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There's No Places Like Home: Why The Harm Standard In Grandparent Visitation Disputes Is In The Child's Best Interests, Lauren F. Cowan

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Injunctions: In Defense Of The Merits, John Leubsdorf

Fordham Law Review

A recent article by Richard Brooks and Warren Schwartz contends that the goal of preliminary injunctions should be to promote efficient conduct during a lawsuit. It would do this by granting injunctions to all plaintiffs who post a bond covering the defendant's damages provided that the plaintiff has some claim on the merits. This reply defends the more traditional approach theorized in a past article by this author and in an opinion of Judge Richard Posner. Under that approach, courts should continue to consider the merits of the plaintiff's claim and the irreparable injury to the parties' rights that an …

Community Service-Learning In Statistics: Course Design And Assessment, Debra L. Hydorn

Mathematics Articles

Service-learning projects are a useful method for students to learn both the practice and value of statistical methods. Effective service learning, however, depends on several factors and can be implemented according to a variety of models. In this article, different models for incorporating service-learning in statistics courses are presented along with example statistics courses. Principles for good service-learning practice will also be presented as a means for assessing the quality of a service-learning course component.

Modeling Physical Controls On Northern Shrimp (Pandalus Borealis) Dispersal, Retention And Settlement Success In The Gulf Of Maine, Michael J. Bates

Master's Theses and Capstones

Understanding the population dynamics of commercially harvested species is critical to fishery management. Coupled physical-biological models are powerful tools for exploring interactions among species and their environment. This study creates a coupled, individual-based model to explore interactions between northern shrimp in the Gulf of Maine and their physical environment to try to understand the variability in their population from year to year and to draw hypotheses regarding spawning grounds, larval dispersal and settlement success zones for further study.

Model runs are performed using standardized winds to understand the general effects of variability in physical forcing on the population. Runs are …

Impacts Of Palustrine Wetlands On Surface Water Quality In The Lamprey River Watershed, New Hampshire, Shelby A. Flint

Master's Theses and Capstones

Surface water chemistry was measured monthly at ten wetlands in New Hampshire from January, 2005 through October, 2006. An additional wetland was sampled intensively and only during summer-autumn, 2005, and summer, 2006. Nitrate, ammonium, dissolved organic nitrogen, total dissolved nitrogen, nitrous oxide, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in surface waters immediately up- and downstream of the wetlands were compared and changes in concentration were modeled. Nitrate, total nitrogen, organic nitrogen, and organic carbon concentrations differed significantly between upstream and downstream sampling stations. Ammonium and nitrous oxide did not show strong differences between upstream and downstream during much of the sampling …

Potential Methane Production And Oxidation In Shallow-Water Adapted Wetland Plant Communities: Investigating A Diversity-Function Relationship, Lindsay O'Reilly

Master's Theses and Capstones

The goal of this research was to understand how plant diversity affects methane production and oxidation in wetlands. We sampled soils from two natural and two created freshwater wetlands in central Ohio and measured methane production and oxidation potentials in the laboratory. Soil sampling plots were selected to represent the range of plant diversity in each wetland. In the two natural wetlands, maximum methane production potentials were 1.5 and 7.9 ng CH 4 g-1 h-1, and oxidation potentials were 41.3 and 25.8 ng CH4 g-1 h-1. In the two created wetlands, maximum production potentials were 0.3 and 0.7 ng CH4 …

Impacts Of Changing Water Temperatures On The Life Histories Of Two Invasive Ascidians In The Gulf Of Maine: Botryllus Schlosseri And Botrylloides Violaceus, Erica Westerman

Master's Theses and Capstones

The impact of temperature on organism life cycles has received great attention due to heightened awareness of global warming. Relative growth and reproductive development were monitored in two dominant ascidians from the Gulf of Maine to compare effects of rising temperatures on established ( Botryllus schlosseri) versus recently arrived (Botrylloides violaceus) species. Settlement panels were deployed at three sites with different temperature regimes (Damariscotta, ME, Newcastle, NH, and Salem, MA) during two growing seasons June 2005 to December 2006, and a recruitment study conducted May to December 2006. Both species had elongated breeding seasons in Salem, MA relative to the …

Microbial Functional Capacity Among Natural And Created Wetlands In Ohio, Usa, Eric J. Saas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Natural depressional wetlands carry out important functions related to C and N cycling, yet the ability of created wetlands to functionally replace natural wetlands in this capacity is not well understood. My objective was to apply the catabolic response profile (CRP) method to evaluate the functional capacity of the soil microbial community in a series of 15 freshwater depressional wetlands: five naturally-occurring wetlands and 10 created wetlands from 1 to 39 years old. I amended sediment samples with 20 labile carbon sources, and samples were analyzed for CO2 and CH4 efflux following a 4-hr incubation under either aerobic or anaerobic …

