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Final Design Report, Team 31: The Mighty Ducks, Tim Pickard, Victor Gervasini, Emma Schram, Eric Gattoni

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

An experimental, numerical, research and design investigation is conducted to formulate a nonlethal avian deterrent system for aquacultural applications. As the ocean is itself a dynamic system, so too must its passengers be. This ethos is carried throughout each stage of the design process described herewith. The true cost is outlined in time, energy, and dollars to account for every facet involved. The team driven decisions seek balance between the meticulous selection of materials favorable for their properties and design specifications prescribed by customer and sponsor requirements. Each members initial concepts are outlined and weighed by proven and practiced engineering …

Investigating The Role Corynebacterium Matruchotii Has Within Supragingival Plaque Spatial Organization And Its Response To Oral Streptococci And Saliva, Eric Ganeto Almeida

Open Access Dissertations

Human supragingival plaque (SUPP) is a polymicrobial biofilm on the tooth surface above the gumline, comprised of ordered structures with spatial associations between specific bacterial taxa. Recent microscopy and microbiome data have suggested that some plaque structures are scaffolded by the abundant filamentous bacterium Corynebacterium matruchotii decorated with Streptococcus species. These taxa are able to make a reproducible structure known as the ‘Hedgehog’ model in vivo where Streptococcus species tend to form 'corncob' like structures around the terminal ends of C. matruchotii. As these species colocalize in vivo, we hypothesize that they also interact biochemically with one another. …

Concept Maps For Middle School Computer Science Assessment, Gabriel De Pace

Open Access Dissertations

Concept Mapping has long been used in academic settings for various pur- poses but has been underutilized for assessment. Creating the concept map task and scoring the maps have been barriers to their widespread acceptance, but these difficulties are mitigated with automation and simple tools for the teacher to use. The aim of this work is to show that concept maps can be used effectively as computer science assessments in secondary schools. Ultimately, they can be used to measure student knowledge and to complement other forms of classroom assessments. We used the Code.org CS Discoveries Units 1-3 Curriculum taught in …

A High-Resolution Earth Observations And Machine Learning-Based Approach To Forecast Waterborne Disease Risk In Post-Disaster Settings, Farah Nusrat, Musad Haque, Derek Rollend, Gordon Christie, Ali S. Akanda

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Responding to infrastructural damage in the aftermath of natural disasters at a national, regional, and local level poses a significant challenge. Damage to road networks, clean water supply, and sanitation infrastructures, as well as social amenities like schools and hospitals, exacerbates the circumstances. As safe water sources are destroyed or mixed with contaminated water during a disaster, the risk of a waterborne disease outbreak is elevated in those disaster-affected locations. A country such as Haiti, where a large quantity of the population is deprived of safe water and basic sanitation facilities, would suffer more in post-disaster scenarios. Early warning of …

Legacy Halogenated Organic Contaminants In Urban-Influenced Waters Using Passive Polyethylene Samplers: Emerging Evidence Of Anthropogenic Land-Use-Based Sources And Ecological Risks, Wenlu Zhao, Minggang Cai, David Adelman, Mohammed Khairy, Yan Lin, Zhiheng Li, Huijun Liu, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Legacy halogenated organic pollutants, including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), remain ubiquitous in the environment and continue to pose potential (eco-)toxicological threats because of their ongoing releases from land-based sources. This study investigated the spatial trends of freely dissolved PCBs and OCPs by polyethylene passive samplers, and provided evidence of their land-use-based sources and ecological risk in an urbanized estuary area of Narragansett Bay. Dissolved Σ₂₉PCB concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 1.37 ng L⁻¹, and exhibited higher concentrations in the upper, more urban/built-up watershed, and in north coastal areas. Major inputs of PCBs were …

