University Of Rhode Island Research Articles

What if there were no fishing? North Atlantic right whale population trajectories without entanglement mortality

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 37:233-237 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00926 ESR Special: Marine vertebrate bycatch: problems and solutions NOTE What if there were no fishing? North Atlantic right whale population trajectories without entanglement mortality Robert D. Kenney* University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Bay Campus Box 40, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882-1197, USA *Corresponding author: rkenney@uri.edu ABSTRACT: The North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis, one of the world’s rarest mammals, experienced an alarming level of mortality in 2017. The estimated abundance as of 2016 was 451 animals. After 20 yr of relatively steady but slow growth, the population has declined since 2010. Mortality and serious injury from entanglement in commercial fishing gear have had a significant impact on recovery. Despite legal requirements to reduce fishery-related mortality, little or no real progress has been made over the last 2 decades. Here I took a relatively simple approach to estimate what the population trajectory since 1990 might have been under 4 different scenarios of reduced entanglement mortality. Under the best-case scenarios, the population at the end of the time-series would have been 25-30% higher than observed at present. If the population had not experienced nearly 3 decades of increasing entanglement, it could have been much more resilient to a disaster year like 2017. KEY WORDS: Eubalaena glacialis · North Atlantic right whale · Population decline · Entanglement mortality Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Kenney RD (2018) What if there were no fishing? North Atlantic right whale population trajectories without entanglement mortality. Endang Species Res 37:233-237. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00926 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 37. Online publication date: November 29, 2018 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.

Acknowledgement

The committee of the Seminar Nasional dan Rapat Tahunan in accordance with International Conference on Science and Technology (SEMIRATA-ICST) would like to express our greatest gratitude to Universitas Sumatera Utara, especially Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences for hosting this year conference, Governor of North Sumatera, Badan Kerja Sama Perguruan Tinggi Negeri (BKS-PTN) in West region, and Officials of Kota Medan. Special thanks to PT Perkebunan Nusantara II (PTPN II), PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (PTPN III), Bank Nasional Indonesia (BNI), Bank Sumatera Utara (SUMUT), Himpunan Kimia Indonesia, Himpunan Matematika Indonesia, Konsorsium Biologi Indonesia, Buchi Indonesia, GeneCraft Labs, Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum (PDAM) Tirtanadi, University of Rhode Island, Ir. Isman Nuradi, MM and English House for supporting us through financial aids to this conference.Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (Philippines), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Malaysia), University of Rhode Island (USA) and Universitas Sumatera Utara (Indonesia) for providing us notable keynote speakers in the conference. In addition, we would also like to express our gratitudes to all participants and presenters across disciplines in the field of Mathematics and Natural Sciences for their participations and efforts to join this conference as well as to everyone which we definitely cannot mention one by one that supported the process from the beginning until the end of the conference. In the end, we are looking forward for your participation in the next ICST in 2019.Warmest Regards,Chairman

The Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education: How It All Began

As director emeritus of the International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island, John Grandin was in a good position to provide an overview of the evolution of the Colloquium on International Engineering Education at its twenty-year celebration at the University of Northern Arizona in 2017. This article is based on Grandin’s keynote address at the Arizona Colloquium in which he recalled how the Colloquium began, who the key stakeholders and driving forces were, how other programs got started nation-wide and how the momentum grew and led to the 2008 joint NSF sponsored workshop and the Newport Declaration to Globalize Engineering Education.

Expertise, availability build camaraderie across campus

“I love the camaraderie of my peers,” said Carnell Jones, Ph.D., director of enrollment services at the University of Rhode Island. “There's not a department where I'm not known and welcome,” he added.

Reaction: Potential Impact of Cryo-EM Technique on Battery Industry

Yao Chen received her PhD degree in physical chemistry from Wuhan University in 2014 and now is a cathode manager at Wanxiang A123 Systems Asia. Lifeng Zheng is executive director of Wanxiang A123 Systems Asia and has more than 10 years of experience related to research and development (R&D) and Li-ion battery manufacturing. Derek C. Johnson received his PhD degree in chemical and biological engineering from Colorado State University in 2006 and now is vice president of global R&D at A123 Systems. Christopher L. Campion received his PhD degree in organic chemistry from the University of Rhode Island and now is a senior manager of global technology at A123 Systems.

