Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Predictors Of Relapse And Maintenance Among Smokers, N. Simay Gokbayrak

Open Access Master's Theses

Little is known about the mechanisms behind relapse to different pre-Action stages of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) among ex-smokers. This study provides a preliminary investigation of the possible role static and dynamic variables, including demographic characteristics, smoking behavior and severity, and TTM effort variables, have in two ways: 1) As potential predictors of relapse to Precontemplation/Contemplation stages vs. Preparation; and 2) as potential predictors of relapse to any pre-Action stage vs. maintenance at follow-up. The study sample was derived from an integrated dataset of four TTM population-based smoking cessation interventions conducted in the United States. Unlike forward …

The Distribution And Ontogeny Of Neuromast Receptor Organs And A Comparison Of Methods For Chemical Albation Of The Lateral Line System In Two Cichlid Fishes, Emily Anne Becker

Open Access Master's Theses

The lateral line system is composed of a series of mechanoreceptors called neuromasts, which are found on the head and trunk in specific patterns. On the head, larger canal neuromasts (CNs) are enclosed in cranial canals and smaller superficial neuromasts (SNs) are embedded in the skin in lines or clusters. Among species the lateral line canals can be narrow, widened, branched, or reduced. Through the use of fluorescent stains, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and cleared and stained specimens the distribution and ontogenetic appearance of SNs and CNs were mapped in two species of Lake Malawi cichlids with divergent adult lateral line …

Using A Gis Site Suitability Analysis To Locate Springs In Mantle Units Of Ophiolites, Alexandrea Bowman

Open Access Master's Theses

Springs sourced in the mantle units of ophiolites serve as windows to the deep biosphere, and thus hold promise in elucidating survival strategies of extremophiles, and may also inform discourse on the origin of life on Earth. Spring locations associated with serpentinites have traditionally been located using a variety of field techniques. The chemical properties of these springs are unique; they reflect a reducing subsurface environment reacting at low temperatures producing high pH, Ca²⁺-rich formation fluids with high dissolved hydrogen and methane. This study applies GIS site suitability analysis to locate high pH springs in Coast Range Ophiolite …

Conservation Tillage Techniques For Mixed Vegetable Production In Southern New England, Jeffrey Ross Pieper

Open Access Master's Theses

Vegetable farming is an intensive practice that typically relies on several tillage passes to prepare fields for production. Repeatedly tilling the soil, however, is unsustainable and has been shown to decrease soil structure and organic matter while increasing erosion rates. A 3-year experiment was conducted in a mixed vegetable production system in southern New England to determine how crop yield, weed abundance, and soil health were affected by conservation tillage practices. Three conservation tillage systems were compared to conventional tillage to determine the effects on yields of six vegetable crops, weed abundance, and soil health.

Six 50 m planting beds …

Using Seaweed As A Soil Amendment: Effects On Soil Quality And Yield Of Sweet Corn (Zea Mays L.), Angela R. Possinger

Open Access Master's Theses

Application of seaweed to manage soil fertility is a traditional practice in many coastal regions, utilizing an inexpensive, abundant, and nutrient-rich resource. As a practice that re-purposes waste materials, diversifies inputs, and relies on coastal resources, seaweed amendment may be an effective and inexpensive means of strengthening and supporting agriculture in coastal agroecosystems. Putatively, seaweed biomass may be a useful amendment for crop production and soil quality improvement due to provision of plant nutrients (e.g. N, P, K, Ca), and promotion of microbial activity, among other benefits. However, limitations of seaweed application include high sulfur (S), salt, and heavy metal …

Beauveria Bassiana And Elisa Determination Of Neonicotinoids To Improve Management Of Listronotus Maculicollis, Christopher D. Clavet

Open Access Master's Theses

The “annual bluegrass weevil” (Listronotus maculicollis) became resistant to synthetic pyrethroid insecticides (bifenthrin and cyhalothrin) in several adult weevil populations from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts in 2007-09, and management of this insect has become increasingly complex. Annual bluegrass weevil continues to be a serious pest of Poa annua L. (Poaceae) and bentgrasses (Agrostis spp) on many golf courses in mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Adults chew notches on grass blades and at the juncture of leaves and stems. However, adult feeding has little effect on plant vitality. Early instars feed inside plant …

