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Teaching Writing With Play: A Study Of Community-Based Science Education In A National Park, Jamie Remillard

Open Access Dissertations

Teaching Writing with Play: A Study of Community-Based Science Education in a National Park is a rhetorical ethnography designed to bring the lessons of community-based science education and science communication practices to bear on the university writing classroom. I examined how park rangers use engaged, playful methods to educate people about scientific and technical issues that affect coastal communities. Through three years of ethnographic field research and collaborative writing with the National Park Service, I investigated evolving public outreach programs at Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) in New York during a time when heightened public contention about science-based decision-making created …

Advances In The Application Of Amino Acid Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis In Ecological And Biogeochemical Studies, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Hilary Close, Brian Fry, Thomas Larsen, Daniel J. Madigan, Matthew D. Mccarthy, Kelton Mcmahon, Toshi Nagata, Yuichi I. Naito, Nanako O. Ogawa, Brian N. Popp, Shawn Steffan, Yoshinori Takano, Ichiro Tayasu, Alex S. J. Wyatt, Yasuhiko T. Yamaguchi, Yusuke Yokoyama

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Compound-specific isotopic analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) has emerged in the last decade as a powerful approach for tracing the origins and fate of nitrogen in ecological and biogeochemical studies. This approach is based on the empirical observation that source amino acids (SAAs) (i.e., phenylalanine), fractionate ¹⁵N very little (< 0.5‰) during trophic transfer, whereas trophic AAs (TAAs) (i.e., glutamic acid), are greatly (∼6–8‰) enriched in ¹⁵N during each trophic step. The differential fractionation of these two AA groups can provide a valuable estimate of consumer trophic position that is internally indexed to the baseline δ¹⁵N value of the integrated food web. In this paper, we critically review the analytical methods for …

Exploration Of The Southern California Borderland, Marie-Helene Cormier, Katherine L. C. Bell, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Chris Castillo, James Conrad, Diva Amon, Mark Legg, Michael L. Brennan, Kelsey Barnhill, Lawrence L. Lovell, Ashley Marrazino, Simon L. Klemperer, Renato Kane

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

E/V Nautilus cruise NA075 returned to the Southern California Continental Borderland, an area that remains largely unexplored. Part of the broader North America-Pacific plate boundary, this region extends ~300 km west of the San Andreas Fault and displays an unusually rugged physiography. During the cruise, the multibeam sonar mapped ~5,200 km² of seafloor, and ROVs Hercules and Argus were deployed for 16 dives to explore geological and biological targets (Figure 1) and collect samples.

Nautilus Sample 2016: New Techniques And Partnerships, Nicole Raineault, Jeffrey Marlow, Meredith Everett, Peter Etnoyer, Marie-Helene Cormier, Vanessa Knutson, Gonzalo Giribet

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

In 2016, E/V Nautilus and the ROV Hercules collected 549 geological, biological, and water samples (2,022 subsamples) to characterize several US West Coast national marine sanctuaries, the Cascadia margin, and offshore southern California. Most samples are archived at partnering repositories: geological samples to the Marine Geological Samples Lab at the University of Rhode Island and biological samples to Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. The national marine sanctuary samples were split between these repositories and the California Academy of Sciences. During this field season, we experimented with new sampling methods to improve exploration efficiency and robustness.

Global Analysis Of Depletion And Recovery Of Seabed Biota After Bottom Trawling Disturbance, Jan Geert Hiddink, Simon Jennings, Marija Sciberras, Claire L. Szostek, Kathryn M. Hughes, Nick Ellis, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp, Robert A. Mcconnaughey, Tessa Mazor, Ray Hilborn, Jeremy S. Collie, C. Roland Pitcher, Ricardo O. Amoroso, Ana M. Parma, Petri Surronen, Michel J. Kaiser

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Bottom trawling is the most widespread human activity affecting seabed habitats. Here, we collate all available data for experimental and comparative studies of trawling impacts on whole communities of seabed macroinvertebrates on sedimentary habitats and develop widely applicable methods to estimate depletion and recovery rates of biota after trawling. Depletion of biota and trawl penetration into the seabed are highly correlated. Otter trawls caused the least depletion, removing 6% of biota per pass and penetrating the seabed on average down to 2.4 cm, whereas hydraulic dredges caused the most depletion, removing 41% of biota and penetrating the seabed on average …

