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Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For May 2017, 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 June 2017, 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 2017, 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 October 2017, 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 September 2017, 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 December 2017, 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.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices And Willingness To Vaccinate In Preparation For The Introduction Of Hpv Vaccines In Bamako, Mali, Anne S. De Groot, Karamoko Tounkara, Mali Rochas, Sarah Beseme, Shahla Yekta, Fanta Siby Diallo, J. Kathleen Tracy, Ibrahima Teguete, Ousmane A. Koita

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Although screening for pre-cancerous cervical lesions and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination are accepted and effective means to prevent cervical cancer, women in Mali have limited access to these interventions. In addition, cervical cancer prevention by HPV vaccination has been controversial in some settings. To reduce cervical cancer prevalence and increase HPV vaccine uptake, it is important to understand the level of knowledge about cervical cancer screening and practices related to vaccination in at-risk populations. In this study, the level of knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer and attitudes towards vaccination were assessed among 301 participants (male and female, adults …

Prevalence Of Hpv 16 And 18 And Attitudes Toward Hpv Vaccination Trials In Patients With Cervical Cancer In Mali, Ibrahima Téguété, Amadou Dolo, Kotou Sangare, Abdoulaye Sissoko, Mali Rochas, Sarah Beseme, Karamoko Tounkara, Shahla Yekta, Anne S. De Groot, Ousmane A. Koita

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common and lethal cancers in West Africa. Even though vaccines that protect against the most common Human papillomavirus (HPV) strains, 16 and 18, are currently in use in developed countries, the implementation of these vaccines in developing countries has been painfully slow, considering the pre-eminence of HPV-associated cervical cancer among women in those countries.

Aim: We performed serological and PCR-based assessment of blood and tissue specimens obtained from women undergoing cervical cancer-related surgery at a major urban hospital in Bamako. Since several therapeutic HPV vaccines are currently in clinical trials, we …

College Of Health Sciences Annual Report For Fy2017, Uri College Of Health Sciences

College of Health Sciences Publications

Annual report for the College of Health Sciences of the University of Rhode Island for the year 2016-2017.

Includes information listing faculty publications, grants and awards.

Using Normative Evaluations To Plan For And Manage Shellfish Aquaculture Development In Rhode Island Coastal Waters, Tracey Dalton, Di Jin, Robert Thompson, Allison Katzanek

Marine Affairs Faculty Publications

As shellfish aquaculture activities grow in the US, researchers, practitioners, resource users, and others have questioned how much development can be accommodated by natural and social systems. In a unique application of the normative evaluation approach to shellfish aquaculture development, this study uses data from a mail survey to (1) examine Rhode Islanders’ support for aquaculture in general and in RI waters; (2) investigate how different features of an aquaculture farm influence normative evaluations; and (3) explore areas of agreement and disagreement among stakeholder groups for social carrying capacities associated with aquaculture in RI coastal waters. Findings demonstrate that respondents …

Bioequivalence & Bioavailability; Some Perspectives, Jeffrey E. Jarrett

College of Business Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Restoring Tides To Reduce Methane Emissions In Impounded Wetlands: A New And Potent Blue Carbon Climate Change Intervention, Kevin D. Kroeger, Stephens Crooks, Serena Moseman-Valtierra, Jianwu Tang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coastal wetlands are sites of rapid carbon (C) sequestration and contain large soil C stocks. Thus, there is increasing interest in those ecosystems as sites for anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission offset projects (sometimes referred to as “Blue Carbon”), through preservation of existing C stocks or creation of new wetlands to increase future sequestration. Here we show that in the globally-widespread occurrence of diked, impounded, drained and tidally-restricted salt marshes, substantial methane (CH₄) and CO₂ emission reductions can be achieved through restoration of disconnected saline tidal flows. Modeled climatic forcing indicates that tidal restoration to reduce emissions has …

Genomic Adaptation To Polyphagy And Insecticides In A Major East Asian Noctuid Pest, Tingcai Cheng, Jaiqi Wu, Yuqian Wu, Rajendra V. Chilukuri, Lihua Huang, Kohji Yamamoto, Li Feng, Wanshun Li, Zhiwei Chen, Huizhen Guo, Jianqiu Liu, Shenglong Li, Xiaoxiao Wang, Li Peng, Duolian Liu, Youbing Guo, Bohua Fu, Zhiqing Li, Chun Liu, Yuhui Chen, Archana Tomar, Frederique Hilliou, Nicolas Montagné, Emmanuelle Jacquin-Joly, Emmanuelle D'Alençon, Rakesh K. Seth, Raj K. Bhatnagar, Akiya Jouraku, Takahiro Shiotsuki, Keiko Kadono-Okuda, Amornrat Promboon, Guy Smagghe, Kallare P. Arunkumar, Hirohisa Kishino, Marian R. Goldsmith, Qili Feng, Qingyou Xia, Kazuei Mita