Effects Of Climate Change On The Habitats Of The Invasive Species Ailanthus Altissima Along The Appalachian Trail, John Clark

Open Access Master's Theses

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.) is a footpath stretching from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine and spanning over 3,500 km of peaks, valleys, and ridges. The A.T.'s gradients in elevation, latitude, and moisture and north-south alignment represent a continental scale cross-section, or "MEGA-Transect," of eastern U.S. forest and alpine areas and offer a setting for collecting scientific data on the health of ecosystems and species that inhabit them.

The Appalachian Trail Decision Support System, or A.T.-DSS, is an Internet-based implementation and dissemination toolset directed at enhancing the decision-making process for managing natural resources. The A.T.-DSS …

Development Of Enhanced Lateral Flow Test Devices For Point-Of-Care Diagnostics, Roman Gerbers

Open Access Master's Theses

Lateral flow Imunoassays (LFIA) are common, simple to use point-of-care devices for the diagnostic market. Conventionally LFIAs are limited in their complexity since they are optimized for minimally trained operators. Paper-based analytical devices (PAD) are advanced sensors based on a wide range of recently developed techniques for complex analytical methods. In this research, a point-of-care (POC) immunosensor was developed based on techniques adapted from lateral flow and paper-based analytical devices. Alternating layers of paper and tape were used to expand the common 2D design of lateral flow tests to 3D in order to enable complex fluid flow control. Four fluidic …

Development Of A Platform For Lateral Flow Test Devices With The Capability Of Using Multiple Fluids, Wilke Föllscher

Open Access Master's Theses

This study presents the development of a 3-fluid microfluidic device for the application in immunoassays. The test uses a microfluidic valve in order to sequentially load the reagents autonomously onto the detection area after adding the sample. The development of the multi-fluid circuit allows the application of an enzyme-linked assay in a lateral flow device as to provide with an improved sensitivity compared to strip tests available on the market. For fabricating the channels of the device, a wax printer was used. The layers were attached using double-sided tape. In order to advance the reliability of the device, new fabrication …

The Morphology And Biomechanics Of Jaw Structures In Chondrichthyes, Jordan Balaban

Open Access Master's Theses

The skeletons of chondrichthyans (sharks, skates, rays, and chimeras) are composed entirely of cartilage, yet must still provide the skeletal support that bone does in other vertebrates. There is also an incredible range of diversity in the morphology of the cartilaginous skeleton of the feeding apparatus in Chondrichthyans. The goal of this research is to provide insight into the morphological evolution and biomechanical function of the cranial skeleton in chondrichthyans. Feeding style changes can occur with morphological changes in the skeletal elements of the shark feeding apparatus. In chapter one, to increase our understanding of how the feeding skeletal morphology …

Ecology Of Menidia Menidia Larvae In Two Temperate Estuarine Littoral Habitats, Miranda Lopez

Open Access Master's Theses

The Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia) is one of the numerically most abundant fish species in estuaries along the East Coast of North America, but its ecology during the first two weeks post-hatch has not been described. Therefore ecological investigations into appropriate sampling methods, preferred habitats, feeding ecology and growth of these larvae will contribute valuable information to our knowledge base for this species. The upper reaches of two Rhode Island, USA, estuaries, with differing levels of anthropogenic inputs, were the study sites for this project. Previous studies have shown that during early spring M. menidia adults ripen for …

Temporal Trends In Global Sea Surface Temperature Fronts, Kelsey Marie Obenour

Open Access Master's Theses

Sea surface temperature (SST) fronts, generally defined as regions of enhanced surface temperature gradient, are of broad interest in oceanography both because of the role that they play in the dynamics of the upper ocean and because of the large volume of data available from satellite-borne sensors with which they can be studied. Gradients in the background surface temperature, surface wind stress, and cloud cover likely play a role in establishing and maintaining SST fronts. Furthermore, each of these characteristics is thought to be affected by changes in global climate. The objective of this study is to determine to what …

