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Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2011-2012, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

This is a digitized, downloadable version of the University of Rhode Island course catalog.

Randomized Trials Of Alcohol-Use Interventions With College Students And Their Parents: Lessons From The Transitions Project, A. C. Fernandez, Mark D. Wood, Robert G. Laforge, J. T. Black

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background Matriculation from high school to college is typified by an increase in alcohol use and related harm for many students. Therefore, this transition period is an ideal time for preventive interventions to target alcohol use and related problems.

Purpose The purpose of this report is to describe the design and methods used in the Transitions Project, a randomized controlled trial of two interventions designed to prevent and reduce heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences among incoming college students.

Methods This study used a 2 × 2 factorial design to investigate the effects of a two-session brief motivational intervention …

Motivation To Change Alcohol Use And Treatment Engagement In Incarcerated Youth, Mary Clair, L.A.R. Stein, Rosemarie Martin, Nancy P. Barnett, Suzanne M. Colby, Peter M. Monti, Charles Golembeske Jr., Rebecca Lebeau

Psychology Faculty Publications

Adolescents have been reported to be less motivated to engage and remain in substance abuse treatment than adults. When they appear motivated, it is often due to external motivators such as family pressure or court mandated treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine if adolescents' motivation to change alcohol use was related to treatment engagement while incarcerated and alcohol use after release. Participants (N = 114) were youth in a state correctional facility in the Northeast and included adolescents who engaged in at least monthly drinking. Motivation to change alcohol use was measured by the Alcohol Ladder (AL), …

A New Maritime Archaeological Landscape Formation Model: Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Alicia Lynn Caporaso

Open Access Dissertations

Archaeology should strive to explore and seek to improve our understanding of human behavior. Underwater archaeology, especially shipwreck archaeology, tends to be particularistic focusing on the human activities associated with a ship or shipwreck itself. Human behavior and its resultant material remains exist on a physical and cultural landscape and cannot be separated from it. Studying known archaeological sites within the landscape reveals patterns of human behavior that can only be identified within that context.

This research explores the relationship between the social and natural world and the archaeological landscape at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve. The …

Examination Of The Diatom-Bound Nitrogen Isotope Proxy: Nitrate Consumption In The Polar Ocean, Matthew G. S. Horn

Open Access Dissertations

The ratio of stable nitrogen isotopes (δ¹⁵N) is used to infer nitrogen utilization in nutrient replete surface waters through time. Typically, the isotopic composition of bulk sedimentary nitrogen (δ¹⁵N_bulk) is measured. However the isotopic composition of this fraction is known to shift due to alteration during sinking and early burial. More recently, the nitrogen bound within silica microfossils (δ¹⁵N_DB) has been targeted. This fraction is hypothesized to be protected from alteration during sinking and early burial by the biominerals encapsulating it, thus preserving the surface nitrate utilization signal through time. …

Feminism And Feminist Scholarship Today, Rachel Blau Duplessis

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

No abstract provided.

New Age Fairy Tales: The Abject Female Hero In El Laberinto Del Fauno And La Rebelión De Los Conejos Mágicos, Patricia Lapolla Swier

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

In totalitarian regimes, the Other is marginalized, prosecuted, and often eliminated from the national spectrum. While Spain is just beginning to confront the violations of the post-Civil War era, the nations of the Latin American Southern Cone have continued to struggle with the trauma and memory related to the violence perpetrated by the dictatorship. Through a psychoanalytic reading based on Julia Kristeva's theories of the abject and Joseph Campbell's investigations of myth within the hero's journey, I show how the young female heroes of El laberinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) and La rebelión de los conejos mágicos (The Rabbits' Rebellion) …

Grappling With Gender: Exploring Masculinity And Gender In The Bodies, Performances, And Emotions Of Scholastic Wrestlers, Phyllis L. Baker, Douglas R. Hotek

