Digital Commons Network^™

Is The European Union (Eu) A Normative Power?: An In-Depth Look At Its Actions And Policies On Refugees, Asylum Seekers And Forced Migrants, Rumaisa N. Jumana

Dissertations and Theses

This paper examines the legality of the actions of the European Union with regards to their treatment of refugees and the legitimacy of the subsequent policies when tested against prevailing human rights norms and established international law on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and the forcibly displaced. It takes an in-depth look at the initial commitment of the EU to protecting asylum seekers through its endorsement of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and highlights the eventual shift in its policies in this respect. Based on the scrutinization of the policies and …

A Study Of Gender Apartheid: Afghanistan And The Islamic Republic Of Iran, Golazin Safaeimojarad

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis investigates the systemic and institutionalized forms of gender-based discrimination termed gender apartheid, focusing on Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. It argues that gender apartheid, a severe form of discrimination where women and girls are subjugated and denied fundamental rights under institutional frameworks, and Afghanistan under Taliban rule and Iran under the Islamic Republic of Iran are two prime cases of gender apartheid. Through a qualitative research approach employing case studies and a comprehensive review of legal documents, academic materials, and reports from reputable organizations, the thesis outlines how gender apartheid is not only a direct product …

Divorce As A Growth Process: Marital Separation And Separation-Individuation In Adulthood, Anna Egleson

Dissertations and Theses

Research has focused on the negative effects that divorce has on divorcees, on children of divorced parents, and on society. Research has also shown however that many individuals who go through a divorce emerge happier, more content and satisfied with their choice, even though the process was a painful one. Despite this evidence, there is a gap in the research looking at positive, and growth-related experiences of those who have recently gone through a divorce. Theoretical arguments and clinical observations provide a foundation to support the idea that there is a relationship between separation-individuation in adulthood and the internal shifts …

The Challenges Of Decoding Russian Coercion, Cynthia A. Roberts

Publications and Research

This review essay critically examines cultural explanations of deterrence and coercion, focusing on Dmitry Adamsky’s The Russian Way of Deterrence as the most important recent effort to explain Russian strategic behavior through the lens of strategic culture. While recognizing the book’s considerable strengths in describing Russian concepts, terminology, and practices of deterrence and coercion, the essay questions how much explanatory leverage culture actually provides. It argues that cultural approaches risk over-complexifying the Russian case while under-specifying causal relationships, and asks why distinctive strategic cultures do not produce greater variation in coercive behavior and outcomes. The essay contrasts cultural interpretation with …

A Multidimensional Look Into Covid-19’S Reverberating Psychological Consequences, Talia Schulder

Dissertations and Theses

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated preexisting inequities in depression and anxiety symptoms, particularly for marginalized populations. Post-disaster mental health has often been investigated in both public health and clinical psychological literature, and the present dissertation integrates both disciplinary frameworks to understand the reverberating psychological consequences of the pandemic. Methods: Data were collected Winter 2022-2023, and the present analyses used descriptive statistics, correlations, and structural equation models to measure associations between variables of interest. Two separate SEMs were conducted with variables often used in public health literature. Specifically, these models assessed the indirect relationship between COVID-19-related financial and social stress …

Reorganization Of Dopamine Circuitry In The Anterior Corpus Callosum Between Early Adolescence And Adulthood In The Mouse, Megan Caldwell, Josue Criollo Mendoza, Xin Yan Zhu Jiang, Colin Alarcon, Vanessa Ayo-Jibunoh, Shelby Louis, Daniel Maronna, Rania Darwish, Jaquelyn Tomaio, Susana Mingote, Leora Yetnikoff

Advanced Science Research Center

The maturation of forebrain dopamine circuitry occurs over multiple developmental periods, extending from early postnatal life until adulthood, with the precise timing of maturation defined by the target region. We recently demonstrated in the adult mouse brain that axon terminals arising from midbrain dopamine neurons innervate the anterior corpus callosum and that oligodendrocyte lineage cells in this white matter tract express dopamine receptor transcripts. Whether corpus callosal dopamine circuitry undergoes maturational changes between early adolescence and adulthood is unknown but may be relevant to understanding the dramatic micro- and macro-anatomical changes that occur in the corpus callosum of multiple species …

