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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.

A Decade Of Research Exploring Biology And Communication, Justin P. Boren, Alice E. Veksler

Communication

The study of communication has come a long way since Aristotle's conceptualization of persuasion in Rhetoric from the 4th century B.C. Today, scholars conceptualize communication in much more comprehensive ways than did those Greek Aristotelian philosophers. Still, much of the discipline of communication focuses on the way that messages have an impact on individuals or societies. Since the late 1970s a small group of communication scholars, greatly influenced by their peers in other social-science disciplines (i.e., psychology) began to direct their attention to the way that communication influences and is influenced by processes in the human body. During the early …

Antioxidant And Cytotoxic Investigations Of Beta Vulgaris L / Jaime Stella A/P Moses Richardson, Jaime Stella Moses Richardson

Student Works (2010-2019)

Beta vulgaris has been commonly consumed and traditionally used for various medicinal purposes. The present study scientifically evaluates the antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of the plant using various bioassays. The root part of Beta vulgaris was collected and extracted using methanol and then fractionated with hexane, ethyl acetate and water. The fresh root of Beta vulgaris was juiced and then subjected to evaporation under reduced pressure to form an extract. Chemical investigations were then directed to the ethyl acetate fraction and juice extract; fraction ET1, ET2 and ET3 were obtained from ethyl acetate fraction by isolation using high performance liquid …

Design And Synthesis Of A Potential Inhibitor For Den2 Ns2b/Ns3 Serine Protease / Lee Yean Kee, Yean Kee Lee

Student Works (2010-2019)

This work involves searching and designing of inhibitors for DEN2 NS2B/NS3 serine protease. It comprises three phases: modeling, synthesis and screening. Homology model construction of DEN2 NS2B/NS3 serine protease was carried out using HCV NS3/NS4A as a template. The model was then evaluated using server-based structural verification from UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics server (http://nihserver.mbi.ucla.edu/SAVES/) and PROCHECK, VERIFY3D and ERRAT. The results revealed the homology model have reasonable protein fold compared to the crystal structure of DEN2 NS3 without the cofactor of NS2B bound within. The work then continued with in silico protein-ligand docking experiment using AUTODOCK 3.05, where …

Optimization And Characterization Of Multifunctional Polymeric-Nanodiamond Electrospun Scaffolds, Amanee Salaam

All ETDs from UAB

Due to the lack of treatment options available for patients suffering from bone abnormalities, current research focuses on developing novel biomaterials for bone tissue engineering. Since a tissue scaffold is implanted in vivo, it could also serve as a substrate for localized, systemic delivery of therapeutics. Particularly in primary bone cancer after removal of a cancerous lesion, there is a need for a system that can support the generation of new tissue while delivering localized chemotherapy. However, a complex molecule is needed to serve as a vehicle for delivering the drug and targeting only cancerous cells. Detonation nanodiamond (DND) is …

Design, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation And Metabolic Stability Studies Of Sigma Receptor Ligands, Rohit Bhat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sigma receptors represent a unique family of proteins that includes two subtypes: sigma-1 and sigma-2. Sigma-1 receptors have been implicated in the behavioral and motivational effects of psychostimulants as well as in the pathophysiology of depression and Alzheimer's disease. Sigma-2 receptors are widely expressed on many tumor cells and they are believed to play an important role in tumor cell proliferation. Therefore, sigma receptors are attractive targets for developing pharmaceutical agents directed to the treatment of psychostimulant abuse, cancer, Alzheimer's disease as well as diagnostic agents for cancer and brain imaging. A derivatized 2(3H)-benzothiazolone, (3-(2-(azepan-1-yl)ethyl)-6-propylbenzo[ d]thiazol-2(3H)-one) was reported to have …

Novel Inhibitors Of Lysine Specific Demethylase 1 As Epigenetic Modulators, Michael Crowley

Wayne State University Theses

The recently discovered enzyme lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) plays an important role in the epigenetic control of gene expression, and aberrant gene silencing secondary to LSD1 over expression is thought to contribute to the development of cancer. We recently reported a series of (bis)guanidines and (bis)biguanides that are potent inhibitors of LSD1, and induce the re-expression of aberrantly silenced tumor suppressor genes in tumor cells in vitro. We now report a new series of isosteres that are also potent inhibitors of LSD1. These compounds induce increases in methylation at the histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) chromatin mark, a specific target …

Single Cell Analysis For The Characterization Of Cell Populations Using A Live Cell Array, Maureen Ann Walling

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the past decade, the shift from whole cell population analyses towards single cell measurement methods and techniques is based on experimental results that reveal significant levels of non-genetic heterogeneity in clonal cell populations. This heterogeneity manifests in multiple aspects of cell activity and is, in part, a result of stochastic noise in processes leading to gene expression, namely transcription and translation. The growing understanding of this occurrence has led to the development of methods to monitor and analyze heterogeneity for a more thorough description of cell populations and overall activity.

