Digital Commons Network^™

The National Invasive Species Act Of 1996: An Assessment Of Current Statutes And Potential Changes And Improvements For Future Legislation Regarding Ballast Water Discharge And Prevention Of Invasion By Non-Indigenous Species, Alison P. Armstrong

Open Access Master's Theses

Ninety-five percent of consumer goods used in the United States reach the markets by way of vessel transport. Each of these vessels carries ballast water, and with it, exotic organisms from ports around the world that can threaten native ecosystems.

A survey (n=10) conducted to gather perceptions on existing ballast water legislation shows that those state and federal agencies who are involved agree on certain aspects of the issue, but there are broad areas of dissent regarding other aspects. Policy actors do feel that this issue must be regulated, however, an agreement on how to reach the goals of ballast …

The Physiological Effects Of Catch And Release Angling On The Post-Release Survivorship Of Juvenile Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus Plumbeus), Abbey Leigh Spargo

Open Access Master's Theses

A post release survivorship study of juvenile sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) was conducted in Delaware Bay during 1999-2000. A total of 104 sharks were captured and sampled for changes in blood chemistry after exposure to exhaustive exercise. Of these, 24 sharks were angled in the field, sampled, tagged, and released. The remaining 80 sharks were transported to a holding tank, allowed to recover, and half were angled to exhaustion. To quantify recovery, blood samples were taken from these fish at 0,1.5, 3, 6, 10, 14 and 24 hours, then tagged and released. Blood was obtained by caudal …

La Conceptualización De La Cultura En La Obra De Sarmiento Y Sus Implicaciones Políticas Para La Formación De Una Identidad Cultural Argentina, Marta Belen Rodriguez Galan

Open Access Master's Theses

El propósito fundamental de este trabajo es discutir como Sarmiento conceptualiza la cultura y cuales son las implicaciones prácticas de esa cosmovisión en su política educativa. Como veremos su ideario está muy influido por ideas racionalistas y utilitaristas.

Por medio de fuentes de la erudición histórica y literaria trataremos de explicar las condiciones originales en que fue creada la obra de Sarmiento. También utilizaremos teorías mas actuales (Jacques Derrida, Walter Benjamin, Fredric Jameson...) para poner el debate en perspectiva.

Otro de los objetivos de este trabajo es profundizar en el estudio de las ideas de Sarmiento sobre la cultura, rescatando …

Zooplankton Feeding Behavior And Particle Selection In Natural Plankton Assemblages Containing Toxic Alexandrium Spp., Gregory J. Teegarden, Robert G. Campbell, Edward G. Durbin

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Laboratory experiments suggest that toxic Alexandrium spp. cells are unpalatable to zooplankton grazers, and that toxic cells should be selectively avoided by zooplankton when feeding in mixtures of different prey species. Such avoidance, if practised in the wild, might contribute to harmful bloom formation by reducing losses of Alexandrium spp. due to grazing. In the spring of 1998 and 1999, during Œred tide¹ outbreaks in the southwestern Gulf of Maine, weekly experiments were performed using field collected natural water samples with ambient phytoplankton and dominant mesozooplankton grazers. The feeding response of Acartia hudsonica, Semibalanus balanoides nauplii, and Calanus finmarchicus …

Pfiesteria: Review Of The Science And Identification Of Research Gaps. Report For The National Center For Environmental Health, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Jonathan Samett, Gary S. Bignami, Robert Feldman, William Hawkins, Jerry Neff, Theodore Smayda

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

In connection with the CDC National Conference on Pfiesteria, a multidisciplinary panel evaluated Pfiesteria-related research. The panel set out what was known and what was not known about adverse effects of the organism on estuarine ecology, fish, and human health; assessed the methods used in Pfiesteria research; and offered suggestions to address data gaps. The panel's expertise covered dinoflagellate ecology; fish pathology and toxicology; laboratory measurement of toxins, epidemiology, and neurology. The panel evaluated peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed literature available through June 2000 in a systematic conceptual framework that moved from the source of exposure, through exposure research and dose, …

Nucleic Acids And Growth Of Calanus Finmarchicus In The Laboratory Under Different Food And Temperature Conditions, Melissa M. Wagner, Robert G. Campbell, Carla A. Boudreau, Edward G. Durbin

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

We examined the effects of food concentration and temperature on nucleic acids and protein content of Calanus finmarchicus in order to evaluate the use of RNA as a growth rate index for this species. We measured RNA, DNA, and protein content of copepods reared from egg to adult stage in 5 combinations of food and temperature conditions (25 to 500 µg C l^-1, 4 to 12°C). At 8°C, DNA, RNA and protein content and RNA:DNA differed among food treatments during Stages N6 through to adult female. Protein:DNA ratios and RNA:protein ratios were significantly different among food levels for …

Runoff Modeling Of The Saugatucket River: An Application Of Hec-Hms Software, Quoc An Nguyen

Open Access Master's Theses

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had revised its HEC-1 software. The new version is HEC-HMS (Hydrological Modeling System). This versatile software retains all computational and analysis capabilities of the old version with additional features, which includes CAD (Computer Aided Design) like modeling techniques (icon and dialogue box driven). The main objective of this project is to model flow response from a rainfall event in the Saugatucket River. Through model selection process, HEC-HMS was selected as the appropriate software for implementation.

