Digital Commons Network^™

Structure/Function Relationships In The Rosette Cellulose Synthesis Complex Illuminated By An Evolutionary Perspective, Candace H. Haigler, Alison Roberts

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cellulose microfibrils are a key component of plant cell walls, which in turn compose most of our renewable biomaterials. Consequently, there is considerable interest in understanding how cellulose microfibrils are made in living cells by the plant cellulose synthesis complex (CSC). This remarkable multi-subunit complex contains cellulose synthase (CESA) proteins, and it is often called a rosette due to its six-lobed shape. Each CSC moves within the plasma membrane as it spins a strong cellulose microfibril in its wake. To accomplish this biological manufacturing process, the CESAs harvest an activated sugar substrate from the cytoplasm for use in the polymerization …

Chronic Impacts Of Invasive Herbivores On A Foundational Forest Species: A Whole‐Tree Perspective, Claire M. Wilson, Robert N. Schaeffer, Mauri L. Hickin, Chad M. Rigsby, Amanda F. Sommi, Carol S. Thornber, Colin M. Orians, Evan L. Preisser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Forests make up a large portion of terrestrial plant biomass, and the long‐lived woody plants that dominate them possess an array of traits that deter consumption by forest pests. Although often extremely effective against native consumers, invasive species that avoid or overcome these defenses can wreak havoc on trees and surrounding ecosystems. This is especially true when multiple invasive species co‐occur, since interactions between invasive herbivores may yield non‐additive effects on the host. While the threat posed by invasive forest pests is well known, long‐term field experiments are necessary to explore these consumer‐host interactions at appropriate spatial and temporal scales. …

Miami Heat: Urban Heat Islands Influence The Thermal Suitability Of Habitats For Ectotherms, Andrew C. Battles, Jason J. Kolbe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The urban heat island effect, where urban areas exhibit higher temperatures than less‐developed suburban and natural habitats, occurs in cities across the globe and is well understood from a physical perspective and at broad spatial scales. However, very little is known about how thermal variation caused by urbanization influences the ability of organisms to live in cities. Ectotherms are sensitive to environmental changes that affect thermal conditions, and therefore, increased urban temperatures may pose significant challenges to thermoregulation and alter temperature‐dependent activity. To evaluate whether these changes to the thermal environment affect the persistence and dispersal of ectothermic species in …

Bloom-Forming Macroalgae (Ulva Spp.) Inhibit The Growth Of Co-Occurring Macroalgae And Decrease Eastern Oyster Larval Survival, Lindsay A. Green-Gavrielidis, Fiona Mackechnie, Carol S. Thornber, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Macroalgal blooms have increased in frequency worldwide due to anthropogenic activities. Algal blooms can disrupt recreational activities, interfere with fisheries, and deplete oxygen during decomposition. Narragansett Bay has experienced macroalgal blooms dominated by blade-forming macroalgae of the genus Ulva for over a century. Evidence from other systems has suggested that Ulva can negatively impact other organisms. The first objective of this study was to determine whether bloom-forming U. compressa and U. rigida inhibit the growth of co-occurring macroalgae—Gracilaria vermiculophylla, Cystoclonium purpureum, and Chondrus crispus—during co-culture via laboratory based assays. We found that U. compressa and U. …

Mass Spectrometry-Assisted Identification Of Adamts13-Derived Peptides Presented On Hla-Dr And Hla-Dq, Johana Hrodinová, Fabian C. Verbij, Paul H.P. Kaijen, Robin B. Hartholt, Floris Van Alphen, Neubury Lardy, Anja Ten Brinke, Karen Vanhoorelbeke, Pooja J. Hindocha, Anne S. De Groot, Alexander B. Meijer, Jan Voorberg, Ivan Peyron

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Formation of microthrombi is a hallmark of acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. These microthrombi originate from insufficient processing of ultra large von Willebrand factor multimers by ADAMTS13 due to the development of anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies. Several studies have identified the major histocompatibility complex class II alleles HLA-DRB1*11, HLA-DQB1*03 and HLA-DQB1*02:02 as risk factors for acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura development. Previous research in our department indicated that ADAMTS13 CUB2 domain-derived peptides FINVAPHAR and LIRDTHSLR are presented on HLA-DRB1*11 and HLA-DRB1*03, respectively. Here, we describe the repertoire of ADAMTS13 peptides presented on HLA-DQ. In parallel, the repertoire of ADAMTS13-derived peptides presented on HLA-DR was …

Impact Of A Yoga And Meditation Intervention On Students' Stress And Anxiety Levels, Virginia Lemay, Hoolahan, Ashley L. Buchanan

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a 6-week yoga and meditation intervention on college students’ stress perception, anxiety levels and mindfulness skills.

