Digital Commons Network^™

Black Horror Film And The Role Of Mood In Race Perception, Nicholas P. Whittaker

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Contemporary discussions of black or antiracist art are often haunted by an air of pessimism. This pessimism rests on the intuition that art cannot change the political realities of antiblackness and/or our relationships with blackness. In this dissertation, I resist this hegemonic view by arguing that black horror films generate a particular, politically-valuable aesthetic experience. Specifically, they allow us to experience blackness and black people as unintelligible. This, I argue, runs counter to everyday experience of blackness; when blackness appears unintelligible, we lose the sense of satisfied comprehension that characterizes our everyday experiences of it. I argue that these films …

Race, Rebellion, And Counterinsurgency: California's Supermax Prisons, Stephen Jones

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation project concerns the geographies of counterinsurgency in California’s super-maximum-security prisons. I argue that these facilities – the first of which opened in the mid-1980s, and which were more repressive and isolating than any of California’s existing prisons – were explicitly developed in response to powerful organizing by people in prison. As early as 1973, corrections administrators and prison officers argued that dangerous prison gangs, organized along racial and geographical lines, were behind prisoner militancy, and advocated for expansive security measures including indefinite confinement in supermax prisons. I demonstrate, however, that officers and administrators deliberately promoted conflict, attempting to …

Digital Environments Of Reception And Governance: A Landscape Analysis Of Immigration-Related Webpages On U.S. State Websites, Orunima Chakraborti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

American state governments occupy unique political roles when it comes to critical public-facing policy areas like education, health, transportation, and commerce, and therefore they administer many public services and benefits that affect immigrants and their communities. This study expands the existing knowledge of the ways in which U.S. state governments digitally engage with their immigrant populations, doing so through a landscape analysis that maps the information and resources provided for and about immigrant communities on 413 immigration-related webpages across all 50 U.S. state governments’ official websites. Data was collected in four categories for each webpage: its bureaucratic orientation, the government …

Prurient Nature: Sex Work And Ethics At The Margins Of Finance, Esra S. Padgett

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is an ethnographic and semiotic examination of the relationship between payment processing, transactional technologies, and the US adult industry. Based on twenty-four months of fieldwork in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, and Washington D.C., the dissertation demonstrates that transactional infrastructures, including payment processors, credit card systems, financial institutions like banks, as well as novel technologies like cryptocurrency, have become a key site for an ongoing ethical war around the politics of sex and sex work in the United States. On one hand, ethical fears around sex work have become qualifications for economic exclusion by financial institutions and private …

String Quartet, Scott A. Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This quartet begins by providing glimpses of three distinct musical ideas. Although they seem totally unrelated, the music seeks to confound this initial expectation. Related textural contrasts are developed between dialogical textures and the quartet speaking as one voice. The pitch material combines just intonation with twelve tone equal temperament.

Ordinary Care: Affective Politics Of Migration And The Everyday Lives Of Syrian Refugees In Istanbul, Yasemin Ozer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation makes two significant interventions into the literature on Syrian refugees in Turkey and the anthropology of migration and refugee studies more broadly. First, it focuses on the everyday lives of working-class urban refugees and argues that “ordinary care” is a crucial means by which they build sustainable and dignified lives while living in precarity in an often hostile environment in the aftermath of war and displacement. Ordinary care, as I theorize in this ethnography, includes sharing of resources, information, and advice as well as the formation of mutual relationships between kin, neighbors, and friends. Compared to the more …

United States Foreign Policy Towards South Africa: From Constructive Engagement To Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act Of 1986, Jennifer J. Squires

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

U.S. domestic pressure groups have historically utilized the tactic of lobbying Congress as a tool to pressure the legislative body to make specific foreign policy decisions. My research findings suggest that over various periods of time, in total spanning approximately four decades, first heralded by African American human rights leaders and organizations, the actions of six separate domestic anti-apartheid economic sanctions and divestment organizations, influenced by episodic anti-apartheid protest actions in South Africa, used their varied American protest actions to remind and to admonish Congress that apartheid is synonymous with racism. Thus, apartheid had to be dismantled. An important number …

Maternal Subjectivities In The 18th And 19th Century British Novel, Anastasia Vahaviolos Valassis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

How is the maternal subjectivity narrated in the pages of the 18th and 19th century British novel? This dissertation examines this question. The novel’s close connection to the child’s subjectivity and perspective is something woven into its very fabric, and so the mother is often a side character, an object in the story. She is an obstacle to be overcome, a distant idea, an absent figure, or even someone too perfect to be represented on the page. The novel often reflects or mirrors this culturally and psychologically accepted way of viewing the mother. The tracing of the narratives in which …

