Digital Commons Network^™

Distinctions Between Choroidal Neovascularization And Age Macular Degeneration In Ocular Disease Predictions Via Multi-Size Kernels Ξcho-Weighted Median Patterns, Alex Liew, Sos Agaian, Samir Benbelkacem

Publications and Research

Age-related macular degeneration is a visual disorder caused by abnormalities in a part of the eye’s retina and is a leading source of blindness. The correct detection, precise location, classification, and diagnosis of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) may be challenging if the lesion is small or if Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images are degraded by projection and motion. This paper aims to develop an automated quantification and classification system for CNV in neovascular age-related macular degeneration using OCT angiography images. OCT angiography is a non-invasive imaging tool that visualizes retinal and choroidal physiological and pathological vascularization. The presented system is based …

Lead Induced Differences In Bone Properties In Osteocalcin +/+ And −/− Female Mice, G. Yildirim, W. C. Budell, O. Berezovska, S. Yagerman, S. S. Maliath, P. Mastrokostas, S. Tommasini, T. L. Dowd

Publications and Research

Lead (Pb) toxicity is a major health problem and bone is the major reservoir. Lead is detrimental to bone, affects bone remodelingand is associated with elderly fractures. Osteocalcin (OC) affects bone remodeling, improves fracture resistance and decreases with age and in some diseases. The effect of lead in osteocalcin depleted bone is unknown and of interest. We compared bone mineral properties of control and Pb exposed (from 2 to 6 months) femora from female adult C57BL6 OC+/+ and OC−/− mice using Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI), Micro-computed tomography (uCT), bone biomechanical measurements and serum turnover markers (P1NP, CTX). Lead significantly …

The Livornese Slaves In Algiers: The Jewish Question And Political Theatre In Late Eighteenth-Century Tuscany, Francesca Bregoli, Andrea Addobbati

Publications and Research

This essay analyzes a recently discovered French play, Les esclaves livournais à Alger, authored by François Gariel in Livorno in 1786. The protagonist of the piece, which is full of allusions to contemporary Tuscan and European events and subtle references to classics of French Enlightenment literature, is a virtuous, Algiers-based Jewish merchant who preaches toleration for all peoples and religions and greatly admires the grand duke of Tuscany. Important context for understanding Gariel’s play and the Jewish question in Livorno is provided by the relocation in the 1780s of prominent Algerian Jewish families who had built their fortunes on the …

Amplifying Civil Rights Collections With Oral Histories: A Collaboration With Alumni At Queens College, City University Of New York, Annie E. Tummino, Victoria Fernandez

Publications and Research

Representing a shift in archival methods, oral history is increasingly used alongside more traditional methods of documentation to capture institutional and community histories. In this article, the authors demonstrate how the Student Help Lived Experience Project at the Queens College Library’s Special Collections and Archives (SCA) provided a vital supplement to more traditional methods of archival documentation. SCA was able to leverage resources provided by a partnering organization and a newly established graduate fellowship to bolster its relationship with other entities on campus and to engage alumni in a participatory, collaborative effort that centered their knowledge and interests. This article …

Introduction, Francesca Bregoli

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Turkish-German Heritage Speakers’ Predictive Use Of Case: Webcam-Based Vs. In-Lab Eye-Tracking, Onur Özsoy, Büsra Çiçek, Zeynep Özal, Natalia Gagarina, Irina A. Sekerina

Publications and Research

Recently, Özge et al. have argued that Turkish and German monolingual 4-year- old children can interpret case-marking predictively disregarding word order. Heritage speakers (HSs) acquire a heritage language at home and a majority societal language which usually becomes dominant after school enrollment. Our study directly compares two elicitation modes: in-lab and (remote) webcam- based eye-tracking data collection. We test the extent to which in-lab e��ects can be replicated in webcam-based eye-tracking using the exact same design. Previous research indicates that Turkish HSs vary more in the comprehension and production of case-marking compared to monolinguals. Data from 49 participants–22 Turkishmonolinguals and …

Commencement Program, 2023, Cuny John Jay College Of Criminal Justice

Reports and Publications from John Jay College

Commencement Programs are handed out at each graduation. They include information on honorary degrees, awards and prizes and candidates for degree. However, they cannot be considered an official record of conferring of degrees.

