Digital Commons Network^™

The Haunting Parallel Amid Governmental Responses: Tlatelolco Massacre & The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chelsea Wepy

Publications and Research

The overall purpose of this analysis was to exemplify the parallels between the governmental responses to the Tlatelolco Massacre of 1968 and the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. “Memorial de Tlatelolco” is a poem that was written by Mexican poet and activist, Rosario Castellanos in 1968 following the Tlatelolco Massacre. The findings of this research note the familiarity instilled in those suffering through the COVID-19 Pandemic by Castellanos' poem.

Molecular Dynamics Of Mutated Dna Structures And The Effect On Surrounding Water Molecules, Christina Bhawanidin, Ashley Santos, Ivan Melo

Publications and Research

The process of repairing damaged bases in DNA molecules plays an important role in maintaining the information stored in DNA. We believe that there are two factors may facilitate the recognition of a mutation. The first is the structural changes in the DNA, the second is the changes in the thermodynamic properties of the water surrounding the DNA. Here we investigated the effects of a Uracil‐Guanine mispair on the structure of the DNA as well as its effect on the static and dynamic properties of the surrounding water molecules. We performed molecular dynamic simulations of the mutated and non mutated …

The Impact Of Undergraduate Research And Student Characteristics On Student Success Metrics At An Urban, Minority Serving, Commuter, Public Institution, Sheila I. Baron, Pamela Brown, Tammie Cumming, Michelle Mengeling

Publications and Research

Challenges to establishing and maintaining undergraduate research programs include how to demonstrate impact as evidence for future funding, establish eligibility criteria when resources are limited, and assess new components. To address these challenges, undergraduate researcher GPA, credit accumulation and time to graduation were evaluated longitudinally, at an urban, public, minority and Hispanic serving, commuter college. Students who participated in undergraduate research and matched peers were also compared. Evaluation revealed that all groups benefited from participation in undergraduate research, whether they had full- or part-time status, were STEM or non-STEM majors, or participated in single or multiple semesters of research. Addition …

Optimizing Library Marketing With Shorturls, Kimberly Abrams, Junior Tidal

Publications and Research

In this study, researchers observed the impact of various promotional materials, such as print flyers, social media, email, and other web platforms, to market three electronic resources at a mid-sized, urban, commuter college academic library. Links to article databases were shortened and then tracked through a link shortening tool, which were observed over a two month period. The results created a data-driven picture of users’ promotional preferences, highlighting strengths, areas for improvement, and best practices in marketing e-resources. These best practices can be implemented at other libraries and the study methodology can be applied to other institutions tailoring their promotional …

The White Album As Neo-Victorian Fiction Of Loss, Lucas Kwong

Publications and Research

Although much has been written about the Beatles' celebration of Victorian culture on the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, little scholarship, if any, has focused on the White Album’s relationship to the late Victorian period. This paper examines the White Album through the lens of what Victorian studies scholar Stephen Arata has called “fictions of loss,” a body of late Victorian texts depicting intertwined processes of “national, biological, [and] aesthetic” decline. Through examining songs like "Helter Skelter" and "Revolution Number 9," I argue that the White Album deserves consideration alongside Dracula and She as a “fiction of loss,” …

Supporting Twenty-First-Century Students With An Across-The-Curriculum Approach To Undergraduate Research, Patrick Corbett, Jody R. Rosen

Publications and Research

An across-the-curriculum (ATC) approach to undergraduate research (UR) is a productive addition to UR ecosystems at equity-oriented institutions. The ATC approach is differentiated from mentored UR experiences and laboratory course-based UR experiences by its ability to employ experiential, problem-based skills and practices for a broad variety of informal research activities at all levels of curriculum and without special facilities. In doing so, the ATC model encourages faculty to make the application of twenty-first-century student learning outcomes explicit for students who are new to research so that they see how inquiry, knowledge creation, and other aspects of problem-solving are used in …

Out Of The Archives And Into The Streets: Teaching With Primary Sources To Cultivate Civic Engagement, Jen Hoyer

Publications and Research

This article examines whether teaching with primary sources can cultivate civic engagement by investigating the competencies involved in developing student civic engagement and aligning these with outcomes from teaching with primary sources. Using three examples from Brooklyn Connections, a primary source-based education outreach program that offers a free standards-based and curriculum-aligned school partnership program for grades four through twelve, this case study illustrates the potential for using primary sources to cultivate skills, knowledge, and student agency. Through assessment of these examples in teaching with primary sources using protocols developed for evaluation of programs that focus on developing civic engagement, the …

Does Applying Deep Learning In Financial Sentiment Analysis Lead To Better Classification Performance?, Tao Wang, Changhe Yuan, Cuiyuan Wang

