Digital Commons Network^™

Disconnected/Connected: On The ‘Look’ And The ‘Gaze’ Of Cell Phones, Ian Reyes, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Jennnifer Bonoff

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

Informed by nonparticipant observations of public cell phone use, we offer a Lacanian theorization of common social scenes involving mobile communication technologies. Identifying paradoxes of the mobile mediascape, such as connected versus disconnected and public versus private, we turn to Lacan’s distinction between the look and the gaze to read and reconcile these tensions. Moving beyond understanding cell phones as fetish objects, we use Lacan’s theory of the gaze as a means to understand the existential dilemma, a lack of being, which underwrites the pleasures of consumption. At the heart of the matter is how cell phones mobilize users’ desires …

Speaking Truth To Power: The Legacies Of Rachel Carson, Karen F. Stein

English and Creative Writing Faculty Publications

"Speaking Truth to Power" seeks to explore the experiences and possibilities that arise when educators speak Truth to power.

Who Benefits From Environmental Regulation? Evidence From The Clean Air Act Amendments, Antonio Bento, Matthew Freedman, Corey Lang

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Using geographically disaggregated data and exploiting an instrumental variable strategy, we show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the benefits of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) were progressive. The CAAA created incentives for local regulators to target the initially dirtiest areas for cleanup, creating heterogeneity in the incidence of air quality improvements that favored lower-income households. Based on house price appreciation, households in the lowest quintile of the income distribution received annual benefits from the program equal to 0.3% of their income on average during the 1990s, over twice as much as those in the highest quintile.

Epidemiology Of Pneumococcal Disease In A National Cohort Of Older Adults, Haley J. Morrill, Aisling R. Caffrey, Eunsun Noh, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We sought to describe the epidemiology of non-invasive and invasive pneumococcal disease in a national Veterans Affairs population.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in older patients (aged ≥50 years) with positive pneumococcal cultures from any site within the United States between 2002 and 2011. We described outpatient and inpatient pneumococcal disease incidence per 100,000 clinic visits/hospitalizations. Repeat cultures within a 30-day period were considered to represent the same episode. To describe the epidemiology of serious pneumococcal infections (bacteremia, meningitis, pneumonia), we assessed demographics, clinical characteristics, and risk factors …

Taking Race Out Of The Picture: Health Communication And Disease Prevention For Black Americans, Amanda Lee Almond

Open Access Dissertations

The dissertation being presented in the following chapters represents an examination of philosophy of science, underlying theory, empirical evidence, and research design targeted at understanding the relevance of race when communicating stroke prevention to Black Americans. In the introduction is a description of previous research and relevant course work pertaining to the construction of the research question: Is it a good practice of science to communicate race as a disease risk in attempts to modify health behaviors of Black Americans? The work begins with a description as to how race became a construct of interest in American science and demands …

Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2014-2015, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

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

Transcranial Focal Electrical Stimulation Via Tripolar Concentric Ring Electrodes Does Not Modify The Short- And Long-Term Memory Formation In Rats Evaluated In The Novel Object Recognition Test, G. Rogel-Salazar, H. Luna-Munguía, K. E. Stevens, Walter G. Besio

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Noninvasive transcranial focal electrical stimulation (TFS) via tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCREs) has been under development as an alternative/complementary therapy for seizure control. Transcranial focal electrical stimulation has shown efficacy in attenuating penicillin-, pilocarpine-, and pentylenetetrazole-induced acute seizures in rat models. This study evaluated the effects of TFS via TCREs on the memory formation of healthy rats as a safety test of TFS. Short- and long-term memory formation was tested after the application of TFS using the novel object recognition (NOR) test. The following independent groups were used: naïve, control (without TFS), and TFS (treated). The naïve, control, and stimulated …

Structural And Conformational Insights Into Bulky Arylamine-Induced Mutagenesis, Lifang Xu

