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Examining The Regulation Of The Bs21 Homologs In Francisella Tularensis, Sierra Schmidt

Open Access Master's Theses

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular pathogen, which relies on a network of regulation for its virulence. It contains three homologs of the ribosomal protein bS21. These three ribosomal protein homologs can independently associate with ribosomes, leading to ribosomal heterogeneity. The second homolog, bS21-2, is implicated in the positive regulation of a number of virulence proteins. Additionally, transcriptomic data indicates that bS21-2 is autoregulated. The mechanism by which this autoregulation occurs is unknown, as is the regulation of the other two homologs, bS21-1 and bS21-3. In the following chapters, I will show that bS21-1 and bS21-3 do not autoregulate their …

Seafood Consumption During Harmful Algal Blooms: The Impact Of Information Regarding Safety And Health, Andrew Bechard, Corey Lang

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can cause massive fish kills all over the world. However, some commercially caught species are safe to eat. The fish safe for consumption are vastly different from the fish that wash up on shore. Prior research finds this difference in edibility is mostly unknown by consumers, and that the misperception of unhealthy and unsafe fish is the dominant paradigm. To date, there has been minimal research on the effect of disseminating this information regarding seafood health to consumers, and how consumption habits would change during a bloom. We implement a survey that presents respondents with information …

A Hedonic Study Of New England Dam Removals, Todd Guilfoos, Jason Walsh

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

There are over fourteen thousand dams in the New England region. Recent efforts to remove dams to return rivers back to their natural orientations in the United States have increased, though a host of potential externalities exist to nearby communities. We compile 75 removed dams in the New England region to estimate the aggregate treatment effect of dam removal on nearby properties. We employ a repeat sales sample with property fixed effects and a difference-in-differences strategy to estimate the proximity effects of dam removal. We cannot reject the null hypothesis that dam removals have no effect on proximity properties.

Not Beloved, Only Broken: Sex Dolls, Robots, And Woman Hating: The Case For Resistance By Caitlin Roper (Spinifex Press, 2022), Donovan Cleckley

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Strategies Towards The Synthesis And Analysis Of Materials With Potential Environmental Impacts, Justin Pantano

Open Access Dissertations

There are a number of environmental issues that are proving to have strong effects on local populations. Chief among them is the growing concentration of contaminants in seawater, of which there are limited ways to detect in a consumer-friendly way. Contaminants such as nitrite and phosphate have strong adverse effects on aquatic life, including algal blooms and observed hypoxia in fish. The main work presented in this dissertation discusses some ways to leverage organic chemistry to develop materials to help combat these contaminants. Chapter 2 discusses the design of a novel monomer and investigates its ability to polymerize under ring-opening …

Evaluation Of The Toxicokinetic Mechanisms Of Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Accumulation, Distribution, And Elimination, Sangwoo Ryu

Open Access Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse class of anthropogenic chemicals associated with several adverse health outcomes in humans. The accumulation of these PFAS have been examined over several decades, however, the elucidation of the toxicokinetics of these chemicals are still in its infancy. The distribution and elimination mechanisms of specific PFAS, notably perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have undergone comprehensive investigation, however, there are more than 10,000 currently detected PFAS in the environment that have not been examined. It is, therefore, imperative to not only address individual PFAS but also to encompass overarching trends and correlations …

13c Labeling For Cho Cell Metabolism Tracing And Ms Based Analysis For Advanced Upstream Culture Monitoring To Support Cqa Understanding, Xin Bush

Open Access Dissertations

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) make up a large part of biopharmaceutical sales due to their great success in treating cancer, autoimmune, and cardiovascular diseases. Due to an increasing number of mAbs using innovative approaches in drug development, combined with changes in the drug market, there is an increased need for optimizing process intensification and quality control. Thus, a profound understanding of cellular metabolism and how this impacts the protein product’s critical quality attributes (CQA) would be of great value. Among the quality attributes of mAbs, post-translational modifications such as N-linked glycosylation are of particular importance as they affect the activity, efficacy, …

