Digital Commons Network^™

Finding Language For The Experience Of Pltl, A.E. Dreyfuss, Lesley Howell, Maria Cecilia Barone, Sofia Delgado, Sally Faulkner, Ana Fraiman, Robin Frye, Redwan Shahid

Publications and Research

The purpose of this paper is to share a means of communicating why Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) has provided a sense of deep connection among practitioners, including Peer Leaders, faculty and administrators. To arrive at finding the qualitative language of emotions, three discussion sessions were facilitated over the course of three days during the 11th Annual Conference of the Peer-Led Team Learning International Society (June 2023, University of Houston Downtown). Facilitators’ techniques, prompts and the necessary pivots used to question assumptions are presented. We found that despite the many variations in the institutions where PLTL is practiced, we are united …

The Importance Of Humanities In A Career-Focused Educational Environment, Geoff Zylstra, Jill Belli, Candido Cabo, Sean Macdonald, Robin Michals, Ann Marie Sowder, Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

The humanities have the potential to enhance STEM curriculum in career-oriented professional degree programs. As part of a larger college-wide initiative to develop interdisciplinary curricula, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded a grant to New York City College of Technology to explore the relationship between the humanities and career-focused degree programs in STEM departments. This article describes the design and implementation of coursework that bridges the curricular divides between humanities disciplines and technical or career-focused disciplines by bringing the humanities to bear on science and technology-oriented courses. Specifically, the humanities served to improve technical skills for students in …

Architecting Standards: Leveraging Ia To Drive Emerging Technology Standards​, Noreen Y. Whysel

Publications and Research

In this talk for the annual meeting of the W3C Information Architecture Community Group, I discuss how standards bodies can learn from the Information Architecture field to improve accessibility and usability. By adopting user-centered design principles and engaging in iterative feedback loops, standards organizations can create more relevant and practical standards that align with real-world applications. Emphasizing collaboration with industry experts and end-users will help ensure that standards evolve along with technological advancements.

In the meantime, key standards are examined, such as ISO 9241, which provides guidelines for usability and user-centered design, and the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), …

"Finding Your People: Seeking Strength And Solidarity In Employee Resource Groups (Ergs)" - The One Club For Creativity's "Where Are All The Black People?" 2024 Conference Proceedings & Reading List, Javier O. Garcia

Publications and Research

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) help create community in the workplace, and can serve as a source of strength for employees of marginalized identities.

This panel, originally held at The One Club for Creativity's "Where Are All the Black People?" conference and career fair in 2024, explores the value of intersectional identities in the workplace.

The featured panelists offer insights into the changing landscape of DE&I (diversity, equity, & inclusion) - particularly in the advertising, marketing communications, and creative industries - the impact it is having on employees, and how ERGs can serve as a catalyst for professional and organizational growth. …

Breaking Into The Black Box Of Customer Perception Towards Robot Service: Empirical Evidence From Service Sector, Samar Rahi, Mazuri Abd Ghani, Manaf Al-Okaily, Aamir Rashid, Mahmoud Alghizzawi, Fadi Shehab Shiyyab

Publications and Research

The advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning has enabled robots to serve in consumer market for a better customer experience. Nevertheless, acceptance of robotic technology among consumers is still lacking. Therefore, this study has developed an integrated model with robot appearance, expectation confirmation model, diffusion of innovation and theory of planned behavior and empirically investigates customer intention to use service robot. The research model is empirically tested with 349 responses retrieved from customers visiting retail stores. Statistical results have revealed that customer innovativeness, compatibility, behavioral control, expectation confirmation, service robot appearance and subjective norms explained R2 80.1 % variance …

Bridging Implementation Science And Human-Centered Design: Developing Tailored Interventions For Healthier Eating In Restaurants, Melissa Fuster, Shelby Hipol, Terry Tk Huang, Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, Cara Conaboy, Rosa Abreu, Lourdes Castro Mortillaro, Margaret A. Handley

