Digital Commons Network^™

Time Post-Hatch Caloric Value Of Artemia Salina, Jessie M. Sanders

Senior Honors Projects

In aquatic animal collections, such as those in the collection of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration’s Fish & Invertebrate department, live food is an essential part of the diet of animals that are on display, used in education, and kept in reserve for exhibits. For Mystic Aquarium’s Fish & Invertebrate department, newly hatched Artemia salina, or brine shrimp, are fed to an assortment of fishes and invertebrates, including soft corals and jellyfish. Hatch brine is an important source of fatty acids, which are essential for proper growth and development. Hatch brine starts encapsulated in a cyst form and are …

Greenpeace, Earth First! And The Earth Liberation Front: The Progression Of The Radical Environmental Movement In America, Christopher J. Covill

Senior Honors Projects

Causes of worldwide environmental destruction created a form of activism, Ecotage with an incredible success rate. Ecotage uses direct action, or monkey wrenching, to prevent environmental destruction. Mainstream conservation efforts were viewed by many environmentalists as having failed from compromise inspiring the birth of radicalized groups. This eventually transformed conservationists into radicalists. Green Peace inspired radical environmentalism by civil disobedience, media campaigns and direct action tactics, but remained mainstream. Earth First’s! philosophy is based on a no compromise approach. They took direct action tactics further than Green Peace was willing too. Earth First’s! direct action campaigns epitomize modern environmental radicalism. …

Traditional Natural Resource Use And Development In Northeast Thailand, Christie Moulton

Senior Honors Projects

This paper explores the effects of development projects on traditional natural resource use in three communities in Northeast Thailand, a region known as Isan. I interviewed villagers in each community and asked them to describe their environmental perceptions, management practices and livelihood strategies. Participants described several subsistence livelihoods that have traditionally been present in Isan. These include rice farming, fishing, community forestry, and wetland use. Residents from the three communities all described various cultural activities, knowledge systems, and religious ceremonies that are closely tied to their local resources. Raising silk worms, making clay pots, and performing rituals for a spirit …

Characterization Of The Interaction Between The Fanconi Anemia (Fa) D2 Protein And Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (Pcna), Carolyn Schmiedel

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Records Of Natural Fires And The Sorption Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) By Black Carbon And Carbon Chars In Sediments From Oriole Lake (Sequoia National Park), Kevyn Bollinger

Senior Honors Projects

This project investigates the interaction between Black Carbon and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in lake sediments from Oriole Lake in Sequoia National Park California. The interaction between Black Carbon and PAHs is of interest because little is known with respect to the availability and the time scale within which black carbon adsorbs PAHs in a natural system. Black Carbon and PAHs both will eventually be degraded in the environment but the relevant timescales of sorption and degradation are unknown. Field work for this project was conducted July 16-21, 2007 at Oriole Lake in Sequoia National Park California. Sequoia National Park …

Gender Minority Elder Care, Yisrael Malotte-Berger

Senior Honors Projects

The challenges facing older adults are great, including the challenges involved in finding quality healthcare and, potentially, assisted living or nursing residences. The challenges for older transsexual, transgender, and intersex (TGI) adults are compounded due to lack of sensitivity and confidentiality with regard to TGI patients or residents that is prevalent amongst especially lower level healthcare professionals. Part of the project was to develop an evaluation tool for changes in attitude and practical knowledge, to be administered as pre- and post-tests at employee trainings at elder care facilities. It was the goal of this project to evaluate the training programme …

Novice Coach’S Guide To Coaching Novice, Catherine Pruszynski

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Lowering Cholesterol: Through The Use Of Plant Sterols And Stanols, Nicole St. Jean

Senior Honors Projects

Heart disease has been the number one killer of American men and women over the past hundred years, with high blood cholesterol as a major risk factor of this disease. High Cholesterol can be a result of a number of different lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise. However, genetics and family history also play a role in the levels of cholesterol in the human body. Those who have high blood cholesterol levels are usually advised by their health professionals to consume a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol, high in fiber and to exercise frequently. However, sometimes these …

Differential Equations: A Universal Language, Bethany Caron

Senior Honors Projects

“Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.” – David Hilbert Differential equations are equations of one or more variables that involve both functions and their derivatives. These equations have many applications to the everyday “non-math” world, including modeling in engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, and economics. Differential equations are used when a situation arises where one needs to study a continuously changing quantity (expressed as a function) and its rate of change (expressed through its derivatives). The solutions to differential equations are functions that make the original equation hold true, and they can …

