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Measurements Of Modal Attenuation Using Broadband Sources In The New England Mud Patch, Kerry Unrein

Open Access Master's Theses

Measurements of underwater acoustic signals were made on a bottom-mounted horizontal line array during the Seabed Characterization Experiment (SBCEX) in the New England Mud Patch south of Martha’s Vineyard in about 70 m of water. The signals were generated by Signals, Underwater Sound (SUS) charges detonated at various locations in the experimental area at a depth of 18 m, during nearly-isovelocity conditions. The broadband signals were analyzed for modal arrival time and amplitude using time-frequency techniques. Ratios of modal amplitudes at the individual hydrophones were used to estimate the modal attenuation coefficients. Hence, these estimates are independent of any uncertainty …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Performance, Habitat Selection, And Persistence Of Anolis Lizards, Andrew Clark Battles

Open Access Dissertations

Urbanization is a global change phenomenon that is increasing in frequency and magnitude worldwide. As a greater proportion of the human population resides in urban areas, cities must grow, therefore exposing an increasing number of species to human-modified habitat. While some species become extirpated when their habitat is urbanized, others persist and even spread throughout cities. Furthermore, human activity increases the rates of species invasions around the world, and many introductions occur in urban areas. The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the consequences of some major environmental changes caused by urbanization for non-human urban dwellers. Specifically, I measure …

Residual Strength Of Composite Materials After Exposure To Blast Loading, Monica L. Black

Open Access Master's Theses

This research investigates the effects of shock loading on a composite structure’s compressive residual strength. The research develops a methodology for evaluating and quantifying such damage using non-destructive imaging technologies, and develops a prediction equation for compressive residual strength of the damaged composite structure.

Experiments and imaging of Cyply 1002 glass-fiber/epoxy laminate panels were conducted at the University of Rhode Island (URI) and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport (NUWCDIVNPT), respectively. Controlled air blast experiments were conducted using the shock tube at URI’s Dynamic Photomechanics Laboratory (DPML), inducing non-catastrophic damage on the panels. 3D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was …

Impact Of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid And Elongate Hemlock Scale On Early Seasonal Development Of Eastern Hemlock, Elizabeth Whitney

Open Access Master's Theses

Herbivores can have a significant impact on plant host development. While altered plant development most commonly results from defoliation, some causes are more cryptic. Effects on development can be difficult to detect in long-lived woody plant species. Hemlock woolly adelgid is a piercing-sucking herbivore that has been previously been observed to have substantial effects on eastern hemlock. Observations of bud break were carried out on a three-day-on, one-day-off rotation from April through May in 2016 and 2017. We found that hemlock woolly adelgid delayed bud break in eastern hemlock. Our findings suggest that piercing-sucking herbivores can also significantly affect the …

Isolation And Identification Of Probiotic Bacteria For The Management Of Epizootic Shell Disease, Grace Underwood

Open Access Master's Theses

Epizootic shell disease (ESD) is an emerging disease in the American lobster (Homarus americanus) characterized by lesions, mainly on the carapace. The diseased appearance of the shell due to the lesions has had significant negative impact upon the lobster fisheries in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, since fishers are not able to sell affected lobsters to the more lucrative live market. ESD lesions are different from other shell diseases found in the American lobster populations because they are due to a poly-microbial infection that degrades the epicuticle layer, while the pillars of the chitin matrix remain …

Annual Cycle Phenology And Winter Habitat Selection Of White-Winged Scoters In Eastern North America, Dustin E. Meattey

Open Access Master's Theses

Concern over declining populations of several North American sea duck species has led to research addressing how environmental and anthropogenic factors in various stages of the annual cycle affect survival, habitat use, site fidelity, and migratory strategies. Southern New England provides key wintering habitat for White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca). This area has also pioneered the development of offshore wind energy in North America. I deployed implanted satellite transmitters in 52 adult female White-winged Scoters captured during the wintering period in southern New England, and on a molting area in the St. Lawrence River estuary in Quebec between 2015 …

Early Successional Forest Birds And The Effects Of Habitat Management In Different Landscapes, Stephen J. Brenner

Open Access Master's Theses

Early successional forests are a rare and declining forest type in the Northeastern U.S., and active management is required in order to maintain this habitat for the many declining bird populations that inhabit these areas. Studies on the movements, spatial ecology, and habitat selection of declining species of interest within newly created habitats offer opportunities to assess the success of management, and inform future management decisions and practices. Yet the impact of management may be limited by the placement of newly formed habitat within a larger landscape context. I investigated the impact of landscape and management context on the spatial …

In-Situ Treatment Of 1,4-Dioxane Under Column Scale Conditions, Michaela A. Cashman

