Rhode Island Research Articles

Long-term declines in chlorophyll a and variable phenology revealed by a 60-year estuarine plankton time series

Long-term ecological time series provide a unique perspective on the emergent properties of ecosystems. In aquatic systems, phytoplankton form the base of the food web and their biomass, measured as the concentration of the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll a (chl a), is an indicator of ecosystem quality. We analyzed temporal trends in chl a from the Long-Term Plankton Time Series in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA, a temperate estuary experiencing long-term warming and changing anthropogenic nutrient inputs. Dynamic linear models were used to impute and model environmental variables (1959 to 2019) and chl a concentrations (1968 to 2019). A long-term chl a decrease was observed with an average decline in the cumulative annual chl a concentration of 49% and a marked decline of 57% in winter-spring bloom magnitude. The long-term decline in chl a concentration was directly and indirectly associated with multiple environmental factors that are impacted by climate change (e.g., warming temperatures, water column stratification, reduced nutrient concentrations) indicating the importance of accounting for regional climate change effects in ecosystem-based management. Analysis of seasonal phenology revealed that the winter-spring bloom occurred earlier, at a rate of 4.9 ± 2.8 d decade-1. Finally, the high degree of temporal variation in phytoplankton biomass observed in Narragansett Bay appears common among estuaries, coasts, and open oceans. The commonality among these marine ecosystems highlights the need to maintain a robust set of phytoplankton time series in the coming decades to improve signal-to-noise ratios and identify trends in these highly variable environments.

Giving the Devil His Diu: Malik Ayyaz, the Estada da India and Reassessing Comparative Naval Power in the Early Modern Indian Ocean

The 1509 Battle of Diu is regularly cited as a definitive example of European naval superiority over the Asian powers of the Indian Ocean. Some authors, like the late Jan Glete, have gone so far as to assert that, after Diu, no Indian Ocean state was ever able to challenge the Portuguese at sea again. Yet these analyses ignore that Portugal’s primary adversary in India, Gujarati governor Malik Ayyaz, not only survived the battle of Diu but also continued to wage a private war against the Estada da India until shortly before his death in 1522. This article examines Ayyaz’s war against Portugal from beginning to end and uses his career as a lens through which to offer a re-evaluation of Gujarati naval strength in the early sixteenth century. Its findings suggest that the conflict between Ayyaz and the Estada da India was ultimately a draw, with neither side possessing a meaningful technological or military advantage over the other.

Advection surface-flux balance controls the seasonal steric sea level amplitude

Along with the mean sea level rise due to climate change, the sea level exhibits natural variations at a large number of different time scales. One of the most important is the one linked with the seasonal cycle. In the Northern Hemisphere winter, the sea level is as much as 20 cm below its summer values in some locations. It is customary to associate these variations with the seasonal cycle of the sea surface net heat flux which drives an upper-ocean thermal expansion creating a positive steric sea level anomaly. Here, using a novel framework based on steric sea level variance budget applied to observations and to the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean state estimate, we demonstrate that the steric sea level seasonal cycle amplitude results from a balance between the seasonal sea surface net heat flux and the oceanic advective processes. Moreover, for up to 50% of the ocean surface, surface heat fluxes act to damp the seasonal steric sea level cycle amplitude, which is instead forced by oceanic advection processes. We also show that eddies play an important role in damping the steric sea level seasonal cycle. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the steric sea level mechanisms which is crucial to ensure accurate and reliable climate projections.

New species and distributional records of the paedomorphic click-beetle genus Euanoma Reitter, 1889 (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Omalisinae) from the Western Palaearctic

Euanoma Reitter, 1889 is the most speciose genus of the click-beetle subfamily Omalisinae. Representatives of Euanoma are known from the Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Caucasus. In this study, we describe E. rodosensis Packova & Kundrata, sp. nov. from the island of Rhodes, Greece, and E. alanyensis Packova, Kazantsev & Kundrata, sp. nov. from the southern coast of Turkey. Additionally, we provide the first record of E. reitteri (Pic, 1901) from Albania which also represents the first Albanian record of genus Euanoma. The updated distributional map of Euanoma is attached.ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2528B39F-FDB3-4FF6-B3EF-C1C50E75FC15.