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

We contribute to the sociology of sport and gender literature with an ethnographic analysis of scholastic wrestling by observing the current climate of masculinity and gender. Our results suggest that it is necessary to understand men and sporting behavior within a broader framework of gender, not just masculinity, because the behavior of high school wrestlers fell along a gender continuum between an orthodox masculinity and femininity. Our exploration of the body, performance, and emotion practices of scholastic wrestlers gives credence to the current critiques of a hegemonic masculinity in men's sports. We show that gender is not dichotomous and that …

Akt1 Polymorphisms Are Associated With Risk For Metabolic Syndrome, Joseph M. Devaney, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Brennan T. Harmon, Margaret K. Bradbury, Stephanie A. Devaney, Tamara B. Harris, Paul D. Thompson, Priscilla M. Clarkson, Thomas B. Price, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Paul M. Gordon, Niall M. Moyna, Linda S. Pescatello, Paul S. Visich, Robert F. Zoeller, Richard L. Seip, Jinwook Seo, Bo Hyoung Kim, Laura L. Tosi, Melissa Garcia, Rongling Li, Joseph M. Zmuda, Matthew J. Delmonico, Robert S. Lindsay, Barbara V. Howard, William E. Kraus, Eric P. Hoffman

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Converging lines of evidence suggest that AKT1 is a major mediator of the responses to insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), and glucose. AKT1 also plays a key role in the regulation of both muscle cell hypertrophy and atrophy. We hypothesized that AKT1 variants may play a role in the endophenotypes that make up metabolic syndrome. We studied a 12-kb region including the first exon of the AKT1 gene for association with metabolic syndrome-related phenotypes in four study populations [FAMUSS cohort (n = 574; age 23.7 ± 5.7 years), Strong Heart Study (SHS) (n = 2,134; age 55.5 …

A Riverbank Filtration Demonstration Project On The Kali River, Dandeli, Karnataka, India, Pamela Cady

Open Access Master's Theses

A small scale RBF system was installed in a village near the Kali River in the state of Karnataka to evaluate the performance of riverbank filtration (RBF) under the hydrogeological and climatological conditions of southern India. A series of hydraulic and tracer tests were carried out along with periodic biological and geochemical monitoring of various water sources in the study area.

Hydrogen and oxygen isotopes highlight the impact of evaporation and irrigation at nearby rice paddies on the RBF production well. Dissolved silica data used to determine the relative contributions of surface and groundwater indicate that this RBF system derives …

Impacts Of Asiatic Sand Sedge On Native Plants And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi In A Barrier Dune, William Johnson

Open Access Master's Theses

The recent expansion of the nonnative invasive Asiatic sand sedge (Carex kobomugi Ohwi) at East Beach State Park, Rhode Island, is reducing populations of the most important native, dune-building species and their associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In contrast to the native American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata Fern.) that is dependent upon AMF to thrive in nutrient-poor sand dunes, C. kobomugi does not form beneficial associations with the fungi. Furthermore, assessments suggest that the sedge is competitively superior in obtaining the essential nutrient phosphorous without AMF-facilitation. Analysis of data from transects of the dune system revealed significant negative correlations …

Variability In Biomass Decay Rates And Nutrient Loss In Bloom-Forming Macroalgal Species, Jessica Elizabeth Conover

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis is comprised of one manuscript. A summary of the manuscript follows: Decaying macroalgae release nitrogen and other nutrients into the surrounding marine environment, providing nutrients for future generations of primary producers, as well as fueling a complex web of decomposer microorganisms. There are relatively few studies that examine macroalgal decomposition rates in areas impacted by macroalgal blooms, although fast-growing macroalgal bloom species typically decay more quickly than slow-growing perennial species. We studied whole tissue, organic content, and nutrient decay rates for five macroalgal species in Narragansett Bay, RI in the summer of 2010 using an intertidal litterbag design; …

Eating Rate, Fasting Ghrelin Concentrations And Weight Status In Female College Students At The University Of Rhode Island, Stephanie E. Perruzza

