Digital Commons Network^™

Unnatural Issue: Gendered Adaptations Of “Peau D’Âne” In Contemporary French And English Texts, Amy M. Martin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Unnatural Issue: Gendered Adaptations of “Peau d’Âne” in Contemporary French and English Texts explores trans-genre and transmedia adaptations of Charles Perrault’s seventeenth-century fairy tale using feminist and narratological theories to examine gendered aspects of storytelling and the treatment of father-daughter incest and blame in the work of selected French, British, and American creators. Texts are read comparatively, with analyses of the adaptations’ plots, motifs, characterizations, and modifications, both in relation to Perrault and to the other adaptations. This dissertation features prose and poetry texts by female authors—including Christine Angot, Catherine Cusset, and Emma Donoghue—in the first two chapters. Reading these …

A Municipal Modernity: Women, Architecture, And Public Health In Working-Class New York, 1913–1950, Jessica Fletcher

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

“A Municipal Modernity” is the first study to analyze the architectural history of the district health centers in New York City that women reformers and their allies founded to address poor health in working-class communities. It reveals that women’s philanthropic adaptive re-use was foundational to the architecture of the public health care in New York and led to a program of municipal district health centers. Philanthropic reformers adapted buildings in the 1910s and 1920s to provide affordable health care for low-income women and children in European immigrant and Black neighborhoods. During the New Deal, municipal officials followed the example set …

The Divided Self: Internal Conflict In Literature, Philosophy, Psychology, And Neuroscience, Yulia Greyman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thematic project examines the notion of self-division, particularly in terms of the conflict between cognition and metacognition, across the fields of philosophy, psychology, and, most recently, the cognitive and neurosciences. The project offers a historic overview of models of self-division, as well as analyses of the various problems presented in theoretical models to date. This work explores how self-division has been depicted in the literary works of Edgar Allan Poe, Don DeLillo, and Mary Shelley. It examines the ways in which artistic renderings alternately assimilate, resist, and/or critique dominant philosophical, psychological, and scientific discourses about the self and its …

Trees In Urban Environments: How Soil Quality Impacts Tree Performance, Saidan Qi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cities around the world are increasingly investing in reforestation and afforestation efforts to mitigate impacts from climate change and population growth. However, urban soil conditions can be unfavorable for tree growth. Street trees are widely known to suffer from poor soil quality, but there has been no comprehensive review of this topic so far. Clean soils can be transported from nonurban areas to support cities’ green projects, but this approach is not sustainable. Artificial (constructed) soils can be created from various materials and have been proposed as an alternative medium for urban tree growth, but no research has been done …

Targeting Strategies To Optimize The Therapeutic Potential Of Gold Compounds Against Her2-Positive Breast Cancers, Afruja Ahad

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The overexpression of HER2 accounts for 20-30% of breast cancer tumors and not only serves as a marker for poor predictive clinical outcomes but also as a target for treatment. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine the selectivity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs to provide targeted treatment without toxicity to normal tissue. Most of the ADCs currently in the clinic for cancer chemotherapy are based on complex organic molecules. In contrast, the conjugation of metallodrugs to mAbs has been overlooked when there is enormous potential in this area with the resurgence of metal-based drugs as prospective cancer …

Más Allá De La Crisis Y La Emergencia: Aproximaciones A Los Movimientos Migratorios Contemporáneos A Través De La Traducción Y La Comedia, Fabiola Fernandez Peer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Esta investigación propone una reflexión original sobre la migración más allá de los marcos de la crisis y de la emergencia en referencia a acontecimientos concretos de estos últimos diez años de “crisis/emergencias migratorias” en y entre las regiones sur y norte del continente. El análisis del ensayo visual de la escritora/artista visual Verónica Gerber; el ensayo y la escritura ficcional de la escritora Valeria Luiselli y los performances de comedia de los comediantes/influencers George Harris y Jóse Rafael Guzmán revela que estos materiales pugnan con el discurso oficial, mediático, artístico, humanitario referido a la migración. Señala el impacto …

Avian Symbionts Of Sulawesi: Identifying And Correlating Malaria Parasites And The Microbiome In Communities Of Endemic Avian Hosts, Rachael Joakim