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura, is among the most widespread and destructive agricultural pests, feeding on over 100 crops throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. By genome sequencing, physical mapping and transcriptome analysis, we found that the gene families encoding receptors for bitter or toxic substances and detoxification enzymes, such as cytochrome P450, carboxylesterase and glutathione-S-transferase, were massively expanded in this polyphagous species, enabling its extraordinary ability to detect and detoxify many plant secondary compounds. Larval exposure to insecticidal toxins induced expression of detoxification genes, and knockdown of representative genes using short interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced larval survival, …

Pretty Picky For A Generalist: Impacts Of Toxicity And Nutritional Quality On Mantid Prey Processing, Jamie L. Rafter, Justin F. Vendettuoli, Liahna Gonda-King, Daniel Niesen, Navindra P. Seeram, Chad M. Rigsby, Evan L. Preisser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Prey have evolved a number of defenses against predation, and predators have developed means of countering these protective measures. Although caterpillars of the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L., are defended by cardenolides sequestered from their host plants, the Chinese mantid Tenodera sinensis Saussure guts the caterpillar before consuming the rest of the body. We hypothesized that this gutting behavior might be driven by the heterogeneous quality of prey tissue with respect to toxicity and/or nutrients. We conducted behavioral trials in which mantids were offered cardenolide-containing and cardenolide-free D. plexippus caterpillars and butterflies. In addition, we fed mantids starved and unstarved …

A Multigenerational Field Experiment On Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics Of The Influential Lizard Anolis Sagrei: A Mid-Term Report, Thomas W. Schoener, Jason J. Kolbe, Manuel Leal, Jonathan B. Losos, David A. Spiller

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Only a handful of multi-generational experiments in natural systems of eco-evolutionary dynamics currently exist, despite Fussmann et al.'s call for more such studies nearly a decade ago. To perform such a study, in 2008 we introduced the lizard Leiocephalus carinatus, a predator (and possible food competitor) of the lizard Anolis sagrei, to seven islands having A. sagrei, with seven unmanipulated islands having A. sagrei as controls. Almost immediately, L. carinatus, which is larger and more terrestrial than A. sagrei, caused a major habitat shift in A. sagrei away from the ground and toward higher and …

Functional Specialization Of Cellulose Synthase Isoforms In A Moss Shows Parallels With Seed Plants, Joanna H. Norris, Xingxing Li, Shixin Huang, Alison M.L. Van De Meene, Mai L. Tan, Erin Killeavy, Arielle M. Chaves, Bailey Mallon, Danielle Mecure, Hwei-Ting Tan, Rachel A. Burton, Monika S. Doblin, Seong H. Kim, Alison W. Roberts

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The secondary cell walls of tracheary elements and fibers are rich in cellulose microfibrils that are helically oriented and laterally aggregated. Support cells within the leaf midribs of mosses deposit cellulose-rich secondary cell walls, but their biosynthesis and microfibril organization have not been examined. Although the Cellulose Synthase (CESA) gene families of mosses and seed plants diversified independently, CESA knockout analysis in the moss Physcomitrella patens revealed parallels with Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in CESA functional specialization, with roles for both subfunctionalization and neofunctionalization. The similarities include regulatory uncoupling of the CESAs that synthesize primary and secondary …

Biogeophysical And Physiological Processes Drive Movement Patterns In A Marine Predator, Lucy A. Howey, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Emily R. Tolentino, Mahmood S. Shuvji

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are among the most abundant and widely distributed of oceanic elasmobranchs. Millions are taken annually in pelagic longline fisheries and comprise the highest component of auctioned fin weight in the international shark fin trade. Though studies of blue sharks outnumber those of other large pelagic sharks, the species’ complicated and sexually segregated life history still confound current understanding of Atlantic movement patterns. Lack of detailed information regarding movement and vertical behavior continues to limit management efforts that require such data for stock assessment and sustainable catch modeling. Therefore, this study aims to …

A U-Shaped Association Between Blood Pressure And Cognitive Impairment In Chinese Elderly, Yue-Bin Lv, Peng-Fei Zhu, Zhaeo-Xue Yin, Virginia Byers Kraus, Diane Threapleton, Choy-Lye Chei, Melanie S. Brasher, Juan Zhang, Han-Zhu Qian, Chen Mao, David Bruce Matchar, Jie-Si Luo, Yi Zeng, Xiao-Ming Shi

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Objectives: Higher or lower blood pressure may relate to cognitive impairment, whereas the relationship between blood pressure and cognitive impairment among the elderly is not well-studied. The study objective was to determine whether blood pressure is associated with cognitive impairment in the elderly, and, if so, to accurately describe the association.