Phenotypic Mismatch Between Suspects And Fillers But Not Phenotypic Bias Increases Eyewitness Identifications Of Black Suspects, Jennifer M. Jones, Jacqueline Katzman, Margaret Bull Kovera

Publications and Research

Despite converging evidence that people more closely associate the construct of criminality with Black people who exhibit a more African facial phenotype than Black people who express a more European phenotype, eyewitness researchers have largely ignored phenotypic bias as a potential contributor to the racial disparities in the criminal legal system. If this form of phenotypic bias extends to eyewitness identification tasks, eyewitnesses may be more likely to identify Black suspects with an African rather than European phenotype, regardless of their guilt status. Further, in cases where the witness’s description of the perpetrator does not contain phenotypic information, phenotypic mismatch …

Hostos Community College Academic Bulletin 2024-2025, Hostos Community College

College Bulletins

This is the official college catalog for 2024-2025. It contains course descriptions as well as information on degree programs, college resources and services, financial aid, admissions, and the academic calendar.

Engaging Sexual Minority Adolescents In Nationwide At-Home Hiv Prevention Research In The U.S, Ali J. Talan, Carly Wolfer, Nicola Tavella, Cynthia Cabral, Ricardo Despradel, H. Jonathon Rendina

Publications and Research

Objectives: This study examined research-related privacy and confidentiality concerns among adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM) and provides lessons learned to inform recruitment and enrollment strategies for this population.

Methods: Participants were a 2017-2018 internet-based U.S. national sample of sexual minority adolescents who responded to self-report measures of privacy and confidentiality concerns. Results: Bivariate chi-square tests were used to identify participants’ mean differences in worry and likelihood of privacy breach occurrences. Many participants reported privacy-related concerns within remote HIV prevention research.

Conclusions: Study protocols were designed to ensure participants felt safe participating in online HIV prevention research. However, there are challenges …

A Definition Of A Heywood Case In Item Response Theory Based On Fisher Information, Jay Verkuilen, Peter J. Johnson

Publications and Research

Heywood cases and other improper solutions occur frequently in latent variable models, e.g., factor analysis, item response theory, latent class analysis, multilevel models, or structural equation models, all of which are models with response variables taken from an exponential family. They have important consequences for scoring with the latent variable model and are indicative of issues in a model, such as poor identification or model misspecification. In the context of the 2PL and 3PL models in IRT, they are more frequently known as Guttman items and are identified by having a discrimination parameter that is deemed excessively large. Other IRT …

Prosocial Behavior And Workplace Safety: Analysis Of The Role Of Emotional Intelligence And Perceived Organizational Support In Two Uk And Us Samples, Giacomo Moserle, Giulia Foti, Georgia Libera Finstad, Andrea Bazzoli, Matteo Curcuruto, Jim Morgan

Publications and Research

Prosocial safety behavior (PSB) is a critical element of workforce participation in the promotion of safety in the workplace. This study aims to examine the influence of various antecedents on PSB. Based on an analysis of the existing literature on prosocial behaviors, we investigate whether emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived organizational support (POS) significantly influence PSB. Furthermore, we analyze the mediating role of employees’ intrinsic motivation (IM) and affective commitment (AC) in these relationships. The research was conducted by administering an online questionnaire to a large sample of 488 workers employed in safety-critical industries based in the United States and …

Training, Practice, And Career Considerations In Forensic Psychology: Results From A Field Survey Of Clinical And Non-Clinical Professionals In The United States, Casey Laduke, David Dematteo, Eve M. Brank, Antoinette Kavanaugh