The modeling technique used here is different from standard professional practice in the model calibration and validation. This project …

Models, Algorithms, And Measurements For Underwater Acoustic Positioning, Harold Thomas Vincent Ii

Open Access Dissertations

Several problems in underwater acoustic position estimation are investigated within the context of their associated models, algorithms, and measurements. The first appendix provides a detailed discussion of these concepts and demonstrates the fact that simultaneous consideration of all three is necessary in order to properly address a particular position estimation problem. The particular problems addressed herein stem from the so-called long baseline underwater acoustic positioning method whose principle of operation is hyperbolic multilateration; a technique employed in the now common Global Positioning System and its predecessor systems such as Long Range Navigation (LORAN), Decca and Omega. Although motivated by this …

Hybridization Diversity Of The Chorion Multigene Families Of Bombyx Mandarina With Reference To Several Genetic Stocks Of Bombyx Mori, Bungo Sakaguchi, Marian R. Goldsmith, Nikolaus A. Spoerel, Yumiko Nakajimai, Yutaka Kawaguchi, Katsumi Koga

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Genomic Southern blotting analyses of Bombyx mori and B. mandarina were performed with the 5′-exons or 5′-flanking sequences of two members of genes A/B.L11 and A/B.L12. They represent multigene families encoding chorion proteins that are expressed in the middle period of choriogenesis. Many bands cross-hybridized with the probes in B. mandarina and in different strains and races of B. mori, supporting the idea that the middle chorion multigene families have remained essentially the same in the two species. Both the exon and the 5′-flanking probes exhibited similar patterns within the European stocks of B. mori, indicating that the examined …

Eradication Of Biofilm-Forming Staphylococcus Epidermidis (Rp62a) By A Combination Of Sodium Salcylate And Vancomycin, Roy E. Polonio, Leonard A. Mermel, Gregory E. Paquette, Jay F. Sperry

Past Departments Faculty Publications (CELS)

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a major cause of infections associated with indwelling medical devices. Biofilm production is an important virulence attribute in the pathogenesis of device-related infections. Therefore, elimination of these biofilms is an ideal treatment. Salicylate (5 mM) combined with 1 μg of vancomycin per ml inhibited biofilm formation by S. epidermidis (RP62A) by ≥99.9%. When biofilm-coated polystyrene beads were exposed to 5 mM sodium salicylate and 4 μg of vancomycin per ml (one-half the minimum biofilm eradication concentration), there was a >99.9% reduction in viable count.

Honey Amylase And The Effect In Starch-Containing Foods, Sibel Babacan

Open Access Dissertations

Honey amylase was evaluated for potential to degrade food starch and cause viscosity loss. Honey was assayed for amylase activity with diastase number (DN). A viscosity assay, developed with unmodified waxy maize starch, measured rate of viscosity decrease (RVD) by honey amylase. The relationship between DN and RVD was linear (R2 = 0.98). Modified waxy maize starches showed resistance to honey amylase. Heat treatment at 85 °C reduced the amylase activity in honey, but confirmed enzyme heat resistance. Optimum pH for honey amylase was confirmed at pH 5.3-5.6. Lower pH was effective at decreasing enzyme activity in both pure starch …

Street Theater, Angel Yvonne Green

Open Access Dissertations

Close examination of the Short-story reveals a fragment of life rendered through lightning impressions, which are compressions, and which exhibit a skill of omission. Particularly, in the writings of women, omissions challenge writing codes. Writing codes dictate conventional expectations of narrative, of gender, of race. Writing codes would marginalize the unconventional, and by so doing, maintain the status quo. Like penal sentences these codes impose a role-identity not only on the characters and the narrative-proper, but also on the author. Self recovery from writing codes requires a subversive escape from a location of no choice in topic. Street Theater is …

Gender Roles And Science Beliefs And Their Relationship To Science Interest, Judith Jean Paolucci

Open Access Dissertations

This study investigated adolescents' views about the nature of science (NOS) and conceptions of their gender identities, and revealed whether these conceptions and views are related to their science interest. Participants were 566 high school students enrolled in chemistry courses at three high schools in a New England state. A questionnaire was used to assess participants' science interest, gender role perceptions, and views about science, as well as to provide background and math and science achievement data. The study found that while student scores of NOS understanding did not differ by gender, some significant differences were noted on the student …

Traces Of Enlightenment: Eighteenth-Century Travel Writing And The Reproduction Of Knowledge(S), Richard Kenneth Van Dyke

Open Access Dissertations

Through analysis of eighteenth-century travel writing and eighteenth-century attempts to discover a reliable metaphysical knowledge, this study reveals foundational instability in the European Enlightenment knowledge project and thus makes a call for a more nuanced approach to eighteenth-century textuality than late twentieth-century discourse theorists usually allow. Discourse theorists often construct an enlightenment defined exclusively by progressive endpoints of social order, narrative control, and epistemological fixity, which lead to practices of domination over self-determined Others. Yet, through a focus on the metaphysical inquiries of George Berkeley and David Hume, a different picture of the eighteenth-century knowledge project emerges. For Berkeley and …

