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Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda October 10, 2024, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Agendas

No abstract provided.

Non-Partner Sexual Violence Among International College Students In The United States, Kruti S. Chaliawala, Rebecca A. Vidourek, Keith A. King

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The prevalence of non-partner sexual violence among college students is a pressing concern that demands urgent attention. Although an integral part of the education system, international college students are often underrepresented in various studies. This calls attention to understanding the cultural nuances and multiple factors affecting this population. The current research delves into the experiences of sexual abuse among international students within the last 12 months, focusing specifically on incidents where sexual penetration or unwanted sexual touching occurred without consent. The study sheds light on the frequency and demographics associated with these distressing incidents using data from a large-scale survey …

Ritual Child Homicides In Ghana And Kenya: A Criminological Analysis, Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Child homicide is a frequent occurrence in many African communities, and juju beliefs trigger a sizable proportion of this crime. Yet a systematic and critical analysis of juju’s impact on pedicides is lacking in the literature. The sparse extant studies on juju-driven homicide or ritual murder mainly offer historical perspectives rather than criminological analysis of the phenomenon. The present study explores the magnitude, characteristics, and motivations, as well as the socio-cultural and economic contexts of ritual child homicide or juju-driven pedicide (i.e., the killing of children for ritual or occult purposes) in Ghana and Kenya. This aim is achieved by …

Acquisitions Unit Annual Report 2023-2024, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Annual Report of the Acquisitions Unit, University Libraries, University of Rhode Island for FY2024. Covers personnel, work flow, special projects, and serial, monograph, and e-resource acquisitions. Supplemental files include data on library materials expenditures by a number of variables as well as important working documents from the year.

Japan’S “Big Lie": The Negation Of Oral Testimony Of Sexual Violence, Robert O'Mochain, Yuki Ueno

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In recent years, powerful actors in Japan’s political elite have consistently denied the oral testimony of so-called “comfort women.” The denial of this and related historical crimes is made in the service of a claim we denote here as the “big lie.” This is the erroneous assertion that the Asia-Pacific War was a straightforward war of liberation by the Japanese Imperial Army, inspired by a blameless Emperor and carried out by morally exemplary military forces. This denial of historical realities, especially those related to “comfort women,” has constituted a contributory factor for a pattern of denial regarding all historical crimes. …

Towards A Sustainable Planet: Review Of ‘Global Environmental Politics’ By Kütting And Herman (2018), Mona Safizadeh

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Global Environmental Politics by Kütting and Herman (2018) explores our planet's complex challenges, urging collective action for sustainability. Across 13 chapters, the book explores sustainable consumption, the role of technology, and the impact of evolving economies on global politics. This comprehensive guide emphasizes the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic factors, offering insights for stakeholders to navigate toward a healthier future.

Can Marketing Transcend Entrenched Gender Biases?, Thinh Nguyen

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Through a feminist lens, Maclaran and Chatzidakis (2022) challenge conventional assumptions about gender, emphasizing its performative nature shaped by social practices rather than inherent traits. This commentary extends analyses of key themes such as gender performativity, the male gaze, and subject-object binaries within marketing. It critiques how marketing strategies reinforce existing power imbalances and systemic biases rooted in historical narratives. The writing also reflects on media interpretations of gender issues through films like 'Turning Red' and 'Barbie'. By contextualizing gendered marketing within broader societal frameworks, this writing contributes to ongoing dialogues in media studies, sociology, and gender studies, highlighting the …

Exploring The Neuroprotective Effects Of Cannabinoids On Oxygen Glucose Deprived Neurons In An In-Vitro Model Of Stroke, Bhavya Chatragadda, Emily Potts, Hang Ma, Navindra Seeram, Claudia Fallini

Senior Honors Projects

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and decreased mobility worldwide. During stroke, neuronal damage results from both the initial oxygen-glucose deprivation and the increase in excitotoxicity and oxidative stress after restoration of blood flow, a phase called Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury (IRI). Reducing the impact of these processes could result in better outcomes for post-stroke patients by preventing excessive neuronal death. Many natural compounds derived from the Cannabis Sativa plant have been tested for neuroprotective effects due to their potential antioxidant properties. We hypothesized that neurons treated with cannabinoids immediately after experiencing an acute ischemic event will have an overall …

The Impact Of Covid-19 Mammography Rates In Rhode Island, Grace Lavallee

Senior Honors Projects

In the United States, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. When detected early, breast cancer is among the most treatable cancers. Mammograms are considered one of the most important tools for early detection, however there are disparities in mammography screening. Those in marginalized communities, including people of color, low-income individuals, and others face heightened barriers to accessing timely screenings and diagnosis.