Translation, Weather, And Erasure In Bhanu Kapil’S Schizophrene, Flore Chevaillier

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

For Bhanu Kapil, the drafting process of writing involves the translation of non-linguistic realities into storytelling, the nature of which must leave room for the performative experience that shapes writing. In Schizophrene (2011), Kapil engaged in adventitious composition processes when she sealed her manuscript in a Ziploc bag and threw it in the garden to spend months outdoors in the Colorado winter. The text, full of gaps created by the erased parts of the “winterized” manuscript, documents schizophrenia in diasporic Indian and Pakistani communities. The decaying process of the book that created a void in her writing also impacts the …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Hexosamine Biosynthesis Pathway And O-Glcnacylation On Glucose Metabolism In Bovine Granulosa Cells, Abigail M. Maucieri, David H. Townson

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Granulosa cells (GCs) of ovarian follicles prefer glucose as a metabolic substrate for growth and maturation. Disruption of glucose utilization via the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) impairs O-linked N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) and inhibits proliferation of bovine GCs of both small (3–5 mm) and large (>8.5 mm) antral follicles. Knowing that 2–5% of all glucose in cells is utilized via the HBP, the aim of this study was to characterize glucose metabolism in bovine GCs and determine the impact of the HBP and O-GlcNAcylation on metabolic activity. The GCs were initially cultured in serum-containing medium to confluency and then sub-cultured in …

Salinity Effects On Growth And Nutritional Content Of Newly Isolated Microalgal With Potential Use In The Shrimp-Hatcheries, Wa Iba, Abdul Muis Balubi, Lenore M. Martin, Michael A. Rice, Gary H. Wikfors

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

A two-week batch experiment was conducted on three newly isolated Indonesian microalgal strains (Kb1-2 identified as Chaetoceros sp., Kb1-3 and Kb1-5) and Tisochrysis lutea to determine salinity effects upon the growth, proximate composition and ω-3, eicosapentaenoic acidand docosahexaenoic acid, (EPA and DHA) and ω-6 (arachidonic acid /ARA) fatty acids. Salinity within each strain growth of all microalgae tested. The highest cell densities were observed in Indonesian strains, Kb1-3 on day 8 at 25 psu and Kb1-5 on day 10 at 35 psu. Salinity significantly affected the lipid, protein and carbohydrate content in all microalgae cultured. The highest total lipid content …

Trans-Cinnamaldehyde Nanoemulsion Wash Inactivates Salmonella Enteritidis On Shelled Eggs Without Affecting Egg Color, J. Allen, B. Balasubramanian, K. Rankin, T. Shah, A. M. Donoghue, I. Upadhyaya, Becky L. Sartini, Y. Luo, A. Upadhyay

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Salmonella Enteritidis is a major foodborne pathogen that causes enteric illnesses in humans, primarily through the consumption of contaminated poultry meat and eggs. Despite implementation of traditional disinfection approaches to reduce S. Enteritidis contamination, egg-borne outbreaks continue to occur, raising public health concerns and adversely affecting the popularity and profitability for the poultry industry. Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status phytochemicals such as Trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC) have previously shown to exhibit anti-Salmonella efficacy, however, the low solubility of TC is a major hurdle in its adoption as an egg wash treatment. Therefore, the present …

Hip Joint Angles And Moments During Stair Ascent Using Neural Networks And Wearable Sensors, Megan V. Mccabe, Douglas W. Van Citters, Ryan M. Chapman

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

End-stage hip joint osteoarthritis treatment, known as total hip arthroplasty (THA), improves satisfaction, life quality, and activities of daily living (ADL) function. Postoperatively, evaluating how patients move (i.e., their kinematics/kinetics) during ADL often requires visits to clinics or specialized biomechanics laboratories. Prior work in our lab and others have leveraged wearables and machine learning approaches such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) to quantify hip angles/moments during simple ADL such as walking. Although level-ground ambulation is necessary for patient satisfaction and post-THA function, other tasks such as stair ascent may be more critical for improvement. This study utilized wearable sensors/ANNs to …