Open Access Dissertations

Cancer is the second deadliest disease in the United States. Over 100 different types of cancers exist, among which lung, breast and prostate cancers are those most frequently diagnosed. Genetic factors are important. However, exposures to tobacco smoke and environmental pollutants are considered to be responsible for 75%–80% of cancer. About 6% of cancer deaths every year in the US are reportedly to be directly linked to known carcinogen exposures. Therefore, it is important to study the mechanisms of how the environmental carcinogens trigger cancer initiation. Most chemical carcinogens are metabolized into reactive species in vivo to interact with DNA, …

Professor Xavier Is A Gay Traitor! An Antiassimilationist Framework For Interpreting Ideology, Power And Statecraft, Michael Loadenthal

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

Ideology is an integral component in the reproduction of power. Integral to this central tenet of statecraft is the regulation of identity and proscribed methods of social engagement—positive portrayals of "good citizenry" and delegitimized representations of those challenging hegemony. Through an Althusserian and linguistic analysis, positioning the X-Men movie franchise as an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA), one can examine the lives of mutants portrayed in the text as indicative of preferred methods of state-legitimized sociopolitical interaction. This metaphorical and textual analysis is used to discuss the lived realities of queer persons resisting hegemony, and is located in the bodies and …

Adult Acclimation To Combined Temperature And Ph Stressors Significantly Enhances Reproductive Outcomes Compared To Short-Term Exposures, Coleen Suckling, Melody S. Clark, Joelle Richard, Simon A. Morley, Michael A.S. Thorne, Elizabeth M. Harper, Lloyd S. Peck

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

1. This study examined the effects of long-term culture under altered conditions on the Antarctic sea urchin, Sterechinus neumayeri.
2. Sterechinus neumayeri was cultured under the combined environmental stressors of lowered pH (−0·3 and −0·5 pH units) and increased temperature (+2 °C) for 2 years. This time-scale covered two full reproductive cycles in this species and analyses included studies on both adult metabolism and larval development.
3. Adults took at least 6–8 months to acclimate to the altered conditions, but beyond this, there was no detectable effect of temperature or pH.
4. Animals were spawned after 6 and 17 months exposure to altered …

Model-Based 3-D Reconstruction Of Transparent Objects From A Single Image, Wiehrs Lewis Collier

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation describes an interdisciplinary research project that spans computer-vision, imaging of biological nanoparticles via cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-tem), and bio-informatics / proteomics. This research introduces a new method for reconstructing individual biological particles imaged via cryo-tem with typical accuracies of 88% to 98%. This individual particle reconstruction (IPR) technique is based on a hidden Markov model derived from the underlying biological structure. The processing presented in this dissertation reconstructs each individual particle from a single image, which is in contrast to current approaches that can require tens of thousands of images to create an ensemble representation …

Characterization Of The Probiotic Mechanism Of Phaeobacter Gallaeciensis S4 Against Bacterial Pathogens, Wenjing Zhao

Open Access Dissertations

Infections by pathogenic marine bacteria are a major problem for both the shellfish and finfish aquaculture industries, causing severe disease and high mortality, which seriously affect aquaculture production and cause significant economic loss. Marine pathogens like Vibrio tubiashii and Roseovarius crassostreae frequently cause disease in a variety of shellfish. With the understanding that the use of antibiotics in large-scale aquaculture leads to the development and transfer of antibiotic resistance, investigation of probiotic approaches for the prevention of infectious disease has become important. In manuscript I, screening of bacterial isolates from Rhode Island marine organisms and environment using agar-based assay methods …

Life Cycle Dynamics Of The Harmful Bloom Forming Macroalgae Ulva Spp. In Narragansett Bay, Ri, Elaine Potter