Prior to Covid-19 pandemic, Rhode Island ranked highest in national surveys of mammography rates, and had made significant strides in reducing screening disparities. This study asks: What impact did the Covid-19 pandemic …

Reconnecting With Nature One Classroom At A Time, Bianca Apuzzo

Senior Honors Projects

Environmental science is more important to today’s society than it has ever been, and developing basic ecoliteracy is the easiest way we can work towards a more sustainable future. Ecoliteracy allows us to connect deeper to nature and provides us with the information needed to protect and restore our beautiful planet. We are rolling downhill, picking up speed as we go, through a silent mass extinction. The scariest part of it all: nobody seems to care.

In response to the lack of environmental education provided to today’s students, I have created a syllabus for a high school level science course …

Stopping The Bleed At Uri, Emily Lefebre

Senior Honors Projects

The number one cause of preventable death is uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injury. From the unlikely scenario of a school shooting, to a campus car accident or an injury during a sports or club event, possessing skills to effectively stop a life-threatening bleed becomes a matter of life or death. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) STOP THE BLEED® program is a campaign to teach communities how to respond effectively and efficiently to life-threatening bleeding in emergencies. STOP THE BLEED® aims to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to stop severe bleeding by tourniquet application, …

Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda April 18, 2024, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Agendas

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes April 18, 2024, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Unveiling Motivations Behind First-Generation Farming, Lucas D. Kisiel

Senior Honors Projects

In the contemporary era, traditional farming practices have

faded as industrialization reshaped agricultural landscapes.

However, a noteworthy phenomenon has emerged: individuals

willingly embrace farming, even without familial legacy. This

project aims to delve into the personal incentives driving

individuals towards farming careers. Specifically, it seeks to

shed light on the challenges encountered during farm

establishment and subsequent endeavors. By focusing on first-

generation farmers, this study explores personal motivations

that influence career choices in farming without the pressures

of familial tradition. For some, it's a quest for fulfillment, a

departure from the monotony of office work to engage in

something …

A Literature Review On The Use Of Ai Technology For Medical Diagnosis, Olivia Maddock

Senior Honors Projects

The integration of technology like artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnosis offers a unique solution to the growing demands of healthcare providers across all fields of medicine. The purpose of the literature review is to examine current and future applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare, as well as associated challenges to implementing AI in medical decision-making and care access. The literature review was organized into sections examining current applications, limitations, and future directions. From the literature review conducted, I found that AI technology like machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have the potential to optimize fields like medical diagnostics, …

Fsec Meeting Minutes February 23, 2024, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Unbound Fractions Of Pfas In Human And Rodent Tissues: Rat Liver A Suitable Proxy For Evaluating Emerging Pfas?, Sangwoo Ryu, Woodrow Burchett, Sam Zhang, Xuelian Jia, Seyed Mohamad Sadegh Modaresi, Juliana Agudelo Areiza, David Rodrigues, Hao Zhu, Elsie M. Sunderland, Fabian Christoph Fischer, Angela Slitt

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Adverse health effects associated with exposures to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a concern for public health and are driven by their elimination half-lives and accumulation in specific tissues. However, data on PFAS binding in human tissues are limited. Accumulation of PFAS in human tissues has been linked to interactions with specific proteins and lipids in target organs. Additional data on PFAS binding and unbound fractions (f_unbound) in whole human tissues are urgently needed. Here, we address this gap by using rapid equilibrium dialysis to measure the binding and f_unbound of 16 PFAS with 3 …

Monetary Incentive Delay Task Response In A Diverse Sample Of Adolescents: Advancing Health Promotion In This Age Group, Emily K. Carter

Open Access Master's Theses

The adolescent brain is becoming increasingly recognized as an important and distinct developmental period. Adolescence is also a period that has seen a recent increase in sexually transmitted infection (STI); those between ages 15-24 account for roughly 25% of the United States’ population but account for about 50% of annual STI incidents. Current behavioral-only intervention approaches have been limited in their capacity to help advance adolescent health behavior; translational approaches that utilize information about the neurological underpinnings of sexual health decision making offer the opportunity to obtain novel information about young people. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based monetary incentive …

