Digital Commons Network^™

Of Method: A Propaedeutic To Coleridge's Prose Works, Michael A. Granger

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Coleridge’s prose works, published and unpublished, demonstrate a thorough and critical testing and understanding of British and German philosophical responses to skepticism and the ability of philosophy to progress by maintaining a double-minded and conflicted suture of both the practical or imaginative eclipse of knowledge and theorizing the hypothetical epistemological absolute that explains the relativity of facticity. Any inadequate method of inquiry stagnates within attempting a purely figurative or purely demonstrative solution to skepticism. Thus, the appropriate way to approach Coleridge’s understanding of philosophy is the struggle to make inquiry adequate though progression. Coleridge’s methodological impulse originates explicitly in a …

Stereospecific Cross-Coupling Reactions Of Vinyl Triflates And An Investigation Of The Synthesis And Reactivity Of Activated Alkyltricyclohexylstannanes, Pejman Ghaemimohammadi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Organic chemistry exists in all aspects of everyday life from polymers to pharmaceutics. Formation of carbon-carbon bonds is essential for the synthesis of complex organic compounds. This goal can be achieved by using transition metal catalysts. Second-row transition metals such as Pd, Pt, Rh, and Ir have shown remarkable efficacy in these reactions. Metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions form carbon-carbon bonds between electrophiles and nucleophiles using transition metal catalysts. Pd is mainly used in this reaction.

Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions that form a bond between two C(sp²) carbons have been widely studied over the past decades. C(sp²)-C(sp^{3 …}

The True And Only Technic: Technological Ubiquity And Its Critics, Heretics, And Zealots, Hampton A. Dodd

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Against technological ubiquity, the philosopher, the ecologist, the theologian, the psychologist, the radical, the reactionary, and the poet have each responded. This analysis seeks to explicate the nature of such responses, as well as to explore their contemporary form and elucidate what those presently publishing might offer as programs toward the future. In order to do this, what follows is broken up into a series of sections, each focused on what I have perceived to be the foremost themes present throughout technological critique: becoming, freedom, identity, faith, space, time, and progress. Prior to such thematic excavations, this analysis offers a …

Making Sense Of Making Parole In New York, Alexandra Mcglinchy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

For many individuals incarcerated in New York, the initial step toward freedom begins with an interview with the Board of Parole. This process, however, is frequently a complex and challenging one, characterized by repeated denials and extended incarcerations. The disparity in outcomes – where one individual may receive over 20 denials and another is granted parole on their first attempt – highlights the ambiguity and inconsistency in the parole decision-making process. This project aims to clarify the factors that influence parole decisions by concentrating on measurable variables. These include age, race, duration of sentence served, proportion of sentence served, type …

What Does One Billion Dollars Look Like?: Visualizing Extreme Wealth, William Mahoney Luckman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The word “billion” is a mathematical abstraction related to “big,” but it is difficult to understand the vast difference in value between one million and one billion; even harder to understand the vast difference in purchasing power between one billion dollars, and the average U.S. yearly income. Perhaps most difficult to conceive of is what that purchasing power and huge mass of capital translates to in terms of power. This project blends design, text, facts, and figures into an interactive narrative website that helps the user better understand their position in relation to extreme wealth: https://whatdoesonebilliondollarslooklike.website/

The site incorporates …

Integration Of Field- And Space-Based Observations Toward Assessing Drivers Of Biogeochemical Variability Across Vulnerable Coastal Ecosystems, Alana B. Menendez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis uses new field datasets and satellite ocean color products to quantify biogeochemical variability in three coastal regions: Long Island Sound estuary, the coastline of the Bay of Bengal extending east to the Mekong Delta, and the Yukon River Delta. These three study regions have vastly different size domains, climates, populations, and economies, but all require enhanced coastal water monitoring in the face of climate change. These regions are all naturally dynamic and experience strong seasonal phenomena but are also subject to changing hydrological forcings and direct anthropogenic perturbations. This leaves these coastal areas vulnerable to altered biogeochemical cycling, …

New Effective Transformational Computational Methods, Jun Zhang, Ruzong Fan, Fangyang Shen, Junyi Tu

Publications and Research

Mathematics serves as a fundamental intelligent theoretic basis for computation, and mathematical analysis is very useful to develop computational methods to solve various problems in science and engineering. Integral transforms such as Laplace Transform have been playing an important role in computational methods. In this paper, we will introduce Sumudu Transform in a new computational approach, in which effective computational methods will be developed and implemented. Such computational methods are straightforward to understand, but powerful to incorporate into computational science to solve different problems automatically. We will provide computational analysis and essentiality by surveying and summarizing some related recent works, …

Exciton Dynamics, Interaction, And Transport In Monolayers Of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, Saroj Chand

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Monolayers Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted much attention in recent years due to their promising optical and electronic properties for applications in optoelectronic devices. The rich multivalley band structure and sizable spin-orbit coupling in monolayer TMDs result in several optically bright and dark excitonic states with different spin and valley configurations. In the proposed works, we have developed experimental techniques and theoretical models to study the dynamics, interactions, and transport of both dark and bright excitons.