Publications and Research

The current field survey describes the identities, training, practices, and careers of 351 U.S. forensic psychologists. Findings are presented for clinical forensic psychologists (n = 323) with additional consideration for those working in institutions (n = 119), private practice (n = 107), or both (n = 90), and separately for non-clinical forensic psychologists (n = 35). The sample was predominantly middle-aged, White, and female. Participants reported various training paths to the field, and professional settings and activities in the field. Student loan debt was common and significant in clinical Forensic psychologists. Income was generally high, …

Email Invitation And Survey For Faculty Whose Experience Has Mostly Been With Actual Vertical Transfer Students, Alexandra W. Logue, Vita Rabinowitz, Yoshiko Oka, Nayeon Yoo, Rhina Torres, Kerstin Gentsch, David Wutchiett

Publications and Research

Copy of survey used for faculty whose experience has mostly been with actual vertical transfer (bachelor's-degree) students, along with email sent to faculty inviting them to complete the survey.

Sociodemographic Correlates Of Low Health Literacy Skills Among Cancer Survivors: National Findings From Brfss 2016 And Implications For Precision Survivorship Care, Qi Chen, John Moore, Lailea Noel, Kirk Von Sternberg, Barbara Jones

Publications and Research

Purpose: This study aimed to explore associations of sociodemographic factors with difficulties in three health literacy (HL) skills and the severity of low HL skills.

Design: Cross-sectional secondary data analysis. Subjects: Data came from 17,834 adults who responded to the HL module with a response rate of 47% in the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Measures: Independent variables included sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, employment and income. Dependent variables are three HL skills: obtaining, understanding oral, and understanding written health information.

Analysis: We conducted weighted Chi-square tests and multinominal logistic regressions.

Results: Cancer survivors younger than 65 (aged 18-39: AOR=4.46, …

A Tai Chi And Qigong Mind-Body Program For Low Back Pain: A Virtually Delivered Randomized Control Trial, Yang Yang, Sydne Mccluskey, Mohamad Bydon, Jaspal Ricky Singh, Robert D. Sheeler, Karim Rizwan Nathani, Ana C. Krieger, Neel D. Mehta, Joshua Weaver, Libin Jia, Sharo Decelle, Robert C. Schlagal, Jay Ayar, Sahar Abduljawad, Steven D. Stovitz, Ravindra Ganesh, Jay Verkuilen, Kenneth A. Knapp, Lin Yang, Roger Härtl

Publications and Research

Background: Mind-body treatments have the potential to manage pain, yet their effectiveness when delivered online for the treatment of low back pain (LBP) is unknown. We sought to evaluate whether a virtually delivered mind-body program integrating tai chi, qigong, and meditation (VDTQM) is effective for treating LBP.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial compared VDTQM (n=175) to waitlist control (n=175). Eligible participants were at least 18 years old, had LBP for at least 6 weeks, were not pregnant, had not previously taken tai chi classes, and had not undergone spine surgery within 6 months. The treatment group received a 12-week VDTQM …

Information Behavior And Hiv/Aids/Sti Awareness Among Bangladeshi Female Sex Workers: Do Informational Programs Help?, Nafiz Z. Shuva, Radia Taisir, Parvez Sazzad Mallick

Publications and Research

Using de Certeau's concepts of “tactics” and “strategies,” this study explores the everyday information seeking behavior of female sex workers (FSWs) in Bangladesh. This study also examined the effectiveness of informational programs on HIV/AIDS and STI in empowering FSWs to negotiate condom use during sex. A mixed method research design was employed in this study, which included face-to-face surveys with 116 female sex workers (FSWs) and four focus group discussions (FGDs) with 23 street based FSWs. The study finds that Bangladeshi female sex workers use “tactics” in meeting their information needs. They reported rarely using formal information sources such as …

“They Act Like We Are Going To Heaven”: Pre-Arrival Information Experiences, Information Crafting And Settlement Of Immigrants In Canada, Nafiz Z. Shuva

