Digital Commons Network^™

New Insights Into Landslide Processes Around Volcanic Islands From Remotely Operated Vehicle (Rov) Observations Offshore Montserrat, S. F.L. Watt, M. Jutzeler, P. J. Talling, Steven Carey, R. S.J. Sparks, M. Tucker, A. J. Stinton, J. K. Fisher, D. Wall-Palmer, V. Huhnerbach, S. G. Moreton

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Submarine landslide deposits have been mapped around many volcanic islands, but interpretations of their structure, composition, and emplacement are hindered by the challenges of investigating deposits directly. Here we report on detailed observations of four landslide deposits around Montserrat collected by Remotely Operated Vehicles, integrating direct imagery and sampling with sediment core and geophysical data. These complementary approaches enable a more comprehensive view of large-scale mass-wasting processes around island-arc volcanoes than has been achievable previously. The most recent landslide occurred at 11.5–14 ka (Deposit 1; 1.7 km³) and formed a radially spreading hummocky deposit that is morphologically similar …

Challenging The View That Invasive Non-Native Plants Are Not A Significant Threat To The Floristic Diversity Of Great Britain, Philip E. Hulme, Aníbal Pauchard, Petr Pyšek, Montserrat Vilà, Christina Alba, Tim M. Blackburn, James M. Bullock, Milan Chytrý, Wayne Dawson, Alison M. Dunn, Franz Essl, Piero Genovesi, Lindsay C. Maskell, Laura A. Meyerson, Martin A. Nuñez, Jan Pergl, Oliver L. Prescott, Michael J.O. Pocock, David M. Richardson, Helen E. Roy, Simon M. Smart, Kateřina Štajerová, Thomas Stohlgren, Mark Van Kleunen, Marten Winter

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Repeated, Long-Distance Migrations By A Philopatric Predator Targeting Highly Contrasting Ecosystems, James S.E. Lea, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Nuno Queiroz, Neil Burnie, Choy Aming, Laura L. Sousa, Gonzalo R. Mucientes, Nicolas E. Humphries, Guy M. Harvey, David W. Sims, Mahmood S. Shivji

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Long-distance movements of animals are an important driver of population spatial dynamics and determine the extent of overlap with area-focused human activities, such as fishing. Despite global concerns of declining shark populations, a major limitation in assessments of population trends or spatial management options is the lack of information on their long-term migratory behaviour. For a large marine predator, the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier, we show from individuals satellite-tracked for multiple years (up to 1101 days) that adult males undertake annually repeated, round-trip migrations of over 7,500 km in the northwest Atlantic. Notably, these migrations occurred between the highly …

Synthesis Of Co-Electrospun Lead Selenide Nanostructures Within Anatase Titania Nanotubes For Advanced Photovoltaics, Evan K. Wujcik, Stephanie R. Aceto, David R. Heskett, Arijit Bose

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Inorganic nano-scale heterostructures have many advantages over hybrid organic-inorganic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC or Grätzel cells), including their resistance to photo-bleaching, thermal stability, large specific surface areas, and general robustness. This study presents a first-of-its-kind low-cost all-inorganic lead selenide-anatase titania (PbSe/TiO₂) nanotube heterostructure material for photovoltaic applications. Herein, PbSe nanostructures have been co-electrospun within a hollow TiO2 nanotube with high connectivity for highly efficient charge carrier flow and electron-hole pair separation. This material has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to show the morphology and material composition of the synthesized …

Mala Lā’Au Lapa’Au: Preserving The Hawaiian ‘Āina And Mo’Omehue, Sandra Fogg

Senior Honors Projects

The study of medicinal plants in the western world tends to focus on the isolation and elucidation of natural products that have bioactive characteristics and potential for pharmaceutical formulation. However, the utilization of medicinal plants in cultures that still practice ancient medicine, such as Hawai’i and other Pacific Island nations, involves the use of whole plant parts in conjunction with spiritual rituals to heal illnesses and ailments. In order to gather a different perspective of the use of plants in medicine, a diverse investigation of “Lā’au Lapa’au,” or the Hawaiian art of healing through the use of plants and spiritual …

