Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Place Of Birth And Residence In Puerto Rican Health Disparities: Evidence From Disability Prevalence Among Archipelago- Vs. Mainland-Born Puerto Ricans, Mara Getz Sheftel, Frank W. Heiland

Publications and Research

Objectives: This paper provides new estimates of disability prevalence for the archipelago and mainland-residing Puerto Rican populations ages 40 and above and compares disability by place of birth and place of residence to investigate drivers of middle and older age health.

Methods: Large nationally representative samples from 2013 to 2017 American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey data are used to estimate age-specific disability prevalence for archipelago-born/archipelago-residing, archipelago-born/mainland-residing, mainland-born/mainland-residing Puerto Ricans.

Results: Mainland-born/ mainland-residing Puerto Ricans have the lowest age-adjusted disability rates and archipelago-born/archipelago-residing Puerto Ricans have the highest rates. Differences in education explain part of this disparity.

Discussion: …

Compton Scattering Of Mammographic Soft X-Ray Beams By Alkali And Transition Metal Salt Filters Produce X-Ray Interference Zones That May Have Treatment Potential For Localized Cancer Lesions, Subhendra N. Sarkar, Eric Lobel, Sabina Rakhmatova, Derbie Desir, Somdat Kissoon, Daler Djuraev, Katie Tam

Publications and Research

In breast x-ray imaging scattered radiation adds 50% of harmful radiation dose from anisotropic Compton scattering mechanism. We have been working with double layered inorganic salt materials that can induce Compton scattering to the incident mammographic x ray beams (in 20-30 kVp range) with adequate isotropy (angular control). Typically metal nitrates and alkali halide salt layers are shown here to cause low energy radiation interference zones with high and low photon intensities and local flux heterogeneity in terms of flux covariance. Spatial variation of low energy photon flux creates concentrated and sparse radiation zones that may be used to induce …

Legacy Of Labour: The Impact Of Parental Occupations On Children’S Careers Choices And Income Inequality, Swapnil Landge

Publications and Research

This paper investigates how intergenerational occupational mobility and self-selection into occupations are influenced by the occupations of parents. The results demonstrate that children who pursue their parents’ occupations, particularly those in the lowest earnings percentiles, are more negatively self-selected compared to those whose parents are in the highest earning deciles. In particular, 65% of the children who pursue their parents’ occupation in Decile 1, 49% in Decile 2, 32% in Decile 3 and 26% in Decile 4 would have achieved higher productivity and earned higher earnings in high-income occupations (specifically in Decile 10 occupations). In contrast, children from high-income backgrounds …

Drosophila Parasitoids Go To Space: Unexpected Effects Of Spaceflight On Hosts And Their Parasitoids, Jennifer Chou, Johnny R. Ramroop, Amanda M. Saravia-Butler, Brian Wey, Matthew P. Lera, Medaya L. Torres, Mary Ellen Heavner, Janani Iyer, Siddhita D. Mhatre, Sharmila Bhattacharya, Shubha Govind

Publications and Research

While fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and humans exhibit immune system dysfunction in space, studies examining their immune systems’ interactions with natural parasites in space are lacking. Drosophila parasitoid wasps modify blood cell function to suppress host immunity. In this study, naive and parasitized ground and space flies from a tumor-free control and a blood tumor-bearing mutant strain were examined. Inflammation-related genes were activated in space in both fly strains. Whereas control flies did not develop tumors, tumor burden increased in the space-returned tumor-bearing mutants. Surprisingly, control flies were more sensitive to spaceflight than mutant flies; many of their …

Teaching Engineering Design-Based Integrated Stem In Rural Contexts: Nurturing Future Designers, Jung Han, Euisuk Sung, Todd Kelley, John Geoffrey Knowles