Organic Culture Media For Sustainable Carotenoid Production From Microalgae, Wa Iba, Nur Illyin Akib, Ilham, La Ode Muhammad Jumardin, Bolo Arif, Nursainuddin, Sendry Yosalina, Jumtrisnanda Asmin Andas

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Antioxidants, particularly those carotenoid produced in microalgae, can be increased by induced stress, including light, nutrients, and salinity. Nutrient stress can be achieved by using imbalanced nutrients to boost antioxidant production without compromising the growth, that is, biomass. Culture media is an important factor in microalgae production because it is affecting growth and biomass production, as well as the biochemical content of microalgae. Synthetic or conventional culture media is considerably expensive for mass culture and the supply is limited, especially for developing countries. Therefore, there is a need for cheap and easily available culture media. This chapter discusses the use …

Groundwater Dynamics In An Unconfined Coastal Aquifer: Geophysical Investigations And Modeling, Jeeban Panthi

Open Access Dissertations

Coastal groundwater plays a vital role in the sustainability of coastal ecosystems and the freshwater supply for over one billion people worldwide. Understanding the movement and interaction of saltwater and freshwater in coastal aquifers is crucial for effective water resource management. The interface between these density-contrast waters is highly dynamic and sensitive to natural drivers, such as sea level rise, storm surges, and drought, as well as anthropogenic factors, including groundwater over-pumping. In recent years, the drivers of coastal groundwater dynamics have been increasingly well understood and quantified. However, there is a need for data-model fusion, including integrating different forms …

Utilization Of Large-Scale Genomic Data And Phylogenetic Methods In Studying Evolutionary Radiations, Eren Ada

Open Access Dissertations

The remarkable biodiversity of the Earth fascinated natural scientists for centuries. Studying this biodiversity has been a major occupation of the life sciences because deciphering the underlying biological mechanisms of diversification provides fundamental knowledge for biological evolution. A significant body of evidence shows that today’s biodiversity originated from successive adaptive diversification periods (i.e.: evolutionary radiations) which are generally characterized by the rapid multiplication of lineages with a variety of adaptations and ecological roles. Some of the most well-known examples of evolutionary radiations include the striking wing pattern diversity of Heliconius butterflies, the great body form variety of Caribbean anole lizards, …

Optimizing Autonomous Multi-Agent Search Patterns Using Swarm Intelligence, Justin P. Maio

Open Access Master's Theses

This work examines several approaches to using multiple robotic search agents to locate a hidden object within a bounded space. Animal swarm behavior is used as model for robots using collaborative tactics with limited intelligence and sensing capabilities. Leveraging group behavior creates opportunities for the robotic swarm to perform better than an equal number of individual robots. Investigated advantages of using a robotic swarm include added endurance, shared GPS accuracy, robustness against evasive maneuvers, and (most importantly) decreased search time.

An object-oriented program written in Python is used to compare eight group-search approaches. A simulation counts the number of steps …

Potential Applications Of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (Acc) In Water Treatment Operations, Brendan Mccarron

Open Access Master's Theses

The increasing negative effects from anthropogenic activities has given rise for bioprospecting new and advanced materials intended for sustainable remediation and restoration efforts. There are currently efforts into exploring naturally found porous substrates to use in a variety of applications, however the cost and availability has been a limiting factor in introducing these into current practices. Many studies have explored and identified the high performance of granulated activated charcoal for water filtration but tend to disregard the environmentally harmful nuances that occur during the manufacturing process. Priority for these porous substrates focus on results, with little to no regard for …

Microfluidic Devices For Microplastics Separation And Identification, Pedro Mesquita

Open Access Master's Theses

Considering its ubiquitous use, plastic pollution has been a worldwide concern for a long time. Recently, microplastics have been found both in water and animal samples (including humans), raising the necessity for novel analytical methods dedicated to the detection of these particles. This thesis explored the application of microfluidic devices in the separation and identification of microplastics. Firstly, the field of low-cost microfluidic devices for environmental applications was reviewed, obtaining an exhaustive perspective. The second chapter explores the development of a device used for microplastics identification using a staining method. The device was made from PDMS casting using a 3D …