Publications and Research

Purpose

Although there is a growing body of work on immigrants' information behavior, little is known about the pre-arrival information experiences of immigrants who consult formal information sources such as immigration agents. Drawn from a larger study on the information behavior of immigrants, this paper mainly reports the semi-structured interview findings on the pre-arrival information experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants who used formal information sources with discussion on how that affected their post-arrival settlement into Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed method approach with semi-structured interviews (n = 60) and surveys (n = 205) with participants who arrived in Canada …

Emotional Labor In Front-Facing Jobs In University Settings, Khushboo Jain

Student Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to investigate how employees in front-facing/public-oriented positions engage in and experience the effects of emotional labor. Emotional labor is the unpaid, frequently unseen work a person must perform to manage their emotions for other people (Resnick, 2021). This kind of labor can manifest in multiple settings such as the workplace and interpersonal relationships. Emotional labor is often a problem in organizations because there is more focus on how the employee is representing them in customer interactions than the employee’s well-being. During face-to-face or voice-to-voice interactions with customers, employees are required to express proper emotions as a job …

A Silent New Threat To The Trans Community: The Unregulated Use Of Ai Without Public Consent Raises Ethical Concerns, Eduardo Salazar Uribe

Capstones

Abstract:

The unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) without public consent has raised ethical concerns, particularly affecting marginalized communities such as transgender individuals. This project, based on interviews with 34 transgender people, explores the impact of AI on historically marginalized minorities, emphasizing the urgent need for an ethical and legal framework. This research reveals instances of discrimination and challenges faced by transgender individuals at various stages, from border control to airport security, highlighting the limitations and biases of AI in recognizing diverse gender identities. Trans rights activists, and AI experts remark the importance of inclusivity in AI development and regulation. …

Maui Wildfires: A Case Study In Local Government Crisis Communication Response, Joshua A. Voda

Student Theses and Dissertations

When wildfires swept through the island of Maui in Hawai‘i in August 2023, the communities of Olinda, Kula and especially Lahaina were devastated. Thousands of people were displaced, and nearly 100 people were lost. Just like the speed at which the fiery winds consumed these towns, accusations of emergency mismanagement and a host of misinformation spread by word of mouth and online. The primary local government authority for these communities is the County of Maui, currently led by Mayor Richard Bissen. This case study examines the first month of communication from the County of Maui to the affected communities via …

Embodying Compassion: Striving Towards Sensitivity, Inclusion And Synergy, Arva N. Anees

Student Theses and Dissertations

Inspired by the author's experience as the sole Muslim woman in a company of over 100 employees, the capstone project addresses the observed lack of prioritization for minority inclusion in the workplace. The capstone project outlined aims to address this issue by developing a cultural sensitivity and inclusion workshop that surpasses superficial efforts and encourages participants to internally reflect on their daily workplace interactions. The workshop, designed with an experiential approach lasting 1.5-2 hours, seeks to foster practical knowledge and instigate changes towards a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse working environment. Emphasizing increased awareness, engagement in reflective and collaborative activities, …

Nyc Students And Mental Health, Ashlee B. Brown

Capstones

Mental health and trauma is affecting students in NYC schools; yet according to New York State comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s report, schools are not equipped to provide them with the support they need. For my practicum, I created three videos that all have one thing in common - NYC public school students and their mental health. Two videos feature DOE officials, and one features community members and a therapist. The videos were shared with community members and DOE officials upon completion.

Link to project (medium post): https://medium.com/@ashlee.brown76/nyc-students-and-mental-health-f50c4f1d0b81

Where Did All The Bed Bugs Go?, Lauren Friedman

Capstones

In the early 2000s in New York City, everyone was talking about bed bugs. The disc-shaped, bloodsucking pests had been a common domestic nuisance up to the World War II era, but in the decades since, they’d mostly faded into obscurity. That was until bed bug infestations, which are often psychologically distressing and sometimes impossible to overcome, suddenly became routine across the five boroughs, driving people from their apartments and stoking fear about everything from upholstered theater seats to thrift stores.

