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Fsec Minutes December 19, 2022, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Photochemical And Photophysical Dynamics Of The Aqueous Ferrate(Vi) Ion, Cali Antolini, Charles D. Spellman, Christopher J. Otolski, Gilles Doumy, Anne Marie March, Donald A. Walko, Cunming Liu, Xiaoyi Zhang, Benjamin T. Young, Joseph E. Goodwill, Dugan Hayes

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Ferrate(VI) has the potential to play a key role in future water supplies. Its salts have been suggested as "green" alternatives to current advanced oxidation and disinfection methods in water treatment, especially when combined with ultraviolet light to stimulate generation of highly oxidizing Fe(V) and Fe(IV) species. However, the nature of these intermediates, the mechanisms by which they form, and their roles in downstream oxidation reactions remain unclear. Here, we use a combination of optical and X-ray transient absorption spectroscopies to study the formation, interconversion, and relaxation of several excited-state and metastable high-valent iron species following excitation of aqueous potassium …

Faculty Senate Agenda December 8, 2022, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Agendas

No abstract provided.

Two Canonically Aerobic Foraminifera Express Distinct Peroxisomal And Mitochondrial Metabolisms, Christopher Powers, Fatma Gomaa, Elizabeth B. Billings, Daniel R. Utter, David J. Beaudoin, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Colleen M. Hansel, Scott D. Wankel, Helena L. Filipsson, Ying Zhang, Joan M. Bernhard

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Certain benthic foraminifera thrive in marine sediments with low or undetectable oxygen. Potential survival avenues used by these supposedly aerobic protists include fermentation and anaerobic respiration, although details on their adaptive mechanisms remain elusive. To better understand the metabolic versatility of foraminifera, we studied two benthic species that thrive in oxygen-depleted marine sediments. Here we detail, via transcriptomics and metatranscriptomics, differential gene expression of Nonionella stella and Bolivina argentea, collected from Santa Barbara Basin, California, USA, in response to varied oxygenation and chemical amendments. Organelle-specific metabolic reconstructions revealed these two species utilize adaptable mitochondrial and peroxisomal metabolism. N. stella, most …

A Mollicutes Metagenome-Assembled Genome From The Gut Of The Pteropod Limacina Rangii, Zachary T. Pimentel, Patricia S. Thibodeau, Bongkeun Song, Ying Zhang

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

A nearly complete genome of an uncultured Mollicutes sp. was obtained from the metagenome of the gut of Limacina rangii (open-ocean snail), an important grazer and prey for higher trophic animals along the rapidly warming region of the western Antarctic Peninsula.

Alkaline Nucleoplasm Facilitates Contractile Gene Expression In The Mammalian Heart, Alzbeta Hulikova, Kyung Chan Park, Aminah A. Loonat, Mala Gunadasa-Rohling, M. Kate Curtis, Yu Jin Chung, Abigail Wilson, Carolyn A. Carr, Andrew W. Trafford, Marjorie Fournier, Anna Moshnikova, Oleg A. Andreev, Yana K. Reshetnyak, Paul R. Riley, Nicola Smart, Thomas A. Milne, Nicholas T. Crump, Pawel Swietach

Physics Faculty Publications

Cardiac contractile strength is recognised as being highly pH-sensitive, but less is known about the influence of pH on cardiac gene expression, which may become relevant in response to changes in myocardial metabolism or vascularization during development or disease. We sought evidence for pH-responsive cardiac genes, and a physiological context for this form of transcriptional regulation. pHLIP, a peptide-based reporter of acidity, revealed a non-uniform pH landscape in early-postnatal myocardium, dissipating in later life. pH-responsive differentially expressed genes (pH-DEGs) were identified by transcriptomics of neonatal cardiomyocytes cultured over a range of pH. Enrichment analysis indicated “striated muscle contraction” as a …

Gis Rasters To Identify Best Sites For Creating Habitat For American Woodcock In Rhode Island, Bill Buffum

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

The University of Rhode Island has conducted many studies of the habitat use of American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) in Rhode Island, USA. In 2020 we developed a new geographic information system (GIS) tool based on our previous research to identify sites in Rhode Island where forest clearcutting to create young forest habitat would have the most positive effect for American woodcock. We believe that our new tool is effective, and that it helps landowners identify the best locations on their properties to improve woodcock habitat. This report provides public access to the GIS rasters of the tool and to an …

Equitable Belonging Via Information Literacy: Amanda Izenstark, Mlis • University Of Rhode Island, University Libraries • Pod22, November 17, 2022 Equitable Belonging Via Information Literacy Empowering Teachers To Empower Learners, Amanda K. Izenstark

Public Services Faculty Presentations

As critical educators and learners, we continually encounter a changing information landscape necessitating (re)considerations of our responsibilities as consumers and producers of knowledge. This workshop offers a window into a High Impact Teaching Seminar created by librarians and educational developers at the University of Rhode Island to intentionally integrate accessible Information Literacy (IL) skills for all students. Through a reflective exploration of IL threshold concepts such as scholarly conversation, authority, information creation, and strategic exploration, participants will learn about the seminar’s theoretical framework and structure, engage in sample activities, and consider possible applications at their own institutions.