Analysis Of Vote-By-Mail Processing And Tabulation: A Time Study From Salt Lake City, Leonie Samira Otte

Open Access Master's Theses

The number of vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election reached record highs. Reasons for the sudden increase in voters using VBM ballots range from accessibility to social distancing restrictions and other COVID-19 pandemic health and safety concerns. In conjunction with other circumstances encircling the presidential election, the reporting of VBM results was delayed. This led to mistrust and contributed to mis-, dis-, and mal-information surrounding the election results. Ultimately, it was difficult for election officials to predict how long it would take to verify and tabulate VBM ballots, especially due to the rapid adoption and expansion of …

Brook Trout Habitat Selection And Movement Response To Critically High Temperatures In Fragmented Stream Networks, Corey Pelletier

Open Access Master's Theses

The Eastern Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is a cold-water obligate fish species that is losing habitat across its native range. Increases in water temperature resulting from climate change and anthropogenic influences are causing declines in distribution and this trend is expected to accelerate. The ability of Brook Trout to survive and adapt to increasing temperatures may be limited by physical barriers, such as natural waterfalls, manmade dams, and perched culverts, that are scattered throughout watersheds in the native range. While temperature effects on Brook Trout and other salmonids have been well documented, few research studies have focused on …

Antibiotic Tolerance In Quiescent Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli, Daniel Alexander Banas

Open Access Master's Theses

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). In about a quarter of these cases the patient experiences reoccurring infection after treatment with antibiotics. The prevalence of reoccurrence may be attributed to the ability of some UPEC populations to enter a growth state where they are tolerant to antibiotic treatment. In reduced metabolic, dormant, and quiescent states bacteria are less susceptible to antibiotics that target critical growth pathways, allowing for prolonged survival. In Manuscript I, we investigate antibiotic tolerance in the quiescent UPEC strain CFT073 in vitro. We demonstrate that during quiescence UPEC are tolerant …

Home Is Where The Habitat Is: Modeling Shortfin Mako Habitat Suitability Via Machine Learning Methods, Julian Garrison

Open Access Master's Theses

Given the mounting threats of species overexploitation, climate change, and other anthropogenic stressors to global biodiversity, there is a growing need for conservation and management efforts informed by the life history and ecology of target species. Apex marine predators such as the shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) are especially vulnerable owing to their life history traits, but accurately mapping habitat preferences remains challenging. Using a novel framework that combines multiple analytical techniques, I report on nearly a decade of habitat preferences of 106 shortfin makos in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and western North Atlantic Ocean (NAO). I leverage the …

Designing Functional 3d Printed Furniture Made From Plastic Waste For Developing Countries Through Circular Economy Principles, Julia Chiappelli

Open Access Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to design functional 3D printed furniture made from plastic waste for developing countries while attempting to solve the challenges of implementing a circular economy in those areas. The methodology employed a comprehensive literature review to identify sustainability requirements and gaps in previous research. Building upon the findings, a guide to sustainability in developing countries was developed to provide a framework for the design processes. The guide served as a reference throughout the material sourcing to the manufacturing stages, ensuring adherence to circular economy principles. The research emphasized the importance of designing for circularity by …

Distribution And Variability Of Blue Carbon In Tidal Marsh Soils Of Southern New England, Joseph Vincent Manetta

Open Access Master's Theses

Tidal marshes in Southern New England represent critical blue carbon ecosystems and support some of the richest carbon stocks of any ecosystem on Earth. This thesis addresses the challenge of accurately quantifying carbon stocks in these ecosystems and explores spatial strategies for carbon accounting at both a landscape and pedon level. In particular, the study investigates the effectiveness of partitioning tidal marshes into landscape or pedogeomorphic units (PGUs) based on their geomorphic characteristics and using soil morphological characteristics to estimate soil carbon stocks. Soils from 32 separate marshes were described and sampled along transects, representing four different PGUs (back barrier, …