A Winding Rhode: An Event Planning Manual For Every Rhody Ram, Jennifer Nussinow

Senior Honors Projects

The University of Rhode Island has given me four outstanding years of an undergraduate experience. Throughout this time I have taken many classes, joined sports teams and clubs, and had jobs. In each of these opportunities I have had the pleasure of putting together numerous events as well as being a participant. As I began my journey of planning different functions, I ran into many problems, but more importantly found numerous solutions. However, the process was inefficient and required much time and effort. The system presently in place to help plan affairs was ineffective and rarely used. I found that …

Multifunctional Nanoparticle/Lipid Self-Assemblies, Geoff Bothun

Amgen Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering

Lipid bilayer membranes provide the physical barriers that define the structure, function, and stability of living cells. Specifically, they play a key role in governing molecular and phase toxicity, anesthetic action, the bioaccumulation of hydrophobic or amphiphatic pollutants, and cell-surface interactions. In addition to their ubiquity in nature, vesicles (or liposomes) self-assembled from synthetic lipid bilayers provide a biologically inspired route for the design of, for example, drug delivery systems, nanostructured materials and devices, and biosensors. We currently have two research thrusts in our laboratory related to lipid assemblies: (1) Utilizing synthetic lipid bilayers as model cell membranes to study …

Rnai-Mediated Gene Silencing In Tick Synganglia: A Proof Of Concept Study, Shahid Karim, Bronwyn Kenny, Emily Troiano, Thomas N. Mather

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Background: Progress in generating comprehensive EST libraries and genome sequencing is setting the stage for reverse genetic approaches to gene function studies in the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). However, proving that RNAi can work in nervous tissue has been problematic. Developing an ability to manipulate gene expression in the tick synganglia likely would accelerate understanding of tick neurobiology. Here, we assess gene silencing by RNA interference in the adult female black-legged tick synganglia.

Results: Tick β-Actin and Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase were chosen as targets because both genes express in all tick tissues including synganglia. …

Idcr: Infectious Diseases In Corrections Report, Vol. 9 No. 22, Infectious Diseases In Corrections

Infectious Diseases in Corrections Report (IDCR)

No abstract provided.

Biofuels For The Future: The Role Of Biotechnology For Energy Crops, Albert Kausch

Amgen Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering

The utilization of energy crops produced on American farms as a source of renewable fuels is a concept with great relevance to current ecological and economic issues on both national and global scales. Recent research indicates that many approaches to renewable biofuels, including corn and sugrarcane ethanol, soybean and palm biodiesel, are indeed, insufficient, not sustainable or even carbon negative. Development of a significant national capacity to utilize perennial forage crops, such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum, L., Poaceae) and other bioenergy feedstocks, as biofuels could provide a degree of independence from foreign oil, a cleaner source of energy for road …

Numerical Quantification Of Perkinsus Marinus In The American Oyster Crassostrea Virginica (Gmelin, 1791) (Mollusca: Bivalvia) By Modern Stereology, Antonio Remacha-Trivino, Doranne Borsay-Horowitz, Christopher Dungan, Ximo Gual-Arnau, Javier Gomez-Leon, Luisa Villamil, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Species of Perkinsus are responsible for high mortalities of bivalve molluscs world-wide. Techniques to accurately estimate parasites in tissues are required to improve understanding of perkinsosis. This study quantifies the number and tissue distribution of Perkinsus marinus in Crassostrea virginica by modern stereology and immunohistochemistry. Mean total number of trophozoites were (mean ± SE) 11.80 ± 3.91 million and 11.55 ± 3.88 million for the optical disector and optical fractionator methods, respectively. The mean empirical error between both stereological approaches was 3.8 ± 1.0%. Trophozoites were detected intracellularly in the following tissues: intestine (30.1%), Leydig tissue (21.3%), hemocytes (14.9%), digestive …

Sargassum Fusiforme Fraction Is A Potent And Specific Inhibitor Of Hiv-1 Fusion And Reverse Transcriptase, Elena E. Paskaleva, Xudong Lin, Karen Duus, James J. Mcsharry, Jean-Claude L. Veille, Carol S. Thornber, Yanze Liu, David Yu-Wei Lee, Mario Canki

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sargassum fusiforme (Harvey) Setchell has been shown to be a highly effective inhibitor of HIV-1 infection. To identify its mechanism of action, we performed bioactivity-guided fractionation on Sargassum fusiforme mixture. Here, we report isolation of a bioactive fraction SP4-2 (S. fusiforme), which at 8 μg/ml inhibited HIV-1 infection by 86.9%, with IC₅₀ value of 3.7 μg. That represents 230-fold enhancement of antiretroviral potency as compared to the whole extract. Inhibition was mediated against both CXCR4 (X4) and CCR5 (R5) tropic HIV-1. Specifically, 10 μg/ml SP4-2 blocked HIV-1 fusion and entry by 53%. This effect was reversed by …

Division Of Research And Economic Development Annual Report For Fy2008, 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 2007-2008.

