Digital Commons Network^™

Hypo-Cathexis And Impotence In The Facilitating Environment Of The Anthropocene: Towards Digital Humanities, Brian W. Millen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis is an attempt to understand why there does not seem to be enough will to take proper action in light of the information we have about the destructive effects of the Anthropocene, in particular: climate change and the destruction of biodiversity. It is an attempt to follow the injunctions of French philosopher Bernard Stiegler to re-examine and re-evaluate knowledge in terms of the primary role of technics in human experience, and to preliminarily situate the digital humanities within such a project. In this paper, I investigate Sigmund Freud's concepts of cathexis, decathexis, and hyper-cathexis as psychic mechanisms whereby …

Investigating Epistemic Violence In Schools Using Machine Learning (Ai) To Explore The Effects Of Culturally Inclusive Curricula On High School Students’ Racial-Ethnic And Civic Identities, Leylah M. Bighach

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study investigated the impact of culturally sustaining/inclusive curricula (CSP/CIC) and experiences of racism in school on racial-ethnic identity, racial self-worth, civic efficacy, and activism for African American/Black, Latino(a)(x), Asian, and Indigenous youth. The effect of CIC/CSP on developmental psychological self-concepts and the impact of the public health crises occurring in 2020 on curricula and activism was explored. The effect of CIC/CSP on non-White youth from New York City was captured using an interactive web-based survey (n=155) and quantified using a branch of artificial intelligence called machine learning. Consensus narratives and focus groups (n=20) were used to follow up on …

The Relationship Between “Black Lives Matter” Movement Protests And Police Arrests In New York City, Chicago, And Los Angeles: An Empirical Analysis, Lukas Louwagie

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The summer of 2020 marked a boiling point of protest and frustration at long-criticized police behavior in the United States. The events that summer revealed the “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) movement as something that could not be ignored and was capable of drawing national support and attention across many dividing lines (Mitchell 2020). Today, it seems evident that the BLM movement has had a substantial impact on modern political discourse—yet its impact on police behavior and reform, the primary target of the movement, is murky. Police departments across the nation are pushing back against calls to defund and reform their …

Colonial Investments: The Global Coordinates Of The English Political Imaginary, 1628–1668, Nathan D. Nikolic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The main question my dissertation attempts to address is: what role did the expansion of English colonial trades play in the transformation of English society and government between the Petition of Right and the early years of the Restoration (1628-1668)? My thesis is that during this period, colonial expansion rose to the level of a general national interest and that many early seventeenth-century texts index the complexities and tensions of this development. As a small but very organized group of merchants, peers, and MPs mobilized the military and financial technologies of colonization to support Parliament’s war against Charles I, their …

Flamboyant Abundance: Performing Queer Maximalism, 1960–1990, Jack Owen Crawford

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation theorizes “queer maximalism” as an aesthetic of unmitigated flamboyance and voracious drag that appears in a constellation of performance-based artistic practices in the postwar United States. Queer maximalism brings together a historically grounded group of performers primarily based in New York City who have been variously described as theatrical, baroque, and Ridiculous and repositions them within an art-historical frame. Identifying drag and pastiche as central to queer maximalism, I show how artists salvage, assemble, and re-signify pop-cultural imagery, inflecting it with camp in order to fashion intimate community and openly flout societal norms of gender, race, and sexuality. …

Broadcasting La Presencia Latina: Tracing Identities Across Fields Of Interaction In Rural Minnesota, Anthony J. Harb

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation project traces the concerted efforts of an emergent Latinx immigrant community in Westplain, Minnesota to construct and assert their individual and collective identities within the public sphere through a range of multimodal and face-to-face communicative resources. I address enduring questions within the fields of linguistic anthropology, language education, and Latinx (media) studies through a multi-sited ethnography centered around three focal field sites: (1) a Spanish-language community radio program I call La Gran Comunidad Latina (LGCL); (2) a college-level civic engagement Spanish conversation course titled Noticias Comunitarias (NC) designed and taught in partnership with LGCL; and (3) an antiracist …