Methods. College students participated in a 6-week pilot program consisting of a 60-minute vinyasa yoga class followed by guided meditation once weekly, delivered by trained faculty at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy. Students completed pre- and post-questionnaires to evaluate changes in the following outcomes: stress levels, anxiety levels, and mindfulness skills. The questionnaire was comprised of three self reporting tools: Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). …

Aboard Gso: A Newsletter For Alumni And Friends Of The University Of Rhode Island’S Graduate School Of Oceanography For Summer 2018, Uri Graduate School Of Oceanography

Graduate School of Oceanography Publications

The Summer 2018 issue of Aboard GSO: A Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, a periodical about GSO events, faculty research and essays by alumni.

Graduate School Of Oceanography Annual Report For Fy2018, 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 2018 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.

Effectiveness Of A Multivitamin Supplementation Program Among Hiv-Infected Adults In Tanzania, Christopher R. Sudfeld, L. Buchanan, Nzovu Ulenga, Donna Spiegelman, Expeditho Mtisi, Ellen Hertzmark, Aisa N. Muya, David Sando, Ester Mungure, Mucho Mizinduko, Wafaie W. Fawzi

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a routine multivitamin supplementation program for adults living with HIV in Tanzania.

Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 67,707 adults enrolled in the Dar es Salaam HIV care and treatment program during 2004-2012.

Methods: The Dar es Salaam HIV care and treatment program intended to provide all adult patients with multivitamin supplements (vitamins B-complex, C, and E) free of charge; however, intermittent stockouts and other implementation issues did not afford universal coverage. We use Cox proportional hazard models to assess the time-varying association of multivitamin supplementation …

470. Concomitant Antibiotic Use And Death Among A National Cohort Of Veterans With Clostridium Difficile Infection (Cdi), Haley Appaneal, R. Caffrey, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: Antibiotic use is a well-known risk factor for development of CDI, and there is preliminary evidence suggesting concomitant antibiotic use may result in poor outcomes, including death. This work investigated the effect of concomitant antibiotic exposure during CDI treatment on mortality among patients with CDI.

Methods: We conducted a national retrospective study of Veterans with a first CDI between 2010 and 2014, defined as a positive C. difficile toxin(s) and no episode in the year prior. Those treated with guideline recommended CDI treatment were included (10–14 days of PO or IV metronidazole, PO or PR vancomycin, or …

Bilayer Thickness And Curvature Influence Binding And Insertion Of A Phlip® Peptide, Alexander G. Karabadzhak, Dhammika Weerkkody, John Deacon, Oleg A. Andreev, Yana K. Reshetnyak, Donald Engelman

Physics Faculty Publications

The physical properties of lipid bilayers, such as curvature and fluidity, can affect the interactions of polypeptides with membranes, influencing biological events. Additionally, given the growing interest in peptide-based therapeutics, understanding the influence of membrane properties on membrane-associated peptides has potential utility. pH low insertion peptides (pHLIPs) are a family of water-soluble peptides that can insert across cell membranes in a pH-dependent manner, enabling the use of pH to follow peptide-lipid interactions. Here we study pHLIP interactions with liposomes varying in size and composition, to determine the influence of several key membrane physical properties. We find that pHLIP binding to …

Parental Broad Autism Phenotype And The Language Skills Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Michelle Flippin, Linda R. Watson

Communicative Disorders Faculty Publications

Father–child and mother–child interactions were examined in order to investigate concurrent associations between three characteristics of parental broad autism phenotype (i.e., aloofness, rigidity, pragmatic language deficits), parental verbal responsiveness, and language skills of children with ASD. Results for mothers indicated that aloofness and rigidity were negatively associated with both child-initiated engagement and child language skills. Maternal aloofness was also negatively correlated with verbal responsiveness to their children, but rigidity was not. Results suggest that the association between aloofness and child language are potentially mediated by maternal use of responsive verbal behaviors. Maternal pragmatic language deficits were not concurrently related to …

