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Factors That Influcence African Americans To Enroll In Agricultural Science Programs, Levar Desmond Graham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that most influence African Americans to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1890 and 1862 Land Grant universities. This study used a quantitative approach in researching the problem of identifying the factors that led minorities to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions. A survey instrument was designed which collected the factors, demographics, and attitudes that influenced minority enrollment in agricultural sciences at 1890 and 1862 universities. The setting for the data collection in this study is 1890 and 1862 land grant universities in the southern …

The Prolamins Of Pearl Millet, Christian B. Ricks

Theses and Dissertations

Although work on the prolamins of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) has revealed partial amino acid sequences for several alcohol-soluble storage proteins (Marcellino et al. 2002) the genes encoding them have not yet been isolated. We constructed a cDNA library from developing P. glaucum seed tissue and screened it using maize zein gene probes to isolate several α-prolamin-like gene sequences. The proteins encoded by these genes generally fall into two size classes: 20.6kD and 27.1kD, which we call the 21kD and 27kD pennisetins. Both proteins are similar in composition and sequence to α-prolamins from maize, sorghum and Coix. Protein bodies that …

Impacts Of The Greenbelt Plan On The Agricultural Industry, Case Study: Town Of Erin, Wellington County, Robert Dwayne Evans

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the impact of the Greenbelt Plan on the agricultural industry in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area. An analysis of agricultural data from the 2001 Census and interviews with farmers living both within and outside of the Greenbelt Area in the lower-tier municipality of Erin were conducted. The findings reveal that the Greenbelt Plan does not have a negative impact on the agricultural industry in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and many participants cited the positive effects of the legislation.

An Analysis Of Accelerated Atherosclerosis In The Hyperglycemic Hyperlipidemic Syrian F(1)B Hamster, Adele Jeanne Marone

Master's Theses and Capstones

Humans with diabetes mellitus are two to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and do so at a much younger age than non-diabetics. This study utilized the Syrian F1B hamster, a model of human atherosclerosis, to: (1) determine whether one intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) could induce a diabetic-like hyperglycemic state, (2) compare the development of atherosclerotic lesions between non-treated (N), hyperglycemic (G), hyperlipidemic (L) and combined hyperlipidemic/hyperglycemic (L+G) hamsters, and (3) determine whether lesion development was accelerated due to plasma levels of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, non-HDL-C, HDL-C, or lipid hydroperoxides, or by the TC/HDL-C or TG/HDL-C …

Sexual Compatibility And Seed Germination In Nolana Species, Amy C. Douglas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Nolana L.f. is a large, diverse genus in the Solanaceae endemic to coastal deserts of Peru and Chile. Large showy flowers and drought tolerance give Nolana great potential for breeding and cultivar development for the ornamental plant industry. As a precursor to breeding efforts, studies of floral development, sexual compatibility, and seed germination were conducted involving eight Nolana species (N. adansonii, K aticoana, N. elegans, N. humijusa, N. ivaniana, N. laxa, N. plicata, N. rupicola) cultivated at UNH.

Stigma receptivity and pollen viability were evaluated at a range of stages of flower development. Floral development keys were developed to provide …

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 …

Serum Igg Concentrations Of Neonatal Calves Fed Colostrum Replacer Supplemented With Lactoferrin, Erin C. Shea

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of various levels of lactoferrin supplementation in colostrum replacer fed as 1 or 2 doses on apparent efficiency of IgG absorption, serum IgG concentrations, and intestinal development in neonatal Holstein bull calves. Eighty-Holstein bull calves were assigned to a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of treatments in a completely randomized block design. Bull calves were collected at two locations, Fairchild Teaching and Research Center at the University of New Hampshire (n = 48) and a commercial dairy (n = 32). All calves were fed colostrum replacer (CR) according to manufacturer's …

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 …

Methyl Halide Production In Fungi, Gail D. Dailey

Master's Theses and Capstones

Methyl halide gases are a source of halogen radicals that can react with and destroy stratospheric ozone. The sources of methyl halide gases are both anthropogenic and biogenic, that is, they are human induced and they occur naturally. This research focused on the emission of methyl betides from fungi in the phylum Basidiomycota, which are one of the known biogenic sources.