Gluconeogenesis And Colonization Of The Mouse Intestine By E. Coli Edl933 And E. Coli Nissle 1917, Silvia Anna Christina Schinner

Open Access Master's Theses

Previous studies in this laboratory have indicated that E. coli Nissle 1917 can act as a probiotic and is able to prevent the pathogenic E. coli EDL933 from growing to high numbers in the mouse large intestine. This study evaluated the influence of gluconeogenesis in E. coli Nissle 1917 and E. coli EDL933 to compete against each other and for their maintenance in the intestine. Knockout mutants of both strains were created for the analysis of the importance of gluconeogenesis in colonization experiments in the mouse large intestine. To knock out the ability to use gluconeogenesis and therefore metabolizing substrates …

Modification Of The Escherichia Coli Nissle 1917 EnvZ Gene To Improve Its Probiotic Potential, Jimmy Adediran

Open Access Master's Theses

The pathogenic Escherichia coli EDL933 is known to cause infection in the intestine. E. coli Nissle 1917 is used as a probiotic strain to prevent infection (63). When the mouse intestine is pre-colonized with E. coli Nissle 1917 it prevents E. coli EDL933 from growing up in the intestine. E. coli EDL933 is not eliminated from the intestine; it stays at the level in which it was fed to the mice. The P41L envZ missense mutation was previously shown to causes an increase in the level of phosporylated OmpR (OmpR~P) produced (67). E. coli MG1655 with the P41L missense …

Body Composition, Movement Phenology And Habitat Use Of Common Eider Along The Southern New England Coast, Joshua M. Beuth

Open Access Master's Theses

The nearshore and offshore waters of southern New England provide important winter habitat for many sea duck species including common eiders (Somateria mollissima). Sea ducks that inhabit these waters must contend with global climate change, disease, and anthropogenic disturbance including proposed offshore wind energy development; however, evaluating these potential impacts on sea ducks, in general, and eiders in particular is difficult because knowledge of their ecology during winter is limited. I conducted the first validation of a non-lethal method for estimating body composition (deuterium dilution) of eiders and then applied this method to assess changes in body composition …

Laser-Assisted Heating Of A Plasmonic Nanofluid In A Microchannel, Timothy Walsh

Open Access Master's Theses

The work presented in this study analyses the theoretical modeling and experimentation of laser-assisted heating of plasmonic nanofluids (PNFs) in a microchannel for accurate, efficient, and ultra-fast heating of a microdroplet. Suspended plasmonic nanoparticles exhibit strong light absorption and scattering upon the excitation of localized surface plasmons (LSPs), resulting in intense and rapid photothermal heating. Several multiple stepped computational models were utilized to theoretically characterize and verify the laser-assisted heating behavior of gold nanoshells (GNS) and gold nanorod (GNR) plasmonic nanofluid droplets in a microchannel. From the experimental investigation, a full range of controllable steady-state temperatures, room temperature to 100°C, …

Geospatial Analysis Of Denitrifying Septic Systems And Groundwater Nitrate Concentrations In Jamestown Shores, Rhode Island, Amy B. Parmenter

Open Access Master's Theses

High-density housing areas with onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) and domestic drinking water wells are susceptible to groundwater contamination from nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N). One solution is to install denitrifying OWTS, which are designed to reduce the effluent nitrogen by approximately half that of conventional OWTS. Geostatistical methods were used to analyze groundwater NO3-N data from the Jamestown Shores neighborhood of Jamestown, Rhode Island to determine if denitrifying OWTS have had an affect on water quality. Temporal trends were analyzed using NO3-N concentrations from sample events approximately 15 years apart, 1996-1997 and 2010-2011, between which a number of denitrifying OWTS were installed. …

Examining Intersectionality Theory And Adolescent Motivations To Engage In Risky Sexual Behavior, Brittney Poindexter