Open Access Master's Theses

There is limited understanding of the underlying process that govern the peroxone activated persulfate (PAP) oxidation of 1,4-Dioxane, specifically at what rates this advanced oxidation process (AOP) proceeds, how long the system remains active once injected into a contaminant plume, and which radicals might be involved. The research presented herein investigates a peroxone activated persulfate oxidant, patented by EnChem Engineering (Newton, Massachusetts) under the name OxyZone., and its effect on 1,4-Dioxane contaminated water under column scale conditions in the presence of porous material. A secondary objective of this study was to identify radicals formed during the oxidation of 1,4-Dioxane using …

Examining Diet Quality And Sleep Duration In Overweight/Obese Adults In A Weight Loss Intervention, Megan Naquin

Open Access Master's Theses

Statement of the Problem: The rate of increased body mass index (BMI) in the adult US population has been alarming within recent decades. Decreased sleep duration has been associated with higher BMI and lower diet quality. BMI and diet quality have been found to be associated with one another as well. The average US adult diet quality score has been indicated as moderately low, which is often associated with higher BMI. In order to confront these alarming rates, weight loss interventions have been researched. A strategy often seen in weight loss success is self-monitoring. Wearable devices, such as the …

Are Feeding Practices Of Family Child Care Home Providers Related To Child Fruit & Vegetable Intake?, Tayla M. Carter

Open Access Master's Theses

Objectives: To explore the relationship between three feeding practice constructs (role modeling, encouragement, and pressure to eat) of family child care home (FCCH) providers, and fruit and vegetable intake of the preschool-aged children in their care.

Participants: Subjects were family child care home providers and the children in their care. Participants were recruited from Providence, Rhode Island and surrounding areas of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Methods: Baseline data, collected during a two-day home visit from an ongoing cluster-randomized trial, Healthy Start/Comienzos Sanos, were used (n=61 FCCH). Feeding practice data was collected using the Environment and Policy Assessment and …

Parent And Adolescent Reports Of Risky Behavior And Their Relationship With Parental Monitoring In Black Southern Families, Teressa Davis

Open Access Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between perceived parental knowledge, perceived parental monitoring and risky behaviors among rural Black adolescents in the United States. The health-risk behaviors of concern were sexual behavior, drug and alcohol usage, and violence. Using a sample of 62 Black parent and adolescents from rural communities, parents' perceptions of adolescent risk behaviors were compared with adolescent reports of risky behaviors. Additionally, the relationship between parental monitoring and knowledge, relative to adolescent self-reported risk was examined. Results indicated that parents possessed a high accuracy regarding their adolescent’s engagement in sexual activity, violent behaviors …

The Impact Of Fisheries Management On Coral Reef Fish Communities And Life-History Characteristics, Diky Suganda

Open Access Master's Theses

Indonesia’s coral reefs support over half of all small-scale fishers globally and are thus an important economic and sociocultural resource. These coral reef fisheries, however, are threatened from a variety of stressors including overexploitation. No-take fisheries closures are thought to be a suitable management strategy in Indonesia that provide a refuge for fish species with different ecological and life-history characteristics. While examining such indicators is increasingly important to determine management efficacy, few have done so in Indonesia. I investigate community ecological and life-history responses to no-take fisheries closures using abundance data from 2009-2015 in three regions across Indonesia’s Sunda Banda …

Design Of A Tendon Driven Soft Continuum Robotic Arm Using Proprioceptive Sensors, Richard Sperling

Open Access Master's Theses

In this thesis the use of proprioceptive sensors in elephant trunk inspired soft continuum robots was explored. After presenting the basics for this project, a review of existing soft continuum robots is given. The sensors used are o_-the-shelf stretch senors. Those sensors are carbon black impregnated rubber cords. The design and the fabrication of the robot are described. Using material characteristics a calibration process was developed to improve the sensor's consistency. The robot is then tested in open-loop as well as a closed-loop experiment. Results of those experiments are presented and discussed.

City Of Providence Community Readiness For An Obesity Prevention Intervention, Jessie Boukarim

Open Access Master's Theses

In order to prevent early childhood obesity, community-wide interventions are needed. However, few studies have assessed a community’s readiness to prevent childhood obesity among 0-5 year old children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the level of readiness to prevent obesity among 0-5 year olds in Providence, RI.