In W-based monolayers of TMDs, the momentum dark exciton cannot typically recombine optically, but they represent the lowest excitonic state of the system …

Law's Legitimacy: Lon Fuller In A Consequentialist Frame, Daniel L. Feldman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis argues that Lon Fuller’s approach to jurisprudence offers more important support to the rule of law than has been generally recognized. It argues further that a consequentialist lens allows clearer views of Fuller’s strengths in this regard, despite Fuller’s own resistance to consequentialism and despite consequentialism’s blindness to some of Fuller’s depth and texture. This thesis supplies a formula, although one intended only as a guide to thinking, not for actual computation, to drive judicial decision-making. The inputs into this formula are six values widely shared in the United States, modified by case-by-case salience. Kantian deontology strongly influences …

Values In Evidence-Based Policy: Bridging Socio-Political, Moral, And Epistemic Domains, Karyna Pryiomka

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Values constitute an inescapable constant of any policymaking or evidence-production process. In this dissertation I explore ways in which socio-political, moral, and epistemic values inform evidence production and use in public higher education policy. In “Chapter One: Introduction and Literature Review”, I provide a brief overview of evidence-based policy as a practice. I then discuss three major categories of values, focusing on higher education examples whenever possible. Finally, I present the central study of this dissertation. The central question of my dissertation is In what ways do epistemic, socio-political, and moral values frame the production and deployment of evidence in …

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 …

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 …

Evaluating The Reliability And Accuracy Of Alchemical Binding Free Energy Methods And Calculations, Fnu Sheenam

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Molecular recognition plays a crucial role in various biological processes, such as enzymatic reactions, signal transduction, and genetic information processing. Investigating how proteins selectively bind to their partners is an active research area, but there is a lack of experimental details on protein structures and interactions in molecular complexes. Computational techniques based on macromolecular structures offer a way to predict protein-ligand interactions and explore their recognition mechanisms. Estimating binding affinities, particularly through alchemical binding free energy calculations, has become valuable in supporting drug discovery. This work introduces new methodologies, utilizing the Alchemical Transfer Method, to address issues like poor convergence …

Rational Design Of Peptide-Based Materials Informed By Multiscale Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Dhwanit Rahul Dave

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The challenge of establishing a sustainable and circular economy for materials in medicine and technology necessitates bioinspired design. Nature's intricate machinery, forged through evolution, relies on a finite set of biomolecular building blocks with through-bond and through-space interactions. Repurposing these molecular building blocks requires a seamless integration of computational modeling, design, and experimental validation. The tools and concepts developed in this thesis pioneer new directions in peptide-materials design, grounded in fundamental principles of physical chemistry. We present a synergistic approach that integrates experimental designs and computational methods, specifically molecular dynamics simulations, to gain in-depth molecular insights crucial for advancing the …

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 …

Low Elevation Coastal Zone (Lecz) Population Social Vulnerability And Risk: A Spatial Analysis Based On The 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (Nfhs-4) Of India, Paradorn Wongchanapai

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background & Problem Statement:

This study assessed social vulnerability and risk to hydroclimate hazards of Indian urban and rural populations in the Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ), a contiguous coastal area with elevations less than 10 meters. The LECZ is considered an at-risk area as hydroclimate hazards tend to be heightened. Moreover, being the most populous country in the world, any hydroclimate hazards that hit the LECZ would disproportionately impact a large number of Indian populations. Understanding the social vulnerability and risk of the LECZ populations can help mitigate and prevent potential adverse outcomes for the populations.

