Digital Commons Network^™

Oxidative State Of Songbirds During Migration And Best Practices To Communicate The Science, Megan M. Skrip

Open Access Dissertations

Managing oxidative stress is an important physiological function for all aerobic organisms, particularly during periods of prolonged high metabolic activity, such as long-distance migration. However, no previous study has investigated the oxidative status of songbirds at different stages of migration, whether that oxidative status depends on the condition of the birds, how birds use their condition in concert with access to free water to make stopover decisions, or the effects of oxidative challenges like flight on subsequent reproduction. Additionally, scientists undertaking such research are commonly expected to disseminate their results as a Broader Impact of their studies - typically to …

A Study Of The Regulatory And Environmental Factors Affecting Trimethylamine Oxide Accumulation In Marine Organisms, Abigail Brittany Bockus

Open Access Dissertations

Trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) was first described in marine organisms as an osmolyte, involved in the balance of water and solutes. After its discovery, it was found to be part of a subset of osmotic constituents termed counteracting solutes. These solutes exhibit stabilizing properties and can preserve protein functionality against biological and environmental perturbations. TMAO acts as a universal stabilizer, protecting macromolecular structure and function in response to numerous stressors, including urea destabilization, hydrostatic pressure, temperature and salinity. The studies presented in this dissertation address the regulatory and environmental factors affecting TMAO accumulation.

Both exogenous and endogenous sources are involved in …

Development And Validation Of Immunoinformatics Tools For Swine Vaccine Development, Andres H. Guiérrez Núñez

Open Access Dissertations

Immunoinformatics tools have multiple applications in human immunology research. One of their most prominent applications is the prediction of T cell epitopes to accelerate vaccine development. T cell epitopes are short peptides derived from pathogens that are recognized by the cells of the immune system (T cells) when presented on the surface of cells bound to a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule, which results in a specific immune response. For their role as key drivers of the immune response, numerous algorithms have been developed to predict binding of peptides to MHC molecules; however, comparable tools are limited for other species. …

Comparison Of Telavancin And Vancomycin Antibiotic Lock Solutions In The Eradication Of Biofilm-Producing Staphylococci And Enterococci From Central Venous Catheters, Megan K. Luther, A. Mermel, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Purpose: Results of a study of the activity of antibiotic lock solutions of vancomycin and telavancin against biofilm-forming strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus are reported.

Methods: An established in vitro central venous catheter model was used to evaluate lock solutions containing vancomycin (5 mg/mL) or telavancin (5 mg/mL), with and without preservative-containing heparin sodium (with 0.45% benzyl alcohol) 2500 units/mL, heparin, and 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Lock solutions were introduced after 24-hour bacterial growth in catheters incubated at 35 °C. After 72 hours of exposure to the lock solutions, catheters were drained, flushed, and …

Agonistic Behavior And Costs Of Aggression In Decapod Crustaceans, Niels-Viggo Schou Hobbs

Open Access Dissertations

Animals that engage in aggressive behavior necessarily incur some costs (e.g., energy expenditure) and risk much greater costs (e.g., injury), both of which are presumably weighed against the potential benefits (e.g., refuge, food, or mates). Such costs and benefits directly impact their distribution, life history, and fitness, so an understanding of the role aggression plays is crucial to a complete understanding of a species’ ecological niche. The research presented here evaluates the degree to which aggression has ecological and life history consequences, using several species of co-occurring crabs as models in a combination of laboratory and field experiments. Specifically, we …

Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2016-2017, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

This is a downloadable PDF version of the University of Rhode Island course catalog.