Ekman-driven salt transport as a key mechanism for open-ocean polynya formation at Maud Rise.

Open-ocean polynyas formed over the Maud Rise, in the Weddell Sea, during the winters of 2016-2017. Such polynyas are rare events in the Southern Ocean and are associated with deep convection, affecting regional carbon and heat budgets. Using an ocean state estimate, we found that during 2017, early sea ice melting occurred in response to enhanced vertical mixing of heat, which was accompanied by mixing of salt. The melting sea ice compensated for the vertically mixed salt, resulting in a net buoyancy gain. An additional salt input was then necessary to destabilize the upper ocean. This came from a hitherto unexplored polynya-formation mechanism: an Ekman transport of salt across a jet girdling the northern flank of the Maud Rise. Such transport was driven by intensified eastward surface stresses during 2015-2018. Our results illustrate how highly localized interactions between wind, ocean flow and topography can trigger polynya formation in the open Southern Ocean.

Songwriting versus recreational music therapy in adults with alcohol use disorder: A cluster-randomized study measuring readiness to change

ABSTRACT Background There is a lack of studies differentiating music therapy interventions by measuring potential between-group differences and within-group improvements in detoxification settings. Objective The purpose of the study was to compare group motivational-educational songwriting (MESW) and group recreational music therapy (RMT) as measured by readiness to change in adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who were hospitalized on a detoxification unit. Method Participants were 91 adults with AUD on a detoxification unit who were cluster-randomized by session to a single group MESW or group RMT session. Participants completed the 24-item University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) at pre- and posttest. Results Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance indicated significant within-group improvements from pre- to posttest in measures of contemplation, action, and total readiness to change. Although between-group differences did not reach significance, posttest means were consistently more favorable in the MESW condition. Conclusions Despite the temporal challenges of single sessions that are often the norm in detoxification settings, MESW and RMT may be ideal psychosocial treatments to augment people’s readiness to change and ultimately result in a higher likelihood of recovery. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Pilot findings on the real-world performance of xylazine test strips for drug residue testing and the importance of secondary testing methods

BackgroundXylazine is a sedative found increasingly in the illicit fentanyl supply that can cause hypotension, bradycardia, necrosis and death. This pilot examined the real-world performance of BTNX xylazine test strips (XTS) in drug residue samples. MethodsThis study was nested within a drug checking service in Rhode Island. We tested unmeasured drug residue dissolved in 5mL of distilled water using XTS and Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Analyses compared XTS and LC-QTOF-MS results to calculate XTS detection of xylazine in residue. ResultsAmong 41 residue samples, xylazine was detected in 11% by the XTS and 44% by the laboratory. The LC-QTOF-MS detected xylazine in 18 samples: 4 major, 9 minor, 5 trace by volume relative to the whole sample. The XTS disagreed with the LC-QTOF-MS by indicating a negative result in 77.8% (N=14) of the samples but never indicated a positive when the LC-QTOF-MS reported xylazine’s absence. The XTS correctly detected xylazine 22% of the time, however, this increased to 100% of the time if xylazine was a major active component. ConclusionsIn this study, the BTNX XTS often disagreed with LC-QTOF-MS by indicating a negative result, likely due to the dilution levels used and sample composition. The XTS may not be accurate in detecting residual amounts of xylazine, especially if xylazine is not a dominant component of the tested sample. Given the novelty of BTNX’s XTS products, we recommend XTS only be used in conjunction with other advanced drug checking modalities for residue testing.

The paleoredox context of early eukaryotic evolution: insights from the Tonian Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup, Canada.

