Digital Commons Network^™

Influence Of Environmental Factors And Fishing Effort On Demersal Fish Species In Ghana, Vida Samantha Osei

Open Access Master's Theses

Separating effects of fishing from responses of environmental factors is a key problem for fisheries scientists. I used data from fishery-independent trawl surveys (6 years data from 1999 – 2016) to test influences of fishing effort and environmental factors (temperature, oxygen salinity) on the abundance and spatial distribution of two species groups: 5 economically important species and 3 non-commercial species on the continental shelf of Ghana. Fishing effort, measured for the entire study area, affected year-to-year changes in the abundance of all but one species (5 species negatively, 2 positively, and 1 species unaffected). All species also showed significant spatio-temporal …

Isopycnal Mixing In The North Atlantic Oxygen Minimum Zone Revealed By Rafos Floats, Donald William Rudnickas Jr.

Open Access Master's Theses

The Eastern Tropical North Atlantic Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) is a biogeochemically important area in the vicinity of the Cape Verde Islands formed by a combination of biological and physical processes. We use data collected from isopycnal RAFOS oats that were precisely ballasted into two groups and deployed at five locations near the edge of the OMZ. One group was ballasted to drift on the isopycnal where oxygen is at its minimum, and the other group about 300 m deeper. Nearly every six hours for 600 days the oats recorded their positions, temperature, pressure, and (at the isopycnal aligned with …

Positioning By Road Feature Correspondence, Tyson Demarest

Open Access Master's Theses

This research analyzes a new method to localize a moving vehicle within a known road network using differential odometry and a digital road map. The technique proposes geometrically hashing road features whose curvature is great enough to represent a distinct, measurable, real-world phenomenon. Several other strategies using road map data to constrain a localization search are discussed. In the recognition phase, this research proposes using a modified particle filter provides a way to maintain, test, and resample multiple hypotheses of the vehicle’s dead-reckoned location.

Sentiment Features For Yelp Not-Recommended Online Reviews Study, Na Li

Open Access Master's Theses

Nowadays, online reviews have become an important source of opinions that people refer to while making decisions. For instance, there are more and more people who refer to Yelp reviews to judge the quality of services that are provided by local businesses. Due to the popularity and guidance of online reviews, many reviews have been imposed for the purpose of either promoting or downgrading target services. Yelp develops its own automatic review recommendation algorithm, which has marked many suspicious reviews as Not-recommended Reviews. Yelp has automatically grouped its online reviews in two different categories, and it is a common …

The Old Rhode Island Farm: History, Memory, And Interpretation At Bristol's Coggeshall Farm Museum, Michelle M. Just

Open Access Master's Theses

While larger living history museums have been frequently studied by scholars, smaller museums, like Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island receive far less attention. Utilizing historical and institutional records, historical monographs, and literature from the fields of museum studies and anthropology, this study examines authenticity in the museum setting using Coggeshall Farm Museum as a case study, suggesting that despite the museum’s search for historical accuracy, the institution remains inauthentic to recorded history. It argues that the history and interpretation of Coggeshall Farm Museum was intimately intertwined and influenced by the historical perceptions, biases, and dynamics of the museum’s …

The Effect Of Humidification On Artificially Aged Tin-Weighted Silks, Sarah Gilcrease

Open Access Master's Theses

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries a variety of weighting agents were applied to silk yarns and fabrics to increase their weight in an attempt to make a greater profit on their sale. In addition, the weighting process imparted a more desirable drape to silk, making it more popular with consumers. Consequently, weighting became an almost ubiquitous practice during this time until sanctions on the amount of acceptable weighting were enacted in the 1930s due to concerns around the rapid deterioration of heavily weighted silks.

However, many of these textiles have been accessioned by museums and other cultural …

Instrumentation Of Measuring Cellular Capacitance Via Signal Processing Tool, Mosa Al Zowelei

Open Access Master's Theses

This master thesis pertains to a systematic testing and evaluation of three neuroscience instruments previously developed at the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory of the University of Rhode Island. The three instruments are the Universal Clamp (UC), the Neuron Emulator (NE), and the Cell Capacitance Emulator (CCE). The UC is an innovative instrument that employs a fast-digital signal processor to deliver and integrate various experimental tools for electrophysiology. The NE is an electronic device that uses a capacitance source to represent the passive and active electrical properties of a neuron. The CCE presents a dynamic resistance-capacitance model of a neuron with the …

Behavior Of Frp Pedestrian Bridges Under Human Induced Excitation, Laura Schmidt

Open Access Master's Theses

The prediction of the dynamic response of pedestrian bridges under human-induced excitation is a challenge in the design of pedestrian bridges, caused by the wide range of variables and the complex interaction effects. The use of new, lightweight materials, like FRP, and the trend to design long span and slender constructions lead to structures more sensitive to dynamical impact, which caused some vibrational problems at newly built bridges in the recent past. This brought increased attention to this topic.