Bio-Optical Properties Of Cyanobacteria Blooms In Western Lake Erie, Timothy S. Moore, Colleen B. Mouw, James M. Sullivan, Michael S. Twardowski, Ashley M. Burtner, Audrey B. Ciochetto, Malcolm N. Mcfarland, Aditya R. Nayak, Danna Paladino, Nicole D. Stockley, Thomas H. Johengen, Angela W. Yu, Steve Ruberg, Alan Weidemann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

There is a growing use of remote sensing observations for detecting and quantifying freshwater cyanobacteria populations, yet the inherent optical properties of these communities in natural settings, fundamental to bio-optical algorithms, are not well known. Toward bridging this knowledge gap, we measured a full complement of optical properties in western Lake Erie during cyanobacteria blooms in the summers of 2013 and 2014. Our measurements focus attention on the optical uniqueness of cyanobacteria blooms, which have consequences for remote sensing and bio-optical modeling. We found the cyanobacteria blooms in the western basin during our field work were dominated by Microcystis, …

Anthelmintic Efficacy Of Bioactive Compounds Within Cranberry Vine And Birdsfoot Trefoil, Carly Barone

Open Access Dissertations

With the growth of resistance to commercial dewormers in small ruminant gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), alternative methods are needed for GIN control. It has been shown that plants containing certain secondary compounds (SC) suppress GIN infection, but there is a lack of knowledge concerning the mechanism behind this anthelmintic activity, as well as a lack of viable alternatives to commercial dewormers in the northeastern United States. Secondary compounds, such as proanthocyanidin (PAC), have complex chemical structures that vary between plant species, while SC concentrations can vary between different varieties of the same species. The relationship between specific SC and anti-parasitic efficacy …

Evaluating Poverty Reduction Strategies In Tanzania And Ethiopia, Kyle Montanio

Open Access Dissertations

Poverty is a worldwide problem with many challenges in combating. This dissertation analyzes poverty in two rural African contexts, Tanzania and Ethiopia, to assess aid strategies based on the socio-economic context that causes the poverty to persist. Understanding root cause of poverty is critical in order to combat it. We focus on whether aid programs have spillovers into the environmental realm, which may have impact on effectiveness of aid policies and whether or not a poverty trap, where households become structurally trapped in chronic poverty, exists. In this dissertation, we attempt to enhance our ability to provide optimal aid to …

Performance Of A Novel Sustainable Binder Under Extreme Dynamic Loading Conditions, Paul David Schmidt

Open Access Master's Theses

Iron Carbonate is a novel carbon-negative sustainable binder that is made from metallic iron powder waste and utilizes the chemistry of iron carbonation. To produce the binder, usually landfilled iron powder and other constituents (fly ash, limestone powder, metakaolin, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, powdered organic reducing agent, and water) are mixed together and exposed to a pressurized CO2 regime that leads to slow external diffusion. The carbonation of iron particles results in the formation of complex iron carbonates that have binding capabilities and mechanical properties similar or better compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based binders. The metallic particulate phase incorporated …

Visual Detection And Tracking Methods For E. Superba (Antarctic Krill), Regina R. Yopak

Open Access Master's Theses

Antarctic krill are a keystone species of the Southern Ocean. They have been well documented over large spatial scales but generally not quantfiably at the scale of single individuals in the open water column. It is important to study how individuals behave in their natural environment in order to further understand how they interact within dense krill aggregations. Using a pair of calibrated grayscale stereo cameras mounted on a towed instrument sled, krill were imaged in situ at 10Hz in the bays along the western Antarctic Peninsula during austral winter 2013. Krill were identified and tracked through the images …

Genetic, Demographic And Ecological Factors Contributing To The Evolution Of Anolis Lizard Populations, Johanna E. Wegener

Open Access Dissertations

Geographic and environmental factors can be catalysts of evolutionary processes and central drivers of genetic and phenotypic differentiation. Characteristic patterns of genetic and phenotypic variation elucidate whether predominately adaptive or non-adaptive processes are involved in shaping variation among populations. Such genetic and phenotypic signatures can provide insight in how specific extrinsic factors relate to adaptive and non-adaptive processes. This dissertation aims to investigate whether and how disturbance events, intraspecific competition and secondary contact after a species introduction contribute to genetic and phenotypic differentiation among populations of Anolis lizard.

