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Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2016-2017, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

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

Antimicrobial Stewardship In Long-Term Care Facilities: A Call To Action, Haley J. Morrill, R. Caffrey, Robin L. P. Jump, David Dosa, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health crisis and a national security threat to the United States, as stated in an executive order signed by the president in September 2014. This crisis is a result of indiscriminant antimicrobial use, which promotes selection for resistant organisms, increases the risk of adverse drug events, and renders patients vulnerable to drug-resistant infections. Antimicrobial stewardship is a key measure to combat antimicrobial resistance and specifically seeks to do this by improving antimicrobial use. Antimicrobial stewardship compliments infection control practices and it is important to note that these 2 disciplines are distinct and cannot be …

The Effect Of Molecular Rapid Diagnostic Testing On Clinical Outcomes In Bloodstream Infections: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis, Tristan T. Timbrook, B. Morton, Kevin W. Mcconeghy, Aisling R. Caffrey, Eleftherios Mylonakis, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background. Previous reports on molecular rapid diagnostic testing (mRDT) do not consistently demonstrate improved clinical outcomes in bloodstream infections (BSIs). This meta-analysis seeks to evaluate the impact of mRDT in improving clinical outcomes in BSIs.

Methods. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Web of science, and EMBASE through May 2016 for BSI studies comparing clinical outcomes by mRDT and conventional microbiology methods.

Results. Thirty-one studies were included with 5,920 patients. Risk of morality was significantly lower with mRDT as compared to conventional microbiology methods (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.54-0.80) yielding a NNT of 20. The risk of mortality was …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Candidate Probiotics For Disease Prevention In Shellfish Hatcheries, Saebom Sohn

Open Access Dissertations

In the United States of America, oyster production is an important component of the seafood economy in many communities in coastal states. The severe impact of disease outbreaks and mass mortality of oyster larvae in hatcheries impacts production, since the oyster industry is largely dependent on hatchery and nursery production. The use of probiotics has been proposed as a potential preventative measure to limit the impact of bacterial diseases in shellfish hatcheries. In previous laboratory studies, the probiotic bacteria Phaeobacter inhibens S4 and Bacillus pumillus RI06-95 improved the survival of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) larvae against the pathogens …

The Potential Of Indonesian Microalgal Strains To Support Eastern White Shrimp (Litopenaeus Vannamei) Aquaculture, Wa Iba

Open Access Dissertations

Indonesia is well known for abundant aquatic resources, both marine and freshwater, including fishes, zooplankton and phytoplanktonic microalgae. However, relatively little information is available about microalgal resources despite their potential to be used as live feed in the hatchery phase of aquaculture of a number of marine species. The use of local microalgae is desirable in local hatcheries because they tend to grow better with high yield under local conditions, thus reducing the risk of culture crash and production cost while preventing disease vectors that may introduced by foreign microalgae strains. In this dissertation, the potential of Indonesian microalgae to …

Conceptualizing And Operationalizing Human Wellbeing For Ecosystem Assessment And Management, Sara Jo Breslow, Brit Sojka, Raz Barnea, Xavier Basurto, Courtney Carothers, Susan Charnley, Sarah Coulthard, Nives Dolšak, Jamie Donatuto, Carlos G. Garcia-Quijano, Christina C. Hicks, Arielle Levine, Michael B. Mascia, Karma Norman, Melissa Poe, Terre Satterfield, Kevin St. Martin, Phillip S. Levin

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

There is growing interest in assessing the effects of changing environmental conditions and management actions on human wellbeing. A challenge is to translate social science expertise regarding these relationships into terms usable by environmental scientists, policymakers, and managers. Here, we present a comprehensive, structured, and transparent conceptual framework of human wellbeing designed to guide the development of indicators and a complementary social science research agenda for ecosystem-based management. Our framework grew out of an effort to develop social indicators for an integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA) of the California Current large marine ecosystem. Drawing from scholarship in international development, anthropology, geography, …

