Digital Commons Network^™

Using The Marcus Inverted Region And Artificial Cofactors To Create A Charge Separated State In De Novo Designed Proteins, Eskil Me Andersen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

To create an efficient de novo photosynthetic protein it is important to create long lived charge separated states. Achieving stable charge separation leads to an increase in the efficiency of the photosynthetic reaction which in turn leads to higher yields of end products, such as biofuels, electrical charge, or synthetic chemicals. In an attempt to create charge separated states in de novo proteins we hypothesized that we could engineer the free energy gaps in the proteins from excited primary donor (PD) to acceptor (A), and A back to ground state PD such that the forward electron transfer (ET) would be …

School Recess And Changes To Children's Play Opportunities In New York City, Keyonna Hayes

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The policy, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 in US public schools was designed to improve how children learn and test in schools, but it has resulted in the decline or removal of recess from most schools. This thesis examines two important issues. The first issue is to assess the play opportunities that public elementary schools offer to children, in terms of both the time available for recess and the quality of the spaces and resources for play during recess. The second issue is to learn, alongside the question of the quality of school recess, how parents’ work …

A Geospatial Habitat Suitability Model To Determine The Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Ulva Blooms In Jamaica Bay, New York, Kristine T. Erskine John

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The main objective of this study involves the development of a habitat suitability model for the Ulva genus in Jamaica Bay, New York. This incorporates several steps that were initiated by the selection of the most suitable water quality parameters that facilitate the successful growth of Ulva. These water quality parameters include dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity, nitrate + nitrite, ammonium, phosphates, dissolved organic nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, depth and Secchi depth. This water quality data was generated by the Department of Environmental Protection. The Secchi depth and Jamaica Bay bathymetry data were necessary for the calculation of the …

Some Model Theory Of Free Groups, Christopher James Natoli

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There are two main sets of results, both pertaining to the model theory of free groups. In the first set of results, we prove that non-abelian free groups of finite rank at least 3 or of countable rank are not A-homogeneous. We then build on the proof of this result to show that two classes of groups, namely finitely generated free groups and finitely generated elementary free groups, fail to form A-Fraisse classes and that the class of non-abelian limit groups fails to form a strong A-Fraisse class.

The second main result is that if a countable group is elementarily …

Modeling And Analysis Of Affiliation Networks With Subsumption, Alexey Nikolaev

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

An affiliation (or two-mode) network is an abstraction commonly used for representing systems with group interactions. It consists of a set of nodes and a set of their groupings called affiliations. We introduce the notion of affiliation network with subsumption, in which no affiliation can be a subset of another. A network with this property can be modeled by an abstract simplicial complex whose facets are the affiliations of the network.

We introduce a new model for generating affiliation networks with and without subsumption (represented as simplicial complexes and hypergraphs, respectively). In this model, at each iteration, a constant number …

How Psychotherapists Practice In The Digital Era, Josh Weinstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The digital era, marked by digital devices connected via high speed data networks, has altered human experience in profound ways over the past 40 years. The potential for novel forms of human relating and fulfillment of desire has led to myriad changes in behavior, thought and unconscious activity. While many adapt or thrive in expanded reality, for some, the digital can be context, source and/or location for psychological affliction. When those who suffer seek psychological relief, how psychotherapists listen for, conceptualize and work with the effects of the digital matter a great deal. While theoretical and quantitative research literature exists …

Dealer Networks In Over-The-Counter (Otc) Financial Markets, Richmond Kyei-Fordjour

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This research studies a network of interdealer trading in Over-The-Counter (OTC) Financial Markets. It reviews a model of OTC interdealer trading, extends this model for suitable application to empirical studies of trading in dealer networks within OTC markets, and ultimately develops a methodology for estimating the endogenous network parameters. Finally, it applies the methodology to conduct an empirical study of the Municipal bonds market.