Design Features of a Professional Development Program in Digital Literacy

AbstractThe authors introduce readers to three design features of the University of Rhode Island's Summer Institute in Digital Literacy, a 42‐hour, weeklong professional learning experience in digital literacy for educators, librarians, college faculty, and other adult learners. The program is explicitly designed to promote reflection on one's motivations for advancing digital literacy, deepen appreciation for collaborative inquiry, and focus on how educators and learners (not machines) personalize learning. Evidence of how these themes are developed through practice illustrates the design philosophy that is embedded in the program. Digital media platforms, texts, and technologies enable pedagogical practices that put learners and teachers at the center of an increasingly networked social world, but these approaches also require respect for diverse perspectives, deliberative dialogue, and collaborative inquiry to bring them into the mainstream educational practice of schools, libraries, universities, and communities.

Characterization of bottom parameters in the New England Mud Patch using geophone and hydrophone measurements

Measurements of acoustic pressure and particle velocity were made during the Seabed Characterization Experiment (SCEx) in the New England Mud Patch south of Cape Cod in about 70 meters of water. The University of Rhode Island and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution deployed the “geosled” with a four-element geophone array, a tetrahedral array of four hydrophones, and several hydrophone receive units (SHRUs). In addition, a new low frequency source, interface Wave Sediment Profiler (iWaSP) was deployed to excite interface waves (Scholte waves). The iWaSP system consists of a source to generate the interface wave and a four-element accelerometer receive array. Modal arrivals from broadband sources (SUS and CSS) on geophones and hydrophones will be presented and compared. The individual arrivals on the sensors will be identified though seismo-acoustic modeling. Based on the propagation paths of the various waves (compressional, shear and Scholte waves), geoacoustic parameters will be estimated. Seismic data collected at the location will be used to constrain the model parameters in the inversion. Sediment data from cores, other in-situ measurements and inversions using other types of data will be used to compare and validate our inversions. [Work supported by Office of Naval Research.]

Retention of student pharmacists' knowledge and skills regarding overdose management with naloxone

Background: Overdose education and naloxone training was recently implemented into the required curriculum of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island. The objective of this study was to compare the retention of knowledge between student pharmacists who received a didactic lecture only versus student pharmacists who received the same lecture plus a skills-based objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) with a standardized patient actor.Methods: Students in their first-professional year (P1) of the Doctor of Pharmacy program (n = 129) and students in their second-professional (P2) year (n = 123) attended a required lecture on opioid overdose, including detailed naloxone training. P2 students were additionally required to participate in an OSCE assessment following the didactic lecture component. An anonymous, voluntary survey was offered to all students approximately 6 months later. A Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact Test was performed on the survey responses to assess any difference in the responses between the two groups.Results: A total of 99 P1 students (76.7%) and 116 P2 students (94.3%) completed the survey. P1 students were found to be more knowledgeable regarding the duration of naloxone action and identification of risk factors for opioid overdose. P2 students were found to be more knowledgeable regarding non-medical ways patients may obtain opioids and the correct order of emergency response during a suspected opioid overdose…Conclusions: P2 students did not demonstrate superior retention of information regarding naloxone and opioid use disorder on survey questions compared with P1 students. There was a trend towards P2 students feeling more confident in their ability to counsel patients for overdose prevention and reporting disagreement with the statement that “overdose prevention for people who use drugs is a waste of time and money” compared with the P1 students, but these did not reach statistical significance. Since the opioid crisis continues unabated, naloxone training using OSCE and didactic methods remain an on-going required part of the pharmacy curriculum.