In chapter 1, I tested whether patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation …

Seasonal Variation In Testes Size And Density Detected In Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas) Using Ultrasonography, Justin Thomas Richard, Todd Schmitt, Martin Haulena, Noël Vezzi, J. Lawrence Dunn, Tracy A. Romano, Becky L. Sartini

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Belugas are thought to exhibit seasonal variation in testes size, but a temporal gap in postmortem sampling of wild belugas has precluded a description of the occurrence or the extent of this seasonal variation. This study aimed to utilize longitudinal monitoring of belugas in aquaria with known siring histories to assess seasonal variation in testes size, and its association with circulating testosterone concentration and testicular tissue density. Testes volume was estimated using linear measurements obtained via ultrasonography. Testicular tissue density was assessed by measuring the pixel intensity (PI) of ultrasound images of the testis. Five adult males, including 4 proven …

Impact Of Chronic Nitrogen Loading On Greenhouse Gas Fluxes In Coastal Wetlands, Katelyn Ann Szura

Open Access Master's Theses

Coastal wetlands are valuable ecosystems that historically have not been protected and have been lost at rapid rates. Recently, they have gained attention for their potential role in climate change mitigation given that they have the ability to sequester and store large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). While other ecosystems can sequester and store carbon as well, salt marshes have the unique ability to store vast amounts of carbon while emitting relatively negligible amounts of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N2O). These are additional greenhouse gases (GHGs) that can be emitted from ecosystems, particularly CH4 …

Effect Of Birdsfoot Trefoil On Exsheathment Of Haemonchus Contortus In Rumen Fistulated Sheep, Karalyn Lonngren

Open Access Master's Theses

This study has been developed to address the issue of small ruminant parasite resistance to commercial anthelmintics and to examine the possibility of controlling these parasites using feeds with condensed tannin containing plants. The goal of the research was to determine whether birdsfoot trefoil hay prevents the exsheathment of Haemonchus contortus and whether efficacy differs among birdsfoot trefoil cultivars.

During the first phase of research, a method for testing the exsheathment of H. contortus in vivo was developed. Various larvae containment capsules were tested to see whether the larvae could escape from the capsules. The most successful capsules were then …

Perspectives On Emerging Monitoring Technologies: Understanding Factors That Affect Adoption, Nelle D'Aversa

Open Access Master's Theses

There are numerous technological acceptance and adoption theories that seek to explain how, why, and at what rate new technologies diffuse through systems over time. While the models can be used to explain why users adopt technologies, they do so in a general way and few, if any, studies have addressed the factors that affect monitoring technology adoption in coastal management. This study explores coastal managers’ and water quality monitors’ perspectives on water quality monitoring technology using various technology acceptance and adoption theories as a theoretical framework to better understand the factors that affect water quality monitoring technology adoption in …

A Humanized Mouse Model Identifies Key Amino Acids For Low Immunogenicity Of H7n9 Vaccines, Yamato Wada, Arnone Nithichanon, Eri Nobusawa, Leonard Moise, William D. Martin, Norio Yamamoto, Kazutaka Terahara, Haruhisa Hagiwara, Takato Odagiri, Masato Tashiro, Ganjana Lertmemongkolchai, Haruko Takeyama, Anne S. De Groot, Manabu Ato, Yoshimasa Takahashi

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Influenza vaccines of H7N9 subtype are consistently less immunogenic in humans than vaccines developed for other subtypes. Although prior immunoinformatic analysis identified T-cell epitopes in H7 hemagglutinin (HA) which potentially enhance regulatory T cell response due to conservation with the human genome, the links between the T-cell epitopes and low immunogenicity of H7 HA remains unknown due to the lack of animal models reproducing the response observed in humans. Here, we utilized a humanized mouse model to recapitulate the low immunogenicity of H7 HA. Our analysis demonstrated that modification of a single H7 epitope by changing 3 amino acids so …

An Immunoinformatics-Derived Dna Vaccine Encoding Human Class Ii T Cell Epitopes Of Ebola Virus, Sudan Virus, And Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Is Immunogenic In Hla Transgenic Mice, Callie E. Bounds, Frances E. Terry, Leonard Moise, Drew Hannaman, William D. Martin, Anne S. De Groot, John J. Suschak, Lesley C. Dupuy, Connie S. Schmaljohn

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Immunoinformatics tools were used to predict human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II-restricted T cell epitopes within the envelope glycoproteins and nucleocapsid proteins of Ebola virus (EBOV) and Sudan virus (SUDV) and the structural proteins of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV). Selected epitopes were tested for binding to soluble HLA molecules representing 5 class II alleles (DRB1*0101, DRB1*0301, DRB1*0401, DRB1*0701, and DRB1*1501). All but one of the 25 tested peptides bound to at least one of the DRB1 alleles, and 4 of the peptides bound at least moderately or weakly to all 5 DRB1 alleles. Additional algorithms were used to design …

