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Measurement Timing In Growth Mixture Modeling Of Alcohol Trajectories, Anne M. Fairlie

Open Access Dissertations

A more nuanced understanding of individuals' patterns of alcohol use during adolescence, a key developmental period for the onset of use, is of critical importance for refining preventive interventions in this population. To this end, growth mixture modeling (GMM) is a statistical technique that may be used to identify latent subgroups of individuals who exhibit distinct patterns of alcohol use over time. Decisions regarding the timing and interval of survey assessments are particularly challenging in the context of GMM. Latent subgroups exhibit different trends in alcohol use, and these trends must be adequately captured by the survey assessments. Accordingly, the …

Mechanisms Of Shoreline Change On The Rhode Island South Coast: Past, Present, And Future, Nathan D. Vinhateiro

Open Access Dissertations

The barrier-lagoon system along the Rhode Island south shore is a vital natural resource that provides critical habitat and protects the state's southern communities against storm damage. The response of this system to changes in global climate is therefore of great interest to those who live along and manage this coastline. Responsible planning and accurate assessment of coastal vulnerability will require consideration of barrier spit evolution on different time scales. Accordingly, this dissertation presents evidence from geologic and instrumental records that are used to examine how the south shore responds to changes in the extent and frequency of coastal storms, …

Relationships Between Gender, Socioeconomic Status, Math Attitudes, And Math Achievement: An International Investigation, Sunny R. Duerr

Open Access Dissertations

Investigations into the factors related to math achievement have traditionally been studied within individual countries, despite the existence of large international data sets available for analysis. This dissertation investigated the relationships among gender, socioeconomic status, math attitudes, and math achievement based on information from 50 participating countries in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

Countries were grouped into clusters using hierarchical cluster analysis. Six cluster solutions were investigated based on average mathematics scores, average science scores, and average math attitude. The clusters were then validated on a separate sample using discriminant function analysis. The validation process utilized …

Novel Composite Materials And Sandwich Structures For Blast Mitigation, Nathaniel W, Gardner

Open Access Dissertations

An experimental study has been conducted to investigate the blast resistance and mitigation behaviors of novel composites and sandwich structures. Understanding the overall behaviors and failure mechanisms will aid in the development of optimally designed light-weight structures that can mitigate energy and maintain structural integrity when subjected to blast loadings. Due to the increased threat of damage to civilian and defense structures in the form of terrorist attacks and blast loading, a comprehensive understanding on blast mitigation of composites and sandwich structures, as well as an optimal design, is essential.

The dynamic behavior of various sandwich composites made of E-glass …

Teachers’ Perception Of Bullying Among Youth: Hindsight Bias In Relation To Victim Responses, Karen J. Sherman

Open Access Dissertations

Bullying, a common, persistent, and detrimental occurrence in schools, adversely affects the social, emotional, behavioral, and psychological well-being of children and youth. Independent variables that have been studied among children and youth involved in bullying in school settings are delineated, ways that bullying has been assessed and reported are described and critiqued, and the effect of hindsight bias is reviewed. Forty-eight vignettes were constructed by crossing (a) four kinds of social contact (physical aggression, verbal aggression, relational aggression, and non-aggression) with (b) male and female actors, (c) male and female and receivers, and (d) reaction of the receiver (aggressive, passive, …

Cultural Sites As Platforms For Environmental Characterization Of Marine Landscapes, Michael Lee Brennan

Open Access Dissertations

Our ability to understand and interpret archaeological data collected from the excavation of an archaeological site is constrained by our capacity to investigate it. This is often limited by our understanding of the surrounding environment and the modern landscape. This dissertation is composed of three separate studies, each of which examines the environmental and oceanographic contexts of archaeological sites using geophysical and geochemical analyses. The focus of these case studies is to initiate the process of determining the oceanographic and geological histories of the modern sites. Viewing sites from their abandonment to the present day provides an understanding of the …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns In Nutrient Standing Stock And Mass-Balance In Response To Load Reductions In A Temperate Estuary, Jason Seth Krumholz

Open Access Dissertations

The addition of excess organic matter into a system, commonly referred to as eutrophication (Nixon, 1995), is a widespread problem in estuaries throughout much of the world. To combat this trend, many management agencies are imposing regulations limiting the amount of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) which can be discharged into coastal waters through wastewater treatment and agriculture. In 2005, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) enacted legislation mandating that wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF) discharging their effluent into Narragansett Bay and its tributaries reduce the concentration of nitrogen in their effluent. This legislation will reduce wastewater nitrogen loading to …