Previous studies have measured methyl halide production and consumption in soils using field chambers. The objective of this study was to compare production from individual fungi in laboratory cultures to the field measured fluxes to examine whether fungi are …

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 …

Standing Closest To The Flame: Community Wildfire Planning And The Healthy Forest Act, William E. Fleeger

Doctoral Dissertations

Recently, national fire policy has been redirected from a primary focus on suppression towards a more integrated and comprehensive approach developed at the community level. As part of this policy shift, Congress passed the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (P.L. 108-148) in 2003 encouraging communities to develop community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) to guide fuel reduction and wildfire mitigation efforts on both federal and nonfederal lands. This research examines U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and community collaboration in the development of CWPPs through a case study analysis of four communities in two western states. The social and decision-making processes used in the …

The Maintenance, Evolution, And Impacts Of Inducible Morphological Defenses In Mytilus Edulis: Responses To Multiple And Invasive Predators, Aaren Scott Freeman

Doctoral Dissertations

The burgeoning field of phenotypic plasticity and inducible defenses has documented a wide variety of predator-induced defenses. I this dissertation I have explored induced defenses in the marine mussel Mytilus edulis as they are affected by (a) shared evolutionary history with invasive crab predators, (b) specificity of responses to multiple predators (singly and combined) with different foraging strategies, and (c) spatial and temporal variation in the expression of predator specific induced defenses in situ.

Mytilus from southern New England expressed induced shell thickening when exposed to waterborne cues from the crab Hemigrapsus , but "naive" northern mussel populations do not …

Interactions Between Two Invasive Crab Predators, Carcinus Maenas And Hemigrapsus Sanguineus, And Consequences For The Native Community, Blaine David Griffen

Doctoral Dissertations

With continued globalization, species are being transported and introduced into novel habitats at an accelerating rate. As invasive species become more common, interactions between invasive species will also increase and may alter the way that these species impact invaded communities. The European green crab Carcinus maenas is an aggressive predator that was introduced to the east coast of North America in the mid 1800s and often has detrimental impacts on prey communities. A newer invasive predator, the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus, was first discovered on the Atlantic coast in the 1980s, and now inhabits many of the same regions …

Studies Of Verticillium Wilt And Characterization Of Candidate Verticillium Wilt Resistance Genes In The Mint Species Mentha Longifolia (L) Huds, Kelly Jean Vining

Doctoral Dissertations

To investigate the genetic basis of verticillium wilt resistance in mint (Mentha L., Lamiaceae), wild-collected germplasm obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture was employed to develop breeding populations for wilt resistance screening and molecular genetic study, including cloning of candidate verticillium wilt resistance genes.

A collection of fourteen Mentha longifolia accessions from Europe, Asia and South Africa was analyzed for morphological traits, oil composition, and verticillium wilt resistance. In addition, a preliminary molecular diversity assessment was conducted utilizing randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. The accessions were found to be diverse regarding all observed traits and the South …

Sustainability Of New Hampshire's Sawmill Industry And Its Forest Resource Base, Difei Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Sustaining our forests is vital for a healthy ecosystem and for the future of forest industry. To sustain the regional sawmill industry as well as the associated forest resource base, the key is to track the consumption and inventory of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), the most dominant commercial species in New Hampshire. This research profiled the sawmill industry in New Hampshire and Vermont in terms of production, consumption, labor characteristics and regulating economic and policy issues. We examined the sustainability of the industry and its resource base; with a specific focus on the white pine sawmill industry and …

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 …

High Frequency Measurements Of Soil Carbon Dioxide Flux At Harvard Forest, Stephen C. Phillips