Exploring Boaters’ Intentions And Awareness To Explain Why Some Anchor On Coral Reefs, Caroline Caton

Open Access Master's Theses

Coral reefs provide a variety of ecosystem services to humans, but are also degrading due to human activities such as boat anchoring. Understanding why some boaters anchor on coral reef, even when environmentally-responsible alternatives are available, will lead to effective management with substantial environmental benefits. Anchoring on reef could occur intentionally, because boaters prioritize other considerations that outweigh any desire to not anchor on reef, or unintentionally, because they lack true awareness of the bottom type. We conducted structured interviews, informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior, with boaters in the British Virgin Islands to uncover the motivations and awareness …

The Association Among Various Types Of Substance Use And The Perpetration And Victimization Of Physical And Psychological Intimate Partner Violence, Sam Ferreira

Open Access Master's Theses

The current study identified the association between substances and the perpetration and victimization of physical and psychological IPV. Due to limited data collected, the research questions were modified to specifically examine alcohol and cannabis use rather than various substances. Thus, the following questions were examined: (1) How are cannabis and alcohol use related to perpetration and victimization of physical IPV among adolescent females? and (2) How are cannabis and alcohol use related to perpetration and victimization of psychological IPV among adolescent females? These research questions were examined through four binary logistic regression models to examine the relationship between the predictors …

Using Edna And Traditional Methods To Assess Fish Diversity In Narragansett Bay, Juliane Mora

Open Access Master's Theses

Coastal ecosystems are degrading rapidly, and molecular analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) has become an increasingly popular method to quantify changes in biodiversity, and as a powerful and affordable complement to monitor aquatic environments. Yet, side by side comparisons of biodiversity estimates from eDNA and other traditional methods are needed to understand the level of accuracy of the eDNA method. We used eDNA metabarcoding of the 12S mitochondrial gene to generate a multi-species fish biodiversity assessment of Narragansett Bay (NB). Here we estimated biodiversity using eDNA data and compared it to conventional seine surveying data. We then further estimate biodiversity …

Defining The Peptidyl Transferase Active Site Of The Ribosome, Erin Killeavy

Open Access Dissertations

The ribosome is the instrument by which all biological life on earth translates a message of ribonucleic acid (mRNA) into proteins. The modern-day ribosome has evolved into a highly complex and exceedingly efficient macromolecular machine responsible for protein synthesis. The two primary functional activities of the ribosome, decoding and peptide bond formation, have been attributed to rRNA. While three rRNA bases have precisely-defined roles in decoding, no direct role for any RNA or protein residues within the active site has been established in catalysis of peptide bond formation.

This dissertation investigates the intramolecular RNA and intermolecular protein-RNA interactions within the …

Using Fishing Industry Input And Fishery-Dependent Data To Improve Understanding Of Offshore Fishing Activity And Business Operations, Julia C. Livermore Sheehan

Open Access Dissertations

As the US Blue Economy expands, the commercial and recreational fishing industries in Southern New England face a plethora of challenges. Demand for ocean space is increasing with the expansion of offshore wind development, proposals for additional marine monuments and sanctuaries, and plans for offshore aquaculture farms. Spatial conflicts are therefore increasing, while climate change is driving physical oceanographic changes and biological responses in species at all levels of the food web, resulting in shifts in species distributions and therefore fishing grounds. These challenges contribute to the conditions that businesses must adapt to in order to survive. Therefore, fishing businesses …

Altered Transcriptional Regulation Is An Early Driver Of Disease In An In Vitro Model Of C9orf72 Als/Ftd, Michelle Jean Gregoire

Open Access Dissertations

Neurodegenerative disorders affect millions of people worldwide and are only expected to increase in prevalence as the world’s population ages. The progressive loss of neurons, their structure, and function can lead to detrimental effects as neurons are responsible for the integration of signals in the brain and spinal cord. Despite the association of genetic mutations leading to neurodegeneration, the etiology of many of the disorders is unknown. Understanding how cellular pathologies affect different subsets of neurons is a major goal in the field of cell and molecular neuroscience. Similarly, understanding the mechanisms that may drive these pathologies is of interest …

Development And Evaluation Of Novel Electrode Designs And Gels For Use In Electroencephalography, Jay Vincelli

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the challenge of improving spatial resolution and signal quality in electroencephalography (EEG), focusing on tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCREs) and conductive gels. The research aimed to develop standardized evaluation methods for TCREs, optimize gel performance, and explore non-invasive EEG techniques for studying brain activity in octopuses.