The Response Of Molting Homarus Americanus To Ocean Acidification Projections, Erin Lyn Mclean

Open Access Master's Theses

Marine calcifiers, especially those in their larval and juvenile stages, are thought to be most vulnerable to ocean acidification (OA) due to the effects of carbon dioxide (CO₂) on growth and shell mineralogy. However, recent evidence is contradictory. We monitored molting activity, length and weight in early benthic phase juvenile American lobster Homarus americanus (Milne-Edwards 1837) under elevated CO₂ conditions (500 µatm, 1100-1300 µatm, and 2000-2700 µatm) to determine how OA affects growth at this life stage. Molted shells were analyzed for magnesium (Mg²⁺) and calcium (Ca²⁺) content by laser ablation inductively coupled …

Nutritional Status, Cognition And Cardiometabolic Risk In Individuals With Neurological Disorders, Chelsea Paulin

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Limited research has been done to monitor the progression of health outcomes in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and acquired brain injury (ABI).

Objective/Hypothesis: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to assess the natural progression of the disease process and its effects on nutritional status, cognition, and cardiometabolic risk over a two year time period in those living with PD and ABI ≥ 12 months post-diagnosis.

Methods: Thirteen community-dwelling adults (9 with PD and 4 with ABI) were evaluated for nutritional status using the dietary screening tool (DST), cognition using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment …

Effects Of Physical Activity, Diet, & Self-Efficacy On Physical Function In Older Adults, Katlynn Mathis

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Many older adults (OA) demonstrate decreased physical function (PF) which may lead to disability. Increased physical activity (PA), eating a healthful diet, and maintaining higher self-efficacy (SE) each improve PF in older adults, but few studies have examined if the combination of these three variables have an additive effect on PF. Additionally, few longitudinal studies have assessed the change in PF in relation to the changes in PA, diet, and SE. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine: (a) the relationship between PF and PA levels, fruit and vegetable intake (F&V), and exercise SE; (b) …

Evaluation Of A Technology Utilizing Nutrition Curriculum On Dietary Intake, Kelsi Chappell

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of a 13-week combined technology enhanced Body Quest: Food of the Warrior (BQ) and Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) obesity prevention focused nutrition education curriculum to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and decrease sugary sweetened snacks (SwS), salty snacks (SaS), and sugary sweetened beverages (SSB) intake.

Design: Quasi -experimental design.

Participants/Setting: N=129 (treatment 70, control 59) 3^rd grade students in fullservice, low-income, urban community schools in Providence, RI completed pre/post surveys on iPads.

Intervention: Treatment group received 13-week technologically enhanced CYFAR/BQ nutrition education intervention. The control group completed …

Predicting Body Fat And Blood Lipids With Sugars Intake, Eric Nelson

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine if caloric intake of fructose sugars (free fructose plus sucrose) predicts body fat percentage in young adults. The secondary objective was to determine if caloric intake of fructose sugars predicts total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

Participants and Methods: Men (n=55, body fat=16.3 ± 14.0%) and women (n=281, body fat=26.9 ± 7.5%), 18 to 24 years of age, were recruited for an ongoing, cross-sectional study, The Nutrition Assessment Study. Anthropometric, biochemical and dietary data were collected. Linear modeling was used to assess predictions of body fat percentage …

Validation Of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis For The Measurement Of Appendicular Lean Mass In Older Women, Kayla Mahoney

Open Access Master's Theses

Segmental multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (SMF-BIA) has been shown to be a valid, more portable, and less expensive alternative to dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for the measurement of appendicular lean mass (ALM) in several populations. However, few studies have examined the validity of SMF-BIA specifically among populations of older women classified as sarcopenic or dynapenic. The aim of this cross sectional study was to investigate the accuracy of SMF-BIA compared to the gold standard DXA for the measurement of ALM among sarcopenic and/or dynapenic older women. Physical function, ALM, strength, and anthropometric tests were performed to determine the presence …

Exploring Self-Reported And Observed Feeding Practices Of Rhode Island Head Start Teachers, Megan N. Fallon

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Head Start (HS) teachers care for low-income and ethnically diverse preschool-aged children who are disproportionately impacted by obesity. While it is known that parent feeding practices influence child weight status and eating behaviors, little is known about HS teacher feeding practices. The limited number of studies with HS teachers have been completed primarily with self-report measures, which has documented limitations such as response bias. Capturing HS teacher feeding practices through self-report and observations may provide valuable information needed to evaluate the inconsistencies of current findings.