Importantly, this study …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Donor-Acceptor Fluorescent Conjugated Polymers By Acyclic Diene Metathesis (Admet) And Suzuki Polycondensation (Spc), Hamid Ardolic Jr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Conjugated polymers are useful in a wide variety of applications including production of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), Field Effect Transistors (FETs) and organic photovoltaics. Our work in the lab focuses on the development of materials for use in Polymer Solar Cells (PSCs) using various electron donating and electron accepting units to individually tune the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) and Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) respectively and produce a small but controlled band gap. This is accomplished through the synthesis of several precursors and their subsequent polymerization using Acyclic Diene Metathesis (ADMET) and Suzuki Polycondensation (SPC). Moderately strong electron donors, …

Biomolecular Crystals As Functional Materials, Fahmeed Khan Sheehan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The field of supramolecular chemistry has undergone significant evolution over the last few decades, progressing from fundamental studies of self-assembling systems to the rational design of functional materials with exceptional properties. Among these materials, short peptides have emerged as a chemically simple yet highly versatile class of biomimetic compounds. Initially, short peptides were used as model systems to understand larger protein interactions. As the field progressed, short peptides were found to have exceptional functionality, and are now explored as functional nanomaterials for diverse applications. In many cases, short peptide materials have displayed properties not found in biology, in some cases …

Examining The Health Risks Of Particulate Matter 2.5 In New York City: How It Affects Marginalized Groups And The Steps Needed To Reduce Air Pollution, Freddy Castro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The following examines the impact of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) on public health, focusing on its sources and effects on vulnerable populations in New York City. PM2.5 is a particle that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter and, because of its size, can enter the bloodstream affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and further complicating the health of the immunocompromised. Recent studies have shown that PM2.5 can come from various sources, including transportation and industrial emissions, as well as indoor sources like cigarettes and gas-operated stoves. Despite reduced levels of PM2.5 due to recent policy changes and initiatives taken …

Clustering Of Patients With Heart Disease, Mukadder Cinar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Heart disease, a leading cause of mortality worldwide, presents complex challenges in public health due to its varied manifestations. Accurate diagnosis and patient stratification are essential for effective management and improved outcomes. In response, this study employed machine learning techniques to analyze heart disease data obtained from UCI Machine Learning Repository, aiming to enhance patient care through advanced data analysis.

The study began with the application of K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) classification, which categorized patients into 'Disease' and 'No Disease' groups. This preliminary step provided initial insights into the structure of the dataset. Subsequently, K-means clustering was applied in two rounds, …

Modeling Of Covid-19 Clinical Outcomes In Mexico: An Analysis Of Demographic, Clinical, And Chronic Disease Factors, Livia Clarete

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study explores COVID-19 clinical outcomes in Mexico, focusing on demographic, clinical, and chronic disease variables to develop predictive models. In the binary classification task, the Ada Boost Classifier distinguishes survivors from non-survivors, with age, sex, ethnicity, and chronic medical conditions influencing outcomes. In multiclass classification, the Gradient Boosting Classifier categorizes patients into outcome groups.

Demographic variables, especially age, are crucial for predicting COVID-19 outcomes for both the binary and multiclass classification tasks. Clinical information about previous conditions, including chronic diseases, also holds relevance, especially diabetes, immunocompromise, and cardiovascular diseases. These insights inform public health measures and healthcare strategies, emphasizing …

Tarot Fabula: Radical Digital Cards, Shuffled Narrative Structures, And Playing The Future In An Era Of Algorithms, Rachel M.L. Dixon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since their earliest recorded use in the 1400s, tarot cards figure as objects for game play, artistic creativity, spiritual divination, and self-discovery. Tarot Fabula (https://tarot-fabula.com) introduces a ludic, interactive website interface that challenges 20th century tarot reading practices as linear narratives. Statistically random reshufflings of tarot decks from archival collections prompt the reader to become a narrative co-creator, drawing them into conversation with traditional reading and interpretive practices as they remix narrative elements portrayed on the cards. Tarot Fabula’s shuffling and reshuffling of cards as historical objects merges contemporary computational methods for generating random results with an interrogation of …

Towards Sociobiogeochemistry: Critical Perspectives On Anthropogenic Alterations To Soil Nitrogen Chemistry Via U.S. Urban And Suburban Development, Christopher D. Ryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The ecological impacts of changes to land use are relevant to concerns about climate change, eutrophication of waterbodies, and reductions in biodiversity. As a foundational component of ecosystem functioning, changes to soil biogeochemistry have significant effects on overall ecosystem health. With cities continuing to grow and develop in extent, the impacts of urbanization and suburbanization on soils are of particular concern. Despite a wide range of natural climatic and geologic conditions, several factors have driven similar patterns of land transformation and management across the United States. In particular, federal initiatives including the Home Owners Loan Corporation, the Federal Housing Administration, …

Complicating Confidence: A Critical Analysis Of Confidence In A Girls' Empowerment Organization, Kimberly M. Belmonte