Novel Pharmacological Action Of Clozapine At D2 Dopamine Receptors, Joseph Michael Schrader

Open Access Dissertations

Clozapine is an antipsychotic drug (APD) with a uniquely efficacious therapeutic profile that is preeminent for treatment resistant schizophrenia. A common property of all clinically available APDs is that they bind D2-like dopamine receptors at therapeutic concentrations. However, unique molecular actions for clozapine that are different from all other APDs have not been established. Here we show that treatment with all APDs upregulates cell-surface expression of D2-dopamine receptors (D2R), relative to that produced by clozapine. Multiple experiments, including a pulse-chase assay for surface D2R indicated that the APD-mediated upregulation of D2R is due to enhanced insertion of D2R into the …

Stress, Coping, Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Health And Cortisol In Premature Infants, At Age 23, Joyce Ellen Hickey

Open Access Dissertations

Little is known about the psychobiological processes of adults, at age 23 who were born prematurely. Compared to infants born at term, premature infants face additional obstacles of immature body systems, more neonatal stress and are at risk for developmental delay and possible parental overprotective patterns. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease theory asserts that early prenatal and neonatal stress disturbs hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, which in the long run, affects later health and behavior. The purpose of this secondary analysis is to examine neonatal stress of prematurity on coping, emotional intelligence, physiological responses, developmental milestones and emotional health …

To Start, Continue, And Conclude: Foregrounding Narrative Production In Serial Fiction Publishing, Gabriel E. Romaguera

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation explores the author-text-reader relationship throughout the publication of works of serial fiction in different media. Following Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of authorial autonomy within the fields of cultural production, I trace the outside influence that nonauthorial agents infuse into the narrative production of the serialized. To further delve into the economic factors and media standards that encompass serial publishing, I incorporate David Hesmondhalgh’s study of market forces, originally used to supplement Bourdieu’s analysis of fields. Additionally, I employ textual criticism, through Tanselle’s distinctions of work, text, and document, alongside Shillingsburg’s textual performances in order to better analyze the process …

Undergraduate Student Perspectives On Electronic Portfolio Assessment In College Composition Courses, Bridget Fullerton

Open Access Dissertations

Though Linda Adler-Kassner and Peggy O’Neill claim that ethical writing assessment models "must be designed and built collaboratively, with careful attention to the values and passions of all involved, through a process that provides access to all," college students have not typically been included in scholarly conversations about writing and assessment (Reframing Writing Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning 2010). In response, this dissertation privileges the perspectives of 18 college students at a mid-sized university from different majors and at varying levels of a vertical writing curriculum (100, 200, 300, and 400) to examine their experiences with a common writing …

Using The Energy Of Membrane-Associated Folding For Tumor Targeting And Intracellular Cargo Delivery, Linden C. Wyatt

Open Access Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Due to the increase in exposure to cancer-causing environmental factors, the presence of chronic conditions, and the increase in age-related mutations in normal tissue, cancer incidence is positively correlated with age. Because of the increase in life expectancy due to advances in medicine, the frequency of cancer incidence is expected to rise in the future. For these reasons, devising methods to efficiently diagnose and treat cancer is extremely important.

Effective targeting of cancer cells within tumors would allow for improvement in the efficacy of treatment and the reduction …

Biotransformation And Pharmacokinetic Evaluation Of Pf-5190457, A Novel Drug Candidate For Alcoholism, Sravani Adusumalli

Open Access Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is a chronic condition characterized by an inability to control alcohol intake. Recent research has shown that appetite-regulating hormones, ghrelin, and leptin, may play a role in alcohol craving. In addition, it is known that food and alcohol craving have overlapping receptors in the brain reward system. Ghrelin, a naturally occurring hormone in the human body, is produced mainly by ghrelinergic cells of the gastric mucosa. Once the hormone crosses the blood-brain barrier, it binds to growth hormone secretagogue receptor (ghrelin receptor) in the hypothalamus and stimulates the appetite and food intake. Leptin, a hormone produced from …

Towards Fog-Driven Iot Ehealth: Promises And Challenges Of Iot In Medicine And Healthcare, Bahar Farahani, Farshad Firouzi, Victor Chang, Mustafa Badaroglu, Nicholas Constant, Kunal Mankodiya