Publications and Research

There is a notable shift towards prioritizing the teaching of engineering design within K-12 education, coupled with a strong recommendation for engineering design-based integrated STEM education. This approach underscores the sharing of science and engineering practices as a means to facilitate the learning of various STEM disciplines. Nonetheless, the implementation of integrated STEM education in rural schools poses challenges due to constrained resources and a shortage of high-quality programs. To present a tangible instance of design-based integrated STEM education within a rural setting, this study presents a model lesson that showcases the integration of interdisciplinary problem-solving skills within a genuine …

Secondary Electrons And Compton X-Ray Generation In Solid And Heated Biological Sample In The Presence Of Radiologic Contrast Media, Vanessa Robinson, Daler Djuraev, Fatima Ahmed

Publications and Research

Our goal is identification of secondary electrons and Compton photons when externally infused radiological contrast from iodine and gadolinium interferes with calcium and iron in tissues. This could help develop next generation of x-ray methods as well as mechanistic understanding of toxic effects of radiology contrast materials on living tissue and agriculture. Changes in tissue minerals over time, aging and heat stress are manipulated in our experiments by infusing imaging contrast agents that consist of large atoms like Gadolinium and Iodine. These have chelation properties to alter electron distribution of proteins and carbohydrates of biological matrix. Our experiments try to …

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

Compound Flooding In A Non-Stationary World: A Primer For Practice, Gerarda M. Shields, J. Rolf Olsen, Miguel Medina Jr., Jayantha Obeysekera, Poulomi Ganguli, Carlo Demichele, Gianfausto Salvadori, Mohammad Reza Najafi, Hamed Moftakhari, Ferdinand Diermanse, Amir Aghakouchak

Publications and Research

Compound flooding conditions present a significant challenge for civil engineers in their pursuit to design for and maintain the integrity of a structure’s entire life cycle. Coupled with non-stationary processes due to a changing climate and land use change, risk is a moving target. Through the support of ASCE’s Task Committee on Compound Flooding, the Hydroclimatology Engineering Adaptation (HYDEA) sub-committee is developing a Manual of Practice (MOP) to provide a synthesis of available tools and methods of best practice for civil engineers designing for compound flooding conditions. This paper presents a primer for practicing civil engineers on this work. Hydrodynamic …

Insights Into The Molecular Roles Of Foxr2 In The Pathology Of Primary Pediatric Brain Tumors, Rajendra Gharbaran

Publications and Research

Forkhead box gene R2 (FOXR2) belongs to the family of FOX genes which codes for highly conserved transcription factors (TFs) with critical roles in biological processes ranging from development to organogenesis to metabolic and immune regulation to cellular homeostasis. A number of FOX genes are associated with cancer development and progression and poor prognosis. A growing body of evidence suggests that FOXR2 is an oncogene. Studies suggested important roles for FOXR2 in cancer cell growth, metastasis, and drug resistance. Recent studies showed that FOXR2 is overexpressed by a subset of newly identified entities of embryonal tumors. This review discusses the …

Editorial For "Automated Breast Density Assessment In Mri Using Deep Learning And Radiomics: Strategies For Reducing Inter-Observer Variability"., Pegah Khosravi

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Instructional Engagement In Person And Online: Making The Case For Peer-Led Team Learning, A.E. Dreyfuss, Aaron Barlow, Ana Fraiman, James E. Becvar

Publications and Research

The transfer to the online environment in teaching necessitates artful communication so that students can gain from inquiry-based learning. As instructors use either in-person or online content delivery, Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is one model that provides a solution to engage students in the learning process. The Peer Leaders, mentored by faculty, are the bridge between instructors and students. PLTL supports direct human interaction in both physical and digital environments for enhancing immersive learning and addresses the important task of preparing students for the 21st century.