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the popular imagination, confidence is thought of as a positive or healthy state. Yet there is also a pervasive belief that adolescent girls are at risk of losing their confidence or of not having enough confidence, particularly compared to boys. The larger field of youth development theorists and practitioners see confidence as a positive, normative, and measurable aspect of healthy adolescent development (e.g., Lerner et al., 2015). Conversely, critical feminist scholars assert that confidence has become hegemonic, mandated, and commodified (e.g., Banet-Weiser, 2015; Gill & Orgad, 2016)—taken up by a neoliberal, post-feminist climate as a technology of the self …

Studies Of Oxidopyrylium Ylide Dimers And Their Utility In The Synthesis Of Densely Functionalized Troponoids, Daniel V. Schiavone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Herein, we describe our efforts to investigate mechanistic considerations of oxidopyrylium ylides and their use in cycloadditions to form complex bicyclic structures and the advancement of these cycloadducts to the synthesis of densely functionalized tropolones. This work also describes applications of tropolones as biologically relevant structures and dynamic fluorophores.

In Chapter 1, we expand upon previous studies done in the Murelli Lab describing the ability of 3-hydroxy-4-pyrone derived oxidopyrylium dimers to revert back to ylides in situ and as result can be used as a clean oxidopyrylium ylide source in accessing oxabicyclic compounds. Intermolecular cycloadditions of these ylides can be …

Analyzing The Effects Of Data Variability & Volume On Predicting Particulate Matter (Pm2.5): Insights From A Machine Learning Approach, Jada A. Macharie

Theses and Dissertations

Accurately predicting PM_2.5 concentrations are imperative to the future of public health and environmental policies. Machine learning models incorporating spatial and temporal datasets to predict PM_2.5 are often limited by data availability constraints and poor resolution satellite imagery.

A Desirable Advancement But Not Without Concern For Black Blood Sequences: Vessel Wall Imaging May Not Be Blindly Done, Subhendra N. Sarkar

Publications and Research

Time of flight (TOF) gradient echo magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is a bright lumen method that is supposed to be simpler but is not free of challenges. Post-treatment, tricky geometry, Gd build up and high fields pose challenges and practice variation making some special applications of even the well-developed bright blood method questionable in treated AVMs as discussed in a prior editorial (Sarkar Eur Rad, 2023). In this editorial another, perhaps more important (pseudo-steady state for black blood angiography) is discussed. It has been agreed upon that assessment of vessel wall integrity, particularly plaques and other arterial wall diseases is …

Ai-Enhanced Detection Of Clinically Relevant Structural And Functional Anomalies In Mri: Traversing The Landscape Of Conventional To Explainable Approaches, Pegah Khosravi, Saber Mohammadi, Fatemeh Zahiri, Masoud Khodarahmi, Javad Zahiri

Publications and Research

Anomaly detection in medical imaging, particularly within the realm of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), stands as a vital area of research with far-reaching implications across various medical fields. This review meticulously examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in anomaly detection for MR images, spotlighting its transformative impact on medical diagnostics. We delve into the forefront of AI applications in MRI, exploring advanced machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) methodologies that are pivotal in enhancing the precision of diagnostic processes. The review provides a detailed analysis of preprocessing, feature extraction, classification, and segmentation techniques, alongside a comprehensive evaluation of …

Ai-Enhanced Detection Of Clinically Relevant Structural And Functional Anomalies In Mri: Traversing The Landscape Of Conventional To Explainable Approaches, Pegah Khosravi, Saber Mohammadi, Fatemeh Zahiri, Masoud Khodarahmi, Javad Zahiri

Publications and Research

Anomaly detection in medical imaging, particularly within the realm of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), stands as a vital area of research with far-reaching implications across various medical fields. This review meticulously examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in anomaly detection for MR images, spotlighting its transformative impact on medical diagnostics. We delve into the forefront of AI applications in MRI, exploring advanced machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) methodologies that are pivotal in enhancing the precision of diagnostic processes. The review provides a detailed analysis of preprocessing, feature extraction, classification, and segmentation techniques, alongside a comprehensive evaluation of …

Physics 100 Level Laboratory Data Collection Tables, Kalani Hettiarachchilage

Open Educational Resources

The physics 100-level laboratory part demonstrates and applies the material learned from related classes. This document shows guidelines for collecting data and analyzing them by using Microsoft Excel. Laboratory components of PHY 114/ PHY 206/SLS 261 (Introduction to Physics and Nature of Physical Processes), PHY116/PHY 121 (Physics I and General Physics I), and PHY 156/PHY 161 (Physics II and General Physics II) at College of Staten Island are in-person mandatory sessions for students and it is required to pass to receive a passing grade for that class. This part is taught by different instructors. Although everyone is supposed to follow …