Quantifying The Effects Of Tidal Restrictions And Plant Invasions On Resident Fish In Atlantic Coast Salt Marshes, Kimberly Lellis Dibble

Open Access Dissertations

This research investigates the combined effects of tidal restriction and Phragmites australis invasion on habitat quality for marsh fauna across a large geographic area while evaluating the reversal of those effects through ecological restoration. We used meta-analytic tools and published literature to examine differences in the quantity, condition, and diversity of fauna in invaded and restored marshes relative to uninvaded (reference) marshes in the mid-Atlantic and in New England. In addition, we collected data for two projects designed to move beyond the collection of community data (e.g., density, richness, as included in the meta-analysis) to assess the functional response of …

The Role Of Eddy Fluxes In The Kuroshio Extension At 144°–148°E, Stuart Paul Bishop

Open Access Dissertations

The Kuroshio current is the western boundary current (WBC) of the North Pacific. It flows north from the tropics carrying heat, momentum, and vorticity and leaves the coast of Japan ∼35°N and flows east as a free jet. After leaving the coast, the Kuroshio is renamed the Kuroshio Extension and is a vigorously meandering frontal boundary characterized by mesoscale variability. Until recently, the Kuroshio Extension was vastly under observed compared to its Atlantic counterpart, the Gulf Stream. The Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS) was a two year observational field campaign from 2004–2006 with the goal of determining what drives the …

Multiple Health Behavior Risks: Redefining Co-Action And Investigating Multiple Health Behavior Change Using The Transtheoretical Model, Jayson Spas

Open Access Dissertations

Despite considerable evidence to support efficacious and effective intervention for single health behaviors, relatively little is known about simultaneous multiple health behavior change. This research analyzed multiple health behavior change for three very different health risk behaviors. The sample (N=9,461) was predominantly White (93.8%), middle-aged (X= 43.9 years-old, SD=10.74) adults who met criteria for smoking, unhealthy diet, and unprotected sun exposure. Specifically, when sun protection and diet, smoking and diet, and smoking and sun protection were analyzed as three sets of behavior pairs from baseline to 24-month follow-up, results consistently demonstrated that simultaneous intervention on multiple health behavior risks increased …

Improving Electrolytes For Lithium-Ion And Lithium Oxygen Batteries, Dinesh Chalasani

Open Access Dissertations

There is an ever increasing demand for fossil fuels. Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) can effectively reduce the production of greenhouse gases and lessen the need for fossil fuels. LIBs also have great potential in electric vehicle applications as an alternative to petroleum modes of transportation. Understanding the chemical reactions between the electrolyte and electrodes in LIBs is very crucial in developing batteries which can work over a wide temperature range and also give a wide potential window. The Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI), formed by the reduction of solvent molecules on the surface of electrodes, is an important component of LIBs. …

Age-Structured Multispecies Model Of The Georges Bank Fish Community, Kiersten Lynn Curti

Open Access Dissertations

Georges Bank has exhibited marked changes in ecosystem structure over the last half century. The community once dominated by groundfish and other finfish is now primarily composed of pelagic and elasmobranch species. Community dynamics are profoundly influenced by species interactions such as predation. The focus of this dissertation is to estimate the trophic interactions among fish species on Georges Bank. These species interactions are estimated by developing a multispecies, statistical catch-atage model of the Georges Bank fish community that explicitly quantifies the mortality due to predation.

Manuscript I: A submodel was developed for three important fish species on Georges Bank: …

Late Quaternary Depositional Environments, Timing And Recent Deposition: Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island And Massachusetts, Bryan Andrew Oakley

Open Access Dissertations

Glacial Lake Narragansett, which occupied much of the southern portion of Narragansett Basin during Late Wisconsinan deglaciation, and was contiguous with glacial lakes in Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound, is the focus of this study. This dissertation examines the deposits of glacial lakes to develop a history of deglacial chronology, isostatic rebound, and climate change across the glaciated northeast. All of these issues are addressed in this dissertation. This work synthesizes the Late Wisconsinan deglacial evolution of Glacial Lake Narragansett using digital elevation models, sub-bottom seismic reflection, ground penetrating radar profiles, sediment cores and borehole stratigraphy. The impetus …

Hormonal And Pheromonal Effects Of 20-Hydroxyecdysone In The American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, Michael W. Sipala

