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Climate Variability, Oceanography, Bowhead Whale Distribution, And Iñupiat Subsistence Whaling Near Barrow, Alaska, Carin J. Ashjian, Stephen R. Braund, Robert Campbell, J. C. "Craig" George, Jack Kruse, Wieslaw Maslowski, Sue E. Moore, Craig R. Nicolson, Stephen R. Okkonen, Barry F. Sherr, Evelyn B. Sherr, Yvette H. Spitz

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The annual migration of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) past Barrow, Alaska, has provided subsistence hunting to Iñupiat for centuries. Bowheads recurrently feed on aggregations of zooplankton prey near Barrow in autumn. The mechanisms that form these aggregations, and the associations between whales and oceanography, were investigated using field sampling, retrospective analysis, and traditional knowledge interviews. Oceanographic and aerial surveys were conducted near Barrow during August and September in 2005 and 2006. Multiple water masses were observed, and close coupling between water mass type and biological characteristics was noted. Short-term variability in hydrography was associated with changes in wind …

Building Resilience To Coastal Disasters: An Assessment Of Social Resilience During Recovery After The Indian Ocean Tsunami In Thailand, Dawn M. Kotowicz

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate changes in social resilience to coastal disasters in the coastal community of Suk Sumran in Thailand during recovery from the Indian Ocean tsunami. Specifically, the objective of this research is to determine if there was an increase in indicators of social resilience during the two years of recovery following the disaster. The assessment included an examination of the design of a sub-set of projects implemented during the recovery effort, description of the socio-economic changes related to social resilience over the course of recovery and an exploration of the perceptions related to social …

Rhetorics Of Place And Ecological Relationships: The Rhetorical Construction Of Narragansett Bay, Matthew Ortoleva

Open Access Dissertations

As an ethnographic study of how language and rhetorical acts are used to construct, challenge, and change ecological relationships to the Narragansett Bay watershed, this dissertation argues that there are three architectonic, master discourses that dominate the discursive domain of the Narragansett Bay watershed: the discourse of science, the discourse of economics, and the discourse of spirituality. These master discourses construct and authorize particular world-views, give human agents the vocabulary to speak about the world in particular ways, and produce multiple other sub-discourses, which in turn construct different ecological relationships to Narragansett Bay and lead to particular attitudes, beliefs, and …

Lipid Bilayer-Nanoparticle Interactions In Nanotoxicology And Nanomedicine, Yanjing Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Nanoparticle (NP) interactions that may destabilize cell membranes and cause toxicity can also be used to design and control therapeutic assemblies. Fundamentally examining interactions between NPs and cell membranes is crucial to understanding NP toxicity mechanisms and the development of safe and non-toxic NP-based commercial and therapeutic applications. In this dissertation it is demonstrated that self-assembled lipid bilayers can be employed as model membranes to determine NP interact ions. First, protocols were developed for examining hydrophobic and hydrophilic NP-bilayer interactions using lipid bilayer vesicles or liposomes. Second, interactions between liposomes and NPs were characterized by examining changes in liposome structure, …

Benthic Habitat Mapping And Assessment Using Organism-Sediment Relationships, Emily J. Shumchenia

Open Access Dissertations

The study of organism-sediment relationships involves characterizing a suite of biological and geological features that control the spatial and temporal patterns of the benthic landscape and the response of these ecosystems to natural and anthropogenic disturbance. Acknowledging this variability is essential for effective monitoring and management of all marine ecosystems, but especially coastal environments where anthropogenic stresses tend to dominate. This dissertation examines organism-sediment relationships to support habitat mapping and assessment in Greenwich Bay, a shallow sub-embayment within Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. Sediment profile imagery (SPI) played a prominent role in linking sediments, organisms and water quality in these …

Around, Alongside, Inside, And In-Between: The Geometries Of Performance In Contemporary U.S. Play And Film, Piotr A. Skuza

Open Access Dissertations

Divided into four consecutive chapters, The Geometries of Performance is a study of how Don DeLillo's play Valparaiso and Barry Levinson's film production Wag the Dog both demonstrate and inform readers, spectators, and viewers, through the performative nature of both sources, about the intersections of Patricia Pisters's notion of "camera consciousness" and Roy Ascott's "network consciousness": how such intersections are formed, how they emerge and operate in the contexts of modern technologies of perception, and how they affect contemporary audience. In chapter 1, "Valparaiso: Möbius Strip I or, In the Regime of Monads (Tell us everything')," I study Don DeLillo's …