Newly Synthesized Pyroglutamate Amide And Its Neuroprotective Effect Against Neurotoxicity Induced Cell Death In Alzheimer's Disease, Nourelhouda Joutey Elamrani

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The neurodegenerative disorder is an umbrella term for a range of conditions that affects the neurons in the human brain causing neuronal cell death. The common pathway is the excitotoxicity, a phenomenon that describes the toxic actions of excitatory neurotransmitters, primarily glutamate, where the exacerbated or prolonged activation of glutamate receptors starts a cascade of neurotoxicity leading to the cell death. One of the most common neurodegenerative disorders is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which represents 60 – 70% of cases and it ranked fourth cause of mortality in the USA. In Alzheimer’s disease, glutamate released from astrocytes and activates extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate …

Essays In Health Economics And Applied Econometrics: Assessing Recreational Marijuana Laws, Dragos Ailoae

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the diffusion and impacts of state recreational marijuana laws (RML). Chapter 1 examines factors driving state adoption and spread of RML, finding that states with citizen ballot initiatives, expansive legislative capacities, and higher fiscal stress are more likely to enact RML. Ideological proximity, rather than geography, drives policy diffusion, with learning from early adopters likely serving as a key mechanism in the process. Chapter 2 assesses first-order effects of RML on marijuana consumption and drug policing using various econometric methods. Results suggest amplification bias in difference-in-differences point estimates due to an endogenous policy variable. This has economic …

Recent Evolution In Thermochemical Transformation Of Municipal Solid Wastes To Alternate Fuels, Tumpa R. Sarker, Lucky Khatun, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Rostom Ali, Shariful Islam, Sagor Chowdhury, Kazi Sakibur Rahman, Nafis Sadique Sayem, Akm S. Rahman

Publications and Research

The management of solid waste poses a worldwide obstacle in the pursuit of a sustainable society. This issue has intensified with the increase in waste production caused by rapid population expansion, industrialization, and urbanization. The continuously growing volume of municipal solid waste, particularly the substantial volume of organic waste, along with improper disposal practices, results in the release of greenhouse gases and other harmful airborne substances which simultaneously causes health risks and socioeconomic concerns. This article examines various waste-to-energy (energy production in the form of heat and electricity) concepts as well as waste-to-materials (various value-added materials including biofuel, biochemical, char, …

Oil And A Slippery Path To Conflict: Conocophillips, Guyana, And The Hostile Elephant In The Room, Vivian M. Williams

Publications and Research

The increasing involvement of States and their surrogates in cross-border commercial activities has heralded an urgent need for codification of the well-established public international law rule of sovereign immunity. The problem is particularly thorny in international arbitration when corporate entities seek to enlist the courts of one State to seize the property of another state to enforce an arbitral award. The complex nature of sovereign immunity in a globalized economy and the challenge it poses for courts in the Caribbean, was highlighted in enforcement proceeding brought by oil giant, ConocoPhillips against Venezuela’s State corporations. This article therefore discusses (a) the …

Thinking Blue / Writing Red: Marxism And The (Post)Human, Stephen C. Tumino

Publications and Research

Thinking Blue/Writing Red interrogates contemporary culture across a range of texts, from the pandemic (‘Covid’ and ‘Trump Speak’) to high theory (Melville's narratives) and popular culture (Beyoncé's ‘Formation’ and Super Bowl performance, Twin Peaks , metamodern ‘cli-fi’ films). Inspired by Derrida’s idea of the secret, Tumino examines the significance of social movements (Black Lives Matter, Occupy, alter-globalization) and naïve art (Darger, Ryden) to argue that these texts speak of the secrets that capitalism cannot speak. Contending that the cultural surfaces narrate only the ‘nonsecret,’ that to see the social logic of the culture one must dig into what Bruno Latour …

Analyzing Hiv/Aids Trends And Disparities In The Bronx: A Comparative Study With Nyc Boroughs, Caleb Adjei

CUNY Mexican Studies Institute

This study analyzes changes in reported HIV/AIDS cases over time in the Bronx, identifying the racial/ethnic groups and neighborhoods most affected by the disease. The Bronx consistently exhibits the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses among New York City’s boroughs, with Latino/Hispanic and Black populations being disproportionately impacted. Key neighborhoods like High Bridge-Morrisania, Crotona-Tremont, and Fordham-Bronx Park have the highest case concentrations. Despite advancements in healthcare and treatments like antiretroviral therapy, disparities persist. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support the most affected communities and address the underlying social determinants contributing to the disparities in HIV/AIDS diagnoses.