Publications and Research

Using a unique data set from Seeking Alpha, we compare the deep learning approach with traditional machine learning approaches in classifying financial text. We apply the long short-term memory (LSTM) as the deep learning method and Naive Bayes, SVM, Logistic Regression, XGBoost as the traditional machine learning approaches. The results suggest that the LSTM model outperforms the conventional machine learning methods on all metrics. Based on the tSNE graph, the success of the LSTM model is partially explained as the high-accuracy LSTM model distinguishes between positive and negative important sentiment words while those words are chosen based on SHAP values …

The Public Health Dialogue, 2020 (Editor's Choice), Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

A Micro-Optic Stalk (Muos) System To Model The Collective Migration Of Retinal Neuroblasts, Stephanie Zhang, Miles Markey, Caroline D. Pena, Tadmiri Venkatesh, Maribel Vasquez

Publications and Research

Contemporary regenerative therapies have introduced stem-like cells to replace damaged neurons in the visual system by recapitulating critical processes of eye development. The collective migration of neural stem cells is fundamental to retinogenesis and has been exceptionally well-studied using the fruit fly model of Drosophila Melanogaster. However, the migratory behavior of its retinal neuroblasts (RNBs) has been surprisingly understudied, despite being critical to retinal development in this invertebrate model. The current project developed a new microfluidic system to examine the collective migration of RNBs extracted from the developing visual system of Drosophila as a model for the collective motile processes …

Mathematics Identity And Achievement Among Black Students, Lidia Gonzalez, Shawnda Chapman Brown, Juan Battle

Publications and Research

Employing data from the National Center of Educational Statistics’ (NCES) High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) and utilizing critical race theory and intersectionality as theoretical frameworks, this article interrogates the relationship between mathematics identity and math success for a nationwide sample of Black secondary school students. More specifically, hierarchical regression modeling is employed to examine the relative impact of math identity, demographic variables, and school/parent social capital variables on the math grade point averages of this sample. The article ends with a discussion of specific steps for teaching mathematics that put the identity of those from traditionally marginalized communities at the …

Microfluidic Study Of The Electrocoalescence Of Aqueous Droplets In Crude Oil, Thomas Leary, Mohsen Yeganeh, Charles Maldarelli

Publications and Research

In electrocoalescence, an electric field is applied to a dispersion of conducting water droplets in a poorly conducting oil to force the droplets to merge in the direction of the field. Electrocoalescence is used in petroleum refining to separate water from crude oil and in droplet-based microfluidics to combine droplets of water in oil and to break emulsions. Using a microfluidic design to generate a two-dimensional (2D) emulsion, we demonstrate that electrocoalescence in an opaque crude oil can be visualized with optical microscopy and studied on an individual droplet basis in a chamber whose height is small enough to make …

Commentary: Can Blood Flow Restricted Exercise Cause Muscle Damage? Commentary On Blood Flow Restriction Exercise: Considerations Of Methodology, Application, And Safety, Mathias Wernbom, Brad J. Schoenfeld, Gøran Paulsen, Thomas Bjørnsen, Kristoffer T. Cumming, Per Aagaard, Brian C. Clark, Truls Raastad

Publications and Research

Low-load exercise combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) is known to induce significant gains in muscle strength and size, and this mode of training is increasingly used in both healthy and clinical populations, as documented in the recent review of Patterson et al. (2019). However, since the first training studies on BFR exercise appeared about 20 years ago, there have been some concerns about its safety, in particular with regard to the potential risk for muscle damage (Wernbom et al., 2019). In a recent editorial, Wernbom et al. (2019) briefly discussed the accumulating evidence for muscle damage and rhabdomyolysis with …

Understanding The Dimensions Of Medical Crowdfunding: A Visual Analytics Approach, Jie Ren, Viju Raghupathi, Wullianallur Raghupathi

Publications and Research

Background: Medical crowdfunding has emerged as a growing field for fundraising opportunities. Some environmental trends have driven the emergence of campaigns to raise funds for medical care. These trends include lack of medical insurance, economic backlash following the 2008 financial collapse, and shortcomings of health care regulations.

Objective: Research regarding crowdfunding campaign use, reasons, and effects on the provision of medical care and individual relationships in health systems is limited. This study aimed to explore the nature and dimensions of the phenomenon of medical crowdfunding using a visual analytics approach and data crawled from the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform in 2019. …

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation-Paired Rehabilitation For Oromotor Feeding Problems In Newborns: An Open-Label Pilot Study, Bashar W. Badran, Dorothea D. Jenkins, Daniel Cook, Sean Thompson, Morgan Darcy, William H. Devries, Georgia Mappin, Philipp Summers, Marom Bikson, Mark S. George

Publications and Research

Neonates born premature or who suffer brain injury at birth often have oral feeding dysfunction and do not meet oral intake requirements needed for discharge. Low oral intake volumes result in extended stays in the hospital (>2 months) and can lead to surgical implant and explant of a gastrostomy tube (G-tube). Prior work suggests pairing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with motor activity accelerates functional improvements after stroke, and transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) has emerged as promising noninvasive form of VNS. Pairing taVNS with bottle-feeding rehabilitation may improve oromotor coordination and lead to improved oral intake volumes, ultimately avoiding the …

Communication And Meaning-Making Are Central To Understanding Aesthetic Response In Any Context, Melissa J. Dolese, Aaron Kozbelt

Publications and Research

Conceptions of aesthetic experience extend beyond beauty to include any evaluative judgment or emotion experienced in response to an artwork. In this opinion piece, we discuss the nature of artistic communication and how it might be facilitated inside and outside of museum settings.

