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Shifting Shapes: Transnational Tactics Of The Authoritarian Right In Brazil And Russia, Erin Katherine Krafft, Caroline De Souza

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

Global right-wing anti-gender movements have developed a transnational pattern in their uses of language as a means of subjugation and of control, and this article examines manifestations of this pattern in two specific states: Brazil and Russia. By exploring the anti-gender languaging, rhetoric, and legislation advanced by Jair Bolsonaro (President of Brazil 2019–2022) and Vladimir Putin (President of Russia 2000–2008 and 2012 to the present) and their supporters, we find that, in both contexts, anti-gender campaigns are reactions to and also drivers for increasingly dramatic political and social conflicts, and in each case, anti-gender ideologies are embedded in larger right-wing …

Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas) Create Facial Displays During Social Interactions By Changing The Shape Of Their Melons, Justin T. Richard, Isabelle Pellegrini, Rachael Levine

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Beluga whales are considered unique among odontocetes in their ability to visibly alter the appearance of their head by changing the shape of the melon, but only anecdotal observations are available to evaluate the use or potential function of these melon shapes. This study of belugas in professionally managed care aimed to establish an ethogram for the repertoire of categorizable melon shapes and then evaluate their potential function as intentional communication signals by determining if they were produced and elaborated during social interactions of varying behavioral contexts while in the line of sight of a recipient. Five different melon shapes …

Behavioral Interactions And Mate Compatibility Influence The Reproductive Success Of New England Cottontails (Sylvilagus Transitionalis) In A Conservation Breeding Program, Hannah Petit, Louis Perrotti, Justin T. Richard

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Wild populations of New England cottontails (NECs, Sylvilagus transitionalis) are declining and occupy a small proportion of their historic range. To conserve this species, wild-caught cottontails participate in a reintroduction breeding program. To increase the program’s productivity, this study described breeding behavior in pairings with (n = 3 pairings) and without (n = 9 pairings) reproductive success. Females were paired with two males consecutively and behaviors were recorded using 24 h continuous video footage. Activity peaked between 19:00 and 06:00. Copulation was only observed in successful pairings, and the gestation period was 31 days. Successful pairings had …

Enhancing Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Drobachiensis) Production Toward Sustainability, Tara Plee

Open Access Dissertations

The green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) fishery was once prosperous in the Gulf of Maine, peaking in the 1980s and early 1990s. However, since the early 1990s, the fishery has dramatically declined despite having harvesting restrictions. To sustain the industry, production through aquaculture is necessary, but hatchery production methods are not yet optimized, with settlement success and post-settlement survival as low as 1-5%, and the spatial scale for field grow-out may be limited in some regions due to climate change. Additionally, there are knowledge gaps in fishery management regarding whether oversized S. droebachiensis help sustain natural stocks. This …

Using Bird Odor To Deter Mammalian Predators From Depredating Shorebird Nests, Nicole D. Defelice

Open Access Master's Theses

Managing for populations of nesting piping plovers (Charadruis melodus) along the Atlantic coast has always been a challenge for state, federal, and conservation organizations. Though piping plovers face numerous threats, such as human disturbance and habitat degradation, controlling nest predators remain a challenge. In this study, we evaluated a non-lethal technique to deter mammalian predators from disturbing and predating shorebird nests by deploying chemically-extracted bird odors in areas where piping plovers historically nest, with the idea that predators will key in on the scents, realize there is no “food reward” associated with the scent, and then lose interest …

Genotypic And Phenotypic Analysis Of Crassostrea Virginica Populations For Use In Aquaculture, Angel Carrasquillo

Open Access Master's Theses

Increased production of eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) will be needed to meet consumer demand for seafood. To meet this demand for seafood in the face of disease and climate change, selective breeding has been proposed as a solution. This study evaluated the phenotypic traits of survival, growth, yield and disease acquisition of four wild eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations and two commercial lines from the Northeastern US at three grow-out sites in Rhode Island. We also investigated the genetic parameters of genetic difference between subpopulations (F_ST), inbreeding, percent of polymorphic loci, and heterozygosity in …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of O-Glcnacylation And Hypoxia On Estradiol Production By Bovine Granulosa Cells, Lauren Decastro