Design: Cross-sectional data from the sixth wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted in 2011.

Setting: Community-based setting in longevity areas in China.

Participants: A total of 7144 Chinese elderly aged 65 years and older were included in the sample.

Measures: Systolic blood pressures (SBP) and …

Reproductive Biology And Natural History Of The White-Lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus Albolabris Gray, 1842) In Hong Kong, Anne Devan-Song, Paolo Martelli, Nancy E. Karraker

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

The White-lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris) is broadly distributed through South and Southeast Asia, and very little is known about the natural history of the species. In this study, we report on the ecology, demography, reproductive states, and growth rates of T. albolabris in Hong Kong, China. The sex ratio is even in Trimeresurus albolabris populations. This species displays sexual dimorphism from birth. Females attain larger sizes, and all males, including neonates, displaying a white supralabial stripe on the head and have longer relative tail lengths. Males attain sexual maturity at about 410 mm snout-vent length (SVL). Females …

Assessing The Density Of Vegetation For Wildlife Cover In Regenerating Clearcuts Via Analysis Of Digital Imagery, Bill Buffum, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Increasing the availability of shrubland habitat is a major conservation priority in the Northeastern United States because many wildlife species require this habitat and its extent has been decreasing in recent decades. Conservation agencies often monitor the number of hectares of shrubland habitat created, but rarely monitor the density of the resulting vegetation because the process is tedious and time-consuming. The current study tested a new approach to assess vegetation density: Digital Imagery Vegetation Analysis (DIVA). We compared the density estimates of DIVA with four other methods (Cover Board, Robel Pole, Height of Obstruction, and Line Intercept), and assessed the …

Environmental Factors Affecting Survival Of Immature Ixodes Scapularis And Implications For Geographical Distribution Of Lyme Disease: The Climate/Behavior Hypothesis, Howard S. Ginsberg, Marisa Albert, Lixis Acevedo, Mwgan C. Dyer, Isis M. Arsnoe, Jean I. Tsao, Thomas N. Mather, Roger A. Lebrun

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Recent reports suggest that host-seeking nymphs in southern populations of Ixodes scapularis remain below the leaf litter surface, while northern nymphs seek hosts on leaves and twigs above the litter surface. This behavioral difference potentially results in decreased tick contact with humans in the south, and fewer cases of Lyme disease. We studied whether north-south differences in tick survival patterns might contribute to this phenomenon. Four month old larvae resulting from a cross between Wisconsin males and South Carolina females died faster under southern than under northern conditions in the lab, as has previously been reported for ticks from both …

Does A Grill Menu Redesign Influence Sales, Nutrients Purchased, And Consumer Acceptance In A Worksite Cafeteria?, Maya Vadiveloo, Vasanti S. Malik, Donna Spiegelman, Walter C. Willett, Josiemer Mattei

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Worksite cafeterias are compelling venues to improve diet quality through environmental changes.

We conducted a pre-post study to evaluate how a cafeteria-initiated grill menu redesign influenced sales, revenue, and nutrient content of foods purchased. Secondly, we evaluated consumer opinions about menu changes to inform practices for worksite environment interventions. Monthly sales data (2012-2015) were used to compute gross sales and revenue of entrées and side dishes pre-post menu changes. Alternative protein sources replaced red meat; nutrient composition and nutrients purchased were compared using Food Pro software. Consumer responses were queried using online surveys; open-ended responses were analyzed using NVivo. Differences …

Global Asymptotic Stability For Discrete Single Species Population Models, A. Bilgin, Mustafa Kulenovic

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We present some basic discrete models in populations dynamics of single species with several age classes. Starting with the basic Beverton-Holt model that describes the change of single species we discuss its basic properties such as a convergence of all solutions to the equilibrium, oscillation of solutions about the equilibrium solutions, Allee’s effect, and Jillson’s effect. We consider the effect of the constant and periodic immigration and emigration on the global properties of Beverton-Holt model. We also consider the effect of the periodic environment on the global properties of Beverton-Holt model.

Momentum: Research & Innovation For Fall 2017, University Of Rhode Island

Publications (Research and Economic Development)

The Fall 2017 issue of Momentum: Research & Innovation, a periodical focused on research at the University of Rhode Island.