Germ 203: Intermediate German I, Christa Spreizer

Open Educational Resources

Intermediate German I syllabus

Engl 157: Great Works Of Global Literature, Scott R. Kapuscinski

Open Educational Resources

Syllabus for a general education course bringing together celebrated texts by Joseph Conrad, Chinua Achebe, Bessie Head, and Marjane Satrapi. Survey of perspectives beginning during the "scramble for Africa" via Conrad, through postcolonial writers Achebe and Head, and finally making a connection via dehumanization to Orientalism and undoing monocultural presumptions in the near East through Satrapi's Persepolis.

Engl 211w: Intro To Nonfiction (Points Of Entry And/Or Exit Wounds), Heather Simon

Open Educational Resources

We will explore the notion of creativity as it pertains to new ways of engaging familiar topics and carving out frameworks for exploring uncharted territory. We will actively read and respond to works of creative nonfiction to enrich our understanding of structure, style, and language. Assigned readings will demonstrate how creative nonfiction can encompass a variety of forms (think: reportage, braided essay, erasure, visual essay) and draw from both research and experience to offer a unique perspective and elicit an emotional response. We will develop our own creative nonfiction toolbox through a series of reflections, creative exercise, and projects. We …

Hist 190 Writing & History, Tracey L. Billado

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Brazilian Portuguese-Russian (Braporus) Corpus: Automatic Transcription And Acoustic Quality Of Elderly Speech During Covid-19 Pandemic, Irina A. Sekerina, Anna Smirnova Henriques, Aleksandra Skorobogatova, Natalia Tyulina, Tatiana V. Kachkovskaia, Svetlana Ruseishvili, Sandra Madureira

Publications and Research

This article presents the Brazilian Portuguese-Russian (BraPoRus) corpus, whose goal is to collect, analyze, and preserve for posterity the spoken heritage Russian still used today in Brazil by approximately 1,500 elderly bilingual heritage Russian–Brazilian Portuguese speakers. Their unique 100-year-old variety of moribund Russian is disappearing because it has not been passed to their descendants born in Brazil. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we remotely collected 170 h of speech samples in heritage Russian from 26 participants (Mage = 75.7 years) in naturalistic settings using Zoom or a phone call. To estimate the quality of collected data, we focus on two methodological …

Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities And Differences In English Proficiency: Insights From The English Reading Online (Enro) Project, Noam Siegelman, Irina Elgort, Marc Brysbaert, Niket Agrawal, Simona Amenta, Jasmina Arsenijevic Mijalkovic, Christine S. Chang, Daria Chernova, Fabienne Chetail, A. J. Benjamin Clarke, Alain Content, Davide Crepaldi, Nastag Davaabold, Shurentsetseg Delgersuren, Avital Deutsch, Veronika Dibrova, Denis Drieghe, Dušica Filipovic Ðurđevic, Brittany Finch, Ram Frost, Carolina A. Gattei, Esther Geva, Aline Aline Godfroid, Lindsay Griener, Esteban Hernández-Rivera, Anastasia Ivanenko, Juhani Järvikivi, Lea Kawaletz, Anurag Khare, Jun Ren Lee, Charlotte E. Lee, Christina Manouilidou, Marco Marelli, Timur Mashanlo, Ksenija Mišic, Koji Miwa, Pauline Palma, Ingo Plag, Zoya Rezanova, Enkhzaya Riimed, Jay Rueckl, Sascha Schroeder, Irina A. Sekerina, Diego E. Shalom, Natalia Slioussar, Neža Marija Slosar, Vanessa Taler, Kim Thériault, Debra Titone, Odonchimeg Tumee, Ross Van De Wetering, Ark Verma, Anna Fiona Weiss, Denise Hsien Wu, Victor Kuperman

