Properly managing natural resources is crucial for Cape Verdeans. They must get the most use out of what little resources they have without being dependent on anyone else. The biggest resource for the archipelago of Cape Verde is the Atlantic Ocean. Because of its location, a major source of food as well employment that the islands have is fish. The fishermen of Cape Verde work diligently every day to provide food for their family, their community, as well as the rest of the country. The ocean and the fishing industry are precious aspects of the country that need protection and recognition. There are various issues throughout the nation that are hurting the fisheries. The best way to prevent the decay of the industry is through proper investment from the government and through agreements with other countries. Expansion of the industry depends on this financial investment into the maintenance of the local ships and processing plants. Negotiations with foreign markets and other fisheries will help build a better and more sustainable fishing economy.

One of the subjects of the film focuses on meeting the fishermen organization of the Artisanal Fisheries as well as ones in the community of São Tome. This is an important aspect to the film because it captures the efforts of the fishermen as they discuss their work ethic, problems, and solutions they look forward to achieving. We also spent multiple days filming the fish market and touristic fisheries in São Vicente. There, we gathered numerous interviews with the men and women selling fish as well as fishermen coming in on their boats. There is a major focus on this section of the documentary, because it depicts the working environment of the daily procedures for a variety of people in the industry.

I plan on continuing to create documentaries on subjects that promote positive social change. My documentary on the fisheries in Cape Verde sheds light on the overlooked struggles and hard work that the country is dealing with.

Russell P. Dauksis

Major

Marine Biology

Advisor

Dr. Graham Forrester

Advisor Department

Natural Resources Science

Date

5-2012

Keywords

Escapology, marine ecology, functional morphology, animal behavior, predator-prey interactions, Bridled Goby, Coryphopterus glaucofraenum

Abstract

Interactions between predators and prey species are arguably the most pervasive and important events in ecology. Predators have strong effects on the distribution and abundance of prey in virtually all environments. In the long-term, it is therefore hardly surprising that selective mortality imposed by predators has shaped a wide array of prey behaviors that can be viewed as evolved responses to avoid predators.

Although prey exhibit a bewildering diversity of “strategies” to avoid predators, including camouflage, hiding in safe places, confusion, distraction and confrontation, most animals will sometimes simply flee when approached by a potential predator. For fish, the flight response has a stereotypic form, during which escaping fish exhibit a lateral contraction of the body into a “C” (known as a C-start) followed by a contraction of the opposite lateral muscle. Prey fish are commonly assumed to escape from predators with a maximal locomotor effort, but this may not always be the case. The presence of refuges may alter this escape response by allowing for an area of safety in close proximity.

I will study escape responses of the bridled goby, a Caribbean reef fish, in laboratory tanks that are as close to natural as possible. This will create conditions that are ecologically realistic and also allow detailed filming of the escapes. My study will thus be novel in taking an interdisciplinary approach; spanning ecology as well as animal behavior and functional morphology. I will test the hypothesis that reaching a refuge, through more focused directionality towards them, takes priority over maximizing locomotor performance in determining the characteristics of escape responses.

The fleeing of startled bridled gobies will be recorded with high-speed video equipment under the two treatments of refuges absent and refuges present. I will first use a model predator as the stimulus and then use a live predatory fish to make sure that the escape responses of the gobies are the same under both conditions. Model predators have been used successfully in prior experiments, and allow for the direction speed and timing of the predator stimulus to be easily manipulated. Muscle contraction patterns, directionality, acceleration, and velocity will all be analyzed from the video footage acquired from these experiments. It is predicted that the gobies will exhibit a lower energetic investment in escaping when refuges are providing safety.

Today, it is estimated that global consumption of plastic bags has reached over 500 billion annually. Further, the United States contributes to 1/5 of the global usage. While at first glance these figures could appear to be little more than harmlessly shocking, the consequences of such numbers have been grave and monumental. As a result of widespread single-use plastic bag consumption, every year over 100,000 marine animal deaths occur, tons of carbon emissions are released into our atmosphere, approximately 80 million barrels of oil are utilized, and consumers spend an extra 4 billion dollars in raised prices to compensate retailers for the cost of this seemingly free plastic carrying device.

Despite all of this information being available to the public, consumers continue to use plastic bags, but more importantly, the majority of them continue to dispose of them directly after their initial use is fulfilled rather than opting to reuse them or to instead use reusable bags. While I feel content in my decision to discontinue my own personal consumption of single-use plastic bags, I feel strongly about the fact that the majority of people, if properly educated about this issue, would alter their behavior in the same way that I did. I have faith that the Narragansett community can make an impact much larger than I can on my own. Andrea Durant and I are working together to be the catalyst for this movement to ban plastic bags in the town of Narragansett.

Edward Pare, History and Mathematics

Faculty Sponsor: Kyle Kusz, Kinesiology

American masculinity, more specifically white masculinity in America, is an ever-evolving subject. In the past two decades, cultural analysts have been writing once again about the idea of the existence of a crisis of white masculinity. This project takes a multi-method approach to analyze the social effects of mass mediated white masculinities on the process of how young white, middle class men construct and perform their white masculinities.