Spatial Origin Analysis On Atmospheric Bulk Deposition Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Shanghai, Ying Liu, Xiaomin Zhang, Jianguo Tan, Peter Grathwohl, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) onto soil threatens terrestrial ecosystem. To locate potential source areas geographically, a total of 139 atmospheric bulk deposition samples were collected during 2012–2019 at eight sites in Shanghai and its surrounding areas. A multisite joint location method was developed for the first time to locate potential source areas of atmospheric PAHs based on an enhanced three dimensional concentration weighted trajectory model. The method considered spatial and temporal variations of atmospheric boundary layer height and homogenized all results over the eight sites via geometric mean. Regional transport was an important contributor of PAH atmospheric …

Emerging Harmful Algal Blooms Caused By Distinct Seasonal Assemblages Of A Toxic Diatom, Alexa R. Sterling, Riley D. Kirk, Matthew J. Bertin, Tatiana A. Rynearson, David G. Borkman, Marissa C. Caponi, Jessica Carney, Katherine A. Hubbard, Meagan A. King, Lucie Maranda, Emily J. Mcdermith, Nina R. Santos, Jacob P. Strock, Erin M. Tully, Samantha B. Vaverka, Patrick D. Wilson, Bethany D. Jenkins

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Diatoms in the Pseudo-nitzschia genus produce the neurotoxin domoic acid. Domoic acid bioaccumulates in shellfish, causing illness in humans and marine animals upon ingestion. In 2017, high domoic acid levels in shellfish meat closed shellfish harvest in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island for the first and only time in history, although abundant Pseudo-nitzschia have been observed for over 60 years. To investigate whether an environmental factor altered endemic Pseudo-nitzschia physiology or new domoic acid-producing strain(s) were introduced to Narragansett Bay, we conducted weekly sampling from 2017 to 2019 and compared closure samples. Plankton-associated domoic acid was quantified by LC-MS/MS and Pseudo-nitzschia …

Quantitative Analysis Of The Trade-Offs Of Colony Formation For Trichodesmium, Vitul Agarwal, Keisuke Inomura, Colleen B. Mouw

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

There is considerable debate about the benefits and trade-offs for colony formation in a major marine nitrogen fixer, Trichodesmium. To quantitatively analyze the trade-offs, we developed a metabolic model based on carbon fluxes to compare the performance of Trichodesmium colonies and free trichomes under different scenarios. Despite reported reductions in carbon fixation and nitrogen fixation rates for colonies relative to free trichomes, we found that model colonies can outperform individual cells in several cases. The formation of colonies can be advantageous when respiration rates account for a high proportion of the carbon fixation rate. Negative external influence on vital …

Fsec Minutes October 30, 2022, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Egyptian University Students’ Smartphone Addiction And Their Digital Media Literacy Level, Abdelmohsen Hamed Okela

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This study examined the correlation between Egyptian university students’ smartphone addiction and digital media literacy. Data were gathered from a sample of 558 students enrolled at Minia University, aged 18-22, using an online questionnaire. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between smartphone overuse and digital media literacy levels. Moreover, it was found that university students obtained higher scores on the smartphone addiction scale, and social networking applications (e.g., WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok). Also, it was found that smartphone gaming, learning, and entertainment apps increase the likelihood of smartphone addiction and boost digital media literacy levels. These findings suggest that smartphone …

Relevance Of Digital Measures To People With Early Parkinson’S For Monitoring Meaningful Symptoms In The Watch-Pd Study, Jennifer R. Mammen, Et Al.

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Relative Meaningfulness And Impacts Of Symptoms In People With Early-Stage Parkinson’S Disease, Jennifer R. Mammen, Et Al.

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Patient perspectives on meaningful symptoms and impacts in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) is lacking, and is urgently needed to clarify priority areas for monitoring, management, and new therapies.

Objective: To examine experiences of people with early-stage PD, systematically describe meaningful symptoms and impacts, and determine which are most bothersome or important.