Anthropocene Anthropology: Reconceptualizing Contemporary Global Change, Amelia Moore

Marine Affairs Faculty Publications

The Anthropocene is the scientific label given by earth scientists to the current epoch of unprecedented anthropogenic planetary change. The Anthropocene is also a political label designed to call attention to this change and evolving notions of agency and responsibility in contemporary life. This article critically explores what I call ‘the Anthropocene idea’ and the condition of ‘Anthropocene spaces’ through selected anthropological writing about recent planetary change and through analysis of current events in a specific ‘vulnerable’ location. By considering recent events in The Bahamas, I arrive at an orientation that I call simply Anthropocene anthropology. Rather than advocating for …

Feasibility Study Of Renewable Energy Systems For Off-Grid Islands: A Case Study Concerning Cuttyhunk Island, Marvin Alexander Görgen

Open Access Master's Theses

Renewable energy can be a promising approach to supply energy for remote areas and islands, address price volatility of fuels, hedge against supply insecurities, and reduce CO₂ emissions. Renewable energy has the power to create self-sufficiency in terms of electricity and the ability to be cost-effective and competitive in many areas. However, renewable energies are site specific. It is necessary to assess each case study separately to examine the available resources, environmental constraints, and socio-economic factors. Site assessments include resource characterization, technical practicability, economic feasibility, and market conditions.

The objective of this thesis is to assess the feasibility of …

Replacement Of Freshwater Small-Size Fish By Formulated Feed In Snakehead (Channa Striata) Aquaculture: Experimental And Commercial-Scale Pond Trials, With Economic Analysis, Tran Thi Thanh Hien, Nguyen Hoang Duc Trung, Bui Minh Tâm, Yo Minh Que Chau, Nguyen Hioang Huy, Chong M. Lee, David A. Bengtson

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Traditional snakehead culture in Southeast Asia relies on use of small-size (trash) fish as food, an unsustainable practice. Following development of weaning methods and testing of formulated feed (FF) in laboratory experiments, we conducted feeding trials of FF vs. trash fish (TF) in experimental ponds at Can Tho University (CTU), followed by similar trials on commercial farms in two provinces in Vietnam. CTU pond trials consisted of five treatments (in triplicate), in which TF was replaced by FF in increasing percentages: 0 (control), 25, 50, 75, and 100% replacement of TF by FF (i.e., three treatments had mixed TF/FF diets). …

Establishing An Anthropogenic Nitrogen Baseline Using Native American Shell Middens, Autumn Oczkowski, Thomas Gumbley, Bobbi Carter, Ruth Carmichael, Austin T. Humphries

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, has been heavily influenced by anthropogenic nutrients for more than 200 years. Recent efforts to improve water quality have cut sewage nitrogen (N) loads to this point source estuary by more than half. Given that the bay has been heavily fertilized for longer than monitoring programs have been in place, we sought additional insight into how N dynamics in the system have historically changed. To do this, we measured the N stable isotope (δ¹⁵N) values in clam shells from as early as 3000 BP to the present. Samples from Native American middens were compared …

Nitrogen And Warming Effects On Nitrous Oxide Production Associated With Coastal Macroinvertibrates, Melanie H. Gárate

Open Access Master's Theses

Bivalve shellfish potentially reduce excess nitrogen in the water column, however they can also be involved in the emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas. Environmental controls on N₂O production from bivalves have not been well quantified. We tested responses of N2O production by three bivalves (Mytilus edulis, Mercenaria mercenaria and Crassostrea virginica) to nitrogen (N) loading and/or warming after immediate (1 day) and short-term (14-28 days) exposure. This two-factor laboratory study had four treatments: (1) ammonium nitrate (N) addition (targeting 100μM-N), (2) warming (22^oC), (3) N addition + …

The Synthesis Of Rotaxane Probes For Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Mri), Scott Macgill Karas

Open Access Master's Theses

Rotaxanes are simple molecules made by an interaction between a host and a guest.¹ Research has shown that rotaxanes have the capability of exchanging a hyperpolarized inert gas atom for use in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).² Currently, MRI contrast is enhanced by the injecting a magnetic gadolinium (III) [Gd(III)] ions into the human body prior to the imaging experiment.³ Unfortunately, these contrast agents are expensive and toxic; as a result, there is need for a cheaper and less toxic imaging agent. Additionally, it would be beneficial to develop targeted contrast agents, i.e. macromolecules that bind specific analytes, …