Open Access Master's Theses

The global population is on the rise putting pressure on the agricultural industry to increase production and increase the global food supply. The dairy industry has responded to this pressure by genetically selecting for higher milk production. This increase in production has coincided with a decline in fertility among dairy cows, due in part to a loss of reproductive cyclicity. Ovarian cyclicity and, in turn, reproductive cyclicity, is dependent upon proper development of ovarian follicles and the function of the cells that comprise the follicle and support the oocyte. One of these cell types is the granulosa cell. Granulosa cells …

Heat Transfer Mechanisms In Gold Nanoparticles Studied Via Pump-Probe Measurements, Ludovica Palazzo

Open Access Master's Theses

The investigation of gold nanoparticle thin films for cancer therapy is a topic of significant interest in the scientific community. A comprehensive examination of their heat transfer properties is crucial to explore their potential applications in materials science and medicine. This study focuses on measuring and analyzing the heat transfer properties of gold nanorod thin films utilized in cancer therapy, with a specific focus on the effective electron-phonon coupling factor. The thin film was realized through the spin coating of a gold nanorod solution onto a hydrogel platform to ensure adherence between the solution and the glass coverslip. Using pump-probe …

Migratory Patterns Of Sand Tiger Sharks (Carcharias Taurus) Along The Us East Coast, Bethany Deloof

Open Access Master's Theses

Sand tigers (Carcharias taurus) are often taken as bycatch in commercial fisheries and captured by recreational anglers despite being prohibited. They also have one of the lowest rates of reproduction among elasmobranchs, producing two offspring every two or three years. These traits have generated concern about the sustainability of sand tiger populations, both globally and along the US East Coast, and interest in characterizing movements and essential habitat for this species. A total of 396 sand tigers, ranging from 78 - 246 cm fork length and 100.33 - 285 cm total length, were tagged with acoustic transmitters from …

Population Characteristics Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) In Rhode Island Coastal Waters, Katherine E. Rodrigue

Open Access Master's Theses

The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is an emblematic species for much of the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts, supporting vital fisheries in these areas. Evidence has shown that many species, including blue crabs, are undergoing northward shifting distributions. This has resulted in speculation about an increasing blue crab population and its capability to support a viable fishery in Rhode Island (USA) coastal waters. Currently, the blue crab is an unassessed species in Rhode Island, and few studies have focused on their population dynamics in the northeast region.

In the first manuscript of this thesis, a Bayesian hierarchical modeling method …

Stormwater Management Within Greenwich Bay Rhode Island, Vincent Deingeniis

Open Access Master's Theses

Stormwater runoff from municipalities bordering Greenwich Bay degrades the water quality and potentially the health of stakeholders. Monitoring bay water and effluent from sewage treatment plants is used to identify where management efforts need to be directed. Hypoxic water conditions and high concentrations of fecal coliform are the most pressing issues within Greenwich Bay. Observed concentrations of fecal coliform in shallow embayment’s within the northern reaches of Greenwich Bay are often unsafe for the consumption of shellfish and unsafe for primary contact through swimming. Regional precipitation and discharge from a major river through statistical analysis suggest that the likelihood of …

Testing The Ontogenetic Migration Hypothesis In The Emerging Rhode Island Jonah Crab (Cancer Borealis) Fishery Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Lindsay Agvent

Open Access Master's Theses

In southern New England, rapid ocean warming over the past two decades has caused substantial redistributions of fishes, invertebrates, and the fisheries they support. The rapid emergence of the warm water-tolerant Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) fishery, once discarded as bycatch from the now declining lobster fishery, illustrates a prime example of climate-adaptive shifts in southern New England fisheries. However, limited data exist on the basic life history of Jonah crab, despite their growing economic and societal value. This lack of knowledge hinders ocean management capacity to meet multiple ecological, economic, and socio-cultural goals of sustainable harvest. Off the …

Benthic Landers In Oceanography – The Design And Justification Of A Multi-Use Novel Benthic Lander System, David M. Nadeau