A Novel Nanotechtonics Approach To Nanoparticle Assembly For Chemical Sensing Arrays, Brian W. Corbett

Open Access Dissertations

There is always a need for innovation in chemical sensing technologies. Over the past several decades, many advances have been realized. However, many applications still suffer due to the fact that they can be expensive and time consuming, both in the preparation/production of sensing devices/materials and in their use during analysis, making them impractical for routine analysis. The push toward new materials in the design of chemical sensing technologies has been pronounced. Novel materials based on nanotechtonic approaches offer more specificity to sensing applications and can offer the user ease of use at less expense. This work focuses on the …

Valve-Less Rectification Micropumps Based On Bifurcation Geometries, Ahmed Fald

Open Access Dissertations

Micropumps are key components in many Microsystems such as Lab-On-a-Chip (LOC) and Micro Total Analysis Systems (μTAS). An efficient, bidirectional, and multifunctional micropump is important to enhance the overall efficiency of any microsystem with fluid flow. Developing a bidirectional micropump with pumping and mixing capabilities will advance microsysetems technology and aid in fabricating more compact microsystems. In this work, a valve-less rectification micropump based on bifurcation geometry is designed, fabricated, and tested. Three different designs were experimentally investigated. Numerical investigation based on Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) was employed prior to the experimental work to numerically measure the microfluidic diodicity in …

The Preferences Of Commercial Fishermen To Supply Collaborative Research In New England: A Welfare Analysis, Joshua B. Wiersma

Open Access Dissertations

The 2007 re-authorization of the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act calls for greater participation by commercial fishermen in NOAA's collaborative research programs. The M-S Act lists a set of research priorities of particular importance to complete, collaboratively, with the help of commercial fishermen and their vessels. To gauge how willing commercial fishermen in New England are to help develop and execute the type of collaborative research (C R) deemed important by policy makers, an industry wide economic assessment of collaborative research was done based on a contingent valuation stated choice experiment (CF) mail survey. Fifteen hundred owner/captains of …

Lead Exposure, Aging And Biomarkers In Alzheimer's Disease, Aderemi Dosunmu

Open Access Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. To investigate AD risk factors, we reviewed epidemiologic case control studies and recent research for AD's connection to the environment. Next, we examined the number one risk factor in AD, aging. We compared and contrasted lifespan profiles of AD-associated mRNA and protein levels in monkeys and mice. The AD-related biomarkers were APP mRNA and protein; Aβ levels; specificity protein 1 (SP1); and the β-amyloid precursor cleaving enzyme (BACE1). In mice, APP and Sp1 mRNA and their protein products were elevated late in life; Aβ levels declined. In monkeys, APP, Sp1, and BACE1 …

Regulation Of Muscle Growth In Teleost Fish By Members Of The Transforming Growth Factor β Superfamily, Michael Paul Phelps

Open Access Dissertations

Little is known of the mechanisms regulating the growth and development of muscle tissue in teleost fish. Mammalian muscle growth is negatively regulated by multiple signaling proteins of the transforming growth factor β superfamily (TGF-β), including myostatin. Teleost myostatin genes have high protein sequence conservation with the mammalian myostatin gene however, the levels of myostatin expression and tissue distribution as well as the overall muscle structure of fish and mammals, differ significantly. To determine whether TGF-β signaling is required for proper muscle growth and development in fish, two strains of transgenic rainbow trout (RBT; Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)) were produced overexpressing …

Functional Analysis Of The Cellulose Synthase-Like D (Csld) Gene Family In Physcomitrella Patens, Christos Sotirios Dimos

Open Access Dissertations

The moss Physcomitrella patens is an attractive model organism, due to its small genome, dominant haploid phase, and high rate of homologous recombination. P. patens has eight genes that form a family known as the Cellulose Synthase-Like Ds (CSLDs). They may be involved in the biosynthesis of crystalline or non-crystalline cellulose and polarized tip growth, but their direct role is still unknown. In order to study the functions of CSLDs, RT-qPCR was preformed, and knockout (KO) mutants for PpCSLD1, PpCSLD2, and PpCSLD8 were developed, but showed no obvious phenotype. As a result, PpCSLD4, PpCSLD5, and PpCSLD6 KO vectors were created …

Physical And Chemical Interactions Between Marine Phytoplankton And Particle-Colonizing Bacteria, Jason Robert Graff

