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Acrp Design Competition -- Eagle Eye, Benjamin Travelyn, Grace Sanita, Scott Liguori, Julian Andriulli

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This report outlines the concept generation, design, testing, and implementation process of a drone-based automated inspection system. This project was completed for submission in the ACRP Design Competition and for the University of Rhode Island Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Course. Throughout the course of the year the team was sponsored by their Professor and faculty advisor, Dr. Nassersharif, and worked closely with their airport sponsor, the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.

Capstone Design Team 11 was chosen to participate in the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) National Design Competition. The aim is to plan, design and create innovative approaches to resolve …

Defender Automatedmedia Feeder System, Patrick Marie, Nathan Bannon, Jimmy Dunwoody, Andrew Anderson

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

Team Defender was tasked under the sponsorship of Neptune Benson to design a device capable of automating the transfer of their filtration media of choice, perlite, from the packaging into their varying Defender ®Regenerative Filtration system models. The current process used for this media transfer is time consuming, inefficient, labor intensive, and leads to overexposure to the perlite media.

There were a multitude of parameters that needed to be considered during the concept generation of this particular design in order to properly solve the task at hand. In addition to the aforementioned automation of the feed process and inherent compatibility …

Just Like Us: Elizabeth Kendall’S Imperfect Quest For Equality, Kate Rose

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This essay analyzes United States academic Elizabeth Kendall’s 1913 travelogue A Wayfarer in China through the lenses of gender and criticism of imperialism. In China, Kendall sought to transcend social norms while reflecting empathetically, though sometimes contradictorily, on the lives of the people she encountered. In her travelogue, Kendall is exploring China’s wild areas but also the metaphysical, untamed space beyond conventions in a quest for gender equality and cultural autonomy. She also defends Chinese immigrants in the US at a time of overwhelming anti-Asian prejudice.

Antimicrobial Textiles For Long Duration Space Flight, Keerthi Jagadeesan

Major Papers by TMD Master of Science Students

The review that follows was performed with the objective of contributing to the development, methodology and evaluation analysis of developing antimicrobial textiles for long duration space flight (LDSF) of which there has been little study. This is of much importance as the study of microbiomes in space travel is still limited and there are no mechanisms available for efficiently washing clothes during space travel. The current launch costs for space travel are high (approx. $10,000 per pound) so the weight of clothes needs to be carefully allocated for at least three years of travel to mars. This study is a …

Book Review: Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation By Renate Klein, Kate Rose

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Designing Water Systems For Climate Change: A Case Study In Cumayasa, Dominican Republic, Kayla R. Kurtz

Open Access Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to design a climate-ready drinking water system for a newly constructed school in Cumayasa, Dominican Republic while developing components of a Community Climate Change Strategy (CCCS). The goal of the CCCS is to bridge the gap between macro-scale climate change science and drinking water system development at the community level.

In this proposed CCCS, “no-regrets” and “low-regrets” decision-making is applied to water system design for small, rural or peri-urban communities. The CCCS was designed to be used in all phases of a project’s lifecycle, with adaptation actions corresponding to each phase of the project …

Evaluating The Social And Technological Benefits Of An Intergenerational Program For Older Adults, Itza Serrano

Open Access Master's Theses

Intergenerational programs are on the rise. While studies have shown benefits to participation in these programs, most of the research has been focused on students and less on older adult outcomes (see Andreoletti & Howard, 2016 for a review). Currently, the University of Rhode Island (URI) is host to the Engaging Generations: Cyber-Seniors Program, which connects older adults with undergraduate technology mentors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of intergenerational programming participation for older adults related to social isolation, loneliness, social engagement, and digital competency, as measured by the pre/post surveys given to participants. SPSS software …

Facilitated Excretion Of Gold Nanoparticles By Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles Through The Atp7b Transporter, Xiaodong Wang

Open Access Dissertations

Scientific areas have utilized the exclusive qualities of nanomaterials for medicine, diagnostics, drug delivery, tissue engineering and environmental protection. Inorganic metal nanoparticles such as gold and copper have been widely studied in the past decades. Due to the strong and tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR), nanostructures including nanoshells, nanorods, nanocages, and hollow nanospheres exhibit strong optical absorption at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths (650–900 nm), resulting in resonance and transfer of thermal energies to the surrounding tissue to raise the temperature. The absorbance of NIR light is desirable because it minimizes thermal injury to normal tissues while providing optimal light penetration. The …