Open Access Master's Theses

Macroalgal blooms occur worldwide and have the potential to cause severe ecological and economic damage. Narragansett Bay, RI is a eutrophic system that experiences summer macroalgal blooms composed mostly of Ulva compressa and Ulva rigida. All Ulva species have isomorphic, biphasic life cycles, and the relative contribution of the haploid and diploid life history stages to bloom formation is poorly understood. In this study, we used flow cytometry to assess ploidy levels of U. compressa and U. rigida populations from five sites in Narragansett Bay, RI, USA. Both haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes were present for both species. Sites …

Inner-Peace And Physical Health: Peace Of Mind And Physical Health Among Rhode Island Older Adults, Thupten Tendhar

Open Access Master's Theses

The number of older adults increases globally year after year at an unprecedented rate, and so does their healthcare expenditure. This trend is similar in Rhode Island. The proportion of older adults relative to the general population is rising sharply in this smallest state in the US. The quality of later life and well-being of the older adults remains questionable for many, due to the increasing chronic disease burden associated with advanced age.

The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between inner-peace and physical health, with the aim of developing a clearer picture to improve the health …

Evaluation Of A Topless Bottom-Trawl Design For Fish Capture In The Summer Flounder Fishery, Meghan P. Gahm

Open Access Master's Theses

One of the major threats to sea turtles is the incidental capture as bycatch in marine commercial trawl fisheries. A gear-based approach has been suggested to reduce sea turtle bycatch levels in the summer flounder fishery (Paralicthys dentatus). Previous conservation experiments using a turtle excluder device (TED) in the summer flounder fishery resulted in a significant loss of the target species summer flounder, about 35% on average. A topless-trawl design was proposed as an alternative gear design to mitigate sea turtle bycatch. Previous testing showed that a topless-trawl with a headrope length of 48.7 m (160 ft) was …

Biological Indicators For Assessing Freshwater Wetland Condition In Rhode Island, Thomas E. Kutcher

Open Access Master's Theses

There is a growing need to identify assessment methods that can provide managers and researchers with a relative indication of wetland condition. Biological indicators (bioindicators) are considered to be the most effective and precise indicators of environmental condition. This study focuses on the development of bioindicators based on the concept of species conservatism, or intolerance to human disturbance. In theory, the aggregate conservatism of a species assemblage should indicate the environmental quality of a natural area. In the first part of this study, I applied the conservatism concept to adult Odonata composition to create a novel bioindicator for open-canopy wetland …

Investigation Of Genes Contributing To Whole Plant Senescence In Soybean (Glycine Max), Robert Almeida

Open Access Master's Theses

Plant senescence is a genetically determined developmental program characterized by systematic degradative processes that involves activation of new gene activity and down-regulation of other genes that ultimately leads to cell, tissue, organ and whole plant death. Elucidating senescence regulatory pathways and participating genes will allow for the development of strategies to improve crop yields and also curtail post-harvest losses. Three genes are known to be primary regulators of senescence in soybean; namely, g, D1, and D2. In double and triple mutant combinations these genes confer an evergreen leaf and seed phenotype. The double mutation ggd1d1d2d2 shows an …

Assessment Of Food Safety Handling Practices At Farmers’ Markets In Rhode Island, Elizabeth Gran Vandeputte

Open Access Master's Theses

From 2001 to 2010, foodborne illness outbreaks increased in the US and 17% of the outbreaks were from produce. High-risk, whole produce at farmers’ markets present unique challenges to food safety practices in regards to temperature controls, potable water, and exposure to contaminants. Use of a Smartphone application decreases behavior change in those being observed as they are unaware of the observation taking place. The purpose of this descriptive study was to use direct observations to identify unsafe food handling practices among high-risk produce vendors at Rhode Island farmers’ markets. This study used a Smartphone application as a tool for …

College Students Perceptions Of Environmentally Conscious Eating Behaviors: A Formative Evaluation, Victorine Shores

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: This study was a formative evaluation of modules related to Green Eating. Perceptions of the motivational value of the modules were assessed.

Design: This study was a cross-sectional study using secondary data.

