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Native And Exotic Phragmites Australis In Rhode Island: Distribution And Differential Resistance To Insect Herbivores, Adam Matthew Lambert

Open Access Dissertations

In this research, I studied an introduced strain of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel that is displacing native P. australis in the United States and altering ecological processes of native environments. The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of native and exotic P. australis in Rhode Island and determine if there is a difference in resistance to native and exotic insect herbivores among the various P. australis haplotypes. I also studied possible factors that may cause these differences. I conducted experiments using field surveys and field and laboratory insect feeding experiments. All exotic insects tested fed …

The Ecology Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes And Their Antagonists On Golf Course Greens Turf In Southern New England, Katerina Serlemitsos Jordan

Open Access Dissertations

A two-year survey was conducted to determine the ecology of plant-parasitic nematodes and their antagonists on golf course greens turf in southern New England. Soil samples were collected from three greens each at 38 golf courses, for a total of 114 samples. Samples were collected in May, July, and September of each year. Nematodes were extracted from soil samples, identified to genus and counted. Genus diversity and seasonal fluctuation of nematode populations, both within each season and between the two sampling years, were analyzed. Additionally, data on soil physical and chemical properties, as well as management practices on each golf …

Marine Growth And Morphometrics For Three Populations Of Atlantic Salmon From Eastern Maine, Usa, Timothy F. Sheehan, John F. Kocik, Steven X. Cadrin, Christopher M. Legault, Ernest Atkinson, David A. Bengtson

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Significant differences in growth and prespawning body morphology were detected among three stocks of Atlantic salmon reared in a common marine environment. Smolts originating from river-specific broodstock of the Machias, East Machias, and Dennys populations were reared at two marine net-pen facilities for 25 months. Significant differences in stock-specific growth were observed among two stocks at both sites, suggesting a genetic basis for the observed phenotypic variation. There was a significant stock effect to the total measured phenotypic variation based on collected truss network analyses. Linear discriminant function analysis of a truss network of morphometric distances allowed for 73% accuracy …

Enhancing Driving Safety Through Proper Message Design On Variable Message Signs, Chun-Ming Yang

Open Access Dissertations

This research presents a study that assessed drivers' responses to and comprehension of variable message sign (VMS) messages displayed in different ways with the intent to help enhance message display on VMSs. Firstly, a review of literatures and current practices regarding the design and display of VMS messages is presented. Secondly, the study incorporates three approaches in the assessment. Questionnaire surveys were designed to investigate the preferences of highway drivers. Lab experiments were developed to assess drivers' responses to a variety of VMS messages in a simulated driving environment. Field studies were set up to study drivers' response to VMS …

The Impact Of A Parasitic Gill Copepod On The Demography Of A Reef Fish Host, Rachel Jeanne Mahr Petrik-Finley

Open Access Dissertations

I examined the demographic impacts of the parasitic copepod Pharodes tortugensis that infects the gill cavities of small reef-associated fish. Laboratory and observational field studies were used to address questions concerning the distribution of the parasite in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the physical damage and differences in body condition, growth and mortality caused by the parasite. Transmission of the parasite in a free living host population was examined using spatial analysis. P. tortugensis was found infecting three congeneric gobies in the BVI: bridled gobies, Coryphopterus glaucofraenum, colon gobies, C. dicrus, and palid gobies, C. eidolon. During 2001-2004, the parasite …

The Use Of Microsatellite Dna Fingerprinting For Aquaculture And Fisheries Science, Arpita Choudhury

Open Access Dissertations

In the past, world fisheries appeared to have unlimited growth and potential. Although consumer demand continues to increase, landings from traditional capture fisheries have fallen dramatically. This has led to the growth of world aquaculture production as well as the development of marine conservation science. It has also fostered the use of molecular techniques in the aquatic sciences. Several types of molecular markers have been employed to assess stock structure, genetic variability, and kinship in fisheries and aquaculture. Currently microsatellite markers appear to be one of the most appropriate tools for research in these areas. The overall objective of this …

Effect Of Dietary Fatty Acid Composition On Depot Fat And Exercise Performance In A Migrating Songbird, The Red-Eyed Vireo, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Timothy P. O'Connor, Allen R. Pace, Christopher G. Guglielmo

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Most migrating birds accumulate lipid stores as their primary source of energy for fueling long distance flights. Lipid stores of birds during migration are composed of mostly unsaturated fatty acids; whether such a fatty acid composition enhances exercise performance of birds is unknown. We tested this hypothesis by measuring metabolic rate at rest and during intense exercise in two groups of red-eyed vireos, a long-distance migratory passerine, fed either a diet containing 82% unsaturated fat (82%U), or one containing 58% unsaturated fat (58%U). Vireos fed the 82%U diet had fat stores containing (77%) unsaturated fatty acids, whereas vireos fed the …

Identification Of Oct-2 As A Mediator Of Lead Neurotoxicity, Saleh Abdulrahman Bakheet

Open Access Dissertations

Lead exposure is highly neurotoxic, particularly to the developing brain. A potential mechanism through which lead could precipitate cerebral damage is by perturbations in the regulation of genes mediated by transcription factors involved in neural development. Macroarray screening analysis was conducted in vivo in an attempt to identify novel transcription factors that are involved in the response to lead exposure in the hippocampus of developing rats. Oct-2 was identified as a novel transcription factor prominently induced by lead. Lead-induced elevation of Oct-2 was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis and the functional properties of Oct-2 were examined using EMSA. We found that …