Characterization Of Calmodulin And Fas Interactions In Fas-Mediated Death Inducing Signaling Complex, Valentine Nwachukwu, Romone Fancy, Tiara Napier, Yuhua Song

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 47-53

Now & Then (Volume 27, Issue 01, 2011), Center Of Excellence For Appalachian Studies And Services, East Tennessee State University

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine

Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Volume 27, Issue 01, published in 2011. The theme of this issue is Greening of Appalachia. This issue explores environmental awareness, sustainability, and renewal in Appalachia, emphasizing both contemporary initiatives and longstanding regional traditions of living close to the land. Articles examine conservation efforts, ecological restoration, green building, herbal knowledge, local agriculture, and the environmental health challenges facing mountain communities, alongside personal reflections on nature and memory. Through essays, poetry, and reviews, the issue presents "greening" as both a modern movement and a continuation of practices deeply rooted in Appalachian culture, highlighting the …

Airtight Container For The Transfer Of Atmosphere-Sensitive Materials Into Vacuum-Operated Characterization Instruments, Romain M. Gaume, Lydia-Marie Joubert

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

This paper describes the design and operation of a simple airtight container devised to facilitate the transfer of atmosphere-sensitive samples from a glovebox to the vacuum chamber of an analytical instrument such as a scanning electron microscope. The use of this device for characterizing the microstructure of highly hygroscopic strontium iodide ceramics by scanning electron microscopy is illustrated as an application example.

Molecular Details Of The Catalytic Activity Of Carboxylesterases, Xiaozhen Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carboxylesterases (CEs; EC 3.1.1.1) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics. CEs hydrolyze carboxyl esters into their corresponding alcohol and carboxylic acid. Because of their biological functions, especially their roles in converting inactive prodrugs, such as the anti-cancer drug CPT-11, to their active metabolites, a good understanding of the mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction will give us a better direction for drug design. In this study, we used a multidisciplinary approach (computational simulation, molecular biology techniques and enzyme kinetic methods) to study the dynamic motions of CEs and the potential role of these motions in the catalytic mechanism …

Observations At A Multispecies Parrotfish (Scaridae) Spawning Aggregation Site At Bermuda With Notes On The Predation Behavior Of Black Grouper (Mycteroperca Bonaci), Brian E. Luckhurst

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The objective of the present study was to describe the spawning behavior of three different species of parrotfishes at the same spawning aggregation site with detailed timing sequences. In addition, observations of other species known to form resident spawning aggregations (i.e., surgeonfishes) and the predatory behavior of black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) at this aggregation site are included.

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Using Digital Flash Cards To Increase Biology Vocabulary Knowledge In High School Students With Learning Disabilities, Kelly J. Grillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of science education, specifically biology, is becoming more challenging due to richer and more rigorous content demands. Along with new demands is the emergence of National Common Core Standards and End of Course Exams. Despite these changes, one factor remains consistent: As content knowledge increases, language demands also increase. For students with learning disabilities (LD), specifically those with language-based disabilities, the increasing vocabulary demand can lead to failure due not to a lack of understanding biology but the vocabulary associated with the content. In an attempt to impact high school students with learning disabilities‘ success in biology, a …

Viability Of A Controllable Chaotic Micromixer Through The Use Of Titanium-Nickel Shape Memory Alloy, David Ryan Lilly

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Microfluidic devices have found applications in a number of areas, such as medical analysis, chemical synthesis, biological study, and drug delivery. Because of the small channel dimensions used in these systems, most microchannels exhibit laminar flow due to their low Reynold’s number, making mixing of fluids very challenging. Mixing at this size scale is diffusion-limited, so inducing chaotic flow patterns can increase the interface surface area between two fluids, thereby decreasing overall mixing time.

One method to create a chaotic flow within the channel is through the introduction of internal protrusions into the channel. In such an application protrusions that …

Mrna Transcript Quantification In Archival Samples Using Multiplexed, Color-Coded Probes, Patricia Reis, Levi Waldron, Rashmi S. Goswami, Wei Xu, Yali Xuan, Bayardo Perez-Ordonez, Patrick Gullane, Jonathan Irish, Igor Jurisica, Suzanne Kamel-Reid

Publications and Research

Background: A recently developed probe-based technology, the NanoString nCounter™ gene expression system, has been shown to allow accurate mRNA transcript quantification using low amounts of total RNA. We assessed the ability of this technology for mRNA expression quantification in archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) oral carcinoma samples.