Methods: Forty adults with early PD (≤ 2 years diagnosis) who participated in a study evaluating smartwatch and smartphone digital measures (WATCH-PD study) completed online interviews with symptom mapping to hierarchically delineate symptoms and impacts of disease from “Most bothersome” to “Not present,” and to …

Rapidly Declining Body Size In An Insectivorous Bat Is Associated With Increased Precipitation And Decreased Survival, Christina M. Davy, Valerie Von Zuben, Pila M. Kukka, Brian D. Gerber, Brian G. Slough, Thomas S. Jung

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Reduced food availability is implicated in declines in avian aerial insectivores, but the effect of nutritional stress on mammalian aerial insectivores is unclear. Unlike birds, insectivorous bats provision their young through lactation, which might protect nursing juveniles when prey availability is low but could increase the energetic burden on lactating females. We analyzed a 15-year capture–mark–recapture data set from 5312 individual little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) captured at 11 maternity colonies in northwestern Canada, to test the hypothesis that nutritional stress is impacting these mammalian aerial insectivores. We used long-bone (forearm [FA]) length as a proxy for relative access to …

Operationalizing Resilience Planning, Theory, And Practice: Insights From U.S. Seaports, Ellis Kalaidjian, Austin Becker, Sandra Pinel

Marine Affairs Faculty Publications

Academics and practitioners advocate climate change resilience planning to guide seaport management, business continuity planning, capital improvements, and so forth. Yet, questions of whether resilience planning interventions influence seaports' planning cultures and result in better prepared organizations remain underexplored. Through 10 cases of U.S. seaport resilience planning, this research explored the benefits and challenges of resilience planning and whether such efforts can enhance the adaptive capacity of a complex, multi-layered system such as a seaport. Results suggested that resilience planning interventions enhanced, inter alia, seaports' social capital with their internal and external stakeholders, and that seaports frequently identified and pursued …

Financial Capability: A Systematic Conceptual Review, Extension, And Synthesis, Jing Jian Xiao, Jin Huang, Kirti Goyal, Satish Kumar

Human Development and Family Science Faculty Publications

Purpose – This study aims to examine the literature on consumer financial capability. By analyzing the research trends, theories, definitions and themes, the literature on financial capability is synthesized, and agenda for future research is suggested. A framework is presented that portrays the antecedents as well as the outcomes of financial capability and their interlinkages.

Design/methodology/approach – Following a systematic approach, the review is based on 215 articles published during January 2007 and–March 2022, retrieved from Scopus. It presents the definitions and theories of financial capability, publication trends, influential articles, prominent authors, prolific journals and countries publishing on financial capability. …

Site-Based Assessment Of Oyster Shellfisheries And Associated Bio-Physical Conditions In Ghana And The Gambia, E. O. Chuku, I. Okyere, J. Adotey, S. Abrokwah, E. Effah, R. Adade, D. W. Aheto

Coastal Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Pharmacist-Administered Influenza Vaccination In Children And Corresponding Regulations, Dana M. Gates, A. Cohen, Kelly Orr, Aisling R. Caffrey

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

In our retrospective cohort study, we evaluated trends in pharmacist-administered pediatric influenza vaccination rates in the United States and corresponding state-level pharmacist pediatric vaccination authorization models, including minimum age requirements, vaccination protocols, and/or prescription requirements. An administrative health claims database was used to capture influenza vaccinations in children less than 18 years old with 1 year of continuous enrollment and joinpoint regression was used to assess trends. Of the 3,937,376 pediatric influenza vaccinations identified over the study period, only 3.2% were pharmacist-administered (87.7% pediatrician offices, 2.3% convenience care clinics, 0.8% emergency care, and 6.0% other locations). Pharmacist-administered pediatric influenza vaccination …

A Comprehensive Comparison Of Machine Learning And Feature Selection Methods For Maize Biomass Estimation Using Sentinel-1 Sar, Sentinel-2 Vegetation Indices, And Biophysical Variables, Chi Xu, Yanling Ding, Xingming Zheng, Yeqiao Wang, Rui Zhang, Hongyan Zhang, Zewen Dai, Qiaoyun Xie

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Rapid and accurate estimation of maize biomass is critical for predicting crop productivity. The launched Sentinel-1 (S-1) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Sentinel-2 (S-2) missions offer a new opportunity to map biomass. The selection of appropriate response variables is crucial for improving the accuracy of biomass estimation. We developed models from SAR polarization indices, vegetation indices (VIs), and biophysical variables (BPVs) based on gaussian process regression (GPR) and random forest (RF) with feature optimization to retrieve maize biomass in Changchun, Jilin province, Northeastern China. Three new predictors from each type of remote sensing data were proposed based on the correlations …

Exploring The Effects Of Traditional Media, Social Media, And Foreign Media On Hierarchical Levels Of Political Trust In China, Ping Xu, Yinjiao Ye, Mingxin Zhang

Political Science Faculty Publications

Although there is a consensus that mass media play an important role in the rise and fall of political trust in Western democracies, existing research on media use and political trust in China achieved relatively inconclusive findings. By using two surveys conducted in China in 2013 and 2018, we examine the effects of media use, including traditional media, social media, and foreign media, on Chinese citizens’ trust in their central and local governments. Our research shows that traditional media usage such as watching TV and reading newspapers is positively associated with citizens’ trust in the central government but is not …

