Digital Commons Network^™

Addressing Urgent Questions For Pfas In The 21st Century, Carla Ng, Ian T. Cousins, Jamie C. Dewitt, Juliane Glüge, Gretta Goldenman, Dorte Herzke, Rainer Lohmann, Mark Miller, Sharyle Patton, Martin Scheringer, Xenia Trier, Zhanyun Wang

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Despite decades of research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), fundamental obstacles remain to addressing worldwide contamination by these chemicals and their associated impacts on environmental quality and health. Here, we propose six urgent questions relevant to science, technology, and policy that must be tackled to address the “PFAS problem”: (1) What are the global production volumes of PFAS, and where are PFAS used? (2) Where are the unknown PFAS hotspots in the environment? (3) How can we make measuring PFAS globally accessible? (4) How can we safely manage PFAS-containing waste? (5) How do we understand and describe the health …

Information Requirements Under The Essential-Use Concept: Pfas Case Studies, Juliane Glüge, Rachel London, Ian T. Cousins, Jamie Dewitt, Gretta Goldenman, Dorte Herzke, Rainer Lohmann, Mark Miller, Carla A. Ng, Sharyle Patton, Xenia Trier, Zhanyun Wang, Martin Scheringer

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of substances for which there are widespread concerns about their extreme persistence in combination with toxic effects. It has been argued that PFAS should only be employed in those uses that are necessary for health or safety or are critical for the functioning of society and where no alternatives are available (“essential-use concept”). Implementing the essential-use concept requires a sufficient understanding of the current uses of PFAS and of the availability, suitability, and hazardous properties of alternatives. To illustrate the information requirements under the essential-use concept, we investigate seven different PFAS uses, …

An Operational Overview Of The Export Processes In The Ocean From Remote Sensing (Exports) Northeast Pacific Field Deployment, Melissa M. Omand, Bethany D. Jenkins, Heather Mcnair, Tatiana A. Rynearson, Et Al

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The goal of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from RemoTe Sensing (EXPORTS) field campaign is to develop a predictive understanding of the export, fate, and carbon cycle impacts of global ocean net primary production. To accomplish this goal, observations of export flux pathways, plankton community composition, food web processes, and optical, physical, and biogeochemical (BGC) properties are needed over a range of ecosystem states. Here we introduce the first EXPORTS field deployment to Ocean Station Papa in the Northeast Pacific Ocean during summer of 2018, providing context for other papers in this special collection. The experiment was conducted with …

Differential Patterns Of Connectivity In Western Pacific Hydrothermal Vent Metapopulations: A Comparison Of Biophysical And Genetic Models, Corinna Breusing, Shannon B. Johnson, Satoshi Mitarai, Roxanne A. Beinart, Verena Tunnicliffe

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Hydrothermal ecosystems face threats from planned deep-seabed mining activities, despite the fact that patterns of realized connectivity among vent-associated populations and communities are still poorly understood. Since populations of vent endemic species depend on larval dispersal to maintain connectivity and resilience to habitat changes, effective conservation strategies for hydrothermal ecosystems should include assessments of metapopulation dynamics. In this study, we combined population genetic methods with biophysical models to assess strength and direction of gene flow within four species of the genus Alviniconcha (A. boucheti, A. kojimai, A. strummeri and A. hessleri) that …

Seasonal And Interspecific Variation In Frugivory By A Mixed Resident-Migrant Overwintering Songbird Community, Wales A. Carter, Scott F. Pearson, Adam D. Smith, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Douglas J. Levey

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Many temperate passerine bird species switch from diets of mostly invertebrates in the spring and summer to diets that include fruit and seeds in the fall and winter. However, relatively few studies have quantified diet composition or the extent of seasonal shifts during the non-breeding period, particularly among species and across communities with both residents and migrants. We measured carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values in food items (fruits, C₃ and C₄seeds, and insects from various trophic levels and plant communities) and in multiple tissues (feathers and plasma/whole blood) from 11 species of songbirds wintering in the …

