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Ecological Resources Within Advaita Vedanta, Michael Scaife

Master's Theses and Capstones

The world, in which we live, stands at a precipice. Ecological disasters now threaten the very existence of human civilization. The so called "shallow' environmental initiatives that continue to dominate the political and social landscape have proved ineffective in dealing with this problem. It is crucial that all of humanity actively embrace radical change in regards to how we go about our lives. No where is this more apparent than in the Indian subcontinent. Two radical ecologies that have emerged from the West, Deep Ecology and Social Ecology, offer a vision as to the nature of that change.

This document …

A New Focus On The Social Side Of Literacy: Community, Play, And Heterogeneous Grouping In An After School, Student Publishing Program, Irene Helen Wellman

Master's Theses and Capstones

This qualitative study pinpoints the particular circumstances surrounding special teacher-created programs and projects, both in classrooms and in after-school settings, showing how such programs operate under social conditions and engage social processes not generally found in routine public school instruction. For that very reason these are able to include an emphasis on community, play, and heterogeneous grouping. The case considered here is that of an after-school student publishing program in the Northeastern United States, and follows the history and progress of the program. The program in this elementary school was created and organized to develop and extend student literacy. It …

Reproductive Ecology Variation And Molecular Phylogeography In The Garter Snakes Of Northern New England: (Thamnophis Sirtalis Sirtalis L 1758 And Thamnophis Sirtalis Pallidulus Allen 1899), William Stephen Kean

Master's Theses and Capstones

Thamnophis sirtalis, the Common garter snake, is a wide-ranging North American snake exhibiting great variation in morphology and life-history attributes across its range. This thesis studied reproductive variation and molecular phylogeography of T. s. sirtalis, the Eastern garter snake, and T. s. pallidulus, the Maritime garter snake, in populations from New England in 2005 and 2006. Pregnant female snakes were captured and held in captivity until parturition, and measurements were taken on parent and offspring for comparisons across years and locations. Tissue samples were taken from adult snakes for mtDNA sequencing and subsequent phylogenetic comparisons. No substantial trends were observed …

Hydrodynamic Modeling Of Hampton/Seabrook Harbor, New Hampshire, Kimberly D. Leung

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Hampton/Seabrook estuary is located at the southern end of the New Hampshire Seacoast area. As it is a dynamic system, tidally dominated, and continually changing, two major changes have become issues in recent years: erosion of a sandbar (threatening waterfront homes), and sediment deposition in Seabrook Harbor. Flow between the Blackwater River and the harbor carved a channel between waterfront homes on River Street and the sandbar referred to as "middle ground," and there was concern about further coastal erosion in this area. Additionally, while Seabrook Harbor has previously been dredged yearly to provide temporary relief for boat traffic, …

An Observer-Based Attitude And Nutation Control And Flexible Dynamic Analysis For The Nasa Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, Neil Mushaweh

Master's Theses and Capstones

Current research with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) involves the dynamic modeling and control of the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission, a. Solar-Terrestrial Probe mission to study Earth's magnetosphere. Four observer-based attitude and nutrition controllers are designed and evaluated to determine the most effective feedback control system as it applies to MMS. Also, a dynamic analysis of each of the four identical satellites' two Axial Double Probe (ADP) booms is performed to provide an understanding of flexible boom dynamics.

The Finite Element method is used in evaluating boom modes of vibration for confirmation of NASA GSFC theoretical analysis …

Hydrogeologic Characterization Of Fractured Rock: Site 32, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Hallie J. Marbet

Master's Theses and Capstones

Natural underground settings exhibit small and large scale spatial variations, making them difficult to characterize. This complexity is particularly difficult to overcome when delineating a heterogeneous fractured bedrock system. The following study involves the characterization of a fractured bedrock site.

Hydraulically conductive fractures provide migratory pathways within a fractured rock. Interpreting their orientation in space is important in understanding contaminant movement. The data used include borehole geophysical, lithologic and hydraulic test data.

The first method applied was a geostatistical analysis. This technique incorporates statistical characteristics of the geophysical and hydraulic data to develop fracture patterns. The second method is a …

Evidence Based Practice For Emergent Literacy Intervention For Children Who Use Aac, Kristen Grace Doran

Master's Theses and Capstones

A review of emergent literacy interventions for children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and for those who do not was completed to examine availability of evidence for professionals making decisions for intervention. Evidence was analyzed based on quality of the research, and ranked according to Schlosser and Raghavendra's (2004) hierarchy of research designs. Findings reported include that there is a minimal amount of research available for professionals to employ evidence based practice in emergent literacy intervention for children who use AAC. Future directions are suggested for researching emergent literacy interventions for children who use AAC.