Study Of Particle Deposition In Human Airway Models, Guosen Yue

Open Access Dissertations

In this dissertation, the deposition of particles in human airway models is studied. The dissertation consists of three parts: In the first part, an analytical model of particle nasal airway deposition by diffusion considering effects of both laminar and turbulent flows is proposed. It appears in the literature that neither laminar nor turbulent analytical models alone works well for the entire range of diffusion parameters. A simplified turbulent particle diffusion equation is first developed and then a new combined turbulent/laminar diffusion model is proposed. The results predicted from the new model show improved accuracy when compared with available experimental data …

Nonviolence Training Program Evaluation, Maram Hallak

Open Access Dissertations

There has been much recent attention given to conflict resolution and nonviolence training programs in the face of problems of violence in our society. The Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island was founded to provide nonviolence training to students of the university and community members. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Center's Nonviolence Training Program, based on Martin Luther King's approaches, designed to teach participants nonviolence methods as a way of life. A qualitative study gathered information and established the overall expectations of the parties involved. Focus groups …

Using Jpeg2000 Compressed Images For Foveated Texture Mapping In Limited Memory Environments, Timothy Michael Henry

Open Access Dissertations

Despite advances in hardware technology and software rendering algorithms, there remain several limitations that force design trade-offs in virtual environments and visualization systems, such as the decision between increased level of detail, scene rendering time and the storage size of an object or virtual world. If an application involves the Internet or another restricted bandwidth transmission environment, the amount of data necessary to communicate a high level of detail becomes an even more critical parameter. Texture mapping and light mapping are used to increase the realism of a scene without increasing the geometric complexity. The cost for these methods is …

Cadmium Toxicity And Random Motility Studies Using Marine Dinoflagellates, Edwin Li

Open Access Dissertations

The marine biota is exposed to heavy metal residues of industrial and agricultural processes. The effects of these metals on phytoplankton are of particular interest because they represent the first link in the food chain and are able to transfer the metal to higher trophic levels. Members of the phytoplankton population include the diverse community of flagellated unicellular, mostly photosynthetic, microorganisms called dinoflagellates. The effects of cadmium (Cd) on the growth of two marine dinoflagellates Scrippsiella narragansettensis and Heterocapsa triquetra were measured under different medium composition. To investigate the role of metal speciation, experiments were carried out in media prepared …

The Three Hundred And Eighty-Ninth Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #389, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

The Three Hundred And Eighty-Eighth Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Curricular Affairs Committee Report #388, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

Durophagy In Sharks: Feeding Mechanics Of The Hammerhead Sphyrna Tiburo, Cheryl D. Wilga, Philip J. Motta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

This study investigates the motor pattern and head movements during feeding of a durophagus shark, the bonnethead Sphyrna tiburo, using electromyography and simultaneous high-speed video. Sphyrna tiburo feeds almost exclusively on hard-shelled crabs, with shrimp and fish taken occasionally. It captures crabs by ram feeding, then processes or reduces the prey by crushing it between molariform teeth, finally transporting the prey by suction for swallowing. The prey-crushing mechanism is distinct from that of ram or bite capture and suction transport. This crushing mechanism is accomplished by altering the duration of jaw adductor muscle activity and modifying jaw kinematics by …

Hepp News, Vol. 3 No. 5, Hiv Education Prison Project

Infectious Diseases in Corrections Report (IDCR)

No abstract provided.

The Three Hundred And Eighty-Third Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee: Addition Of Tracks For The Pharm. D, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Curricular Report No. 1999-2000-5 From The Graduate Council To The Faculty Senate, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Council For Research Report #99-00-1: Proposed Policy On The Administration Of Grants, Contracts, And Gifts, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

The Three Hundred And Seventy-Ninth Report Of The Curricular Affairs Committee, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Program Quality Review - Department Of Fisheries, Animal And Veterinary Science (2000), William T. O'Malley

Collection Development Reports and Documents

"Program Quality Review" measuring library support for the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science. Tracks library expenditures on materials serving these and related topics, books added and circulated by subject with peer comparisons, scholarly books published by subject, and URI Library holdings of top-ranked journals.

Paleoenvironments Of Early Theropods, Chinle Formation (Late Triassic), Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, François Therrien, David E. Fastovsky

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Three localities in the Chinle Formation (Late Triassic), Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO), Arizona, provide insights into the paleoenvironments frequented by primitive North American theropods. At the Dinosaur Wash locality, an undetermined theropod is preserved in paleosols that indicate a transition from wet to dry conditions on the floodplain. Coelophysis bauri remains from the Dinosaur Hill locality are preserved in a filled channel scour. The paleosols at this locality contain carbonate nodules intimately associated with Fe and Mn oxides, indicative of alternating alkaline/acidic conditions around roots in response to a semi-arid climate with strong seasonal precipitation. At the Dinosaur Hollow …