Habitat Selection Of A Coastal Shark Species Estimated From An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, D. E. Haulsee, M. W. Breece, D. C. Miller, Bradley M. Wetherbee, D. A. Fox, M. J. Oliver

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Quantifying habitat selection in marine organisms is challenging because it is difficult to obtain species location information with multiple corresponding habitat measurements. In the ocean, habitat conditions vary on many spatiotemporal scales, which have important consequences for habitat selection. While macroscale biotic and abiotic features influence seasonal movements (spatial scales of 100-1000 km), selectivity of conditions on mesoscales (1-100 km) reflects an animal’s response to the local environment. In this study, we examined habitat selectivity by pairing acoustic telemetry with environmental habitat parameters measured by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and demonstrate that migrating sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus along …

Understanding Copyright & Transformative Fair Use, Andrée Rathemacher, Angel Ferria, Julia Lovett

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Slides and workshop examples from a session, "Understanding Copyright & Transformative Fair Use," given at the Rhode Island Library Association Annual Conference, "RILA 2015," on May 28, 2015 in Newport, Rhode Island.

"This interactive workshop will outline the basics of copyright and fair use, emphasizing the notion of transformative fair use as highlighted in recent court decisions. The majority of the session will be devoted to real-life scenarios, and audience members will be able to analyze texts, images, video, and sound recordings to determine whether the proposed use is fair. You’ll also learn about handy alternatives for situations when fair …

Using Land-Based Surveys To Assess Sea Duck Abundance And Behavior In Nearshore Waters Of Southern New England, Usa, Adam Smith, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Kristopher J. Winiarski, Carol L. Trocki, Brian Harris, Jason E. Osenkowski, Peter W. C. Paton

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Nearshore waters provide very important habitat for sea ducks (Tribe Mergini) during migration and winter, but gathering information on sea duck use of shallow nearshore waters is challenging because traditional aerial and boat-based surveys are expensive, are usually conducted infrequently, and are often not feasible near the coast. The objective of this study was to use land-based surveys to characterize spatiotemporal variation in the abundance and behavior (e.g., foraging, flying) of Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) and scoters (Melanitta spp.) in nearshore waters of southern New England. Surveys (60–120 min per survey, n = 1,044 surveys) were conducted …

Early Spring Phytoplankton Dynamics In The Subpolar North Atlantic: The Influence Of Protistan Herbivory, Françoise Morison, Susanne Menden-Deuer

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

We measured phytoplankton-growth (μ) and herbivorous-protist grazing (g) rates in relation to mixed-layer-depth (MLD) during the March/April 2012 EuroBasin cruise in the subpolar North Atlantic. We performed 15 dilution experiments at two open-ocean (∼ 1300 m) and one shelf (160 m) station. Of the two open-ocean stations one was deeply mixed (476 m), the other stratified (46 m). At the shelf station, MLD reached the bottom. Initial chlorophyll a (Chl a) varied from 0.2–1.9 μg L⁻¹ and increased up to 2.7 μg L⁻¹ at the shelf station. In 80% of experiments, regardless of MLD, growth-rates …

Different Populations Of Blacklegged Tick Nymphs Exhibit Differences In Questing Behavior That Have Implications For Human Lyme Disease Risk, Isis M. Arsnoe, Graham J. Hickling, Howard S. Ginsberg, Richard Mcelreath, Jean I. Tsao

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Animal behavior can have profound effects on pathogen transmission and disease incidence. We studied the questing (= host-seeking) behavior of blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) nymphs, which are the primary vectors of Lyme disease in the eastern United States. Lyme disease is common in northern but not in southern regions, and prior ecological studies have found that standard methods used to collect host-seeking nymphs in northern regions are unsuccessful in the south. This led us to hypothesize that there are behavior differences between northern and southern nymphs that alter how readily they are collected, and how likely they are …

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes May 7, 2015, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Fishery Performance Indicators: A Management Tool For Triple Bottom Line Outcomes, James L. Anderson, Christopher M. Anderson, Jingjie Chu, Jennifer Meredith, Frank Asche, Gil Sylvia, Martin D. Smith, Dessy Anggraeni, Robert Arthur, Atle Guttormsen, Jessica K. Mccluney, Tim Ward, Wisdom Akpalu, Håkan Eggert, Jimely Flores, Matthew A. Freeman, Daniel S. Holland, Gunnar Knapp, Mimako Kobayashi, Sherry Larkin, Kari Maclauchlin, Kurt Schnier, Mark Soboil, Sigbjorn Tveteras, Hirotsugu Uchida, Diego Valderrama