Results: We measured the mRNA transcript abundance of 20 genes (COL3A1, COL4A1, COL5A1, COL5A2, CTHRC1, CXCL1, CXCL13, MMP1, P4HA2, PDPN, PLOD2, POSTN, SDHA, SERPINE1, SERPINE2, SERPINH1, THBS2, TNC, GAPDH, RPS18) in 38 samples (19 paired fresh-frozen and FFPE oral carcinoma tissues, archived from 1997-2008) by both NanoString and SYBR Green I fluorescent dye-based quantitative …

Influence Of Sand Topdressing On Bermudagrass Thatch Decomposition, Dustin S. Parker

LSU Master's Theses

Methods to control thatch layers in mature turfgrasses have relied on sand-topdressing and/or mechanical removal. Mechanical removal of thatch through vertical mowing and aerification is effective but disruptive to playing surfaces compared to sand topdressing. As a result, many turf managers have opted to implement sand-topdressing regiments as their primary method for reducing thatch buildup. This research was conducted to 1) determine the effect of cultivar on thatch decomposition and 2) examine the effect of sand topdressing on thatch microenvironment and decomposition. Sand topdressing treatments consisting of sterilized or non-sterilized sand applied at 0.4 cm 14 d-1 or as a …

Developing A Tool To Characterize The Ultradian Rhythm In Diploid Saccharomyces Cervisiae Using The Reporter Gene Green Fluorescent Protein, Imran Chiragh

LSU Master's Theses

Biological rhythms control many temporal behaviors of organism, such as the sleep cycle, hearts rhythms, seasonal animal migrations etc. Understanding these rhythms would provide insight into the temporal process of living organisms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a budding yeast, is an ideal model organism to study biological rhythms in eukaryotic cells because of its sequenced genome and discerned processes. By characterizing the biological rhythm in budding yeast, insight can be gained into more complex organisms. Previous studies have exhibited oscillatory behavior of oxygen consumption and determined that deletion of the GTS1 gene dissipates this rhythm. However, to further understand the specific behavior …

Observing Copepods Through A Genomic Lens, Grace Wyngaard

Selected Works

No abstract provided.

Embryo “Adoption”? The Rhetoric, The Law, And The Legal Consequences, Polina M. Dostalik

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeologic Analyses For An Earthen Dam Proposal At The University Field Station, Maria Theresa Brown

Honors Theses

In response to a request for a new dam at the University of Mississippi Field Station (UMFS), BTJM Engineering prepared an initial feasibility assessment and continued investigations until a full construction plan was completed. This report details the hydrogeologic analyses involed in this process. Initial site investigations included mapping surficial geology, creating a generalized stratigraphic column, mapping the potentiometric surface, and developing a conceptual and quantitative understanding of the local hydrolgic budget. This data informed decisions regarding the location of a new dam, which was finally designed with full considerations of the local hydrogeology. After the dam was designed, analysis …

Surface Nitriding And Oxidation Of Nitinol, Edin Bazochaharbakhsh

Master's Theses

Nitinol has been widely employed in biomedical devices due to its unique mechanical properties such as superelasticity, shape memory, and good biocompatibility. However, nickel ion release from the surface of the Nitinol is an issue. Surface nitriding and oxidation was performed on the Nitinol specimens to develop a nickel-free oxide layer on the surface. Nitinol specimens were nitrided in nitrogen + 4% hydrogen at 800 - 1000oC for 10 - 30 min and further nitrided in nitrogen + 5% ammonia at 500 - 675oC for 0 - 30 min. The thickness and chemical composition, specifically the nickel content of the …

Manganese (Ii) And Protein Oxidation As Determinants Of Bacterial Ionizing Radiation Resistance, Jana Ronnette Robins

LSU Master's Theses

The mechanisms that contribute to bacterial ionizing radiation resistance are not completely understood. The Daly model uses Deinococcus radiodurans to suggest that bacterial ionizing radiation resistance is primarily determined by the amount of protein oxidation produced in response to ionizing radiation, so protein oxidation will be limited in radioresistant microorganisms due to a high intracellular level of manganese (Mn). This thesis investigates the Daly model by first introducing oxidative damage to Beta-Galactosdiase using increasing doses of gamma irradiation. Beta-Galactosidase activity was measured by the production of o-nitrophenol (ONP) which is produced from the hydrolysis of o-nitrophenyl-Beta-D-galactoside (ONPG). Beta-Galactosidase activity decreased …