Open Access Master's Theses

Obesity is a preventable cause of morbidity and mortality and affects over one-third of the American adult population. Eating rate and ghrelin concentrations are two variables that may play a role in obesity. An ancillary study of female college students examined the differences in eating rate (grams/second) and fasting plasma ghrelin concentrations (pg/mL) between weight status categories (normal weight body mass index (BMI) = 18.5-24.9 kg/m², overweight BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m² and obese BMI 30 kg/m²). Anthropometrics, clinical (blood pressure), and biochemical (glucose and ghrelin) data were assessed. Dietary information was obtained from three non-consecutive …

Influence Of Industrial Activities On The Spatial Distribution Of Wildlife In Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, Samuel Ayebare

Open Access Master's Theses

Activities carried out by resource extraction industries in and adjacent to protected areas have increased the risk to biodiversity conservation in different parts of the world. Oil and natural gas developments in the Albertine rift, one of Africa’s biodiversity hotspots, have raised concerns about the potential impacts to wildlife populations and the associated land-cover change. The influence of oil and gas industrial activities on the spatial distribution of wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park was examined by conducting wildlife surveys along 2-km long transects that radiated away from well pads and access roads. The position of large mammal sightings were …

Effects Of A Resistance Training And Dietary Intervention On Body Composition In Overweight And Obese Community Dwelling Older Adults, Leah Dorfman

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Community-based interventions that incorporate resistance training and dietary changes have not been extensively studied in overweight and obese older adults. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of a combined community-based resistance training and dietary intervention on body composition in overweight and obese older adults.

Methods: Ninety-five overweight and obese (BMI = 33.4 ± 4.0 kg/m²) older adults aged (69.2 ± 6.2) years completed an eight-week resistance training and dietary intervention at four Rhode Island senior centers. Participants performed resistance training twice per week using resistance tubing, dumbbells, and ankle weights. Participants …

The Formulation Of Naturally Occuring Polyphenolic Nutraceutical Agents Using Hot-Melt Extrusion, Aditya Duvuri

Open Access Master's Theses

The process of pharmaceutical formulation is constantly evolving as many new active compounds are being discovered in order to overcome the challenges associated with producing viable dosage forms to reach the target tissues by these compounds. Perhaps, the most important property for a drug to be effectively formulated into a dosage form is adequate miscibility and solubility which may be in an organic solvent vehicle but is mainly in water. Water solubility along with solubility in the body fluids is critical from the point of view of achieving the desired levels of the drug in the body for effective therapy …

Nanostructured Anti-Biofouling Surfaces: Physical Deposition Of Ps-B-Paa Langmuir-Blodgett Films, David Bello

Open Access Master's Theses

Biofouling, the accumulation and proliferation of microorganisms, plants, and fouling animals on surfaces in an aqueous environment, poses a significant challenge. For example, the effects of fouling of ship hauls include hydrodynamic drag, increase in fuel consumption by ships whose hulls have been fouled, and increase in frequency of dry-dock cleaning.

In the history of marine navigation, varieties of anti-biofouling control measures have been suggested but tributyltin self-polishing copolymer (TBT-SPC) paints have been the most effective and commercially viable option in curbing biofouling. However, leaching of tri-organotin biocides from TBT-SPC paints through self-polishing activity constitute pollution which led to the …

Biofilm Production By Clinical Staphylococcus Aureus And Its Inhibition By Hypericum Metabolites, Simon Antranik Sarkisian

Open Access Master's Theses

Evolution has allowed bacteria to develop sophisticated methods of survival. One of these methods is biofilm production. Biofilms can be best described as complex bacterial communities embedded in a self-producing slime. Once bacteria form these biofilm communities, they become very difficult to treat with antibiotics. Along with biofilm production, another rising concern is antibiotic resistance. Bacterial resistance to many of our current antibiotics is sharply increasing, thereby creating a critical need to develop novel antimicrobial drugs.

