Digital Commons Network^™

Poles Apart: The ‘‘Bipolar’’ Pteropod Species Limacina Helicina Is Genetically Distinct Between The Arctic And Antarctic Oceans, Brian Hunt, Jan Strugnell, Nina Bednarsek, Katrin Linse, R. John Nelson, Evgeny Pakhomov, Brad A. Seibel, Dirk Steinke, Laura Würzberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The shelled pteropod (sea butterfly) Limacina helicina is currently recognised as a species complex comprising two sub-species and at least five “forma”. However, at the species level it is considered to be bipolar, occurring in both the Arctic and Antarctic oceans. Due to its aragonite shell and polar distribution L. helicina is particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification. As a key indicator of the acidification process, and a major component of polar ecosystems, L. helicina has become a focus for acidification research. New observations that taxonomic groups may respond quite differently to acidification prompted us to reassess the taxonomic status of …

Biopharmaceutical Development Of Vaccines For Prophylactic And Therapeutic Applications, Isidro Zarraga

Amgen Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering

Advances in biotechnology and immunology in the last two decades have paved the way for novel biologics treatments for cancer such as monoclonal antibodies as well as cancer vaccines in clinical trials. Cell-culture based production (as opposed to egg-based fermentation) has enabled production of vaccines comprised of either purified protein antigens or virus-like particles (VLPs) using recombination of viral genes, at rates capable of meeting surge demands due to a pandemic. This approach also provides a better controlled process and a more purified product which minimizes potential allergies and side effects. Another recent development, the discovery of small molecule immune …

Curricular Affairs Committee Minutes February 8, 2010, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

Dripping, Jeting, Drops And Wetting: The Magic Of Microfluidics, David Weitz

Amgen Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering

This talk will discuss some of the new opportunities that arise by precisely controlling fluid flow and mixing using microfluidic devices. I describe studies to elucidate the instabilities that lead to drop formation and use these to create new materials that are difficult to achieve with any other method. I also show how the exquisite control afforded by the microfluidic devices provides enabling technology to use droplets as nanoreactors to qualitatively increase the rate of screening of biological reactions, and will demonstrate how this can be used in new applications relevant for biotechnology.

Functional Genomics Tool: Gene Silencing In Ixodes Scapularis Eggs And Nymphs By Electroporated Dsrna, Shahid Karim, Emily Troiano, Thomas N. Mather

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Background: Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods responsible for transmitting a wide variety of disease-causing agents, and constitute important public health threats globally. Ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of the Lyme disease agent in the eastern and central U.S. RNAi is a mechanism by which gene-specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) triggers degradation of homologous mRNA transcripts. Here, we describe an optimized protocol for effectively suppressing gene expression in the egg and nymphal stages of I. scapularis by electroporation.

Results: The genes encoding the putative Phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂), cytoplasmic Cystatin, Syntaxin-5, β-Actin and Calreticulin were targeted by delivering …

Division Of Research And Economic Development Annual Report For Fy2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

Annual report for the Division of Research and Economic Development of the University of Rhode Island for the year 2009-2010.

Includes statistics of project proposals, expenditures, URI Foundation Awards, previous annual report summaries and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For March 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For January 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For April 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For August 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For July 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For February 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For September 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For November 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For December 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For October 2010, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

The Ecology Of A Keystone Seed Disperser, The Ant Rhytidoponera Violacea, Dave Lubertazzi, Maria A. Aliberti Lubertazzi, Neil Mccoy, Aaron D. Gove, Jonathan D. Majer, Robert R. Dunn

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Rhytidoponera violacea (Forel) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a keystone seed disperser in Kwongan heathland habitats of southwestern Australia. Like many myrmecochorous ants, little is known about the basic biology of this species. In this study various aspects of the biology of R. violacea were examined and the researchers evaluated how these characteristics may influence seed dispersal. R. violacea nesting habits (relatively shallow nests), foraging behavior (scramble competitor and lax food selection criteria), and other life history characteristics complement their role as a mutualist that interacts with the seeds of many plant species.