Kaon Nucleon Scattering In Lattice Qcd, Anthony Charles Marcolongo

Master's Theses and Capstones

In this paper I discuss why one would want to study meson baryon interactions within the framework of lattice QCD, and what I have contributed to this area of research. I begin with a little background on QCD, and Chiral theories. I analyze Kaon Nucleon scattering, and calculate the Kaon Nucleon scattering length from data obtained using a lattice QCD simulation. Therefore, I show that it is possible to use Lattice QCD simulation to extract observables. This is important in areas where experiments are challenging or impossible with current technologies.

A Software Based Apco Project 25 Data Transmission Base Station For Local Police Headquarters, Eric Rene Ramsey

Master's Theses and Capstones

Project54 is a research and development effort to integrate embedded and wireless technologies into both NH State Police and local police cruisers. One of the features of the Project54 system, is the ability to query motor vehicle data. This is done through a Motorola APCO Project 25 digital voice/data radio in the cruiser and a digital voice/data base station at headquarters. An APCO Project 25 base station is a central hub for the transmission and reception of digital voice/data packets. The local police departments have the requisite radio infrastructure, but do not have the budget to purchase and support a …

Development Of A Numerical Model To Predict Impact Forces On A North Atlantic Right Whale During Collision With A Vessel, Jason J. Raymond

Master's Theses and Capstones

The North Atlantic right whale is under a great deal of public and private concern due to their endangered status and shrinking numbers. Of the 40 animals examined post-mortem (1970-2006), 21 deaths (52.5%) were caused by vessel-whale collision injuries, such as skull fractures. Several methods have been proposed to help reduce the number of fatalities. One such method is to place restrictions on ship speed within right whale critical habitats. However, no quantitative data exist regarding the effect of reduced vessel speed on the likelihood of fatality. The objective of this study is to develop a numerical model of the …

Seafloor Characterization Of The Historic Area Remediation Site Using Angular Range Analysis, Luis A. Soares Rosa

Master's Theses and Capstones

Angular Range Analysis (ARA) is a physics-based approach to acoustic remote seafloor characterization. In order to better understand the capabilities and limitations of this technique, ARA analyses were performed on multibeam sonar data collected at the Historical Area Remediation Site, an area with high spatial variability. The remotely derived results were compared to grain size information derived from grab samples and Sediment Profile Imaging. Uncertainties in the determination of mean grain size from ground truth were identified and when possible quantified. ARA proved to be an effective remote sensing tool at a regional scale in its main operational mode that …

Consequences Of Fine-Scale Heterogeneity On Predictions Of The Carbon Cycle Using Lidar Data And A Height-Structured Ecosystem Model, R Quinn Thomas

Master's Theses and Capstones

To more accurately predict carbon stocks and fluxes in forests, it is important to measure fine-scale heterogeneity in ecosystem structure across the landscape, and incorporate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the observed heterogeneity in ecosystem models. This study used large-footprint lidar and a height-structured ecosystem model to estimate carbon stocks and fluxes at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF). At HBEF elevation gradients yield a decline in aboveground carbon stock, due to changes in net growth rates and disturbance at higher elevations. Lidar and a height structured ecosystem model can accurately quantified aboveground carbon stocks. Estimates of aboveground carbon fluxes depended …

Measurements Of Gas-Phase And Particle-Phase Water-Soluble Organic Carbon, Casey H. Anderson

Master's Theses and Capstones

The sources, sinks, and overall importance of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in the atmosphere are not well understood. To better address this lack of knowledge, measurements of WSOC in both the gas (WSOC G) and particulate WSOCP phases were made using a newly developed technique during five research campaigns. Part 1 of this thesis investigates atmospheric and firn-air WSOC related to the post-depositional processing of organic compounds within Arctic snow during a research campaign at Summit, Greenland. Part 2 of this thesis highlights the discovery that at all locations where data were collected, WSOCG concentrations are significantly larger than those …

Prototype Mixed-Signal Hardware For Public Safety Radio Interoperability, Timothy Edwood Bond

Master's Theses and Capstones

In performing their required duties public safety personnel from differing departments often need to communicate with one another using their in-car radios. However, in many cases, especially involving small departments, this interoperability doesn't exist.

A prototype circuit design has been developed and tested within the laboratory using two common radio systems: EFJohnson and Motorola. The preliminary results have shown successful operation as a system gateway between the two radio systems with good performance regarding audio signal latency and minimizing the push-to-talk signal generation delay.