Seasonal Variation And Deposition Of Atmospheric Organophosphate Esters In The Coastal Region Of Shanghai, China, Yuxin Ma, Yuchen Luo, Jincai Zhu, Jinghua Zhang, Guoping Gao, Wenying Mi, Zhiyong Xie, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The coastal megacity Shanghai is located in the center of the Yangtze River Delta, a dominant flame retardants (FRs) production region in China, especially for organophosphate esters (OPEs). This prompted us to investigate occurrence and seasonal changes of atmospheric OPEs in Shanghai, as well as to evaluate their sources, environmental behavior and fate as a case study for global coastal regions. Atmospheric gas and particle phase OPEs were weekly collected at two coastal sites - the emerging town Lingang New Area (LGNA), and the chemical-industry zone Jinshan Area (JSA) from July 2016–June 2017. Total atmospheric concentrations of the observed OPEs …

Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2022-2023, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

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

Genome Assembly Of The Chemosynthetic Endosymbiont Of The Hydrothermal Vent Snail Alviniconcha Adamantis From The Mariana Arc, Corrina Breusing, Nathan Hagen Klobusnik, Michelle A. Hauer, Roxanne A. Beinart

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Chemosynthetic animal-microbe symbioses sustain hydrothermal vent communities in the global deep sea. In the Indo-Pacific Ocean, hydrothermal ecosystems are often dominated by gastropod species of the genus Alviniconcha, which live in association with chemosynthetic Gammaproteobacteria or Campylobacteria. While the symbiont genomes of most extant Alviniconcha species have been sequenced, no genome information is currently available for the gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont of Alviniconcha adamantis—a comparatively shallow living species that is thought to be the ancestor to all other present Alviniconcha lineages. Here, we report the first genome sequence for the symbiont of A. adamantis from the Chamorro Seamount at the …

Analyzing Factors That Contribute To Attrition Of Underrepresented Undergraduate Students In Computer Science, Noura Albarakati

Open Access Dissertations

In recent years, women and underrepresented minority students have made significant advances in traditionally White male-dominated majors. Nevertheless, they are still underrepresented in most STEM majors. Consequently, many institutions in Higher Education are exploring ways to deliver environments that support those underrepresented students’ retention in science and engineering. This study sheds some light on women and minority students’ underrepresentation in computer science by exploring factors associated with their retention in the field.

This dissertation starts with an exploratory analysis that examines the attrition rate of underrepresented students who switched to other majors compared to their majority peers and investigates any …

An Exploration In Detection Of Small Oxygen Containing Analytes Using Phthalocyanine Dyes And Piezocatalytic Thin, Benjamin B. Cromwell

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is presented in manuscript format according to the guidelines of the graduate school of the University Rhode Island. Three chapters are presented covering the following: Chapter 1 a probing study of metal phthalocyanine dye interactions with four analytes of interest in the solution phase, Chapter 2 a study of the dye and analyte interactions and how they interact while on a PVDF thin film, Chapter 3 an exploration of the piezocatalytic effects of metal doped PVDF thin films.

Measuring The Implementation Of Media Literacy Instructional Practices In Schools: Community Stakeholder Perspectives, Renee Hobbs, Mary Moen, Rongwei Tang, Pamela Steager

Graduate School of Library and Information Studies Faculty Publications

Interest in media literacy education is increasing across the United States and around the world but little is still known about the prevalence of various instructional practices used to implement it in elementary and secondary schools. Surveys and semi-structured interviews with a statewide quota sample of education stakeholders included school leaders, educators, librarians, elected public officials, parents, and members of the community in all 24 school districts in Rhode Island. Results show that only a few instructional practices are implemented with most or nearly all students in the state. However, the implementation of various media literacy instructional practices varied considerably …

Sex Differences In Metabolic Indices And Chronic Neuroinflammation In Response To Prolonged High-Fat Diet In Apoe4 Knock-In Mice, Jennifer M. Mattar, Mark Majchrzak, Jaclyn Iannucci, Sydney Bartman, John K. Robinson, Paula Grammas

Psychology Faculty Publications

Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) likely results from combinations of risk factors that include both genetic predisposition and modifiable lifestyle factors. The E4 allele of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is the most significant genetic risk factor for LOAD. A Western-pattern diet (WD) has been shown to strongly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, conditions which have been strongly linked to an increased risk for developing AD. Little is known about how the WD may contribute to, or enhance, the increased risk presented by possession of the ApoE4 allele. To model this interaction over the course of a lifetime, we exposed …

Treprostinil, A Prostacyclin Analog, Protects Kidney From Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: Preclinical Studies In A Rat Model Of Acute Kidney Injury, Meiwen Ding

Open Access Dissertations

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) occurs in a variety of clinical settings, including sepsis, cardiac bypass, shock, or kidney transplantation. Renal IRI is often unavoidable and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for this diverse set of patients. However, no pharmacological treatments for prevention or amelioration of renal IRI are available.