The most successful strategy for the discovery of new antibacterial agents has been the study of molecules from nature. Most of our current clinical …

Integration Of Biotic And Abiotic Data To Map Benthic Habitats Within Block Island And Rhode Island Sounds, Monique Lafrance

Open Access Master's Theses

The mapping of benthic habitats presents the distribution and extent of seafloor environments, including biotic and abiotic characteristics, in a geo-spatial context. This thesis aims to improve methodologies used in the field of benthic habitat mapping and works towards establishing a standard mapping protocol to facilitate more effective communication both among scientists and resource managers in effort to further the goal of science-based decision making. This study is in response to interest in wind turbine construction within Rhode Island waters. A thorough understanding of benthic habitats is essential for making scientifically valid management decisions to minimize ecological and economical development …

Participant Characteristics And Child Welfare Outcomes: Factors Of Influence For Success In The Vip-Ri Program, Alisha Kutzler

Open Access Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics associated with success, defined by a closed case with Child Welfare Services and reunification with biological child, in the Vulnerable Infants Program of Rhode Island (VIP-RI). Data utilized for this study came from participants from the first four years of the VIP-RI program including 206 mothers involved in the Rhode Island Family Treatment Drug Court. These mothers met criteria for this program if they used drugs during pregnancy and voluntarily opted to be part of the VIP-RI program. Demographic, service history and psycho-behavioral variables were examined and, of the hypothesized variables …

Seasonal Protistan Grazing In Narragansett Bay, Caitlyn Lawrence

Open Access Master's Theses

The impact of heterotrophic protist grazing on phytoplankton abundance was measured in Narragansett Bay, RI, USA, a coastal estuary, from January 2010 to February 2011. Plankton samples were collected within the long-term phytoplankton monitoring project in Narragansett Bay, initiated in the 1950s. Concurrent with weekly dilution experiments, samples were assessed for phytoplankton species composition and environmental conditions at the sampling site were recorded. Over the year, grazing removed an average of 94% (range 20 - 200%) of daily primary production, with peaks in both phytoplankton growth and heterotrophic grazing rates occurring during the summer. Phytoplankton growth rates averaged 0.69 ± …

An Alternative To Chromates For Corrosion Protection For Aluminum Alloys, Melissa Williams

Open Access Master's Theses

Aluminum alloys, such as Al 6061-T6 and Al 7075-T6, are widely used in industry due to their high strength to weight ratio and good mechanical properties. The corrosion of these alloys, however, is an expensive and critical problem since the alloys are susceptible to pitting and crevice corrosion in marine environments. The most significant environmental factor, which contributes to the corrosion of these alloys, is the chloride ion found in marine environments or water condensed from humid air contaminated with soluble chloride salts.

Traditionally, chromate based conversion coatings have been used for many years for the protection of aluminum alloys. …

The Role Of Parents' Medication Beliefs, Religious Problem-Solving, And Risks For Treatment Nonadherence In Urban Families With Asthma, Sue K. Adams, Karla Klein Murdock, Elizabeth L. Mcquaid, Lori-Ann Lima

Human Development and Family Science Faculty Publications

Childhood asthma is highly prevalent, affecting approximately nine million children in the United States. Negative effects of pediatric asthma are disproportionately experienced by ethnic minorities living in low-income, urban settings. Given the great diversity in families' ways of addressing children's asthma symptoms, sociocultural factors underlying asthma disparities must be examined. The current study investigated associations among parents' beliefs about conventional and holistic/alternative medications, parents' religious problem-solving strategies and childrens' risks for asthma treatment nonadherence. The sample included 66 parents of ethnically diverse children with asthma living in urban settings. Factor analysis of the Religious Problem Solving Questionnaire yielded two factors, …

Renaissance 2011, University Of Rhode Island

URI Yearbooks

This is a digitized, downloadable version of the University of Rhode Island yearbook.