Open Access Master's Theses

Intersectionality theory explores the ways in which multiple axes of identity combine to determine one‟s socio-cultural location and how these intersections contribute to unique experiences of oppression and social privilege. This theory contends that social inequalities by way of marginalized race, gender and socioeconomic statuses (SES) have the potential to uncover and explicate existing health disparities. The primary objective of the current study was to explore the implications of multiple potentially marginalized statuses with relation to sexual behavior motivations. Overall, this study hypothesized that endorsement of multiple statuses would significantly predict an adolescent‟s motivations to engage in risky sexual behavior. …

Predictors Of Intimate Partner Violence In Women’S Same Sex Relationships, April D. Trotman

Open Access Master's Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread occurrence in the United States, particularly in women’s same sex relationships. Unfortunately, little is understood about the factors that contribute to the prevalence of same sex IPV and women often have few resources available to provide the necessary education on this issue. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate a prediction model of characteristics associated with IPV in same sex couples. Using logistic regression and multiple regression analyses, this study tests the likelihood that negative dyadic dependence on one’s partner, childhood sexual abuse, psychological symptoms, a negative family environment, internalized homophobia, …

Effects Of Position And Orientation On Pax6 Upstream Enhancers In Ciona Intestinalis, Thomas Andrew Bregnard

Open Access Master's Theses

The classical definition of genetic cis-regulatory modules such as enhancers identifies these elements as insensitive to changes in position and orientation relative to the transcription start site (TSS). While this theory is well supported, some recent studies have uncovered examples of constraint in the position or orientation of particular enhancers. This study examines the position and orientation sensitivity of two upstream enhancer elements found in the gene Pax6, which regulates development of the eyes and central nervous system in vertebrates. Late embryonic stages of the organism used in this study, Ciona intestinalis, show expression of Pax6 in …

False Ring Formation In Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) After Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae) And Elongate Hemlock Scale (Fiorinia Externa) Feeding, Liahna Gonda-King

Open Access Master's Theses

Hemlock forests in the eastern United States are threatened by two sessile invasive herbivores: the elongate hemlock scale, Fiorinia externa Ferris (Hemiptera: Diaspididae; ‘EHS’) and the hemlock woolly adelgid Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae; ‘HWA’). EHS and HWA occupy similar feeding guilds but have enormously different effects on tree health. EHS reduces hemlock growth and causes needle discoloration and loss, but only causes tree mortality under high EHS densities (McClure 1980b). In contrast, HWA has devastated stands of hemlocks on the east coast of the United States. Although EHS reduces fitness of the tree and can kill already stressed trees …

Structural And Conformational Probing Of 2-Acetylaminofluorene-Modified -1, -2 And -3 Slipped Mutagenic Intermediates, Anusha Sandineni

Open Access Master's Theses

2-Acetylaminofluorene (AAF) is a prototype arylamine carcinogen that forms C8-substituted dG-adduct (dG-C8-AAF) as a major DNA damage. The bulky dG-C8-AAF lesion is known to induce -1, -2, or -3 frameshift mutations depending on the base sequences around the lesion. We hypothesize that the stability of bulged-out structures slipped mutagenic intermediate (SMI) facilitates primer elongation, hence manifestation of frameshift mutations. The objective of the present study was to probe the structural/conformational basis of various dG-C8-AAF induced frameshift mutations. Here, we describe spectroscopic (¹⁹F NMR and CD) and thermodynamic (UV-melting and DSC) studies of several dG-C8-FAAF-modified 16-mer DNA duplexes containing …

Self-Objectification In Group Exercise Participants: The Role Of Reasons For Exercise And Modality, Courtney Mackey

Open Access Master's Theses

Problem Statement: Exercise is a health behavior promoted for its vast array of physical and mental health benefits. However, there is some evidence that not all individuals necessarily have positive mental health outcomes with exercise as evidenced by measures such as body image. Influential variables, such as exercise modality and reasons for exercise need to be explored in at-risk, young females to promote optimal effects of exercise on both body and mind.