Nurse Practitioners’ Experiences Working With Patients Living With Morbid Obesity, Sharon A. Mclimans

Open Access Dissertations

Morbid obesity is recognized as a complex chronic medical disease which has been increasing at an alarming rate in the U.S. The etiologies of this disease involve a complex interplay of genetics, physiological, psychological, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. Serious medical consequences are associated with morbid obesity including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and increasing the risk of certain cancers. Research has shown individuals with morbid obesity have higher incidence of depression and are subjected to stigmatizing and biases across society including health care professionals. The monumental cost of health care associated with morbid obesity places enormous burden on our …

Blatant Benevolence And Social Capital Attainment On Social Network Sites – A Multi-Method Approach, Jiayuan Zhang

Open Access Dissertations

While information systems literature includes multiple studies on knowledge contribution or sharing, blatant benevolence in general has received less attention. To extend the knowledge of the blatant benevolence concept, this dissertation analyzes the blatant benevolence – social capital link on social network sites based on three different studies.

The first study implements an interview method to explore antecedents, forms, and consequences of blatant benevolence. More importantly, it also explores the moderators that change the relationship between blatant benevolence and social capital attainment on social network sites. After conducting 126 interviews with social media users, we find that five most common …

A Marketer’S Symphony: Essays On The Power Of Musical Structure And Its Influence On Consumers With Foundations For Future Research In Audio Sensory Marketing, Shawn P. Scott

Open Access Dissertations

Music surrounds us in our daily lives and lives within us as consumers. It has the power to elicit deep emotions in us. Because of music’s power over people, marketers have used music to enhance and direct an emotional response in consumer behavior for decades. These uses of music ranged from ambient forms of music such as in restaurants, at retail, or in public open spaces to more directed forms of music such as in TV commercials or digital advertisements. Despite this expansive use of music used in marketing, this body of research has tremendous opportunity for further exploration. The …

Characterization Of Ovarian Tissue Culture And Investigation Of Embryonic Response To Temperature Stress Using A Shp2 Phosphatase Inhibitor In Ciona Intestinalis, Rose Jacobson

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of two parts, the first is cell culture. In this work I describe the successful primary culture of Ciona intestinalis ovary tissue. Improved cell proliferation in 3D Petri Dish® system over culture treated plastic is shown, as well as the efficacy of using C. intestinalis hemolymph as a media additive. The seeded ovarian cells assemble into multicellular aggregations, which mimic the morphology of in vivo ovaries. It is also important to understand the molecular pathways in which marine organisms handle stress and how these pathways change in high stress situations.

The second is the role of …

Fantasizing Reproduction: The Biologization Of The Desire For Progress In Victorian Literature, Xinqiang Chang

Open Access Dissertations

The preoccupation with reproduction in Victorian literature has, by and large, received little critical attention. This dissertation seeks to contribute to Victorian scholarship and examines the representations of reproduction in Victorian literature in relation to the contemporaneous desire for progress. Adopting a historiographical approach, this dissertation analyzes five Victorian novels: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, George Eliot’s Middlemarch, George Du Maurier’s Trilby, Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, and Sarah Grand’s The Heavenly Twins. In this dissertation, I demonstrate the different ways in which these Victorian novelists explored, accommodated, and concretized the Victorian desire for and pursuit …

Social Justice And Evolutionary Biology: A Natural Fit, David I. Upegui

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is an extended prescription for the inclusion of social justice in high school biology (HSB) curricula. Chapter 1 is context: a review of social injustice (mainly racism) in the US, and the specious scientific justifications for it. Chapter 2 explores how three veteran teachers introduce social justice in HSB classes. A case-study, semi-constructed interview-based approach is used. Chapter 3, the culmination of these ideas, adduces a practical curriculum module that provides the theory, lessons and activities for HSB student exploration the inferior science used to sustain racial inequities. The dissertation thus reviews the moral imperatives for introducing social …

The Role Of Climate Change In The Decline Of Narragansett Bay Winter Flounder, Joseph A. Langan