Publications and Research

Restaurants are important institutions in the communities’ economy with the potential to promote healthier foods but have been under-engaged in public health nutrition efforts. In particular, independently owned, minority-serving and minority-owned restaurants, remain under-represented in nutrition promotion efforts despite disproportionate burdens of diet-related health outcomes among minority populations. Addressing this gap in engagement, we undertook a process of co-designing and implementing healthy eating-focused interventions in two Latin American restaurants in New York City, combining the Behavior Change Wheel intervention development framework with a Human-Centered Design approach. Restaurant owners and chefs were involved in the research synthesis and solution development processes, …

The News Is History: Building News Literacy Skills With Historic Primary Sources, Jen Hoyer

Publications and Research

The news is inescapable, and simultaneously headline-laden advertising-as-news follows us on scrolling video screens through public transit, at the gym, and on billboards lining the sidewalks. As the news and its lookalikes feel more and more omnipresent, the need for news literacy skills and their implementation feels more and more urgent. At the same time, continually morphing media platforms and news formats make it seem impossible to know: which of these things actually is the news? What’s most important for me to pay attention to?

What if, instead of teaching skills for understanding the next shiny news format, we turn …

Burnout: Half A Century Of Controversy, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Burnout has become a focal point of concern in the contemporary workplace. The syndrome has elicited undiminished interest among occupational health specialists. The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome "resulting from chronic workplace stress." Burnout is said to comprise three components: (i) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; (ii) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism toward one’s job; and (iii) a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment. This definition mirrors the conceptualization of burnout embodied in the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the ‘gold standard’ for the assessment of burnout. However, controversies …

Understanding Family Experiences Of Iep Meetings And Building Skills To Empower Families At The Iep Meeting, Elizabeth J. Golini

Theses and Dissertations

Since the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is so important both to a student’s progress and educational growth as well as the school’s legal obligations, it is imperative that researchers work to understand parent perceptions of Individualized Education Program meetings (Fish, 2006). Family participation and advocacy are also important at the IEP meeting (Boshoff et al., 2016; Cavendish & Connor, 2018; Duquette et al., 2011; Fish, 2006). This study examined the family’s perceptions of the IEP process and meeting for their child through semi-structured interviews. In order to support the family at the IEP meeting, families participated in coaching sessions …

Sweating The Small Stuff: Exploring Consequence Assignments And Academic Outcomes In A No-Excuses Charter Network, John G. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

Schools utilize a range of consequences to maintain order and safety. Some employ zero-tolerance policies accompanied by exclusionary tactics like suspension (Martinez, 2009; Muschert et al., 2014). Suspensions are criticized for their disproportionate assignment to students who are Black, male, assigned an IEP, and receiving lunch assistance (Cholewa et al., 2018; Skiba et al., 2002), as well as their deleterious associations with academic achievement (Chu & Ready, 2018; Morris & Perry, 2014; Noltemeyer et al., 2015). Charter schools espousing a no-excuses philosophy often adopt a “Sweat-the-Small-Stuff” (STSS) approach focused on correcting minor (mis)behaviors to prevent more egregious ones (Whitman, 2008). …

To Belong Or Not To Belong: Bipoc First-Generation Community College Students’ Experiences, Christine Orbeta

Theses and Dissertations

Using narrative interviews, this study explored the experiences of belonging among eight first-generation college students (FGCS) who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). By applying Strayhorn's Belonging and Crenshaw's Intersectionality Framework, this study sheds light on the challenges and benefits BIPOC FGCS encounter as they strive for academic success at two-year institutions within the City University of New York (CUNY) where approximately 44% of CUNY's student body comprises FGCS (CUNY, 2019). According to participants, families and institutions played significant roles in shaping students' sense of belonging. It also highlights the intricate negotiations BIPOC FGCS undergo as they …

Imaging Markers Of Future Neurodegeneration Following Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Daniel Brennan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The overall goal of this dissertation was to identify patterns of cerebral atrophy following traumatic brain injury and relate relevant imaging measures to that atrophy. In Chapter 2, we outline a spatiotemporal profile of atrophy in the first year following moderate-severe TBI: prior to 3-months post injury, the frontal and temporal cortices were observed to be thinner than controls, and thalamic volumes were reduced. From 3-12 months post-injury, significant atrophy was observed in white matter, subcortical gray matter structures (including thalamus), and cortical thinning was observed in the parietal and occipital cortices.

