Digital Commons Network^™

Trade-Off Between Aerobic Capacity And Locomotor Capability In An Antarctic Pteropod, Joshua J. C. Rosenthal, Brad A. Seibel, Agnieszka Dymowska, Francisco Bezanilla

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

At −1.8 °C, the waters of Antarctica pose a formidable physiological barrier for most ectotherms. The few taxa that inhabit this zone have presumably made specific adjustments to their neuromuscular function and have enhanced their metabolic capacity. However, support for this assertion is equivocal and the details of specific compensations are largely unknown. This can generally be attributed to the fact that most Antarctic organisms are either too distantly related to their temperate relatives to permit direct comparisons (e.g., notothenioid fishes) or because they are not amenable to neuromuscular recording. Here, as a comparative model, we take advantage of 2 …

Cardiac Asystole At Birth: Is Hypovolemic Shock The Cause?, Judith S. Mercer, Debra A. Erickson-Owens, R. Skovgaard

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

A birth involving shoulder dystocia can rapidly deteriorate—from a fetus with a reassuring tracing in the minutes before birth, to a neonate needing aggressive resuscitation. Infants experiencing a traumatic birth involving shoulder dystocia may be severely compromised, even when the preceding labor was uncomplicated. This paper presents two cases in which infants had normal heart beats recorded 5–10 min before birth and were born with cardiac asystole following shoulder dystocia. Often, in cases of shoulder dystocia, infants shift blood to the placenta due to the tight compressive squeeze of the body in the birth canal (along with cord compression) and …

Global Attractivity Results For Mixed-Monotone Mappings In Partially Ordered Complete Metric Spaces, Dž Burgić, S. Kalabušić, Mustafa R. Kulenović

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We prove fixed point theorems for mixed-monotone mappings in partially ordered complete metric spaces which satisfy a weaker contraction condition than the classical Banach contraction condition for all points that are related by given ordering. We also give a global attractivity result for all solutions of the difference equation Z_n+1 = F(zⁿ,z_n-1), n = 2, 3,…, where satisfies mixed-monotone conditions with respect to the given ordering.

Global Behavior Of Four Competitive Rational Systems Of Difference Equations In The Plane, M. Garlić-Demirović, Mustafa R. Kulenović, M. Nurkanović

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We investigate the global dynamics of solutions of four distinct competitive rational systems of difference equations in the plane. We show that the basins of attractions of different locally asymptotically stable equilibrium points are separated by the global stable manifolds of either saddle points or nonhyperbolic equilibrium points. Our results give complete answer to Open Problem 2 posed recently by Camouzis et al. (2009).

Algorithm For The Analysis Of Tryptophan Flourescence Spectra And Their Correlation With Protein Structural Parameters, John Hixon, Yana K. Reshetnyak

Physics Faculty Publications

The fluorescence properties of tryptophan residues are sensitive to the microenvironment of fluorophores in proteins. Therefore, fluorescence characteristics are widely used to study structural transitions in proteins. However, the decoding of the structural information from spectroscopic data is challenging. Here we present a review of approaches developed for the decomposition of multi-component protein tryptophan fluorescence spectra and correlation of these spectral parameters with protein structural properties.

A Novel Technology For The Imaging Of Acidic Prostate Tumors By Positron Emission Tomography, Amy L. Vãvere, Gráinne B. Biddlecombe, William M. Spees, Joel R. Garbow, Dayanjali Wijesinghe, Oleg A. Andreev, Donald M. Engelman, Yana K. Reshetnyak, Jason S. Lewis

Physics Faculty Publications

Solid tumors often develop an acidic environment due to the Warburg effect. The effectiveness of diagnosis and therapy may therefore be enhanced by the design and use of pH-sensitive agents that target acidic tumors. Recently, a novel technology was introduced to target acidic tumors using pH low insertion peptide (pHLIP), a peptide that inserts across cell membranes as an α-helix when the extracellular pH (pH_e) is acidic. In this study, we expanded the application of the pHLIP technology to include positron emission tomography imaging of the acidic environment in prostate tumors using ⁶⁴Cu conjugated to the pHLIP …