Open Access Dissertations

Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) has historically supported productive commercial and recreational fisheries throughout its range in the northwest Atlantic. As a small flatfish that inhabits estuaries, bays, and the coastal zone, this species is vulnerable to shifting environmental conditions in many of the habitats critical to its life cycle. At the southern edge of the species range, the Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Bight winter flounder stock entered a steep decline during the 1980s following a period of overfishing. Despite repeated reductions in harvest during the proceeding decades, the population has yet to recover. A decreasing trend in recruitment has …

Evaluating Natural Product Libraries With Emphasis On In Vitro Permeability Workflows, Riley D. Kirk

Open Access Dissertations

New active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) continue to be discovered from the natural world. These compounds can be further developed into a range of useful products such as drugs, supplements, or cosmeceuticals. To determine the biological target of the API, the new compounds are evaluated for their biological activity through a combination of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analyses. These results will determine where the molecular target tissue is located for the API. However, identification of the target is only the beginning of pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical development. A common roadblock in the development of products is the evaluation and …

Exploring Social-Ecological Trade-Offs In Fisheries Using A Coupled Food Web And Human Behavior Model, Anne A. Innes-Gold, Tyler Pavlowich, Margaret Heinichen, M. Conor Mcmanus, Jason Mcnamee, Jeremy Collie, Austin T. Humphries

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine fisheries represent a social-ecological system driven by both complex ecological processes and human interactions. Ecosystem-based fisheries management requires an understanding of both the biological and social components, and management failure can occur when either are excluded. Despite the significance of both, most research has focused on characterizing biological uncertainty rather than on better understanding the impacts of human behavior because of the difficulty of incorporating human behavior into simulation models. In this study, we use the fisheries in Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island, USA) as a case study to demonstrate how coupled modeling can be used to represent interactions between …

Identifying Hotspots For Spatial Management Of The Indonesian Deep-Slope Demersal Fishery, Elle Wibisono, Gavino Puggioni, Edwison Firmana, Austin T. Humphries

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

The Indonesian deep-slope demersal fishery targets mostly snappers and groupers and is vital for the wellbeing of millions of people. More than 100 species are captured at depths of 50–500 m along shelves and seamounts using mostly droplines and bottom longlines. The main target species are Pristipomoides multidens, Pristipomoides filamentosus, Pristipomoides typus, Atrobucca brevis, Epinephelus areolatus, and Lutjanus malabaricus. The fleet in this fishery is predominantly unlicensed small-scale (1–10 gross ton) vessels. The fishery is unmanaged and lacks data that would allow policymakers to formulate sustainable management strategies. Here, we use fisheries-dependent data on …

Carbon Nanotube–Liposome Complexes In Hydrogels For Controlled Drug Delivery Via Near-Infrared Laser Stimulation, S. Zahra M. Madani, Mohammad Moein Safaee, Mitchell Gravely, Carolynn Silva, Stephen Kennedy, Geoffrey D. Bothun, Daniel E. Roxbury

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Externally controllable drug delivery systems are crucial for a variety of biological applications where the dosage and timing of drug delivery need to be adjusted based on disease diagnosis and progression. Here, we have developed an externally controllable drug delivery system by combining three extensively used platforms: hydrogels, liposomes, and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). We have developed carbon nanotube–liposome complexes (CLCs) and incorporated these structures into a 3D alginate hydrogel for use as an optically controlled drug delivery system. The CLC structures were characterized by using a variety of imaging and spectroscopic techniques, and an optimal SWCNT/lipid ratio was selected. …

Universal Design For Learning In Inclusive Education Policy In South Africa, Judith A. Mckenzie, Elizabeth M. Dalton

Communicative Disorders Faculty Publications

Background: South Africa has undertaken the implementation of inclusive education as a vehicle for achieving enhanced educational outcomes and equity. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an instructional design framework that takes into account the wide range of variations in skills and abilities that exist across all learners, and provides a research-based set of principles and guidelines for inclusive curriculum development and delivery.