Temperature Effects On The Proteome Of Ciona Intestinalis, Chelsea Lopez

Open Access Master's Theses

Ciona intestinalis is a solitary ascidian that lives in temperate waters around the globe. C. intestinalis in Rhode Island exhibit normal embryonic development at water temperatures between 10° C and 18° C. This thesis is interested in what changes occur in the ovary tissue at temperatures above 18° C and below 10° C. A preliminary study to assess the reproductive fitness of C. intestinalis, found that C. intestinalis raised at 22 °C had lower embryo viability when compared to the normal temperature range. 22 °C was chosen to mimic the high temperature predicted in some climate change models (IPCC, …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Candidate Probiotics For Disease Prevention In Shellfish Hatcheries, Saebom Sohn

Open Access Dissertations

In the United States of America, oyster production is an important component of the seafood economy in many communities in coastal states. The severe impact of disease outbreaks and mass mortality of oyster larvae in hatcheries impacts production, since the oyster industry is largely dependent on hatchery and nursery production. The use of probiotics has been proposed as a potential preventative measure to limit the impact of bacterial diseases in shellfish hatcheries. In previous laboratory studies, the probiotic bacteria Phaeobacter inhibens S4 and Bacillus pumillus RI06-95 improved the survival of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) larvae against the pathogens …

Design And Development Of Ph Sensitive Nanomedicine For Targeted Drug Delivery, Mohan C. Pereira

Open Access Dissertations

Targeted drug delivery has been the major topic in drug formulation and delivery. As nanomedicine emerges to create nano-scale therapeutics and diagnostics, it is still essential to embed targeting capability to these novel systems to make them useful. Design of robust nanomedicine with universal targeting capabilities could provide effective solutions to the ever increasing demand of curing and preventing major diseases.

Diseases like carcinoma & ischemia are accompanied with hypoxia and acidosis. Because of the elevated glycolysis and acidosis in the diseased cells, they show a lower pH in the surface of the cells which promotes the appearance of aggressive …

The Potential Of Indonesian Microalgal Strains To Support Eastern White Shrimp (Litopenaeus Vannamei) Aquaculture, Wa Iba

Open Access Dissertations

Indonesia is well known for abundant aquatic resources, both marine and freshwater, including fishes, zooplankton and phytoplanktonic microalgae. However, relatively little information is available about microalgal resources despite their potential to be used as live feed in the hatchery phase of aquaculture of a number of marine species. The use of local microalgae is desirable in local hatcheries because they tend to grow better with high yield under local conditions, thus reducing the risk of culture crash and production cost while preventing disease vectors that may introduced by foreign microalgae strains. In this dissertation, the potential of Indonesian microalgae to …

Local Ecological Knowledge Of Fishermen In Rhode Island And The Dominican Republic: State Of Their Fisheries, Changes And Adaptations, Elizabeth Layli Mclean

Open Access Dissertations

The failure to sustain fisheries is attributed to simultaneous effects of overfishing and to natural disturbance on fish habitats. Many conservation and management efforts are not successful in sustaining the fisheries. There is a growing need to broaden our understanding of people’s knowledge and their fisheries and to consider new approaches that will lead to effective conservation that enables us to sustain fisheries and protect the environment. This study examines the use of fishers’ local ecological knowledge (FEK) to characterize fishing communities and their practices, to assess the state of the fisheries, and the usefulness of this knowledge for conservation …

Time-Frequency Based Methods For Non-Stationary Signal Analysis With Application To Eeg Signals, Amal Feltane

Open Access Dissertations

The analysis of electroencephalogram or EEG plays an important role in diagnosis and detection of brain related disorders like seizures. In this dissertation, we propose three new seizure detection algorithms that can classify seizure from nonseizure data with high accuracy. The first algorithm is based on time-domain features which are the approximate entropy (ApEn), the maximum singular value (MSV) and the median absolute deviation (MAD). These features were fed into the AdaBoost and the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms, which were used to classify the signal as either seizure or non-seizure. The accuracy of these classifications was summarized and compared …

