Digital Commons Network^™

Metatranscriptome Analyses Indicate Resource Partitioning Between Diatoms In The Field, Harriet Alexander, Bethany D. Jenkins, Tatiana A. Rynearson, Sonya T. Dyhrman

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Diverse communities of marine phytoplankton carry out half of global primary production. The vast diversity of the phytoplankton has long perplexed ecologists because these organisms coexist in an isotropic environment while competing for the same basic resources (e.g., inorganic nutrients). Differential niche partitioning of resources is one hypothesis to explain this “paradox of the plankton,” but it is difficult to quantify and track variation in phytoplankton metabolism in situ. Here, we use quantitative metatranscriptome analyses to examine pathways of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) metabolism in diatoms that cooccur regularly in an estuary on the east coast of the United …

Biogeography Of A Plant Invasion: Plant–Herbivore Interactions, James T. Cronin, Ganesh P. Bhattarai, Warwick J. Allen, Laura A. Meyerson

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Theory predicts that native plant species should exhibit latitudinal gradients in the strength of their interactions with herbivores. We hypothesize that if an invasive plant species exhibits a different latitudinal gradient in response to herbivores (e.g., a nonparallel gradient), it can create large-scale heterogeneities in community resistance/susceptibility to the invasive species. We conducted a study of latitudinal variation in the strength of herbivory and defenses of native genotypes of Phragmites australis in North America (NA) and Europe (EU) and European invasive genotypes in NA. Within NA, we tested whether (1) invasive genotypes are better defended and suffer less herbivory than …

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #524 Appendix A, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

National Livestock Policy Of Nepal: Needs And Opportunities, Upendra B. Pradhanang, Soni M. Pradhanang, Arhan Sthapit, Nir Y. Krakauer, Ajay Jha, Tarendra Lakhankar

Geosciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes Nepal’s national livestock policies and considers how they can be improved to help meet the pressing national challenges of economic development, equity, poverty alleviation, gender mainstreaming, inclusion of marginalized and underprivileged communities, and climate vulnerability. Nepal is in the process of transforming its government from a unitary system to a federal democratic structure through the new constitution expected by 2015, offering the opportunity to bring a new set of priorities and stakeholders to policymaking. Nepal’s livestock subsector comes most directly within the purview of the National Agricultural Policy 2004, Agro-Business Policy, 2006 and Agricultural Sectoral Operating Policies …

Digital Media Literacy In A Sports, Popular Culture, And Literature Course, Carolyn Fortuna

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Abstract: This article considers how media sports culture is an apt space for digital media literacy instruction. Describing a senior year high school English course that requires students to deconstruct and compose with sports media texts, the author outlines how learning modules, analysis of curated collections of texts through heuristics, and mentor texts help students achieve higher literacy levels. The author argues that sports media literacy, due to its authenticity and relevance, can be a model for traditional literacy classrooms as ways to infuse multimodal texts and help students to gain both enhanced communication skills and critical distance from media …

Connecting, Creating, And Composing: A Shared Multimodal Journey, Margaret B. Krause

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Given the dynamic nature of our society, literacy conceptualizations are constantly being redefined. While print literacy continues to be the primary literacy within elementary classroom, the growing nature of technological capabilities, social networking, and multimodal affordances require educators to delve into explorations of how children can be successful in negotiating meaning in our world. As an elementary educator, university instructor, and mother of three children, the author explores personal views of literacy through a shared multimodal journal experience with her children. This article highlights the experiences of her son through the journaling process and how he selects material for a …

Dusty But Mighty: Using Radio In The Critical Media Literacy Classroom, Miglena S. Todorova

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In a culture dominated by images, what is the capacity of radio-making to enact the ideals and meet the objectives of critical medial literacy education that empowers learners and expands democracy? This article conceptualizes a radio-based critical media literacy approach drawing upon a course project called “Borderless Radio,” where fifty-two students in a large urban Canadian university produced short radio programs narrating how they view and experience “multiculturalism.” Radio making in the classroom is soundscaping that politicizes intimacy, disrupts hegemonic discourses, and allows for teaching and learning to transgress; yet it also illuminates the ways in which self-positionality poses limitations …

