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Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For September 2015, 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 Monthly Report For August 2015, 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 Fy2015, 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 2014-2015.

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

Inspire Newsletter For 2015, Uri College Of Human Science And Services

College of Human Science and Services Publications

The 2015 issue of InSpire, a periodical focused on and produced by the College of Human Science and Service.

Engaging Donors In Smart Compassion: Usaid Cidi’S Greatest Good Donation Calculator, Koray Özpolat, Juanita Rilling, Nezih Altay, Eric Chavez

College of Business Faculty Publications

Purpose

This paper introduces a game-like decision tool – “Greatest Good Donations Calculator (GGDC)”, which has been collaboratively developed by scholars from the University of Rhode Island and the USAID Center for International Disaster Information.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is grounded in two streams of research – human learning through games and systems dynamics literature. The problem of “unsolicited in-kind donations” is discussed followed by the development of the GGDC.

Findings

The GGDC is a game-like decision tool that informs users on some of the complexities associated with humanitarian supply chains, and the ineffective nature of unsolicited in-kind donations compared to …

Momentum: Research & Innovation For Fall 2015, University Of Rhode Island

Publications (Research and Economic Development)

The Fall 2015 issue of Momentum: Research & Innovation, a periodical focused on research at the University of Rhode Island.

Momentum: Research & Innovation For Spring 2015, University Of Rhode Island

Publications (Research and Economic Development)

The Spring 2015 issue of Momentum: Research & Innovation, a periodical focused on research at the University of Rhode Island.

And On Top Of All That… Coping With Ocean Acidification In The Midst Of Many Stressors, Denise L. Breitburg, John Salisbury, Joan M. Bernhard, Wei-Jun Cai, Sam Dupont, Scott C. Doney, Kristy J. Kroeker, Lisa A. Levin, W. Christopher Long, Lisa M. Milke, Seth H. Miller, Beth Phelan, Uta Passow, Brad A. Seibel, Anne E. Todgham, Ann M. Tarrant

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Oceanic and coastal waters are acidifying due to processes dominated in the open ocean by increasing atmospheric CO₂ and dominated in estuaries and some coastal waters by nutrient-fueled respiration. The patterns and severity of acidification, as well as its effects, are modified by the host of stressors related to human activities that also influence these habitats. Temperature, deoxygenation, and changes in food webs are particularly important co-stressors because they are pervasive, and both their causes and effects are often mechanistically linked to acidification. Development of a theoretical underpinning to multiple stressor research that considers physiological, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives …

Health Studies Program Newsletter For 2015, Uri Health Studies Program

Public Health Department Publications

The 2015 issue of “Health-e-Newsletter,” a periodical focused on the Health Studies Program events, faculty research and highlights of student achievements.

The Evolution Of Difficult Childbirth And Helpless Hominin Infants, Holly M. Dunsworth, Leah Eccleston

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Because of the implications for behavioral, social, and cultural evolution, reconstructions of the evolutionary history of human parturition are driven by two main questions: First, when did childbirth become difficult? And second, does difficult childbirth have something to do with infant helplessness? Here we review the available evidence and consider answers to these questions. Although the definitive time frame remains unclear, childbirth may not have reached our present state of difficulty until fairly recently (

Concordance Of Self-Report And Measured Height And Weight Of College Students, Virginia Quick, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Suzanne Shoff, Adrienne A. White, Barbara Lohse, Tanya Horacek, Kendra Kattelmann, Beatrice Phillips, Sharon L. Hoerr, Geoffrey Greene

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined associations between college students' self-report and measured height and weight.

Methods: Participants (N = 1,686) were 77% white, 62% female, aged 18–24 years (mean ± SD, 19.1 ± 1.1 years), and enrolled at 8 US universities. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for self-report (via online survey); trained researchers measured height and weight and categorized them as normal (18.5 to < 25), overweight (25 to < 30), obese (30 to < 35), and morbidly obese (≥ 35).