Background: Objectification theory provides a framework for understanding the bodily experience of and psychological outcomes from exercise in women. While traditional fitness classes, including aerobics, have been associated …

Factors Of Different Management Of Northern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), Patrick Samuel

Open Access Master's Theses

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) comprised of over fifty cooperating states and fishing entities. It manages Northern Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Due to overfishing and ineffective management, the stock abundance of this species has declined to about thirty percent of its unfished biomass in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Publications point to this poor stock status as evidence of a fisheries management failure; it is commonly repeated that ICCAT’s mismanagement of the resource amounts to an international …

Evaluating Coastal Islands As Potential Translocation Sites For New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus Transitionalis), Cynthia L. Maynard

Open Access Master's Theses

The population of the northeast region’s native rabbit, the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis; NEC), has declined by more than 80% in the last 50 years. In 2006, it was listed as a candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. In 2010, a captive breeding program was developed to help reverse this trend, and islands were identified as having the potential to serve as ideal release sites for captive-bred NEC. Two islands were chosen as possible release sites: Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge in Chilmark, Massachusetts; and Patience Island, located in Narragansett Bay, …

Carbon Sequestration Potential Of The Coast Range Ophiolite In California, Daniel C. Carnevale

Open Access Master's Theses

A number of methods of drawing down atmospheric carbon dioxide are being investigated as a result of concerns over the impacts of global warming. Mineral carbonation is a proven manner of sequestering carbon dioxide and functions by binding carbon dioxide with iron-, calcium-, and magnesium-containing minerals—including olivine, pyroxene, and serpentine— to form carbonate minerals. The Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO) in California is a 700 km long body of ultramafic rocks containing vast amounts of olivine and serpentine. By assessing the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the minerals in these rocks, I assess the potential quantity of CO₂ that could …

A Reconstruction Of Δ15N Of Deep Ocean Nitrate In The Past Using Pore Fluid, Anne M. Hartwell

Open Access Master's Theses

Dissolved nitrogen in the water column is an essential nutrient and its distribution is linked to the cycling of carbon, phosphorus, and oxygen. The mean isotopic composition of nitrate (δ¹⁵N_global) is nearly uniform in the homogeneous deep ocean and appears to reflect the dominant nitrate removal processes. As a result, it is directly related to the absolute inventory of available nitrogen (Sigman et al., 1999; Brandes and Devol 2002). Constraining whether the isotopic composition of deep water nitrate has varied in time will allow examination of variations in the relative magnitude of removal processes and how …

Impacts Of Changing Inshore Water Temperatures On Phenology And Thermal Preferences Of Fish Species, M. Elisabeth Henderson

Open Access Master's Theses

The University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Fish trawl survey of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA, provides a unique weekly time series of fish and invertebrate abundances over the last five decades (1959-present). Conditions in the bay changed in numerous ways since 1959 including increasing sea surface temperature and declining chlorophyll concentrations. With rising ocean temperatures, fish species may change phenology, abundance, or physiologically adapt to differing temperature regimes.

A comparison of species distributions according to water temperature and week of year is made with single-parameter quotient analyses to assess the magnitude and patterns of temporal changes. Species …

Rhode Island Aquaculturists' Perceptions Of Eco-Labeling Certification Programs, Nicole Deangelis

Open Access Master's Theses

Eco-labeling is a communication tool that allows producers to demonstrate to consumers that they comply with a set of environmental and social criteria by placing an eco-label on their product. Since global aquaculture production is increasing and bivalve mollusks comprise a large share of the world aquaculture production, eco-labeling certification has been suggested as a tool for creating a market for products that are produced with minimal negative environmental and social impacts. Because eco-labeling certification programs for bivalve aquaculture are currently voluntary in the United States, producers’ opinions of these programs influence their current and future involvement in these programs. …

Managing Conflict And Compatibility Of Use: A Case Study Of Stakeholder Groups Associated With Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) In Coastal North Carolina, Leigh C. Habegger

Open Access Master's Theses

Coastal zone management has become an increasingly important topic as coastal populations continue to grow and the numerous ocean and coastal uses associated with coastal development exert tremendous pressure on the marine environment and its resources. Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a process that can help direct when and where multiple coastal activities take place, and can also make areas of conflicting and compatible uses more visible to fisheries and coastal managers.

Stakeholders in North Carolina are concerned about the sustainability of the economically and culturally significant blue crab fishery after significantly reduced landings during the late 1990s and early …