Open Access Dissertations

It is inherently difficult to study the direct interactions between marine microbes due to the size of the organisms and microscale environments in which they exist. Recent evidence suggests that the direct associations between marine phytoplankton and particle-colonizing bacteria can influence marine microbial community succession, microalgal primary production, toxin production by marine phytoplankton, and have potential implications for human health. The goal of this dissertation was to elucidate some of the physical and chemical mechanisms that regulate microbial interactions, particularly the colonization of phytoplankton and other marine particles by bacteria. To accomplish these goals, I used a creative and multi-disciplinary …

The Effect Of Perinatal Morbidity, Child Health And Maternal Influences On Social Competence At Age 12 Years In Formerly Preterm Infants, Nicole C. Smith

Open Access Dissertations

Prematurity is a national problem with rates climbing to the highest levels in four decades. Social competence is a critically important skill for children to master in order to become socially competent adults. Social competence is not fully studied in children born prematurely. Yet they are at risk for poorer social competence due to their physical, cognitive, motor and developmental difficulties. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of perinatal morbidity, child health, and maternal influences on social competence at age 12 in a sample of formerly preterm infants and a full term comparison group. Two hypotheses …

Regioselective Oxidative Arylation Of N-Acetylindoles And N-Alkylindoles, Shathaverdhan Potavathri

Open Access Dissertations

Direct C-H bond arylation holds a significant importance in the synthesis of small biologically active molecular as it eliminates the need for pre-functionalization of either of the coupling partners. The use of these pre-functionalized coupling partners is inherently wasteful and uneconomical in comparison to methods that might directly couple the arenes together through C-H bond activation. This dissertation is mainly focused on the regioselective oxidative arylation of indoles and the synthesis of next-generation inhibitors of botulinum neurotoxin by a direct catalytic cross-coupling strategy. The first manuscript entitled "Oxidant - Controlled Regioselectivity in the Oxidative Arylation of N-Acetylindoles" is focused on …

Evaluation Of Treatment Discontinuation, Patterns Of Respiratory Arrest And Myocardial Infarction And Re-Hospitalization Rates In Patients Treated For Schizophrenia, Gillis Joseph Carrigan

Open Access Dissertations

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterized by debilitating effects including, hallucinations, delusions, disordered speech and abnormal thought processes. Due to its chronic nature, and early onset, schizophrenia can cause extreme disruption to patients' lives, often with devastating and lasting effects on individuals and their families. In the past 10-15 years, a number of new pharmacological treatments, referred to as atypical antipsychotics, have emerged for the management of schizophrenia. The purpose of this dissertation was to compare the effectiveness of the atypicals within class, and also in comparison to older antipsychotic agents. Antipsychotic treatment was examined with respect to all …

Analysis Of The Function And Evolution Of The Cellulose Synthase-Like C Gene Family Using The Model Organism Physcomitrella Patens, Michael John Budziszek Ii

Open Access Dissertations

The plant cell wall is an integral component of everyday life. A complete understanding of the biosynthesis of the various cell wall polysaccharides will help in areas of agricultural production, biofuel development, and other economic industries. A daunting area of plant cell wall research is to identify genes that encode proteins involved in the biosynthesis of the various cell wall polysaccharides. The structure and resilience of the cell wall makes this a challenging endeavor. Recent advances in genetics and biochemical techniques may pave the way for promising insights into the dynamics of the cell wall. The focus of this study …

Reference Database Usage Statistics 2008-2009

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the use of online reference databases at the University of Rhode Island during the period from July 2008 through June 2009. Includes COUNTER-compliant data on sessions, searches, turnaways, full text articles downloaded, cost per search, and other metrics.

Curricular Affairs Committee Minutes December 15, 2009, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

Curricular Affairs Committee Minutes November 23, 2009, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

Terrain Constrained Stereo Correspondence, Gabrielle Inglis, Chris Roman

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

There is a persistent need in the oceanographic community for accurate three dimensional reconstructions of seafloor structures. To meet this need underwater mapping techniques have expanded to include the use of stereo vision and high frequency multibeam sonar for mapping scenes 10's to 100's of square meters in size. Both techniques have relative advantages and disadvantages that depend on the task at hand and the desired accuracy. In this paper, we develop a method to constrain the often problematic stereo correspondence search to small sections of the image that correspond to estimated ranges along the epipolar lines calculated from coregistered …