The Brink Of War: How Courts Avoid Injudicious Aggravation Of Tension Between Nations, Vivian M. Williams

Publications and Research

As armed conflict between nations is keeping the world on edge, there is an urgent need for courts to be more aware of how disputes before them could aggravate tension between nations. Courts exercise the sovereign powers of a country. However, there is greater overlap in an interconnected global economy where cross-border transactions are frequent. When these disputes involve state parties or pertain to acts of other states, they could make it difficult for the Executive branch of government to manage relations with hostile countries. This article examines how the doctrines of comity and judicial deference could be utilized by …

Spending The Peace Dividend: Nato And The Failures Of American Diplomacy, Caleb Batman

Theses and Dissertations

Recent years have seen a massive increase in available resources pertaining to US-Russian diplomacy in the years immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Using these newly available resources including diplomatic cables, declassified transcripts, and personal correspondence between President Clinton of the United States and President Yeltsin of the Russian Federation the author attempts to illustrate how the White House missed a chance for reconciliation with Russia during the first Clinton term. Additionally, this paper illustrates how it was not merely bad diplomacy that led to a resumption of Cold War hostilities, but willful policy in Washington that sought …

The Effects Of People, Time Of Day, And Season On Affiliative And Stereotypic Behaviors In Captive Rhinoptera Bonasus And Other Rays Across Two Human-Interactive Enclosures, Wren C. A. Newman

Theses and Dissertations

Cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) are among the most common species found in aquaria, yet the impact of touch enclosures on their welfare remains largely unknown. While research on animal-visitor interactions has produced mixed results for other species, the lack of studies focusing on fish welfare poses a risk of overlooking potential welfare concerns. Therefore, we aimed to establish a baseline for cownose rays regarding stereotypic behaviors, sociality, and activity in captivity, and to examine the influence of human interaction on these behaviors. We collected over 700 hours of footage from two enclosures at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ …

Assessment Of Tripeptides Self-Assembly & Er Stress On Cell Viability And Exosome Secretion In Mda-Mb231, Azmat Parveen

Theses and Dissertations

This study delves into the effects of tripeptides KYpF and WYpK(NBD) on MDA-MB-231 cells, uncovering KYpF's ability to reduce cell proliferation and exosome secretion in peptide treated cells. Conversely, WYpK(NBD) demonstrated significant toxicity at 10 μM. These insights pave the way for optimizing peptide-based cellular treatments for exosome secretion purposes.

Genere E L’Identità Femminile In Ariosto E Castiglione, Patricia Stumpp

Theses and Dissertations

A discussion of the attitude toward women expressed in Orlando Furioso and The Book of the Courtier seen through an historical and cultural lens. Included is an English translation of portions of Cantos 9 and 10 of Orlando Furioso important in the development of the character of Olimpia.

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Mental Health- A Comparison Between Gender & Race, Taliyah Quinn

Theses and Dissertations

My study will focus on the rise of mental health toward the African American, Latinx and Asian Americans communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of the virus, the high percentage rate of infections among minorities, isolation, quarantining and socio economic disadvantages played a major role in the increase of mental disparities.

Fibersheds: Textiles As The Basis For A New World, Rebecca John

Theses and Dissertations

The Fibershed movement seeks to develop bioregional fiber systems to cultivate natural fibers through regenerative agriculture. Through this, it seeks to revive domestic textile production as an alternative to the global textile industry. This thesis investigates the Fibershed movement at national and regional scales, and assesses how they position themselves as an alternative economy.

The Sharing Economy And Urban Crime, Bryan S. Weber

Publications and Research

This paper examines whether the intensity of Airbnb is associated with city-level crime rates. This research sheds light on matters adjacent to current activities in public policy as cities engage in city-level Airbnb regulation. At the same time, Airbnb continues to expand. In the aggregate, Airbnb usage is associated with no significant crime increase but rather significant decreases in crimes of private conflict that persist in direction, significance, and magnitude over time. I do uncover evidence that two types of rooms, private rooms (44%) and shared rooms (1.5%), appear to be positively associated with both property crimes and crimes against …

An Investigation Of Continued Contact Between Victim And Perpetrator After Sexual Violence, Maria Bates

Student Theses

Given the prevalence of sexual violence and child sexual abuse (CSA) it is imperative to accurately conceptualize victim experience following sexual violence. Rape myths do not provide an adequate understanding of victim behavior post-abuse/assault (e.g., Denne et al., 2013; Harsey & Freed, 2023; Romero-Sanchez et al., 2018; Russel & Hand, 2017), such as prescribing that victims of sexual violence would never hold contact with a perpetrator post-abuse/assault (e.g., Maurer, 2015; Shepp et al., 2019; St. George et al., 2022; Smith, 2023). Since research shows that many victims, particularly CSA victims, know the perpetrator, (e.g., Basile, 2020; Gewirtz-Meydan & Finkelhor, 2020; …