Open Access Dissertations

20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), the active principle of the molting hormone in the American lobster has significant effects on the animals’ agonistic behavior and has been shown to influence the outcome of agonistic interactions. Animals injected with 20E are significantly more aggressive than saline-injected control animals, and premolt animals, which have high circulating levels of 20E in their hemolymph, are more successful than intermolt animals in agonistic interactions. 20E has been shown to act as an internal modulator of neuromuscular physiology: there is an increase in the amplitude of excitatory post-synaptic potentials in the claw opener muscle and a decrease of them …

The Dialectics Of Teacher Change Wtihin A Community Of Practice, Armand R. Pires

Open Access Dissertations

Teacher change is at the heart of school reform. The research on teacher change has been primarily focused on teacher change from an individualistic perspective and has identified three possible paths of teacher change: beliefs precede change, change precedes beliefs, or change is nonlinear and recursive. This study looked at teacher change within a middle school during a time the school was undergoing a district-driven change in student grouping practices.

The study was conducted during the 2009-2010 school year and included ten teachers of science, social studies, and English in a grade 6-8 middle school. A qualitative study approach was …

Beyond The Black Horizon: Perspectives Of African American Collegians Who Studied Abroad, Aaron Ian Bruce

Open Access Dissertations

Although U.S. colleges and universities continue to discuss creative ways to increase the number of African American collegians participating in study abroad, this research is limited when revealing the unique perspectives of African American collegians who have studied abroad. Traditionally an emphasis on program success has been placed on the quantity of study abroad participants rather than the quality of African American student support and engagement; the personal reflections through the lens of African American race and identity are often overlooked. A series of culturally responsive, guided interviews were conducted with African American collegians from a variety of institutions across …

Gendered Patterns In High Achievement In Mathematics For Grades 4, 6, And 8, Laura J. Falvey

Open Access Dissertations

The issue of underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers is especially important to the future of the United States in current times when STEM careers play an increasingly important role in the global economy (Toulmin & Groome, 2007; United States Department of Labor, 2007). The pool of students who enter careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics first appear in elementary school and overwhelmingly come from those with high achievement in mathematics (Berryman, 1983; Tai, Liu, Maltese, & Fan, 2006).

This study examined mathematics achievement data for students in grades 4, 6, and 8 in …

Voices Silenced, Voices Heard: Exploring Status, Discourse, And Learning In Middle School Discussion Groups, Laura A. Chiaravalloti

Open Access Dissertations

Purpose: Cooperative learning structures allow diverse groups of students to learn together while developing higher-order thinking skills, yet there are concerns that not all students’ voices are being heard. The intent of this study was to discover the relationship between the instructional methodologies one teacher used to foster the development of group skills in students and the ways small discussion groups actually functioned. This study explored issues of power and status on students’ learning opportunities in middle school discussion groups. Method: This qualitative study was conducted under an ethnographic lens using a teacher-as-researcher approach. Data were collected over one school …

Time For Learning: Understanding Students’ Perspectives Toward Learning In Expanded Learning Time Reform, Kris A. Monahan

Open Access Dissertations

Learning takes time, but providing time does not in itself ensure that learning will take place (Carroll, 1963; Stallings & Kaskowitz, 1974; Anderson, 1981; Aronson, Zimmer & Carlos, 1999; Berliner, 1990; Kidder et. al., 1975). We need to examine more closely how students are using time and which conditions maximize student engagement. As schools continue to struggle with meeting state and national standards using traditional educational pedagogies and structures, whole school reforms are often implemented to improve student learning and success. While several studies have attempted to begin this exploration, few, if any, actually ask students about their experiences, perspectives, …

Impacts Of Marine Invasive Species On Subtidal And Intertidal Food Web Dynamics, Nicole Rohr

Open Access Dissertations

Invasive species can have a variety of impacts on food web structure and interspecific interactions. They can impact recruitment rates of associated marine species, influence behavior of potential prey items, and alter predator-prey relationships. This research is designed to assess 1) the relationship between the recruitment of Lacuna vincta and two species of algal epiphytes, the native Ceramium virgatum and the invasive Neosiphonia harveyi, in the shallow subtidal zone; 2) the spatial and temporal distribution of the invasive Hemigrapsus sanguineus in the intertidal zone of cobble beaches; and 3) the top-down effects and predator-prey interactions of H. sanguineus.

Through manipulative …