Methods: Rhode Island HS teachers (n = 85) were observed and feeding …

Acceptability, Short Term Impacts, And Relationships Of Variables Of A Processed Food Module, Jacqueline Corbett

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: The purpose if this study was to evaluate the acceptability and short term impacts of an online educational module focusing on processed foods and explore the relationships between food addiction and related eating behaviors.

Methods: This single-group study used the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) to evaluate the module, MANOVA to assess knowledge, decisional balance, and self-efficacy change pre and post module, and multiple regression to assess variable contributions to the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) score.

Results: The module was rated positively (> 3.5) on the IMMS. Participants significantly increased knowledge, decisional balance pros, and self-efficacy. Baseline decisional …

Alkylresorcinols As Biomarkers Of Whole-Grain Intake, Michael Robert Macarthur

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: In order to attenuate the measurement error inherent in dietary recall methods, alkylresorcinols (ARs) have been proposed as a biomarker of whole-grain (WG) intake (1, 2). Although ARs have shown promise in experimental (3) and observational studies (4), most of this research has been conducted in Nordic populations that consume relatively high amounts of WG (5).

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the utility of plasma AR concentration as a WG intake biomarker and identify the primary dietary and non-dietary determinants of plasma AR concentration in a population that consumes relatively few WG.

Methods …

The Influence Of Planned Physical Activity In Preschoolers On Subsequent Energy Balance, Chelsey Leigh Da Silva

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Obesity is a chronic disease and is defined as having excess fat. However, it is unknown if the caloric expenditure of planned physical activity in children will be offset by them spontaneously increasing their caloric intake or decreasing their subsequent daily activity during the rest of the day. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to monitor preschooler’s PA and caloric intake after planned PA in the morning. Methods: Eight children ages 4-5 were included in this cross over design study. In a randomized fashion, on one occasion participants were guided through a thirty-minute structured physical …

The Effect Of Caffeine Supplementation On Muscular Endurance In Recreationally Active College Age Males, Mark Gauvin

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: Caffeine is a drug consumed regularly by approximately 90% of adults worldwide, primarily due to its ability to reduce fatigue and increase wakefulness. The benefit of caffeine consumption on athletic performance in large doses (3-9 mg/kg body weight or BW) is frequently documented in aerobic athletes. The benefits of caffeine supplementation in resistance training variables, such as muscular endurance, has shown mixed results, partially due to the inconsistency of testing variables. Furthermore, while caffeine supplementation shows promising ergogenic effects in muscular endurance in elite athletes, it is unknown if this effect translates to the recreational athlete. Therefore, the …

The Impact Of The Healthy Children, Healthy Families Curriculum On Maternal Food Parenting Practices, Laura E. Otterbach

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: To assess the impact of the evidence-based Healthy Children, Healthy Families (HCHF) curriculum on changes in positive food parenting practices (FPPs).

Design/Setting: Non-experimental pre/post within-subjects design. The study primarily took place at a free healthcare clinic (Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic) located in Providence, RI.

Participants: Mother-child dyads were recruited from the community (n=40) and completed baseline data measures for an 8-week group-based intervention, with 24 mother-child dyads completing the intervention. Dyads were primarily Hispanic, and of low socio-economic status.