We live in a culture where citizens are inundated with media information and images, some of which are presented on the big screen. Through self-reflexive analysis of some of my own actions and the ways of being a white man presented in films starring Will Ferrell as well as those written and produced by Judd Apatow I argue that white masculinity is not in so much of a “crisis” but in a process of re-imagination. Not only do these films construct a historically specific standard of manhood in American society, but they also compel coming of age white men to find a particular form of manliness pleasurable. Too often, the pleasures constructed in and through the white masculinities created by Ferrell and Apatow re-circulate retrogressive ideas about race and gender that ultimately function to reproduce racial and gender inequalities.

In order to make sense of the politics of these representations of white masculinity, they must be read within the broader socio-historical context of following the rise of feminism and multiculturalism. In response to these movements, many socially conservative commentators suggested that white men were losing social status relative to women and people of color. Simply put, these arguments forwarded the idea that for some to climb the social ladder, some must fall. Feminism was blamed for taking aim at the American man, resulting in a crisis of white masculinity. Films from the 1980s and 1990s such as Rambo and Die Hard have been read as offering images of hard-bodied men who protect and defend a feminized nation. But, in the 2000s, Ferrell and Apatow provide a new trend in film representations of white masculinity, critiquing the hyper-masculine in an amusing yet powerful manner.

These films should be understood as a form of cultural pedagogy that can influence the way young white males, such as myself, construct and perform our masculinities. These films influence this process of identity formation by offering various characteristics of masculinity that myself and other white men like me then select and attempt to emulate in real life. It is not the masculine action that the movie necessarily creates in me, rather the white masculinities offered in these films provides a language that allows me to explain and rationalize some of my actions, as well as, setting a normative standard by which particular ways of being a man are deemed as being culturally acceptable for white college males.

This project leans heavily on the analyses of esteemed academics such as Michael Kimmel, Kyle Kusz , Michael Messner, and Tim Wise. Their writings formed the basis for this project’s creation and help implement the ideas discussed. This project looks to weave together an analysis of how contemporary American white men are being fabricated in contemporary media culture and the effects these representations have on at least a few young, college-educated white men.

Cory Wentworth & Kevin Hein

Majors: Film/Media & Nursing

Advisor: Dr. Thomas Zorabedian

Advisors Department: Film/Media

Date: 4-2013

Keywords: Screenplay, film, boys, men, masculinity, male, image, influences, media, society, myth.

Abstract

Logline: A group of four high school freshmen are pitted against each other to see who can become the manliest man, with the prize being a date with the most alluring senior girl in school, and maybe more.

Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis taught us to never back down from a fight. George Clooney showed us how to be a charmer. Kids at school urged us to never cry. Mom said it was OK to show emotion, but dad sometimes seemed unsure. Mixed messages can lead to insecurities and anxieties.

After taking HPR 324 Images of Masculinity in Film, we realized that there are countless influences on how a man should behave, from family members to the mass media, including, and perhaps especially, popular films.

These various influences force boys and men of all ages to make social comparisons over standards that are neither always true nor healthy. They can make living in own’s skin a tough place sometimes. As we are men, we speak from personal experience.

Therefore, we have created an original, feature-length screenplay focusing on a crucial time in young men’s lives. As boys in high school try and understand themselves, they don’t know how to be men yet (or even what that means). They try to sort through all the images of masculinity available to them. How do they sift through these numerous ideas of masculinity to figure out how to be the best men they can be, learn how to behave, and what’s important?

Douglas Kellner, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, writes, “Radio, television, film and other products of media culture provide materials of which we forge out very identities, our sense of selfhood, our notion of what it means to be male or female…” The media have shaped the mindset of males for years, including the way society thinks men should act. This has created male myths that have become the social norm.

Gary Oliver, author of Raising Sons and Loving It!, has identified several of these myths about the “alpha male” that we will explore and challenge in our screenplay. One myth is that a man is big, brave, and strong. Strength and size are valued in society, but not being at one’s physical peak does not make one less of a man. There are different types of strength, such as the mental strength to persevere through adversity. The next myth is that a man isn’t weak, and shouldn’t cry. We can’t imagine a man not crying at a parent’s funeral, or a man not breaking down after a tragedy, or simply feeling sad. This idea that crying shows weakness prohibits growth and could make dealing with life that much harder. Another myth that Oliver points out is that a man’s man is an expert on sex. James Bond exemplifies this, and we are lead to believe that men like Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are the epitome of a man’s sexuality. Comparing ourselves to men like that is detrimental to how we view our own self-image. The last myth is that a real man’s value is determined by what he does and how much he earns. This places an unhealthy focus on material value, rather than other meaningful aspects of being a person. These pressures create an image of a man—a muscle-bound stoic, who focuses only on money and sex with no emotions—that is out of reach and is neither feasible nor desirable.

These images remain extremely prevalent in society. Our project reveals and exposes these influences. The characters experience the pressures of these myths and learn valuable lessons, as they gain the courage to defy these pre-conceived notions of masculinity.