Tonian (ca. 1000-720 Ma) marine environments are hypothesised to have experienced major redox changes coinciding with the evolution and diversification of multicellular eukaryotes. In particular, the earliest Tonian stratigraphic record features the colonisation of benthic habitats by multicellular macroscopic algae, which would have been powerful ecosystem engineers that contributed to the oxygenation of the oceans and the reorganisation of biogeochemical cycles. However, the paleoredox context of this expansion of macroalgal habitats in Tonian nearshore marine environments remains uncertain due to limited well-preserved fossils and stratigraphy. As such, the interdependent relationship between early complex life and ocean redox state is unclear. An assemblage of macrofossils including the chlorophyte macroalga Archaeochaeta guncho was recently discovered in the lower Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup in Yukon (Canada), which archives marine sedimentation from ca. 950-775 Ma, permitting investigation into environmental evolution coincident with eukaryotic ecosystem evolution and expansion. Here we present multi-proxy geochemical data from the lower Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup to constrain the paleoredox environment within which these large benthic macroalgae thrived. Two transects show evidence for basin-wide anoxic (ferruginous) oceanic conditions (i.e., high FeHR/FeT, low Fepy/FeHR), with muted redox-sensitive trace metal enrichments and possible seasonal variability. However, the weathering of sulfide minerals in the studied samples may obscure geochemical signatures of euxinic conditions. These results suggest that macroalgae colonized shallow environments in an ocean that remained dominantly anoxic with limited evidence for oxygenation until ca. 850 Ma. Collectively, these geochemical results provide novel insights into the environmental conditions surrounding the evolution and expansion of benthic macroalgae and the eventual dominance of oxygenated oceanic conditions required for the later emergence of animals.

Middle Ordovician climatic and oceanic destabilization in a slope-setting of the Yangtze platform, South China, and its role as a regional brake on the Ordovician radiations

During the Middle Ordovician, the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) saw an accelerated diversification pulse in the marine metazoan richness, which has been linked to the oceanic and climatic changes. Here we have examined a deep-water slope succession, Xijinhe section, in Lower Yangtze region by integrating sedimentological and geochemical methods. This study highlights that the climatic and oceanic destabilization might have substantially impacted the marine biodiversity during the Middle Ordovician in South China. Three phases are identified based on lithological and geochemical variation patterns. During Phase I across the Early–Middle Ordovician transition (Floian–Dapingian), the TOC and abundances of redox sensitive elements (RSE) are relatively depleted, suggesting a suboxic-oxic environment in the slope area of Yangtze Sea. The continental chemical weathering intensity transit from stable to unstable in Phase I indicated by CIA (chemical index of alteration) that gradually fluctuate to lower values, potentially caused by the secular cooling. The slowly ameliorating climate and redox conditions advanced the biodiversification across the Early–Middle Ordovician transition. During the Phase II in the Darriwilian, the continental chemical weathering intensity continue to decrease and the concentrations of RSE start to rise. The values of Mn(%)*Co(ppm) become consistently lower than 0.4, and the bio-limited elements such as P, Ba, and Ni are substantially enriched correspondingly. This phenomenon implicates that a secular cooling climate would have resulted in oceanic destabilization by improving upwelling of deeper anoxic/euxinic and eutrophic water into epicontinental sea, potentially causing a deceleration in the biodiversification during the Darriwilian in South China. The Phase III across the Middle–Late Ordovician transition, witnesses the continuous decrease of CIA values and highest abundances of TOC and RSE though some minor fluctuations, indicating a possibly even more drastic oceanic destabilization relative to Phase II. Deeper anoxic/euxinic water continuously intruded and shoaled into the shelf area during the Phase III due to the enhanced upwelling. Consequently, the habitat of marine organisms in shallow water was contracted, and becoming harsher. Additionally, bio-limited elements such as P were released from anoxic sediments and recycle into the seawater during the Middle Ordovician, boosting primary productivity level and may further deplete oxygen in seawater. This unstable oceanic state during the Middle Ordovician, particularly Darriwilian, represented by high nutrients content in epi-continental sea and expanding anoxic/euxinic water, could be attributable for the deceleration of biodiversification in South China and potentially the spatially variable paces of biodiversification in different paleo-continents during the main phase of the GOBE.

