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Assessing The Pathogenic Cause Of Sea Star Wasting Disease In Asterias Forbesi Along The East Coast Of The United States, Caitlin Jessica Delsesto

Open Access Master's Theses

As keystone predators, sea stars serve to maintain biodiversity and distribution through trophic level interactions in intertidal ecosystems. Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) has caused widespread mass mortality of Asterias forbesi in locations along the Northeast Coast of the US in recent years. A similar disease has been described in several sea star species from the West Coast of the US. Recently, a densovirus has been associated with wasting disease in West Coast sea stars and a few limited samples of A. forbesi. The goal of this research is to describe the pathogenesis of SSWD in A. forbesi and …

The Effects Of Reduced Mowing In Roadside Medians On Stormwater Filtration And Invasive Species Management, Sara Wigginton

Open Access Master's Theses

Roadside ecosystems are the pervasive, highly managed areas adjacent to roads that buffer neighboring ecosystems. While frequently studied and managed at significant cost to ensure motorist safety, roadside ecosystems are often undervalued for their ecological functions (e.g., water filtration, carbon storage, wildlife habitat). Reducing roadside mowing can provide native habitat, save money, and reduce habitat fragmentation. However, transitioning to a reduced mowing maintenance regimen raises concerns that invasive plants may proliferate. On roadside ecosystems with different mowing regimens, we tested the hotly debated diversity-stability hypothesis, which posits that high native species diversity may confer resistance to invasion. To test this …

Initial Validation Of Surface Ocean Properties In Mitgcm Arctic Regional Model, Arash Bigdeli

Open Access Master's Theses

In ice-covered regions it can be challenging to determine air-sea exchange - for heat and momentum, but also for gases like carbon dioxide and methane. The harsh environment and relative data scarcity make it difficult to characterize even the physical properties. Here, we seek a mechanistic interpretation for the rate of air-sea gas exchange (k) derived from radon-deficits. These require an estimate of the water column history extending 30 days prior to sampling. We used coarse resolution (36km) regional configuration of the MITgcm with fine near surface vertical spacing (2m) to evaluate the capability of the model to reproduce conditions …

Garcinia Kola: Phytochemical, Biological And Formulation Studies, Yasah Vezele

Open Access Master's Theses

The objective of this research was to search for an antiviral compound, garcinol (or guttiferone F) from the Garcinia kola nuts using two different extraction techniques and formulate a suitable liposome for control release using an antiviral compound. The two extraction techniques used were: liquid-liquid extraction (for simplicity purposes, the term solvent-solvent, S-S, will be used interchangeable) and Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE). Both techniques were used to profile compounds found in Garcinia kola and for statistical comparison purposes. Extracts from both techniques were collected and analyzed for separation using Reversed-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) using Ultraviolet Photodiode Array (UV-PDA) …

Uncovering Orthologous Genes Of The Ciona Intestinalis Fanconi Anemia Pathway, Edward Stanley

Open Access Master's Theses

Fanconi Anemia is a disease caused by any number of mutations in a collection of DNA double-strand repair genes. In silico tests were performed to determine whether any of these genes were conserved in Ciona, which split from humans over 500 million years ago. Among the 22 gene products tested, evidence for 10 orthologs were discovered. Possible orthologs were seen in all three of the major groups of FA proteins.

Isolation, Molecular & Physiological Characterization Of Sulfate-Reducing, Heterotrophic, Diazotrophs, Annaliese Katrin Jones

Open Access Master's Theses

Nitrogen (N₂) fixation is the process by which N₂ gas is converted to biologically reactive ammonia, and is a cellular capability widely distributed amongst prokaryotes. This process is essential for the input of new, reactive N in a variety of environments. Heterotrophic bacterial N fixers residing in estuarine sediments have only recently been acknowledged as important contributors to the overall N budget of these ecosystems and many specifics about their role in estuarine N cycling remain unknown, partly due to a lack of knowledge about their autecology and a lack of cultivated representatives. Nitrogenase reductase (nifH …

Schedule Optimization With Flexible Durations, Kevin R. Roy

Open Access Master's Theses

Cost, quality, and time are the pillars of a popular and well known business model. What is also well known about this model is that it is very difficult to be the industry leader in all three categories. This is because these categories are naturally interconnected such that one category cannot be changed without affecting the others. This creates an environment where a balance must be established to determine the appropriate amount of effort to focus on each of these three categories.

This current research presents an application for the schedule optimization of operations with flexible durations. The objective of …

Organic Waste Amendments As Sources Of Carbon And Fertility For Vegetable, Rebecca Long

Open Access Master's Theses

Waste amendments, such as food or yard waste, are abundant potential sources of C for soil organic matter and nutrients for crop production. A number of amendments, like gelatin waste and dehydrated food waste, remain relatively unstudied. For those amendments that have been extensively studied, like biosolids and paper waste, the conclusions about their effects on soil and crops are often conflicting, likely due to the varying experimental conditions. To address this gap in knowledge, I compared six waste amendments and their effects on soil quality and vegetable crop production to a mineral fertilizer control.