Results: Concordance of self-report vs objectively measured BMI groups using chi-square revealed that 93% were accurate, 4% were underestimated, and 2.7% were overestimated. Pearson correlations and adjusted linear regression revealed significant associations between self-report and measured …

Addressing The Stem Gender Gap By Designing And Implementing An Educational Outreach Chemistry Camp For Middle School Girls, Mindy Levine, Nicole Serio, Bhasker Radaram, Sauradip Chaudhuri, William Talbert

Chemistry Faculty Publications

There continues to be a persistent, widespread gender gap in multiple STEM disciplines at all educational and professional levels: from the self-reported interest of preschool aged students in scientific exploration to the percentages of tenured faculty in these disciplines, more men than women express an interest in science, a confidence in their scientific abilities, and ultimately decide to pursue scientific careers. Reported herein is an intensive outreach effort focused on addressing this gender gap: a full-time, week-long chemistry camp that was designed and implemented for middle school girls in the state of Rhode Island. The camp schedule included multiple hands-on …

Escherichia Coli Edl933 Requires Gluconeogenic Nutrients To Successfully Colonize The Intestines Of Streptomycin-Treated Mice Precolonized With E. Coli Nissle 1917, Silvia A. C. Schinner, Matthew E. Mokszycki, Jimmy Adediran, Mary Leatham-Jensen, Paul S. Cohen

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli MG1655, a K-12 strain, uses glycolytic nutrients exclusively to colonize the intestines of streptomycin-treated mice when it is the only E. coli strain present or when it is confronted with E. coli EDL933, an O157:H7 strain. In contrast, E. coli EDL933 uses glycolytic nutrients exclusively when it is the only E. coli strain in the intestine but switches in part to gluconeogenic nutrients when it colonizes mice precolonized with E. coli MG1655 (R. L. Miranda et al., Infect Immun 72:1666–1676, 2004, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/IAI.72.3.1666-1676.2004). Recently, J. W. Njoroge et al. (mBio 3:e00280-12, 2012, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00280-12) reported that E …

Genetic Indicators Of Iron Limitation In Wild Populations Of Thalassiosira Oceanica From The Northeast Pacific Ocean, P. Dreux Chappell, Leann P. Whitney, Joselynn R. Wallace, Adam I. Darer, Samua Jean-Chales, Bethany D. Jenkins

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Assessing the iron (Fe) nutritional status of natural diatom populations has proven challenging as physiological and molecular responses can differ in diatoms of the same genus. We evaluated expression of genes encoding flavodoxin (FLDA1) and an Fe-starvation induced protein (ISIP3) as indicators of Fe limitation in the marine diatom Thalassiosira oceanica. The specificity of the response to Fe limitation was tested in cultures grown under Fe- and macronutrient-deficient conditions, as well as throughout the diurnal light cycle. Both genes showed a robust and specific response to Fe limitation in laboratory cultures and were detected in …

Deficiency In Nrf2 Transcription Factor Decreases Adipose Tissue Mass And Hepatic Lipid Accumulation In Leptin‐Deficient Mice, Jialin Xu, Ajay C. Donepudi, Vijay R. More, Supriya R. Kulkarni, Liya Li, Liangran Guo, Bingfang Yan, Tapan Chatterjee, Neal Weintraub, Angela L. Slitt

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Objective: To evaluate whether Nrf2 deficiency impacts insulin resistance and lipid accumulation in liver and white adipose tissue.

Methods: Lep^ob/ob mice (OB) with targeted Nrf2 deletion (OB‐Nrf2KO) were generated. Pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes was measured in C57BL/6J, Nrf2KO, OB, and OB‐Nrf2KO mice. Hepatic lipid content, lipid clearance, and very low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion were determined between OB and OB‐Nrf2KO mice.

Results: OB‐Nrf2KO mice exhibited decreased white adipose tissue mass and decreased adipogenic and lipogenic gene expression compared with OB mice. Nrf2 deficiency prolonged hyperglycemia in response to glucose challenge, which was paralleled by reduced insulin‐stimulated Akt …

Urinformed Winter 2015, Urinformed

URInformed: The URI Employees' Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Weighing The Facts: A Systematic Review Of Expected Patterns Of Weight Loss In Full-Term, Breastfed Infants, Diane Thulier

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

All breastfeeding infants lose some weight in the early days of life. Conventionally, 5% to 7% loss of birth weight has been accepted as the normal and expected amount of weight loss before infants begin to gain weight steadily. When infants lose more than 7% of their birth weight, breastfeeding adequacy is sometimes questioned and formula supplementation is often given. Despite the fact that 5% to 7% is well known and commonly cited, little reliable evidence exists that supports use of this figure as a guide to practice. A systematic review of studies that focused on infant weight loss was …