From Solar Cells To Exascale Computing, Kirk E. Jordan

Amgen Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering

Beginning with a brief overview of a boundary integral problem that led from an intractable computational problem to model an efficient solar cell but through a novel mathematical formulation became tractable, I will lay the foundation of the importance of mathematics in computation. This problem led to my career in High Performance Computing (HPC). Today, as we move from the Petascale era to Exascale era, HPC is a tool frequently used to understand complex problems in numerous areas such as aerospace, biology, climate modeling and energy. Scientists and engineers working on problems in these and other areas demand ever increasing …

Extensive Conserved Synteny Of Genes Between The Karyotypes Of Manduca Sexta And Bombyx Mori Revealed By Bac-Fish Mapping, Yuji Yasukochi, Makiko Tanaka-Okuyama, Fukashi Shibata, Atsuo Yoshido, Frantisek Marec, Chengcang Wu, Hongbin Zhang, Marian R. Goldsmith, Ken Sahara

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Genome sequencing projects have been completed for several species representing four highly diverged holometabolous insect orders, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera. The striking evolutionary diversity of insects argues a need for efficient methods to apply genome information from such models to genetically uncharacterized species. Constructing conserved synteny maps plays a crucial role in this task. Here, we demonstrate the use of fluorescence in situ hybridization with bacterial artificial chromosome probes as a powerful tool for physical mapping of genes and comparative genome analysis in Lepidoptera, which have numerous and morphologically uniform holokinetic chromosomes.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We isolated 214 clones …

Phenotopic Plasticity Of Leaf Shape Along A Temperature Gradient In Acer Rubrum, Dana L. Royer, Laura A. Meyerson, Kevin M. Robertson, Jonathan M. Adams

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Both phenotypic plasticity and genetic determination can be important for understanding how plants respond to environmental change. However, little is known about the plastic response of leaf teeth and leaf dissection to temperature. This gap is critical because these leaf traits are commonly used to reconstruct paleoclimate from fossils, and such studies tacitly assume that traits measured from fossils reflect the environment at the time of their deposition, even during periods of rapid climate change. We measured leaf size and shape in Acer rubrum derived from four seed sources with a broad temperature range and grown for two years in …

Curricular Affairs Committee Minutes September 25 2009, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Committee Reports and Appendices

No abstract provided.

Serials Unit Annual Report 2008-2009, Andree J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Annual report of the Serials Unit, University Library, University of Rhode Island. Covers personnel, work flow, subscriptions, and statistics on expenditures by a number of variables.

Ebsco Historical Price Analysis Report 2009

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

This report lists all periodicals subscribed to in 2009 through EBSCO Subscription Services by the University Libraries, University of Rhode Island. This report analyzes prices over a five-year period. Information provided includes title, frequency, price in each of the last five years, and percent changes in price over five years. The list is sorted by LC Classification to better show the price changes in each discipline/subject area. The associated spreadsheet includes additional information such as ISSN, Library of Congress Classification number, country of origin, publisher name, and title format (print or online). The spreadsheet may be downloaded and sorted by …

Ebsco Library Of Congress Classification Report 2009

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

This report lists all periodicals subscribed to in 2009 through EBSCO Subscription Services by the University Libraries, University of Rhode Island. Information provided includes title, ISSN, Library of Congress Classification number and name, and subscriber (URI, Pell, or CCE). The list is sorted by LC Classification to better show the journals that support each discipline/subject area. Not included here are titles available through online journal packages and reference databases, which now comprise the majority of the Libraries' subscriptions. The journals listed here are those to which the Libraries subscribe to individually, title-by-title.

Serials Solutions Click-Through Statistics By Provider And Database 2008-2009

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the total number of database and journal-level clicks, by provider and database, of Serials Solutions tools at the University of Rhode Island Libraries by month for 2008-2009. Clicks may have originated from the A-Z full text electronic journal list (at http://zu4tq4pb5v.search.serialssolutions.com/), from OpenURL links ("360 Link"), or the 856 fields of Serials Solutions-generated MARC records ("360 MARC Updates").

Digitalcommons@University Of Rhode Island Statistics 2008-2009

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the total number of full text downloads from the DigitalCommons@University of Rhode Island institutional repository for 2008-2009. Data are provided monthly on the number of full text downloads by collection and document, and on the number of referrals by domain and country. Dissertations are included in the statistics. Digital Commons statistics are COUNTER-compliant, with downloads from robots and automated processes filtered out.