Publications and Research

This article presents the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) project that offers data on English reading and listening comprehension from 7,338 university-level advanced learners and native speakers of English representing 19 countries. The database also includes estimates of reading rate and seven component skills of English, including vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, as well as rich demographic and language background data. We first demonstrate high reliability for ENRO tests and their convergent validity with existing meta-analyses.We then provide a bird’s-eye view of first (L1) and second (L2) language comparisons and examine the relative role of various predictors of reading and listening comprehension …

Effective Model With Personalized Online Teaching And Learning Science, Kalani Hettiarachchilage, Neel Haldolaarachchige

Publications and Research

The recent development of science education leads educators to explore new teaching and learning methodologies and restructure classes and assignments to bring students' knowledge to the highest level of education by allowing learners to gain various skills that are reflected in their future. We are discussing how to develop and deliver effective online courses by personalizing the class and individualizing the assignments for learners to succeed in Physics. Various teaching and learning activities are aimed at effective learning and interaction to enhance student learning in this class structure. The students' performances and progress are analyzed in four large introductory Physics …

Carceral Form And Social Critique In Zadie Smith's Nw, Wesley Hackman

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Measurement Of Fluid Movement Throughout The Brain Via Multiple Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques During High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Jack W. Beaty Mr

Dissertations and Theses

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive method of neuromodulation with applications in neuroscience, clinical care, and biomedical engineering. tDCS has been well established as a safe method of applying low amplitude current between two or more electrodes to alter excitation thresholds and neuroplasticity. Recently, in-vitro and clinical studies have suggested that DC stimulation can induce a transient, polarity-specific, effect of increased water exchange across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The electroosmotic effect, the proposed phenomenon driving water exchange, is a biophysical response of charged ions moving across an oppositely-charged surface, i.e., the tight junction, when subjected to an electric …

The Incurable Fanny Price: Disabled Perspective And Resistance To The Cure Narrative In Jane Austen’S Mansfield Park, Aurora C. Soriano

Dissertations and Theses

Improvement and cure are frequently on the minds of the characters in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. However, what happens when you introduce a chronically ill character like Fanny, who can’t ever be fully cured, into these curative plots? In order to better understand the ways Austen complicates curative discourse, this paper focuses on Fanny’s own perspective and embodied experience of chronic illness, in which she fatigues easily and experiences headaches and pain. Despite clear evidence in the novel of Fanny’s ill health, scholarship analyzing Fanny’s character has historically been fraught with ableist assumptions and subjective opinions. Ignoring the way …

The Dissonant History Of Tristan And Isolde, Amanda Persaud

Dissertations and Theses

This essay traces the historical evolution of the story of Tristan and Isolde through three distinct phases, highlighting the transformation of the story from a feudal version to a post-feudal rendition infused with courtly love doctrines and notions of Christian love. It examines the early versions of the story by Béroul and Gottfried von Strassburg and discusses the shift in the portrayal of the relationship between Tristan and Isolde from one that decries disloyalty to one that is more sympathetic to their love. The essay also analyzes Richard Wagner's opera version of the story, which celebrates individual desire over duty …

Pillars For Nuclear-Weapon States To Make Material Progress On Nuclear Disarmament, Madina Zhetenova

Dissertations and Theses

The nuclear arms race in the twenty-first century hinders progress towards disarmament and greatly increases the risk of nuclear catastrophe. Nuclear disarmament is a global issue that is necessary not only to reduce the risk of war but also to strengthen world peace and security, and to prevent the waste of human and material resources. Through a comparative analysis of the experiences of nuclear-weapon states, this study identifies the behavioral factors underlying the retention of nuclear weapons as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by international treaties. I will do so while reviewing nations' declarations, social and economic factors, …