Characterization of benthic biogeochemistry and ecology at three methane seep sites on the Northern U.S. Atlantic margin

Several hundred methane seeps were recently discovered along the U.S. Atlantic margin, a passive margin without a major hydrocarbon basin. These seeps represent a compelling opportunity to compare and contrast geochemical parameters, as well as the distribution and composition of associated chemosynthetic ecosystems, across geologically distinct seeps. Specifically, this study characterized the physical, chemical, geological, and biological features at Veatch Canyon, New England, and Shallop Canyon methane seep sites using a suite of state-of-the-art sampling and communication tools: AUV Sentry, HOV Alvin, a video-equipped multicore, and a real-time telepresence connection to the Inner Space Center (ISC) at the University of Rhode Island. Water column backscatter data collected by AUV Sentry confirmed previously detected gas emission and further indicated the presence of 13 actively emitting gas seeps within the Veatch Canyon survey area, 5 within the New England survey area, and 15 within the Shallop Canyon survey area. Complementary high-resolution seafloor bathymetry and backscatter mapping data indicated highly rugose morphology at all surveyed seep sites including the presence of extensive rock outcrops and bivalve beds. Video collected by HOV Alvin provided visual confirmation of gas plumes and the presence of chemosynthetic communities, including microbial mats and mussel beds, as well as large outcrops of authigenic carbonate rock surrounding locations of discrete gas emission. Bathymodiolus was the dominant species observed at the Veatch Canyon methane seep site, while the deep-sea red crab, Chaceon quinquedens, dominated the New England and Shallop Canyon seep sites. Elevated pore water sulfide concentrations suggested stimulation of sulfate-coupled anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and/or degradation of organic matter in seep sediments relative to non-seep sediments; AOM was observed directly within overlying authigenic carbonate rocks. DNA sequencing of the surface sediments revealed diverse sulfide-oxidizing bacteria similar to the taxa described previously at other methane seeps, including members of the Thiotrichales and Campylobacterales. Together, these analyses provide one of the first interdisciplinary descriptions of sites within this massive seep system, setting the stage for more targeted, hypothesis-driven investigations. In this context, telepresence facilitated interdisciplinary research between specialists at the ISC and scientists and engineers at sea, enabling researchers to transfer data and maximize research efforts with sampling tools at sea. Our findings suggest that although the geological setting is distinct, the surficial microbial and macrofaunal communities closely resemble those of previously described methane seeps.

Acknowledgement

The committee of the 3rd International Conferece on Biological Sciences and Biotechnology would like to express our greatest gratitude to University of Sumatera Utara, Konsorsium Biologi Indonesia (KOBI), and PT Olympus Indonesia for sponsoring part of the expenses during the seminar, as well as University of Rhode Island (USA), University of Ryukyus (Japan), and Brawijaya University (Indonesia) for providing us noble keynote speakers for the conference. In addition, we would also like to gratefully thank all our participants and oral speakers, as well as all the efforts and contributions that everyone has made for the seminar, which we definitely cannot mention one by one, that the conference would not be as successful without your participation. We are looking forward for your participation in the next ICBSB in 2019!Warmest Regards,Chairman

Inversions for sediment parameters using geophone and tetrahedral array measurements in the New England Mud Patch

Measurements of acoustic pressure and particle velocity were made during the Seabed Characterization Experiment (SCEx) in the New England Mud Patch south of Cape Cod in about 70 meters of water. The University of Rhode Island and Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution deployed the “geosled” with a four-element geophone array, a tetrahedral array of four hydrophones, and several hydrophone receive units (SHRUs). In addition, a new low frequency source, interface Wave Sediment Profiler (iWaSP) was deployed to excite interface waves (Scholte waves). The iWaSP system consists of a source to generate the interface wave and a four-element accelerometer receive array. Results of inversions for geoacoustic parameters will be presented. Arrival time dispersion from broadband sources (SUS and CSS) and iWaSP will be used for these inversions. Both p-wave and Scholte wave arrivals will be investigated using the geophone and hydrophone data. Seismic data collected at the location will be used to constrain the model parameters in the inversion. Sediment data from cores, other in-situ measurements and inversions using other types of data will be used to compare and validate our inversions. [Work supported by Office of Naval Research.]