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the evolution of complex organisms, there have been communities of symbionts inhabiting them. Thanks to the development of parallel sequencing techniques, DNA of entire microbial communities can be sequenced from a single sample. Some microbes can be parasitic in nature, such as Haemosporida, an order of eukaryotes causing malaria. While most symbionts form a more commensal host relationship in wild systems, host-symbiont dynamics can vary in pathogenicity based on biotic and abiotic factors. In vertebrates, microbial communities in the gut play a major role in host function, including immune responses to Haemosporida. Though this relationship is most commonly explored …

Nanoparticles For Applications In Specific Diagnostics And Precision Medicine, Naxhije Berisha

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Heterogeneity is common in the expression of cancer and treatment response. Precision medicine enables healthcare providers to tailor medical care to an individual's distinct genetic and environmental makeup. This customization has the potential to result in more efficient treatments while minimizing side effects. We believe that by studying the interface of nanotechnology and cancer medicine we can elucidate innovative solutions that address the challenges of disease heterogeneity. This includes advancements in drug delivery, formulations development, and diagnostic sensing. We highlight three studies that use nanotechnology for applications in precision medicine. In Chapter 2, we highlight design optimization of drug formulations …

The Role Of Glutamate In The Medial Prefrontal Cortex In The Acquistion And Expression Of Conditioned Approach, Rudolf Nisanov

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A series of experiments were conducted to assess the role of glutamatergic stimulation in the dorsal and ventral regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in both the acquisition and expression of reward-related learning using a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm, the conditioned-approach paradigm. Rats with surgically implanted cannulas were exposed to Pavlovian conditioning sessions that occurred on three alternative days (acquisition) or seven consecutive days (expression). These 60-min conditioning sessions consisted of 30 pairings of light (CS) and food pellets (US) presented under a random time schedule. After a two-day break, rats underwent a session with no CS or US and …

Comparative Animal Mucomics, Antonio R. Cerullo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mucus is one of Nature’s most abundant and versatile biomaterials. These secretions are present in all animals, from the lowly garden snail to the great blue whale, and fulfill a multitude of functions, acting as antimicrobial barriers, moisturizers, adhesive glues, surface lubricants, and mineralizing agents. Despite their importance, very little is known about mucus compositions or properties. The largest challenge precluding the greater understanding of mucus function is its complexity; a single mucus contains complex mixtures of proteins, glycans, and ions that all have important roles in function. Therefore, understanding mucus function necessitates analysis that compares different mucus from one …

Protein-Protein Interactions In Cell Cycle Proteins: An In Silico Investigation Of Two Important Players, Andriele Eichner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The examination of the cell cycle carries significant implications for the biology, health, and overall existence of all living things. These implications span from the development and growth of these organisms to the aging process and cancer, as well as the potential of stem cell therapies to repair diseases and injuries. Numerous proteins of the cell cycle are essential for cellular division and proliferation and are widely conserved over the course of evolution. In this work, we aimed to investigate the molecular processes of protein-protein interactions in cell cycle proteins, centering on two key players: Cdc6 in budding yeast and …

A Causal Inference Approach For Spike Train Interactions, Zach Saccomano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the 1960s, neuroscientists have worked on the problem of estimating synaptic properties, such as connectivity and strength, from simultaneously recorded spike trains. Recent years have seen renewed interest in the problem coinciding with rapid advances in experimental technologies, including an approximate exponential increase in the number of neurons that can be recorded in parallel and perturbation techniques such as optogenetics that can be used to calibrate and validate causal hypotheses about functional connectivity. This thesis presents a mathematical examination of synaptic inference from two perspectives: (1) using in vivo data and biophysical models, we ask in what cases the …

Adaptive Evolution Of Surface Proteins In Microbial Pathogens: Lyme Disease Pathogens (Borreliella Sp.) And Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (Hiv-1), Li Li

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cell and virion surface proteins are key to the survival and adaptation of microbial pathogens by enabling them to evade host immune responses and to persist in diverse environments. Pathogens respond to host immune pressures with genetic changes in surface proteins through mechanisms including point mutations, recombination, gene duplication and loss, and lateral gene transfer, resulting in novel antigenic variants and antigenic diversity. This continuous adaptation helps pathogens evade host immunity, leading to chronic infections and recurrent disease outbreaks. Understanding these mechanisms is vital for developing effective strategies to combat infectious diseases.