Collection Development At Two Armenian University Libraries: A Conversation With Librarians And Faculty, John Carey, D. Aram Donabedian, Arshak Balayan

Publications and Research

In the summer of 2016 two Hunter College librarians, working with a colleague in the Republic of Armenia, conducted an IRB-approved focus group at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan, Armenia. This group drew participants from the libraries and other academic departments of the American University of Armenia as well as Yerevan State University, a large public institution. The discussion attempted to ascertain whether these libraries have devised effective strategies to acquire materials and build collections in the face of the challenges they face (budgetary, linguistic, and sometimes political) and whether faculty at these institutions feel their library’s collection …

Lamin Fofana: Blues, Alaina Claire Feldman, Dino Dincer Sirin, Lamin Fofana

Publications and Research

Catalogue for the exhibition "Lamin Fofana: Blues" presented at Baruch College's Mishkin Gallery in 2020.

Adora2a C Allele Carriers Exhibit Ergogenic Responses To Caffeine Supplementation, Jozo Grgic, Craig Pickering, David J. Bishop, Juan Del Coso, Brad J. Schoenfeld, Grant M. Tinsley, Zeljko Pedisic

Publications and Research

Caffeine's ergogenic effects on exercise performance are generally explained by its ability to bind to adenosine receptors. ADORA2A is the gene that encodes A2A subtypes of adenosine receptors. It has been suggested that ADORA2A gene polymorphisms may be responsible for the inter-individual variations in the effects of caffeine on exercise performance. In the only study that explored the influence of variation in ADORA2A—in this case, a common polymorphism (rs5751876)—on the ergogenic effects of caffeine on exercise performance, C allele carriers were identified as “non-responders” to caffeine. To explore if C allele carriers are true “non-responders” to the ergogenic effects of …

Variation In Brown Rat Cranial Shape Shows Directional Selection Over 120 Years In New York City, Emily E. Puckett, Emma Sherratt, Matthew Combs, Elizabeth J. Carlen, William Harcourt-Smith, Jason Munshi-South

Publications and Research

Urbanization exposes species to novel environments and selection pressures that may change morphological traits within a population. We investigated how the shape and size of crania and mandibles changed over time within a population of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) living in Manhattan, New York, USA, a highly urbanized environment. We measured 3D landmarks on the cranium and mandible of 62 adult individuals sampled in the 1890s and 2010s. Static allometry explained approximately 22% of shape variation in crania and mandible datasets, while time accounted for approximately 14% of variation. We did not observe significant changes in skull size through time …

Modulation Of The Pol Ii Ctd Phosphorylation Code By Rac1 And Cdc42 Small Gtpases In Cultured Human Cancer Cells And Its Implication For Developing A Synthetic-Lethal Cancer Therapy, Bo Zhang, Xuelin Zhong, Moira Sauane, Yihong Zhao, Zhi-Liang Zheng

Publications and Research

Rho GTPases, including Rho, Cdc42, Rac and ROP subfamilies, are key signaling molecules in RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcriptional control. Our prior work has shown that plant ROP and yeast Cdc42 GTPases similarly modulate Ser2 and Ser5 phosphorylation status of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the Pol II largest subunit by regulating CTD phosphatase degradation. Here, we present genetic and pharmacological evidence showing that Cdc42 and Rac1 GTPase signaling modulates a similar CTD Ser2 and Ser5 phosphorylation code in cultured human cancer cells. While siRNA knockdown of Cdc42 and Rac1, respectively, in HeLa cells increased the level of CTD …

Characterization Of A Sagnac Loop Mirror-Based Hybrid Passive Variable Optical Coupler/Attenuator, Simeon Bikorimana, Muhammad A. Ummy, Abdullah Hossain, Richard Lin, Roger Dorsinville

Publications and Research

The implementation and performance of a unidirectional all-single mode fiber hybrid passive variable optical coupler/attenuator based on a Sagnac loop mirror with a continuous variable coupling ratio using off-the-shelf optical sub-components are discussed. Parameters of two output ports of the unidirectional hybrid passive variable optical coupler/attenuator, such as maximum coupling ratio, insertion loss, excess loss, and wavelength-dependent return loss over the C-band at room temperature are reported. The reflectivity of the Sagnac loop mirror continuously varies from 0.1% to 99.9% by adjusting retarders of a polarization controller. The 3-dB coupling ratio (i.e., 50:50) between the two output ports of the …