Relationships Of Eating Competence, Sleep Behaviors And Quality, And Overweight Status Among College Students, Virginia Quick, Suzanne Shoff, Barbara Lohse, Adrienne White, Tanya Horacek, Geoffrey Greene

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Little is known about the relationships between eating competence (intra-individual approach to eating and food-related attitudes and behaviors that entrain positive bio-psychosocial outcomes) and sleep behaviors and quality in college students, a high-risk group for poor eating habits, weight gain, and inadequate sleep. Thus, data from full-time college students (N = 1035; 82% White; 61% female) aged 18–24 years from 5 U.S. universities were obtained from online questionnaires (eating competence (ecSI), Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), physical activity, demographics) and physical assessments (measured height, weight), to explore sleep behavior and quality between eating-competent (EC; ecSI score ≥ 32) and …

Low Demanding Parental Feeding Style Is Associated With Low Consumption Of Whole Grains Among Children Of Recent Immigrants, Alison Tovar, Silvina F. Choumenkovitch, Erin Hennessy, Rebecca Boulos, Aviva Must, Sheryl O. Hughes, David M. Gute, Emily Kuross Vikre, Christina D. Economos

Nutrition Faculty Publications

We explored the influence of immigrant mothers feeding style on their children's fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake and how this relationship differed by mother's time in the U.S. Baseline data were collected on mother-child (3–12 yrs) dyads enrolled in Live Well (n = 313), a community-based, participatory, randomized controlled lifestyle intervention (2008–2013). Socio-demographics, years of residence in the U.S., behavioral data, and responses to the Caregiver's Feeding Styles Questionnaire (CFSQ) were obtained from the mother. Measured heights and weights were obtained for both mother and child. Child dietary intake was assessed using the Block Food Screener. Separate multiple linear …

An Investigation Of The Interactions Between Escherichia Coli And The Intestinal Microbiota In Vivo And In Vitro, Matthew E. Mokszycki

Open Access Dissertations

We previously proposed that colonizing strains of E. coli likely occupy specific niches as minimal members of mixed biofilms formed primarily by anaerobic members of the gut flora. These "restaurants" formed by the different community members of the gut provide individual strains of E. coli with various unique binding pockets and locally provided mono- and disaccharides by breaking down polysaccharides which facultative anaerobes, such as E. coli, could not break down on their own. This allows strains of E. coli that cannot grow as efficiently on available sugars to colonize if they are able to occupy niches that other …

Evaluation Of In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Diabetic And Anti-Lipogenic Activity Of Natural Polyphenolic Extracts And Their Pure Constituents, Pragati P. Nahar

Open Access Dissertations

The long-term goals and objectives of our group are to identify bioactive natural products relevant to human disease prevention and health promotion. To attain this goal, the objective of this thesis was to demonstrate that bioactive polyphenol-rich extracts or preparations exert positive health benefits beyond basic nutrition, thus impacting overall health and wellness. We believe that this project has immense scientific merit from a human health perspective and will be of great public impact given that consumers are seeking natural and organic choices for improving health. In this investigation, we have focused our attention on investigating the biological activities of …

Childhood Maltreatment And Its Impact On Executive Skills Within An Inpatient Setting, Jennifer Ann Dupont Frechette

Open Access Dissertations

Previous research has shown that child maltreatment can negatively impact brain development and neurocognitive systems for children, adolescents, and adults. However there are no published studies that have sought to understand the role of child maltreatment with psychiatrically hospitalized children. Psychiatrically hospitalized children are considered a high-risk population due to increased suicidality, internalizing disorders, and lower cognitive functioning. The current study examined a hierarchical and cumulative model of maltreatment with inpatient children (ages 6-14 years old) who had been maltreated (n=111) to understand its impact on executive functioning skills, compared with a psychiatric outpatient sample (n=166). …

Bringing The World Inside: British Modernism And Taste – Gustatory, Social, And Aesthetic, Michael David Becker

Open Access Dissertations

As nineteenth-century scientific and industrial developments in food processing were increasingly applied on larger scales, and to a greater diversity of food items, modernity made its mark on the early twentieth-century consumer’s daily foods. In addition to industrial and scientific developments, World War I and World War II brought significant changes to food production, distribution, and consumption as populations suddenly worried about the availability, allocation, and quality of food items. Early twentieth-century novels demonstrate a preoccupation with the newly modernized and altered foods and explore how food behaviors and tastes change during the period.