This dissertation comprises three chapters exploring the adaptive …

Repeat After Me, Bonnie Morano

Theses and Dissertations

Bonnie Morano’s devotional abstract oil paintings are an offering of conviction reconciled with joy. Balancing spiritual zeal with geometric space, she creates mirrored compositions filled with gravitas and play. The sacred and domestic join together in maximal harmony, examining alternative arrangements of transcendental experience.

Where The Under And The Over Meet And Disappear, Louisa Owen

Theses and Dissertations

Vignettes of light: light disappearing, light contrasting, light directing, light wandering, and light uncovering.

This Life Is A Constant Rehearsal, Alex Schmidt

Theses and Dissertations

Alex Schmidt’s conceptual practice explores the artist’s precarious condition as an affective freelance worker; a utopian parasite. Schmidt employs paintings as props, performance as muse, and writing on transactional care as a metaphor for this cobbled life.

Barley As A Human Companion Species - Exploring The Relationship Between Barley And North Atlantic Peoples: 4000 Bc – Ad 1200, Chloe Combs

Theses and Dissertations

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an ancient cereal crop originating in the Fertile Crescent approximately 12,000 years ago and is presently one of the most important cereal crops globally. Barley has a long and complex history. This thesis aims to explore one dimension of this history through the lens of human companion species using archaeobotanical data collected from the islands of the North Atlantic from the Neolithic (4,000 BC) to the Norse period (AD 1200).

The Black Arts And Black Power Movements In The Artwork Of John T. Riddle, Jr., Isabella Vitti

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the under-studied work of the Black sculptor John T. Riddle, Jr. and how he was influenced by the politics of Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s. Police brutality, the Vietnam War, the Black Power Movement, and the Watts uprising had a major impact on Riddle’s work.

Crucifixion Can Happen To Anyone: Embodying Christ Through The Queer Artist, Xander Guyer

Theses and Dissertations

In the late 20th century, queer artists incorporated the Crucifixion into their artworks, embodying a crucified Christ in the process. This thesis seats these contemporary works within traditional Christian art history, a position long denied to these transgressively queer artists.

A Grid And A Shadow, Henry Glavin

Theses and Dissertations

Henry Glavin's acrylic paintings on panel of architectural interiors and facades use repetition, contrived light, unreliable shadows, photographic posture, and compressed detail to create uncanny spaces that generate an air of silence.

Through Their Eyes: Illuminating The Nature Of Animal Use In Conservation Research Through An Analysis Of Peer-Reviewed Literature In The Journal Conservation Biology, Sarah Hollmann

Theses and Dissertations

Non-human animals habitually have been treated as a resource in the service of humans and human-driven values. The field of conservation is not immune to this fact. But, because conservation is seemingly dedicated to the saving and protection of species and nature, until recently the field historically has been given a pass for the use and treatment of animals that are done “in the name of conservation”. This treatment is evident in common conservation practices such as capture, captivity, invasive sampling, aversive treatment, experimental manipulation, and intentional killing. A principal question we are asking is how individual animals are impacted …

Evaluating Differences In Expression Of Neuroticism In Individual Homed Cats And Feral Cat Colonies Across Varying Degrees Of Human Settlement, Sophie Ambrosino

Theses and Dissertations

Neuroticism is a dimension of personality that was first defined for human psychology as a collective measure of excessive tendencies towards stress, anxiety, fear, unwarranted aggression and/or instability. In a two-part study, this project aimed to identify neuroticism as an observable personality dimension in domesticated cats, and to investigate if the expression of neuroticism varies on an individual and population level in correlation with an increase in environmental stressors and scarcity based upon degree of urbanization of the site. One component of the study surveyed cat owners about personality traits and daily lifestyle of their cats to test the viability …

Francesco Clemente: In One's Self Lies The Whole World, Lorraine Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Francesco Clemente’s body of work, especially between 1992 and 2014, theoretically draws from the Hindu concept of the avatāra, wherein the figures he portrays interminably exist in a state of flux and unraveling. Many of the figures discussed are inspired by Indian spirituality, mythology, and popular culture. Nonetheless, rather than comprehending them as literal interpretations, they exist through a prism of references.