On campus in Depression-era America, Leftist student groups began to rise up and attempted to change the course of American politics. These Leftist groups were strongly rooted in Socialist and Communist alternatives to American capitalism, which they believed had failed the American people. By organizing and recruiting middle class college students, the Leftist groups on campus grew membership rates into the thousands. No greater was their impact felt than at the CCNY campus in New York City.

Occupy Wall Street began as a movement of American citizens who felt disaffected by their government after the sweeping bank and automotive industry bailouts of 2008 and 2009. Believing that the United States government had abandoned them in favor of following a too-big-to-fail doctrine, the members of Occupy Wall Street organized in Zucotti Park to protest high unemployment, the failure of American capitalism, excessive government spending on foreign wars, and the continued inaction of the government to improve economic conditions in the United States. The movement was quickly embraced by students who feared that when they graduated college they would be left jobless and saddled with massive student loan debt. The student response to Occupy Wall Street was immense and their demonstration of solidarity impressive, especially in New York.

This paper’s objective is to explore the connections between radical, left-leaning student activism in 1930’s New York and the student activists who have come out in support of Occupy Wall Street. This is important because Occupy Wall Street is a unique movement. Massive sit-in protests in Zucotti park, where people from across the region stood together united by their cause: putting to an end economic inequality and stopping the United States government from continually propagating a pro-corporate agenda while Main Street and the 99% are left footing the bill. It is important for us to understand that, while Occupy Wall Street is a unique movement, it is not the first time people united, firmly, against their country to protest its policies.

Aerobic biodegredation of HCH by soil bacteria has been studied extensively, yet the HCH degrading potential of aerobic bacterioplankton in the ocean water column has not. Certain bacteria are able to utilize toxic compounds like HCH as carbon sources, and in environments where HCH concentrations are high, HCH-degrading species have the potential to out-compete other members of the microbial community and alter the greater ecological landscape.

This study focuses on the effects that α, β, and γ-HCH isomers have on aerobic marine bacterial communities. These isomers were chosen due to their higher prevalence in the environment compared to other HCH isomers, as well as their toxicity. Water samples from Narragansett Bay were spiked with α, β, and γ-HCH to select for bacterial species able to tolerate or utilize these compounds. Bacteria isolated from these seawater incubations were used in subsequent HCH degradation experiments. Mass spectrometry was used to quantify the concentrations of each HCH isomer over time in order to calculate degradation rates. Comparisons of experimental and control samples highlight possible bacterial population trends in HCH-contaminated environments. Isolation of marine bacteria capable of degrading HCH in situ has potential for bioremediation of contaminated waters.

The Art of Foley is the sect of sound design which deals with performing and recording various sound effects in time with edited footage. Specifically, it applies to the movement of the subject(s), in the form of footsteps, the rustling of clothing, and the sounds of props with which subjects come into contact. The technique's inception in 1927 was sound designer Jack Foley's response to the quickly-evolving "talkie" form of motion picture, and since that time, the art form has ably adapted to monumental advances in technology across all forms of media, including film, radio, television, and video games.

My reason for devoting the Spring 2013 semester to Foley research stems from a desire to analyze the impact that sound has on the way that viewers and listeners perceive what they see and hear, even if the sound is as subtle as a footstep. My aim is to establish a lucid connection between the accuracy of these everyday sounds and the quality of the media in which they are found, in order to demonstrate the significance of Foley art's influence in the past, present, and future. In the context of this particular semester, it is a terrific opportunity to educate cinephiles, avid gamers, and even casual consumers of media about the passionate artists behind the seemingly mundane, but ever-necessary subtle sounds that make today's media such an enjoyable experience.

The research herein seeks to expand current understanding of communicative dynamics within large families by reviewing existing research on large families, as well as analyzing data collected from a questionnaire and interviews with members of large families. The goal of this research is to reveal trends in large family communication and explore its effect on the expression of extroverted and neurotic traits. Individuals from families with six or more children were surveyed using Sato’s Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Brief Version (2005) and Carver & Jones’s Family Satisfaction Scale (1992) in order to provide a quantitative perspective on the potential effect of family size on the expression of extraversion and neuroticism, as well as family satisfaction. Additionally, interviews conducted with individuals raised in large families furnish a holistic impression of communicative trends within these families.

Given the unique dynamic present in a large and atypical household, the goal of this paper is to identify and investigate communication trends within large families, explore the impact of family environment and practices on expression of extraversion and neuroticism, and evaluate the effects of large family size on family satisfaction. What communication trends characterize interactions within large families? Do the communicative practices of large families give rise to expression of extraverted and neurotic personality traits? What (if any) is the function of large family size on family satisfaction? This foray into the largely uncharted field of communication in large families seeks to shed light on these questions.

This project delves into some of these pressing existential concerns through an independent study of classic philosophic texts, along with an active research investigation. Focusing on four of the main players in existential philosophy, I explore Kierkegaard’s understanding of individuality, Nietzsche’s concept of the will that allows one to continue on in a seemingly meaningless world, how to lead the authentic life Heidegger describes, and the notion of freedom according to Sartre. In addition to the written profiles on each topic, I have paired my academic study with a more intimate, human element by conducting interviews with a handful of individuals in an attempt to understand how each perceives her life and her place within the world. My hope is that these recorded interviews help to illustrate the respective existential concepts concretely, merging the more formal analysis with the lived experience.