A Generalization Of Electromagnetic Fluctuation-Induced Casimir Energy, Yi Zheng

Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Intermolecular forces responsible for adhesion and cohesion can be classified according to their origins; interactions between charges, ions, random dipole—random dipole (Keesom), random dipole—induced dipole (Debye) are due to electrostatic effects; covalent bonding, London dispersion forces between fluctuating dipoles, and Lewis acid-base interactions are due to quantum mechanical effects; pressure and osmotic forces are of entropic origin. Of all these interactions, the London dispersion interaction is universal and exists between all types of atoms as well as macroscopic objects. The dispersion force between macroscopic objects is called Casimir/van der Waals force. It results from alteration of the quantum and thermal …

Like Terms: What’S In A Name?, Cornelis De Groot, Meredith Boyajian

College of Education Faculty Publications

This article discusses a lesson in which students’ knowledge of operations with number and the base-10 place value system was connected with operations with algebraic polynomial expressions.

Exploration Of The Windward Passage And Jamaica Channel: Tectonic Gateways To The Caribbean Sea, Marie-Helene Cormier, Ruth Blake, Dwight Coleman, Kelly Guerrier, Nixon Saintilus, Jamie Wagner, Steven Auscavitch

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) Workshop on Telepresence-Enabled Exploration of the Caribbean Region was convened in November 2012 to plan for the 2013 field season with the idea that Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus and its Corps of Exploration would spend only one year working in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. However, the strong showing of interest in the area from the international group of marine scientists who submitted white papers to and participated in that workshop was so impressive the Trust and its Nautilus Advisory Board decided to schedule a second year in this area of the …

The Effect Of Light Intensity On Prey Detection Behavior In Two Lake Malawi Cichlids, Aulonocara Stuartgranti And Tramitichromis Sp., Margot A.B. Schwalbe, Jacqueline F. Webb

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Two sand-dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi (Aulonocara stuartgranti, Tramitichromis sp.) that feed on benthic invertebrates, but have different lateral line phenotypes, use lateral line and/or visual cues to detect prey under light versus dark conditions. The current study examined how ecologically relevant variation in light intensity [0–800 lux (lx)] influences detection of prey (mobile, immobile) in each species by analyzing six behavioral parameters. Both species fed at light intensities ≥1 lx and trends in behavior among light intensities were informative. However, prey type and/or time of day (but not light intensity) predicted all four parameters analyzed with generalized …

Review Of Mancuso, Stefano And Alessandra Viola. Brilliant Green : The Surprising History And Science Of Plant Intelligence., Judith B. Barnett

Technical Services Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Herbivore Impacts On Two Morphologically Similar Bloom-Forming Ulva Species In A Eutrophic Bay, Michele Guidone, Carol S. Thornber, Kathryn L. Van Alstyne

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Herbivore impacts on macrophyte growth vary with the identity of the herbivores and macrophytes, as well as under different abiotic conditions. This interaction is further complicated by anthropogenic alterations to the environment, such as eutrophication. In this study, we utilized in situ herbivore exclusion experiments and mesocosm feeding preference assays to examine the impacts of different herbivores on the growth of two morphologically similar, co-occurring macroalgal bloom Ulva species in a nutrient-rich environment. We found that herbivory had a measurable impact on Ulva biomass, though the rate of consumption rarely surpassed growth for either Ulva species. We determined that the …

The Secreted Proteins Of Achlya Hypogyna And Thraustotheca Clavata Identify The Ancestral Oomycete Secretome And Reveal Gene Acquisitions By Horizontal Gene Transfer, Ian Misner, Nic Blouin, Guy Leonard, Thomas A. Richards, Christopher E. Lane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Saprotrophic and parasitic microorganisms secrete proteins into the environment to breakdown macromolecules and obtain nutrients. The molecules secreted are collectively termed the “secretome” and the composition and function of this set of proteins varies depending on the ecology, life cycle, and environment of an organism. Beyond the function of nutrient acquisition, parasitic lineages must also secrete molecules to manipulate their host. Here,we use a combination of de novo genome and transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatic identification of signal peptides to identify the putative secreted proteome of two oomycetes, the facultative parasite Achlya hypogyna and free-living Thraustotheca clavata. By comparing the …