The 3rd International Conference on Biological Sciences and Biotechnology

On behalf of the organizing committee of the International Conference and Department of Biology, University of Sumatera Utara, we would like to express our warmest welcome for all our participants and speakers to the 3rd International Conference on Biological Sciences and Biotechnology. The conference itself was held in Medan, August 23rd 2017, with the theme “Exploration and Conservation of Natural Resources for Biotechnology Development”.With over 40 selected manuscripts presented in the conference from authors across the globe, this proceeding aimed to serve as a platform to exchange information of the research methods, results, and experiences from various field of biological science and biotechnology all over the world, including microbiology, plant and animal biosciences, biodiversity and environmental sciences, as well as biopharmacy and biomedical science. In addition to that, we hope that this proceeding could promote research opportunities for the participants and speakers both from Indonesia and worldwide.In this occasion, the organizing committee would express our greatest gratitude for the manuscripts from our four keynote speakers in the conference: Prof. Alison Roberts and Prof. Steven T. Gregory from University of Rhode Island, USA, Prof. Shigeyuki Baba from University of Ryukyus, Japan, and Prof. Sutiman B. Sumitro from Brawijaya University, Indonesia, to participate in this seminar proceeding. The organizing committee would also like to thank all our editors for their precious time and patience to read and revise the manuscripts in this proceeding, as well as to IOP Publishing for their warm service to publish this volume of proceeding.Thank you very much and we are looking forward for your next participation on the next conference.Warmest regards,Prof. Dr. Dwi Suryanto, M.Sc.Chairman of the 3rd ICBSB 2017

Better science through rhetoric: A new model and pilot program for training graduate student science writers

ABSTRACTGraduate programs in the sciences offer minimal support for writing, yet there is an increasing need for scientists to engage with the public and policy makers. To address this need, the authors describe an innovative, cross-disciplinary, National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded training program in rhetoric and writing for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduate students and faculty at the University of Rhode Island. The program offers a theory-driven, flexible, scalable model that could be adopted in a variety of institutional contexts.

Pfizer invests in neuroscience start-up

Just two weeks after deciding to ax its neuroscience research efforts, Pfizer has signed a deal with neuroinflammation-focused MindImmune Therapeutics. The biotech firm was founded at the University of Rhode Island in 2016 by former Pfizer employees, including MindImmune CEO Stevin Zorn. The start-up will develop drugs that target peripheral immune system cells, aiming to treat conditions of the central nervous system, including Alzheimer’s disease. The deal signals continued interest in alternatives to the classic amyloid-β and tau protein targets of Alzheimer’s drugs, all of which have failed thus far.

Luis Alejandro Yáñez‐Arancibia 1944–2016

Luis Alejandro Yáñez‐Arancibia 1944–2016

Meningococcal carriage among a university student population – United States, 2015

ObjectivesSeveral outbreaks of serogroup B meningococcal disease have occurred among university students in recent years. In the setting of high coverage of the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine and prior to widespread use of serogroup B meningococcal vaccines among adolescents, we conducted surveys to characterize the prevalence and molecular characteristics of meningococcal carriage among university students. MethodsTwo cross-sectional oropharyngeal carriage surveys were conducted among undergraduates at a Rhode Island university. Isolates were characterized using slide agglutination, real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR), and whole genome sequencing. Adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Poisson regression to determine risk factors for carriage. ResultsA total of 1837 oropharyngeal specimens were obtained from 1478 unique participants. Overall carriage prevalence was 12.7–14.6% during the two survey rounds, with 1.8–2.6% for capsular genotype B, 0.9–1.0% for capsular genotypes C, W, or Y, and 9.9–10.8% for nongroupable strains by rt-PCR. Meningococcal carriage was associated with being male, smoking, party or club attendance, recent antibiotic use (inverse correlation), and recent respiratory infections. ConclusionsIn this university setting, the majority of meningococcal carriage was due to nongroupable strains, followed by serogroup B. Further evaluation is needed to understand the dynamics of serogroup B carriage and disease among university students.

Predictors of 30-day All-cause Mortality in Veterans with First Recurrence of Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI)