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Pursuit of the triple bottom line of economic, community and ecological sustainability has increased the complexity of fishery management; fisheries assessments require new types of data and analysis to guide science-based policy in addition to traditional biological information and modeling. We introduce the Fishery Performance Indicators (FPIs), a broadly applicable and flexible tool for assessing performance in individual fisheries, and for establishing cross-sectional links between enabling conditions, management strategies and triple bottom line outcomes. Conceptually separating measures of performance, the FPIs use 68 individual outcome metrics—coded on a 1 to 5 scale based on expert assessment to facilitate application to …

Efficient Extraction And Detection Of Aromatic Toxicants From Crude Oil And Tar Balls Using Multiple Cyclodextrin Derivatives, Nicole Serio, Mindy Levine

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Herein we report the efficient extraction of aromatic analytes from crude oil and tar balls using multiple cyclodextrin derivatives. The known propensity of the cyclodextrins to bind hydrophobic guests in their hydrophobic interiors enhanced the extraction of aromatic analytes from the oil layer to the aqueous layer, with methyl-β-cyclodextrin and β-cyclodextrin providing the most significant enhancement in extraction efficiencies of aromatic toxicants (69% aromatic toxicants in aqueous layer in the presence of methyl-β-cyclodextrin compared to 47% in cyclodextrin-free solution for tar ball oil extraction), and provide optimal tunability for developing efficient extraction systems. The cyclodextrin derivatives also promoted efficient energy …

Glacial-Interglacial Changes In Central Tropical Pacific Surface Seawater Property Gradients, Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, Pratigya J. Polissar, Allison W. Jacobel, Steven A. Hovan, Robert A. Pockalny, Mitchell Lyle, Richard W. Murray, A. Christina Ravelo, Samantha C. Bova, Ann G. Dunlea, Heather L. Ford, Jennifer E. Hertzberg, Christina A. Wertman, Ashley E. Maloney, Julia K. Shackford, Katherine Wejnert, Ruifang C. Xie

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Much uncertainty exists about the state of the oceanic and atmospheric circulation in the tropical Pacific over the last glacial cycle. Studies have been hampered by the fact that sediment cores suitable for study were concentrated in the western and eastern parts of the tropical Pacific, with little information from the central tropical Pacific. Here we present information from a suite of sediment cores collected from the Line Islands Ridge in the central tropical Pacific, which show sedimentation rates and stratigraphies suitable for paleoceanographic investigations. Based on the radiocarbon and oxygen isotope measurements on the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber, …

Combating Infectious Diseases In Aquaculture With An Original Probiotic Product, Meagan Hamblin, Saebom Sohn, Christine Ahn Dao, Marta Gomez-Chiarri, David R. Nelson, David Worthen, David Rowley

Senior Honors Projects

Oyster production in Rhode Island accounts for over $2.5 million in annual revenue, making it the top aquaculture product in the state. However, larval tank infections significantly constrain production and create substantial economic losses for commercial hatcheries. In most cases antibiotics may not be used to prevent or treat larval tank infections. A probiotic, or beneficial microbe which competes with pathogens, is a safer and “green” approach to preventing infections. Vibriosis, a common cause of oyster larval mortality, is the result of Vibrio species infections. Previous studies have shown that a native Rhode Island microbe, Bacillus pumilus RI06-95, protects oyster …

The Weight Of Gender, Bintou Marong

Senior Honors Projects

Abstract

Gender ideologies form the basis of how we view men and women as masculine and feminine. Through more traditional gender ideologies, men are generally taught to act and look as “manly” as possible while females are to look and remain as “womanly” as possible. So as long as one does not perform gender in ways that disrupt or blur the lines of these ideologies, conflict does not arise. But for women who deviate from the status quo and develop moderate to extreme muscularity, their gender and perceived femininity is often questioned and conflict often arises in their lives. Comments …

The Dangers Of The 'No Pain, No Gain' Mentality In Modern Exercise., Allison B. Costa

Senior Honors Projects

Abstract

Background: With the pressure to be fit in todays society the “no pain, no gain” exercise mentality has become a dangerous mindset among the average gym goer and the collegiate athlete. Studies assessing sports injuries in college-aged students in the United States indicate that the levels of sports injuries are rising. About 30% of all those injuries are a result of overuse (2015). Research is needed to identify the physical and mental factors that inhibit or promote these sports related injuries and provide steps that could be taken to prevent them.