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 November 2008, 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 2008, 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.

Comparative Analysis Of Distribution And Abundance Of West Nile And Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis Virus Vectors In Suffolk County, New York, Using Human Population Density And Land Use/Cover Data, I. Rochlin, K. Harding, Howard S. Ginsberg, S. R. Campbell

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Five years of CDC light trap data from Suffolk County, NY, were analyzed to compare the applicability of human population density (HPD) and land use/cover (LUC) classification systems to describe mosquito abundance and to determine whether certain mosquito species of medical importance tend to be more common in urban (defined by HPD) or residential (defined by LUC) areas. Eleven study sites were categorized as urban or rural using U.S. Census Bureau data and by LUC types using geographic information systems (GISs). Abundance and percent composition of nine mosquito taxa, all known or potential vectors of arboviruses, were analyzed to determine …

Synergistic Effects Of Climate-Related Variables Suggest Future Physiological Impairment In A Top Oceanic Predator, Rui Rosa, Brad A. Seibel

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

By the end of this century, anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are expected to decrease the surface ocean pH by as much as 0.3 unit. At the same time, the ocean is expected to warm with an associated expansion of the oxygen minimum layer (OML). Thus, there is a growing demand to understand the response of the marine biota to these global changes. We show that ocean acidification will substantially depress metabolic rates (31%) and activity levels (45%) in the jumbo squid, Dosidicus gigas, a top predator in the Eastern Pacific. This effect is exacerbated by high …

Evolutionary Divergence In The Feeding Mechanism Of Fishes, Cheryl A.D. Wilga

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

After the divergence of chondrichthyans and teleostomes, the structure of the feeding apparatus also diverged. Hyoid morphology varies considerably among fossil and extant elasmobranchs and has been hypothesized to be related to feeding style. How hyomandibular morphology affects function during feeding is of great interest since hyoid movement is a key component in the feeding mechanism. Cranial kinematics and buccal pressure during feeding was quantified in elasmobranchs and teleostomes. The feeding mechanism in elasmobranchs with anterior (AHY) or lateral (LHY) directed hyomandibulae differs from teleostomes primarily in hyoid movements due to morphological constraints. The hyoid expands ventrally during feeding in …

Exploitative Competition Between Invasive Herbivores Benefits A Native Host Plant, Evan L. Preisser, Joseph S. Elkinton

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Although biological invasions are of considerable concern to ecologists, relatively little attention has been paid to the potential for and consequences of indirect interactions between invasive species. Such interactions are generally thought to enhance invasives' spread and impact (i.e., the “invasional meltdown” hypothesis); however, exotic species might also act indirectly to slow the spread or blunt the impact of other invasives. On the east coast of the United States, the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae, HWA) and elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa, EHS) both feed on eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Of the two insects, HWA is considered far more …

Severity Of Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Depends On Developmental Stage Of Long–Evans Rats, Chun-Shiang Chung, Jian Wang, Monh Wehman, Dennis E. Rhoads

Past Departments Faculty Publications (CELS)

To investigate alcohol dependency and the potential role of age of initial alcohol consumption, Long–Evans (LE) rats were fed an ethanol-containing liquid diet starting at postnatal (P) ages (days): P23–27 (juvenile), P35–45 (adolescent) or P65–97 (young adult). Severity of subsequent withdrawal symptoms was dependent on age when consumption began and on duration of alcohol consumption. Frequency of withdrawal seizures was highest for rats starting consumption as juveniles, intermediate for adolescents and lowest for adults. Normalized to body weight, alcohol consumption was significantly higher for adolescent and juvenile rats than for adults. Sprague–Dawley rats that began alcohol consumption as adolescents (P35) …

Activation Of Natural Regulatory T Cells By Igg Fc-Derived Peptide "Tregitopes", Anne S. De Groot, Leonard Moise, Julie A. Mcmurry, Erik Wambre, Laurence Van Overtvelt, Philippe Moingeon, David W. Scott, William Martin