Balanced Blended Space: Proposing A Universal Theoretical Framework For Combinative Reality, David Smith, Frederick Bianchi

Publications and Research

In today's fragmented societies, a unified framework for communication and collaboration across different realities is crucial. We introduce Balanced Blended Space (BBS) as a framework for describing combinative reality, encompassing virtual, physical, and conceptual realms, all intrinsically connected. Interactions within these environments shape our perceptual space. This paper outlines key axiomatic assumptions, criteria for a universal framework, and fundamental terminology. We identify deep symmetries enabling the BBS framework, including Cognitive and Computational Symmetry, Physical and Virtual Symmetry, Mediation Pathway Symmetry, Space-Time Symmetry, and Sensory Symmetry. We propose tests to determine its viability, emphasizing virtual intelligence as a collaborative partner. We …

Proceedings Of The Cuny Games Conference 9.0, Robert O. Duncan, Grace L. Axler-Diperte, Joseph Bisz, Christina Boyle, Devorah Kletenik, Carolyn Stallard

Publications and Research

The CUNY Games Network is an organization dedicated to encouraging research, scholarship and teaching in the developing field of games-based learning. We connect educators from every campus and discipline at CUNY and beyond who are interested in digital and non-digital games, simulations, and other forms of interactive teaching and inquiry-based learning.

Diminazene Aceturate-Induced Cytotoxicity Is Associated With The Deregulation Of Cell Cycle Signaling And Downregulation Of Oncogenes Furin, C-Myc, And Foxm1 In Human Cervical Carcinoma Hela Cells, Rajendra Gharbaran

Publications and Research

Diminazene aceturate (DIZE) is an FDA‐listed small molecule known for thetreatment of African sleeping sickness. In vivo studies showed that DIZE may bebeneficial for a range of human ailments. However, there is very limited informationon the effects of DIZE on human cancer cells. The current study aimed to investigatethe cytotoxic responses of DIZE, using the human carcinoma Hela cell line. WST‐1cell proliferation assay showed that DIZE inhibited the viability of Hela cells in adose‐dependent manner and the observed response was associated with thedownregulation of Ki67 and PCNA cell proliferation markers. DIZE‐treated cellsstained with acridine orange‐ethidium and JC‐10 dye revealed cell …

Ai-Supported Academic Advising: Exploring Chatgpt’S Current State And Future Potential Toward Student Empowerment, Daisuke Akiba, Michelle C. Fraboni

Publications and Research

Artificial intelligence (AI), once a phenomenon primarily in the world of science fiction, has evolved rapidly in recent years, steadily infiltrating into our daily lives. ChatGPT, a freely accessible AI-powered large language model designed to generate human-like text responses to users, has been utilized in several areas, such as the healthcare industry, to facilitate interactive dissemination of information and decision-making. Academic advising has been essential in promoting success among university students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Unfortunately, however, student advising has been marred with problems, with the availability and accessibility of adequate advising being among the hurdles. The current study …

Disparities In Violent Fatal Injury Among Racial And Ethnic Minorities, 2009–2019: A Portfolio Analysis Of United States—National Institutes Of Health, Maria-Isabel Roldós, Tilda Farhat, Marcia M. Gómez

Publications and Research

The excess mortality burden due to violent fatal injuries is an urgent public health issue for adolescents and young adults, especially those from racial and ethnic minority populations. We examined the research portfolio of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) related to violent fatal injuries between 2009 and 2019 to focus on adolescents and young adults from NIH-designated populations experiencing health disparities and to identify trends and research gaps. We analyzed funded projects by populations covered, geographic location of the study population, type of research (etiology, intervention, methodology), type of determinants, and publications generated. In 10 years, NIH …

A Review Of Theropithecus Oswaldi With The Proposal Of A New Subspecies, Dagmawit Abebe Getahun, Eric Delson, Chalachew Mesfin Seyoum

Publications and Research

Theropithecus oswaldi darti, as currently understood, is the oldest Theropithecus taxon in the fossil record and the earliest subspecies in the Theropithecus oswaldi lineage. Theropithecus oswaldi darti is typified at the site of Makapansgat in South Africa, and a similar form (T. o. cf. darti) is usually recognized at Hadar, Dikika, some Middle Awash localities, and Woranso-Mille in Ethiopia. This taxon is also tentatively believed to occur in Kenya at Kanam and Koobi Fora and in Member C of the Shungura Formation in Ethiopia. While there is a general consensus that the East African ‘darti’ specimens are …