Organometallic Ruthenium Complexes With Thiosemicarbazone Ligands: Synthesis, Structure And Cytotoxicity Of [(Η6-P-Cymene)Ru(Ns)Cl]+ (Ns = 9-Anthraldehyde Thiosemicarbazones), Floyd A. Beckford, Gabriel Leblanc, Jeffrey Thessing, Michael Shaloski Jr., Brian J. Frost, Liya Li, Navindra P. Seeram

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

A series of half-sandwich arene ruthenium complexes containing bidentate thiosemicarbazone ligands have been synthesized and their biological activity investigated. The compounds have the general formula [(6-p-cymene)Ru(R-ATSC)Cl]X (ATSC = 9-anthraldehyde thiosemicarbazone and R = H, CH₃ and C₆H₅). The crystal structure of [(6-p-cymene) Ru(MeATSC)Cl]Cl have been determined and represents the first structurally characterized arene–ruthenium half-sandwich complex with a thiosemicarbazone ligand. The complexes show good cytotoxic profiles against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 (breast adenocarcinoma) as well as HCT 116 and HT-29 (colorectal carcinoma) cell lines.

[Refer to PDF for graphical abstract]

Getting The News: A Signer Among Signs, Mary Cappello

English and Creative Writing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Design And Analysis Of High-Performance And Recoverable Data Storages, Weijun Xiao

Open Access Dissertations

With explosive growth of networked information services and e-commerce, data protection and recovery have become the top priority of business organizations and government institutions. In order to make data recoverable and provide high-performance storage service, we have conducted intensive research on networked storage systems. This dissertation addresses the issues related to high recoverable and high-performance storage systems. First, this thesis presents an implementation and performance evaluation of two snapshot technologies: copy-on-write and redirect-on-write snapshots. Our experimental results uncovered many interesting observations regarding the performance characteristics of the two snapshot techniques. Depending on the applications and different I/O workloads, the two …

Factors Influencing The Success Of Community-Based Marine Protected Areas In North Sulawesi Indonesia, Brian R. Crawford

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine factors that influence the success of community based marine protected areas in North Sulawesi Indonesia. The research took place in North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. A multi-methods approach was used including administration of a survey questionnaire to a random sample of household respondents, use of secondary data, key informant interviews and direct observations within the field sites. Results demonstrate that community-based management interventions and community responses are complex and varied. Progress in establishing community-based marine protected areas was related to community context and the amount and type of project interventions provided. The …

Docetaxel And Irinotecan In Recurrent Or Metastatic Head And Neck Cancer, Athanassios Argiris, L. Buchanan, Bruce Brockstein, Jill Kolesar, Musie Ghebremichael, Michael Pins, Kristine Hahn, Rita Axelrod, Arlene Forestiere

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background:

Docetaxel and irinotecan have single-agent antitumor activity in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The authors sought to evaluate their combination in the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN.

Methods:

Eligibility criteria included recurrent or metastatic SCCHN with measurable disease, good performance status, and adequate laboratory parameters. Patients received docetaxel 35 mg/m² and irinotecan 60 mg/m², intravenously, on Days 1 and 8, every 21 days, until disease progression. The authors assessed UGT1A1 genotype, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in serum, and cyclooxygenase-2 and VEGF in baseline tumor tissue.

Results …

Nitrogen Isotopic Evidence For Deglacial Changes In Nutrient Supply In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific, Rebecca S. Robinson, P. Martinez, L. D. Pena, I. Cacho

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The Eastern Equatorial Pacific (EEP) is a high nutrient–low chlorophyll region of the ocean. Downcore nitrogen isotope records from the EEP have been previously interpreted as a direct reflection of changes in nutrient consumption. However, the observed changes in sedimentary δ¹⁵N since the last glacial maximum have no coherent relationship with export productivity or an inferred variation in the iron‐to‐nitrate ratio of the surface waters. Rather, downcore N isotope records in the EEP strongly resemble changes in the extent of water column denitrification as recorded in nearby sedimentary δ¹⁵N records along the western margin of the …