Despite the fact that the central concern of this project stems from the thoughts of four dead European men (a demographic I have become very familiar with as a philosophy major), their insights remain both inspiring and timely. Each of these thinkers provide a vehicle for self-awareness – a way for the individual to pull herself out of and away from the humdrum of her daily routine, the societal norms, and the external pressures – in order to freely carve out a path of her own. From country songs urging listeners to “Live like you were dying!” to tank tops with messages like “Be yourself” and “Follow your dreams!” splashed across the front, all too often these original existential concepts are diminished to cliché slogans. The mission of this project is to revive the radicalness of these four thinkers, for the messages they project are much louder than anything that could ever be reduced to a bumper sticker.

I use the discourse of C. P. Snow’s “two cultures” to work through this relationship and to explore the cultural perspectives of these fields during the Renaissance. This paper examines the significance of the relationship and reciprocal influence of the cultures of English literature and mathematics. Furthermore, I employ a piece of artwork from the Renaissance, The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger, to aid in this examination. This piece of artwork incorporates qualities from both “literature” and “mathematics,” clearly showing that both cultures are at least of equal importance and at some level inseparable, not only in the painting, but also in the contemporaneous society. Although scholars have worked with the mathematical imagery in the painting or with texts written about the painting, this paper looks at both the mathematics and literature that go into creating, critiquing, and enjoying art with a heavy emphasis on relating, connecting, and bridging literature and mathematics.

The concepts of analysis and synthesis are common to literary writing, rhetoric, and mathematics, and thus can bridge the division between literature and mathematics. Additional concepts include those of eloquence, elegance, harmony, and decorum, which will relate the “two cultures” to the visual culture of the Renaissance, specifically to The Ambassadors. Furthermore, I pay particular attention to the perspectives and perceptions of literature and mathematics during the Renaissance. By working with and using the discourse of a twentieth-century text and a piece of artwork, the paper delves into the divide between literature and mathematics and the perceptions of them during the Renaissance. Thus, in order to explore cultural perspectives of the disciplines, the paper breaks away from the modern conventional and stereotypical views of the humanities and sciences.

Finally, examining the confluence of literature and mathematics through art results in the discovery of the cyclic pattern of the “two cultures.” The paper aims to demonstrate that literature and mathematics are both important disciplines and are in fact impossible to separate as society has commonly done, and that this division between these cultures was of concern both in the Renaissance and in the mid 1950s. However, through C. P. Snow’s text and the analysis of literature and mathematics with varying modes from the Renaissance, it is also apparent that each time period was concerned with, and wanted to change different aspects of this divide. Thus, naturally the assumption remains that in our near future, society will once again be, indeed already is, bothered by this division of cultures and will likely consider remedies different from those of the Renaissance and the twentieth century.

Erin Sorlien

Major

Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry

Advisor

Dr. David R. Nelson

Date

May 2, 2013

Keywords

Flavobacterium columnare, columnaris disease, chondroitin AC lyase, complementation, csl operon

Abstract
Flavobacterium columnare, an opportunistic bacterial pathogen of fish, is the causative agent of columnaris disease (CD). The bacterium is a Gram-negative rod that exhibits gliding motility and avidly forms biofilms. CD affects both wild and cultured freshwater fish, and continues to cause large economic losses to the fish farming industry. According to an investigation conducted by the National Animal Health Monitoring System, CD caused losses of food-size fish in 39.0% of the US channel catfish operations, establishing CD as the most prevalent disease among catfish farms in 2010. Estimates of mortality of the disease vary significantly; however, it is clear the disease is of great economic importance. Infections have been reported in other cultured fish including tilapia, Atlantic salmon, Arctic char and rainbow trout.

The disease presents as lesions on the exterior of the fish, specifically on the fins, gills and body surface. Virulence factors proposed in F. columnare include the ability to adhere to surfaces, extracellular proteases, and chondroitin AC lyase. The evidence for the role of these proposed virulence factors is primarily based on the clinical signs of the disease and is merely suggestive. During CD outbreaks bacterial isolates have been collected from moribund fish that do not exhibit the characteristic external lesions. Characterization of the genetic basis of the virulence of this important pathogen is key to describing and accurately understanding how F. columnare generates infection in the host.
The specific virulence mechanisms that this bacterium uses to infect its host are not well studied or understood. Chondroitin AC lyase (chondroitinase) is one of the proposed virulence factors that may enhance the invasion of the pathogen. Chondroitinase functions by degrading chondroitin-containing structural components (i.e. cartilage) of the host tissues. The cslA gene encodes chondroitinase. When a mutation is made in wild type F. columnare (strain Fc2) to the cslA gene, the chondroitin AC lyase activity decreases by 98%, (unpublished data, Perreira, Staroscik and Nelson). When the cslA mutation is complemented ectopically by a wild type cslA gene on a plasmid approximately 10% of chondroitinase activity is restored (unpublished data, Perreira, Staroscik and Nelson).
It is hypothesized that the complemented mutant strain does not show full restoration of the chondroitinase activity because the cslA gene is the first gene of an operon. An operon acts as a unit of transcription, and functions in a coordinated manner to produce a single mRNA molecule which codes for more than one protein with related metabolic functions. The chondroitinase (csl) operon has been shown to contain 6 open reading frames (or genes), cslA-F. The insertion mutation in cslA disrupts the ability to transcribe downstream genes of the operon, called a pleiotropic effect. Analysis of the genes downstream of cslA suggests that they modify the enzyme chondroitin AC lyase, the gene product of cslA. In order to restore full activity of chondroitin AC lyase these downstream genes (cslB-F) must also be complemented. My investigation examines whether complementation of the complete csl operon in the cslA mutant is necessary to restore full chondroitinase activity. This project requires the construction of a genetic complementation vector, transformation into E. coli followed by conjugal mating into the F. columnare cslA mutant strain. The production of this new strain is then tested for chondroitinase activity and compared to levels seen in the wild type and the cslA mutant.