In a two-year field trial …

Attendance At Type 1 Diabetes Camp Improves Nutrition Knowledge In Children And Adolescents, Kaitlyn Whipple

Open Access Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to systematically assess nutrition knowledge in children and adolescents before and after attending a diabetes camp enhanced with a 45- minute education intervention. Knowledge was assessed using the Nutrition Knowledge Survey (NKS), a tool that has been validated in 10-18 year olds with Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM).

Methods: This study used a single group pre-post design. Campers completed the pre NKS at start of camp. The intervention was provided during camp, and campers completed the post NKS on the final day. Medical history and demographic data were collected from camp records. …

Boat Anchoring Contributes To Coral Reef Degradation In The British Virgin Islands, Rebecca Loberg Flynn

Open Access Master's Theses

Habitat degradation is occurring the world over, threatening species, population dynamics, ecosystem function and valuable ecosystem services. This degradation is in many cases linked to anthropogenic activities, which often reduce a habitat’s resilience to other stressors. Coral reef decline, for example, has been linked to climate change, pollution, and overfishing. Few studies have focused on the localscale physical drivers of coral decline, such as anchoring. As global human population and the popularity of water-based recreation continue to rise, the potential for anchoring to contribute to coastal habitat degradation increases. We sought to determine the potential impact of anchoring to coral …

Do Urban Environments Influence Antipredator And Foraging Behavior Of The Lizard Anolis Cristatellus?, Kevin J. Aviles-Rodriguez

Open Access Master's Theses

As the human population increases, urban areas are expanding and bringing humans and wildlife into close proximity. Disturbance by humans can lead to changes in animal behavior and ecological interactions. Urban areas also provide access to novel, artificial substrates (e.g., cement walls and metal posts), which may influence the behavior of organisms. We studied whether urban habitats and artificial substrates influenced escape and foraging behavior of the Puerto Rican Crested Anole (Anolis cristatellus).

We tested whether lizards in urban environments reduced flight initiation distance (i.e., the distance between the observer and the lizard when the lizard begins escape) …

Psychoeducational Assessment With The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing, Emma Rathkey

Open Access Master's Theses

This study addressed the preferred choices of tests by psychoeducational professionals for individuals who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HOH) in five areas of assessment (cognitive/intelligence, neuropsychological, academic skills, speech and language, and socio-emotional/psycho-behavioral). The study also addressed test modifications, use of language, and psychometric issues such as reliability, validity, and normative data. Currently, many tests lack appropriate psychometric properties for the D/HOH. Given this information, an exploratory approach was taken to identify common tests. This is an important area of research because it affects a minority group – the deaf and hard-of-hearing, for whom psychoeducational assessment traditionally has proven to …

The Effect Of A Family-Based Dietary Intervention On Dietary Fiber Density In Children Ages 6-11, Jennifer Nobles

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Fiber intake has been shown to be higher in normal weight children compared to overweight and obese children. However, the effect of family-based interventions have been inconclusive.

Objective: To determine if a family-based weight management intervention, which has been successful at lowering BMI Z-score, has an effect on energy adjusted dietary fiber intake and other markers of dietary quality.

Methods: Sixty-six children ages 6-11 and their guardians participated in a 16 week nutrition and physical activity intervention. Guardians and children completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) during the first and last sessions. The FFQ provided information …

Detecting And Verifying Microsatellite Markers Associated With Disease Resistance In Cultured Populations Of Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea Virginica, Kehan Bao

Open Access Master's Theses

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea viginica, is an economically important aquaculture species in the USA, but several diseases, such as Dermo and MSX, inhibit maximum production. Efforts have been made to develop disease-resistant oyster lines using selective breeding techniques based on phenotype; however, achievement of the desired trait is hindered by the inability to maintain consistent and intense selection pressure in field trials. Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) offers an effective alternative to traditional breeding techniques by selecting based on genetic markers associated with disease resistance, even in the absence of disease-related selection pressure. The greatest challenge in applying MAS is to …

Development Of A Lab-On-A-Chip Microfluidic System For The Detection Of C-Reactive Protein In Whole Human Blood And An Antibody Biomarker For The Detection Of Alzheimer's Disease, Alex S. Pytka

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis is divided into two sections. The first section focuses on developing a better method for the detection of C - reactive protein (CRP) from whole blood. CRP plays a key role in determining the risks associated with various cardiovascular diseases. However, detecting this protein is a challenge since it accounts for < 1% of all known blood proteins. This protein can be detected by using a sandwich ELISA inside of a microfluidic chip made from Polydimethyl Siloxane (PDMS). PDMS chips are created that will first remove blood cells and platelets from whole blood. For the removal of blood cells, different filter papers that specialize in blood separation are tested based on the volume of filtrate recovered, amount of blood cells filtered out and whether the cells rupture or not. From these tests, it was determined that the Vivid Plasma Membranes GX and GR from the Pall Company was the most suitable filter based on blood cell removal and quality of filtrate.