Microalgal Oil Extraction And In Situ Transesterification, Justin Ferrentino

Master's Theses and Capstones

Oil extraction from microalgae is an important process for lab analysis, the nutraceutical industry, and it will be important to growing field of algal biofuels. In this thesis, six strains of high-oil microalgae were screened for neutral lipid content and ease of culturing. One of these six, Chlorella sp., was cultured under various growth conditions to determine the settings to produce both the most cells and the highest neutral lipid content per cell. With this information, Chlorella sp. was cultured in large batches to produce sizable harvest quantities (10's of grams dry cells). During large scale culturing, cell concentration data, …

Transient Changes In Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity, Thermotolerance, And Heat Shock Protein Expression Following Brief, Hyperthermia In An In Vitro Model, Courtney Klein

Master's Theses and Capstones

Hyperthermia is being studied as a means of disrupting blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. An in vitro BBB model was exposed to 10 s of 45, 48, or 51°C, or 5 s of 54°C, and TEER was used to assess integrity. Loss of BBB integrity increased as temperature increased (r = 0.88, P<0.0001). Thermotolerance was examined by applying a second hyperthermia to models 24 h afterward. Models demonstrated thermotolerance, indicated by less loss (P<0.001) of integrity compared to controls. The degree of thermotolerance increased as pre-conditioning temperature increased (r = 0.42, P<0.0001). Hsp27 and Hsp70 were analyzed by Western blot to examine their contribution to this thermotolerance. Hsp27 was not changed (P>0.10) by the pre-conditioning heat treatments. Hsp70 expression increased (P<0.05) in response to pre-conditioning for 5 s at 54°C. This thermotolerance cannot be explained by changes in Hsp27 (r = 0.17, P>0.10) and Hsp70 (r = -0.17, P>0.10).

Is Romanian Mothers' Employment Status During A Child's First Year Of Life Correlated With School-Age Children's Behavior Problems?, Codruta A. Ruset

Master's Theses and Capstones

Although research studies are more likely now than in the past to include children and families of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds, no attempts have been made to examine the relationship between early maternal employment among Romanian mothers and their children's behavioral problems. Therefore, based on a sample drawn from a Romanian population, this thesis investigates whether maternal employment during the first year of the child's life is related to Romanian school-age children's behavioral problems, considering control variables like period of maternal employment, employment type, child care type, family income; child's age, maternal educational level, and family type. Findings illustrate …

Status, Distribution And Broad Scale Habitat Features Associated With Remnant Populations Of New England Cottontails (Sylvilagus Transitionalis ), Jeffrey P. Tash

Master's Theses and Capstones

Since 1960 the range occupied by New England cottontails (NEC, Sylvilagus transitionalis) in the northeastern United States has declined dramatically. Populations in some regions are known to be vulnerable to extirpation, but little was known about the status of populations in most areas. A range-wide survey of NEC was conducted from 2000 to 2004 to determine the current distribution and status of remnant populations. Because NEC are sympatric with eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) throughout much of their historic range, identity of resident lagomorphs was based on DNA either extracted from tissue of live-captures or from …

Characterization Of The Activation And Allosteric Regulation Of Photoreceptor Phosphodiesterase (Pde6), Yu-Ting Liu

Master's Theses and Capstones

Photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6) amplifies visual signals in rod and cone photoreceptors. We developed an assay to quantify binding of radiolabeled PDE inhibitors to the catalytic sites of PDE6 to explore the activation and regulation of PDE6. We determined that both catalytic domains on the PDE6 heterodimer are catalytically active and equivalent. Only one catalytic subunit on PDE6 readily binds to and becomes activated by the G-protein, transducin. The other PDE6 catalytic site requires a large excess of activated transducin to fully activate PDE6. We conclude that transducin activates the two catalytic subunits of rod PDE6 differently. We also demonstrate direct …

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 …

Gaca Regulation Of Luminescence In The Symbiotic Bacterium Vibrio Fischeri, Alicia Eve Ballok

Master's Theses and Capstones

The symbiosis of Euprymna scolopes and Vibrio fischeri depends on the ability of the bacterium to colonize the squid and produce light. GacA is an activator of symbiosis phenotypes including luminescence though it is not understood how GacA functions. My hypothesis, based on other bacterial models, is that GacA activates expression of CsrBs, functional RNAs, which sequester and repress a translational repressor, CsrA. I approached this question with mutagenesis and complementation techniques. We found mutation of CsrA or addition of a CsrB in trans could complement the GacA mutant for symbiosis and luminescence phenotypes. The inability of other luminescence regulators …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Developing A Kalman Filter Approach To Home Range Estimation: Applied To The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), Daniel Badger

Master's Theses and Capstones

Accurate estimation of an animal's home range, or utilization distribution, is of great importance to understanding the animal's role in the ecosystem, and for effective population management. Current methods for home range estimation often do not incorporate uncertainty in the observations of monitored animals. Given days without observations, they also have the potential to omit migration corridors when describing important habitat. Here the Extended Kalman filter is modified to return daily predicted geolocations, creating a most probable estimation of the true path the observed animal followed. Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods were used to map the uncertainty in this path …

Fungal Glycosphingolipids: Characterization Of Structures And Interactions With Plant Defensins, Jis Joe