Internalized Gender Role Stereotypes Within Young Women And The Presentation Of Somatic Symptomatology Of Major Depressive Disorder, Michelle Miselevich

Dissertations and Theses

Evidence suggests that two distinct disorders are currently being diagnosed as depression. One, somatic depression, involves depression plus several somatic symptoms while the other, pure depression, involves depression without as much somatic symptomatology. Somatic depression has been hypothesized to afflict women who view themselves non traditionally and thus do not agree with traditional stereotypes of women. Measures of agreement with negative stereotypes of members of their own group have been found in several groups to be positively related to depression. This may apply among women to pure depression. Thus, women who exhibit pure depression are hypothesized to exhibit agreement with …

An Exploration Of The Relation Between Psychological Functioning And Reactions To Global Climate Change For Late Adolescents In New York City, Emma Routhier

Dissertations and Theses

Climate change poses a potentially unique generational crisis, as it threatens the viability of the very world that the current adolescent generation stands to inherit. While some studies have begun to appreciate the specific experience of adolescents as it pertains to climate change, they attend to young people’s behavior or self-reported feelings. The present study aims to employ psychoanalytic constructs, with attention to the unconscious determinants of psychic life and behavior, in an empirical examination of this topic, and to introduce a level of sensitivity to the vicissitudes of the adolescent period that have not previously been addressed in the …

Auditory Processing Deficits In Msh2-Ko Mice Are Linked To Aberrant Inhibitory Neuron Function In The Thalamic Reticular Nucleus, Sadia N. Rahman

Dissertations and Theses

DNA repair mechanisms are crucial for both cellular development and function. One highly conserved DNA repair factor is Mut-S Homolog 2 (Msh2), which corrects base-base mismatches and insertion/deletion loops. In humans, defects in this repair pathway are linked to diseases that have severe neurological pathologies. These include Lynch syndrome, Huntington’s disease and demyelination of the corpus callosum. The fundamental role of Msh2 in brain function is unknown. Using an Msh2^-/- mouse model we began an exploration of its impact on the processing of sensory information, a crucial function to an animal’s survival. The goal of this …

Understanding The Impacts Of Freshwater Fluxes On The Biogeochemistry Of The Coastal Arctic: A Case Study Of Prudhoe Bay, Francesca Lingo

Dissertations and Theses

The Arctic region, undergoing significant environmental changes due to rapid warming, faces alterations in air temperatures, melting permafrost, declining sea ice, and changes in riverine inputs. These shifts have profound implications for Arctic coastal ecology and biogeochemical cycles. This study, focusing on Alaska's North Slope, explores the influence of freshwater fluxes on water optical properties, vital for accurate satellite remote sensing interpretations. Our approach combined field measurements, existing data, and satellite remote sensing retrievals to identify biogeochemical gradients and their seasonal and interannual variations. A novel finding was the unique CDOM composition in Prudhoe Bay, characterized by a lower molecular …

Fine Characterization Of Leafing Phenology In The Brazilian Atlantic Forest By Optical And Microwave Remote Sensing, James B. Bell

Dissertations and Theses

Tropical forests provide important ecosystem functions in the global biosphere, but they remain among the most poorly understood elements of land surface models, especially with regard to their seasonal dynamics. For instance, in seasonally dry forests, the pattern of the annual green-up in their canopies closely follows annual patterns of rainfall. The same, however, does not occur in wet forest canopies which are dominated by evergreen trees. In the latter, water is not scarce enough to limit leaf photosynthetic function. Canopy leafing phenology in these forests is therefore poorly characterized by optical remote sensing methods which are not sensitive to …

Advancing The Accuracy Of Watershed Analysis Across Diverse Hydrometeorological And Geologic Regimes Via Classification And Analysis Of Gpm-Imerg Products, Jake M. Longenecker