Effects Of Open Marsh Water Management On Numbers Of Larval Salt Marsh Mosquitoes, Mary-Jane James-Pirri, Howard S. Ginsberg, R. Michael Erwin, Janith Taylor

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Open marsh water management (OMWM) is a commonly used approach to manage salt marsh mosquitoes than can obviate the need for pesticide application and at the same time, partially restore natural functions of grid-ditched marshes. OMWM includes a variety of hydrologic manipulations, often tailored to the specific conditions on individual marshes, so the overall effectiveness of this approach is difficult to assess. Here, we report the results of controlled field trials to assess the effects of two approaches to OMWM on larval mosquito production at National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). A traditional OMWM approach, using pond construction and radial ditches was …

Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2009-2010, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

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

Characterization Of N-Acetylglucosamine Utilization By The Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, Ryan Gregory Rhodes

Open Access Dissertations

Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. This spirochete is maintained exclusively within an enzootic cycle and alternates between a tick vector (Ixodes species) and vertebrate host. The organism has limited biosynthetic capabilities and must obtain many essential nutrients from its surrounding environment. One such nutrient is N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a component of peptidoglycan which forms the rigid layer of the microbial cell wall. B. burgdorferi can import GlcNAc as a monomer through one of several glucose transporters or as a dimer (chitobiose) through a dedicated phosphotransferase system (PTS). Despite …

Nonpoint Source Pollutant Monitering On The Ponaganset River Watershed, John C. Arruda Jr.

Open Access Master's Theses

The Ponaganset River Basin consists of an area of 14.4 mi2 located in the town of Foster, Rhode Island. This area is located within the northwest region of the Scituate Watershed. The source of this river comes from the Ponaganset Reservoir with an area of 2.1 mi2 and a storage capacity of 742 MG. Water quality samples were collected at United States Geological Survey (USGS) site (01115187) which is approximately 5 miles down stream from the reservoir and 0.4 miles upstream from Barden Reservoir. The Ponaganset River has the largest mean daily discharge of all the sampling locations in the …

Modeling And Experiments In Microchannels For The Separation And Detection Of Bacteria Using Antibody-Coated Filter And Quantum Dots, Narendra Sharma

Open Access Dissertations

Capture and detection of biomarkers for organisms is an important aspect in the design of a Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC). In this research, modeling and experiments were conducted to separate, capture and detect E. coli K12 bacteria from water samples using microchannels. Microchannels were fabricated using the soft lithography technique. The bacteria were separated from the sample and captured at a polyester filter whose surface was modified by attaching functional groups that had affinity for antibodies specific to E. coli K12. The bacteria bound to the functionalized filter were then tagged with quantum dots conjugated with E. coli K12-specific antibodies for detection …

Global Behavior Of Solutions To A Class Of Second-Order Rational Difference Equations, Sukanya Basu

Open Access Dissertations

For every choice of positive parameters α, β, γ, A, B and C, consider the two difference equations [special characters omitted] and [special characters omitted] In this thesis, it is shown that all solutions to Eqns.(E1) and (E2) converge to the positive equilibrium or to a prime period-two solution. A complete qualitative description of the global behavior of solutions to (El) with nonnegative parameters is also given in this thesis whenever prime period-two solutions exist. Furthermore, a relation is established between local stability of equilibria and slopes of critical curves of planar maps. Then this result is used to give …

Making Room For One Another: Practicing Dynamic And Designed Dialogicality In A Kindergarten Classroom, Gerri August

Open Access Dissertations

The territory of this critical ethnography lies at the intersection of democratic, transformative pedagogy and differences that made a difference in an urban kindergarten. It is an interpretation of a democratic, transformative educator responding to sociocultural differences that emerged in the classroom discourse. Often, such differences lead to otherization. This study interprets the constraints and possibilities that encouraged students to recognize and respect difference. The kindergarten classroom is interpreted in the framework of activity theory. Drawing largely on discourse analysis, this interpretation turns on the interplay between two primary elements in the activity system. The first is Zeke, the kindergarten …