Master's Theses and Capstones

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) play important roles in many fundamental biological processes like activation of signal transduction pathways, immune responses, and cell-cell interactions. Recent reports imply that fungal GSLs are important targets for the antifungal action of plant defensins. In order to study intermolecular interactions of GSLs, it is crucial to know their structures in detail. This thesis consists of two projects in which fungal GSLs of biological and biomedical significance are studied. In the first project, we have completed the structural characterization of acidic GSLs from S. cerevisiae using NMR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The second project of …

Field Efficiency And Bias Of Several Methods For Downed Wood And Snag Inventory In Western North American Forests, Robert Scott Kenning

Master's Theses and Capstones

Coarse woody debris (CWD)---downed forest wood and snags---has been afforded increasing attention in the past decade as studies illuminate the role of dead wood in the study of global carbon cycling, wildlife, forest fire, and soil ecology. Accordingly, the need for efficient sampling methods of CWD has grown. This study compares the field efficiency and bias of seven traditional and novel sampling techniques. Methods were tested in 14 forest stands across 3 broad study regions---alpine and ponderosa forests in Colorado and coastal rainforest in British Columbia.

For sampling downed wood volume, perpendicular distance sampling (PDS) proves to be the most …

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. …

The Identification, Characterization, And Expression Of Truncated Hemoglobin Genes In The Nitrogen-Fixing Actinorhizal Symbiont Frankia, James Michael Niemann

Master's Theses and Capstones

Using a molecular approach (PCR), a group II truncated hemoglobin (trHb) gene was identified in several diverse isolates of Frankia. An analysis of three draft genome sequences for Frankia isolates EAN1pec, Ccl3, and ACN14a also revealed the presence of second trHb, homologous to group I trHbs. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the Frankia trHb genes were grouped based on their respective genotype and clustered closest to Mycobacterium trHb genes.

Frankia strain Ccl3 was grown under a variety of environmental stimuli to evaluate the expression of trHbN and trHbO genes. Nitrogen status did not affect expression of either gene, while oxidative stress …

Controls On Denitrification In A Northeastern Coastal Suburban Riparian Zone, Katherine Traer

Master's Theses and Capstones

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems can alter groundwater N cycling, which affects N fluxes in surface water and coastal environments. Increased N inputs can decrease the overall health of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems as well as pose serious human health threats. It is well documented that riparian zones can reduce N fluxes to surface water bodies as well as coastal environments. Recently, it has been determined that riparian denitrification potential is largely influenced by hydrogeologic characteristics.

Hydrogeologic characteristics and groundwater physical properties and chemical constituents were evaluated in the James Farm well field located in Lee, …

A Case Study In Natural Resource Policy: Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus Clarki Bouvieri) In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Brad Johnson

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is hailed as one of the most intact temperate ecosystems in the world. Within the ecosystem the Yellowstone cutthroat trout has been noted as both a keystone species and an indicator of ecosystem health. As anthropogenic induced stress and its effects on natural systems have become more readily apparent, a call has risen for a new holistic form of natural resource policy development and implementation. The Ecosystem Approach, based on the principles of sustainability, is a multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral policy paradigm, which serves that function for this study.

This research analyzed the extent to which natural resource …

The Facilitation Of Well-Being Through Direct Contact With Family-Of-Origin For Securely Attached Children In Residential Out-Of-Home Placement, Katie Lynn Laroche

Master's Theses and Capstones

The current thesis project sought to answer the following two questions: (1) What is the relationship between emotional well-being of children in residential, out-of-home placement and the frequency of contact with their family of-origin? and (2) What is the relationship between the attachment style of children in residential, out-of-home placement and the frequency of contact with their family-of-origin?

Participants were recruited from a residential group home for abused and neglected children in New England. Limitations: Due to the nature of the population, obtaining informed consent proved difficult and the small sample size is the main limitation of this study. Results: …

Overview Of The Methods Of Physical Improvement And The Prevalence Of Steroid Use In High School Male Student Athletes, Sarah Sable

Master's Theses and Capstones

Two questionnaires, eight demographic questions and The Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) were administered to 19 high school male student athletes to determine their attitudes and behaviors around steroid use. The intent of this study was to research this sample to add to the literature in order to develop more effective steroid prevention measures. Steroid use of this group, 5.2% was found to be consistent with the national average. As indicated by the DMS, risk factors that might lead to or indicate steroid use include; wishing to be more muscular, lifting weights, taking protein/energy supplements, taking weight gain/protein shakes, feeling …

Arendt And Foucault: Perspectives On Modernity And Citizenship, Martin F. Rowley Jr.

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis examines the dangers posed by totalitarianism in the modern age by bringing the philosophies of Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault together in dialogue. It aims to compare and contrast their respective philosophies as a way of responding to the challenges posed by totalitarianism to democratic culture. While there are clear resonances in their analyses Arendt and Foucault are rarely brought together, much to the detriment of political theory. The thesis is based on a textual analysis of Arendt and Foucault's major works and is organized into three chapters and an introduction. Chapter one gives an overview of Arendt's …

The Fit Dimension, Abner S. Greene

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Pandemic Fears And Contemporary Quarantine: Protecting Liberty Through A Continuum Of Due Process Rights, Michelle A. Daubert

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.