2022 Using Father-Mediated Intervention To Increase Responsive Parental Behaviors And Child Communication In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study, Michelle Flippin

Communicative Disorders Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Although parent involvement is recognized as an integral autism intervention component, and two-thirds of children are currently raised in 2-parent families, the majority of ASD parent research to date has focused on mother-implemented interventions, and fathers have been largely overlooked. However, fathers use interaction styles and language models that are different from mothers and may benefit children with ASD in unique ways. Thus there is a critical need in the field to expand our understanding of the potential contributions of various caregivers to communication outcomes. This investigation aimed to address this void in the research literature and contribute …

The Maternal Assemblage: Nonprocreative Maternity As Contagion And Resistance, Charles E. Hicks

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This article analyzes the consistent problematic of nonprocreative maternal identity, specifically its positioning in a heteronormative symbolic framework as the antithesis of biological or “real” motherhood. Using Lee Edelman’s work on the queer body’s relationship to a futural horizon, the first part addresses how the epistemological framework whereby nonprocreative maternal bodies are subjected to the image of the Child, a fantasy of wholeness, thematizes the nonprocreative maternal body as deviant and enacts a logic of repetition that supplements a heteronormative future. The second portion of this essay illustrates how, due to the monomaternalist matrix’s refusal to accept it as legitimate, …

"We Sick": The Deweys As Women's Willful Self-Destruction In Toni Morrison's Sula, Kathleen Anderson, Gayle Fallon

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

Toni Morrison explores the complexities of race, gender, and matrilineal influence in Sula. Although much recent feminist criticism has addressed the operations of race and gender in the novel, this essay provides the first developed examination of Morrison’s strategic use of three diminutive boys, all named “dewey,” to emphasize the willfully self-destructive tendencies of the novel’s female characters. Burdened with their community’s limiting idealizations of femininity and motherhood, the women of Sula practice various forms of self-harm in an effort to develop and proclaim their holistic, autonomous selves. The deweys’ mischievous childhood games foreshadow the consequences of female self-harm, but …

From The Editors, Anna M. Klobucka, Jeannette E. Riley, Catherine Villanueva Gardner

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Surface Activity Of Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-Coated Silver Nanoparticles In The Presence Of A Lipid Monolayer, Nasim Ganji, Iftheker A. Khan, Geoffrey D. Bothun

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

We have investigated the surface activity of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-coated silver nanoparticles (Ag-PEG) in the presence or absence of lipid monolayers comprised of monounsaturated dioleoylphosphocholine and dioleoylphosphoglycerol (DOPC/DOPG; 1:1 mol ratio). Dynamic measurements of surface pressure demonstrated that Ag-PEG were surface-active at the air/water interface. Surface excess concentrations suggested that at high Ag-PEG subphase concentrations, Ag-PEG assembled as densely packed monolayers in the presence and absence of a lipid monolayer. The presence of a lipid monolayer led to only a slight decrease in the excess surface concentration of Ag-PEG. Surface pressure–area isotherms showed that in the absence of lipids Ag-PEG …

A Magnetically Responsive Biomaterial System For Flexibly Regulating The Duration Between Pro- And Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Deliveries, Anita E. Tolouei, Nihan Dügler, Rosa Ghatee, Stephen Kennedy

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

While inflammation can be problematic, it is nonetheless necessary for proper tissue regeneration. However, it remains unclear how the magnitude and duration of the inflammatory response impacts regenerative outcome. This is partially due to the difficulty in temporally regulating macrophage phenotype at wound sites. Here, a magnetically responsive biomaterial system potentially capable of temporally regulating macrophage phenotypes through sequential, on‐demand cytokine deliveries is presented. This material system is designed to (i) rapidly recruit proinflammatory macrophages (M1) through initial cytokine deliveries and (ii) subsequently transition macrophages toward anti‐inflammatory phenotypes (M2s) through delayed, magnetically triggered cytokine release. Here, the ability of this …

Exploring The Role Of A Novel Device In Weight Loss Outcomes And Behaviors, Jacqueline Ann Beatty

Open Access Dissertations

Obesity is a serious public health problem. There is a need for scalable weight loss interventions that can help people lose weight and decrease their risk of obesity related chronic disease development. Self-monitoring is a key component of successful weight loss. The Eat Less, Move More (ELMM) device is wrist-worn, and is capable of counting bites by detection of a wrist-roll motion that is specific to eating. The device can also measure seconds between bites, as a proxy to eating rate (ER) measurement, as well as the number of steps taken by the user. The aim of this body of …