Influence Of Watershed Suburbanization On Leaf Litter Decomposition And Microbial Activity In Four Streams In Southeastern New Hampshire, Anna Bourakovsky

Master's Theses and Capstones

Rapid suburbanization has caused major land use transformation in New Hampshire, and contributed significantly to nitrogen (N) enrichment in aquatic ecosystems. However, we do not understand how increased nitrogen concentration in lotic environments affects key ecosystem-level processes such as decomposition. In this study, I measured the rate of in-stream leaf litter decomposition in four basins along a suburbanization gradient located in the Lamprey and Oyster River watersheds in southeastern New Hampshire. Basins varied in population density from 24 to 289 people km-2, and in-stream nitrate concentrations from 0.02 to 1.0 mg L-1 as N. A fine-mesh litter bag technique was …

Statistical And Cartographic Modeling Of Vernal Pool Locations: Incorporating The Spatial Component Into Ecological Modeling, Tina A. Cormier

Master's Theses and Capstones

Vernal pools are small, isolated, depressions that experience cyclical periods of inundation and drying. Many species have evolved strategies to utilize the unique characteristics of vernal pools; however, their small size, seasonal nature, and isolation from other, larger water bodies, suggest increased risk of damage/loss by development. The goals of this research were to statistically determine physical predictors of vernal pool presence and, subsequently, to represent the output cartographically for use as a conservation tool. Logistic regression and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) routines were used to define important variables (slope, aspect, land use, soils, and reflectance) of 405 known …

Project54 Handheld System Development And Pilot Deployment, Christopher Gaudreau

Master's Theses and Capstones

Police officers have been using the Project54 system in their vehicles for years. However once they step out of the vehicle they lose access to in-car services. Our goal was to develop and test a new Project54 Handheld (P54H) software system which would grant access to in-car services outside the vehicle and to evaluate the potential usefulness of those services. For this purpose applications were developed to interface with the in-car Project54 System on a handheld device. We then comprehensively tested the P54H system and confirmed that it operates correctly. We first performed functionality tests on a laboratory mock-vehicle setup. …

The Effect Of Cyanobacteria And Their Chemical Cues On The Surface Area Of The Third Thoracic Limb Of Daphnia, Warren Travis Godkin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Changes in the filter appendage surface area (FSA) of Daphnia in response to cyanobacteria were examined in an effort to learn more about the relationship between Daphnia and extracellular cues exuded by cyanobacteria. The filtering appendage areas of two strains of D. pulex were measured after feeding on high and low concentrations of a mixture of Nanochloropsis spp. and toxic Microcystis aeruginosa for one generation. Daphnia were also raised in a filtrate of this same M. aeruginosa and given high and low concentrations of food to determine the cause of increased FSA in the presence of cyanobacteria: low amounts of …

Atmospheric Ozone Detection Using A Tin Oxide Solid State Sensor, Diana Lewis

Master's Theses and Capstones

Solid-state gas sensors consist of a solid material, usually a metal oxide semiconductor, whose conductivity changes when gases adsorb onto its surface. The goal of this project is to create an ozone detection system using these sensors for use in autonomous environmental monitoring stations (such as weather balloons). To meet EPA specifications (less than 5% error), the sensor will have to have 1ppb resolution and be able to detect ozone in the range of 0-100ppb.

A sensor was purchased from MicroChemical Sensors (MiCS) for adaptation to this application but the stated range of application (10-1000ppb) was 10 times the desired …

Investigation Of Cyanidin And Pelargonidin Contents In The Genus Fragaria L, Lise Bouchard Mahoney

Master's Theses and Capstones

Cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa ) fruit contain primarily pelargonidin and little cyanidin. The antioxidant potential of cyanidin is reportedly twice that of pelargonidin. A High Performance Liquid Chromatography method was developed to assay fruit anthocyanidin content in 87 Fragaria accessions, including wild diploids and octoploids, cultivars, and two segregating populations. A cyanidin to pelargonidin ratio (CPRatio) greater than one was found only in diploids Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (confirming a previous report), F. viridis, and F. iinumae, and in three wild octoploid accessions: all F. chiloensis. The highest cyanidin contents were found in diploid F. viridis and in F. …

Patterns Of Aboveground Biomass Accumulation In A Northern Hardwood Forest, John Ballard Richardson

Master's Theses and Capstones

In order to better understand the role that forest ecosystems play in the global carbon budget, it is necessary to understand the dynamics of biomass accumulation and change arising from anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Presented here are the results of study across a broad spatial (1050ha) and temporal (>70 years) scale for the Bartlett Experimental Forest, a northern temperate hardwood forest, located in the white Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, USA.