Heterogeneous Ribosomes And Bs21: An Investigation Of Impacts And Mechanisms Of Altered Translation In Francisella Tularensis, Hannah Trautmann

Open Access Dissertations

Francisella tularensis is a pathogenic bacterium that requires coordinated regulation of gene expression to cause disease. In this dissertation, I explore a novel area of translation-level gene regulation in F. tularensis: heterogeneous ribosomes that preferentially translate specific mRNAs. Through mass spectrometry and immunoblotting, I find that wild-type F. tularensis ribosomes are heterogeneous with respect to the small ribosomal protein bS21 and all three bS21 homologs are able to be incorporated into ribosomes. Comparing proteomics and transcriptomics data, I determine that cells lacking one homolog, bS21-2, have genome-wide changes in protein abundance that are not explained by changes in transcript …

Investigating And Testing Historic Methods For The Creation Of Imitation Pearls, Savanna Crowther

Open Access Master's Theses

Pearls have been treasured as rare and valuable objects for thousands of years and across many different cultures. Due to their inherently rare and expensive nature, however, a demand for cheaper and more accessible substitutes was created. While imitation pearls have existed for thousands of years, a lack of surviving examples, photographs, or other visual evidence means that it is unknown what early imitation pearls would have looked like. The purpose of this research was to examine the development of artificial pearls throughout history, using a mixed methods experimental design. By examining various historic methods for producing imitation pearls, this …

Convolutional Neural Networks For Classification Teeg And Eeg, Thao Nguyen Ngoc Pham

Open Access Master's Theses

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a commonly used non-invasive method that acquires voltage of the brain during neural activities by using conventional disc electrodes. However, there are some fundamental limitations associated with EEG such as poor spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), inaccurate data due to overlapping information, and artifact contamination. Also, the EEG software filtering solutions had the potential of distorting EEG data making the results unreliable. The tripolar electroencephalogram (tEEG) records brain signals by using the tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCRE). Based on the surface Laplacian algorithm, signals recorded from TCRE overcome the limitations of EEG. tEEG has better SNR …

Human-Inspired Vision-Based Reaching And Grasping For Assistive Robotic Arms With Reinforcement Learning, Robert Beyer

Open Access Master's Theses

Humans have a remarkable ability to grasp and manipulate various objects in their everyday life. However, individuals who suffer from paralysis that result in limited or no voluntary limb muscle control, require assistance from caregivers for activities of daily living, such as eating and drinking tasks. Hereby, a recent study predicts a global shortage of millions of healthcare workers in 2030. The study concludes that this shortage may not occur when labor productivity increases through the better utilization of technology. Assistive robots have the potential to significantly reduce this shortage and assist healthcare professionals in doing so. However, most of …

The Gaspee Affair: Slavery, Trade, And Elite Rebellion In Colonial Rhode Island, Joey La Neve Defrancesco

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the Gaspee Affair within the context of 18th century Rhode Island's business of slavery. It argues that Rhode Islanders' 1772 attack on the British revenue collector Gaspee was a self-interested attempt by the colony's merchant class to preserve an unregulated slave economy. The established historiography of the Gaspee Affair almost uniformly praises the raid as a heroic mob action rooted in patriotic ideals, and ignores issues such as slavery, race, class, and the material interests of the attackers. The fantasy of the Gaspee conspirators as a disorderly group of common Rhode Islanders is demonstrably false: the leaders …

Evaluating The Ocean State Ocean Model For Studying Coastal Dynamics Of Rhode Island Sound, Thomas Lawrence

Open Access Master's Theses

Computer models are important tools for understanding coastal environments, predicting the impacts of human activity and climate change, and managing finite marine resources. This study examines performance of the new Ocean State Ocean Model (OSOM), an implementation of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) optimized for research on the coastal waters of Rhode Island, including the Narragansett Bay (NB) estuary and the inner shelf waters of Rhode Island Sound (RIS). Along the way, we investigate the dynamics of RIS, focusing on the processes by which RIS receives and exports water via a well-documented coastal current, using spatially-temporally detailed current meter …