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Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For December 2016, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Annual Report For Fy2016, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

Annual report for the Division of Research and Economic Development of the University of Rhode Island for the year 2015-2016.

Includes statistics of project proposals, expenditures, URI Foundation Awards, previous annual report summaries and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments.

Physical Therapy Department Newsletter For Fall 2016, Uri Physical Therapy Department

Physical Therapy Publications

The Fall 2016 (Edition 3, Volume 3) issue of Physical Therapy, a periodical focused on the Physical Therapy Department within the College of Human Science and Services.

Physical Therapy Department Newsletter For Spring 2016, Uri Physical Therapy Department

Physical Therapy Publications

The Spring 2016 (Edition 3, Volume 2) issue of Physical Therapy, a periodical focused on the Physical Therapy Department within the College of Human Science and Services.

Momentum: Research & Innovation For Fall 2016, University Of Rhode Island

Publications (Research and Economic Development)

The Fall 2016 issue of Momentum: Research & Innovation, a periodical focused on research at the University of Rhode Island.

Dropping Behavior In The Pea Aphid: How Does Environmental Context Affect Anti-Predator Responses?, Katharine V. Harrison, Evan L. Preisser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisumHarris (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a phloem-feeding insect whose antipredator defenses include kicking, walking away, and dropping from the plant. Aphid dropping, a risky and energetically costly antipredator behavior, can be increased by the release of aphid alarm pheromone; there is also evidence that insect density and plant health can affect the likelihood of aphids engaging in this behavior. We investigated whether interactions between alarm cues, insect density, and plant health can alter the dropping behavior of aphids in response to an artificial disturbance. The presence of the alarm pheromone E-β-farnesene resulted in a nearly 15-fold …

Health Studies Program Newsletter For 2016, Uri Health Studies Program

Public Health Department Publications

The 2016 issue of “Health-e-Newsletter,” a periodical focused on the Health Studies Program events, faculty research and highlights of student achievements.

Niche Shifts And Energetic Condition Of Songbirds In Response To Phenology Of Food-Resource Availability In A High-Elevation Sagebrush Ecosystem, Kyle A. Cutting, Michelle L. Anderson, Erik A. Beever, Sean R. Schroff, Eric Klaphake, Nathan Korb, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Seasonal fluctuations in food availability can affect diets of consumers, which in turn may influence the physiological state of individuals and shape intra- and inter-specific patterns of resource use. High-elevation ecosystems often exhibit a pronounced seasonal “pulse” in productivity, although few studies document how resource use and energetic condition by avian consumers change in relation to food-resource availability in these ecosystems. We tested the hypothesis that seasonal increases (pulses) in food resources in high-elevation sagebrush ecosystems result in 2 changes after the pulse, relative to the before-pulse period: (1) reduced diet breadth of, and overlap between, 2 sympatric sparrow species; …

Design For Mosquito Abundance, Diversity, And Phenology Sampling Within The National Ecological Observatory Network, D. Hoekman, Y. P. Springer, C. M. Barker, R. Barrera, M. S. Blackmore, W. E. Bradshaw, D. H. Foley, Howard S. Ginsberg, M. H. Hayden, C. M. Holzapfel, S. A. Juliano, L. D. Kramer, S. L. Ladeau, T. P. Livdahl, C. G. Moore, R. S. Nasci, W. K. Reisen, H. M. Savage

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) intends to monitor mosquito populations across its broad geographical range of sites because of their prevalence in food webs, sensitivity to abiotic factors, and relevance for human health. We describe the design of mosquito population sampling in the context of NEON's long‐term continental scale monitoring program, emphasizing the sampling design schedule, priorities, and collection methods. Freely available NEON data and associated field and laboratory samples, will increase our understanding of how mosquito abundance, demography, diversity, and phenology are responding to land use and climate change.