Master's Theses and Capstones

Soil carbon dioxide flux was measured by automatic chambers at Harvard Forest over a four-year period, 2003-2006. The autochambers were installed along a moisture gradient from upland to wetland soils. In 2003, fluxes from the upland and mid-slope chambers exceeded the fluxes from the wetland margin. In 2004-2006, the mid-slope fluxes were significantly larger than both the upland and wetland margin chambers. The differences in flux between chamber location were most pronounced in the late summer and early fall. Residuals from a non-linear temperature regression exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern in 2003, 2004, and 2006, but not in 2005. On …

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 …

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).

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 …

Impact Of Predation And Hunting On Eastern Cottontail Rabbits At Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, Kelly M. Boland

Master's Theses and Capstones

In areas that experience environmental seasonality, wildlife populations may undergo annual declines until the capacity of the environment is reached. The degree to which hunting may influence these populations depends on whether hunting mortality is additional to natural mortality (additive) or if natural mortality decreases as hunting increases (hunting is a compensatory mortality). To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) initiated an examination of the current rabbit hunting program in 2004. Because of the lack of current information of rabbit hunting within CCNS, the primary objective of this study was to …

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. …

Microbial And Nutritional Changes Of Wet Brewers Grains Inoculated With A Commercial Preservative, Susan P. Marston

Master's Theses and Capstones

Two experiments were conducted to compare the deterioration of wet brewers grains (WBG) treated with an enzyme and bacterial inoculant (Silo-King GPX, Agri-King Inc., Fulton, IL). Another experiment investigated ruminal DM and CP degradability of samples taken from experiment 1. Wet brewers grains were divided into separate piles upon delivery. Silo-King GPX was added to WBG at 0 kg/kg (control), 0.45 kg/900 kg WBG, and 0.9 kg/900 kg WBG, mixed for 5 min, and then stored in bins. Piles were left for 28 d to simulate farm storage practices. Samples (300 g) were taken every 2 d, 20.3 cm below …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Remote Sensing Applications To Support Sustainable Natural Resource Management, Charles Kenneth Brewer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The original design of this dissertation project was relatively simple and straightforward. It was intended to produce one single, dynamic, classification and mapping system for existing vegetation that could rely on commonly available inventory and remote sensing data. This classification and mapping system was intended to provide the analytical basis for resource planning and management. The problems encountered during the first phase of the original design transformed this project into an extensive analysis of the nature of these problems and a decade-long remote sensing applications development endeavor. What evolved from this applications development process is a portion of what has …

Forests And Farming: An Analysis Of Rural Livelihood Programs For Poverty Reduction In Eastern Zambia, Garrett Kenneth Olson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper investigates the effectiveness of Joint Forest Management (JFM) and agricultural programs at reducing rural poverty in Zambia. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programs in Africa have been aimed at improving livelihoods, creating tangible benefits, and increasing incomes from forests and forest products through the sustainable use and conservation of forest resources. Agricultural programs have often had similar goals regarding improved livelihoods, benefits, food security, and income generation for soil conservation and reduced forest conversion due to agricultural expansion. With increased rates of deforestation and forest conversion, Zambia is in need of effective measures for the sustainable utilization and …

Unwelcome Neighbors? Industrial Growth And Water Pollution In Lake Charles, Louisiana, 1940-1960, Jonathan Zachary Delaune

LSU Master's Theses

This paper focuses on the industrialization of Lake Charles, Louisiana during World War Two and the resulting shifts in pollution-related policy and public perceptions of pollution. A major impetus for the industrialization of the South was federal investment during the war. This is especially true for Lake Charles, a city where industrial agglomeration began with war-time financing of manufacturing plants to combat the shortages of aviation fuel and rubber. By tracing the public response to offensive pollution and the resulting shift in public policy, this paper will reveal a fundamental conflict between development-minded government institutions and a population interested in …