Illness Intrusiveness And Psychosocial Adjustment Among Older Adults With Multimorbidity, Irina Mindlis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Given the high prevalence of multimorbidity (MM) among older adults and the exponential growth of the older adult U.S. population, identifying factors that can lessen depressive symptoms and improve quality of life (QOL) in this population is timely and important. While it is well established that MM is associated with greater depressive symptoms and poorer QOL (Li et al., 2016; Makovski et al., 2019; Marengoni et al., 2011; Read et al., 2017), the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain understudied. The illness intrusiveness model (Devins et al., 1984) proposes that stressors posed by diseases (disease-related factors) and their treatments (treatment-related factors) …

Variations In Family Child Care: Providers' Experiences Crafting Spaces In-Between School And Home, Eleanor Luken

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Family child care, which takes place in the caregiver’s own home, is one of the most common arrangements for American working parents, yet it remains low paid and undervalued in the ecosystem of early childhood care and education (Uttal and Tuominen, 1999). Little is known about how family child care providers organize space within their homes and the repercussions the location of care has on their daily practices with children, relationships with family members, and design of their homes. Even less is known about the strategies used by providers operating in dense, urban neighborhoods with high housing costs. This investigation …

How Smoking Became A Moral Issue: A Complex Systems Perspective On Moralization, Matthew Vanaman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

When something is morally wrong, it is in the moral domain; when something becomes morally wrong, it is moralized. But how do we know when something is in the moral domain, and how can we tell whether something is becoming moralized? The empirical study of morality, or a given person’s judgment of what constitutes moral virtue or vice, has historically approached these questions through one of three theoretical perspectives: cognitivism, which argues that people primarily or mostly use effortful thought to judge right from wrong; emotivism, which sees these judgments as flowing from emotion; and dual-process models, which …

Magnetically-Driven Therapeutic Agents Delivery System Using Iron Oxide Nanocages And Enhancement Of Exosome Secretion, A Potential Biological Drug Delivery Carrier, Min A Kang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nano-scale particles have attracted research attention due to their differences in properties such as penetration, circulation, and toxicity compared to bulk materials. This thesis mainly focused on using 20 nm iron oxide nanoparticles as siRNA delivery carriers under the alternating magnetic field and the development of a method to amplify the secretion of 150 nm exosomes from the cells, which could potentially use as a biological drug carrier.

Chapter 2 discusses a magnetically driven nanoparticle therapeutic agent delivery system, which efficiently modified the gene expression post-transcriptionally. In this work, we examined whether the caged-shaped 20nm iron oxide nanoparticles (IO-nanocages) can …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymer-Based Complex Nanomaterials, Prashun G. Roy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The original research work in this dissertation is about the use of polymers in two significantly important areas. One involves creating mesoporous silica materials with various morphologies using a mixed Pluronic surfactant system made up of two poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) surfactants, one of which contains long hydrophilic (PEO) blocks and the other has a significantly higher proportion of hydrophobic PPO . In addition, a glucose responsive core-shell type microgel was also developed for shifting the glucose responsive volume phase transition by using polymeric nanomaterials.

Chapter 1 of the dissertation discussed some historical background of synthesis and uses of …

New York City Yoga Studios Archive (Nycysa), Allison Daugila

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

NYC Yoga Studios Archive is a digital archive meant to preserve the histories of yoga workers participating in the NYC Yoga industry in the years before, during, and following the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020–July 2023). In March 2020, the World Health Organization commissioned that gathering in groups in indoor settings was one of the highest risk activities anyone could participate in, which almost immediately cast fitness venues as a COVID-19 hotspot. The circumstance of New York City being the United States’ most populous city per square mile meant that most yoga establishments in the five boroughs remained closed for in-person …

Fifteenth-Century Sienese Art In Its International Setting: A Case Study Of Cross-Cultural Exchange In Italy And Beyond, Maria Lucca