Renal IRI is a multifactorial process and a major cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). During renal IRI, the initial decline in tissue oxygen reduces oxidative phosphorylation and depletes intracellular ATP stores, ultimately leading to mitochondria damage and disruption of renal tubular epithelial cell structure. One of the …

Effects Of Tdcs On The Spinal Cord Plasticity Induced By Soleus H-Reflex Operant Conditioning, Lynn Marie Mccane

Open Access Dissertations

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe, tolerable method to modify corticospinal excitability in people. Sensorimotor skill acquisition can be enhanced with adjuvant tDCS in healthy people and those with CNS injury. The mechanisms that produce skill improvements with adjuvant tDCS are not completely understood. Spinal reflexes participate in motor behaviors such as standing and walking in a task-dependent manner. Loss of this reflex modulation can occur after CNS injuries such as spinal cord injury or stroke and contribute to abnormal movements. Therefore, understanding how tDCS affects spinal cord excitability is important for its efficacious use as an adjuvant …

What Do We Long For? Reflections On Feminist Movements For Social Justice, Aman Agah, Emerson Barrett, Libia Marqueza Castro, Val Chang, Patti Duncan, Adrianna Nicolay

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

In this collective essay, we contemplate tipping points including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis, and gendered and racialized forms of state violence through our reflections on shifting meanings of and movements for social justice, shaped by our own lived experiences. Inspired by the writings of feminist scholars and activists including Grace Lee Boggs, adrienne maree brown, Dean Spade, bell hooks, and others, we grapple with the meanings of social justice in contemporary contexts.

Female Representation In The Natural And Digital Worlds: A Feminist Millennial Perspective, Lauren-Marie Kennedy

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Pedagogies Of The “Irresistible”: Imaginative Elsewheres Of Black Feminist Learning., Mecca Jamilah Sullivan

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

In her foreword to the groundbreaking anthology, This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, Toni Cade Bambara (1983) famously argues that the great work of feminist writing is “to make revolution irresistible.” This statement is often read as a founding call of women-of-color feminism, and of feminist literary expression in particular. Yet Bambara’s notion of the “irresistible” extends beyond the page; throughout her works, she also uses the term as a key descriptor of her pedagogy, and her vision of the classroom. Bambara joins Audre Lorde and other Black feminist writer/teachers in insisting on a …

Special Forum: Undergraduate Perspectives On Feminism, Sabrinna Fogarty, Jeannette E. Riley

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Potential Of The Unexploited Atlantic Purple Sea Urchin, Arbacia Punctulata, For The Edible Market, Coleen Suckling, Max D. Zavell, Anna L. Byczynski, Brian T. Takeda

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

The global demand for sea urchin as seafood is currently unmet. Despite exploitation of > 40 species across the world, there is a need to identify other candidate species, especially in regions where diversification in production is sought where species are considered native. The Eastern US presents an opportunity to determine the marketability of the currently unexploited Arbacia punctulata which is naturally distributed from Massachusetts and southwards into the Gulf of Mexico. To determine whether A. punctulata had market potential, it was fed one of the following diets to determine whether the gonad tissue (uni) could be manipulated to increase gonad …

Evaluating Beluga (Delphinapterus Leucas) Blow Samples As A Potential Diagnostic For Immune Function Gene Expression Within The Respiratory System, Justin Thomas Richard, Krystle Schultz, Caroline E.C. Goertz, Roderick C. Hobbs, Tracy A. Romano, Becky L. Sartini