What Is The Importance Of Oil And Gas Platforms In The Community Structure And Diet Of Benthic And Demersal Communities In The Gulf Of Mexico?, Sara Terrebonne Daigle

LSU Master's Theses

Reef-dependent and reef-associated communities found on oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico occur in high densities and are species rich. Platforms may impact nearby communities through the introduction of benthic primary producers and by altering biological and environmental factors that may create influential gradients associated with these structures. To quantify the presence and effective distance exerted by such gradients, reef-dependent and reef-associated communities were analyzed in two ways: (1) community patterns of abundance and diversity were compared near and far from platforms; and (2) a food-web tracer was used to indentify basal resources from platforms used by …

Egyptian Body Size: A Regional And Worldwide Comparison, Michelle H. Raxter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human body size and limb proportions can provide important information about adaptation, population movements, and health disparities. This study investigated changes in body size and limb proportions of adult Egyptians temporally and geographically in relation to climatological, sociopolitical and economic developments. It was predicted that Egyptian groups that experienced more environmental stress would be shorter and exhibit less sexual dimorphism. It was also predicted that Egyptians would be intermediate between higher and lower latitude populations in body form and limb length ratios. The main skeletal sample consisted of 492 males and 528 females, all adults from the Predynastic and Dynastic …

Computational Discovery Of Phenotype Related Biochemical Processes For Engineering, Andrea M. Rocha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Application of bioengineering technologies for enhanced biological hydrogen production is a promising approach that may play a vital role in sustainable energy. Due to the ability of several naturally occurring microorganisms to generate hydrogen through varying metabolic processes, biological hydrogen has become an attractive alternative energy and fuel source.

One area of particular interest is the production of biological hydrogen in organically-rich engineered systems, such as those associated with waste treatment. Despite the potential for high energy yields, hydrogen yields generated by bacteria in waste systems are often limited due to a focus on microbial utilization of organic material towards …

Computational Hybrid Systems For Identifying Prognostic Gene Markers Of Lung Cancer, Ying-Wooi Wan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer is the most fatal cancer around the world. Current lung cancer prognosis and treatment is based on tumor stage population statistics and could not reliably assess the risk for developing recurrence in individual patients. Biomarkers enable treatment options to be tailored to individual patients based on their tumor molecular characteristics. To date, there is no clinically applied molecular prognostic model for lung cancer. Statistics and feature selection methods identify gene candidates by ranking the association between gene expression and disease outcome, but do not account for the interactions among genes. Computational network methods could model interactions, but have …

Fine-Tuning P53 Activity Through C-Terminal Modification Significantly Contributes To Hsc Homeostasis And Mouse Radiosensitivity, Yunyuan V. Wang, Mathias Leblanc, Norma Fox, Jian-Hua Mao, Kelsey L. Tinkum, Kurt Krummel, Dannielle Engle, David Piwnica-Worms, Helen Piwnica-Worms, Allan Balmain, Kenneth Kaushanszy, Geoffrey M. Wahl

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Measurements Of Resistance And Reactance In Fish With The Use Of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis: Sources Of Error, M. Cox, Ron Heintz, Kyle Hartman

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

New technologies can be riddled with unforeseen sources of error, jeopardizing the validity and application of their advancement. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a new technology in fisheries research that is capable of estimating proximate composition, condition, and energy content in fish quickly, cheaply, and (after calibration) without the need to sacrifice fish. Before BIA can be widely accepted in fisheries science, it is necessary to identify sources of error and determine a means to minimize potential errors with this analysis. We conducted controlled laboratory experiments to identify sources of errors within BIA measurements. We concluded that electrode needle location, …

Preparation And Studies Of Ratiometric Fluorescent Chemosensors Based On The Attenuation Of Excitation Energy Transfer, Jiba Raj Acharya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Molecular devices possessing pi-electron conjugated scaffold demonstrate unique capabilities as fluorescent chemosensors for the trace detection of analytes in a variety of environments. Important properties of these compounds such as charge transport and exciton migration, emission intensity etc. can be simply attenuated by external stimuli or analyte binding, leading to considerable changes in observable signals. The main goal of this Ph.D. dissertation was to study the possibility to control excitation energy migration in conjugated systems. Towards this goal, we designed surface-immobilized monodispersed oligo(p-phenylene ethynylene)s (OPEs) as a general basis for thin-film ratiometric fluorescent chemosensors. The sensor molecules have been functionalized …