Predictor Species: Improving Assessments Of Rare Species Occurrence By Modeling Environmental Co-Responses, Peter R. Thompson, William F. Fagan, Phillip P. A. Staniczenko

Publications and Research

Designing an effective conservation strategy requires understanding where rare species are located. Because rare species can be difficult to find, ecologists often identify other species called conservation surrogates that can help inform the distribution of rare species. Species distribution models typically rely on environmental data when predicting the occurrence of species, neglecting the effect of species' co-occurrences and biotic interactions. Here, we present a new approach that uses Bayesian networks to improve predictions by modeling environmental co-responses among species. For species from a European peat bog community, our approach consistently performs better than single-species models and better than conventional multi-species …

The Role Of Remediation In Library Reference, William Blick

Publications and Research

While working at a fast paced reference desk at a busy community college, a librarian may encounter many challenging questions and situations. One such problem that may exist on a community college level is that of the very needy student, who not only has issues with information literacy, but with reading competency and computer literacy. The question is: “ on what on level is the librarian responsible for remediating the student in a the brief and confining limitations of the reference interview?” This paper seeks to explore the role of the librarian as he or she relates to remediation and …

Childhood Memories Of Playful Antics And Punishable Acts Risking An Imperfect Future Of Teaching And Learning, Lisa Farley, Debbie Sonu, Julie Garlen, Sandra Chang-Kredl

Publications and Research

This paper takes up the question of risk by examining childhood memories of nuisance-making and punishment shared by 26 participants enrolled in teacher education and/or childhood studies programs. Our analysis surfaces a tension that, on the one hand, idealizes the child as innocent instigator of playful antics and, on the other, produces a child who is guilty of punishable acts. We read these memories as an invitation to theorize a middle ground of the teacher’s role as one of introducing children to a world of limits, while also limiting the force of this very effort.

Dissociable Posterior And Anterior Insula Activations In Processing Negative Stimulus Before And After The Application Of Cognitive Reappraisals, Ze Zhang, Tingting Guo, Jin Fan, Xiaofei Wu, Tengteng Tan, Jing Luo

Publications and Research

Although the role of the insular cortex in representing bodily and emotional feelings has been recognized, whether the mid-posterior and anterior parts of the insula act differentially in the encoding and regulation of emotional feelings is still unclear. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined the effects of the creative cognitive reappraisals versus the non-creative ordinary reappraisals on the activation pattern of the mid-posterior and anterior insular cortex during the processing of unpleasant pictures by comparing the neural correlates for processing these pictures before and after the application of cognitive reappraisals. We found significant anterior insular activation …

A Different Set Of Rules? Nlrb Proposed Rule Making And Student Worker Unionization Rights, William A. Herbert, Joseph Van Der Naald

Publications and Research

This article presents data, precedent, and empirical evidence relevant to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposal to issue a new rule to exclude graduate assistants and other student employees from coverage under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The analysis in three parts. First, the authors show through an analysis of information from other federal agencies that the adoption of the proposed NLRB rule would exclude over 81,000 graduate assistants on private campuses from the right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining. Second, the article presents a legal history from the past half-century about unionization of student employees …

Creating And Using Open Educational Resources (Oer) In Reading And Writing Classes, Christine E. Hutchins

Publications and Research

Creating her own assignments using openly licensed course materials allows this professor and her students to be more creative and to take greater advantage of digital resources.

A Different Set Of Rules? Nlrb Proposed Rule Making And Student Worker Unionization Rights, William A. Herbert, Joseph Van Der Naald

Publications and Research

This article presents data, precedent, and empirical evidence relevant to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposal to issue a new rule to exclude graduate assistants and other student employees from coverage under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The analysis in three parts. First, the authors show through an analysis of information from other federal agencies that the adoption of the proposed NLRB rule would exclude over 81,000 graduate assistants on private campuses from the right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining. Second, the article presents a legal history from the past half-century about unionization of student employees …

Bella Figura: Understanding Italian Communication In Local And Transatlantic Contexts, Denise Scannell Guida

Publications and Research

Bella figura—beautiful figure—is an idiomatic expression used to reflect every part of Italian life. The phrase appears in travel books and in transnational business guides to describe Italian customs, in sociological research to describe the national characteristics of Italians, and in popular culture to depict thematic constructs and stereotypes, such as the Mafia, romance, and la dolce vita. Scholarly research on bella figura indicates its significance in Italian civilization, yet it remains one of the most elusive concepts to translate. Among the various interpretations and references from foreigners and Italians there is not a single definition that captures the …