The thermal equation of state of the magma Ocean

As the protolunar disk formed by the giant impact with the incoming asteroid Theia started to cool, the Earth condensed in its center as a molten planet. The outer layer, rich in lithophile oxides, formed the magma ocean, whose dynamical behavior heavily influenced the entire evolution of the early Earth. Here, we employ first-principles molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the magma ocean in its initial stage. We compute the compressibility and the viscosity of the molten pyrolite, which best approximates the bulk silicate Earth composition. With an extensive set of calculations, we span the entire relevant pressure-temperature range. We provide a detailed analysis of the athermal and thermal equations of state in various formulations. We obtain a linear temperature dependence for the bulk modulus using the 4th order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state. We show that the liquid silicate accommodates compression by the collapse of the second Si-O coordination sphere, whose corresponding coordination number passes from about 24 at the surface of the magma ocean to about 40 at its deepest point. We found that pyrolite melts have a very low viscosity, about one order of magnitude lower than that of molten basalt. We also propose a revised position of the critical point of the bulk silicate Earth, which lies around 6000 K and 1.1–1.2 kbars.

Report of the 2023 Nebs Collecting Foray in Bristol County, Rhode Island

Report of the 2023 Nebs Collecting Foray in Bristol County, Rhode Island

HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use among Men Experiencing Incarceration in the United States: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective approach to preventing HIV acquisition and is recommended for populations overrepresented in carceral systems given the overlap with populations disproportionately impacted by HIV. However, few studies have focused on PrEP initiation outcomes in a carceral setting to maximize public health impact. Setting: This study was conducted in a unified jail/prison system within the state of Rhode Island located in the United States. Methods: A prospective observational cohort of men initiating PrEP within a jail setting were enrolled in this trial. Men were referred by providers, staff, or after self-presenting for HIV preventive care, these individuals were offered enrollment in the study which involved evaluation for clinical PrEP eligibility, PrEP initiation while incarcerated, continuation upon community re-entry and linkage to a community PrEP provider post-release. Results: A total of (N=100) men in the jail facility (e.g. “intake”) were enrolled in the cohort. Of the 100 men enrolled, 83% were determined to be PrEP eligible through standard clinical evaluation, 37% were prescribed PrEP, and 26% initiated PrEP while incarcerated. In total, 5% of enrolled individuals were linked successfully to PrEP care in the community. Conclusion: Our findings suggest preliminary feasibility and acceptability of initiating PrEP within a jail setting. There were significant challenges across the PrEP care continuum that can be used to inform future studies and practice.

0827 Sleep-related Impairment and Cognitive Function Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Children in Rhode Island

0827 Sleep-related Impairment and Cognitive Function Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Children in Rhode Island

A new approach for the assessment of coastal flooding risk. Application in Rhodes island, Greece

A directional, copula-based, Monte Carlo approach is proposed for the quantitative assessment of a new definition of coastal flooding risk, namely a probability-based index due to extreme combinations of wave conditions and sea levels, which could be a key element for coastal zone planning and management. This approach differs from the standard practice, which focuses on the extreme events and studies either their specific return values or their worst-case scenarios. The adopted approach incorporates mean wave direction as a covariate into the probabilistic representation of sea states, and via the use of a variety of probabilistic and statistical tools, represents a total of five stochastic variables, namely the significant wave height, the peak wave period, the mean wave direction, the storm surge, and tide. Two directional, alternative methods have been developed; a trivariate copula- and a bivariate copula-based method, that seemed to produce quite similar results. Four types of copulas have been examined for their goodness-of-fit, i.e., three Archimedean copulas, namely, the Clayton, the Gumbel, and the Frank copulas, as well as the elliptical Gaussian copula. A comparative analysis of the two methods is performed aiming to point out their pros, as well as their accuracy and complexity issues. The application of the proposed method to the natural beaches of the Rhodes Island in Greece, in combination with a recently developed formula for wave run-up, highlighted the most crucial parameters affecting the coastal flooding risk in the study area.