In Chapter 3, we identified widespread white matter …

Harnessing Neural Activity To Prevent Non-Apoptotic Spinal Neurons From Microglial Phagocytosis After Motor System Injury, Jasmine L. Pathan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Producing skilled, voluntary movements in humans and many animals requires the corticospinal tract, the direct motor pathway connecting the cerebral cortex with spinal cord interneurons and motor neurons in humans and many non-human primates. Spinal cord injury (SCI) typically results in corticospinal tract damage, leading to transneuronal degeneration of its interneuron targets. Complement protein C1q triggers this degenerative process and induces microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system, to phagocytose non-apoptotic interneurons. We examined two classes of premotor interneurons, cholinergic (ChAT) and glutamatergic (Chx10), essential to the spinal motor circuit as they receive direct corticospinal tract inputs …

Intuitionism, Justification Logic, And Doxastic Reasoning, Vincent A. Peluce

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this Dissertation, we examine a handful of related themes in the philosophy of logic and mathematics. We take as a starting point the deeply philosophical, and—as we argue, deeply Kantian—views of L.E.J. Brouwer, the founder of intuitionism. We examine his famous first act of intuitionism. Therein, he put forth both a critical and a constructive idea. This critical idea involved digging a philosophical rift between what he thought of himself as doing and what he thought of his contemporaries, specifically Hilbert, as doing. He sought to completely separate mathematics from mathematical language, and thereby logic. In chapter 3, we …

Association Of Autistic Traits And Psychiatric Symptoms In Children With A Fragile X Premutation Allele: The Neurodevelopmental Profile, Ariel Zucker

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Throughout the lifespan, approximately 14% of males and 5% of females with a fragile X premutation (PM) (defined as 55-200 CGG repeats on the X-linked FMR1 gene) are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For individuals that do not meet diagnostic criteria for ASD, autistic traits (ATs) are often present in this population and have been shown to have a subtle and sub-clinical presentation of social communication and interaction deficits. While less is known about the phenotype of children with a PM, studies have found increased rates of ASD and ATs in adults with a PM allele compared to controls. …

Unpacking Normative Change: The United Nations At Its 60th Anniversary, Giovanna Marques Kuele

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the UN at its 60th anniversary at a critical juncture, with seven nested observations, to answer why normative change happens at the UN, when it is triggered, and which proposed changes are ultimately adopted. It argues that normative change at the UN is a result of multilevel political consensus at critical junctures. At the macro level, these junctures are triggered by global crises and international summits that provide a moment of normative reflection among the three UNs—member states, secretariat, and non-state actors—thereby increasing the likelihood of achieving multilevel political consensus. At the micro level, the formation of …

Challenging Beliefs: Examining The Efficacy Of Corrections For Conspiratorial And Partisan Misinformation, Ava Zwolinski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The threat of misinformation is widely acknowledged among researchers and laypeople (NORC, 2021). When misinformation coalesces with conspiracy theories, the repercussions can be especially dangerous, sometimes even fatal. Events such as the January 6th insurrection and the Buffalo Tops Supermarket shooting were both, in part, inspired by misleading information and conspiracy theories (Burke, 2022; Dawsey, 2023). While misinformation involving conspiracy theories is recognized as possibly posing a greater threat to correction efforts (Lewandowsky, 2021a), no study has yet experimentally manipulated the presence or absence of conspiratorial elements within misinformation. This dissertation explores whether conspiratorial misinformation is more difficult to correct …