Attraction And Repulsion Of Mobile Wild Organisms To Finfish And Shellfish Aquaculture: A Review, Myriam D. Callier, Carrie J. Byron, David A. Bengtson, Peter J. Cranford, Stephen F. Cross, Ulfert Focken, Erik Petersson, Henrice M. Jansen, Pauline Kamermans, Anders Kiessling, Thomas Landry, Francis O'Beirn, Erik Petersson, Robert B. Rheault, Ølvind Strand, Kristina Sundell, Terje Svåsand, Gary H. Wikfors, Christopher W. Mckindsey

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Knowledge of aquaculture–environment interactions is essential for the development of a sustainable aquaculture industry and efficient marine spatial planning. The effects of fish and shellfish farming on sessile wild populations, particularly infauna, have been studied intensively. Mobile fauna, including crustaceans, fish, birds and marine mammals, also interact with aquaculture operations, but the interactions are more complex and these animals may be attracted to (attraction) or show an aversion to (repulsion) farm operations with various degrees of effects. This review outlines the main mechanisms and effects of attraction and repulsion of wild animals to/from marine finfish cage and bivalve aquaculture, with …

Value Chain Improvements In Small-Scale Fisheries: Case Studies From West Africa, Kristine Beran

Open Access Dissertations

Seafood is one of the most traded food commodities in the world by value. Small-scale fisheries contribute significantly to the global production and supply of seafood. Yet, many small-scale fisheries in developing countries fail to maximize value of seafood products due to post-harvest loss, production, distribution, and marketing challenges. The purpose of this study is to examine how post-harvest innovations might address some of these challenges, whom they benefit along the fisheries value chain, and factors that influence adoption of innovations through two case studies in West Africa.

A multi-methods approach was used to collect extensive quantitative and qualitative data …

Increasing Critical Thinking In Personal Decision Making- A Contextual Framework For College Students, Jade A. White

Open Access Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: The need for agricultural science students to graduate from institutions of higher education with strong critical thinking skills is expressed by both educators and employers to respond to the need for strong problem-solving, decision making, and analytic skills in the 21st century. To prepare students for the changing workforce evidence-based instructional practices, such as problem-based learning, need to be implemented into college courses to increase critical thinking skills. However, there are many barriers associated with implementing these teaching practices such as time barriers, large classes, and the challenge of measuring outputs related to critical thinking. …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Performance, Habitat Selection, And Persistence Of Anolis Lizards, Andrew Clark Battles

Open Access Dissertations

Urbanization is a global change phenomenon that is increasing in frequency and magnitude worldwide. As a greater proportion of the human population resides in urban areas, cities must grow, therefore exposing an increasing number of species to human-modified habitat. While some species become extirpated when their habitat is urbanized, others persist and even spread throughout cities. Furthermore, human activity increases the rates of species invasions around the world, and many introductions occur in urban areas. The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the consequences of some major environmental changes caused by urbanization for non-human urban dwellers. Specifically, I measure …

Isolation And Identification Of Probiotic Bacteria For The Management Of Epizootic Shell Disease, Grace Underwood

Open Access Master's Theses

Epizootic shell disease (ESD) is an emerging disease in the American lobster (Homarus americanus) characterized by lesions, mainly on the carapace. The diseased appearance of the shell due to the lesions has had significant negative impact upon the lobster fisheries in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, since fishers are not able to sell affected lobsters to the more lucrative live market. ESD lesions are different from other shell diseases found in the American lobster populations because they are due to a poly-microbial infection that degrades the epicuticle layer, while the pillars of the chitin matrix remain …

Annual Cycle Phenology And Winter Habitat Selection Of White-Winged Scoters In Eastern North America, Dustin E. Meattey

Open Access Master's Theses

Concern over declining populations of several North American sea duck species has led to research addressing how environmental and anthropogenic factors in various stages of the annual cycle affect survival, habitat use, site fidelity, and migratory strategies. Southern New England provides key wintering habitat for White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca). This area has also pioneered the development of offshore wind energy in North America. I deployed implanted satellite transmitters in 52 adult female White-winged Scoters captured during the wintering period in southern New England, and on a molting area in the St. Lawrence River estuary in Quebec between 2015 …

Early Successional Forest Birds And The Effects Of Habitat Management In Different Landscapes, Stephen J. Brenner

Open Access Master's Theses

Early successional forests are a rare and declining forest type in the Northeastern U.S., and active management is required in order to maintain this habitat for the many declining bird populations that inhabit these areas. Studies on the movements, spatial ecology, and habitat selection of declining species of interest within newly created habitats offer opportunities to assess the success of management, and inform future management decisions and practices. Yet the impact of management may be limited by the placement of newly formed habitat within a larger landscape context. I investigated the impact of landscape and management context on the spatial …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Behaviors To Dietary Management Of Parkinson’S Disease, Leah Marie Hurley

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Levodopa is the most commonly used medication to improve motor sequelae in persons with PD (PwPD). However, levodopa and dietary protein compete for absorption in the gut and blood brain barrier. Dietary proteins are essential for growth and physical functioning, which generally deteriorate with PD progression. Informal caregivers (ICG) often assist PwPD with meal and medication management, but have reported information deficits regarding dietary and medication management for PwPD.