Repression Of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Is Responsible For The Sex-Linked Chocolate Mutation Of The Silkworm, Bombyx Mori, Chun Liu, Kimiko Yamamoto, Ting-Cai Cheng, Keiko Kadono-Okuda, Junko Narukawa, Shi-Ping Liu, Yu Han, Ryo Futahashi, Kurako Kidokoro, Hiroaki Noda, Isao Kobayahi, Toshiki Tamura, Akio Ohnuma, Yutaka Banno, Fang-Ying Dai, Zhong-Huai Xiang, Marian R. Goldsmith, Kazuei Mita, Qing-You Xia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Pigmentation patterning has long interested biologists, integrating topics in ecology, development, genetics, and physiology. Wild-type neonatal larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, are completely black. By contrast, the epidermis and head of larvae of the homozygous recessive sex-linked chocolate (sch) mutant are reddish brown. When incubated at 30 °C, mutants with the sch allele fail to hatch; moreover, homozygous mutants carrying the allele sch lethal (sch^l) do not hatch even at room temperature (25 °C). By positional cloning, we narrowed a region containing sch to 239,622 bp on chromosome 1 using 4,501 backcross (BC1) …

Validation Of A Measure To Assess Alcohol- And Marijuana-Related Risks And Consequences Among Incarcerated Adolescents, L. A.R. Stein, Rebecca Lebeau, Mary Clair, Joseph S. Rossi, Rose Marie Martin, Charles Golembeske

Cancer Prevention Research Center Faculty Publications

Few measures exist to assess risky behaviors and consequences as they relate to substance use in juvenile delinquents. This study sought to validate such a measure on a racially and ethnically diverse sample (N = 175). Results indicate that alcohol-related risky behaviors and consequences comprise a single scale as do marijuana-related risky behaviors and consequences. Furthermore, results suggest that the retention of common items for both scales produces reliable and valid scales and maintains parsimony. Internal consistencies were more than adequate (0.72 – 0.83) and test-retest stabilities, even across several months were acceptable (0.52 - 0.50). The scales evidenced a …

The Role Of Interface Organizations In Science Communication And Understanding, Deanna L. Osmond, Nalini M. Nadkarni, Charles T. Driscoll, Elaine Andrews, Arthur J. Gold, Shorna R. Broussard Allred, Alan R. Berkowitz, Michael W. Klemens, Terry L. Loecke, Mary Ann Mcgarry, Kristen Schwarz, Mary L. Washington, Peter M. Groffman

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

“Interface” organizations are groups created to foster the use of science in environmental policy, management, and education. Here we compare interface organizations that differ in spatial scale, modes of operation, and intended audience to illustrate their diversity and importance in promoting the application of science to environmental issues. There has been exciting recent growth in the nature and extent of activities by interface organizations and in new methods for science communication and engagement. These developments can help scientists – who face personal and institutional challenges when attempting to convey the results of their research to various audiences – interact with …

Exposure To Cold But Not Exercise Increases Carbon Turnover Rates In Specific Tissues Of A Passerine, U. Bauchinger, J. Keil, R. A. Mckinney, J. M. Starck, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Carbon turnover differs between tissues within an animal, but the extent to which ecologically relevant increases in metabolism affect carbon turnover rates is largely unknown. We tested the energy expenditure and protein turnover hypotheses that predict increased carbon turnover, either in association with increased daily energy expenditure, or in concert with tissue-specific increased protein metabolism. We used stable-isotope-labeled diets to quantify the rate of carbon turnover in 12 different tissues for three groups of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata): cold-exposed birds kept at ambient temperatures below their thermoneutral zone, exercised birds that were flown for 2 h per day …

Highly Variable Acquisition Rates Of Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) By Birds On An Atlantic Barrier Island, S. S. Mitra, P. A. Buckley, F. G. Buckley, Howard S. Ginsberg

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Acquisition of ticks by bird hosts is a central process in the transmission cycles of many tick-borne zoonoses, but tick recruitment by birds has received little direct study. We documented acquisition of Ixodes scapularis Say on birds at Fire Island, NY, by removing ticks from mist-netted birds, and recording the number of ticks on birds recaptured within 4 d of release. Eight bird species acquired at least 0.8 ticks bird⁻¹ day⁻¹ during the seasonal peak for at least one age class of I. scapularis. Gray Catbirds, Eastern Towhees, Common Yellowthroats, and Northern Waterthrushes collectively accounted for 83% …

Equity In Community Forests In Bhutan, Bill Buffum, A. Lawrence, K. J. Temphel

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

The equity of Bhutan's new community forestry program was assessed after three years of experience with timber harvesting. Despite the impressive achievements of community forestry programs elsewhere in South Asia, there is increasing evidence that poor and disadvantaged members of community forestry management groups benefit less than other members. We compared this with the situation in Bhutan. All households in three villages were ranked by socio-economic status before analyzing the distribution of community forest (CF) products. A household survey and focus group interviews provided more detailed information on how the socio-economic groups participated in the CFs. Economic equity (distribution of …