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Scholars often frame the Republic of Siena as isolationist and inward-looking, yet from its beginning in 1262 the city-state was internationally vital, sending artists to work in foreign cities and calling upon foreign artists to do significant work in Siena. Although Siena temporarily retreated from this internationalism to a period of relative cultural autonomy in the mid-Trecento, in the early Quattrocento it re-opened the gates of its medieval walled city to artistic interchange between Sienese and Florentine sculptors, setting in motion the dramatic shift that occurred in the mid-Quattrocento. Sienese sculptors embraced the Renaissance artistic humanism flourishing in Florence and …

The State Of The Unions 2023: A Profile Of Organized Labor In New York City, New York State, And The United States, Ruth Milkman, Joseph Van Der Naald

Publications and Research

This report released by the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, State of the Unions 2023: A Profile of Organized Labor in New York City, New York State, and the United States, is a part of an annual publication series, documents recent trends in unionization patterns. The overall level of unionization in both the City and State has been roughly double the national rate over the past two decades. But recently, union density has fallen more in New York City and New York State than in the United States as a whole. In the mid-2010s, both the City and …

Introduction To Music, Mus 10100, Daniel Beliavsky

Open Educational Resources

This course examines musical works, composers, and aesthetics from antiquity to the present. Central to our curriculum are the questions, “what are music’s meanings?” and “how can music communicate meaning?” Through the process of discovering the varied answers to these questions, we will learn about music history, music philosophy, composer biographies, and how aesthetic concerns change across time and place. As a result of our work, you will develop the critical skills needed to understand the socio-historical events that inspire musical compositions and styles.

Fiqws Killer Stories Syllabus For Writing Section, Serhiy Metenko, Serhiy Metenko

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus informs the students of the course and their expected deliverables.

Island Blue Spaces: A Deeper Exploration, Nicole Kras, Jennifer Keenan

New Community College

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

Mca 20500 - Editing (Fall 2023), Zachary Finkelstein

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Trust But Verify: The Influence Of Social Media And Core Values On Consumer Trust In Business, Zoie M. Lagoudis

Student Theses and Dissertations

This research will evaluate the relationship personal core values have with businesses we see on social media. Three different research questions will be considered: (a) How do companies' social media presence impact consumer trust in a company? (b) How do social media marketing and advertising campaigns influence consumer purchasing intentions? (c) How does the alignment or misalignment of values portrayed through CSR activities affect trust in a company's brand?

Social media has become an expansive e-commerce tool companies use for promotional purposes. Companies take many approaches to advertising campaigns, but a popular method is incorporating advocacy efforts into their marketing …

Publishing Inequality In Lgbtqia+ Research In Psychology: A Content Analysis, Mackenzie L. Fingerhut

Student Theses

Despite the American Psychiatric Association’s removal of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973 and ego-dystonic homosexuality in 1987, nonheteronormative sexual orientations remain stigmatized and underrepresented in scientific literature. To estimate the prevalence of LGBTQIA+ topics in popular psychological research, the author queried more than 20,000 articles from 1987 to 2022 in the two most cited journals in each of four major domains (cognitive, clinical, developmental and social). In addition, the author randomly queried 20% of all empirical articles published from 1987 to 2021 in the top eight empirical journals to understand how often sexuality …

Span 34100 - 001 Hispanic Civilizations I, Isabel Estrada

Open Educational Resources

As a NYC resident, what have you learned about the history of the Spanish-speaking world? Are you familiar with the cultures of the Dominican and Mexican American communities living in Washington Heights and El Barrio, respectively? Through this course students will enhance their understanding of Latin American and Spanish cultures and histories until 1800. With a transatlantic approach, the class will examine critical cultural aspects that define Spain and Latin America. These include: nomenclature and perceptions of the Spanish-speaking world (Iberian, Hispanic, Latinx); religious and ethnic diversity in the Peninsula; pre-1492 indigenous peoples in Latin America; the project of progress …

Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Individuals And Intimate Partner Violence Resources In Lgbtq+ Organizations, Claire Herr