Research to date has indicated that certain landscape features may function as “hotspots” for GHG emissions. Because it is estimated that natural wetlands account for nearly 30% of total methane emissions (Reddy and DeLaune 2008), it is important to better quantify the fluxes of methane and other GHGs from natural environments into the atmosphere. Studies (Naiman et al. 1994, Soumis et. al 2004) have shown that wetland environments, such as beaver ponds, may be sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) – all potent GHGs. Due to the resurgence of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), there is an increasing interest in investigating beaver ponds as potential hotspots of GHG emission.

Beaver dams impound natural stream flow, creating wetland environments that foster anaerobic conditions, trap sediments and nutrients, and accumulate organic matter. This organic matter serves as a C source for microbial activity to facilitate biogeochemical cycling. With these conditions, beaver ponds alter the cycling of C and N within the riverine environment via the processes of respiration, methanogenesis and denitrification (Naiman et al. 1994) – which generate CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O.

In this study, the diffusive flux of GHGs (CO₂,CH₄, N₂O) from the air-water interface of three beaver ponds in Southern Rhode Island in the fall 2012 and spring 2013 seasons was determined via linear increase in concentration of gases in a static chamber over a defined sampling period (as described in St. Louis et al. 2000). Five floating gas chambers were launched on each beaver pond, sampled in 15-minute intervals over one hour, and the samples were processed on a gas chromatograph. An emission rate was derived for each gas from the linear regression of the change in concentration of the gas over time. Gas chamber sampling occurred three times per season on different dates at each of the three beaver ponds. Across sites, fall mean daily pond emissions ranged from 10 to 600 mg CH₄ m^-2 d^-1 and 4,150 to 23,100 mg CO₂ m^-2d^-1. Spring mean daily pond emissions ranged from 10 to 230 mg CH₄ m^-2 d^-1 and 1,500 to 4,300 mg CO₂ m^-2 d^-1. Emissions of N₂O were negligible. Variability in GHG emissions may be due to varying levels of labile C, temperature, photosynthetic activity, and pH. Future research involves investigating environmental parameters, such as subaqueous sediment temperature and reduction-oxidation potential, which may influence GHG emission rates.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are transmembrane proteins that transduce stimuli from outside of the cell into intracellular signals, through the interaction of their intracellular domains with heterotrimeric G proteins. GPCRs make up a vast protein family that includes a variety of subfamilies with distinct functions. They are usually described as a “superfamily” because they are made up of a group of families that have indications of evolutionary relationship but no significant similarities in sequences. Opsins are a subfamily of GPCRs; opsins include some that are found in the retina and are light-sensitive. Such “visual opsins” are involved in the transmission of signals from light to create visual images. Different types of photoreceptor cells contain different types of opsins. Rhodopsins are opsin family chemoproteins (proteins linked to a light-absorbing pigment such as retinal) that are found in membranous disks in the outer segment of rod cells and cone cells. Within the visual and non-visual opin family, there are many subdivisions that may be further subdivided into cone opsins and rhodopsins. These each have distinct molecular properties that are derived from the difference in the residues at position 122 and 189 of their amino acid sequences.

This project began with the hypothesis, that T. thermophila might contain rhodopsin-like proteins that absorb light and are involved in the light response. This hypothesis was based on two lines of evidence: first, experimental evidence that Tetrahymena can respond to light (Hufnagel and Kass-Simon, unpublished); and second, a prior genomic study that had accidently uncovered some preliminary evidence for rhodopsin-like proteins in T. thermophila (Babcock and Hufnagel, unpublished). With a more focused genomic search to identify rhodopsin- and opsin-like gene families in Tetrahymena, it was expected that opsin-like orthologues would be encountered. These then would be examined for evidence for a role in the light response. The focus of the project has been on the use of BLAST analysis of Tetrahymena genomic data to identify possible rhodopsin or opsin orthologues in Tetrahymena, and using expression libraries, BLAST analysis, motif search programs, and alignment methods to obtain clues about whether or not such opsin orthologues play a role in light reception. A diversified group of opsins were used to conduct gene blasting experiments to understand which visual opsins Tetrahymena is most closely related to. Further examination must be conducted in order to determine if Tetrahymenas have regions that can bind retinal-like molecules. So far, experimentation has only provided evidence for weakly orthologous proteins in Tetrahymena.