2015-01 Library Impact Statement For Avs/Pls 275 Pasture And Grazing Management In Sustainable Agriculture, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement submitted in response to new course proposal for AVS/PLS 275 Pasture and Grazing Management in Sustainable Agriculture. This course was supported with no need for additional resources.

Testing Sample Stability Using Four Storage Methods And The Macroalgae Ulva And Gracilaria, Autumn Oczkowski, Carol S. Thornber, Erin E. Markham, Ryann Rossi, Amanda Ziegler, Shelby Rinehart

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Concern over the relative importance of different sample preparation and storage techniques frequently used in stable isotope analysis of particulate nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) prompted an experiment to determine how important such factors were to measured values in marine organisms. We stored the marine macroalgae Ulva and Gracilaria in four different ways and analyzed replicates every three months over the course of a year to assess treatment effects on stability. Treatments consisted of algae dried at 65°C, ground to a powder, and stored in a desiccator until analysis; algae left in a drying oven or …

Manipulation Of Host Quality And Defense By A Plant Virus Improves Performance Of Whitefly Vectors, Qi Su, Evan L. Preisser, Wen Xie, Shao Li Wang, Qin Jun Wu, You Jun Zhang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Pathogen-mediated interactions between insect vectors and their host plants can affect herbivore fitness and the epidemiology of plant diseases. While the role of plant quality and defense in mediating these tripartite interactions has been recognized, there are many ecologically- and economically-important cases where the nature of the interaction has yet to be characterized. The Bemisia tabaci cryptic species MED is an important vector of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), and performs better on virus-infected tomato than on uninfected controls. We assessed the impact of TYLCV infection on plant quality and defense, and the direct impact of TYLCV infection on …

City Slickers: Poor Performance Does Not Deter Anolis Lizards From Using Artificial Substrates In Human‐Modified Habitats, Jason J. Kolbe, Andrew C. Battles, Kevin J. Avilés-Rodríguez

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1.

1. As animals move through their environments, they encounter a variety of substrates, which have important effects on their locomotor performance. Habitat modification can alter the types of substrates available for locomotion. In particular, many types of artificial substrates have been added to urban areas, but effects of these novel surfaces on animal locomotion are little known.
2. In this study, we assessed locomotor performance of two Anolis lizard species (A. cristatellus and A. stratulus) on substrates that varied in inclination and surface roughness. Rough substrates represented the tree trunks and branches typically used in natural forest habitats, whereas …

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For February 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For January 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For March 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For December 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For July 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For April - June 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For November 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For October 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For September 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For August 2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Annual Report For Fy2015, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

Annual report for the Division of Research and Economic Development of the University of Rhode Island for the year 2014-2015.

Includes statistics of project proposals, expenditures, URI Foundation Awards, previous annual report summaries and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments.

An Immunoinformatic Approach For Identification Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Hla-A2-Restricted Cd8+ T Cell Epitopes, Christopher S. Eickhoff, Daniel Van Aartsen, Francis E. Terry, Sheba K. Meymandi, Mahmoud M. Traina, Salvador Hernandez, William D. Martin, Leonard Moise, Anne S. De Groot, Daniel F. Hoft

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Chagas disease is a major neglected tropical disease caused by persistent chronic infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. An estimated 8 million people are infected with T. cruzi, however only 2 drugs are approved for treatment and no vaccines are available. Thus there is an urgent need to develop vaccines and new drugs to prevent and treat Chagas disease. In this work, we identify T cell targets relevant for human infection with T. cruzi. The trans-sialidase (TS) gene family is a large family of homologous genes within the T. cruzi genome encoding over 1,400 members. There …