Key informant interviews with local leaders of organizations that work with 0- 5 year old children in Providence (n=12) were completed using the community readiness model (CRM). The CRM’s level of readiness ranges from 1 (no awareness) to 9 (high level of community ownership). Furthermore, the CRM is comprised …

Geochemistry Of Highly Alkaline Waters Of The Coast Range Ophiolite In California, Usa, Mahrukh Shaikh

Open Access Master's Theses

Altered waters impacted by serpentinization of Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO) ultramafic units have been reacting with trapped Cretaceous seawaters, meteoric waters, and other surface derived waters since tectonic emplacement of this ophiolite. In 2011, groundwater monitoring wells of various depths were established near Lower Lake, CA, USA in the McLaughlin Natural Reserve, administered by the University of California-Davis, in order to understand ongoing low temperature alterations and biogeochemical interactions taking place. Wells were installed at two sites in the Reserve. There are three Quarry Valley area wells (QV1-1 [23m depth], QV1-2 [14.9m], QV1-3 [34.6m]) and five Core Shed area wells …

Attitudes And Behavior For Sustainable Team Performance, Md. Hasan Shahriar Simanto

Open Access Master's Theses

As climate change in conjunction with the fourth wave of industrialization necessitates the world to move toward a sustainable future, research needs to focus on the intertwined connection between team work and sustainability. Currently, it is unknown whether teams that are successful at accomplishing sustainability-related tasks have different team composition than the teams who are not. This research explored the composition of teams performing sustainability-related tasks in regard to the individuals’ pro-environmental attitude, individuals’ self-reported pro-environmental behavior, individuals’ pro-environmental identity and team cohesion. Data was collected on real-world teams at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, which is a …

Terrestrial Planet Serpentinization In Melange Settings, Roger Hart

Open Access Master's Theses

Mars and Earth have planetary crusts with exposures of mantle-derived ultramafic rocks dominated by pyroxene and olivine. These initial minerals transform to serpentine, brucite, magnetite, and other secondary phases via metamorphic hydration and other reactions. In this work, altered peridotites of the regionally extensive Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO), from localities in the UC-Davis McLaughlin Natural Reserve, Lower Lake, CA are compared and contrasted with serpentinites of the Nili Fossae, a mélange terrain located in the Syrtis Major quadrangle at approximately 22°N, 75°E, Mars. The habitability of serpentinizing systems is conveyed as a function of changing system parameters (such as temperature, …

A Stratigraphic And Microfossil Record Of Coseismic Land-Level Changes And Tsunami Deposits From Old Harbor, Central Kodiak Island, Alaska, Greta Janigian

Open Access Master's Theses

To reconstruct the paleoseismic history of Old Harbor on Kodiak Island, Alaska, we undertook exploratory coring at two coastal sites, Big Creek and Bear Terrace, 4 km and 2 km northeast of Old Harbor, respectively. We chose the longest core from Big Creek for analysis (90 cm, BC.15.02). Six sand to sandy-silt layers deposited within organic silts and peats occur in this core. Radiocarbon dating, a tephra deposit, and radiometric marker (¹³⁷Cs) analyses were used to estimate ages of sand and silt deposition. ¹³⁷Cs results confirmed that the uppermost clastic deposit records the AD 1964 Great Alaskan …

Design, Modeling, And Implementation Of An Environmental Control Chamber, Aaron Matarese

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis goes over the details of humidification and temperature modeling for an enclosed, non-hermetically sealed space. Review of common methods of thermal and humidication design was performed to detail which method is suitable for any given application. For the application of designing an enclosure for the preparation of Cryo-TEM sample grids, it was determined that system design via lumped capacitance methods was the best option. A detailed and practical analysis of the application of the lumped capacitance method is described.

A detailed overview of how to apply control of relative humidity and temperature in an enclosed space is also …

Nitrogen Loading, Climate Change, Pathogens: Impacts Of Multiple Stressors On Rhode Island Shellfish, Ashley Paige Hamilton

Open Access Master's Theses

Filter feeding bivalves, such as the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica and the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis are valued for their role in the marine nitrogen cycle; specifically, their ability to facilitate the process of denitrification (reduction of nitrate to an inert N₂ gas), and thereby the removal of reactive nitrogen from the system. Historically, these organisms have been victim of overharvesting along much of the east coast, however Rhode Island has undergone a vast expansion of oyster production through the development of a prosperous aquaculture industry within the state, potentially contributing to the restoration of this valuable ecosystem service. …

Table Of Contents, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Germinal Epithelium Cytology During Spermatogenesis In The Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macrochelys Temminckii (Reptilia: Chelydridae), Stanley E. Trauth, Kevin M. Gribbins

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We investigated the cytology of the seminiferous epithelia of the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii). Spermatogenic and regressed testes were assessed from 2 adult individuals collected in Arkansas in May and September of 1993. Specifically, we focused on the cellular phases of germ cell development and maturation. The germ cell morphology and developmental strategy within the germinal epithelium of M. temminckii appear similar to that of other genera of turtles previously studied. Interestingly, mitotic, meiotic, and spermiogeneic cells are nearly identical to that of other turtles studied based on light microscopy. There are also 6 recognizable steps to …