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Evaluating respiratory health is important in the management of cetaceans, which are vulnerable to respiratory diseases. Quantifying the expression of genes related to immune function within the respiratory tract could be a valuable tool for directly assessing respiratory health. Blow (exhale) samples allow DNA analysis, and we hypothesized that RNA could also be isolated from blow samples for gene expression studies of immune function. We evaluated the potential to extract RNA from beluga blow samples and tested whether transcripts associated with immune function could be detected with endpoint polymerase chain reaction. A total of 54 blow samples were collected from …

Development Of A Multiplex Qpcr For The Quantification Of Three Protozoan Parasites Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Jessica L. Piesz, Abigail K. Scro, Ryan Corbett, Kathryn Markey Lundgren, Roxanna Smolowitz, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

A multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the simultaneous detection of 3 eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica parasites, Perkinsus marinus, Haplosporidium nelsoni, and H. costale, was developed using 3 different fluorescently labeled hydrolysis probes. The primers and probe from a previously validated singleplex qPCR for P. marinus detection were combined with newly designed primers and probes specific for H. nelsoni and H. costale. The functionality of the multiplex assay was demonstrated on 2 different platforms by the linear relationship of the standard curves and similar cycle threshold (C_T) values between parasites. Efficiency of the multiplex …

A Crew-Operated Data Recording System For Length-Based Stock Assessment Of Indonesia’S Deep Demersal Fisheries, Elle Wibisono, Peter Mous, Edwison Firmana, Austin T. Humphries

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Deep demersal fisheries in Indonesia yielded close to 90,000 metric tons of snapper and grouper in 2019, landed by a fleet of approximately 10,000 fishing boats. Prior to the present study, information on these multi-species, dispersed, small- to medium-scale fisheries was scarce, while reliable species-specific data on catch and effort were non-existent. This data-deficiency made stock assessments and design of harvest control rules impossible. We developed a new data collection method, the Crew Operated Data Recording System (CODRS), to collect verifiable species- and length-composition data from catches across all segments of the fleet. CODRS engaged crews of 579 fishing vessels …

Fish And Complementary Feeding Practices For Young Children: Qualitative Research Findings From Coastal Kenya, Mary Kate Cartmill, Ivy Blackmore, Catherine Sarange, Ruth Mbeyu, Christopher Cheupe, Joaquim Cheupe, Elizabeth Kamau-Mbuthia, Lora Iannotti, Andrew Wamukota, Austin T. Humphries, Carolyn Lesorogol

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

This study examines barriers to fish consumption during the complementary feeding period in two coastal counties of Kenya with high rates of child malnutrition. Study findings indicate that young child fish consumption is impacted by factors related to accessibility, food preferences, and caregiver’s knowledge and beliefs about fish during the complementary feeding period. These factors are influenced by prominent community figures such as elder women and health workers, whose own beliefs and understandings are impacted by underlying cultural norms, potentially limiting fish consumption. To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted in the coastal region of Kenya to focus …

Diversity And Distribution Of Symbiodiniaceae Detected On Coral Reefs Of Lombok, Indonesia Using Environmental Dna Metabarcoding, Arief Pratomo, Dietriech G. Bengen, Neviaty P. Zamani, Christopher E. Lane, Austin T. Humphries, Erin Borbee, Beginer Subhan, Hawis Madduppa

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Dinoflagellates of family Symbiodiniaceae are important to coral reef ecosystems because of their contribution to coral health and growth; however, only a few studies have investigated the function and distribution of Symbiodiniaceae in Indonesia. Understanding the distribution of different kinds of Symbiodiniaceae can improve forecasting of future responses of various coral reef systems to climate change. This study aimed to determine the diversity of Symbiodiniaceae around Lombok using environmental DNA (eDNA).