Obesity And Colorectal Cancer And The Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs And Behaviors Related To Colorectal Cancer Prevention Among Non-Hispanic Black Women In Rhode Island, Kathleen Mary Cullinen

Open Access Dissertations

Obesity is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). Numerous studies have linked diets low in fruits and vegetables and decreased physical activity, risk factors for obesity, with increased cancer risk. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of obesity on CRC mortality; the behavioral, socioeconomic and demographic predictors of obesity; and the knowledge attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of a Rhode Island population identified at high risk for both obesity and CRC. The first study tested a model hypothesis that a diet low in fruits and vegetables, decreased physical activity, and obesity as defined by a …

Quantitative Analyses Of F+ Specific Rna Coliphages, Marek Kirs

Open Access Dissertations

Microbial contamination of coastal waters poses a significant risk to human health through recreational exposure and consumption of shellfish. Current protocols for assessing the magnitude of microbial contamination in coastal waters cannot distinguish between human and non-human sources. Therefore, there is a critical need at local, regional and national levels for a method that allows reliable discrimination of human and non-human microbial contamination (microbial source tracking). F+ specific RNA coliphages (Leviviridae) have been suggested as a indicator organism for microbial source tracking. Because subgroup II and III are predominantly associated with human, and subgroup I and IV are predominantly associated …

The Role Of Planning In Marine Resource Management: The Effect Of Differing Legislative Mandates On The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, Shannon Olivia Marie Bettridge

Open Access Dissertations

Natural resource management laws mandate that Federal agencies must develop and implement plans to protect living and non-living resources. Occasionally these laws overlap in their jurisdiction of marine species, subjecting the resource in question to the requirements of more than one Federal statute. This dissertation examines the planning directives of three Federal resource laws: the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, to identify procedural and substantive conflicts between their mandates. In the U.S., Atlantic large whale protection comes under the purview of the three environmental statutes …

An Assessment Of The Habitat Quality And Nutritional Intake Of North Atlantic Right Whales In Cape Cod Bay, Amy Susanna Delorenzo

Open Access Dissertations

Cape Cod Bay is the only known winter feeding ground of the North Atlantic right whale, a seriously endangered species, and is thus a critical habitat for right whales. As with most coastal ecosystems, Cape Cod Bay is a dynamic system with a high degree of variability in both physical and biological parameters. However, the extent of these fluctuations and their effect on the suitability of the bay as a right whale feeding ground is not known. This study was conducted to address variability in the biological and physical environment of the bay on different temporal and spatial scales and …

Energetic Constraints On Diapause In Calanus Finmarchicus: Implications For Population Dynamics In The Gulf Of Maine, Whitley Joseph Saumweber

Open Access Dissertations

Deep basins in the Gulf of Maine act as refuge for a large population of resting Calanus finmarchicus during the summer and fall. Dynamics of this population are not well understood, however, and loss terms from advection and starvation may be large. A three part study was therefore undertaken to determine potential diapause duration in C. finmarchicus , monitor changes in the summer-fall population, and to define the relative importance of energetic limitation as a control on C. finmarchicus population dynamics. Six standard stations were sampled in and around the Gulf of Maine on a series of four research cruises …

Experimental Populations: Do They Really Work And How Would We Know?, Jessica Anna Anthony

Open Access Master's Theses

In response to the severe decline of the last remnant population of wild Atlantic salmon in the United States, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment of Atlantic salmon as endangered on November 17, 2000, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) as amended.

Other rivers within the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment have suitable salmon habitat, but currently do not support wild populations. These river systems could be potential sites for the reintroduction of a population through the utilization of the riverspecific hatchery …

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #429, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

The Four Hundred Twenty-Seventh Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #427, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

The Four Hundred Twenty-Sixth Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Marine Science Journals And Serials : 1993-2003 Update, Judith B. Barnett

Technical Services Faculty Publications

An annotated bibliography of marine science journals and serials published between 1986 and 1993 appeared in this journal in 1995. It is updated by this listing of thirty new titles commencing between 1993 and 2003. These publications reflect new research directions in this multifaceted field.

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #426, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

The Four Hundred Twenty-Fifth Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Hepp Report: Infectious Diseases In Corrections, Vol. 7 No. 5, Hiv & Hepatitis Education Prison Project

Infectious Diseases in Corrections Report (IDCR)

No abstract provided.

Predators, Prey Refuges, And The Spatial Scaling Of Density-Dependent Prey Mortality, Graham E. Forrester, Mark A. Steele

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

We tested the biological cause of density-dependent mortality in the bridled goby (Coryphopterus glaucofraenum), a small coral reef fish, and evaluated whether this knowledge allowed us to detect density dependence at different spatial scales in natural habitats. To identify the biological cause of density dependence, we manipulated both population density and the availability of shelter (crevices used as refuges from predators) in small plots of continuous reef. We detected strong density-dependent mortality in plots with few refuges, but mortality was density independent in plots with abundant refuges, indicating that limited shelter causes density dependence. Predator density was unrelated …

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #425, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

Hepp Report: Infectious Diseases In Corrections, Vol. 7 No. 4, Hiv & Hepatitis Education Prison Project

Infectious Diseases in Corrections Report (IDCR)

No abstract provided.

The Four Hundred And Twenty-First Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee Resubmitted With Statement On Transfer Of 100 Level Writing Courses, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

University College And General Education Committee Report #2003-04-5, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

The Four Hundred Twenty-First Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

University College And General Education Committee Report #2003-04-5, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #421, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.