Factors Affecting Purchase of Locally Grown Produce: A Case Study of New Hampshire Markets

There has been a recent focus on expanding local agriculture production in New Hampshire, and more information on consumer decision making in regard to local food purchasing is needed. Expansion of local food production and consumption has been of great interest in the past several years, with many consumers becoming increasingly curious about where their food comes from. Concerns about disease, environmental damage, fossil fuel usage, and recently food chain disruption due to COVID-19 as well as the health of local economies have fostered this awareness about the origins of our food (Onozaka et al. 2010; Thilmany et al. 2020). This thesis uses results from focus groups consisting of New Hampshire residents to inform a state-wide survey on consumer behavior, attitudes, and characteristics relating to local produce. Results are used to identify factors that influence consumption of local produce. For the purpose of this study, “local produce” is defined as any fruit or vegetable grown in the New England region. The qualitative results indicate that the average consumer of local produce is older, has a higher income, and has more formal education than the average New Hampshire resident. Additionally, there is correlation between social capital-related factors and increased purchasing of local produce. Consumers who value supporting local business and purchase local produce due to the sense of community surrounding it have a higher probability of purchasing significant amounts of their produce locally compared to consumers who do not value these attributes. The effects of only two explanatory variables proved to be statistically significant in the binary regression model, representing the amount of local produce purchased during the winter months, and variety as a factor for determining food shopping location. The combination of the qualitative and quantitative results allow for a better understanding of what factors drive local produce purchasing among New Hampshire residents

Stable Cyclopropenium-Based Radicals

Stable radicals have enjoyed widespread use in a variety of fields including synthetic chemistry, materials chemistry, energy storage, and biochemistry. This thesis outlines our investigations of cyclopropenium-based stable radicals and their application as redox mediators, redox-active ligands, catalysts, and materials for energy storage. The first chapter gives a brief overview of the use of radicals in synthetic chemistry. The principles that govern the stability of radicals is discussed and notable examples are highlighted. The second section of the first chapter reviews the aromatic platforms that have been developed by the Lambert group and how they might be converted into stable radical species. The second chapter details our study of 2,3-diaminocyclpropenones as stable radicals. These electron rich cyclopropenium derivatives undergo facile oxidation to yield a radical cation species. The origin of the stability of this oxygen-centered radical was elucidated by density functional theory calculations and analysis of the crystal structure. Diaminocyclopropenones were also found to be effective neutral L-type ligands in Ce(IV) complexes. EPR and UV-VIS experiments revealed that these complexes exhibited reversible homolytic dissociation of their diaminocyclopropenone ligands. The third chapter describes the use of trisaminocyclopropeniums as catholytes for nonaqueous redox flow batteries. A newly designed trisaminocyclopropenium structure could be accessed in large quantities and showed long lasting stability in its oxidized state. A new composite polyionic material was developed for use as a membrane suitable for organic solvent and high voltages. Cycling in combination with a perylenediimide anolyte yielded a 1.7 V battery that exhibited excellent coulombic efficiency and capacity retention. Using a spiro-bis(phthalimido) anolyte afforded a battery with an open circuit voltage of 2.8 V. The fourth chapter details how our battery studies with trisaminocyclopropenium radical dications led us to discover their photoinduced reactivity. We developed an electrophotocatalytic platform using trisaminocyclopropeniums as a species capable of being activated by both photochemical and electrochemical energy. The excited state oxidation potential of the doubly activated species was found to be +3.33 V, which was capable of effecting oxidative coupling reactions using both arenes and ethers as substrates. Density functional theory calculations and spectroscopic experiments revealed that the photoreactivity was due to a SOMO-inversion event. The trisaminocyclopropenium radical dication could be prepared on scale via direct electrolysis and subsequently used in high throughput screening

Reactor Core Isolation Cooling Pump Performance in Multiphase Conditions

The Reactor Core Isolation Cooling (RCIC) system is found in certain boiling water reactor power plants. The RCIC system is meant to provide coolant to the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in certain cases when the vessel is isolated from the main steam turbines and condensers. In 2011, the Great East Tohoku earthquake in Japan caused the operation of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear site to be interrupted. The seismic activity initiated the shutdown of the three reactors and the RCIC system came online in the two reactors equipped with a RCIC system. The RPV must have decay heat removal after shutdown. In the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident the RCIC system, it is believed, removed this decay heat from units 2 and 3 for 70 and 20 hours respectively. This greatly exceeds the expected RCIC run time of 4-8 hours, which is why the RCIC system has drawn great amounts of attention since the accidents. Experimental demonstration of this extended operation of the RCIC system shows that the system could be more capable of providing cooling than previously thought. As this performance in practice is far greater than the anticipated operation duration, the RCIC system merits increased study into its performance, specifically, in beyond design accidents and station blackout conditions. A Computational Multiphase Fluid Dynamics (CMFD) simulation was developed herein for implementation in STAR-CCM+. This simulation studied the RCIC pump performance and degradation due to changes in turbine performance and heat up of the Suppression Pool. As the RCIC pump and turbine are physically on the same shaft, the turbine’s performance has direct implications on the performance of the pump. One of the pump suction sources is the Suppression Pool, so a heat up of the Suppression pool could introduce two-phase flow at the pump inlet. A centrifugal pump similar to those used in RCIC Systems was created in the CMFD model to explore the pump performance as it is affected by Gas Void Fraction, and impeller rotational speed. The goal of this thesis is to develop, implement, and apply detailed mathematical models of the RCIC system pump so its performance in beyond design accident and station blackout conditions can be better understoo