Disordered Eating Behaviors And Food Addiction Among Nutrition Major College Students, Zhiping Yu, Michael Tan

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Evidence of whether nutrition students are free from food-related issues or at higher risk for eating disorders is inconsistent. This study aimed to assess disordered eating behaviors and food addiction among nutrition and non-nutrition major college students. Students (n = 967, ages 18–25, female 72.7%, white 74.8%) enrolled at a public university completed online demographic characteristics surveys and validated questionnaires measuring specific disordered eating behaviors. Academic major category differences were compared. Additionally, high risk participants were assessed by weight status and academic year. Overall, 10% of respondents were a high level of concern for developing eating disorders. About 10.3% of …

Providers' Response To Child Eating Behaviors: A Direct Observation Study, Alison Tovar, Amber E. Vaughn, Megan Fallon, Erin Hennessy, Regan Burney, Truls Østbye, Dianne S. Ward

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Child care providers play an important role in feeding young children, yet little is known about children’s influence on providers’ feeding practices. This qualitative study examines provider and child (18 months −4 years) feeding interactions. Trained data collectors observed 200 eating occasions in 48 family child care homes and recorded providers’ responses to children’s meal and snack time behaviors. Child behaviors initiating provider feeding practices were identified and practices were coded according to higher order constructs identified in a recent feeding practices content map. Analysis examined the most common feeding practices providers used to respond to each child behavior. Providers …

Perceived Weight Discrimination And 10-Year Risk Of Allostatic Load Among Us Adults, Maya Vadiveloo, Joseimer Mattei

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Background

Discrimination promotes multisystem physiological dysregulation termed allostatic load, which predicts morbidity and mortality. It remains unclear whether weight-related discrimination influences allostatic load.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to prospectively examine 10-year associations between weight discrimination, allostatic load, and its components among adults 25–75 years in the Midlife Development in the US Biomarker Substudy.

Methods

Participants with information on weight discrimination were analyzed (n=986). At both timepoints, participants self-reported the frequency of perceived weight discrimination across nine scenarios as “never/rarely” (scored as 0), “sometimes” (1), or “often” (2). The two scores were averaged and then dichotomized …

Optimization And Validation Of The Protocol Used To Analyze The Taste Of Traditional Chinese Medicines Using An Electronic Tongue, Xuelin Li, Xiaojie Gao, Ruixin Liu, Junming Wang, Zidan Wu, Lu Zhang, Huiling Li, Xinjing Gui, Bingya Kang, Junhan Shi

Computer Science and Statistics Faculty Publications

Tools to define the active ingredients and flavors of Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) are limited by long analysis times, complex sample preparation and a lack of multiplexed analysis. The aim of the present study was to optimize and validate an electronic tongue (E‑tongue) methodology to analyze the bitterness of TCMs. To test the protocol, 35 different TCM concoctions were measured using an E‑tongue, and seven replicate measurements of each sample were taken to evaluate reproducibility and precision. E‑tongue sensor information was identified and classified using analysis approaches including least squares support vector machine (LS‑SVM), support vector machine (SVM), discriminant analysis …

College Of Pharmacy Annual Report For Fy2016, Uri College Of Pharmacy

College of Pharmacy Reports

Annual report for the College of Pharmacy of the University of Rhode Island for the year 2015-2016.

Includes information and statistics for the academic programs, research work and developments by faculty and students, community engagement and donations.

Bisphenol A Sulfonation Is Impaired In Metabolic And Liver Disease, Emine B. Yalcin, Supriya R. Kulkarni, Angela L. Slitt, Roberta King

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used industrial chemical and suspected endocrine disruptor to which humans are ubiquitously exposed. The liver metabolizes and facilitates BPA excretion through glucuronidation and sulfonation. The sulfotransferase enzymes contributing to BPA sulfonation (detected in human and rodents) is poorly understood.

Objectives: To determine the impact of metabolic and liver disease on BPA sulfonation in human and mouse livers.

Methods: The capacity for BPA sulfonation was determined in human liver samples that were categorized into different stages of metabolic and liver disease (including obesity, diabetes, steatosis, and cirrhosis) and in livers from ob/ob mice.

Results: …

Effects Of A Standardized Phenolic-Enriched Maple Syrup Extract On Β-Amyloid Aggregation, Neuroinflammation In Microglial And Neuronal Cells, And Β-Amyloid Induced Neurotoxicity In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Hang Ma, Nicholas A. Dasilva, Weixi Liu, Pragati P. Nahar, Zhengxi Wei, Yongqiang Liu, Priscilla T. Pham, Rebecca Crews, Dhiraj A. Vattem, Angela L. Slitt, Zahir A. Shaikh, Navindra P. Seeram

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Published data supports the neuroprotective effects of several phenolic-containing natural products, including certain fruit, berries, spices, nuts, green tea, and olive oil. However, limited data are available for phenolic-containing plant-derived natural sweeteners including maple syrup. Herein, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of a chemically standardized phenolic-enriched maple syrup extract (MSX) using a combination of biophysical, in vitro, and in vivo studies. Based on biophysical data (Thioflavin T assay, transmission electron microscopy, circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential), MSX reduced amyloid β₁₋₄₂ peptide (Aβ₁₋₄₂) fibrillation in a concentration-dependent manner (50–500 μg/mL) with similar effects as the …