Participants: 224 college students.

Intervention: Participants completed one of three online modules. Participants established a goal for the module they viewed and determined their self-efficacy (SE) in meeting their goal.

Main Outcomes: Motivational value was assessed using the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS); IMMS scores were compared between modules. Goal congruency (relationship to module topic) and SE were compared between modules.

Analysis …

Effects Of Introduced Green Iguanas (Iguana Iguana) On Tropical Plant Communities Through Seed Dispersal And Germination, Jhoset A. Burgos-Rodriguez

Open Access Master's Theses

Despite the importance of dispersal and germination for plant life cycles and population dynamics, the effects of reptiles are often overlooked because herbivory is relatively rare in reptiles. Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) enhance seed germination in some plant species in xeric habitats in its native range, but no studies have been conducted on introduced populations, such as in Puerto Rico. Because Green Iguanas can be abundant where they have been introduced, they have the potential to affect plant communities by dispersing and germinating seeds. In summer 2013, a total of 258 Green Iguana scat samples were collected in …

A Comparison Of The Development Of The Lateral Line Canal Pores In Two Species Of Cichlid Fishes With Functionally Distinct Canal Morphologies, Lauren E. Carter

Open Access Master's Theses

The cranial lateral line system (LL) is composed of a series of bony, pored canals that are integrated within a conserved subset of dermatocranial bones. Neuromast receptor organs are located in the canals between positions of adjacent canal pores, which link the fluid within the canals to the fluid of the external environment. Among species the lateral line canals can be narrow, narrow with widened tubules, widened, branched, or reduced. The goal of this project was to examine ontogenetic trends in size and shape of canal pores within and between two cichlid species, Aulonocara stuartgranti (widened canals) and Tramitichromis sp …

Collision Free Path Planning Of An Object Using Multiple Robot Manipulators, Drew P. Davis

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis presents two algorithms for the path planning of multiple manipulator systems attempting to transform a single object without the need for a closed form inverse kinematic solution for a specific manipulator. The first algorithm is a dual quaternion Jacobian based numerical inverse kinematic method. The Jacobian is formulated to transform the change in joint space of the manipulator to the change in dual quaternion transformation space of the manipulator's end effector. Joint space solutions are found that satisfy both the position and orientation of the end effector. The second algorithm is an adaptation of the sampling-based rapidly-exploring dense …

Development Of A Paper Based Lateral Flow Device For The Detection Of Iαip Via Competitive Elisa, Alexander Giannakos

Open Access Master's Theses

This research has the focus on developing a paper-based device capable of sequentially flowing three separate fluids. Different assembly methods are investigated and compared to develop a more streamlined approach for the prototyping and testing of biological reagents. A faster method of fabrication is developed followed by an investigation of the potentials to detect the presence of Inter α Inhibitor Protein (a biomarker associated with sepsis). This is primarily achieved by applying the techniques of an Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) onto a paper based platform. The research presented shows the steady progression toward and optimization of a lateral flow …

Preliminary Evaluation Of The Mathup Curriculum, Stephanie Tang

Open Access Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the novel math curriculum, mathUP, on math development for pupils receiving this instruction. Two Rhode Island schools participated: a charter school that had implemented mathUP and a suburban control school located in a higher socioeconomic (SES) community. Kindergarten students (n=41) were assessed on the following measures: two for early numeracy skills, one for visuospatial working memory (WM), and one for math achievement. Fifth-grade students (n=73) were administered a standardized measure of math achievement and an experimenter-generated math test. In addition, kindergarten and fifth-grade teachers in each school completed a …

Automatic High-Frequency Oscillation Detection From Tripolar Concentric Ring Electrode Scalp Recording, Mohammadreza Abtahi