Methods

Seawater and sediment samples were collected from 18 locations and filtered to obtain fractions of 0.4–12 and >12 µm. After extraction, molecular barcoding polymerase chain reaction was …

Nutrient Capture And Sustainable Yield Maximized By A Gear Modification In Artisanal Fishing Traps, Bryan P. Galligan, Timothy R. Mcclanahan, Austin T. Humphries

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral reef artisanal fisheries are an important source of nutrition and economic wellbeing for coastal communities, but their management is subject to conflicts and tradeoffs between short-term food security benefits and long-term ecological function. One potential tradeoff is between nutrient capture and fish yields, where targeting small, nutrient-dense species may be more valuable for food security than maximizing fish yields, which is more closely aligned with supporting biodiversity and ecological function. We explored these potential tradeoffs by comparing two similar gears: traditional African basket traps and traps modified with an escape gap. Traps without escape gaps captured a higher frequency …

Organic Farmers Face Persistent Barriers To Adopting Diversification Practices In California’S Central Coast, Liz Carlisle, Kenzo Esquivel, Patrick Baur, Nina F. Ichikawa, Elissa M. Olimpi, Joanna Ory, Hannah Waterhouse, Alastair Iles, Daniel S. Karp, Claire Kremen, Timothy M. Bowles

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

In the face of myriad environmental challenges associated with industrial agriculture, some farmers and researchers have looked to diversified farming systems as a promising alternative. Despite well-documented ecological benefits, diversification practices remain rare in many regions of the U.S, even amongst organic farmers. Our study focuses on organic farmers in the Central Coast region of California, an area that has played a crucial role in the rise of organic agriculture over the last several decades. Through 20 interviews with farmers who all grow lettuce and 8 interviews with technical assistance providers, we investigate the persistent barriers that growers in this …

Interviews With Farmers Suggest Negative Direct And Indirect Effects Of The Invasive Green Iguana (Iguana Iguana) On Agriculture In Puerto Rico, Christina N. De Jesús Villanueva, Gabriela P. Massanet Prado, William Gould, Carlos G. Garcia-Quijano

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Agricultural communities and crop production are negatively impacted by invasive species, with the effects of pathogenic fungi, parasitic insects and weedy plants being well studied. Mammals and birds are also recognized as impacting crops, but reptiles, such as non-native green iguanas (Iguana iguana), are typically not considered agricultural pests. Research on non-native green iguanas has largely focused on the lizard’s interactions with native species with little attention given to its impact in the agricultural landscape. We conducted semi-structured interviews with farmers from 20 farms in Puerto Rico to explore the effect of the invasive green iguana on the production of …

Measuring The Effects Of System Conditions On U.S. Elections Through Simulation, Nicholas D. Bernardo Jr.

Open Access Dissertations

Elections are fundamental to the success of democracy in the United States (U.S.). For decades, researchers from various domains have investigated voting in the U.S. with many aims. One focus of investigation has been the act of in-person voting, sparked by instances of voter disenfranchisement and severe delays at polling locations. Despite many efforts to improve voting processes, some voters continue to face multi-hour long waits to cast a ballot. This research builds a robust simulation framework that is applied iteratively to assess several system conditions to quantify their exacerbation of voting delays. Once quantified, simulation results are analyzed through …

Probiotics For Eastern Oyster Hatcheries: Commercial Formulations And Effect On Microbial Communities, Evelyn Takyi

Open Access Dissertations

In the United States of America, oyster production is an important component of the seafood industry in many coastal communities. Oysters provide ecological, economic, and cultural services. Several hatcheries providing eastern oyster, C. virginica, seed to oyster farms face significant losses owing to Vibrio spp. infections causing massive larval mortalities. Probiotics have been proposed as a potential preventive measure to limit the impact of bacterial diseases in shellfish hatcheries. The probiotic bacterium Phaeobacter inhibens S4 has been shown to protect C. virginica larvae from Vibrio coralliilyticus RE22 (RE22) infection. A liquid formulation of this probiotic has been developed for …

Frequency Of Food Cravings In Adults Consuming Animal- Or Plant-Based Diets, Kate Thomas

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: To investigate the differences in the frequency and intensity of food cravings between animal- and plant-based consumers as well as the association between habitual intake of dietary fibers, animal and plant protein, and food cravings. Methods: An online cross-sectional study collected data from adult (≥ 18 years) animal- and plant-based consumers from March 2020 to January 2022. Participants completed a Qualtrics eligibility questionnaire self-identifying their dietary pattern and weekly frequency of meat, seafood, dairy, egg, and honey consumption. Eligible participants (non-smoking, not pregnant, no fiber supplementation, no chronic disease) were invited via e-mail to complete a Dietary History …