclusion, emotional intelligence is a soft skill that can be taught to leaders and subordinates alike to …

Sarah Walker: Professor Of Molecular, Cellular, And Biomedical Sciences, Valerie Moyer

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

Sarah Walker is an assistant professor of molecular, cellular, and biomedical sciences at the University of New Hampshire. Below is a correspondence with Dr. Walker about her own research and her mentoring experiences with undergraduate students.

Blind As A Bat: Acoustic Differences Within A Bat Swarm Soundscape Based On Location, Keegan Eveland

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

In the fall of 2022, I participated in an independent research project under the mentorship of Dr.Kloepper in the Ecological Acoustics and Behavior lab. I decided to delve into a project that shed light on an underrepresented animal, bats. Bats are proficient at producing echolocation pulses that they utilize to their advantage to hunt and navigate cluttered areas. I investigated how Tadarida brasiliensis (the Brazilian free-tailed bat), that lives in colonies of thousands, may shift their echolocation so they can distinguish their own calls from the cacophony of sound when flying all together. A trained Harris’s hawk carried a microphone/camera …

Breaking The Cycle: Using Autoethnography To Reframe The Narrative Of Parental Divorce And Romantic Relationships—Reversing The Curse, Taylor Harper

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

Humans are innate storytellers, and the way we interpret and tell stories about our experiences provides the framework for perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. For me, experiencing my parent’s high-conflict divorce throughout my adolescence and young adulthood constructed a negative perception of marriage and romantic relationships, one that I wanted to abandon as I began to build a relationship with my own romantic partner as an adult. In spring 2022, I was presented with an opportunity in a communication arts capstone course to explore my experience through autoethnography, a methodical approach to research and writing through personal …

Engineering Analysis Of Siege Engines In The First Crusade, Ian Lindberg

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

The First Crusade was a critically important period in European and Middle Eastern history, and in nearly a millennium since its conclusion, many have sought to understand the military campaign that formed the heart of the Crusade. Crucial to understanding this campaign that saw the Crusaders defeat the Muslim forces in the Levant is understanding the sieges which made up the majority of decisive engagements. Previous analyses on these sieges have been missing an important component: an accurate understanding of the siege engines that the Crusaders successfully used to turn the sieges in their favor. During the summer of 2022, …

Spring 2023 Inquiry Journal: Editorial Staff And Table Of Contents, Brigid C. Casellini

Inquiry Journal Spring 2023

No abstract provided.

New Census Data Reflect The Continuing Impact Of Covid On U.S. Demographic Trends, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this brief, Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that, according to recent Census Bureau estimates, the U.S. population has grown at the slowest rate in history in the past two years due to the impact of Covid. Deaths exceeded births in 75 percent of all U.S. counties, far more than at any point in the past. Most of the modest population gain was due to migration, and its extent varied along the rural-urban continuum. Looking ahead, the size and distribution of future population gains remain uncertain. As the impact of the pandemic wanes, the excess of births over deaths is …

Nh Research Finds Affordability And Lack Of Openings Obstacles To Child Care, Erika Mantz

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Supportive Program Strengths And Gaps For New Hampshire Families: "Just Enough Money To Barely Pay For Most Things", Sarah Boege, Jess Carson

Carsey Publications

In this brief, authors Sarah Boege and Jess Carson describe child and family program use and gaps among respondents to the 2022 New Hampshire Preschool Development Grant Family Needs Assessment Survey. Parents with children under age nine were asked about programs to help meet family food needs and to support child development and education. The authors find that nearly half of parent respondents used at least one of the programs in question, with the National School Lunch Program having the widest reach. Responding parents were generally familiar with food assistance programs, but less familiar with child development and education programs. …

Trait-Based Assembly Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities Determines Soil Carbon Formation And Retention, Caitlyn C. A. Horsch, Pedro M. Antunes, Catherine Fahey, A. Stuart Grandy, Cynthia M. Kallenbach

Faculty Publications

Fungi are crucial for soil organic carbon (SOC) formation, especially for the more persistent mineral-associated organic C (MAOC) pool. Yet, evidence for this often overlooks arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities and how their composition and traits impact SOC accumulation.

We grew sudangrass with AMF communities representing different traits conserved at the family level: competitors, from the Gigasporaceae family; ruderals, from the Glomeraceae family; or both families combined. We labeled sudangrass with 13C-CO2 to assess AMF contributions to SOC, impacts on SOC priming, and fungal biomass persistence in MAOC.

Single-family AMF communities decreased total SOC by 13.8%, likely due to fungal …

Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach Update, March 22, 2023, Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach

Office of Research, Economic Engagement and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Sediment May Be Solution To Preventing Tidal Marsh Loss, Nicholas Gosling

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Data Literacy In The Social Sciences: Findings From A Local Study On Teaching With Quantitative Data In Undergraduate Courses, Patricia B. Condon, Eleta Exline, Louise Buckley

Faculty Publications

Objective – The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Library conducted an exploratory study of the pedagogical practices of social science instructors at UNH who teach using quantitative data in undergraduate courses. This study is connected to a suite of parallel studies at other higher education institutions that was designed and coordinated by Ithaka S+R.

The four aims of this study were to explore the ways in which instructors teach and engage undergraduates in the social sciences using quantitative data; understand the support needs of these instructors; develop actionable recommendations for campus stakeholders; and identify opportunities for the development of resources, …

Automated Machine Learning-Based Extraction Of Shallow Water Bathymetry From Lidar Point Clouds: Developing An Operational Workflow Via Accuracy Analysis, Kim Lowell, Brian Miles

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Increasing Efficiency Of Nautical Chart Production And Accessibility To Marine Environment Data Through An Open-Science Compilation Workflow, Christos Kastrisios, Noel Dyer, Tamer Nada, Stilianos Contarinis, Jose Cordero

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) data are essential for safe maritime navigation and have multiple other uses in a wide range of enterprises. Charts are relied upon to be as accurate and as up-to-date as possible by the vessels moving vast amounts of products to global ports each year. However, cartographic generalization processes for updating and creating ENCs are complex and time-consuming. Increasing the efficiency of the chart production workflow has been long sought by the nautical charting community. Toward this effort, approaches must consider intended scale, data quality, various chart features, and perform consistently in different scenarios. Additionally, supporting open-science …

It Runs In The Family: Pincince Household Sends Seven Siblings To Unh, Keith Testa

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Spring 2023 B Impact Clinic Cohort Announced, Sustainability Institute

Sustainability Institute Blog

No abstract provided.

Spring 2023 B Impact Clinic Cohort Announced, Sustainability Institute

Sustainability Institute Blog

No abstract provided.

Convergence: Eos News And Updates, March 2023, Unh Institute For The Study Of Earth, Oceans And Space

Convergence: EOS News and Updates

No abstract provided.