Microbial Diversity In The Thermal Springs Within Hot Springs National Park, E. Taylor Stone, Richard Murray, Matthew D. Moran

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The thermal water systems of Hot Springs National Park (HSNP) in Hot Springs, Arkansas exist in relative isolation from other North American thermal systems. The HSNP waters could therefore serve as a unique center of thermophilic microbial biodiversity. However, these springs remain largely unexplored using culture-independent next generation sequencing techniques to classify species of thermophilic organisms. Additionally, HSNP has been the focus of anthropogenic development, capping and diverting the springs for use in recreational bathhouse facilities. Human modification of these springs may have impacted the structure of these bacterial communities compared to springs left in a relative natural state. The …

Journal Of The Arkansas Academy Of Science- Volume 72 2018, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Small Mammal Abundances In A Grassland And Forest Area At The Lake Fayetteville Environmental Center, Arkansas, Douglas A. James, S. A. Bartholomew, A. Deshwal, P. Panwar

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We examined changes in abundance of small mammals in forest and prairie-grassland habitat at Lake Fayetteville, Arkansas over a period of 32 years. We estimated the population size of small mammals using a mark-recapture method by capturing small mammals employing rat-sized Sherman live traps laid out in a grid with 8 rows of traps, 15 traps per row, 9.14 m (30 feet) between traps and rows covering an area of 1.01 ha (2.5 acres) in size. Six species of mammals were trapped in the prairie-grassland and three species were captured in the forest habitat. In the forest, the white-footed deermouse …

Parasites Of The Spotted Sucker, Minytrema Melanops (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) From Arkansas And Oklahoma, Chris T. Mcallister, Donald G. Cloutman, Anindo Choudhury, Tomas Scholz, Stanley E. Trauth, Thomas J. Fayton, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

During October 2015, March and April 2016 and again between March and April 2017, 15 Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops) were collected from sites in the Ouachita (n = 5), Red (n = 1), and St. Francis (n = 5) river drainages, Arkansas, and the Arkansas River drainage, Oklahoma (n = 4), and examined for protozoan and metazoan parasites. Found were Calyptospora sp., Myxobolus sp., Pseudomurraytrema alabarrum, Biacetabulum banghami, Penarchigetes oklensis, and Acanthocephalus sp. New host and distributional records are documented for these parasites.

Additional Records Of Acanthocephalan Parasites From Arkansas Fishes, With New Records From Missouri Fishes, Chris T. Mcallister, Michael A. Barger, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Over the last decade, our research consortium has provided information on acanthocephalan parasites of Arkansas vertebrates, including records from some of the state’s fishes. Here, we continue to provide data on new geographic and new host records of acanthocephalans from Arkansas fishes. In addition, for the first time, we report records of acanthocephalans for some Missouri fishes. We document 2 new state records as well as 10 new host records for some fish acanthocephalans.

New Applications Of Radio Frequency Identification Stations For Monitoring Fish Passage Through Headwater Road Crossings And Natural Reaches, Ian R. Macleod, Charles J. Gagen

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Within the Ouachita National Forest, roads and streams intersect each other thousands of times. Many of these road crossings alter stream hydrology and potentially limit longitudinal fish movement. To investigate the potential impacts of these road crossings on fish passage, we monitored movements of 3 native fish species (n = 2,171) individually tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in 2012 and 2013. We installed solar-powered RFID stations in 2 streams with road crossings and 2 reference streams without road crossings. Each of the 4 monitoring stations included a pair of antennas bracketing a road crossing (or similarly-sized natural reach) …

Prevalence Of Cytauxzoon Felis (Protista: Apicomplexa) In Feral Cats In Russellville Arkansas, Cynthia H. Jacobs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Abstract

Cytauxzoon felis (C. felis) is a protozoan hemoparasite of domestic and wild felids. Transmitted by ixodid ticks, the sylvatic reservoir for this organism in North America is the bobcat (Lynx rufus) in which the infection is apparently self-limiting. In domestic cats (Felis catus), C. felis causes a highly fatal disease with a distribution that covers much of the central, southcentral and southeastern U.S. and parallels that of the primary vector, the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Interestingly, there appears to be an increased survival rate in domestic cats in the geographic …

A Preliminary Checklist Of The Stoneflies (Arthropoda: Insecta: Plecoptera) Of Arkansas, Henry W. Robison, Chris T. Mcallister

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Seventy-seven species of stoneflies representing 8 families and 24 genera are herein reported from Arkansas. The most diverse families of state stoneflies were Perlidae (26 species), Capniidae (14 species), and Perlodidae (12 species) while Pteronarcyidae had only a single representative species. Additional taxa will surely be added to the list with future taxonomic studies incorporating molecular analyses.