The present thesis aims to analyze the dynamic properties of the new material fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), to estimate the changes …

Quantifying Fisheries Balance With A Novel Production Estimation Method, Joseph Zottoli

Open Access Master's Theses

Balanced harvest is a controversial Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) concept conceived with intent to minimize ecosystem disruption and maximize human benefits compared to traditional management. However, most marine ecosystems lack comprehensive production estimates necessary for implementation. We developed and tested two new methods for estimating fish production at the species level with minimal data requirements. Application of our techniques to four ecological production units in the Northwest Atlantic (Mid-Atlantic Bight, Georges Bank, Gulf of Maine, and western Scotian Shelf) from 1991-2013 provided a direct estimate of 2032 kt yr^-1 of total fish production. The degree of balance between catch …

Carbon Nanotube Interactions With Human Cells Under Shear Using Microfluidics, Rolf Staud

Open Access Master's Theses

In recent years, nanotechnology has attracted significant interest in cancer therapeutics for its touted ability to offer innovative solutions to existing problems associated with chemotherapeutic agents. Specifically, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have garnered recent attention in the fields of bioimaging and biosensing. SWCNTs possess an intrinsic and unique near-infrared (nIR) photostable fluorescence and biocompatibility. Several past studies have revealed how SWCNTs interact with biological systems in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the specific effect of flow and shear stress on the interactions between SWCNTs and live cells in vitro are more closely investigated. The nature of binding …

Passive Object Detection Via An Artificial Lateral Line And A 2-D Viscous Flow Model, Jack H. Clark

Open Access Master's Theses

In the field of ocean exploration and marine vehicle design there is a heavy reliance on the use of acoustic and visual sensors for mapping, maneuvering, and obstacle avoidance. In low light regions, constricted spaces, or areas where water is turbid, however, passive systems similar to the lateral line of fish can be advantageous. Using a set of measurements like these, a digital twin could be constructed such that it represents the true physical system for use in mapping, control system design, or tracking the loading of a structure over time. For moving bodies in the presence of solid boundaries …

Assessment Of Ceramic Water Filters As A Point-Of-Use Water Treatment System For Treament Of Microbilogical, Organic, And Inorganic Contaminants In Drinking Water, Ryan K. Sullivan

Open Access Master's Theses

The use of ceramic water filters (CWFs) is common in many households in developing and rural communities worldwide. Currently, CWFs are a viable means of microbial contaminant removal from untreated drinking water sources, however, very little is known about their ability to remove other organic and inorganic contaminants, such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons. CWFs are also commonly impregnated with silver nanoparticle to increase antimicrobial properties. However, little is known about the effect of the surface functionalization of silver nanoparticles on the performance of ceramic water filters. Furthermore, CWFs are typically used as a household water treatment system, in the …

Expression And Activity Of Cyp2c8 And 2c9 In Diabetes Mellitus And Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Ghadah Alghaith

Open Access Master's Theses

Background and Objectives:

Diabetes mellitus and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) are two highly prevalent and related diseases. Research have shown that they can affect the expression and activity of enzymes integral in the clearance of xenobiotics. Such enzymes include the Cytochrome P-450 isoforms 2C8 and 2C9. Our objective is to study the effect of these diseases on CYP2C8 and CYP2C9 using in vitro tools.

Methods:

A bank of donated livers was utilized for in vitro studies. Hepatic microsomal incubations of S-warfarin, a (CYP2C9) probe substrate, were performed to measure CYP2C9 activity by product formation and S-warfarin, intrinsic clearance …

Metal Oxide Catalysts For The Detection Of Explosives: Methodology And Mechanism, Andrew S. Rossi

Open Access Master's Theses

At the University of Rhode Island’s Sensors and Surface Technology Partnership, a sensor platform has been fabricated that is capable of detecting explosive vapor at the ppb level. This sensor utilizes differential signal processing between a catalyzed microheater and a bare reference microheater to detect heat effects from catalyst-analyte interactions. The reaction mechanism behind these catalytic heat effects is highly debated and was originally thought to be due to chemisorption and catalytic decomposition of explosive vapor molecules [1]. The true mechanism of detection has been proven to be oxidation or reduction of the metal oxide catalyst to higher or lower …