Biosolids As A Roadside Soil Amendment, Edwin M. Fava Iii

Open Access Master's Theses

Vegetation is a critical component of the roadside environment. It supplies services that include stabilizing soil, filtering runoff and debris before it enters drains and water supplies, and providing visually appealing scenery for drivers. These services are threatened when soil is unable to provide an environment suitable to the needs of perennial vegetation, leading to annual, often invasive, species that out-compete and thrive in dry, low nutrient and disturbed habitats dominating the environment. As a means of improving the availability of the macronutrient nitrogen, a limiting nutrient for many plants, we amended roadside soil in Saunderstown, Rhode Island with seven …

Effects Of Residual Waste Material As Agricultural Soil Amendments On Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes, Ashley Waggoner

Open Access Master's Theses

Anthropogenic causes of rising levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O in the earth’s atmosphere are increasingly of concern due to their effects on climate change. Much of the earth’s carbon is retained in sinks created when atmospheric C is transformed into various forms of soil organic matter (SOM) and stored as stable, decay-resistant SOM for variable periods of time. When land is in its natural state, SOM is generally at a natural equilibrium of C inputs and outputs. Land use changes, particularly cultivation and conventional agricultural practices, have resulted …

The Response Of Molting Homarus Americanus To Ocean Acidification Projections, Erin Lyn Mclean

Open Access Master's Theses

Marine calcifiers, especially those in their larval and juvenile stages, are thought to be most vulnerable to ocean acidification (OA) due to the effects of carbon dioxide (CO₂) on growth and shell mineralogy. However, recent evidence is contradictory. We monitored molting activity, length and weight in early benthic phase juvenile American lobster Homarus americanus (Milne-Edwards 1837) under elevated CO₂ conditions (500 µatm, 1100-1300 µatm, and 2000-2700 µatm) to determine how OA affects growth at this life stage. Molted shells were analyzed for magnesium (Mg²⁺) and calcium (Ca²⁺) content by laser ablation inductively coupled …

Dropping Behavior In The Pea Aphid: How Does Environmental Context Affect Anti-Predator Responses?, Katharine Van Nostrand Harrison

Open Access Master's Theses

The relationship between predator and prey has traditionally focused on the act of consumption. More recently, interest has shifted to the intimidation of prey through predator presence and the resulting alterations in prey morphology, behavior, or development. These prey responses, broadly called non-consumptive effects, are energetically costly to prey and can result in changes in prey populations. The study of non-consumptive effects can help further explain complicated trophic level relationships and food webs. The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a small, phloem-feeding insect that has developed an array of anti-predator responses when threatened. Dropping from a host plant, …

Evaluation Of A Technology Utilizing Nutrition Curriculum On Dietary Intake, Kelsi Chappell

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of a 13-week combined technology enhanced Body Quest: Food of the Warrior (BQ) and Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) obesity prevention focused nutrition education curriculum to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and decrease sugary sweetened snacks (SwS), salty snacks (SaS), and sugary sweetened beverages (SSB) intake.

Design: Quasi -experimental design.

Participants/Setting: N=129 (treatment 70, control 59) 3^rd grade students in fullservice, low-income, urban community schools in Providence, RI completed pre/post surveys on iPads.

Intervention: Treatment group received 13-week technologically enhanced CYFAR/BQ nutrition education intervention. The control group completed …

Acceptability, Short Term Impacts, And Relationships Of Variables Of A Processed Food Module, Jacqueline Corbett

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: The purpose if this study was to evaluate the acceptability and short term impacts of an online educational module focusing on processed foods and explore the relationships between food addiction and related eating behaviors.

Methods: This single-group study used the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) to evaluate the module, MANOVA to assess knowledge, decisional balance, and self-efficacy change pre and post module, and multiple regression to assess variable contributions to the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) score.