To further compliment this, these chips need to extract high abundance plasma proteins (HAP) including human IgG antibody and human serum albumin. These experiments focused on using protein A as a method for the removal of IgG due to its high affinity with the antibody. This will …

Evaluating Seedlings Of Eastern Hemlock Resistant To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae), Elwood Scott Roberts

Open Access Master's Theses

Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae Annand has invaded the North American range of the eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere, and Carolina hemlock T. caroliniana Englemann, causing widespread mortality. Of the nine Tsuga species known worldwide, only T. canadensis and T. caroliniana experience mortality from HWA. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and their cooperators have identified stands of HWA-resistant eastern hemlocks and confirmed this resistance through studies of vegetatively propagated progeny. This study investigates HWA resistance of plants grown from field-collected open-pollinated seed from these parent plants with known resistance. Trees were evaluated under standardized conditions, artificially …

Migration Experiences Of Sierra Leoneans: Acculturation And Psychological Adjustment, Daphne J. Cole

Open Access Master's Theses

From 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone was a country entrenched in an 11-year civil war, which was characterized by a number of atrocities, including the abduction of children, systematic rape, and severe amputations; significantly impacting thousands who are maimed with deep psychological wounds. The war resulted in nearly 70,000 causalities and millions were displaced. Displaced persons fleeing brutal wars and political persecution are known to experience a number of associated health concerns which are often exacerbated alongside adjusting to another country. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the migration experiences of Sierra Leonean immigrant, refugee, and asylum …

Effects Of Light And Water Availability On The Performance Of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae), Mauri Hickin

Open Access Master's Theses

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis [L.] Carriere) is a dominant shade-tolerant tree in northeastern United States that has been declining since the arrival of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand). Determining where A. tsugae settles under different abiotic conditions is important in understanding the insect's expansion. Resource availability such as light and water can affect herbivore selectivity and damage. We examined how A. tsugae settlement and survival were affected by differences in light intensity and water availability, and how adelgid affected tree performance growing in these different abiotic treatments. In a greenhouse at the University of Rhode Island, …

Inducing Heterochronic Shift In Ciona Intestinalis, Bonnie Colantuono

Open Access Master's Theses

Solitary and colonial ascidians show heterochrony in the development of adult organs. This project is a first step towards reproducing this heterochronic shift using Ciona intestinalis as a model and gaining insight into the number of genes involved in this process. In the first part of this thesis, an inducible transgene was constructed to reproduce the shift. The transgene was designed with a heat shock protein (HSP70) promoter to induce the expression of a gene at any time in development. A control transgene was constructed, but after two experiments, the transgene did not show the ability to be induced. With …

Landscape Pattern And Change Through Integration Of Remote Sensing And Stone Wall Feature Identification, Rebecca J. Trueman

Open Access Master's Theses

Stone walls are relics of an agricultural civilization that once flourished in New England. By identifying the locations of both historical and present day stone walls, compositions of post-agricultural landscapes common across the New England region can be assessed with inclusion of historic human-land use interactions. I selected the town of New Shoreham, known as Block Island, as the study site for this thesis. Block Island is located approximately 14.5 km south of the Rhode Island mainland. The Island has rich land use history which resulted in an extensive network of stone walls still present across the landscape. Through visual …

Designing A Biosensing Device Based On Wavelength Selective Emitters, Fabian Liebscher

Open Access Master's Theses

In this study, a new approach to design biosensors based on selective thermal emitters is developed. This approach allows the detection of biological molecules or chemical compounds in solution using the unique thermal emissivity spectra of each molecule. However in the last decades the applied and developed biosensors mainly use changes in electrical properties such as current or voltage or changes in optical characteristics caused by surface Plasmon resonance or fluorescence. After years of research, these sensors still show disadvantages such as high cost and time- consumptions. Biosensors based on selective thermal emitter provide an opportunity to avoid these weaknesses …

Tolfenamic Acid: A Potential Modifier Of Tau Protein In Alzheimer's Disease, Joanna K. Chang

Open Access Master's Theses

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the increased abundance of amyloid beta (AB) plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. Only a handful of medications have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since AD's discovery more than 100 years ago. These drugs only treat the symptoms and are best prescribed during the early stages of the disease. In addition, the drugs do not restore the cognitive loss. It is critical to discover a novel drug to treat and prevent this disease. We …

Modeling Participation In Citizen Science: Recreational Fishermen In Massachusetts, Lena Weiss