Open Access Master's Theses

Epilepsy is the second most prevalent neurological disorder which affects about 1% of all the humans on the earth. It has different causes and symptoms with the seizures as the main symptom. The seizures are characterized as some abnormal electrical activities of the brain. The main therapy for epilepsy is using anti-epileptic drugs which can help around 60% of the patients. The other therapy for the patients who cannot be cured by drugs is surgery. In order to define the brain tissue which is generating the seizures, there is a need to record electrical activity from the brain (electroencephalogram) with …

Ecology And Conservation Of The Bamboo Pit Viper: Natural History, Demography And Effects Of Translocation, Elizabeth Anne Devan-Song

Open Access Master's Theses

The bamboo pit viper (Trimeresurus albolabris, Gray 1842) is broadly distributed through South and Southeast Asia. This venomous snake occurs in high abundances in Hong Kong, and frequently comes into contact with humans. Thus it is viewed as a ‘nuisance’ species and is commonly translocated away from areas of human habitation. Despite being relatively abundant and a frequent focus of humansnake conflict in the region, very little is known about the ecology, demography, and the effects of long-distance translocation on this species. I captured 104 T. albolabris from throughout Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China and collected …

Effective Virtual Navigation In A 3d Underwater Environment Based On Real-World Bathymetry, Joel Barruos

Open Access Master's Theses

Scientific visualization can be viewed as a subset or a type of data visualization in which the data can be mapped to a geometric shape or spatial coordinate system. Geovisualization is a type of scientific visualization in which the data represented are earth data (e.g., bathymetry). As the need for exploring these scientific data sets increases, so will the need to support user interaction with the data. This requires creating user interfaces that allow users to carry out observational (e.g., compare and analyze different data sets) or experimental (e.g., data exploration) tasks on the data sets.

This thesis aims at …

Immunohistochemical Localization Of The Neuropeptide Rfamide In The Hypostomal Nerve Net Of Hydra Vulgaris, Bailey Munro

Open Access Master's Theses

This study examined the distribution and localization of the neuropeptide arginine-phenylalanine-amide (RFamide) in the hypostomal and tentacular nerve net of the cnidarian polyp Hydra vulgaris. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to visualize three RFamide-positive distinct nerve ring structures, nerves and neurites throughout the ectoderm of the hypostome and tentacles of ablated hypostomes. Two RFamide-positive circumhypostomal nerve rings are reported here: an inner ring located near the mouth and an outer ring located beneath the tentacle attachment sites. Both rings are consistent with rings labeled with anti-α-tubulin; the outer ring is also coincident with a GABA_B receptor-antibody-labeled ring previously described …

Centrifugation-Based Assay For Examining Nanoparticle-Lipid Membrane Binding And Disruption, Aihong Xi

Open Access Master's Theses

Physical disruption of cellular membranes arising from interactions with engineered nanoparticles is an important, but poorly understood aspect of nanotoxicology and nanomedicine. Model cellular membranes (i.e. lipid bilayers) can be used to identify interaction mechanisms, and most studies have largely focused on lipid bilayers supported on solid planar or spherical substrates. While useful and informative, these systems do not accurately represent an intact cell membrane because they restrict the elastic motion of the bilayer and the capacity for mechanical changes. Free standing bilayers are preferred, but add complexity. Given the importance of nanoparticle–membrane interactions in nanotoxicology and nanomedicine, and the …

Tumor-Penetrating Acetalated Dextran Nanoparticles Capable Of Tandem Delivery Of Agents For The Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Qihua Sun

Open Access Master's Theses

The overall survival rate for patients diagnosed with lung cancer is still extremely low and many affected patients are not eligible for first-line treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for the treatment due to the severe side effects associated with these therapies. Paclitaxel (PTX) along with imatinib mesylate are currently first-line therapies for many types of cancer (Kelly 2001, Schiller 2002). However, the successful delivery of paclitaxel faces many challenges due to its lipophilic nature and high protein affinity, which often results in low bioavailability. Solubilization of drugs such as PTX, enhanced tumor accumulation, and toxicity attenuation of such …