Climate Change And Coastal Cultural Heritage: Insights From Three National Parks, Alanna Casey

Open Access Dissertations

Global climate change is expected to contribute to between 30 and 122 centimeters of sea-level rise by 2100, as well as increase the frequency and intensity storm surge, flooding, and erosion in coastal systems (IPCC 2014; Melillo, Richmond and Yohe 2014; Moser, Williams and Boesch 2012). Consequently, coastal cultural resources including archaeological sites, historic structures, and cultural landscapes will face increasing damages from salt water inundation, storm erosion, that comprise the frequency and intensity of the negative impacts of these coastal climate changes on cultural heritage resources, sites, and landscapes will also increase (Daly 2011b; WHC 2006; Cassar 2005). Current …

Microstructure-Guided Numerical Simulations To Predict The Thermal Performance Of A Hierarchical Cement-Based Composite Material, Sumanta Das, Matthew Aguayo, Subramaniam D. Rajan, Gaurav Sant, Narayanan Neithalath

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a microstructure-guided numerical homogenization technique to predict the effective thermal conductivity of a hierarchical cement-based material containing phase change material (PCM)-impregnated lightweight aggregates (LWA). Porous inclusions such as LWAs embedded in a cementitious matrix are filled with multiple fluid phases including PCM to obtain desirable thermal properties for building and infrastructure applications. Simulations are carried out on realistic three-dimensional microstructures generated using pore structure information. An inverse analysis procedure is used to extract the intrinsic thermal properties of those microstructural components for which data is not available. The homogenized heat flux is predicted for an imposed temperature …

Impact Of Skeletal Heterogeneity And Treatment Method On Interpretation Of Environmental Variability From The Proteinaceous Skeletons Of Deep-Sea Gorgonian Octocorals, Branwen Williams, Kelton Mcmahon, Sarah Barnes, Devyn Parks, Ella Kim, Tanja Srebotnjak, Peter Etnoyer

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The stable isotope geochemistry of gorgonian octocoral skeletons facilitates detailed time series reconstructions of nutrient biogeochemistry. However, comparisons among reconstructions from different locations require realistic estimates of the uncertainty surrounding each measured geochemical value. Here, we determine quantitative uncertainties related to 1) standard skeletal pretreatment in preparation for stable isotopic analysis and 2) biological variability associated with a heterogeneous isotopic composition of the gorgonin skeleton. We found that the 5% HCl pretreatment required for the δ¹³C measurements does not significantly impact the δ¹⁵N values of the skeleton nor the reproducibility of the δ¹⁵N measurements. …

Surface Currents From Hourly Variations Of Suspended Particulate Matter From Geostationary Ocean Color Imager Data, Kyung-Ae Park, Min-Sun Lee, Ji-Eun Park, David Ullman, Peter C. Cornillon, Young-Je Park

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Surface currents in Korean coastal regions were obtained using the maximum cross-correlation method applied to hourly suspended particulate matter images from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager. Preliminary current vectors were filtered out by applying a series of quality-control procedures. The current vectors resulting from the tests were compared with the currents from a numerical model with tide and wind field. It was found that the estimated currents were more similarly to the currents caused by both tide and wind. A high degree of discrepancy was detected in regions of strong tidal currents, where the fundamental assumption of horizontal movement was …

Phenology And Time Series Trends Of The Dominant Seasonal Phytoplankton Bloom Across Global Scales, Kevin D. Friedland, Colleen B. Mouw, Rebecca G. Asch, Ana Sofia Ferreira, Stephanie Henson, Kimberly J. W. Hyde, Ryan E. Morse, Andrew C. Thomas, Damian C. Brady

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Aim: This study examined phytoplankton blooms on a global scale, with the intention of describing patterns of bloom timing and size, the effect of bloom timing on the size of blooms, and time series trends in bloom characteristics.

Location: Global.