'Everywhere I call, there's nothing available': Understanding the alcohol treatment landscape and needs among unstably housed people who use alcohol in Rhode Island.

Alcohol is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and people who are unstably housed are disproportionately impacted by adverse alcohol-related health outcomes. Addressing the needs of unstably housed people with high-intensity alcohol use (i.e., heavy episodic use or binge drinking), including those whose goal is not abstinence, is critical to reducing harms among this population. This study explores the alcohol-related treatment and support needs among unstably housed people who use alcohol. Data collection included participant observation and semi-structured interviews (n = 25) with unstably housed people with high-intensity alcohol use. Data were analysed thematically, with attention to structural vulnerability and social-structural forces at shaping perceptions of and experiences with alcohol treatment. Participants underscored how housing instability was critical in precipitating and maintaining heavy alcohol use, with alcohol often used to manage the stress and anxiety related to housing instability. While participants regularly engaged with alcohol treatment programs, program design and barriers to access undermined the effectiveness of these services for participants. Participants described the need for a range of program and service options across a continuum of care to be implemented to support participants in meeting their diverse needs and identified goals regarding alcohol use. Alcohol treatment and supports need to be modified so that they include a range of harm reduction and abstinence-based models to better meet people's diverse needs. Furthermore, treatment must be paired with permanent and affordable housing to address underlying drivers of alcohol-related harm for unstably housed people.

Policy Approaches for Increasing Adolescent HPV Vaccination Coverage: A Systematic Review.

US jurisdictions have enacted a wide range of policies to address low human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage among adolescents, but it is unclear which policies are effective. To systematically review the impact of governmental policies on adolescent HPV vaccination coverage. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Eligible studies, published from 2009 to 2022, evaluated the impact of governmental policies on HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents ages 9 to 18. Two investigators independently extracted data on study sample, study design and quality, policy characteristics, and HPV vaccination outcomes. We summarized findings by policy type: school-entry requirements (SERs), federally-funded policies related to the Vaccines for Children program and Medicaid, educational requirements, and others. Our search yielded 36 eligible studies. A majority of studies evaluating HPV vaccine SERs found positive associations between SERs and HPV vaccination coverage (8 of 14), particularly for SERs in Rhode Island and Washington, DC. All studies evaluating SERs for other adolescent vaccines observed positive spillover effects for HPV vaccination (7 of 7). Federally-funded policies related to Vaccines for Children and Medicaid were consistently associated with higher HPV vaccination coverage (7 of 9). Relatively few studies found associations between educational requirements and HPV vaccination coverage (2 of 8). Studies used limited vaccination data sources and non- or quasi-experimental designs. Some studies had no or poorly matched comparison groups. Our findings suggest promise for SERs and federally-funded policies, but not educational requirements, for increasing HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents.

Association between the social vulnerability index and breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates in Rhode Island.

Cancer screening is effective in reducing the burden of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, but not all communities have appropriate access to these services. In this study, we aimed to identify under-resourced communities by assessing the association between the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) with screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers in ZIP-code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Rhode Island. This study leveraged deidentified health insurance claims data from HealthFacts RI, the state's all-payer claims database, to calculate screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures. We used spatial autoregressive Tobit models to assess the association between the SVI, its four domains, and its 15 component variables with screening rates in 2019, accounting for spatial dependencies. In 2019, 73.2, 65.0, and 66.1% of eligible individuals were screened for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer, respectively. For every 1-unit increase in the SVI, screening rates for breast and colorectal cancer were lower by 0.07% (95% CI 0.01-0.08%) and 0.08% (95% CI 0.02-0.15%), respectively. With higher scores on the SVI's socioeconomic domain, screening rates for all three types of cancers were lower. The SVI, especially its socioeconomic domain, is a useful tool for identifying areas that are under-served by current efforts to expand access to screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. These areas should be prioritized for new place-based partnerships that address barriers to screening at the individual and community level.