BackgroundRecurrent CDI is an important cause of mortality, however few studies have evaluated independent predictors of mortality in patients with recurrent CDI.MethodsWe conducted a case–control study nested in a national cohort of adult Veterans with a CDI episode (defined as a positive stool sample for C. difficile toxin(s) & receipt of >2 days of CDI treatment [IV or PO metronidazole, PO or PR vancomycin, or fidaxomicin]) during an inpatient admission or outpatient encounter at a Veterans Affairs facility from 2010–2014. Only patients with a first recurrence were included, defined as a subsequent CDI episode within 30 days from the end of treatment of the first CDI occurrence. Cases were those that experienced 30-day all-cause mortality and controls included survivors matched to cases on year of episode, facility, and severity. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to identify predictors of mortality.Results110 cases were matched to 440 controls (1:4). Five predictors of mortality were identified including concurrent use of any antibiotic (OR 4.61, 95% CI 2.45–8.69), pulmonary heart disease (OR 4.707, 95% CI 1.30–17.06), the use of proton pump inhibitors within 7 days prior to CDI treatment (OR 3.59, 95% CI 2.01–6.42), nutrition deficiency (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.28–5.38) and age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02–1.07).ConclusionIncreasing age, proton pump inhibitors, previous antibiotic exposure, and underlying comorbidities were important predictors of death among those with first recurrence of CDI. Our data is among the first to investigate predictors of morality in patients with first recurrence, and these data may assist healthcare providers in optimizing patient care.Disclosures H. Morrill, The University of Rhode Island: Investigator, Research grant; A. Caffrey, Merck: Grant Investigator, Research grant; The Medicines Company: Grant Investigator, Research grant; Pfizer: Grant Investigator, Research grant; K. LaPlante, Merck: Grant Investigator, Grant recipient; Pfizer: Grant Investigator, Grant recipient; Cempra: Scientific Advisor, Consulting fee; The Medicines Company: Grant Investigator, Grant recipient; Allergan: Scientific Advisor, Consulting fee; Bard/ Davol: Scientific Advisor, Consulting fee; Ocean Spray: Grant Investigator and Scientific Advisor, Consulting fee and Grant recipient; Zavante: Scientific Advisor, Consulting fee; Achaogen: Scientific Advisor, Consulting fee

Preliminary analysis of geophone and tetrahedral array data from the Seabed Characterization Experiment

As part of the Seabed Characterization Experiment (SCEx), the University of Rhode Island and Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution deployed the low frequency shear measurement system and the interface Wave Sediment Profiler (iWaSP) system in the New England Mud Patch south of Cape Cod in about 70 meters of water. Multiple sensors were utilized to collect data which include a geosled with a geophone array of four vertically gimbaled geophones and a tetrahedral array of four hydrophones. The iWasp was used for exciting the interface waves. The iWaSP system was deployed from the R/V Sharp and it transmitted 10 seconds chirp signals every one minute between 33 and 200 Hz. The geophone array was approximately 100 m from the iWaSP source. Detection of the chirps from geophone and tetrahedral array signals was challenging due to the presence of noise sources such as ship traffic and environmental noise. Data were explored for the presence of iWaSP chirp signals in the audio and further analyzed using techniques such as matched filtering. The preliminary results and initial hypothesis regarding the wave types corresponding to the multiple arrivals will be presented. [Work supported by Office of Naval Research.]

Geophone and tetrahedral array measurements in the New England Mud Patch and preliminary results

Measurements of acoustic pressure and particle velocity were made during the Seabed Characterization Experiment (SCEx) in the New England Mud Patch south of Cape Cod in about 70 meters of water. The University of Rhode Island and Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution deployed the “geosled” with a four-element geophone array, a tetrahedral array of four hydrophones and several hydrophone receive units (SHRUs). In addition, a new low frequency source, interface Wave Sediment Profiler (iWaSP) was deployed to excite interface waves. The iWaSP system consists of a source to generate the interface wave and a four-element accelerometer receive array. The range between the iWASP and geosled was about 100 meters. Examples of data collected during the experiments will be presented. Preliminary results of the acoustic and particle velocity data will be discussed. Preliminary analysis of the data and approximate initial estimates of the seabed properties will be presented. [Work supported by Office of Naval Research.]

Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved. By Darren Naish and Paul Barrett. Washington (DC): Smithsonian Books. $29.95. 224 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-58834-582-0. 2016.

Previous articleNext article No AccessPaleontologyDinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved. By Darren Naish and Paul Barrett. Washington (DC): Smithsonian Books. $29.95. 224 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-58834-582-0. 2016.David E. FastovskyDavid E. FastovskyGeosciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island Search for more articles by this author Geosciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode IslandPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 92, Number 3September 2017 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/693579 Views: 41Total views on this site For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.