Recent Advances In Noble Metal Nanocatalysts For Suzuki And Heck Cross-Coupling Reactions, Radha Narayanan

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Since metal nanoparticles have a high surface-to-volume ratio and very active surface atoms, they are very attractive catalysts for a wide variety of organic and inorganic reactions, compared to bulk catalysts. Metal nanoparticles suspended in colloidal solutions and those adsorbed onto bulk supports have been used as catalysts for a wide variety of carbon-carbon bond formation reactions such as the Suzuki and Heck cross-coupling reactions. This review article highlights some of the latest advances in the application of noble metal nanoparticles as catalysts for these two industrially important classes of cross-coupling reactions. We will discuss several important advances in using …

Empirical Bayes Analysis Of Sequencing-Based Transcriptional Profiling Without Replicates, Zhijin Wu, Bethany D. Jenkins, Tatiana A. Rynearson, Sonya T. Dyhrman, Mak A. Saito, Melissa Mercier, Leann P. Whitney

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Background:

Recent technological advancements have made high throughput sequencing an increasingly popular approach for transcriptome analysis. Advantages of sequencing-based transcriptional profiling over microarrays have been reported, including lower technical variability. However, advances in technology do not remove biological variation between replicates and this variation is often neglected in many analyses.

Results:

We propose an empirical Bayes method, titled Analysis of Sequence Counts (ASC), to detect differential expression based on sequencing technology. ASC borrows information across sequences to establish prior distribution of sample variation, so that biological variation can be accounted for even when replicates are not available. Compared to current …

A Network-Individual-Resource Model For Hiv Prevention, Blair T. Johnson, Colleen A. Redding, Ralph J. Diclemente, Brian S. Mustanski, Brian Dodge, Paschal Sheeran, Michelle R. Warren, Rick S. Zimmerman, William A. Fisher, Mark T. Conner, Michael P. Carey, Jeffrey D. Fisher, Ronald D. Stall, Martin Fishbein

Cancer Prevention Research Center Faculty Publications

HIV is transmitted through dyadic exchanges of individuals linked in transitory or permanent networks of varying sizes. A theoretical perspective that bridges key individual level elements with important network elements can be a complementary foundation for developing and implementing HIV interventions with outcomes that are more sustainable over time and have greater dissemination potential. Toward that end, we introduce a Network-Individual-Resource (NIR) model for HIV prevention that recognizes how exchanges of resources between individuals and their networks underlies and sustains HIV-risk behaviors. Individual behavior change for HIV prevention, then, may be dependent on increasing the supportiveness of that individual’s relevant …

Freshman Record : The University Of Rhode Island, The Interfraternity/Panhellenic Councils

Freshman Record

No abstract provided.

Renaissance 2010, University Of Rhode Island

URI Yearbooks

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

Predator Effects In Predator-Free Space: The Remote Effects Of Predators On Prey, John L. Orrock, Lawerence M. Dill, Andrew Sih, Johnathan H. Grabowski, Scott D. Peacor, Barbara L. Peckarsky, Evan L. Preisser, James R. Vonesh, Earl E. Werner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Predators can have remote effects on prey populations that are connected by migration (i.e. prey metapopulations) because predator-mediated changes in prey behavior and abundance effectively transmit the impact of predators into predator-free prey populations. Behavioral changes in prey that might give rise to remote effects are altered rates of migration or activity in the presence of predation risk (called non-consumptive effects, fear- or μ-driven effects, and risk effects). Changes in prey abundance that may result in remote effects arise from changes in prey density due to direct predation (i.e. consumptive effects, also called N-driven effects and predation effects). Remote effects …

Ecological Boundary Detection Using Bayesian Areal Wombling, Matthew C. Fitzpatrick, Evan L. Preisser, Adam Porter, Joseph Elkinton, Lance A. Waller, Bradley P. Carlin, Aaron M. Ellison

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The study of ecological boundaries and their dynamics is of fundamental importance to much of ecology, biogeography, and evolution. Over the past two decades, boundary analysis (of which wombling is a subfield) has received considerable research attention, resulting in multiple approaches for the quantification of ecological boundaries. Nonetheless, few methods have been developed that can simultaneously (1) analyze spatially homogenized data sets (i.e., areal data in the form of polygons rather than point‐reference data); (2) account for spatial structure in these data and uncertainty associated with them; and (3) objectively assign probabilities to boundaries once detected. Here we describe the …