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Internet of Things (IoT) offers a seamless platform to connect people and objects to one another for enriching and making our lives easier. This vision carries us from compute-based centralized schemes to a more distributed environment offering a vast amount of applications such as smart wearables, smart home, smart mobility, and smart cities. In this paper we discuss applicability of IoT in healthcare and medicine by presenting a holistic architecture of IoT eHealth ecosystem. Healthcare is becoming increasingly difficult to manage due to insufficient and less effective healthcare services to meet the increasing demands of rising aging population with chronic …

Microplastics Are Not Important For The Cycling And Bioaccumulation Of Organic Pollutants In The Oceans – But Should Microplastics Be Considered Pops Themselves?, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The role of microplastic particles in the cycling and bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is discussed. Five common concepts, sometimes misconceptions, about the role of microplastics are reviewed. While there is ample evidence that microplastics accumulate high concentrations of POPs, this does not result in microplastics being important for the global dispersion of POPs. Similarly, there is scant evidence that microplastics are an important transfer vector of POPs into animals, but possibly for plastic additives (flame retardants). Last, listing microplastics as POPs could help reduce their environmental impact.

The Florence Statement On Triclosan And Triclocarban, Rolf U. Halden, Avery E. Lindeman, Allison E. Aiello, David Andrews, William A. Arnold, Patricia Fair, Rebecca E. Fuoco, Laura A. Geer, Paula I. Johnson, Rainer Lohmann, Kristopher Mcneill, Victoria P. Sacks, Ted Schettler, Roland Weber, R. Thomas Zoeller, Arlene Blum

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The Florence Statement on Triclosan and Triclocarban documents a consensus of more than 200 scientists and medical professionals on the hazards of and lack of demonstrated benefit from common uses of triclosan and triclocarban. These chemicals may be used in thousands of personal care and consumer products as well as in building materials. Based on extensive peer-reviewed research, this statement concludes that triclosan and triclocarban are environmentally persistent endocrine disruptors that bioaccumulate in and are toxic to aquatic and other organisms. Evidence of other hazards to humans and ecosystems from triclosan and triclocarban is presented along with recommendations intended to …

Smartphone Apps In Education: Students Create Videos To Teach Smartphone Use As Tool For Learning, Kara E. Clayton, Amanda Murphy

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Smartphones are regular classroom accessories. Educators should work with children to understand the capacity of smartphones for learning and civic engagement, rather than being a classroom distraction. This research supports a collaborative project the authors engaged in with students in two states to discover what the perception of smartphone use was by students and teachers. One element of this project included students producing YouTube style tutorials on the educational use of mobile apps. The authors explored smartphone use in the classroom. Student created products correlated to technology trends in K-12 education and their relationship with state by state demographic data.

What Do You Use Mobile Phones For? A Creative Method Of Thematic Drawing With Adolescents In Rural China, Jiachun Hong

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study sets out to explore Chinese adolescents’ subjectivities toward the use of mobile phones, and reveal the dynamic relationship among students, parents, and school concerning mobile phone usage in rural China. Twenty-one high school students were recruited, and asked to draw a painting that expresses their perceptions of mobile phones in relation to family and school life. After analyzing the thematic drawings and their self-explanations upon the drawings, several themes arise: the mobile phone as a bridge of love, as an extension of the home, as an iron cage, as the blasting fuse of family conflicts, and as a …

Media Detectives: Bridging The Relationship Among Empathy, Laugh Tracks, And Gender In Childhood, Sruti Kanthan, James A. Graham, Lynne Azarchi

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Empathy in college-age students is decreasing at unprecedented rates. Understanding empathy in children can act as primary prevention in tackling the problem. This study considers laugh tracks’ capacity to bias reality, foster empathy, and investigate differences across time and gender in 181 fifth grade students. The results from this quasi-experimental study suggests that students’ perceptions of the relationship between empathy and canned laughter changed significantly from pretest to posttest survey questions. Statistically significant differences were present for gender, as well. Theoretical and practical implications of using laugh tracks to increase empathy in middle and late childhood are discussed.

The Impact Of Ethical Concerns On Fashion Consumerism: A Review, Lena Cavusoglu, Mourad Dakhli

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Ethical and sustainable business practices have become some of the most significant concerns in the highly globalized fashion industry. Firms in this multi-billion dollar industry are taking these concerns seriously, and are carefully monitoring and responding to consumers’ actions that can range from expressing displeasure via social media to holding protests or even calling for boycotts of certain brands and firms. In this paper, the first output from a larger project on ethics of fashion, we review the extant literature on the ethical aspects of the global fashion system; and set the stage for further empirical and conceptual work.