Objectives: To locate UDL within the specific inclusive education policy context of South Africa and consider how this approach can support policy implementation. We have argued that UDL could serve as a strategy to link policy imperatives …

Wildlife Conservation And Hunting Nrs 455, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Making Data Playable: A Game Co-Creation Method To Promote Creative Data Literacy, Stefan Werning

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article explores how making data playable, i.e. developing exploratory co-creation techniques that use elements of play and games to interpret small to mid-sized datasets beyond the current focus on visual evidence, can help a) promote creative data literacy in higher education, and b) expand existing definitions of data literacy. The article briefly investigates playful characteristics in existing data practices, and discusses how this perspective compares to existing frameworks that define data literacy. In a second step, we present a Discursive Game Design technique to promote creative data literacy. The article reports on findings from a sample workshop, during which …

Assessing And Fostering College Students’ Algorithm Awareness Across Online Contexts, Jessica E. Brodsky, Dvora Zomberg, Kasey L. Powers, Patricia J. Brooks

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Internet users may fail to recognize how algorithms filter and personalize information. Two studies explored college students’ algorithm awareness across varying contexts. Study 1 examined Facebook users’ awareness of its algorithms (N = 222). Only about half recognized that Facebook does not show all their friends’ posts. These students more often reported making adjustments to News Feed settings than students lacking algorithm awareness. Study 2 compared students’ (N = 244) algorithm awareness for online shopping and search, and the efficacy of video instruction to increase awareness. Students were more algorithm aware for online shopping. Compared to those who …

Food Justice Saf 383, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Delimiting Cryptic Morphological Variation Among Human Malaria Vector Species Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Jannelle Couret, Danilo C. Moreira, Davin Bernier, Aria Mia Mia Loberti, Ellen M. Dotson, Marco Alvarez

Computer Science and Statistics Faculty Publications

Deep learning is a powerful approach for distinguishing classes of images, and there is a growing interest in applying these methods to delimit species, particularly in the identification of mosquito vectors. Visual identification of mosquito species is the foundation of mosquito-borne disease surveillance and management, but can be hindered by cryptic morphological variation in mosquito vector species complexes such as the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae complex. We sought to apply Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to images of mosquitoes as a proof-of-concept to determine the feasibility of automatic classification of mosquito sex, genus, species, and strains using whole-body, 2D images of mosquitoes. …

Inhabited Ecosystems: Propelling Transformative Social Change Between And Through Organizations, Rich Dejordy, Maureen Scully, Marc J. Ventresca, W. E.Douglas Creed

College of Business Faculty Publications

Two research streams examine how social movements operate both “in and around” organizations. We probe the empirical spaces between these streams, asking how activism situated in multi-organizational contexts contributes to transformative social change. By exploring activities in the mid-1990s related to advocacy for domestic partner benefits at 24 organizations in Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota, we develop the concept of inhabited ecosystems to explore the relational processes by which employee activists advance change. These activists faced a variety of structural opportunities and restraints, and we identify five mechanisms that sustained their efforts during protracted contestation: learning even from thwarted activism, borrowing from …

Metabolic Contributions Of An Alphaproteobacterial Endosymbiont In The Apicomplexan Cardiosporidium Cionae, Elizabeth Sage Hunter, Christopher Paight, Christopher E. Lane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Apicomplexa is a diverse protistan phylum composed almost exclusively of metazoan-infecting parasites, including the causative agents of malaria, cryptosporidiosis, and toxoplasmosis. A single apicomplexan genus, Nephromyces, was described in 2010 as a mutualist partner to its tunicate host. Here we present genomic and transcriptomic data from the parasitic sister species to this mutualist, Cardiosporidium cionae, and its associated bacterial endosymbiont. Cardiosporidium cionae and Nephromyces both infect tunicate hosts, localize to similar organs within these hosts, and maintain bacterial endosymbionts. Though many other protists are known to harbor bacterial endosymbionts, these associations are completely unknown in Apicomplexa outside of …