Intervention: The 8-week, evidence-based HCHF curriculum/intervention was delivered primarily in Spanish to 4 separate groups of mothers …

Evaluating A Novel Device For Calorie Reduction: The Bite Counter Study, Gregory G. Mayette

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Self-monitoring dietary intake is a valuable behavior for those wishing to lose weight. Unfortunately, keeping food logs to determine kilocalorie (kcal) intake becomes very cumbersome and, this behavior change is rarely maintained. Although advances in technology have eased the burden of monitoring kcal intake, attrition remains a problem. The Bite Counter is a device worn on the wrist that uses bite count as a proxy for kcal intake, without the need for laborious food intake record keeping. The Bite Counter's efficacy in helping individuals decrease kcal intake by decreasing bite counts in free-living environments has not been tested. …

Predictors Of Successful Behavior Change Within And Across Multiple Health Risk Behaviors, Southey F. Saul

Open Access Master's Theses

Discovering trends in the differences and similarities of variables predicting change across different behaviors may shed light on why some behaviors appear more easily changed than others. Discovering the best predictors of healthy behavior changemay to the development of more effective evidence-based interventions that foster healthy behavior change across multiple health domains.

This study was designed to examine whether there are consistent treatment group, stage of change, demographic, behavior severity, and effort effects that predict longterm changes across three affective behaviors (stress management, emotional eating, depression prevention). The four effects were then compared to three other behaviors previously published in …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of A Home-Based Intervention To Modify Maternal Food Parenting Practices, Amy Michelle Moore

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Food parenting practices play an important role in the development of a child’s eating behaviors, and subsequent weight status early in life. Yet studies to modify and improve these practices are limited. This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of a novel home-based motivational interviewing (MI) intervention designed to modify and improve the food parenting practices of low-income mothers.

Methods: Mother-child dyads (N=15) were recruited from a Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office in southern Rhode Island. A non-experimental, pretest–posttest design was used to assess changes in maternal food parenting practices. Dyads participated in three home-based sessions …

Dairy Forecasting For Convenience Stores: A Case Study Approach, Sameer Saran

Open Access Master's Theses

A large assortment of industrial engineering tools have been developed to help businesses and organizations in their continuous effort to improve. However, whether by design or by chance these tools are primarily targeted on helping larger scale businesses.

A majority of the businesses that currently operate in the United States are classified as small businesses. Many of these industrial engineering tools require a significant amount of resources or seem to only function in operations larger than those seen at a small business size.

The question of whether these tools seen in larger scale companies can be used on small business …

Impact Of Nutrition Education On Fruit And Vegetable Consumption In An Urban School District, Pauline R. Fallon

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of nutrition education on fruit and vegetable consumption when provided as an addition to the Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). The secondary purpose was to compare fruit and vegetable consumption between students who received the FFVP and students who did not receive the FFVP.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study which involved three schools; one received both the FFVP and a nutrition education program, one received the FFVP only, and one received neither the FFVP nor nutrition education. Students in the intervention group received eight nutrition lessons. Students in …

An Fto Gene Variant Moderates The Association Between Parental Restriction And Child Bmi, Alison Tovar, Jennifer A. Emond, Erin Hennessy, Dianne Gilbert-Diamond

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Objective:

This study aimed to explore whether a common variant in the FTO gene moderates the relationship between parental restriction and child BMI.

Methods:

This study reports on baseline data from 178 parent-child (ages 9–10 years) dyads. Parents completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire and reported on socio-demographic characteristics. Each child’s height, weight and FTO rs9939609 genotype was assessed. Ordinary least squares regression was used to fit the child’s BMI-percentile on parental restriction and the child’s FTO genotype, adjusted for covariates. A likelihood ratio test was used to compare a model with and without a multiplicative interaction term between …

Measuring Adherence With Antidepressant Medication: Comparison Of Hedis And Pdc Methodologies, Carmen Monica Telinoiu

Open Access Master's Theses

Depression is a significant problem for the managed care system. Antidepressant medication helps ameliorate the symptoms of depression yet adherence to medication is known to be poor. The current approach to adherence measurement (i.e HEDIS) is limited or lacking. Other methods are used (e.g Proportion of Days Covered –PDC) in other chronic diseases to measure adherence. Medication adherence is a growing concern for clinicians and other health care stakeholders (e.g payer) because of the increasing evidence that non-adherence is prevalent and places patients at an increased risk for adverse health outcomes and higher cost of care.