Objective: To obtain qualitative information related to dietary knowledge and attitudes, and quantitative data on dietary behaviors from PwPD and their ICG.

Methods: Cross-sectional, mixed-methods study. A …

The Impact Of Fisheries Management On Coral Reef Fish Communities And Life-History Characteristics, Diky Suganda

Open Access Master's Theses

Indonesia’s coral reefs support over half of all small-scale fishers globally and are thus an important economic and sociocultural resource. These coral reef fisheries, however, are threatened from a variety of stressors including overexploitation. No-take fisheries closures are thought to be a suitable management strategy in Indonesia that provide a refuge for fish species with different ecological and life-history characteristics. While examining such indicators is increasingly important to determine management efficacy, few have done so in Indonesia. I investigate community ecological and life-history responses to no-take fisheries closures using abundance data from 2009-2015 in three regions across Indonesia’s Sunda Banda …

Design Of A Tendon Driven Soft Continuum Robotic Arm Using Proprioceptive Sensors, Richard Sperling

Open Access Master's Theses

In this thesis the use of proprioceptive sensors in elephant trunk inspired soft continuum robots was explored. After presenting the basics for this project, a review of existing soft continuum robots is given. The sensors used are o_-the-shelf stretch senors. Those sensors are carbon black impregnated rubber cords. The design and the fabrication of the robot are described. Using material characteristics a calibration process was developed to improve the sensor's consistency. The robot is then tested in open-loop as well as a closed-loop experiment. Results of those experiments are presented and discussed.

Three Dimensional Localization Of Work Pieces In Assembly Lines With Radio Frequency Identification, Frederik Armbrecht

Open Access Master's Theses

The knowledge of the location and the stock of work pieces are essential for companies to produce their products more effectively. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is becoming a widely used technology for this purpose. The goal of this thesis is to study the application of RFID for localization of work pieces in a manufacturing environment.

To achieve this goal, this report reviews different localization and identification systems. Then, requirements for an ideal system are establish. The system that best meets the requirements is determined to be an RFID system. The components of an RFID system are described, and since the …

Attitudes And Behavior For Sustainable Team Performance, Md. Hasan Shahriar Simanto

Open Access Master's Theses

As climate change in conjunction with the fourth wave of industrialization necessitates the world to move toward a sustainable future, research needs to focus on the intertwined connection between team work and sustainability. Currently, it is unknown whether teams that are successful at accomplishing sustainability-related tasks have different team composition than the teams who are not. This research explored the composition of teams performing sustainability-related tasks in regard to the individuals’ pro-environmental attitude, individuals’ self-reported pro-environmental behavior, individuals’ pro-environmental identity and team cohesion. Data was collected on real-world teams at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, which is a …

A Genomic Approach To The Complex Relationship Between An Apicomplexan Endosymbiont And Its Host, Christopher Paight

Open Access Dissertations

Nephromyces, a genus in the phylum Apicomplexa, has recently been described as having a mutualistic relationship with its host: tunicates in the Molgulidae family (Saffo et al. 2010). If true, Nephromyces would be the only known example of a mutualistic apicomplexan genus. In addition to the possible switch to mutualism, Nephromyces is one of a few apicomplexan groups containing bacterial endosymbionts. To test the hypothesis that endosymbiotic bacteria facilitated the transition of Nephromyces from parasitism, the metabolic capabilities of Nephromyces and its bacterial endosymbionts need to be determined. The transition from obligate parasite to endosymbiont is predicted to involve …

Quantifying The Effects Of Motor Tasks On Corticokinematic Coherence In Parkinson's Disease, Debanjan Borthakur

Open Access Master's Theses

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder. Researchers are investigating ways to identify neural and behavioral markers for PD that can lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments. The goal of this research is to quantify the effects of motor tasks on corticokinematic coherence(CKC) in PD. We can consider this research as a proof of concept study. This research can eventually help us quantify the motor symptoms related to PD using the measurement process called CKC. Brain muscle synchrony can be quantified as corticomuscular coherence (CMC) and corticokinematic coherence (CKC). Surgical and Pharmacological treatments have not been shown to …

The Power Of Narratives: A Cultural History Of Us Involvement In Axis-Occupied Yugoslavia, William P. Fouse