Open Access Master's Theses

Benthic lander systems can empower researchers with access to long-term high-resolution data streams in challenging to access marine environments. In recent years, landers have emerged as key components for oceanographic research, particularly in the deep ocean due to their ability to work autonomously over long periods. However, these systems are expensive and complex, requiring specialized equipment and knowledge to design, develop, deploy, and recover that reduces broad accessibility to ocean data. Lightweight, cost effective, and multi-use benthic lander systems have the potential to provide economical platforms that reduce logistical barriers to support the next generation of oceanographic research. This project …

Examining The Narratives, Misinformation, And Delay Tactics In Newspaper Coverage Of Offshore Wind Development In Relation To Whale Strandings On The East Coast Of The United States, Rafeed Hussain

Open Access Master's Theses

The United States set a goal to develop 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 as an ocean-based method to decarbonize the energy grid to combat climate change (The White House, 2021). The problem is that certain opposition groups are adopting delay and misinformation strategies to dissuade offshore wind development (Dunlap & Brulle, 2020; Supran & Oreskes, 2021; Climate and Development Lab, 2023; Slevin et al., 2023) by conflating actual environmental impacts (BOEM & NOAA Fisheries, 2024) with an unusual mortality event of North Atlantic Right Whales and humpback whales on the East Coast of the United States …

Effects Of Sea Level Rise And Anthropogenic Forcings On Salt Marsh Persistence In Upper Narragansett Bay, Ri, Dasan L. Mcelroy

Open Access Master's Theses

Salt marshes provide a wide range of ecological services to the coastal areas they inhabit, but today, salt marshes around the world are increasingly threatened by shoreline development, shoreline erosion, and submergence associated with accelerating sea level rise (SLR). Due to these threats, researchers and coastal managers have become more concerned about the fate of salt marsh systems. This study is focused on the past, present and future of salt marsh units in the upper Narragansett Bay, specifically near Providence, RI. Shoreline and elevation changes were analyzed using available aerial imagery and GPS elevation profiles, as well as accumulation rates …

Explaining The Similarities Between Anti-Plastic Pollution Ordinances In Rhode Island Towns, Alyssa Parise

Open Access Master's Theses

Marine plastic pollution is a serious and escalating issue. In response, many towns and cities in Rhode Island have created ordinances to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in our waters and land. These ordinances are surprisingly similar, even though towns have distinct cultures and demographics. What factors explain the similarities and differences between these ordinances? What can those factors tell us about future expansion and adoption of anti-plastic pollution ordinances across the state? This thesis analyzes local ordinances and meeting minutes to generate questions for supplementary interviews with town/city council members. The research is framed by theories of local …

Ancient Egyptian Textiles: Fact Or Fiction? An Investigation Of Textile Fragments With Uncertain Provenance In The University Of Rhode Island's Historic Textile And Costume Collection, Payton Becker

Open Access Master's Theses

An artifact accessioned into a museum or collection is accepted based on its compatibility with their mission (Barker, 2003). The University of Rhode Island’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection’s (URI’s HTCC) mission focuses on supporting teaching, research, and exhibition (URI, n.d.). To fulfill this mission, artifacts should be authenticated, interpreted, and mounted for display. A 2011 donation of ancient Egyptian textile fragments has yet to be properly prepared, making them incapable of fulfilling the HTCC’s mission. The purpose of this multimethod case study will be to analyze, authenticate, and interpret these textiles. This study needs to be completed to determine …

Rcs-Slam: Range Of Communication Swarm Slam, Adam J. Hoburg

Open Access Master's Theses

This work presents Range of Communication Swarm SLAM (RCS-SLAM) as a novel approach to simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) that is better suited for swarm robotic systems. RCS-SLAM introduces a novel SLAM front-end that leverages the effective range of an inter-robot communication medium to add inequality constraints between nodes in a pose graph whenever two robots communicate or relay communications. The centralized SLAM back-end then converts the inequality constrained pose graph into an unconstrained optimization problem using the penalty method to enforce the maximum possible range between communicating nodes. Converting to an unconstrained problem allows for the estimate to optimized …

Cross-Laminated Timber For Sustainable Construction - Long-Term Performance And Environmental Impacts, Arthiha Tharmrasan

Open Access Master's Theses

As concerns about climate change and its extensive impacts continue to grow, the construction industry has become focus of attention due to its substantial role in contributing to carbon dioxide emissions and resource depletion. This research thesis delves into the potential of timber structures, particularly cross-laminated timber (CLT), to offer sustainable alternatives to traditional construction materials. The study is structured into two main parts: an examination of the long-term performance of CLT and an evaluation of its environmental impacts through life cycle assessment (LCA).