Intimate Partner Violence And Negotiation During Covid-19: Stressors, Resources, And Perception, Victoria P. Diamond

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health concern that affects millions across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic created unforeseen stress, and necessitated safety policies that required social isolation, often extended exposure to one’s intimate partner, and an inability to access stress-reduction resources. These factors, along with many others, lead to an abrupt increase in IPV in many couples. Using the couple-adapted family stress model (ABCX), the current study examines both previously defined (e.g., emotional dysregulation, stress, unemployment, communication issues) and COVID-19 specific risk (e.g., quarantine, unprecedented social isolation, fear of contracting COVID-19) and protective factors (e.g., meaning in …

Cognitive Flexibility And Stability In Bilingual Older Adults, Lia Pazuelo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Lifelong bilingual individuals develop expertise in language-switching, requiring a delicate balance between cognitive stability—safeguarding goals from interference—and cognitive flexibility—adapting goals to changing demands. While some studies demonstrate the transferability of these skills to non-linguistic tasks, signifying bilingualism's impact on cognitive processes, others find no direct correlation between non-linguistic task-switching and bilingualism. Our study investigated the cognitive processes underlying bilingual speakers' performance on a switching task, exploring whether varying degrees of bilingual experience in older adults result in different tendencies towards stability (e.g., lower mixing cost and response congruency effect) or flexibility (e.g., smaller switching costs). By treating the bilingual experience …

Misrecognition And Misrepresentation: A Critical Analysis Of The Trajectory Of Migrant Students - F1 Students, In The U.S., Domitila Dos Santos Bicudo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The influx of migrant students in the United States is reported to have increased considerably between 2022 and 2023. They are a significant asset to higher education in the U.S. and are authorized to study by the Department of Homeland Security. Despite their migratory legality, restrictions in their category as F1 students place them in a position of significant vulnerability and injustice This research analyzed how migrant students navigated and negotiated their mobility from the beginning to the end of their F1 visa status, examining their perseverance in staying on a challenging pathway toward a different migratory status or a …

The Seat Of Singular Gene Choice: Dissecting The Role Of Odorant Receptor Enhancer Elements That Lead To Mammalian Olfactory System Expression, Alessandro M. Rosa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Odorant receptors (ORs) were first identified in 1991 and the initial data strongly suggested that ORs were part of a large superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. Within a few years of the discovery of the OR superfamily, it became clear that each OR allele was exclusively expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (OSN), and that this singular expression leads to cellular identity. Many studies over the past thirty years have sought to unlock the mysteries of the mechanism for monoallelic and monogenic OR gene activation and expression in OSNs, however no definitive model for singular gene expression has emerged.

Using a series …

Henry James And The Act Of Speech From Drama To Dictation, Mary Claire Brunelli

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the idea of speech as an act in the writings of Henry James for the purpose of analyzing the author’s relationship to drama and how it influenced his practice of typewriter dictation. It traces the intersections of biography and bibliography within James’s notebooks, letters, and fiction produced during the years between his dismissal of playwriting after the public rejection of Guy Domville in January 1895 and his adoption of dictation due to writer’s cramp in the fall of 1896, as he worked on What Maisie Knew. In advancing an affective methodology to discover the embodied reality …

Prurient Nature: Sex Work And Ethics At The Margins Of Finance, Esra S. Padgett

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is an ethnographic and semiotic examination of the relationship between payment processing, transactional technologies, and the US adult industry. Based on twenty-four months of fieldwork in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, and Washington D.C., the dissertation demonstrates that transactional infrastructures, including payment processors, credit card systems, financial institutions like banks, as well as novel technologies like cryptocurrency, have become a key site for an ongoing ethical war around the politics of sex and sex work in the United States. On one hand, ethical fears around sex work have become qualifications for economic exclusion by financial institutions and private …