The research conducted throughout this thesis combines analyses gathered from academic essays and books by notable Indian scholars, such as Jyotindra Jain and Partha Mitter. These two distinct voices coalesce to elucidate deep insight into Clemente’s aesthetic, personal, …

A Year As A Monk Parakeet, Eric Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Monk parakeets are a species of parrot native to subtropical and temperate regions of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia that have been introduced to many parts of the world. Monk Parakeets have lived in Brooklyn, New York since the 1970s and many myths and legends surround how these birds came to live here. This thesis is a description of the behavior of monk parakeets in Brooklyn, New York’s Greenwood Cemetery based on observations I conducted twice a week from January through October of 2023. Because of the unusual nature of this population of parakeets as well as their unique …

Scattered Fragments: Art, Architecture, And Archives In Revolutionary Urban Cairo, Mounira M. Makar

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes how revolutions impact urban Cairo and its communities, specifically within artistic, architectural and archival practice while acknowledging the central role of public spaces in giving way to such revolutionary practices. Fundamentally, this paper highlights the foundational nature of such practices in developing urban communities.

May The Soil Be Everywhere: Portraying A Family's Love And Revolution Through Oral History, Performance, And Film From A Granddaughter's Perspective, Yehui Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

May the Soil Be Everywhere is a feature-length documentary film that tells an intimate four-generational family story about farming, survival, and regeneration. Set against a backdrop of war, famine, and rapid urbanization, May the Soil Be Everywhere delves into oral history, trauma, family heritage and generational love. It represents a community’s collective effort to preserve its identity.

Individual Concepts And Personal Identity Judgement, Molly M. Ye

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research into personal identity judgments has yielded conflicting outcomes. This paper introduces an alternative argument, proposing that the concept PERSON and HUMAN BEING provide different ways of thinking about the identity of people. Two experiments in this study provide evidence for this claim.

Using Poetics And Technology To Inform Pre-Service Educators’ Transformative Pedagogy Via Innovative Sociocultural Interactivities, Lindamichelle Baron, Xin Bai

Publications and Research

Using Poetics and Technology to Inform Pre-Service Educators’ Transformative Pedagogy via Innovative Sociocultural Interactivities

During the HICE workshop my colleague and I will demonstrate and engage HICE participants through learner centered practices we developed and studied during the Covid pandemic. We embedded oral and written poetic expression with a variety of technological practices to offer pre-service educators creative opportunities to learn and participate in the course through unique expressive movements, music, and media during on-line instruction. These approaches will show how to create a culture of care and Social Justice in a synchronous online classroom.

Baron, Lindamichelle –— York College, …

Island Blue Spaces: A Deeper Exploration, Nicole Kras

Publications and Research

Preliminary research has shown that blue spaces provide many benefits to health and well-being. In response to the call for a deeper investigation into this area of inquiry, the current study seeks input from those (N=37) who live on islands in the Northeast region of the United States. Previous findings about the significance of having access to nature, identifying it as a favorite part and most influential reason for living on an island, were rearmed. Distinctions between island and mainland life were highlighted, emphasizing the importance of community. This study also brought to light participants’ grave concerns about issues such …

Between A River And A Wall: An Impossible Choice For Migrants Living Under Operation Lone Star And S.B. 4, Salimah Khoja, Paulina Leyva Hernandez

City University of New York Law Review

In 2023 the Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 4 (“S.B. 4”), which empowers state and local law enforcement agencies to engage in immigration enforcement by arresting and deporting migrants who are suspected of crossing the southern border. Anti-immigrant state laws like Texas’s S.B. 4 and Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 (“S.B. 1070”) were created to test the limits of state power and limit the reach of federal immigration enforcement within the states. Legal challenges to state laws like S.B. 4 and S.B. 1070 demonstrate the ongoing tension between federal and state governments related to authority over immigration matters, even though immigration …