Momentum: Research & Innovation For Spring 2017, University Of Rhode Island

Publications (Research and Economic Development)

The Spring 2017 issue of Momentum: Research & Innovation, a periodical focused on research at the University of Rhode Island.

Lithium Salt Effects On Silicon Electrode Performance And Solid Electrolyte Interphase (Sei) Structure, Role Of Solution Structure On Sei Formation, Taeho Yoon, Navid Chapman, Daniel M. Seo, Brett L. Lucht

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Silicon electrodes were cycled with electrolytes containing different salts to investigate the effect of salt on the electrochemical performance and SEI structure. Comparable capacity retention were observed for the 1.2 M LiPF₆, LiTFSI and LiClO₄ electrolytes in ethylene carbonate (EC):dimethyl carbonate (DEC), 1:1, but severe fading was observed for the 1.2 M LiBF₄ electrolyte. The differential capacity plots and EIS analysis reveals that failure of the 1.2 M LiBF₄ electrolyte is attributed to large surface resistance and increasing polarization upon cycling. However, when LiBF₄ was added as an electrolyte additive (10% LiBF₄ and …

A Genome-Scale Model Of Shewanella Piezotolerans Simulates Mechanisms Of Metabolic Diversity And Energy Conservation, Keith Dufault-Thompson, Huahua Jian, Ruxue Cheng, Jiefu Li, Fengping Wang, Ying Zhang

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Shewanella piezotolerans strain WP3 belongs to the group 1 branch of the Shewanella genus and is a piezotolerant and psychrotolerant species isolated from the deep sea. In this study, a genome-scale model was constructed for WP3 using a combination of genome annotation, ortholog mapping, and physiological verification. The metabolic reconstruction contained 806 genes, 653 metabolites, and 922 reactions, including central metabolic functions that represented nonhomologous replacements between the group 1 and group 2 Shewanella species. Metabolic simulations with the WP3 model demonstrated consistency with existing knowledge about the physiology of the organism. A comparison of model simulations with experimental measurements …

Modulation Of The Fanconi Anemia Pathway Via Chemically Induced Changes In Chromatin Structure, David A. Vierra, Jada L. Garzon, Meghan A. Rego, Morganne M. Adroved, Maurizio Mauro, Niall G. Howlett

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare disease characterized by congenital defects, bone marrow failure, and atypically early-onset cancers. The FA proteins function cooperatively to repair DNA interstrand crosslinks. A major step in the activation of the pathway is the monoubiquitination of the FANCD2 and FANCI proteins, and their recruitment to chromatin-associated nuclear foci. The regulation and function of FANCD2 and FANCI, however, is poorly understood. In addition, how chromatin state impacts pathway activation is also unknown. In this study, we have examined the influence of chromatin state on the activation of the FA pathway. We describe potent activation of FANCD2 …

Defining Genetic Fitness Determinants And Creating Genomic Resources For An Oral Pathogen, Ajay M. Narayanan, Matthew M. Ramsey, Apollo Stacy, Marvin Whiteley

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Periodontitis is a microbial infection that destroys the structures that support the teeth. Although it is typically a chronic condition, rapidly progressing, aggressive forms are associated with the oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. One of this bacterium's key virulence traits is its ability to attach to surfaces and form robust biofilms that resist killing by the host and antibiotics. Though much has been learned about A. actinomycetemcomitans since its initial discovery, we lack insight into a fundamental aspect of its basic biology, as we do not know the full set of genes that it requires for viability (the essential genome). Furthermore, …

Comparative Genomic Analysis Of The Class Epsilonproteobacteria And Proposed Reclassification To Epsilonbacteraeota (Phyl. Nov.), David W. Waite, Inka Vanwonterghem, Christian Rinke, Donovan H. Parks, Ying Zhang, Ken Takai, Stefan M. Sievert, Jörg Simon, Barbara J. Campbell, Thomas E. Hanson, Tanja Woyke, Martin G. Klotz, Philip Hugenholtz

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

The Epsilonproteobacteria is the fifth validly described class of the phylum Proteobacteria, known primarily for clinical relevance and for chemolithotrophy in various terrestrial and marine environments, including deep-sea hydrothermal vents. As 16S rRNA gene repositories have expanded and protein marker analysis become more common, the phylogenetic placement of this class has become less certain. A number of recent analyses of the bacterial tree of life using both 16S rRNA and concatenated marker gene analyses have failed to recover the Epsilonproteobacteria as monophyletic with all other classes of Proteobacteria. In order to address this issue, we investigated the phylogenetic placement of …