The methods used in the study will be described and the results obtained will be presented and their implications discussed.

This struggle of the English native speaker with French grammatical gender presents a valuable opportunity to study how grammatical gender is acquired. This project is a study of French grammatical gender acquisition of English native speakers. First, it examines the existing methods by which grammatical gender is acquired. The research then contrasts the acquisition of grammatical gender in second language learning to the acquisition for native French speakers. This paper then factors in the different variables that affect how grammatical gender is learned as a second language. These variables include age, level of French, motivation, type and amount of explicit review, and positive and negative feedback.

I created a survey of students from high school French levels 2, 3, 4, and 5 asking them to identify the gender of a series of French nouns, some of which can be determined by gender by general rules, some exceptions, and nouns that are typically used within various contexts. This project summarizes the results as well as compares them to the students’ responses to the following: How did you learn to decide between masculine and feminine nouns? How do you feel about how well you can distinguish M/F? and What do you know about masculine and feminine nouns in French?

This research summarizes the pedagogy surrounding grammatical gender and its effectiveness. Processing this study thus acts as a chance to improve personal acuity with grammatical gender. Furthermore, it provides a guide for how to communicate grammatical gender in French to students. Along with the research, I provide general curricula of how to communicate grammatical gender in the French foreign language classroom. This is accompanied by complete lesson plans highlighting grammatical gender as either a focus completely on masculine vs feminine nouns, a review or frontloading activity. This paper and curricula represent the attempt to understand the many facets in the acquisition of grammatical gender in order to apply a knowledgeable approach to the instruction of grammatical gender in French.

My goal was not only to teach them oral hygiene methods, but also to raise awareness to the importance of implementing these methods. Because professional medical and dental are scarce in the city of Campur and the greater Alta Verapas region, encouraging preventative oral health care such as daily brushing and flossing was a crucial part of my mission. It was important to me that I was not only able to provide the information but that I was able to provide the tools for them, whether standard or primitive, to begin implementing what they were instructed, and that in doing so, it would make a positive impact on other systemic issues and their daily lives. Unfortunately, the Q’eqchi people don’t have the luxury of going to the local Wal-Mart for a toothbrush and toothpaste. The town of Campur as well as its surrounding villages is far from the civilization of a large city and the benefits that it provides. Many of the these people have little or no basic knowledge of any health practices, and I wanted this project and mission to be a first of many humanitarian approaches that I will take in my life and in my career to improve the human civilization both near and far. I am hopeful that my experience will create awareness of just how great the global need is in this field as well as how we all can continue to make a difference both now and in the future.

In preparing our event, we have discovered the importance of communication among parties. This project has also assisted us in the development of interpersonal skills. Co-managing an event requires presentations, negotiations, and correspondence with campus officials, potential corporate sponsors, and our project mentors. During the planning stage of our project we drafted an outline of necessary department approvals, such as, requesting emergency response personnel, reserving an appropriate venue, and receiving liability waivers. Additionally, we created an action plan, which allowed us to effectively delegate tasks, recognize potential weaknesses, and document progress. We were also responsible for updating our project sponsors on a bi-weekly basis with a progress report.

Utilizing and combining various disciplines of business has allowed us to assess our abilities as we prepare to enter the workforce. Upon completion of the project, we will have exercised important responsibilities and skills that are required for success in the field of business.

In preparing our event, we have discovered the importance of communication among parties. This project has also assisted us in the development of interpersonal skills. Co-managing an event requires presentations, negotiations, and correspondence with campus officials, potential corporate sponsors, and our project mentors. During the planning stage of our project we drafted an outline of necessary department approvals, such as, requesting emergency response personnel, reserving an appropriate venue, and receiving liability waivers. Additionally, we created an action plan, which allowed us to effectively delegate tasks, recognize potential weaknesses, and document progress. We were also responsible for updating our project sponsors on a bi-weekly basis with a progress report.

Utilizing and combining various disciplines of business has allowed us to assess our abilities as we prepare to enter the workforce. Upon completion of the project, we will have exercised important responsibilities and skills that are required for success in the field of business.

Taphonomy is the study of the processes that affect animal remains after their death, including human butchering, animal gnawing, or natural processes. Taphonomic evidence on bones, including burning or cut marks, can show cultural aspects, such as how food was cooked and processed by people in the past. The main question focused on in this study is how the people of Tse-whit-zen cooked and processed the birds that were available and whether these activities varied by taxa or element. In this report a subset of the entire Tse-whit-zen avian assemblage was analyzed. Each bone was studied for taphonomic markers, such as burning and cut marks, all of which were recorded in a database, which also included the catalog number and provenience of each bone.

I observed several different types of modifications during data collection. Burning is the most frequent of all modifications observed, including burning along the broken shaft of limb bones, such as humeri. There are also several instances of cut marks on the bone as well as a few marks that may have been created during the process of disarticulating the bird carcass. These results are summarized and quantified in the report by type of modification, kind of bird, and skeletal element. Furthermore, the results of the burning on the bones are then compared to the frequency and location of burning noted in other analyzed bird bone assemblages in the surrounding areas of the Tse-whit-zen site. The evidence for processing and cooking of birds at Tse-whit-zen is summarized within the context of the site and the larger Northwest Coast region.