Voltage Set Points For Sodium Channel Inactivation: Intrinsic And Modulatory Mechanisms, Akshay Sharma

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

During an action potential, voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) control sodium ion flow into the cytoplasm of cells by using membrane voltage to alter channel conformation. These membrane proteins exhibit three main functional conformations: closed, open, and fast-inactivated, with transitions between these states dependent on membrane voltage and kinetics. The channels open within 1 millisecond and swiftly transition from open to fast-inactivated within 1-2 milliseconds following membrane depolarization. Subsequent membrane repolarization resets the channels to the closed state. Notably, even at mildly depolarized potentials that preclude channel opening, VGSCs can undergo transitions between the closed and inactivated states, known as closed-state …

Control And Management Of Type-Ii Diabetes Among People Living With Hiv (Plwh) Compared To Hiv-Negative Patients And By Clinic Type In The Bronx, Nyc, Aprielle Wills

Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Control and Management of Type-II Diabetes Among People Living with HIV (PLWH) compared to HIV-Negative Patients and by Clinic Type in the Bronx, NYC

by

Aprielle Wills

Advisor: Heidi E Jones, MPH PHD

Background: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that approximately 1.3 million people in the United States (U.S.) were living with an HIV diagnosis by the end of 2021. With advancements of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and improved access to care, HIV has become a chronic condition in the U.S. As PLWH age, they are experiencing higher rates of other chronic conditions, specifically type-II diabetes (type-II …

Constitutional Law Through Co-Curricular Civic Engagement, Jason M. Leggett

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Working Memory Performance Under Stress On The Relationship Between Trauma History, Ptsd Symptoms, And Intimate Partner Violence, Gabriella Robinson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Over 12 million people annually experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States. Emerging adulthood has the highest rates of IPV across the lifespan. While many theories attempt to explain why IPV rates are markedly increased during this age period, researchers call for more empirical studies to understand processes occurring during this period that result in increased IPV perpetration. Of the studies that assess IPV perpetration, samples generally consisted of male batterers that perpetrated severe IPV. Trauma history and PTSD symptoms have been seen as risk factors for IPV perpetration. Cognitive risk factors for IPV perpetration, such as …

Lcd 106: Introduction To Communication Sciences And Disorders, Yael Neumann

Open Educational Resources

This course will provide an introduction to the development and disorders of speech, language, and communication in children and adults. Disorders such as autism, aphasia, stuttering, and learning disabilities will be discussed. Differences noted in culturally and linguistically diverse communities will also be addressed. The course activities will give students an experiential appreciation of the experience of communication challenges and supporting people with those challenges. Information about the professions of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), Audiology, and Speech and Hearing Science will be reviewed as potential career paths.

Musical Semiotics In Kate Soper’S Ipsa Dixit (2010–2016), Scott A. Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation analyzes the six parts of Kate Soper’s Ipsa Dixit (2010–2016). While individual parts have received some music theoretical attention, this is the first analysis of the entire Pulitzer Prize-nominated work. Ambiguity and contingency are major themes of Ipsa Dixit, and by treating each part independently and in combination, I hope to honor Ipsa’s contingent status as a unified work comprised of six complete works. Soper’s libretto unifies an assemblage of texts with adaptations of Aristotle to investigate the intersections of language and music with authority, veracity, and (un)intelligibility.

I theorize that Soper’s “philosophy-opera” dramatizes the formation of …

La Vida: Towards A Motivated Goal Reasoning Agent, Ursula Addison

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

An autonomous agent deployed to operate over extended horizons in uncertain environments will encounter situations for which it was not designed. A class of these situations involves an invalidation of agent goals and limited guidance in establishing a new set of goals to pursue. An agent will benefit from some mechanism that will allow it to pursue new goals under these circumstances such that the goals are broadly useful in its environment and take advantage of its existing skills while aligning with societal norms. We propose augmenting a goal reasoning agent, i.e., an agent that can deliberate on and self-select …