Effects Of Climate Change On Human Health, Sara El Houzaly, Richa Gupta

Publications and Research

The effects of climate change are evident worldwide as average global land and air temperatures have been rising, glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking with the concomitant rise in sea levels, extreme weather events have become more frequent, and oceans are warming and acidifying. Humanity is facing a big environmental challenge which not only impacts our habitat but will also have ramifications on our health. The present review describes a detailed examination of the scientific evidence proving the relationship between climate change and various fatal human diseases in different geographical regions. Our findings indicate that variations in the patterns of …

Artificial Intelligence In Neuroradiology: A Scoping Review Of Some Ethical Challenges, Pegah Khosravi, Mark Schweitzer

Publications and Research

Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to increase accuracy and efficiency in many aspects of neuroradiology. It provides substantial opportunities for insights into brain pathophysiology, developing models to determine treatment decisions, and improving current prognostication as well as diagnostic algorithms. Concurrently, the autonomous use of AI models introduces ethical challenges regarding the scope of informed consent, risks associated with data privacy and protection, potential database biases, as well as responsibility and liability that might potentially arise. In this manuscript, we will first provide a brief overview of AI methods used in neuroradiology and segue into key methodological and ethical challenges. …

Potential Application Of Alkali Halide Filters For Imaging Of Key Potential Application Of Alkali Halide Filters For Imaging Of Key Minerals In Fresh Porous Fruits Minerals In Fresh Porous Fruits, Angela M. Moore, Katie Tam, Daler Djuraev

Publications and Research

There is a significant interest in quality control of salts by mammography imaging and electrical resistance measurements. This experiment shows X rays can be manipulated by salt filters to generate modified beams based on Compton scattering. This can be used to enhance or steal intensity from nearby iron complexes that are difficult to image by high energy commercial X ray beams. This will be extended for various salts including effects of Gd complexes to prepare scattered X ray beams (dispersed in energy spectrum). While it is accepted that dry fruits maintain the nutrient content, our prior works by this group …

Classification Of Normal Versus Pneumonia From Chest X-Ray Using And Ai Model, Tassadit Lounes

Publications and Research

Hypothesis: Deep learning (DL) algorithms, in particular convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have recently been used to address a number of medical-imaging problems, such as pneumonia detection using chest X-ray, and determining the aggressiveness prostate cancer using magnetic resonance images (MRI). They have become the technique of choice in computer vision and they are the most successful type of model for image analysis.

Analysis Of Imaging Database And Identifying Novel Mri Diffusion Abnormalities In Alzheimer’S Disease, Analia Basilicata, Jennifer Padilla, Anjalee Rabbani, Anam Riaz

Publications and Research

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is presumably caused by two neuropathological protein markers: amyloid beta (Aβ) and neuro fibrillary tangles. Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) collects high quality patient data from standardized clinical trials using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) biomarkers to diagnose and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for AD. MRI and PET screening for Alzheimer’s Disease aim to find structural, functional, and neurochemical abnormalities causing or caused by AD brain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and Resting State functional MRI (RSfMRI) are emerging AD MRI tools. Tau PET is a promising method for …

Roles For Mycobacterial Dinb2 In Frameshift And Substitution Mutagenesis, Pierre Dupuy, Shreya Ghosh, Allison Fay, Oyindamola Adefisayo, Richa Gupta, Stewart Shuman, Michael S. Glickman

Publications and Research

Translesion synthesis by translesion polymerases is a conserved mechanism of DNA damage tolerance. In bacteria, DinB enzymes are the widely distributed promutagenic translesion polymerases. The role of DinBs in mycobacterial mutagenesis was unclear until recent studies revealed a role for mycobacterial DinB1 in substitution and frameshift mutagenesis, overlapping with that of translesion polymerase DnaE2. Mycobacterium smegmatis encodes two additional DinBs (DinB2 and DinB3) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes DinB2, but the roles of these polymerases in mycobacterial damage tolerance and mutagenesis is unknown. The biochemical properties of DinB2, including facile utilization of ribonucleotides and 8-oxo- guanine, suggest that DinB2 could be …