Speech Enhancement Using Speech Synthesis Techniques, Soumi Maiti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Traditional speech enhancement systems reduce noise by modifying the noisy signal to make it more like a clean signal, which suffers from two problems: under-suppression of noise and over-suppression of speech. These problems create distortions in enhanced speech and hurt the quality of the enhanced signal. We propose to utilize speech synthesis techniques for a higher quality speech enhancement system. Synthesizing clean speech based on the noisy signal could produce outputs that are both noise-free and high quality. We first show that we can replace the noisy speech with its clean resynthesis from a previously recorded clean speech dictionary from …

Up-And-Coming Advances In Optical And Microwave Nonreciprocity: From Classical To Quantum Realm, Sergey V. Kutsaev, Alex Krasnok, Sergey N. Romanenko, Alexander Yu. Smirnov, Kirill Taletski, Vyacheslav P. Yakovlev

Advanced Science Research Center

Reciprocity is a fundamental physical principle that roots in the time-reversal symmetry of physical laws. It allows making predictions on any arbitrary complex system's response and operation and hence simplifies the analysis. However, there are many practical situations in which it is advantageous to break reciprocity, e.g., isolators preventing wave scattering back to lasers and generators, full-duplex systems for multiplexing transmission and receiving in the same channel, nonreciprocal cavity excitation, and protection of fragile states of superconductor quantum computers from thermal noise. The most widespread approach to time-reversal symmetry breaking and nonreciprocity based on magnetic field biasing suffers from bulkiness, …

Introduction To Computers And Programming Using Python: A Project-Based Approach, Esma Yildirim, Daniel Garbin, Mathieu Sassolas, Kwang Hyun Kim

Open Educational Resources

Welcome to the “Introduction to Computers and Programming using Python: A Project-based Approach”. This book is designed to teach basic programming skills to students who are new to the field of computing using a project-based learning approach. It has been designed to give freedom to the instructor, both in format and topics ultimately used throughout the course. While we provide 13 turnkey projects, it is only expected that 3 or 4 are used over the course of a semester, and all projects are provided both as textual instructions (the student version of this OER) and Jupyter Notebooks (one with and …

The Eco-Techno Spectrum: Exploring Knowledge Systems’ Challenges In Green Infrastructure Management, A. Marissa Matsler, Thaddeus R. Miller, Peter M. Groffman

Advanced Science Research Center

Infrastructure crises are not only technical problems for engineers to solve—they also present social, ecological, financial, and political challenges. Addressing infrastructure problems thus requires a robust planning process that includes examination of the social and ecological systems supporting infrastructure, alongside technical systems. An integrative Social, Ecological, and Technological Systems (SETS) analysis of infrastructure solutions can complement the planning process by revealing potential trade-offs that are often overlooked in standard procedures. We explore the interconnected SETS of the infrastructure problem in the US through comparative case studies of green infrastructure (GI) development in Portland and Baltimore. Currently a popular infrastructure solution …

Age And Sex Differences In Load-Induced Tibial Cortical Bone Surface Strain Maps, Alessandra Carriero, Behzad Javaheri, Neda Bassir Kazeruni, Andrew A. Pitsillides, Sandra J. Shefelbine

Publications and Research

Bone adapts its architecture to the applied load; however, it is still unclear how bone mechano-adaptation is coordinated and why potential for adaptation adjusts during the life course. Previous animal models have suggested strain as the mechanical stimulus for bone adaptation, but yet it is unknown how mouse cortical bone load-related strains vary with age and sex. In this study, full-field strain maps (at 1 N increments up to 12 N) on the bone surface were measured in young, adult, and old (aged 10, 22 weeks, and 20 months, respectively), male and female C57BL/6J mice with load applied using a …

Increased Carbon Capture By A Silicate-Treated Forested Watershed Affected By Acid Deposition, Lyla L. Taylor, Charles T. Driscoll, Peter M. Groffman, Greg H. Rau, Joel D. Blum, David J. Beerling J. Beerling

Advanced Science Research Center

Meeting internationally agreed-upon climate targets requires carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies coupled with an urgent phase-down of fossil fuel emissions. However, the efficacy and wider impacts of CDR are poorly understood. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a land-based CDR strategy requiring large-scale field trials. Here we show that a low 3.44 t ha−1 wollastonite treatment in an 11.8 ha acid-rain-impacted forested watershed in New Hampshire, USA, led to cumulative carbon capture by carbonic acid weathering of 0.025–0.13 t CO2 ha−1 over 15 years. Despite a 0.8–2.4 t CO2 ha−1 logistical carbon penalty from mining, grinding, transportation, and spreading, by 2015 …