We conducted a retrospective …

Growth, Grazing And Starvation Survival In Three Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Species, Sean Anderson

Open Access Master's Theses

We measured growth and grazing rates of three heterotrophic dinoflagellate species Oxyrrhis marina, Gyrodinium dominans and G. spirale exposed to starved versus continuously-fed prey conditions and assessed their starvation survival ability. All three dinoflagellate species survived long periods (>10 days) without prey, up to 118 days in the case of O. marina. After 1-3 weeks, starvation led to a 17-57% decrease in grazer cell volume and cells became more deformed and transparent over time. Starved grazers rapidly ingested new prey within 3 hours as evidenced by increased cell volumes of 4-17%. Grazer cultures that were starved had …

Linking Protistan Herbivory To Environmental And Biotic Controls, Françoise Morison

Open Access Dissertations

Phagotrophic protists have been established as the major consumers of ocean primary production and as such occupy a pivotal position in pelagic food webs, yet knowledge gaps remain regarding the seasonal and spatial variability of protistan grazing, and of its drivers, both environmental and biotic. The aim of the present research was to address such gaps. To do so, I gathered field measurements and observations and evaluated modifications and alternatives to current methods used to estimate grazing rates and characterize plankton communities. In a study conducted in the Western Antarctic Peninsula aimed at quantifying the seasonal variability of protistan herbivory …

Detection Of Poly- And Perfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfass) In U.S. Drinking Water Linked To Industrial Sites, Military Fire Training Areas, And Wastewater Treatment Plants, Xindi C. Hu, David Q. Andrews, Andrew B. Lindstrom, Thomas A. Bruton, Laurel A. Schaider, Philippe Grandjean, Rainer Lohmann, Courtney C. Carignan, Arlene Blum, Simona A. Balan, Christopher P. Higgins, Elise M. Sunderland

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Drinking water contamination with poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) poses risks to the developmental, immune, metabolic, and endocrine health of consumers. We present a spatial analysis of 2013–2015 national drinking water PFAS concentrations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3) program. The number of industrial sites that manufacture or use these compounds, the number of military fire training areas, and the number of wastewater treatment plants are all significant predictors of PFAS detection frequencies and concentrations in public water supplies. Among samples with detectable PFAS levels, each additional military site within a watershed’s …

Ecological Effects Of Nutrient Enrichment On A Coastal Fringe Mangrove Forest, Brita Juliet Jessen

Open Access Dissertations

Mangrove ecosystems are highly productive coastal wetlands that connect tropical terrestrial and marine systems. Increasing human populations and land use changes are enhancing nutrient loading to tropical coastlines, potentially leading to eutrophic conditions for marine systems. The carbon (C) cycle is critical for mangrove forest structure, function, and resilience under environmental change. Increasing trends of nutrient enrichment in tropical coastal waters may have an effect on organic C mineralization by alleviating nutrient limitation of the heterotrophic microbial community, which may lead to a loss of within-stand carbon sequestration. To better understand and predict the consequences of increased nutrient input, a …

Do Psychologists Help? Assessment And Evaluation Of An Integrative Care Approach To Cancer Treatment, Miryam Yusufov

Open Access Dissertations

Psychosocial care has been shown to improve psychological and physiological functioning in cancer patients. However, as few as five percent of cancer patients engage in psychosocial care. Therefore, Study 1 of this dissertation developed measures of core TTM constructs (Stage of Change, Decisional Balance, Self- Efficacy) relevant for increasing engagement in psychosocial care among individuals diagnosed with cancer.

Measure development entailed qualitative methods for item development and refinement followed by a series of quantitative analyses. The Stage of Change measure was validated against external constructs such as subjective present and future well-being. As expected, a chi-square test indicated that individuals …