Schorr and Hurley to receive AATOD'D Nyswander‐Dole award

Allegra Schorr and Linda Hurley will each receive the Nyswander/Dole “Marie” Award during the conference of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) next month. Schorr, president of the Coalition of Medication‐Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates of New York State (COMPA), and Hurley, president and CEO of CODAC Behavioral Healthcare in Rhode Island, will accept the awards from AATOD. The award, the highest accolade AATOD can bestow upon someone in recognition for having made significant contributions in the field of opioid use disorder treatment, is named after Vincent Dole, M.D., and Marie Nyswander, M.D., two pioneers in the research of medication‐assisted treatment for addiction. Dole and Nyswander were the first recipients of this award in 1983.

Persistent climate model biases in the Atlantic Ocean's freshwater transport

Abstract. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is considered to be one of the most dangerous climate tipping elements. The salt–advection feedback plays an important role in AMOC tipping behaviour, and its strength is strongly connected to the freshwater transport carried by the AMOC at 34° S, below indicated by FovS. Available observations have indicated that FovS has a negative sign for the present-day AMOC. However, most climate models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP, phase 3 and phase 5) have an incorrect FovS sign. Here, we analyse a high-resolution and a low-resolution version of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) to identify the origin of these FovS biases. Both CESM versions are initialised from an observed ocean state, and FovS biases quickly develop under fixed pre-industrial forcing conditions. The most important model bias is a too fresh Atlantic Surface Water, which arises from deficiencies in the surface freshwater flux over the Indian Ocean. The second largest bias is a too saline North Atlantic Deep Water and arises through deficiencies in the freshwater flux over the Atlantic Subpolar Gyre region. Climate change scenarios branched from the pre-industrial simulations have an incorrect FovS upon initialisation. Most CMIP phase 6 models have similar biases to those in the CESM. Due to the biases, the value of FovS is not in agreement with available observations, and the strength of the salt advection feedback is underestimated. Values of FovS are projected to decrease under climate change, and their response is also dependent on the various model biases. To better project future AMOC behaviour, an urgent effort is needed to reduce biases in the atmospheric components of current climate models.

Infections Associated with Medtronic Duet External Ventricular Drains - Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, January 2023-January 2024.

External ventricular drains (EVDs) are medical devices that are inserted into the ventricles of the brain to drain excess fluid, manage intracranial hypertension, monitor intracranial pressure, and administer medications. Unintentional disconnections and breaks or fractures (breaks) of EVDs or associated drainage system components can result in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and increased risk for EVD-associated infections. After replacement of Integra Life Sciences EVD systems with Medtronic Duet EVD systems at Rhode Island Hospital in mid-September 2023, a threefold increase was observed in the prevalence of positive CSF cultures, from 2.8 per 1,000 days with an EVD in place (EVD days) during January-September 2023 to 11.4 per 1,000 EVD days during October 2023-January 2024 (rate ratio [RR] = 5.7; 95% CI = 1.5-22.0; p = 0.01) and an eightfold increase in the prevalence of infections, from 0.7 to 6.5 per 1,000 EVD days (RR = 9.8; 95% CI = 1.1-87.3; p = 0.04). An investigation by Rhode Island Hospital Infection Control during December 2023-January 2024 identified frequent reports of disconnections and breaks of the Medtronic Duet EVD system. A search of the Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database identified 326 reports nationwide of disconnection and breaks of components of the Duet EVD system, including 175 during 2023. A Medical Product Safety Network report was filed. The Duet EVD product was ultimately recalled in January 2024, citing disconnections of the EVD system and reports of CSF leakage and infection. Given the widespread use of EVD systems by neurosurgery centers and the risk for EVD-associated infections, a strategy for future consideration by hospital infection prevention and control programs might be inclusion of EVD-associated infections in hospital surveillance programs to rapidly identify increases in these events and determine factors related to such infections to prevent additional infections.