Impacts Of Hurricane Maria On Land And Convection Modification Over Puerto Rico, Nathan Hosannah, Prathap Ramamurthy, J. Marti, Jonathan Munoz, Jorge E. González

Publications and Research

Hurricane Maria drastically altered the landscape across the island of Puerto Rico. This article investigates modifications to surface-atmospheric interactions due to Hurricane Maria induced land damage and the associated impacts on local convective dynamics. Herein, we employed LANDSAT-8 image mosaics to quantify the hurricane induced land modification. Results of the analysis indicate that the island suffered significant forest damage—much of which registered as a 28.35% increase in barren land and a 10.85% increase in pasture. Smaller changes included a decrease in cultivated agricultural land cover by 0.76%, along with wetland and water increases of 0.62% and 0.25%, respectively. Pre and …

In Order To Escort Her, Kimberly Baglieri

Theses and Dissertations

In Order To Escort Her is a thirty-five minute hybrid-documentary in which Lila, my great-aunt, converses with her niece, my mother, about various supernatural creature encounters and spirit visitations from relatives. This is interspersed with a “visitation” from another close relative, communicating from a different time and space dimension. By weaving together supernatural stories and matter-of-fact accounts of resilience and survival, a magical world is created where boundaries between the material and the invisible realms blur. The main thematic concerns of this film are love, care, presence in joy amidst terror, and the journey of the soul.

Ultrafast Thermal Modification Of Strong Coupling In An Organic Microcavity, Bin Liu, Vinod M. Menon, Matthew Y. Sfeir

Advanced Science Research Center

There is growing interest in using strongly coupled organic microcavities to tune molecular dynamics, including the electronic and vibrational properties of molecules. However, very little attention has been paid to the utility of cavity polaritons as sensors for out-of-equilibrium phenomena, including thermal excitations. Here, we demonstrate that non-resonant infrared excitation of an organic microcavity system induces a transient response in the visible spectral range near the cavity polariton resonances. We show how these optical responses can be understood in terms of ultrafast heating of electrons in the metal cavity mirror, which modifies the effective refractive index and subsequently the strong …

Special Issue On Professor John M. Tarbell’S Contribution To Cardiovascular Engineering, Hanjoong Jo, Keefe Manning, John M. Tarbell

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Gus Solomons Jr.: Analyzing The Dances Of An Early Black Postmodernist, Zsuzsanna Orban

Theses and Dissertations

Gus Solomons jr. was one of the first Black dancers to participate in the Judson Dance Theater workshops, but was never fully integrated into the white, postmodern dance world. This thesis looks at several of his works which exemplify his use of site-specificity and innovative technologies, including dual-screen video dances.

The Gridded Time Of Waiting; Or Is Not Aristotle’S Metaphysics; Or A Kind Of Idealist Trap; Or In My Secret Life, Olivia Divecchia

Theses and Dissertations

Theoretical musings, descriptions, articulations of process, quotations and anecdotes form a constellation of thoughts about the trappings of the grid, ontology, the subject, the window, translation and other things.

Geometric Times, Linguistic Spaces, Johanna Strobel

Theses and Dissertations

If the loop is the trademark of our times and truthiness the reversal of the uncanny, what is the correlation between logic and information? This writing investigates the role of repetition and motifs in the production of meaning, how kitsch and neutrality function as modes of signifiers and how authenticity relates to the banal.

The Grid As Organizing Principle Of Space, Information, Time, And Display, Sam Sherman

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several centuries, the grid has colonized nearly every aspect of human life. This text traces the development of the grid in technology and art, and links the grid’s proliferation to the rise of modern governance. The grid has become the primary tool by which government exerts social control via the production of spectacle. As such, artists have increasingly recognized the grid as a central problematic to confront rather than reiterate. Within this context, I consider two of my videos: Today’s News (2020) and Tiles (2020).