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

We have identified at least 2 highly promiscuous major histocompatibility complex class II T-cell epitopes in the Fc fragment of IgG that are capable of specifically activating CD4⁺CD25_HiFoxP3⁺ natural regulatory T cells (nT_Regs). Coincubation of these regulatory T-cell epitopes or “Tregitopes” and antigens with peripheral blood mononuclear cells led to a suppression of effector cytokine secretion, reduced proliferation of effector T cells, and caused an increase in cell surface markers associated with T_Regs such as FoxP3. In vivo administration of the murine homologue of the Fc region Tregitope resulted in suppression of …

Saving Camels From Straws: How Propagule Pressure-Based Prevention Policies Can Reduce The Risk Of Biological Invasion, Jamie K. Reaser, Laura A. Meyerson, Betsy Von Holle

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Nonnative species that harm or have the potential to cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health are known as invasive species. Propagule pressure may be the most important factor in establishment success of nonnative species of various taxa in a variety of ecosystems worldwide, and strong evidence is emerging that propagule pressure determines both the scale of invasion extent and impact. In a limited way, the US government is applying a “propagule pressure approach” in a variety of prevention policy contexts aimed at minimizing the impact of harmful organisms. However, there are also readily apparent opportunities for enacting …

Oxidant-Controlled Regioselectivity In The Oxidative Arylation Of N-Acetylindoles, Shathaverdhan Potavathri, Ashley S. Dumas, Timothy A. Dwight, Gregory R. Naumiec, Jeffrey M. Hammann, Brenton Deboef

Chemistry Faculty Publications

N-Acetylindoles can be oxidatively coupled with arenes such as benzene or pentafluorobenzene in dioxane. The use of Cu(OAc)₂ as the stoichiometric oxidant produces selective arylation at the 3-position of indole while AgOAc produces selective arylation at indole’s 2-position.

[Refer to PDF for graphical abstract]

Ecosystem Services Beyond Valuation, Regulation, And Philanthropy: Integrating Consumer Values Into The Economy, Stephen K. Swallow, Elizabeth C. Smith, Emi Uchida, Christopher M. Anderson

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Ecosystem services have been identified as a central link between society, or human systems, and the structure and function of natural systems (e.g., U.S. LTER 2007, MEA 2005). A fundamental economic problem is that while almost everyone—environmental groups, policy makers, and broad segments of the general public—seems to believe ecosystem services are valuable, the available public policy tools and approaches for private action fall short, and often omit, a direct link to the real values of the people. If ecosystem services are of economic value, then a fundamental challenge concerns how to identify the link between ecosystem services and the …

Is A Previous Unplanned Pregnancy A Risk Factor For A Subsequent Unplanned Pregnancy?, Lindsay M. Kuroki, Jenifer E. Allsworth, Colleen A. Redding, Jeffrey D. Blume, Jeffrey F. Peipert

Cancer Prevention Research Center Faculty Publications

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether a history of unplanned pregnancy was a risk factor for a subsequent unplanned pregnancy.

Study Design: We analyzed 542 women aged 14-35 years, enrolled in Project PROTECT, a randomized clinical trial to promote dual-method contraception use to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy. Predictors of unplanned pregnancy were assessed by comparing women with and without a history of unplanned pregnancy.

Results: More than 1 in 5 women (22.5%) experienced an unintended pregnancy. History of an unintended pregnancy was a predictor of unintended pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence …

A Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium Succinate Dehydrogenase/Fumarate Reductase Double Mutant Is Avirulent And Immunogenic In Balb/C Mice, Regino Mercado-Lubo, Eric J. Gauger, Mary P. Leatham, Tyrrell Conway, Paul S. Cohen

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Previously we showed that the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle operates as a full cycle during Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SR-11 peroral infection of BALB/c mice (M. Tchawa Yimga et al., Infect. Immun. 74:1130-1140, 2006). The evidence was that a ΔsucCD mutant (succinyl coenzyme A [succinyl-CoA] synthetase), which prevents the conversion of succinyl-CoA to succinate, and a ΔsdhCDA mutant (succinate dehydrogenase), which blocks the conversion of succinate to fumarate, were both attenuated, whereas an SR-11 ΔaspA mutant (aspartase) and an SR-11 ΔfrdABCD mutant (fumarate reductase), deficient in the ability to run the reductive branch of the TCA …