But then, just as quickly as bed bugs had invaded, they seemed to fade away. In a 2022 study …

Language Bias On Campus: Dealing With English Language Bias Towards International Students, Masuma Begum

Publications and Research

Language bias poses a significant challenge for international students. Researchers focused on one group in particular, the students from China, and looked at the effects of language bias on their mental health, academic experiences, and interactions with visual question answering systems. This research analyses the multifaceted impact of language discrimination on campus, drawing attention to its implications on teachers' perceptions and students' well-being.

Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Cannabidiol Effect On Dopamine Transporter Expression And Function, Delia M. Guzman

Student Theses

Drug addiction is a major endemic crisis in the United States with a higher prevalence than any other country. Marijuana and hallucinogens make up a great percentage of the drugs of abuse in Americans ranging from 15 to 64 years old. Marijuana contains over 500 active compounds that contribute to its effects, the major components being delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Understanding the pharmacological mechanism as well as the effects that they elicit through the dopaminergic reward system is a key factor in being able to understand why addiction is so prevalent in our society. This research was aimed to …

The Imposter Among Us: How Imposter Syndrome Is Fueled By Diversity Discourses, Tina Liu

Urban Library Journal

In this paper, first presented at the 2023 LACUNY Institute, the author discusses definitions of imposter syndrome and how imposter syndrome fits within the diversity model. The diversity model, as used in this paper, emerges from an oversimplified framing of racial inequity as a problem that is solved by simply hiring diverse bodies to appear inclusive. In conjunction with the proliferation of imposter syndrome in post-secondary institutions, the ongoing phenomenon of imposter syndrome among librarians and academics reveals an underlying systemic problem rather than individual shortcomings. Workplace discomfort in post-secondary institutions is too easily brushed off as imposter syndrome, without …

At Noon: (Post)Nihilistic Temporalities In The Age Of Machine-Learning Algorithms That Speak, Talha Issevenler

Publications and Research

This article recapitulates and develops the attempts in the Nietzschean traditions to address and overcome the proliferation of nihilism that Nietzsche predicted to unfold in the next 200 years (WP 2). Nietzsche approached nihilism not merely as a psychology but as a labyrinthic and pervasive historical process whereby the highest values of culture and founding assumptions of philosophical thought prevented the further flourishing of life. Therefore, he thought nihilism had to be encountered and experienced on many, often opposing, fronts to be fully consumed and left behind. Thus, just as Nietzsche captured the subtle reinventions of nihilism in new forms …

Peer Leader Perspectives From A Pltl Implementation In A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Madhavan Narayanan, Kasey Powers, Dhananjaya Premawardena, Kelly Colby, Janet Liou-Mark, Nagaraj Rao, Davida S. Smyth, Mary Knopp-Kelly

Publications and Research

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a pedagogical approach that has been shown to benefit all students, especially underrepresented minority students and peer leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this work, we present results from our study of the impact of PLTL on our peer leaders from a controlled implementation in general biology, general chemistry, and statistics courses at a Hispanic-serving, minority-serving institution. More specifically, we have measured our PLTL program’s impact on our peer leaders' skill development, engagement with the subject material, and sense of belonging as peer leaders. Weekly peer leader reflections analyzed using the …

An Intersectional Approach To Quantifying The Impact Of Geographic Remoteness And Health Disparities On Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy: Application To Australia, Peter Lee, Steven J. Bowe, Lidia Engel, Erica I. Lubetkin, Nancy Devlin, Lan Gao

Publications and Research

Objectives

Methods

Investigating The Relationship Between Foster Care And Sex Trafficking: What Factors Are Maintaining The Cycle Of Abuse, Shannon M. Budgell

Student Theses

Sex trafficking is a global crime and human rights issue that benefits abusers at the detriment of vulnerable groups, including children involved in the United States welfare system. This meta-synthesis explored the risk factors present within the United States foster care system that expose children to potential victimization. Using qualitative research, the purpose of this study was to review sex trafficking exploitation and analyze the current policies creating this vulnerability in the nation’s child welfare services. Upon completing a systematic literature search, nine studies were included by meeting the following criteria: qualitative or quantitative research studies published in English any …