Scoring Silent Film: Music/Nation/Affect, George Steele

Open Access Dissertations

Scoring Silent Film: Music/Nation/Affect studies the history of film music as a way to understand how the "soundtrack" operates in contemporary popular culture. I argue that forms of playful appropriation of film music today, as in the technological innovations of iPod culture, of re-mixing movie trailers on YouTube, or most importantly, of performing original scores live to silent film are all implicated in past industrial cinematic production practices. Early twentieth century film accompaniment in America began as something commentarial before an industry preoccupied with its social and affective influence began to shape its course. In time, the ability for improvisational …

Solubility And Permeability Enhancement Of Levothyroxine Sodium For Oral Administration, Dimple Pabla

Open Access Dissertations

Levothyroxine (14), an endogenous hormone secreted by the thyroid gland is subject to complex biologic regulation. On conversion to active metabolite, triiodothyronine, 14 influences diverse metabolic processes including growth and maturation, cell respiration, total energy expenditure and the turnover of essentially all substrates. T4 is a narrow therapeutic index drug such that doses only about 20-25% outside the normal therapeutic window can put patients at risk of severe side effects of hyper or hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine is a known example of classic bioequivalence problem between various available products. Dissolution of a drug is a crucial step in its oral absorption and …

Exploring Some Inattended Affective Factors In Performing Nonroutine Mathematical Tasks, John D. Butler

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe students' attempts to solve nonroutine math problems and to explore possible correlates of their performance. The focus of this study was on inattended (i.e., intentionally avoided) dimensions that have been underrepresented in the literature, including attitudes, interests, values, aesthetics, metacognition, and representation. Both objective and subjective data--drawn from 13 separate sources--using quantitative and qualitative procedures, were analyzed. Fine-grained rubrics were developed and used to score student work on six nonroutine math problems. These objective data were complemented with students' written "logs" of their work in real time, followed by semi-structured debriefing interviews …

Evolution Of Tolerance To Pcbs And Susceptibility To A Bacterial Pathogen (Vibrio Harveyi) In Atlantic Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus) From New Bedford (Ma, Usa) Harbor, Diane Nacci, Marina Huber, Denise Champlin, Saro Jayaraman, Sarah Cohen, Eric Gauger, Allison Fong, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

A population of the non-migratory estuarine fish Fundulus heteroclitus (Atlantic killifish) resident to New Bedford (NB), Massachusetts, USA, an urban harbor highly contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), demonstrates recently evolved tolerance to some aspects of PCB toxicity. PCB toxicology, ecological theory, and some precedence supported expectations of increased susceptibility to pathogens in NB killifish. However, laboratory bacterial challenges of the marine pathogen Vibrio harveyi to wild fish throughout the reproductive season and to their mature laboratory-raised progeny demonstrated comparable survival by NB and reference killifish, and improved survival by NB males. These results are inconsistent with hypothesized trade-offs of adaptation, …

Bacterial Community Profiling Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica): Comparison Of Culture-Dependent And Culture-Independent Outcomes, Kenneth J. La Valley, Steve Jones, Marta Gomez-Chiarri, Joseph Dealteris, Michael A. Rice

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Tissue-associated bacterial community profiles generated using a nested polymerase chain reaction–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach and culture-dependent and culture-independent isolation techniques were compared. Oyster samples were collected from 2 harvest areas along the coast of Maine, in the United States. Profiles from both isolation strategies were evaluated using Sorensen’s index of similarity and cluster analysis of gel banding patterns. Culture independent profiles were further evaluated using the Shannon diversity index. In general, the culture-dependent strategy resulted in a greater number of bands within a profile. Bacterial DGGE profiles were found to be highly similar within an isolation strategy, with …

Development And Validation Of A Weight-Related Behaviors Questionnaire, Susan M. Schembre

Open Access Dissertations

Research shows the prevalence of obesity is increasing. The greatest increase occurs between 20 and 29 years of age. Obesity results from a long-term positive energy balance attributable to eating and exercise behaviors. Research shows effective behavior change interventions impact cognitive constructs which explain specific behaviors. Objectives were to develop and validate a weight-related behaviors questionnaire (WRBQ) for young adults with individual eating and exercise behavior scales and explore the impact of the scales to explain patterns of energy intake and exercise participation. The sample (N-721) consisted of 18 to 24 year old females (69.5%) and males (30.5%) with a …