Com 260: Small Group Communication Syllabus (Hybrid Format), Christopher Moss

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Interdisciplinary Thinking: Financial Literacy Crosses Disciplinary Boundaries, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

Financial literacy is ideally suited to be integrated into mathematics courses and taught in an interdisciplinary manner. Students learn best and are motivated when tackling real-world meaningful questions. This article shares how elementary mathematics was applied to better understand the debate about raising the minimum wage and the United States National Debt. To serve as a guide for other teachers who wish to incorporate financial literacy into their mathematics courses and take an interdisciplinary approach, this article suggests readings, data sets, and pedagogical practices. Students were engaged and enthusiastic to work on problems that challenged their thinking about financial issues.

Interdisciplinary Thinking: Financial Literacy Crosses Disciplinary Boundaries, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

Financial literacy is ideally suited to be integrated into mathematics courses and taught in an interdisciplinary manner. Students learn best and are motivated when tackling real-world meaningful questions. This article shares how elementary mathematics was applied to better understand the debate about raising the minimum wage and the United States National Debt. To serve as a guide for other teachers who wish to incorporate financial literacy into their mathematics courses and take an interdisciplinary approach, this article suggests readings, data sets, and pedagogical practices. Students were engaged and enthusiastic to work on problems that challenged their thinking about financial issues.

Dynamics Of The Meromorphic Families $F_\Lambda=\Lambda \Tan^Pz^Q$, Tao Chen, Linda Keen

Publications and Research

This paper continues our investigation of the dynamics of families of transcendental meromorphic functions with finitely many singular values all of which are finite. Here we look at a generalization of the family of polynomials P_a(z) =z^d−1(z−da/(d−1)), the family f_λ=λtan^pz^q. These functions have a super-attractive fixed point, and, depending on p, one or two asymptotic values. Although many of the dynamical properties generalize, the existence of an essential singularity and of poles of multiplicity greater than one implies that significantly different techniques are required here. Adding transcendental methods to standard …

Are Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters Needed? The Science Behind Boosters, Rachel M. Burckhardt, John J. Dennehy, Leo L. M. Poon, Linda J. Saif, Lynn W. Enquist

Publications and Research

Waning vaccine-induced immunity coupled with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to increases in breakthrough infections, prompting consideration for vaccine booster doses. Boosters have been reported to be safe and increase SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibody levels, but how these doses impact the trajectory of the global pandemic and herd immunity is unknown. Information on immunology, epidemiology and equitable vaccine distribution should be considered when deciding the timing and eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine boosters.

Undergraduate Bulletin 2021-2022, Cuny John Jay College

College Bulletins

Covers academic year 2021-2022

Navigating The Pass: Distance, Dislocation And The Viva, David Channon, Maria Savva, Lynn P. Nygaard

Publications and Research

Channon examines the challenges of completing a doctoral degree across different geographical locations and changing job roles. His experience illustrates how logistical challenges involved in carrying out research far removed from the research site, political turmoil and changes in employment status can all necessitate changes in the planned research trajectory. He reflects on an emotional journey, including a particularly challenging viva experience, where he struggled to maintain ownership of his work as a result of distance, dislocation and attempting to heed Introduction 7 conflicting sources of advice. Importantly, Channon’s story brings to light a less-studied phenomenon: the role of faculty …

Using Phet Simulations To Improve Scientific Skills And Attitudes Of Community College Students, Rex Taibu, Lloyd Mataka, Vazgen Shekoyan

Publications and Research

In this study, conceptual and algebra-based physics students were engaged in scientific inquiry using Physics Education Technology (PhET) interactive simulations via semester-long group projects. The instructor and students used the Scientific Abilities Assessment Rubrics (SAAR) to evaluate project presentations and papers (formative assessment). The overall research project was evaluated using Lab Skills Self-Assessment (LSSA) survey (pre and post) and the post reflection survey. The Science Process Skills Inventory (SPSI) was used to analyze some of the students‟ responses to the reflection survey. Quantitative analysis of the LSSA survey showed a large effect size for both conceptual and algebra-based physics students …

Discrete Mathematical Structures, Tugce Ozdemir

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.