A novel planar EEG phantom was developed, enabling systematic evaluation of TCREs and gels. Sixteen commercial EEG gels were assessed using this phantom, revealing significant performance variations with TCREs. Based on these findings, a custom high-impedance gel was formulated specifically for TCREs. Additionally, the potential of TCREs for non-invasive EEG techniques …

Seeking Clarity In The Coastal Zone: Quantifying Submarine Groundwater Discharge (Sgd) By Thermal Infrared (Tir) Imagery And Radionuclide Tracer Modeling, Kyle S. R. Young

Open Access Dissertations

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is the flow of water from continental shelves to coastal waterbodies and is an important transport vector of terrestrially-sourced waters and pollutants to coastal waterbodies. Subject to variabilities and forcings operating over numerous scales, SGD is particularly difficult to quantify at the spatial resolutions necessary to assess source characteristics, while obtaining the coverage necessary to understand its spatial controls. Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems-deployed thermal infrared sensors (sUAS-TIR) provide a means of identifying SGD source zones and quantifying SGD TIR thermal anomaly (“plume”) areas at very high spatial resolutions over large areas, though are unable to quantify …

Hit Or Miss? Impact Of Time Series Resolution On Resolving Phytoplankton Dynamics At Hourly, Weekly, And Satellite Remote Sensing Frequencies, Virginia Sonnet, Colleen B. Mouw, Audrey B. Ciochetto, Jessica Carney-Almeida

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Characterizing marine phytoplankton community variability is crucial to designing sampling strategies and interpreting time series. Satellite remote sensing, microscopy sampling, and flow through imaging systems have widely different resolutions: from weekly or monthly with microscopy sampling to daily when no cloud cover or glint is present with polar-orbiting satellites, and hourly for autonomous imaging instruments. To improve our understanding of data robustness against sampling resolution at different taxonomic levels, we analyze 2 yr of data from an Imaging FlowCytobot with hourly resolution and resample it to daily, satellite-temporal, and weekly microscopy sampling resolution. We show that weekly and satellite-temporal resolutions …

Effect Of Sampling Bias On Global Estimates Of Ocean Carbon Export, Stephanie Henson, Kelsey Bisson, Matthew L. Hammond, Adrian Martin, Colleen B. Mouw, Andrew Yool

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Shipboard sampling of ocean biogeochemical properties is necessarily limited by logistical and practical constraints. As a result, the majority of observations are obtained for the spring/summer period and in regions relatively accessible from a major port. This limitation may bias the conceptual understanding we have of the spatial and seasonal variability in important components of the Earth system. Here we examine the influence of sampling bias on global estimates of carbon export flux by sub-sampling a biogeochemical model to simulate real, realistic and random sampling. We find that both the sparseness and the 'clumpy' character of shipboard flux observations generate …

Whale Baleen To Monitor Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Marine Environments, Matthew S. Savoca, Anna R. Robuck, Michaela A. Cashman, Mark G. Cantwell, Lindsay C. Agvent, David N. Wiley, Rachel Rice, Sean Todd, Nicole E. Hunter, Jooke Robbins, Jeremy A. Goldbogen, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) comprise >10 000 synthetic compounds that are globally distributed and highly persistent but remain challenging to monitor. Here we assess the utility of baleen─an accreting, keratinaceous tissue that baleen whales use for filter-feeding─to track PFAS dynamics in marine food webs. In six species investigated, PFAS were detected in all baleen tested (n = 18 plates, 220 samples, ∑₁₀PFAS range of 0.02–60.5 ng/g of dry weight), at levels higher than those of other tissue types besides liver. Three of the species in our data set had not been tested for PFAS contamination previously, …

A Decade Of Marine Inorganic Carbon Chemistry Observations In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska – Insights Into An Environment In Transition, Natalie M. Monacci, Jessica N. Cross, Wiley Evans, Jeremy T. Mathis, Hongjie Wang

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

As elsewhere in the global ocean, the Gulf of Alaska is experiencing the rapid onset of ocean acidification (OA) driven by oceanic absorption of anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In support of OA research and monitoring, we present here a data product of marine inorganic carbon chemistry parameters measured from seawater samples taken during biannual cruises between 2008 and 2017 in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Samples were collected each May and September over the 10 year period using a conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) profiler coupled with a Niskin bottle rosette at stations including a long-term hydrographic …