Habitats In A Rhode Island Coastal Lagoon Experiencing Episodic Hypoxia, Marisa L. Guarinello

Open Access Master's Theses

Identification of spatial and temporal patterns in ecosystem processes and habitats across various scales is at the core of ecological research. As human activities continue to place increasing pressure on marine and coastal ecosystems, ecosystem-based management that includes an understanding of such patterns and embraces complexity is needed. Habitat classification and mapping can be used to identify existing patterns, spatial and temporal scales of variability, and locations vulnerable to human-induced changes. To truly examine ecosystem dynamics, characterization of habitat response to stressors should be paired with conceptual and quantitative models of ecosystem and stressor dynamics.

Quonochontaug Pond, a coastal lagoon …

Magical American Jew: The Enigma Of Difference In Contemporary Jewish American Short Fiction And Film, Aaron Tillman

Open Access Dissertations

Efforts to define contemporary Jewish American identity often reveal more questions than concrete articulations, more statements about what Jewish Americans are not than what they are. Such ambiguities pervade many works of Jewish American literature. Magical American Jew explores how certain writers and filmmakers have used magical realist techniques to portray the enigma of Jewish American difference. What I am characterizing as enigmatic is the indefinite yet undeniable difference that informs how many Jewish Americans envision themselves. In a felicitous way, magical realism also resists categorization. Marked by a "co-presence" of the natural and supernatural, magical realism allows past and …

The Influence Of Diagnostic Labels, Gender, And Ethnicity On Teacher Perceptions, Expectancies, And Attributions: A Consideration Of Closure, Acceptance, And Stigmatization, Deanna Rae Voisine

Open Access Dissertations

The present study sought to determine the impact of diagnostic labels, gender, and ethnicity on teachers' perceptions, expectancies, and attributions. Following a pilot study to determine if the measure had adequate reliability, approximately 3630 instructional letters were distributed to 65 schools in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The Teacher Attitude and Attribution Scale (TAAS; Voisine, 2008), a 42 item questionnaire, measured teachers' perceptions, expectancies, and attributions (for parent/family factors, student factors, and teacher/school factors) for a hypothetical student. Vignettes at the start of the questionnaire detailed the student's behavioral problems and had the student's gender (male/female), ethnicity (Hispanic/Caucasian), and diagnostic …

Natal Habitat Use By Dragonflies Along Landscape Gradients In Rhode Island, Maria Adella Aliberti Lubertazzi

Open Access Dissertations

Urban environments often support depauperate insect faunas, although they can serve as suitable habitats for some taxa. The potential value of urban wetlands as habitat for regional dragonfly populations has not been well studied. Landscape patterns of natal habitat use by lentic dragonflies were studied at small wetlands in Rhode Island, U.S.A. during three field seasons (2004, 2005, 2006). Dragonfly exuviae were collected along defined perimeter paths on six (2004) or five (2005, 2006) site visits per season (May- October). The exuviae were identified in the laboratory, and the number collected per species/hour was tallied for each field season. Three …

Kaikobase: An Integrated Silkworm Genome Database And Data Mining Tool, Michihiko Shimomura, Hiroshi Minami, Yoshitaka Suetsugu, Hajime Ohyanagi, Chikatada Satoh, Baltazar Antonio, Yoshiaki Nagamura, Keiko Kadono-Okuda, Hideyuki Kajiwara, Hideki Sezutsu, Javaregowda Nagaraju, Marian R. Goldsmith, Qingyou Xia, Kimiko Yamamoto, Kazuei Mita

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is one of the most economically important insects in many developing countries owing to its large-scale cultivation for silk production. With the development of genomic and biotechnological tools, B. mori has also become an important bioreactor for production of various recombinant proteins of biomedical interest. In 2004, two genome sequencing projects for B. mori were reported independently by Chinese and Japanese teams; however, the datasets were insufficient for building long genomic scaffolds which are essential for unambiguous annotation of the genome. Now, both the datasets have been merged and assembled through a joint collaboration …