Dissertations and Theses

The analysis and protection of watersheds, along with spring water resources, depend on the accurate identification of catchments. Building on previous research that correlated spring hydrographs with high-resolution, satellite-based Global Precipitation Measurement – Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (GPM-IMERG) data, I improve the speed and accuracy of catchment identification and hydrodynamic characterization via an enhanced Empirically Constrained Hydrologic Operation (ECHO) algorithm. This research (1) establishes optimal parameter inputs for the algorithm to enable reliable identification of source point-locations, (2) removes human in-the-loop processing, and thus reduce potential operator bias, and (3) explores the potential for using a limited dataset of …

Topological Photonic Metasurfaces For Light Manipulation And Strong Light-Matter Interaction, Svetlana Kiriushechkina

Dissertations and Theses

High-resolution nanopatterning techniques, such as electron beam lithography, extended opportunities for implementation of the various designs of photonic structures which exhibit exciting physical phenomena in the optical domain. A straightforward fabrication of on-slab nanostructures is advantageous for integration with various photonic on-chip devices. Last decade all-dielectric periodic nanostructures (photonic metasurfaces) boost a growth of novel optical technologies, from ultra-sensitive detectors to compact beam structured lasers. Moreover, they represent one of the most promising platforms in which topological phases can be explored and exploited.

Topological photonic structures attract a significant interest owing to their outstanding properties such as a resilience to …

Use Of Bioheat Modeling To Characterize And Optimize Implantable Medical Devices And Neuromodulation Technologies, Adantchede Louis Zannou

Dissertations and Theses

Medical device development includes prototyping, benchtop characterization, preclinical studies, and clinical trials. Understanding the limitations and potential adverse effects of medical devices prior to their administration in humans is a crucial first step. Optimizing medical devices is essential to employing technology and improving patients care. Computational modeling is widely adopted as a powerful tool to predict stimulation/recording parameter optimization, rapid electrode/device prototyping, investigating novel mechanism of action, and testing working principles of any medical devices. Many implantable neuromodulation technologies including Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), which provide substantial therapeutic benefit for patient population with lower back pain, produces heat via the …

Blockchain Framework For Secured On-Demand Patient Health Records Sharing, Meryem Abouali

Dissertations and Theses

As the healthcare industry continues to digitize and share patient data for a better understanding of patient health history, cybersecurity must remain a top priority. However, patient health record (PHR) data is extremely sensitive and faces significant challenges due to its distributed nature across various healthcare facilities and providers, which creates a lack of interoperability among healthcare systems. Most patient health record systems adopt a centralized management structure and deploy PHRs to the cloud, which raises privacy concerns when sharing patient information over a network. Thus, there is a need for a framework that considers patient privacy and data security …

An Experimental Study Of The Impinging And Freezing Dynamics Of A Colloidal Droplet On Solid Surfaces, Andro Fayek Abdelmalek

Dissertations and Theses

In modern manufacturing, the production of complex components with intricate geometries and varying material compositions has become essential. To meet these demands, additive manufacturing (AM) has gained prominence. Various 3D printing technologies, such as stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and plastic extrusion, have been developed to produce finished components. However, each technology has its limitations, including restricted printing resolution or limited material selection. A novel idea in additive manufacturing involves the utilization of inkjet printing nozzles with colloidal fluid and implementing the freeze-dry method. This innovative technique entails depositing colloidal droplets onto a freezing substrate using an inkjet head. …

Design And Experimental Observation Of Topological States In Photonic Metasurfaces, Anton Vakulenko

Dissertations and Theses

Topological phases in photonics attract a lot of attention due to their unique properties which allow controlling optical coupling and electromagnetic field distributions in nanostructures. Diverse phenomena supported by photonic topological structures include robust scatter-free waveguiding, an extreme confinement of light, lasing and strong coupling with novel low- dimensional materials. A very convenient integration with on-chip optical devices and also with quantum dots or monolayers of van der Waals materials promise even brighter future for photonic topological insulators as a useful platform for innovative photonic and compact quantum devices.

In the course of my dissertation work, I investigated topological structures …