Reconstruction And Analysis Of Thermodynamically Constrained Models Reveal Metabolic Responses Of A Deep-Sea Bacterium To Temperature Perturbations, Keith Dufault-Thompson, Chang Nie, Huahua Jian, Fengping Wang, Ying Zhang

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Microbial acclimation to different temperature conditions can involve broad changes in cell composition and metabolic efficiency. A systems-level view of these metabolic responses in nonmesophilic organisms, however, is currently missing. In this study, thermodynamically constrained genome-scale models were applied to simulate the metabolic responses of a deep-sea psychrophilic bacterium, Shewanella psychrophila WP2, under suboptimal (4°C), optimal (15°C), and supraoptimal (20°C) growth temperatures. The models were calibrated with experimentally determined growth rates of WP2. Gibbs free energy change of reactions (DrG9), metabolic fluxes, and metabolite concentrations were predicted using random simulations to characterize temperature-dependent changes in the metabolism. The modeling revealed …

Acquisitions Unit Annual Report 2021-2022, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Annual Report of the Acquisitions Unit, University Libraries, University of Rhode Island for FY2022. Covers personnel, work flow, special projects, and serial, monograph, and e-resource acquisitions. Supplemental files include data on library materials expenditures by a number of variables as well as important working documents from the year.

Field Validation Of A Novel Passive Sampler For Dissolved Pfas In Surface Waters, Christine Gardiner, Anna Robuck, Jitka Becanova, Mark Cantwell, Sarit Kaserzon, David Katz, Jochen Mueller, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Numerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of growing concern worldwide due to their ubiquitous presence, bioaccumulation and adverse effects. Surface waters in the United States have displayed elevated concentrations of PFAS, but so far discrete water sampling has been the commonly applied sampling approach. In the present study we field-tested a novel integrative passive sampler, a microporous polyethylene tube, and derived sampling rates (R_s) for nine PFAS in surface waters. Three sampling campaigns were conducted, deploying polyethylene tube passive samplers in the effluent of two wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and across Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island, …

Analysis Of Definitions Of Media Literacy, Jim Potter

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This study provides an analysis of how the term “media literacy” has been defined by authors of articles published in the Journal of Media Literacy Education. It generates answers to two questions: (1) To what extent does there appear to be a shared meaning for the term “media literacy” across authors who publish articles on this topic, and (2) When authors cite definitions of media literacy, which sources do they use most often? The findings of this content analysis reveal that there are a great many definitions being used for media literacy as well as a large number of …

Immigration, Policy Exclusion, And State-Level Inequality In Tanf Usage, Ping Xu, Ling Zhu

Political Science Faculty Publications

The relationship between immigration and welfare provision is at the heart of welfare politics research. While prior studies have examined how immigration affects welfare generosity, less is known about the consequences of exclusive welfare policies and immigration on social inequality. In this paper, by using TANF as the policy context, we offer a systematic examination of how immigration combined with state immigrant welfare policies affect inequality in welfare usage between citizens and immigrants. Using data across the fifty American states from 2001 to 2016, we find evidence that exclusive state immigrant TANF policies are a key source of decreased immigrant …

Distinctive Collections Sexennial Report, 2016-2022, Karen Walton Morse

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Report of the Distinctive Collections Unit (formerly known as Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, University of Rhode Island covering 2016-2022. Covers history and mission of the unit, staffing, accomplishments, and future goals.

E-Participation In Contemporary China: A Comparison With Conventional Offline Participation, Ping Xu, Kristin Johnson, Ashlea Rundlett

Political Science Faculty Publications

Drawing on the resource theory of political participation, we compare the determinants of Internet-based e-participation and conventional offline political participation in China by employing data from an original survey conducted in 2013. We find that e-government and other online platforms provide more equal participation opportunities to Chinese citizens traditionally lacking political resources. Although non-party members and non-elites are disadvantaged in conventional offline participation, they are not in e-participation, especially through using e-government systems. Internet/computer access and Internet skills push individuals away from conventional offline participation, and frequent social media users are more likely to engage in e-participation. Taken together, these …

Medford: A Human And Machine Readable Metadata Markup Language, Polina Shpilker, John Freeman, Hailey Mckelvie, Jill Ashey, Jay-Miguel Fonticella, Hollie Putnam, Jane Greenberg, Lenore J. Cowen, Alva Couch, Noah M. Daniels

Computer Science and Statistics Faculty Publications

Reproducibility of research is essential for science. However, in the way modern computational biology research is done, it is easy to lose track of small, but extremely critical, details. Key details, such as the specific version of a software used or iteration of a genome can easily be lost in the shuffle, or perhaps not noted at all. Much work is being done on the database and storage side of things, ensuring that there exists a space to store experiment-specific details, but current mechanisms for recording details are cumbersome for scientists to use. We propose a new metadata description language, …