The Energy Savings-Oxidative Cost Trade- Off For Migratory Birds During Endurance Flight, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Barbara Pierce, Andrea Wittenzellner, Lillie Langlois, Sophia Engel, John R. Speakman, Olivia Fatica, Kristen J. Demoranville, Wolfgang Goymann, Lisa Trost, Amadeusz Bryla, Maciej Dzialo, Edyta Sadowska, Ulf Bauchinger

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Elite human and animal athletes must acquire the fuels necessary for extreme feats, but also contend with the oxidative damage associated with peak metabolic performance. Here, we show that a migratory bird with fuel stores composed of more omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) expended 11% less energy during long-duration (6 hr) flights with no change in oxidative costs; however, this short-term energy savings came at the long-term cost of higher oxidative damage in the omega-6 PUFA-fed birds. Given that fatty acids are primary fuels, key signaling molecules, the building blocks of cell membranes, and that oxidative damage has long-term consequences for …

The Female Face Of Misogyny: A Review Of Decriminalizing Domestic Violence: A Balanced Policy Approach To Intimate Partner Violence By Leigh Goodmark And The Feminist War On Crime: The Unexpected Role Of Women's Liberation In Mass Incarceration By Aya Gruber, Dianne L. Post

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

“Mortality’S Wilting Flower:” Terror Management Theory And Music In Animated Films, Lauren Bertsch

Senior Honors Projects

There’s something about animated films - so full of light and wonder - that invokes this “warm and fuzzy” feeling when you sit down to watch it. Yet an entire spectrum of human emotion is demanded from us as an audience. Buried in the heart of animated films are these dark themes, problems that lie in the bedrock of humanity. And it leaves us pondering: why? The answer may actually stretch back to when our species developed thought and reason. In 1973, American anthropologist Ernest Becker uncovered the mental foundation that allows us to live, function, and thrive in a …

A New Paraprobiotic-Based Treatment For Control Of Haemonchus Contortus In Sheep, John Sanders, Yue Xie, David Gazzola, Hanchen Li, Ambily Abraham, Kelly Flanagan, Florentina Rus, Melanie Miller, Yan Hu, Sierra Guynn, Austin Draper, Sridhar Vakalapudi, Katherine Petersson, Dante Zarlenga, Robert W. Li, Joseph F. Urban Jr., Gary R. Ostroff, Anne Zajac, Raffi V. Aroian

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Haemonchus contortus is a critical parasite of goats and sheep. Infection by this blood-feeding gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite has significant health consequences, especially in lambs and kids. The parasite has developed resistance to virtually all known classes of small molecule anthelmintics used to treat it, giving rise in some areas to multidrug resistant parasites that are very difficult to control. Thus, new anthelmintics are urgently needed. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal protein 5B (Cry5B), a naturally occurring protein made by a bacterium widely and safely used around the world as a bioinsecticide, represents a new non-small molecule modality for treating GINs. …

Delimiting Cryptic Morphological Variation Among Human Malaria Vector Species Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Janelle Couret, Danilo C. Moreira, Davin Bernier, Aria Mia Loberti, Ellen M. Dotson, Marco A. Alvarez

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Deep learning is a powerful approach for distinguishing classes of images, and there is a growing interest in applying these methods to delimit species, particularly in the identification of mosquito vectors. Visual identification of mosquito species is the foundation of mosquito-borne disease surveillance and management, but can be hindered by cryptic morphological variation in mosquito vector species complexes such as the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiaecomplex. We sought to apply Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to images of mosquitoes as a proof-of-concept to determine the feasibility of automatic classification of mosquito sex, genus, species, and strains using whole-body, 2D images of mosquitoes. We …

A Guide To Freshwater Aquariums, Noah Savastano

Senior Honors Projects

The objective of this project was to create a complete guide, useful for someone of any aquarium expertise level, describing how to set up and care for an aquarium. This guide explains the science behind processes involved in setting up and maintaining an aquarium. It also educates the reader on how to properly prioritize the safety of the fish. A full text was first created including all relevant information gathered from scholarly texts and online sources. Original photographs were incorporated as a supplement to the text. Fish and aquatic plants were drawn to further illustrate the concepts that were described …