An Analysis Of Marine Reserve Co-Management Within The Caribbean: Factors Influencing Stakeholder Participation, Sarah Lindley Smith

Open Access Dissertations

The goal of the research is to critically analyze co-management as a tool for sustainable marine resource management through improved understanding of stakeholder participation in co-management. This critique is based on the underlying hypothesis that co-management will lead to greater representation and participation of stakeholders in management and that successful co-management is that which encompasses a wide range of stakeholder perspectives in the decision-making process. This study investigates variability in the involvement of stakeholders in selected examples of existing co-management arrangements developed to manage marine reserves within the wider Caribbean. An understanding of the factors contributing to and dynamics of …

Migration- And Exercise-Induced Changes To Flight Muscle Size In Migratory Birds And Association With Igf1 And Myostatin Mrna Expression, Edwin R. Price, Ulf Buachinger, Daria M. Zajac, David J. Cerasale, Jay T. Mcfarlan, Alexander R. Gerson, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Christopher G. Guglielmo

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Seasonal adjustments to muscle size in migratory birds may result from preparatory physiological changes or responses to changed workloads. The mechanisms controlling these changes in size are poorly understood. We investigated some potential mediators of flight muscle size (myostatin and insulin-like growth factor, IGF1) in pectoralis muscles of wild wintering or migrating white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis), captive white-throated sparrows that were photoperiod manipulated to be in a `wintering' or `migratory' (Zugunruhe) state, and captive European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) that were either exercised for 2 weeks in a wind tunnel or untrained. Flight muscle size increased in …

Exposures To Multiple Environmental Chemicals (Lead, Methylmercury And Polychlorinated Biphenyls) Among Childbearing-Aged Women In The U.S., Marcella Remer Thompson

Open Access Dissertations

It is estimated that 5 to 20% of neurodevelopmental disabilities in children are caused by environmental toxic exposures. Lead, methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are known to have neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental consequences in animal models and human population studies. Bioaccumulation and exposures during gestation transfer from mother to fetus via the placenta and to an infant and young child through lactation. Little is known about multiple environmental chemical exposures, especially among childbearing-aged women.

This descriptive and exploratory study involved analysis of existing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a national probability sample. Lead, methylmercury and the …

Selective Translocation Of Cell-Impermeable Toxins Into Cancer Cells: Phlip Mediated Delivery Of Phallotoxins Inhibits Cancer Proliferation, Dayanjali Diluka Wijesinghe

Open Access Dissertations

Most drug molecules cannot freely diffuse across a cellular membrane because of the energetic barrier for transition across a hydrophobic lipid bilayer of a membrane is very high for polar molecules. Recently it was discovered that a moderately hydrophobic, water-soluble membrane peptide called pHLIP (pH (Low) Insertion Peptide) can insert into membranes and translocate molecules in a pH-dependent manner. This opens a unique opportunity to develop a novel concept in drug delivery, which is based on the use of a pH-sensitive single peptide molecular transporter. The main goal of this investigation is to elucidate mechanism of cargo translocation across a …

Diversity And Distributon Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, A Bacterioplankton Species Of Concern For Human Health, In Rhode Island, Annie M. Cox

Open Access Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a naturally occurring bacterium in coastal marine environments, can cause a severe gastrointestinal illness in humans when contaminated raw or undercooked seafood is consumed. Because of their potential for human illness, V. parahaemolyticus pose a threat to aquaculture through loss of business due to unfavorable publicity. Very little is known about V. parahaemolyticus in Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island); the only recently published study found a low concentration of total V. parahaemolyticus in Narragansett Bay water in the 1980s, and no pathogenic (Kanagawa-positive) strains were isolated. Thus far, illnesses due to V. parahaemolyticus in Rhode Island and the …

Supramolecular Paths For The Synthesis Of Composite Hollow Particles, Alex Couzis

Amgen Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering

Hollow and porous micro/nanostructures are of great interest in many current and emerging areas of technology; their interior space can be used for storage, or a reaction chamber that can encapsulate various substances, and the shell structure contains paths affording control release systems. As a result these materials have had great impact in many technological areas such as the encapsulation and controlled release of substances (e.g., drugs, genes, dyes, inks, cosmetics, pesticides, food stuffs), protection of biologically active species, removal of pollutants, catalysis, and sensing.

Hollow silica nanospheres were synthesized using a two-step sacrificial templating technique. The template used consisted …