Human Trafficking Screening Tools Amongst Migrants And Refugees: Current Tools And Future Outlooks, Audra Fox

Student Theses

While various human trafficking screening tools exist to help stakeholders identify indicators and risk of trafficking, few tools are designed specifically for use amongst migrants and refugees. Via interviews with anti-trafficking stakeholders, the following qualitative study describes what tools stakeholders currently use to asses trafficking amongst migrants and refugee, and if stakeholders desire a new tool specific for migrant/refugee populations. Thematic results indicate that most stakeholders are not using validated tools for trafficking victims, let alone migrants and refugees (n=5, 38.5%). Of the total sample, 62% of participants (n=8) reported various screening discrepancies across stakeholders. Additionally, …

‘A Storm Is Coming:' The New York Times Coverage Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In American Prisons, Katarzyna Celinska, Amina Cheboubi

Publications and Research

In this research, we analyzed the content of 171 articles published between March and August 2020 in the New York Times (NYT) on COVID-19 in American correctional institutions. We observed that the NYT coverage decreased significantly over 6 months. Our analysis uncovered 8 themes within two broader frames: institutional and systemic inequity. Although the themes are not mutually exclusive, we argue that ‘Responding to COVID-19,’ ‘A storm is Coming,’ ‘Collective Experience,’ and ‘Critiquing Prison Conditions’ are within the institutional framing. ‘Redefining Public Safety,’ ‘Categorizing Prisoners,’ ‘Doing Injustice,’ and ‘Making it as a Celebrity’ are the themes that highlight systemic inequity, …

Interleukin 24 Induces Apoptosis Through Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Beta Inactivation In Prostate Cancer Cells, Sual J. Lopez, Moira Sauane

Theses and Dissertations

Interleukin 24 (IL-24) is a tumor-suppressing protein currently in clinical trials. IL-24 induces cancer-specific apoptosis by activating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondria dysfunction. We have previously demonstrated that IL-24 leads to apoptosis in cancer cells by protein kinase A (PKA) activation in human breast cancer cells. To further understand the mechanism by which IL-24 induces apoptosis, I analyzed the role of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), a highly conserved and normally active serine/threonine kinase in cancer cells and downstream target of PKA. The work reported here provides direct evidence that GSK3 was inhibited following IL-24 treatment in human prostate cancer …

Using Oral History To Explore The Migration Experience A Series Of Activities For Eng103: The Research Paper, Demetrios Kapetanakos

Open Educational Resources

This paper describes how I will implement an oral history component into my "ENG103: The Research Paper" course.

Kaleidoscopic Federalism, Roger Karapin

Publications and Research

This chapter focuses on state-level climate policies in the United States in the context of its federalist system. The empirical focus is on policies that have been adopted by many states and that have been most effective in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which include target setting, emissions trading, and sectoral policies on renewable energy, motor vehicles, appliances, and power plants (Karapin 2016; Karapin/Vogel 2024: ch. 1). It addresses five questions: First, what are the most important policies that state governments have adopted over the last few decades? Second, how have those efforts tied in with federal policies in the …

Race And Police Violence: The Role Social Disorganization Plays In Police Use Of Force, Marcia J. Jackson

Student Theses

Abstract

The study aims to explore the relationship between neighborhood Social disorganization and police use of force, specifically focusing on the Precinct level as a potential factor influencing forceful actions. The data for this research was taken from the following secondary sources: NYC Open Data for NYPD use of force incidents (2018), NYPD Historical Arrest 2018, Info Share for NYPD complaints, and American Community Survey 2014-2018.

As noted by Stroshine & Brandi (2020), the issue of police use of force has been a longstanding controversy, but recent years have seen heightened scrutiny and turbulence surrounding policing practices in the United …

Proceedings Of The Cuny Games Conference 10.0, Robert O. Duncan, Grace Axler-Diperte, Joe Bisz, Christina Boyle, Devorah Kletenik, Carolyn Stallard

Publications and Research

The ten-year anniversary (!) of the CUNY Games Conference combines workshops, idea exchanges, interactive participant presentations, playtesting, and playing tabletop games into a two-day hybrid event to promote and discuss game-based learning. The conference focuses on creative pedagogy, such as playful learning activities or games, that teachers can use in the classroom every day. Day 1 featured interactive presentations by attendees, informal idea exchange sessions, and workshops by the conference organizers. Day 2 featured select presentations and workshops, poster sessions, playtesting and game modding, and casual play of tabletop games.