The initial section of the study focuses on the durability and mechanical integrity of CLT structures, …

Evaluation Of Environmentally Friendly Products For Use Against Ixodes Scapularis And Amblyomma Americanum Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), Chantal Sengsourinho

Open Access Master's Theses

Ticks are vectors of diseases and are a significant public health concern in the United States. Over the last several decades, two medically important species, the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) have rapidly expanded their geographic ranges. As the number of ticks increase, so does the chance for disease incidence - especially in areas where ticks were not previously present. Together, these two species carry multiple pathogens that can cause serious diseases including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and several viral infections.

One of the most common methods for preventing …

Enhancing Forest Monitoring And Management In Southern New England Through Gis Analysis, Remote Sensing, And Predictive Models: Assessing Tree Mortality And Enhancing Infrastructure Resilience, Liubov Dumarevskaya

Open Access Dissertations

Forests have immense economic value, contributing to industries such as timber production, nontimber forest products, and ecotourism (Wang et al., 2022). Additionally, forest ecosystems play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by acting as carbon sinks (Yingchun et al., 2012). However, forests also pose hazards to humans and infrastructure. Fallen trees, limbs, and contact of tree branches with power lines create numerous hazards to public safety, property damage, and substantial economic losses from power outages. Studies report that the total cost of storm-related power outages in the United States range from $20-150 billion annually (Campbell et al., 2021; Swaminathan …

Considerations And Challenges In Support Of Science And Communication Of Fish Consumption Advisories For Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Jonathan Michael Petali, Erin L. Pulster, Christopher Mccarthy, Heidi M. Pickard, Elsie M. Sunderland, Jacqueline Bangma, Courtney C. Carignan, Anna Robuck, Kathryn A. Crawford, Megan E. Romano, Rainer Lohmann, Katherine Von Stackelburg

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Federal, state, tribal, or local entities in the United States issue fish consumption advisories (FCAs) as guidance for safer consumption of locally caught fish containing contaminants. Fish consumption advisories have been developed for commonly detected compounds such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. The existing national guidance does not specifically address the unique challenges associated with bioaccumulation and consumption risk related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As a result, several states have derived their own PFAS-related consumption guidelines, many of which focus on one frequently detected PFAS, known as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). However, there can be significant variation between …

Bioconcentration Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances And Precursors In Fathead Minnow Tissues Environmentally Exposed To Aqueous Film-Forming Foam–Contaminated Waters, Nicholas I. Hill, Jitka Becanova, Simon Vojta, Larry A. Barber, Denis R. Leblanc, Alan M. Vajda, Heidi M. Pickard, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been associated with toxicity in wildlife and negative health effects in humans. Decades of fire training activity at Joint Base Cape Cod (MA, USA) incorporated the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which resulted in long-term PFAS contamination of sediments, groundwater, and hydrologically connected surface waters. To explore the bioconcentration potential of PFAS in complex environmental mixtures, a mobile laboratory was established to evaluate the bioconcentration of PFAS from AFFF-impacted groundwater by flow-through design. Fathead minnows (n = 24) were exposed to PFAS in groundwater over a 21-day period and tissue-specific …

Online Video-Mediated Compassion Training Program For Mental Health And Well-Being Of University Students, Thupten Tendhar, Melissa Ann Marcotte, Paul Bueno De Mesquita, Manob Jyoti Saikia

Political Science Faculty Publications

College students experiencing psychological distress have significantly greater negative emotions than students who practice compassionate thinking. We have developed Eight Steps to Great Compassion (ESGC), an innovative brief and no-cost online video training program about how to increase compassion among busy and young adult university students. To examine the effectiveness and benefits of the ESGC, a single-group pre-test–post-test quantitative design with undergraduate university students (N = 92; M_age = 20.39) evaluated its effects. The results from the post-test showed that the ESGC had a significant positive impact on increased feelings of compassion towards oneself, compassion for others, and the …