Methods: We used a change‐point statistics algorithm to detect phytoplankton blooms in time series (1998–2015) of chlorophyll concentration data over a global grid. At each study location, the bloom statistics for the dominant bloom, based on the search time period that resulted in the most blooms detected, were used to describe the spatial distribution of bloom characteristics …

The Sensitivity Of Future Ocean Oxygen To Changes In Ocean Circulation, Jaime B. Palter, David S. Trossman

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

A decline in global ocean oxygen concentrations has been observed over the twentieth century and is predicted to continue under future climate change. We use a unique modeling framework to understand how the perturbed ocean circulation may influence the rate of ocean deoxygenation in response to a doubling of atmospheric CO₂ and associated global warming. These simulations suggest that much of the oxygen decline under warming is due to changes in ocean mixing and O₂ solubility. However, in our model, the large‐scale ocean circulation response to CO₂ doubling slows the pace of future oxygen loss by 20%. …

Roles Of The Ocean Mesoscale In The Horizontal Supply Of Mass, Heat, Carbon, And Nutrients To The Northern Hemisphere Subtropical Gyres, Ayako Yamamoto, Jaime B. Palter, Carolina O. Dufour, Stephen M. Griffies, Daniele Bianchi, Mariona Claret, John P. Dunne, Ivy Frenger, Eric D. Galbraith

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Horizontal transport at the boundaries of the subtropical gyres plays a crucial role in providing the nutrients that fuel gyre primary productivity, the heat that helps restratify the surface mixed layer, and the dissolved inorganic carbon that influences air‐sea carbon exchange. Mesoscale eddies may be an important component of these horizontal transports; however, previous studies have not quantified the horizontal tracer transport due to eddies across the subtropical gyre boundaries. Here we assess the physical mechanisms that control the horizontal transport of mass, heat, nutrients, and carbon across the North Pacific and North Atlantic subtropical gyre boundaries using the eddy‐rich …

Wearabledl: Wearable Internet-Of-Things And Deep Learning For Big Data Analytics—Concept, Literature, And Future, Aras R. Dargazany, Paolo Stegagno, Kunal Mankodiya

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

This work introduces Wearable deep learning (WearableDL) that is a unifying conceptual architecture inspired by the human nervous system, offering the convergence of deep learning (DL), Internet-of-things (IoT), and wearable technologies (WT) as follows: (1) the brain, the core of the central nervous system, represents deep learning for cloud computing and big data processing. (2) The spinal cord (a part of CNS connected to the brain) represents Internet-of-things for fog computing and big data flow/transfer. (3) Peripheral sensory and motor nerves (components of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)) represent wearable technologies as edge devices for big data collection. In recent …

Wearlight: Towards A Wearable, Configurable Functional Nir Spectroscopy System For Noninvasive Neuroimaging, Manob Jyoti Saikia, Walter G. Besio, Kunal Mankodiya

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has emerged as an effective brain monitoring technique to measure the hemodynamic response of the cortical surface. Its wide popularity and adoption in recent time attribute to its portability, ease of use, and flexibility in multimodal studies involving electroencephalography. While fNIRS is still emerging on various fronts including hardware, software, algorithm, and applications, it still requires overcoming several scientific challenges associated with brain monitoring in naturalistic environments where the human participants are allowed to move and required to perform various tasks stimulating brain behaviors. In response to these challenges and demands, we have developed a wearable …

Harmonic Sum-Based Method For Heart Rate Estimation Using Ppg Signals Affected With Motion Artifacts, Harishchandra Dubey, Ramdas Kumaresan, Kunal Mankodiya

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Wearable photoplethysmography has recently become a common technology in heart rate (HR) monitoring. General observation is that the motion artifacts change the statistics of the acquired PPG signal. Consequently, estimation of HR from such a corrupted PPG signal is challenging. However, if an accelerometer is also used to acquire the acceleration signal simultaneously, it can provide helpful information that can be used to reduce the motion artifacts in the PPG signal. By dint of repetitive movements of the subjects hands while running, the accelerometer signal is found to be quasi-periodic. Over short-time intervals, it can be modeled by a finite …

Gulf Stream Rings May Rival Atmospheric Iron Supply To The North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, Tim M. Conway, Jaime B. Palter, Gregory F. De Souza

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Substantial amounts of nitrogen fixation occur in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre, due to the activity of cyanobacteria with high iron requirements. Iron is delivered to this region by dust from the Sahara Desert. However, this dust deposition is typically localized and episodic. Therefore, other sources of iron may also be important. Here, we report observations of dissolved iron concentrations in a Gulf Stream cold-core ring, which transported iron-rich water from near the continental slope into the subtropical gyre. We find that iron concentrations were elevated in the ring compared with subtropical waters, reflecting its source waters. Using iron data …