Results: The module was rated positively (> 3.5) on the IMMS. Participants significantly increased knowledge, decisional balance pros, and self-efficacy. Baseline decisional …

Alkylresorcinols As Biomarkers Of Whole-Grain Intake, Michael Robert Macarthur

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: In order to attenuate the measurement error inherent in dietary recall methods, alkylresorcinols (ARs) have been proposed as a biomarker of whole-grain (WG) intake (1, 2). Although ARs have shown promise in experimental (3) and observational studies (4), most of this research has been conducted in Nordic populations that consume relatively high amounts of WG (5).

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the utility of plasma AR concentration as a WG intake biomarker and identify the primary dietary and non-dietary determinants of plasma AR concentration in a population that consumes relatively few WG.

Methods …

Characterizing Alternative Polyadenylation In Male Germ Cells Using Poly(A)-Seq, Holly Tran

Open Access Master's Theses

Post-transcriptional processing of mRNA subsequently determines its longevity, transport, and gene expression. Alternative polyadenylation (APA), one form of post-transcriptional processing, is the use of a variant polyadenylation signal and polyA-site for transcript cleavage and addition of adenine residues. The occurrence of this phenomenon in the 3’-untranslated region (3’UTR) can lead to transcript isoforms differing in 3’UTR length and as a result, alter the downstream cis-regulatory elements in use. Transcript modification at the 3’-end in alternative polyadenylation has been shown to foster a number of diseases in altering what would otherwise be normal protein expression and is furthermore emerging as a …

The Influence Of Planned Physical Activity In Preschoolers On Subsequent Energy Balance, Chelsey Leigh Da Silva

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Obesity is a chronic disease and is defined as having excess fat. However, it is unknown if the caloric expenditure of planned physical activity in children will be offset by them spontaneously increasing their caloric intake or decreasing their subsequent daily activity during the rest of the day. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to monitor preschooler’s PA and caloric intake after planned PA in the morning. Methods: Eight children ages 4-5 were included in this cross over design study. In a randomized fashion, on one occasion participants were guided through a thirty-minute structured physical …

Three-Dimensional Kinematics Of The Jaws And Hyoid During Feeding In White-Spotted Bamboo Sharks, Bradley Scott

Open Access Master's Theses

Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) use a distinct set of cartilaginous endochondral elements to capture and process prey using suction or bite mechanisms. In contrast, teleost use a complex linkage of dermal and endochondral bones to capture prey whether by suction or biting. This difference in complexity has, in part, enabled teleosts to radiate into a variety of different feeding styles where the jaw and hyoid arches are linked and function as a unit. However, elasmobranchs have decoupled depression of the lower jaw from depression of the hyoid arch and expand the buccal cavity using a different mechanism than teleosts. …

Native Bee Diversity And Pollen Foraging Specificity In Cultivated Highbush Blueberry (Ericaceae: Vaccinium Corymbosum L.) Plantings In Rhode Island, Zachary Scott

Open Access Master's Theses

Approximately 87% of flowering plants in the world are pollinated by animals. Bees are some of the most economically and ecologically important pollinators, necessary for the production of about one third of all crops. One such crop is highbush blueberry, grown throughout Rhode Island in small acreages. I conducted a survey of the bee species foraging on managed blueberry farms throughout Rhode Island, and analyzed their preference for blueberry pollen. I identified species using the DiscoverLife bee guides and confirmed the determinations with a taxonomist. I analyzed pollen loads, calculating percent blueberry pollen collected to determine which species were the …

Novel Catalyst Development For Chemical Sensors, Zachary Caron

Open Access Master's Theses

In recent years, the use of improvised explosive devices (IED’s) has been the preferred method for terrorist attacks because of their practical development from available resources. From the “Shoe Bomber” attack back in 2001, to the most recent attacks in Paris, IED’s have been a vehicle for explosive delivery and of the utmost concern for organizations such as the Department of Homeland Security. Conventional methods for the detection of explosives have resorted to either canines, also known as “drug-sniffing” dogs, or the use of ion-mobility spectrometry. While such methods have proven some success in the field in the past, they …