Open Access Master's Theses

My thesis examines the ways in which narratives about Axis-occupied Yugoslavia developed within the United States over the course of World War II and identifies how these narratives influenced the development of American foreign policy. Methodologically, I utilize the literary theories of Northrop Frye and Hayden White as a means of narrative analysis. Frye categorizes narratives as romance, comedy, tragedy, or satire. Each of these modes of employment serves as a call to action or, in the case of satire, inaction. The initial narrative related to occupied Yugoslavia was romance, and it served as a call for the United States …

Efficacy Measures Of Tolfenamic Acid In A Tau Knock Out Model: Relevance To Alzheimer’S Disease, Allison Leso

Open Access Master's Theses

In the healthy human brain, the protein tau serves the essential function of stabilizing microtubules. However, in a diseased state, tau becomes destabilized and aggregates into a pathogenic form that ultimately creates one of the two major hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and tau tangles. Multiple neurodegenerative diseases, termed tauopathies, such as Pick’s disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), are also linked to mutations in tau. While AD does include a second hallmark in the form of Aβ plaques, to date all therapeutics aimed at this hallmark have failed. However, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) tolfenamic acid …

Uri's Netflow Traffic Logs' Behavioral Analysis And Monitoring Visualization Tool, Semhar Kessete Gebregiorgis

Open Access Master's Theses

As long as the Internet users and the dependency of human on IT are evolving, the detailed inspection of NetFlow data will be useful, especially for the detection of cyber anomalies and outbreaks. To date, numerous researchers have examined NetFlow with respect to numerical fields including, for example, Packets, IPs, Bytes, and Bandwidth consumption. But only a handful of projects have paid attention to the analysis of NetFlow activity using categorical fields including Internet application and computer location, especially concerning a particular academic institution.

The primary focus of this project is on the development of a tool for analyzing NetFlow …

Implementation Of Self-Organizing Maps With Python, Li Yuan

Open Access Master's Theses

As a member of Artificial Neural Networks, Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) have been well researched since 1980s, and have been implemented in C, Fortran, R [1] and Python [2]. Python is an efficient high-level language widely used in the machine learning field for years, but most of the SOM-related packages which are written in Python only perform model construction and visualization. However, the POPSOM package, written in R, is capable of performing functionality beyond model construction and visualization, such as evaluating the model’s quality with statistical methods and plotting marginal probability distributions of the neurons. In order to give the Python …

Evolving Encoded Marking For Glove-Based Pose And Posture Recognition, Joshua V. Gyllinsky

Open Access Master's Theses

The feasibility of encoding pose and posture information within surface textures for digital reconstruction of the inverse-mapping problem of computer vision was explored. This was done using a combination of three biology-inspired artificial intelligence techniques. Initial steps were conducted in this pursuit and the path to further research is laid out. It was found that textures can be used to encode information on a 3D surface to supplement computer vision systems.

Finding The Words: The Impact Of Voca On Language Acquisition, Sarah Aldrich

Open Access Master's Theses

The current study researches the impact of voice output communication aids (VOCA) on the language acquisition of toddlers and school-aged children with developmental disabilities. There are a wide variety of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices available to nonverbal individuals, making the decision of parents, teachers, and speech pathologists of which to use and implement a substantial task, one that needs the guidance of research based evidence. SPSS software was used to conduct a series of analyses with secondary data from Nancy Brady’s study Language Development of Non-verbal Children Age 3 Years through 7 Years, 2007 to 2012, looking specifically …

Performance-Based Assessment Of Bridge Preservation, Sebastian Boy

Open Access Master's Theses

Bridges all over the world are facing different problems in case of deterioration, preservation, and the cost associated with it. During the life-cycle of a bridge, diverse maintenance and repair has to be done. Depending on the geographic location, weather deterioration, traffic impacts and other hazards need to be considered. Studying the preservation strategies of the present, with focus of Rhode Island, possible improvements could be identified. Therefore, performance measures for bridge preservation are proposed. After a description of bridge deterioration for different bridge materials, bridge preservation is discussed in detail. Before the process of analyzing National Bridge Inventory (NBI) …

Expression And Activity Of Cyp2c8 And 2c9 In Diabetes Mellitus And Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Ghadah Alghaith

Open Access Master's Theses

Background and Objectives:

Diabetes mellitus and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) are two highly prevalent and related diseases. Research have shown that they can affect the expression and activity of enzymes integral in the clearance of xenobiotics. Such enzymes include the Cytochrome P-450 isoforms 2C8 and 2C9. Our objective is to study the effect of these diseases on CYP2C8 and CYP2C9 using in vitro tools.

Methods:

A bank of donated livers was utilized for in vitro studies. Hepatic microsomal incubations of S-warfarin, a (CYP2C9) probe substrate, were performed to measure CYP2C9 activity by product formation and S-warfarin, intrinsic clearance …