University Manual 2015-2016, Uri Faculty Senate

University Manual Archive

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Inulin, A Prebiotic Polysaccharide, In Maple Syrup, Jiadong Sun, Hang Ma, Navindra P. Seeram, David C. Rowley

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Maple syrup is a widely consumed plant-derived natural sweetener produced by concentrating xylem sap collected from certain maple (Acer) species. During thermal evaporation of water, natural phytochemical components are concentrated in maple syrup. The polymeric components from maple syrup were isolated by ethanol precipitation, dialysis, and anion exchange chromatography and structurally characterized by glycosyl composition analysis, glycosyl linkage analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Among the maple syrup polysaccharides, one neutral polysaccharide was characterized as inulin with a broad molecular weight distribution, representing the first isolation of this prebiotic carbohydrate from a xylem sap. In addition, two acidic …

N-Acyl Dehydrotyrosines, Typrosinase Inhibitors From The Marine Bacteriu, Thalasssotalea Sp. Pp2-459, Robert W. Deering, Jianwei Chen, Jiadong Sun, Hang Ma, Javier Dubert, Juan L. Barja, Navindra P. Seeram, Hong Wang, David C. Rowley

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Thalassotalic acids A–C and thalassotalamides A and B are new N-acyl dehydrotyrosine derivatives produced by Thalassotalea sp. PP2-459, a Gram-negative bacterium isolated from a marine bivalve aquaculture facility. The structures were elucidated via a combination of spectroscopic analyses emphasizing two-dimensional NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometric data. Thalassotalic acid A (1) displays in vitro inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase with an IC₅₀ value (130 μM) that compares favorably to the commercially used control compounds kojic acid (46 μM) and arbutin (100 μM). These are the first natural products reported from a bacterium belonging to the genus Thalassotalea …

Urinformed December 2016, Urinformed

URInformed: The URI Employees' Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Urinformed Summer 2016, Urinformed

URInformed: The URI Employees' Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Advancing Crop Transformation In The Era Of Genome Editing, Fredy Altpeter, Nathan M. Springer, Laura E. Bartley, Ann E. Blechl, Thomas P. Brutnell, Vitaly Citovsky, Liza J. Conrad, Stanton B. Gelvin, David P. Jackson, Albert P. Kausch, Peggy G. Lemaux, June I. Medford, Martha L. Orozco-Cárdenas, David M. Tricoli, Joyce Van Eck, Daniel F. Voytas, Virginia Walbot, Kan Wang, Zhanyuan J. Zhang, C. Neal Stewart Jr.

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Plant transformation has enabled fundamental insights into plant biology and revolutionized commercial agriculture. Unfortunately, for most crops, transformation and regeneration remain arduous even after more than 30 years of technological advances. Genome editing provides novel opportunities to enhance crop productivity but relies on genetic transformation and plant regeneration, which are bottlenecks in the process. Here, we review the state of plant transformation and point to innovations needed to enable genome editing in crops. Plant tissue culture methods need optimization and simplification for efficiency and minimization of time in culture. Currently, specialized facilities exist for crop transformation. Single-cell and robotic techniques …

Biogeography Of A Plant Invasion: Genetic Variation And Plasticity In Latitudinal Clines For Traits Related To Herbivory, Ganesh P. Bharrarai, Laura A. Meyerson, Jack Anderson, David Cummings, Warwick J. Allen, James T. Cronin

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

The juxtaposition of plant‐species invasions with latitudinal gradients in herbivore pressure is an important yet mostly unexplored issue in invasion biology. Latitudinal clines in defense and palatability to herbivores are expected to exist in native plant species but the evolution of these clines may lag behind for invasive plant species resulting in non‐parallel latitudinal clines that may impact invasion success. Our study focused on a native and European invasive lineages of the common reed Phragmites australis in North America. Using native and invasive genotypes of P. australis collected across a 17° latitudinal range, we performed experiments in replicate northern and …

Graduate School Of Oceanography Annual Report For Fy2016, Uri Graduate School Of Oceanography

Graduate School of Oceanography Publications

Annual report for the Graduate School Oceanography of the University of Rhode Island for the 2016 fiscal year.