Dynamic Risk Trajectories, Community Context, And Juvenile Recidivism, Kevin T. Wolff, Michael T. Baglivio, Jonathan Intravia

Publications and Research

Purpose

While the implementation of risk assessment has expanded, the extent to which there are different trajectories of risk/protective factors among adjudicated youth during supervision in the community remains unanswered. The goal of the current study is to identify the distinct trajectories in dynamic risk and protective factors among youth on probation and assess whether different patterns in risk over time are associated with continued offending.

Method

Group-based trajectory modeling is used to identify distinct trajectories across multiple domains of risk/need. The individual- and neighborhood-level factors associated with these trajectories are then explored, prior to examining their relationship to continued …

What Before Means: Teaching About The Communicative Contribution Of The English Pluperfect, Max Miller

Publications and Research

This paper presents a text-based analysis of the communicative functions of the simple past and pluperfect tenses of English, and offers a pedagogical approach to assist learners in acquiring them. Following a functional, usage-based linguistics perspective, the analysis holds that the simple past expresses Time PAST, while the pluperfect expresses Time PAST, BEFORE. Thus only the latter tense signals a speaker's subjective creation of a linkage in time. The understanding of these meanings can enhance an English language teacher's effectiveness in the classroom (as in selecting texts and activities) and a language user's effectiveness in communication. A classroom-based pedagogical application …

Maniobres De Resistència Personal, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

Quan jo tenia nous anys, els meus pares em van enviar a estudiar a la capital. Havia de quedar en règim d'internat de dilluns a divendres, dia que mon pare venia del poble a recollir-me, normalment cap a les cinc del capvespre, si fa no fa.

How Do Classroom-Turnover Times Depend On Lecture-Hall Size?, Joseph Benson, Mariya Bessonov, Korana Burke, Simone Cassani, Maria-Veronica Ciocanel, Daniel B. Cooney, Alexandria Volkening

Publications and Research

Academic spaces in colleges and universities span classrooms for 10 students to lecture halls that hold over 600 people. During the break between consecutive classes, students from the first class must leave and the new class must find their desks, regardless of whether the room holds 10 or 600 people. Here we address the question of how the size of large lecture halls affects classroom-turnover times, focusing on non-emergency settings. By adapting the established social-force model, we treat students as individuals who interact and move through classrooms to reach their destinations. We find that social interactions and the separation time …

Racism And Social Determinants Of Psychosis, Deidre Anglin

Publications and Research

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified racism as a serious threat to public health. Structural racism is a fundamental cause of inequity within interconnected institutions and the social environments in which we live and develop. This review illustrates how these ethnoracial inequities impact risk for the extended psychosis phenotype. Black and Latinx populations are more likely than White populations to report psychotic experiences in the United States due to social determining factors such as racial discrimination, food insecurity, and police violence. Unless we dismantle these discriminatory structures, the chronic stress and biological consequences of this race-based stress …

Eddie Ellis, Credible Messengers And The Neo-Liberal Imagination Of Anti-Violence, David C. Brotherton

Publications and Research

I trace the socio-historical pathway of the concept of the credible messenger and related youth anti-violence interventions from the 1930’s to a more radically imagined iteration by Eddie Ellis in the 1980s. The focus shifts to its present-day iterations as I review two widely adopted anti-violence programs. I conclude that today credible messengers and anti-violence interventions are: (i) primarily imagined within a framework of neo-liberal possibility; (ii) valued for their contributions on individual and/or group behavioral change; and (iii) conceived in programs outside of any discourse on the structural roots of crime, collective agency, or the historical struggle for social …