Synthesis Of Thioflavin T Analogues, Jennifer Rodriguez

Open Access Master's Theses

Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent form of dementia and is characterized by the presence of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Thioflavin-T, a fluorescent molecule, is known to have a high binding affinity to beta-amyloid. The high binding association is optimal for use as an affinity tag in the synthesis of targeted molecular imaging probes for detection by hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe MRI. An effort to move away from gadolinium-based contrasts for MRI is at the forefront of research due to evidence of toxic gadolinium build up in numerous organs. The goal of this project was to synthesize six Thioflavin-T analogues …

Effect Of Hemiepiphysiodesis On The Growth Plate: The Histopathological Changes And Mechanism Exploration Of Recurrence In Mini Pig Model., Jing Ding, Jin He, Zhi-Qiang Zhang, Zhen-Kai Wu, Fang-Chun Jin

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Purpose: Hemiepiphysiodesis has been widely used to correct angular deformity of long bone in immature patients. However, there is a limited knowledge about the biomechanical effect of this technique on the histopathological changes of the growth plate and the mechanism of recurrence of malformation after implant removal. We aimed to evaluate the biomechanical effect of hemiepiphysiodesis on the histopathological changes of the growth plate and the mechanism of recurrence of malformation after implant removal in Bama miniature pigs, and to explore the role of asymmetric stress during this procedure.

Methods: Eight 3-month-old male Bama miniature pigs sustained surgeries on the …

Phylogenetic Relationships Of Living And Fossil African Papionins: Combined Evidence From Morphology And Molecules, Kelsey D. Pugh, Christopher C. Gilbert

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Comparing Daily Drivers Of Problem Drinking Among Older And Younger Adults: An Electronic Daily Diary Study Using Smartphones, Alexis Kuerbis, Hayley Treloar Padovano, Sijing Shao, Jessica Houser, Frederick Muench, Jon Morgenstern

Publications and Research

Background—By 2030, numbers and proportions of older adults with substance-use problems are expected to increase. While risk factors for problem drinking in late life have been identified, it remains unknown whether these factors drive daily drinking among older problem drinkers. This study examined the daily drivers of drinking among problem drinkers, moderated by age, utilizing ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Method—Participants (N=139), ages 20–73, received daily EMA online surveys completed via a smartphone prior to initiation of treatment. Multilevel modeling tested the moderating impact of age on within- and between-person relationships between drinking and focal predictors (mood, loneliness, boredom, stress, poor …

Probing The Wave Nature Of Light-Matter Interaction, D. E. Boone, C. H. Jackson, A. T. Swecker, J. S. Hergenrather, K. S. Wenger, O. Kokhan, Balša Terzić, I. Melnikov, I. N. Ivanov, E. C. Stevens, G. Scarel

Physics Faculty Publications

The wave-particle duality of light is a controversial topic in modern physics. In this context, this work highlights the ability of the wave-nature of light on its own to account for the conservation of energy in light-matter interaction. Two simple fundamental properties of light as wave are involved: its period and its power P. The power P depends only on the amplitude of the wave’s electric and magnetic fields (Poynting’s vector), and can easily be measured with a power sensor for visible and infrared lasers. The advantage of such a wave-based approach is that it unveils unexpected effects of light’s …

Mechanistic In Vitro Evaluation Of Prosopis Farcta Roots Potential As An Antidiabetic Folk Medicinal Plant, Saba Feyzmand, Behzad Shahbazi, Marzieh Marami, Gholamreza Bahrami, Ali Fattahi, Yalda Shokoohinia

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Toxicity Evaluation Of Acrylamide On The Early Life Stages Of The Zebrafish Embryos (Danio Rerio), Hattie Spencer, Joseph Wahome, Mary L. Haasch

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Preconditioning Hamstring Resistance Exercises On Repeated Sprinting-Induced Muscle Damage In Female Soccer Players, Che Chen, Yung‐Sheng Chen, Yi Tse Wang, Wei Chin Tseng, Xin Ye

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Individual-Specific Physical Activities On Cognitive Function Among Older Adults, Emily Frith, Paul D. Loprinzi

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

A Description Of Nesting Behaviors, Including Factors Impacting Nest Site Selection, In Black‐And‐White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Variegata), Andrea L. Baden

Publications and Research

Nest site selection is at once fundamental to reproduction and a poorly understood component of many organisms’ reproductive investment. This study investigates the nesting behaviors of black-and-white ruffed lemurs, Varecia variegata, a litter-bearing primate from the southeastern rainforests of Madagascar. Using a combination of behavioral, geospatial, and demographic data, I test the hypotheses that environmental and social cues influence nest site selection and that these decisions ultimately impact maternal reproductive success. Gestating females built multiple large nests throughout their territories. Of these, females used only a fraction of the originally constructed nests, as well as several parking locations as infants …