In this project, a course, HPR 107: Chinese Youth Culture, was designed and taught through the Students-Teaching-Students program, which provides senior Honor’s Program students the opportunity to design and teach their own Honor’s Program course. The HPR 107 course focuses on China’s 80后 and 90后 generations, those born in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively.

This multi-faceted project includes: subject matter research, course development, pedagogy development, course planning and implementation. Key project goals from the student-educator perspective include the development of: planning, critical thinking, teaching, communications, and time-management skills.

To guide the course development and teaching facets of this project, a list of student-perspective goals were also created. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: think critically about the ways in which technology, innovation and government action can influence culture; explain major events that shaped the 80后 and 90后 generations; identify and explain the defining characteristics of the 80后 and 90后 generations; explain the ways in which the 80后 and 90后 generations may change China; realize the complexity of Chinese culture; compare and contrast Chinese and American culture; and communicate through effective oral and written communication.

In terms of subject matter, the HPR 107 course covers a variety of topics, including: 20^th century Chinese history; China’s economic reform and opening; the one child policy; the consumer behavior of the 80后 and 90后; the Chinese education system; China’s internet language and culture; sex, cohabitation and marriage in China; and how the Chinese view the west.

The hyoid arch is critical in expanding the oral cavity during feeding and ventilation in fishes. The elements of the hyoid arch vary widely in morphology among fish taxa. The hyoid arch is medial to the jaws and is made up of paired hyomandibular cartilages (HY) dorsally, paired ceratohyal cartilages (CH) ventral to the HY, and a single, medial basihyal cartilage (BH) that interconnects the two sides. As the jaws open, the CH-BH complex is depressed expanding the floor of the oral cavity. The coracohyoideus muscle pulls the BH ventroposteriorly, which in turn swings the CH ventroposteriorly. As the coracohyoideus muscle depresses the BH, the CH experiences substantial bending forces. Because of their critical role in the feeding mechanism, the various shapes of the hyomandibular cartilages among species are likely adapted for different feeding behaviors. The hyoid arch of suction feeders experiences larger forces during rapid hyoid depression and are expected to have robust hyoid elements to withstand muscular forces and strong intraoral negative pressure generated during suction. Bite feeders are expected to have relatively more gracile elements, since strong, rapid jaw adduction that does not involve the hyoid arch is more critical to prey capture. The goal of this project was to test for possible form-function relationships among four shark species with different feeding styles. Shape differences were analyzed using 2D geometric morphometrics in white-spotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum, suction feeder), sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus, bite feeder), dusky smoothhound sharks (Mustelus canis, bite feeder), and spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias, bite and suction feeder) to quantify the relationship between the morphology of the hyomandibular cartilage and the feeding mechanism. Landmarks and semilandmarks were digitized on images of the HY. Principal components analysis and canonical variate analysis were applied to distinguish the shapes of elements and to determine changes among different species. While dogfish, which uses both suction and bite to feed, have the most robust HY, bamboo sharks, which only use suction to feed, have the most gracile HY. Bamboo and smoothhound sharks are similar in having a process near the each end of the HY on the posterior/anterior side. The HY of sandbar sharks has a convex curve that bulges outward, while the HY of the other species are relatively straight. Thus, the morphology of the HY does not correspond to feeding style in these four species as expected, but rather may be associated with three-dimensional movements of the hyoid arch during feeding.

Grief can be understood as the feeling of discontentment or sadness after a loss, such as a death. Higher levels of depression and anxiety, though commonly associated with PTSD, have been widely studied in occurrences of stressful life events but are less understood in relation to loss and grieving. The current study examines the relationship of loss and grieving with more common experiences of depression and anxiety symptoms. This project has its basis in the integration of psychological disorders and thanatological concepts. With the emergence of thanatology – the study of death, dying, and bereavement – the topic of how loss is associated with anxiety disorders is understudied.

This relates to the current study because a negative life event, particularly a loss, can contribute to anxiety disorders. Binelli et al. (2012) examined whether the experience of negative life events is associated with the development of social anxiety in order to understand the factors that contribute to anxiety in adulthood. Participants who experienced a negative life event, especially family violence were found to have higher levels of social anxiety. This current study will use a similar methodology to evaluate the relationship between a loss and the centrality (or meaning of that loss) to the individual and the current experience of depression and anxiety symptoms. It is hypothesized that a less controlled grieving style will be associated with higher current levels of anxiety and depression. It is also expected that the more central the event is to the participant’s identity, the less likely it is that the individual will have a controlled attitude to current grief.

An IRB proposal including a summary of the project, informed consent form, and survey with instructions has been developed and is under review. An online survey has been created and will be administered to nearly 600 undergraduate students at the University of Rhode Island via internet-based survey experiment software. Students will be offered course credit for their participation. The survey will include the Adult Attitude to Grief Scale (AAG) to assess the level at which the participant’s response to a loss and grief, the Centrality of Events Scale (CES) to measure how central a stressful life event is to the participant’s identity, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D) to measure symptoms of depression, and the Generalized Anxiety 7-Item Scale (GAD-7) to measure symptoms of anxiety. Results will be analyzed for relations between the experience of loss, current grief, and anxiety/depression symptoms.