Student Theses

A meta-analysis reporting on the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization of transgender populations found transgender people were two to three times more likely to experience IPV than cisgender people (Peitzmeier et al., 2020). The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) (2012) found transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people, particularly transgender women and transgender Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), were more likely to be threatened and harassed by their abusive partners than cisgender people. TGNC people may be at a high risk of IPV due to the lack of services designed for TGNC victims of IPV. Once …

Brain Arteriovenous Malformations: The Long Way Ahead In Physics, Chemistry And Mr-Angiography Practice Before Fully Replacing Digital Subtraction Angiography., Subhendra N. Sarkar

Publications and Research

Typically, only high field systems are equipped with stronger gradients and short RF pulse designs, a must for high temporal resolution that are also responsible for high SAR, high susceptibility as well as neurostimulation. Gradient induced image noise tends to be high at 3T. Often vendors try to ameliorate such increased image noise with multi-channel head arrays and aggressive filter designs allowing an appearance of high SNR and CNR quality; however, the achievable SNR and CNR in the AVM remain limited as the analyzed articles by Zhuo et al seem to have in common. A short term solution to harvest …

Age And Sex Of Wild Asian Elephants Observed In And Around Protected Areas In Kanchanaburi, Thailand, Leah D. Wersebe

Theses and Dissertations

This study observed the wild Asian elephant population in and around Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary and found a greater proportional presence of adults and subadults than calves and infants per observation, and a greater proportion of males than females outside of the protected area compared to inside the protected area.

Death Becomes Her: Rejecting The Muse And Reclaiming The Female Body In Leonor Fini’S Skeleton Women, Janna Singer-Baefsky

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is organized through the varied ways Fini incorporated death imagery, like the skeleton, into her art. I trace how she changed her interpretations of death from being a symbol in earlier works to then rendering death as the subject itself and concluding with depicting herself as death.

Black College Students Perceptions Of The Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate, Rickae Rodney

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored Black college students’ perceptions of COVID-19 related mandates. Black college students with higher perceptions of racism, stronger ethnic identity, and greater distrust in science were expected to have more negative attitudes about COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. Results varied when relationships were tested.

Seasonal Crop Foraging Habits Of Asian Elephants And The Response Of Farmers Near The Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanchanaburi, Thailand, Scott J. Gulizio

Theses and Dissertations

The consequences of human-elephant-conflict are of concern to a range of interests, including conservation, animal welfare, and socio-economic initiatives. Loss of crops due to elephants is a particularly contentious issue and a multitude of elephant deterrents have been tried to help prevent or diminish crop-foraging. This study examines the seasonal crop-foraging habits of Asian elephants just outside of Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Specifically, we sought to analyze when the elephants would forage crops, for how long, and how farmer presence affected this behavior. Additionally, to better understand patterns of deterrent use, we cataloged which deterrents were deployed by the farmers …

The Rise Of Mercury: The Economic And Health Impacts Of Artisanal Gold Mining In Colombia, Jilmar D. Robledo Caicedo

Theses and Dissertations

Gold prices triggered mining booms in Colombia, leading to wealth and mercury pollution. These effects on human health remain unknown. This research investigates the effect of gold mining finding a significant effect on fetal deaths reduction, suggesting gender and gestational age are fundamental to understanding the interplay of gold mining.

The Antagonistic Anatomy Of Anti-Shippers: A Thematic Analysis, Adrian A. Stone

Student Theses

Within the transformative fandom community is an ideologically-affiliated group known as anti-shippers, whose rhetoric contends that fictional interests are an indication of those held in reality. Anti-shippers focus solely on fictional material perceived to be sexual in nature and make frequent references to pedophilia. This rhetoric is used to justify harassment against individuals who do not share in their beliefs. As this population primarily operates on social media, this study was designed to conduct an exploratory investigation into themes gleaned from posts authored by anti-shippers on Twitter. Utilizing latent content analysis, a total of 187 posts from 222 unique users …

Fall 2023 Human Resources Management Syllabus, Joseph A. Abbondandolo

Open Educational Resources

Syllabus for Human Resources Management (ECO 31250 & PSY 31141)