Academic discourse: An ethnography of the public and private literacies of university students

This study is about the various meanings that being literate holds for two students in an academic setting. The study begins in a description of a prose writing classroom where informants are located and then goes on to follow two students from prose writing into other settings across the curriculum to consider how talk, reading, and writing are used in these classrooms. The data was collected using a number of field methods such as participant observation and intensive interviews as well as non-interactive methods such as textual and transcript analysis. Two extensive case studies form the center of the study. The results from this study suggest that academic literacy cannot be untied from a student\u27s holistic literacy: that the package comes complete. Students approach academic reading and writing tasks from the lens of both gender and human development as well as from the unique lens of private literacies, all issues which often are neglected in college classrooms. Ideas are offered for how reading, writing and talking may be used to undergird learning in all settings in higher education, not just in writing courses

High magnetic field superconducting properties of Nb3Sn films Final report

High magnetic field superconducting properties of niobium stannide films and shielding characterictics of stannide layer

Evaluating the Present and Future Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Improving Underserved Communities in the U.S.

This paper reviews the racial and health disparities that exist in underserved communities in the United States and how faith-based organizations have affected them. Reducing health disparities remains a major public health challenge. With the persistence of these disparities, faith-based organizations will continue to play a major role in the improvement of underserved communities. In fact, these organizations are vital to the eradication of these differences. Health disparities do not have a single root cause and many factors may lead to differences in health care. To adequately address these disparities and their determinants, they must be approached at multi-levels, including individual, family, and community improvements. Faith-based organizations should be involved in this strategic effort, because they play an intricate role in the lives of those living in underserved communities. There are three major types of faith-based organizations: congregations (e.g. the local church), denominational organizations (e.g. Catholic Charities, The Salvation Army) and national networks (e.g. YMCA, YWCA), and freestanding organizations (non-profit organizations). All three types have been involved in health initiatives and community-based interventions. Some have exhibited success and some have highlighted the inherent limitations of faith-based organizations in community development. Best practices of faith-based organization involvement in community development are best illustrated in denominational networks such as Catholic Charities, and in non-profit Community Development Corporations (CDCs), such as the Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) in Central Harlem. Although there are many models of success, a closer look at this evidence reveals that despite their broad involvement in services, most faith-based organizations are not active in community development. While the social services that are offered are vital to meeting individual human needs, they do not scratch the surface of improving the community and society in underserved areas. In order for faith-based organizations to attain capacity to engage in effective and sustaining community development, assistance from external sources is necessary. The Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships established by President Obama can provide the vehicle for education, resources, networking, and sharing of best practices that is necessary for these organizations to develop these abilities. This Office will train the trainers, partner with State and Local Offices, hold recipients responsible, and close the learning gap (Obama '08, 2008). Furthermore, commitment by federal and state offices to collaborate/educate these organizations is vital to the increased commitment of faith-based organizations to community development. This assistance must illuminate the shared goals of faith-based organizations and the public health field (e.g. improved community for the underserved, ministry to the "whole" person, better living conditions, better access to healthcare ), which will result in progress towards eliminating the current health disparities. Given the churches' demonstrated ability to motivate, to inspire, and to pull people together, there is great potential for faith-based interventions and models to address health disparities in the future (Kaplan et al., 2006). In fact, the past models of success, as well as failures, which can be used as lessons learned, can propel faith-based organizations to the forefront of community development that will reduce health disparities in underserved communities.Master of Public Healt

Reactor Core Isolation Cooling Pump Performance in Multiphase Conditions

The Reactor Core Isolation Cooling (RCIC) system is found in certain boiling water reactor power plants. The RCIC system is meant to provide coolant to the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in certain cases when the vessel is isolated from the main steam turbines and condensers. In 2011, the Great East Tohoku earthquake in Japan caused the operation of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear site to be interrupted. The seismic activity initiated the shutdown of the three reactors and the RCIC system came online in the two reactors equipped with a RCIC system. The RPV must have decay heat removal after shutdown. In the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident the RCIC system, it is believed, removed this decay heat from units 2 and 3 for 70 and 20 hours respectively. This greatly exceeds the expected RCIC run time of 4-8 hours, which is why the RCIC system has drawn great amounts of attention since the accidents. Experimental demonstration of this extended operation of the RCIC system shows that the system could be more capable of providing cooling than previously thought. As this performance in practice is far greater than the anticipated operation duration, the RCIC system merits increased study into its performance, specifically, in beyond design accidents and station blackout conditions. A Computational Multiphase Fluid Dynamics (CMFD) simulation was developed herein for implementation in STAR-CCM+. This simulation studied the RCIC pump performance and degradation due to changes in turbine performance and heat up of the Suppression Pool. As the RCIC pump and turbine are physically on the same shaft, the turbine’s performance has direct implications on the performance of the pump. One of the pump suction sources is the Suppression Pool, so a heat up of the Suppression pool could introduce two-phase flow at the pump inlet. A centrifugal pump similar to those used in RCIC Systems was created in the CMFD model to explore the pump performance as it is affected by Gas Void Fraction, and impeller rotational speed. The goal of this thesis is to develop, implement, and apply detailed mathematical models of the RCIC system pump so its performance in beyond design accident and station blackout conditions can be better understoo