Open Access Master's Theses

This project investigates the factors that influence a recreational fisherman’s choice to participate in citizen fish tagging programs by identifying factors that influence participation in these programs and by exploring three alternative causal models for explaining participation in fish tagging projects: a values-beliefs-norms (VBN) model, a values-attitudes-behavior (VAB) model, and a full theoretical model including socio-demographic and explanatory variables. One hundred recreational fishermen in Plum Island, Massachusetts were given a written survey designed to investigate their experiences with tagging programs, along with their attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs regarding such programs. Responses to the survey were compared between participants and non-participants. …

Dual Images Of The “Monstrous Feminine” In Three Horror Films, Erica Tortolani

Open Access Master's Theses

“Dual Images of the ‘Monstrous Feminine’ in Three Horror Films” centers on the women in mainstream, psychological horror films. Namely, as an extension of Barbara Creed’s extensive research of the horror genre in works including The Monstrous Feminine: Film, Feminism, and Psychoanalysis (1993), my analysis locates the concept of the “monstrous feminine” in three distinct, yet interconnected films: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Carrie (1976), and Single White Female (1992). However, my analysis of these films deviates slightly from Creed’s study of the “monstrous feminine” – whereas Creed examines the representation of singular female characters in horror films, I …

Low Power Underwater Acoustic Dpsk Detection: Theoretical Prediction And Experimental Results, Andrew Dunne

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis presents two methods of analyzing the effectiveness of a prototype differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) detection circuit. The first method is to make modifications to the existing hardware to reliably output and record the cross-correlation values of the DPSK detection process. The second method is to write a MATLAB detection algorithm which accurately simulates the detection results of the hardware system without the need of any electronics. These two systems were tested and verified with a bench test using computer generated DPSK signals. The hardware system was tested using real acoustic data from shallow and deep water at-sea tests …

The Application Of The Self Organizing Map To The Vehicle Routing Problem, Meghan Steinhaus

Open Access Dissertations

The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) is an �P-hard, combinatorial optimization problem. For �P-hard problems, there is no known polynomial time algorithm to solve these problems. Therefore, for many moderately sized problems, these problems cannot be reliably solved to optimality. This is the case with the VRP, where problem instances with over 100 cities are not easily solved using exact methods. Therefore, the majority of VRP research focuses on heuristics.

Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are inspired by the functions in the human brain. Researchers have applied ANNs across a wide range of problems with great success. Since solving the VRP relies …

Tracking Control For Non-Minimum Phase System And Brain Computer Interface, Yacine Boudria

Open Access Dissertations

For generations, humans dreamed about the ability to communicate and interact with machines through thought alone or to create devices that can peer into a person’s mind and thoughts. Researchers have developed new technologies to create brain computer interfaces (BCIs), communication systems that do not depend on the brain’s normal output pathways of peripheral nerves and muscles. The objective of the first part of this thesis is to develop a new BCI based on electroencephalography (EEG) to move a computer cursor over a short training period in real time. The work motivations of this part are to increase: speed and …

Verification Of Ph Fluctuations In Narragansett Bay, Cathleen Turner

Open Access Master's Theses

In order to understand potential changes in pH driven by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, we first need to understand what controls pH and its variability in estuaries today. We measured total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, pH, temperature and salinity of samples taken hourly for 24 hours once a month at three sites in Narragansett Bay (2/2010 to 4/2011) to understand the controls on daily and seasonal pH variation: GSO, Greenwich Bay (GB), and Potter Cove (PC). We also measured in situ pH (pHe) and temperature every five minutes at the same sites and during the same time periods. Our calculations …

Linkages Between New England Dolphin Stranding Frequency And North Atlantic Oscillation Variability, Charles Thomas Harry Ii

Open Access Master's Theses

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a dominant climatic driver that influences hydrographic and ecological parameters at multiple spatial scales and several trophic levels. To date, linkages between NAO variability and dolphin strandings on a regional scale have not been investigated. Stranding records of short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus) during 1990–2014 between Maine and New York were correlated against the winter NAO index at several time lags in order to explore the link between stranding variability and NAO. The stranding frequencies of the two species were positively correlated to one …

Modeling Brain Desynchronization By Eeg Sensor Variance In Epileptic Patients, Craig Michael Krebsbach

Open Access Master's Theses

The use of electroencephalogram (EEG) for predictive purposes of seizures in epileptic patients has grown steadily with the access to greater computing power. Methods of seizure analysis to date have focused on modeling and computer aided machine learning to help increase sensitivity and specificity of seizure detection. Brain synchronization between various areas of the brain at the onset of seizures tends to be a common feature of seizures, followed by a resynchronization of the various brain areas at the end of seizures. While previous methods have looked at the cross-correlation or lag-correlation of only two areas the brain, most EEG …