Permanent plot forest inventory data converted to biomass were analyzed using a mixed linear model to determine the influence of local environmental variables on aboveground biomass accumulation through …

Hegel And The Becoming Of Essence, David G. Carlson

Articles

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Different Phenotypic Methods Of Detection Of Methicillin Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus With The Molecular Detection Of Mec-A Gene, M Zeeshan, K Jabeen, E Khan, S Irfan, S Ibrahim, Z Parween, Afia Zafar

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate accuracy, cost-effectiveness and ease to perform different phenotypic methods i.e. Cefoxitin 30 microg disc, Oxacillin 1microg disc and Oxacillin agar screening plate (6microg/ml ) for early and accurate identification of MRSA by comparing with the detection of mec-A gene in our clinical isolates.
DESIGN: A comparative study.
PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Clinical samples submitted in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from 1st August to 31st October 2006.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Out of 200 clinical samples, conventional Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done on 62 pure biochemically identified S. aureus …

Diagnostic Importance Of Bone Marrow Examination In Non-Hematological Disorders, Naveen Naz Syed, Bushra Moiz, Salman Adil, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of involvement of bone marrow with non-haematologic disorders and to observe the significance of bone marrow examination in establishing primary diagnosis of the same.
Methods: It was a descriptive study that extended from January 2003 to September 2005. A total of 4569 bone marrow aspirate and trephines were reported during this period. Only the non-haematological disorders were analyzed for their clinical and laboratory parameter.
Results: During the study period, 63 patients (1.4%) were diagnosed to have non-haematological diseases detected primarily through bone marrow examination. The mean age of patients at time of …

Federally Mandated Informed Consent: Has Government Gone Too Far, Linda P. Mckenzie

Journal of Law and Health

Laws mandating disclosure of particular information are known as informed consent laws. They exist primarily in the area of reproductive health and most often apply to women seeking abortion. This article discusses the legal and ethical issues that arise when lawmakers decide what patients must be told before they can access certain medical procedures. Part II examines some of the ethical implications of informed consent laws. Physicians have a duty to obtain a patient's informed consent before acting. Part III discusses legal concerns raised by informed consent laws. These include the First Amendment free speech rights of physicians and patients' …

Restricting Access To Unapproved Drugs: A Compelling Government Interest , Peter M. Currie

Journal of Law and Health

The prospective review and approval of drugs is central to the public health mission of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to generate information about their products' safety and efficacy enables the agency to evaluate the risks and benefits associated with their use, thereby preventing overly harmful products from reaching the market. The majority of consumers benefit from this intervention by gaining access to an array of drugs that are proven to be safe and effective. Thus, governmental regulation in this area is arguably justified because the aggregate social welfare is substantially improved. However, this …

Stunning Trends In Shocking Crimes: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Taser Weapons, Shaun H. Kedir

Journal of Law and Health

In 2001, Westminster, Colorado police officers were dispatched to the home of a suicidal thirteen year-old girl who had barricaded herself in a bathroom. The young girl was mutilating her wrist with two butcher knives. When police officers forced their way into the bathroom, the emotionally disturbed girl charged at them with the two butcher knives while screaming, "Kill me! Kill me!." One of the officers deployed a Taser M26, a hand held conductive energy weapon, which fires two barbed darts up to a distance of thirty-five feet that then deliver an electric shock of 50,000 volts. The officer's Taser …

Profit Sharing Dan Moral Hazard Dalam Penyaluran Dana Pihak Ketiga Bank Umum Syariah Di Indonesia, Mustafa Edwin Nasution, Ranti Wiliasih

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

There are two purposes that want to be assessed in this paper. The first purpose is to indicate whether the moral hazard problems are occurred in the Indonesian Sharia Bank (The moral hazard in this paper is the Indirect Moral Hazard which is the negligence of bank in the financing process influencing the moral hazard problems of the debtor in the other side. The second purpose is to assess whether the financing policies in the Sharia Banking are influenced by profit sharing system. The data for assessing this paper are acquired from the monthly financial reports published by Sharia Banks …

Financial Reforms And Common Stochastic Trends In International Stock Prices: A Case Study Of Pakistan, Mohammed Nishat, Ch. Muhammad Irfan

Business Review

This study uses the co-integration and error-correction techniques to examine the linkages between Pakistan and other capital markets of developed economies (US, UK, Japan, Australia and Canada); regional markets in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka), East Asia (Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines) and EU (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Czech) countries. The results indicate a long-run relationship between Pakistani stock market and most of the international markets during the sample period (1997 to 2004). However, the longrun linkages were comparatively stronger with developed and EU markets. The direction of linkages in most cases, are from other regional …

Book Review Of: Jim Collins - Good To Great, Harper Business, Mohammad Ahsan Siddique

Business Review

Good is the Enemy of great. This statement is the theme of this book and needs elaboration. Jim Collins is of the view that all too often we get the job done, without striving for quality. We do not dot the “I”s nor cross the tees, with the premise that even without it the job is good enough. And it is. But it is not great; it is not something that would impart it a lasting high quality.