Objective: To determine the top three injuries among …

Phenotyping Cesa4ko Mutants In P. Patens, Kristina Bischak

Senior Honors Projects

In order to study the cellulose deposition mechanisms of plants like Physcomitrella patens, understanding the function of CesA genes is crucial. The CesA genes, better known as the Cellulose Synthase gene superfamily, are responsible for the formation of cellulose in developing plants. Cellulose is an important biological molecule necessary for proper plant growth, particularly in non-vascular plants such as P. patens. There are seven known CesA genes in P. patens: CesA 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10. The effects of these cellulose synthase genes on the developing plant can be observed by removing specific CesA …

The Role Of Safety Net Clinics After The Implementation Of Obamacare, Jenn Pigoga

Senior Honors Projects

There is a paucity of knowledge regarding the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) on low-income, primarily Latino populations. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the role of a free clinic in the post-Obamacare environment. The sample population (n=62) for surveying was composed of patients at Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC), an inner city clinic in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, RI. Basic demographics, along with information regarding motivation for visiting the clinic and satisfaction with the clinic’s patient care, were collected. The patients of CEHC are primarily of central american (57.6%) and hispanic/latino descent (87.9%). …

They Tried To Make Me Go To Rehab: A Study Of Rehabilitation In United States Corrections, Kayla J. Toole

Senior Honors Projects

Rehabilitation has been a staple of the prison system in the United States since the 1700s. The idea that a criminal could be resocialized into a functioning individual in society has been the basis of the prison systems since they first began. Rehabilitation is always evolving in the criminal justice system and being improved to have more impact on recidivism rates. In this project, I examine the cultural and structural explanations for different forms of rehabilitation over time. I found that rehabilitation at various points has been influenced by religious, medical, psychiatric, and sociological understandings of crime.

Currently, rehabilitation combines …

Examining The Role Of Consciousness And The Absurd In Suicide, Alexandra R. Azevedo

Senior Honors Projects

In order to emphasize the significance of suicide as a subjective experience, this research project explores suicide through a philosophical lens, primarily focusing on the absurdist school of thought that gained prominence with the twentieth century French philosopher and writer Albert Camus. Despite recent advances in the scientific study of suicide, I argue that many of the historically divisive questions surrounding suicide are rooted in philosophy. My original work attempts to rectify the current disconnect between suicidality and philosophy through the analysis and application of Camus’ chief work on the subjects, The Myth of Sisyphus. Recognizing the efficacy of …

History And Recent Advances Of Stem Cell Biology And The Implications For Human Health, Hanaa Shihadeh

Senior Honors Projects

Stem cells are specialized cells that are found in multicellular organisms. The have the unique capability of being able to divide and differentiate into a variety of different kinds of specialized cells. This unique ability allows stem cells to play many roles, one being to contribute as an internal repair system. The ability to divide without limit allows them to help replenish certain cells types and tissues. Since the 1980’s when stem cells were first isolated, scientists have been working to understand their behavior and properties in hopes of altering care of individuals with hematologic, oncologic, dermatologic, ophthalmologic, and orthopedic …

Setting Fires: Literary Women Blazing Trails For Contemporary Women, Laura Salinas

Senior Honors Projects

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim” — Nora Ephron

Literature has always provided an outlet for writers to express their commentary on society tracing from Shakespeare’s plays in the 1600’s to Jane Austen’s classic novels to the modern literary narrative. These writings are often more than just tales to entertain a crowd or a reader; they create dynamic characters that call into question the standards and expectations that society deems acceptable.

Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy has created an iconic and dynamic character that resists and challenges what it means to be a woman in terms …

Persister Cell Control Mechanisms In Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli, William H. Law Iii

Senior Honors Projects

Persister cells are a subpopulation of bacteria that demonstrate high tolerance to antibiotics, but revert to sensitivity after antibiotics are removed. The mechanism for induction of the persister cell state and antibiotic tolerance is not completely understood but likely occurs through the establishment of dormancy. Some of the suggested mechanisms for persister cell formation in Escherichia coli include: toxin­-antitoxin systems, starvation, gene regulation by (p)ppGpp, and stochastic formation. In our study we examine the mechanisms behind persistence in the E. coli strain CFT073, a uropathogenic isolate, which forms elevated levels of persisters compared to the laboratory strain MG1655. However, CFT073 …

Herbivore Impacts On The Invasive Marine Alga Grateloupia Turuturu, Emily Bishop, Carol Thornber

Senior Honors Projects

Invasive species have the ability to outcompete natives, and can create a monoculture if not mitigated by herbivores or some other mechanism. Limited information exists on the ecology of the invasive macroalga Grateloupia turuturu and how it is impacted by herbivores. Using laboratory mesocosm experiments, we investigated the ability of two invasive herbivore species common in Rhode Island, the snail Littorina littorea and Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus, to control Grateloupia populations. In the first trial, Grateloupia was provided to a single herbivore (either Littorina or Hemigrapsus) or both herbivores together. Grateloupia controls were in the same mesocosms …

Experts As Teachers: Can We Abate The Disconnect Between Expert And Student?, Bailey Mallon

Senior Honors Projects

Studies have found that experts often fail as good teachers, mainly because there is a lack of communication within their specific area (Feldon, 2007). Experts may routinely underestimate how difficult a task can be for a newcomer (Hinds, 1999) and even when attempting to make a task easier, they omit information a novice would find valuable (Hinds, Patterson, & Pfeffer, 2001) because they unintentionally assume that non-experts are aware of and possess knowledge that only those already familiar in the field might have, and would thus know what they are talking about. Furthermore, there are factors controllable by the professor, …

Sexual And Gender Based Violence (Sgbv) In Post- Conflict Northern Uganda, Emily Thomesen

Senior Honors Projects

There is a sweet odor of earth and mangos as the sun rises over the fields of rice and pineapples. The silence of the morning is broken by the rising voices of women congregating together to worship as their little children dance to the music of their mothers’ voices. In the center of the African safari a refugee has been established for these mothers struggling under the weight of war and poverty. They learn the skills they need to provide food for their families, and counseled through the trauma of their pasts. Seven years ago this land was site of …

Human: A Cat Dissection Tutorial, Sean P. Pierel

Senior Honors Projects

HuMan: A Cat Dissection Tutorial

Human anatomy is a topic that many important scientific studies depend on, such as the study of medicine or the research of cultural gender identities and their respective anatomical characteristics. It is logical to expect those who want to work with and study the human body to have a greater understanding of what makes us what we are. Unfortunately this topic is typically considered difficult to learn as there is a very large amount of material to memorize and even more material to comprehend in order to truly achieve an understanding of the human body. …

A Survey Of Horse Training In New England, Shelby C. Ashworth, W. Michael Sullivan

Senior Honors Projects

New England no longer has a significant horse training industry. It has many small operations with no obvious and overlapping training philosophies or practices. Show and competition programs are intense and competitive at regional, national and even international levels leading to the observation that techniques employed are equally strategic and tediously designed in order to encourage the exemplary results in the show ring. This study aimed to examine the methods, routines, and strategies that are used by top tier trainers in the New England region of the United States. This information was collected both in survey form and in interview …

Elucidation Of The Microbial Consortium Of The Ubiquitous Shore Sponge, Tedania Ignis, Clarisse Sullivan

Senior Honors Projects

Sponges are filter-feeding organisms that contain a dense and diverse microbial community. These bacteria and archaea can comprise about 40% of the sponges’ total biomass often exceeding the microbial biomass of seawater by two to three orders of magnitude. The presence of bacteria during the reproductive stages of the sponge is an indicator of symbiosis. This study used culture-independent techniques to investigate the microbial community of Tedania ignis; an abundant marine sponge in the inshore coral reef environments around Bermuda. Sponge and water samples were collected from Ferry Reach, Helena’s Bay and Bailey’s Bay in Bermuda. Epifluorescent microscopy was …