Mechanistic Approach To Understanding Adverse Liver Outcomes Related To Pfas Exposure In Neonatal And Adult Mice, Emily Kaye

Open Access Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a unique class of over 15,000 manmade chemicals that are still widely used in manufacturing and are resistant to degradation. Accumulation in the environment and general population has been associated with an array of adverse health outcomes. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) specifically have been associated with markers of liver injury, high serum cholesterol, thyroid disease, low fetal birth weight, suppressed vaccine response, and cancer. Exposure to PFAS is commonly investigated individually, however, humans are exposed to a multitude of PFAS daily. Additionally, with the pervasive nature of these …

Effects Of Western Diet Or Exercise Exposure In A Novel Rat Model Of Late-Onset Alzheimer’S Disease, Jennifer M. Mattar

Open Access Dissertations

Sporadic, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) accounts for a staggering 98% of cases yet does not arise from a single genetic mutation. Rather, an extensive body of research has revealed that LOAD is likely the result of complex interactions between genetics and several lifestyle factors. There exists a substantial gap in understanding the mechanisms behind LOAD development and the impacts of lifestyle on disease progression. Enhanced rodent models may help elucidate mechanisms by which LOAD develops. This longitudinal study introduces a novel rat model of LOAD (CrAβ), created using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to express humanized Aβ. The effects of a …

Design And Application Of Ph Sensitive Peptides For Fluorescence Imaging And Therapy Of Tumors, Michael Dupont

Open Access Dissertations

The most common cancer treatments are chemotherapy and radiation therapy which include an untargeted delivery of toxic molecules, resulting in systemic effects and reduction in patient comfort. This leads to research for cancer treatments that are targeted and will reduce the severity of systemic effects on patients. Tumor resection surgery also has its own complications relating to not having real time confirmation of tumor geometry and position. pHLIP peptide targets acidity which is a characteristic of most cancer lines due to the Warburg effect, along with targeting tumor associated macrophages, cancer associated fibroblasts, and myeloid derives suppresser cells that are …

Developing Effective Physical And Chemical Adjuvants For Influenza And Tumor Vaccines, Yibo Li

Open Access Dissertations

An adjuvant is a pharmacological substance added to a vaccine to enhance the intensity, breadth and endurance of the immune responses. Traditional discovery and development of vaccine adjuvants mainly based on empirical experiences have been slow, but the situation has improved in the past two decades as more molecular mechanisms of vaccine adjuvants were revealed. Now it has been widely recognized that most adjuvants activate innate immune system by targeting pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as toll-like receptors (TLRs) to enhance adaptive immune responses. PRRs are proteins expressed mainly on innate immune cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages, …

From Woke-Washing To Authentic Brand Activism: Essays On Its Impact On Consumer Identity, Brand Morality And Brand Responses, Priscilla Yamilet Peña

Open Access Dissertations

Brand activism, in which a brand publicly takes a political or social justice stance, has gained momentum, positioning brands as agents of societal change. However, accusations of inauthentic brand activism or "woke washing" present a significant challenge. Understanding the basis for these accusations and their effects on consumer identity, particularly among stigmatized groups, requires further exploration. This dissertation aims to shed light on consumers' perspectives of inauthentic brand activism and proposes effective brand messaging strategies. The first manuscript explores consumer accusations of woke-washing using the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), uncovering emerging themes, and assessing the damage to identity within …

Design, Simulation, And Rapid Prototyping Of Soft Robotic Actuators For Deep-Sea Applications, Alexander Yin

Open Access Dissertations

A new design and rapid prototyping approach for hydraulic soft actuators was developed and used to create bio-inspired underwater soft actuators that were tested and applied in the field. Underwater soft-bodied animals demonstrate complex approaches to move around the ocean and sophisticated methods of physically interacting with other organism and objects. Studying the functional design and kinematics of these animals can provide insight and solutions for complex tasks and locomotion, and soft robotics provides pathways to create complex actuators that imitate or are inspired by these animals. However, creating a complex soft actuator is currently an arduous and time-consuming process …