This study will help to elucidate characteristics of loss and grief and their relation to common symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is often the case that these types of losses and related grief may not lead to diagnosable disorders such as PTSD but nonetheless can lead to real suffering. Results of this research may have implications for treatment for individuals who have endured common loss and grief by helping better tailor therapy, particularly for losses that are central to a person’s identity.

When telling a story the media chooses how to present the facts of the event to its viewership. The two main tools the media utilized when reporting an event are the tone and frame of the story. Tone refers to if the story is covering a “positive” event or a “negative” event. Tone is created through use of specific language that conveys these conditions to the audience. The frame of the story is the subject the story revolves around. Researchers James Avery and Mark Peffley (2003) found that the tone and frame of media coverage affected the opinions of individuals regarding welfare policy. They found that negatively toned articles elicited negative feelings about welfare policy. They also found that the framing of the story (whether the subject was a white or a black mother) affected how the public viewed the success/ failure of the policy.

I attempt to use the techniques of Avery and Peffley’s experiment to determine if media coverage of same-sex marriage affects public opinion on policy issues relating to same-sex couples. Participants were given one of five articles to read: a control article, a positively toned article framed around a gay couple, a positively toned article framed around a lesbian couple, a negatively toned article framed around a gay couple, and finally a negatively toned article framed around a lesbian couple. Immediately following the reading of the article participants were asked to complete a survey, which evaluated their attitudes towards issues such as same-sex marriage and same-sex parenting as well as evaluative statements regarding the couple featured in the article. The two hypotheses for this experiment are that participants exposed to the negative stimuli will express a less favorable attitude towards same-sex policies than those who were exposed to the positive stimuli. The secondary hypothesis is that participants who receive stimuli framed around the lesbian couple will be more sympathetic to the couple than those participants who received the stimuli framed around the gay male couple.

This experiment presents a valuable opportunity to further study the influence of media coverage on public support for policy. Expanding the current body of research to include the effects of media on social changes such as marriage equality is crucial for the understanding of political scientists, politicians, and advocacy groups. Understanding the relationships associated with media influence and public support can help campaigns predict the likelihood of success (if noticeably more negative attention is being given to the story of example) as well as allow these campaigns to better craft stories that will positively influence the likelihood of success within their desired outcome.

This study posits that guns are subject to the laws of supply and demand and the variable gun laws in states across the country decreases the effectiveness of local and state gun legislation. In short, guns are trafficked across state lines to meet demand in states with stricter gun laws.

Data for the study was collected from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The analysis shows a strong positive correlation between the strength of a state’s overall gun laws and the proportion of firearms it imports from other states.

This analysis offers compelling evidence that as states adopt laws to restrict in-state purchases of weapons, innovative consumers will turn to other, less restrictive markets. This is a possible explanation for why state and local gun laws may be ineffective at curbing gun violence and why federal legislation is necessary.

Following the 1920s technological advancement of sound recording allowed for an accompaniment of dialogue with feature films, which lead to more intricate story telling. A pivotal film during the 1940s was Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, which commented on the political strife generated by Hitler’s raise to power. Films during this time marked a unique change in the purpose of movies, no longer was a film meant for simple entertainment it could also comment on the social circumstances during which it was created. Modern films have continued the trend of acting as more than simple entertainment, often times a modern film contains a permeating theme which attempts to comment on a certain aspect or convention of society.

Additionally photography has been used for centuries in order to capture the artist’s interpretation of the world around them. Depending upon the photographer’s perspective and intended message a simple scene can have a number of different connotations. This project distills down the central theme of various films and utilizes photography as a medium to recreate and adapt them to current social circumstances. Through the set of photographs created, it uniquely attempts to combine both cinematic themes and photographic approaches to comment on a number of prominent social controversies. Films are used as the backdrop for this gallery of work due to the accessibility of them throughout different cultures, as well as the intimate connection they create with audiences. Additionally each photo remains truthful to the look and style of the film from which they are derived, which acts to reinforce the bridge between the two mediums. This collection of work represents not only a combination of media types, but also a socially conscious critique of current controversial themes.

In this project I set out to take an in depth look at European tapestries, learning the materials and processes used to create them and the historical significance of the imagery they display. I gathered information through researching tapestry from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo time periods. I examined the tapestry fragment that the URI TMD department has in its collection and was able to identify the weaving techniques I had learned about through my library research. I traveled to New York City and visited The Cloisters Museum to get an “up close and personal” look at some of the most famous tapestries that I had researched. I also met with a URI graduate, a textile conservator at the Isabella Gardner Museum and learned about the techniques used to preserve tapestries. The final piece of my project is implementing all that I have learned by creating my own tapestry piece.

After much research into the historical and technical background of European tapestries and having the opportunity to examine these textiles first hand, I was able to apply all that I had learned and take a design from cartoon to a finished tapestry piece. I have been able to get a full understanding of the weaving process by executing the techniques in my own small tapestry creation.