Includes research projects by faculty and students, biographies of new faculty, events on the Bay campus and program development and list of donors

Depressive Symptoms And Weight Status Among Women Recently Immigrating To The Us, Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, Christina D. Economos, Alison Tovar, Rebecca Boulos, Sarah Silwa, David M. Gute, Alex Pirie, Aviva Must

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Objectives Depressive symptoms have been associated with obesity. Little is known about this relationship among immigrants. We examined relationships between depressive symptoms and weight status in immigrant women from three ethnic groups.

Methods Participants were Brazilian, Haitian, and Latina women (n = 345) enrolled in Live Well, a community-based, randomized intervention designed to prevent weight gain in recent immigrants. Study data are from baseline when participants completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Perceived Stress Scale, a physical activity questionnaire, and socio-demographic questions; BMI was calculated from measured height and weight.

Results Forty-four percent of participants (36 % …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanocomposite Microparticles (Ncmp) For The Treatment Of Cystic Fibrosis-Related Infections, Zimeng Wang, Samantha A. Meenach

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Pulmonary antibiotic delivery is recommended as maintenance therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who experience chronic infections. However, abnormally thick and sticky mucus present in the respiratory tract of CF patients impairs mucus penetration and limits the efficacy of inhaled antibiotics. To overcome the obstacles of pulmonary antibiotic delivery, we have developed nanocomposite microparticles (nCmP) for the inhalation application of antibiotics in the form of dry powder aerosols.

Methods:

Azithromycin-loaded and rapamycin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (NP) were prepared via nanoprecipitation and nCmP were prepared by spray drying and the physicochemical characteristics were evaluated.

Results:

The nanoparticles were …

Burden Of Diarrhea In The Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2013: Findings From The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2013, Ibrahim Khalil, Ali Shafqat Akanda, Et Al

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Diarrheal diseases (DD) are leading causes of disease burden, death, and disability, especially in children in low-income settings. DD can also impact a child’s potential livelihood through stunted physical growth, cognitive impairment, and other sequelae. As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, we estimated DD burden, and the burden attributable to specific risk factors and particular etiologies, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) between 1990 and 2013. For both sexes and all ages, we calculated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which are the sum of years of life lost and years lived with disability. We estimate that over 125,000 …

Oxidative State Of Songbirds During Migration And Best Practices To Communicate The Science, Megan M. Skrip

Open Access Dissertations

Managing oxidative stress is an important physiological function for all aerobic organisms, particularly during periods of prolonged high metabolic activity, such as long-distance migration. However, no previous study has investigated the oxidative status of songbirds at different stages of migration, whether that oxidative status depends on the condition of the birds, how birds use their condition in concert with access to free water to make stopover decisions, or the effects of oxidative challenges like flight on subsequent reproduction. Additionally, scientists undertaking such research are commonly expected to disseminate their results as a Broader Impact of their studies - typically to …

The Utilization Of Video-Conference Shared Medical Appointments In Rural Diabetes Care, Lisa Tokuda, Lorenzo, Andre Theriault, Tracey H. Taveira, Lynn Marquis, Helene Head, David Edelman, Susan R. Kirsh, David C. Aron, Wen-Chih Wu

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Aim

To explore whether Video-Shared Medical Appointments (video-SMA), where group education and medication titration were provided remotely through video-conferencing technology would improve diabetes outcomes in remote rural settings.

Methods

We conducted a pilot where a team of a clinical pharmacist and a nurse practitioner from Honolulu VA hospital remotely delivered video-SMA in diabetes to Guam. Patients with diabetes and HbA1c ≥7% were enrolled into the study during 2013–2014. Six groups of 4–6 subjects attended 4 weekly sessions, followed by 2 bi-monthly booster video-SMA sessions for 5 months. Patients with HbA1c ≥7% that had primary care visits during the study period …

Head Start Teacher Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes And Diet As Predictors Of Classroom Mealtime Behaviors With Children, Katherine M. Halloran

Open Access Dissertations

Recent research has suggested that childcare settings can play an integral role in the prevention of childhood obesity. Childcare providers are in a unique position to influence the diets of children through a number of mealtime interactions including food and nutrition intake, observational learning and nutrition education (Hendy et al., 2000; Birch, Zimmerman, & Hind, 1980). However, there is little evidence on childcare provider’s own behavior, in particular how their own diet, attitudes and knowledge may influence their mealtime behaviors with children. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between childcare providers’ diet, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and …