This project examines literary representations of …

Mental Health, Health Behaviors, Social Support, Self-Efficacy And Disease: An Integrative Model, N. Simay Gokbayrak

Open Access Dissertations

The utility of modifiable health behaviors for better physical health outcomes is well-established. Because mental illness is a serious public health concern worldwide, an important question pertains to whether health behaviors likewise have benefits for mental health. Although simple research methods indicate positive relations, no investigations have tested models with mediating factors to discern specific pathways between health behaviors and mental health. As such, this study aimed to do so using path analysis to examine the impact of three key health behaviors (i.e., smoking cessation, exercise, and healthy eating) on mental health. In addition, the potential roles of perceived social …

Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2015-2016, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

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

An Assessment Of Nutrition Practices And Attitudes In Family Child-Care Homes: Implications For Policy Implementation, Alison Tovar, Patricia Risica, Noereem Mena, Eliza Lawson, Angela Ankoma, Kim M. Gans

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Introduction: Family child-care homes (FCCHs) provide care and nutrition for millions of US children, including 28% in Rhode Island. New proposed regulations for FCCHs in Rhode Island require competencies and knowledge in nutrition. We explored nutrition-related practices and attitudes of FCCH providers in Rhode Island and assessed whether these differed by provider ethnicity or socioeconomic status of the enrolled children.

Methods: Of 536 licensed FCCHs in Rhode Island, 105 randomly selected FCCH providers completed a survey about provider nutrition attitudes and practices, demographics of providers, and characteristics of the FCCH, including participation in the federal Child and Adult …

Impact On Diet Quality And Resilience In Urban Community Dwelling Obese Women With A Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention, Amy Taetzsch, Dinah Quintanilla, Stephen Maris, Jon Letendre, Leslie Mahler, Furong Xu, Matthew J. Delmonico, Ingrid E. Lofgren

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine the effect of a Tai Chi, resistance training, and behaviorally-based diet education intervention on dietary quality as well as resilience and physical resilience in obese older women. Design: Community health outreach with a quasi-experimental design. Setting: An urban senior center in Rhode Island. Participants: Thirty-three women, 85% were minorities, with mean age of 65±8.2 years and BMI of 37.3±4.6 kg/m2, were enrolled in the study at baseline however only 17 women in the intervention (EXD) group and 9 women in the wait-list control (CON) group completed the study. Measurement: Dietary quality and nutrition risk were measured using …

Distributions And Interactions In Three Groups Of Polar Marine Plankton, Alison Clare Cleary

Open Access Dissertations

Polar marine ecosystems are highly productive, with strong seasonal phytoplankton blooms, and high abundances of vertebrate predators. A key link between these phytoplankton and megafauna are the zooplankton, which package and transform phytoplankton biomass, making it available to the fish, mammals, seabirds, and other predators in the ecosystem. I investigated three groups of these important small eukaryotes. In the Bering Sea I analyzed the diet of three morphologically very similar congeners of Pseudocalanus copepods. The two copepod species with largely overlapping geographic ranges were found to have different diets, suggesting feeding differences may serve as a mechanism of niche partitioning …

Latino Family Childcare Providers’ Beliefs, Attitudes, And Practices Related To Promotion Of Healthy Behaviors Among Preschool Children: A Qualitative Study, Ana C. Lindsay, Judith A. Salkeld, Mary L. Greaney, Faith D. Sands

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Background. The continuing rise of obesity among Latinos is a public health concern with an immediate need for early prevention. Changes in family structures have increased demand and reliance for child care for young children. Latino children are the fastest-growing segment of the child population in the United States, and research shows that Latino families use preschools and day care centers much less than those of other ethnic groups, apparently because of cultural preferences for family-like care. Objectives. Given that many low income Latino children attend family child care homes (FCCHs), there is a need to explore the …

Perspectives Of Wic Staff Regarding Physical Activity Levels And Behaviors Of Latino Preschool Children, Ana Cristina Lindsay, Mary L. Greaney, Judith A. Salkeld, Jennifer Walsh

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in physical activity (PA) are evident, with non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American children engaging in less vigorous activity than non-Hispanic White children. Collaborating with public health programs serving at-risk populations, such as the WIC program may be an effective way to promote the development of healthful PA behaviors among low-income preschool children and families. This paper explores WIC staff perceptions, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators related to PA levels and behaviors among low-income Latino preschool children and families, as well as the role the WIC program may play in promoting PA among low-income populations.

Methods …