Microtubule Imaging Reveals Cytoskeletal Deficit Predisposing The Retinal Ganglion Cell Axons To Atrophy In Dba/2j, Denis Sharoukhov, Festa Bucinca-Cupallari, Hyungsik Lim

Publications and Research

PURPOSE: Glaucoma is characterized by progressive loss of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. Here we test an outstanding notion that microtubules (MTs) within RGC axons degrade before the loss of morphology (‘‘MT hypothesis’’).

METHODS: The integrity of axonal MTs was interrogated by intrinsic second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy. Using DBA/2J mice as a model of glaucoma and DBA/2J-Gpnmbþ as a nonglaucomatous control, the relationship between MT disruption and morphology was quantitatively examined as a function of age and sex in the fresh retinal wholemounts.

RESULTS: The mean SHG density (i.e., the mean SHG intensity per thickness) was significantly …

Novel Multiplex Pcr Reveals Multiple Trypanosomatid Species Infecting North American Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus), Allen Szalanski

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Crithidia bombi and Crithidia expoeki (Trypanosomatidae) are common parasites of bumble bees (Bombus spp.). Crithidia bombi was described in the 1980s, and C. expoeki was recently discovered using molecular tools. Both species have cosmopolitan distributions among their bumble bee hosts, but there have been few bumble bee studies that have identified infections to species since the original description of C. expoeki in 2010. Morphological identification of species is difficult due to variability within each stage of their complex lifecycles, although they can be easily differentiated through DNA sequencing. However, DNA sequencing can be expensive, particularly with many samples to diagnose. …

Modeling Of A Dynamic Mckibben Style Muscle System Using Material Properties, Alexander G. Arcus

Theses

The McKibben style artificial muscle is a type of pneumatic artificial muscle. When the muscle is pressurized a length contraction and contractive force occur. Modeling a McKibben style muscle presents many challenges. The physical dynamics of the muscle are highly nonlinear, which makes accurate modeling difficult. Modeling using experimentally determined coefficients enables the creation of an equation that ignores the nonlinear nature of the system, but it can have a limited range or accuracy and cannot adjust for changing system properties. Modeling using the system properties requires the consideration of the nonlinear dynamics of the muscle; however, it provides the …

Using High-Order Prior Belief Predictions In Hierarchical Temporal Memory For Streaming Anomaly Detection, Brody Kutt

Theses

Autonomous streaming anomaly detection can have a significant impact in any domain where continuous, real-time data is common. Often in these domains, datasets are too large or complex to hand label. Algorithms that require expensive global training procedures and large training datasets impose strict demands on data and are accordingly not fit to scale to real-time applications that are noisy and dynamic. Unsupervised algorithms that learn continuously like humans therefore boast increased applicability to these real-world scenarios.

Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) is a biologically constrained theory of machine intelligence inspired by the structure, activity, organization and interaction of pyramidal neurons …

Compact Antenna With Artificial Magnetic Conductor For Noninvasive Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring, Meenakshy Iyer

Theses

A non-invasive technique for real-time continuous monitoring of blood glucose has been under development by Venkataraman’s research group in the ETA lab at RIT [16]-[18]. The methodology involves placing an antenna on the arm and monitoring changes in the resonant frequency, which is attributed to changes in the blood glucose level. This is because the blood’s permittivity depends on the glucose levels, and in turn, affects the antenna’s resonant frequency. In order to correlate the antenna’s resonant frequency shift with the real-time blood glucose change, glucose estimation was also modeled using the antenna’s input impedance. The antennas designed could successfully …

Femtosecond Laser-Matter Interactions In Ternary Zinc Phosphate Glasses, J. Hernandez-Rueda, N. W. Troy, P. Freudenberger, Richard K. Brow, D. M. Krol

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We investigate the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with ternary zinc phosphate glasses. We explore the viability of ten different glass compositions with different levels of alumina to inscribe optical waveguides via the fs-laser direct writing technique, finding that only samples with [O]/[P] ratios of 3.25 are suitable candidates. We also test a zinc magnesium phosphate glass to fabricate waveguide Bragg gratings in order to generate filters and mirrors with specific spectral properties. Confocal Raman spectroscopy inspection shows that laser-damaged material exhibits a relative intensity decrease and a subtle blue-shift on the 1209 cm-1 Raman peak, which implies a relative …