Digital Commons Network^™

Burnout In Radiation Therapy: Examining The Six Leading Influences, Gina C. Passmore

All Theses And Dissertations

Recent studies are highlighting the dangers of burnout amongst healthcare workers, including radiation therapists. Since burnout is associated with an increase in medical errors (Sanchez-Reilly, 2013), it affects both the well-being of the patient and patient satisfaction scores, which are important to a hospital’s reputation. Burnout has a positive correlation with job dissatisfaction and increased employee turnover, making it both a financial and quality issue. Organizations acknowledge that burnout leads to unhappy employees, and unhappy employees are less likely to be engaged in their work, thereby not producing the best “products” (Sehlen, 2009). By examining which components seem to be …

Increasing Chlorhexidine (Chg) Daily Bathing Compliance, Jonathan Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) daily bathing in hospitalized patients in the intensive care setting is one of many interventions implemented by institutions to reduce and prevent central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). These hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) plague and complicate treatments for critically ill patients in the acute care setting. CLABSIs and CAUTIs increase patient morbidity and mortality as well as place a financial burden with increased costs and hospital lengths of stay. The decrease of CHG compliance in our ICU unit can be associated with an elevated CLABSI rates. The focus of this CNL …

Chna: The Role Of The Hospital In Addressing Specific Community Health Needs, Yesmina L. Zavala

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) added a requirement for nonprofit hospitals to keep their tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue System Code 501(c) 3. This code requires all nonprofit hospitals to complete Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) reports every three years and must include input from community stakeholders and underserved individuals representing the low-income, minority and chronically ill population.

In addition to the CHNA, implementation strategies are required to be executed in the geographic areas served in order to meet the identified prioritized needs from the CHNA. Oftentimes, CHNAs are difficult to conceptualize and operationalize within the …

Design, Synthesis, And Evaluation Of Aryl Hydantoins And Ureas As Antischistosomal Agents, Chunkai Wang

Theses & Dissertations

Schistosomiasis is a tropical parasitic disease caused by infections with flukes of the genus Schistosoma, affecting as many as 440 million individuals worldwide, with 779 million living at risk of infection. A new drug for schistosomiasis is urgently needed as praziquantel (PZQ) is currently the drug of last resort and the development of resistance cannot be ignored, particularly in view of its large-scale use in many endemic countries. Furthermore, PZQ is active against adult but not juvenile schistosomes; this may be an important factor in the frequently observed treatment ‘failures’ in areas endemic for schistosomiasis.

The introduction of PZQ in …

Motor Control In Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis, David Arpin

Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explored motor control in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) by quantifying the behavioral and neurophysiological deficits present in these individuals. We behaviorally quantified the precision of the ankle plantarflexor musculature of individuals with MS. Our results indicated that the individuals with MS had a greater amount of variability in the precision of the isometric ankle torques, and that this greater variability was related to decreased walking performance. To further explore whether these motor control deficits were due to aberrant cortical activity associated with planning motor actions, we used magnetoencephalography to assess the motor planning and execution stages of …

Global Gene Expression Profiling Of Healthy Human Brain And Its Application In Studying Neurological Disorders, Simarjeet K. Negi

Theses & Dissertations

The human brain is the most complex structure known to mankind and one of the greatest challenges in modern biology is to understand how it is built and organized. The power of the brain arises from its variety of cells and structures, and ultimately where and when different genes are switched on and off throughout the brain tissue. In other words, brain function depends on the precise regulation of gene expression in its sub-anatomical structures. But, our understanding of the complexity and dynamics of the transcriptome of the human brain is still incomplete. To fill in the need, we designed …

Drug Trafficking And The Presidential Family In Venezuela: The Narco Nephews, Daniela Castro

Capstones

An explosive combination of political turmoil, a deep economic crisis and critical security situation has Venezuela on the verge of collapse. Despite the alarming situation in the country, not everyone is doing so bad, especially those close to the ruling power. Ferraris, access to private aircrafts and bodyguards are only some of the privileges that only few can get access to in this impoverished South American nation.

Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, 30, and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas, 31 -- the nephews of the Venezuelan Presidential couple -- were found guilty of conspiring to import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine …

The Psychology Of Single-Sex Classrooms, Jenna E. Bagcal

Capstones

Single-sex classrooms have been a hallmark of Catholic and private schools, but they are gaining popularity in American public schools. Proponents of single-sex classrooms believe that boys' and girls' brains are different and they therefore need specialized teaching methods and classroom conditions. For example, boys are competitive and are better at STEM subjects, while girls are cooperative and thrive in English and the arts. Detractors of single-sex classrooms in public schools like the ACLU say that these classrooms are based on pseudoscience and reinforce gender stereotypes. Follow the story of Jenna Bagcal through an all girls Catholic school and her …

Why The Business Of Love Is Bull$Hit, Deanne Gaston

Capstones

This is a narrative piece about the experience I had when I became a love guru/advice columnist.

Link: https://deannegaston.atavist.com/why-the-business-of-love-is-bullshit

American Milk: The Raw Deal, Dan Heching

Capstones

This report takes a look at the difficulty in procuring raw milk, an increasingly desired alternative to processed dairy, in New York City. It also tells the story of one woman's journey to tasting raw milk for the first time, despite reservations.

link: https://social.shorthand.com/MoodyHeching/uyYgLmuoNp6/american-milk-the-raw-deal

Life Coaching -- Rising In Popularity Should It Be Regulated? A Look Into The Life And Work Of Emerging Life Coaching Star Gina Devee, Victoria R. Edwards

Capstones

The lifestyle and business coaching field is an international industry that grosses more than $2 billion, but it has no outside regulation. Some critics worry that without regulation harm can be brought to clients, but others say regulation would bring too much restriction into this growing industry.

Toxic Toys, Bad Vibrations, Samantha Lee

Capstones

The global sex toy industry is worth a full $15 billion, and approximately half of America's adult population have previously incorporated a vibrator into sexual play. And yet, despite sex toys’ ubiquity in the boudoir, no local or federal authorities have taken on the mantle of regulating the safety of sex toys -- some of which have been reported to break during use, electrocute its user, or even leach poisonous chemicals.

In the absence of regulatory strictures, can sex educators, toy manufacturers, and adult store owners ensure adult products are safe enough for a growing customer base?

This narrative takes …

Homeless Hotels In New York: Who Benefits From The Industry’S Side Business?, Suman Bhattacharyya

Capstones

One in ten of New York City’s 60,000 homeless population lives in a commercial hotel. Commercial hotels are part of a parallel shelter system run by non-profits acting on behalf of the city’s homeless services department. The move to house homeless New Yorkers is a direct outgrowth of the city’s homeless crisis, the severity of which many say the city hasn’t seen the likes of in decades. Based on a review of publicly-available 990 filings, recent comptroller audits and interviews with key stakeholders, this study examines how the city runs the parallel commercial shelter system and which entities stand to …

Tracing The Rise Of Food Mash-Ups, Jennifer Mennella

Capstones

Tracing the Rise of Food Mash-ups

In 2013, Chef Dominique Ansel gave the world something it had never seen before -- the Cronut. The cross between a donut and a croissant sent shockwaves that rippled through the New York City culinary scene and through food culture across the country. People waited in line for hours and even sold their Cronuts on the black market. While the line for the dessert has simmered down in recent years, the effort to follow suit has not. Restaurateurs, fast-food establishments and food bloggers quickly made efforts to construct new dishes with strange food combinations, …

A Long And Pricey Road To Freedom For New York's Aging Prisoners, Khorri Atkinson

Capstones

This character-driven capstone examines the impact New York’s growing aging inmates – defined as those over 50 – have on the criminal justice system.

The stories of those who are in and have been through the system, suggest that reform effort is still dragging slowly. The sentencing policies and healthcare costs continue to have lasting consequences for inmates, their relatives and taxpayers. And early release programs, such as commutation, pardon and parole, also tend to shy away from people serving decades in prison for violent crimes because of the lingering tough-on-crime era.

https://nyagingprisoners.atavist.com/capstone-project-

The Pop Behind Pop-Ups, Lauren Klose

Capstones

Small businesses on Long Island have been suffering due to a variety of reasons including taxes and regulations on small businesses. Despite this, one entrepreneur, Howie Frank, has decided to fight back and start a small business that is only open for six months out of the year: Everything Christmas. He cashes in on the most profitable time of the retail season, and has since grown his company in the past eight years to four locations and four franchise locations. His intent is to continue this expand this business which he dedicates all of his time to, year round.

http://www.laurenklose.com/

No Place Like Home: Tenant Harassment And The Frailty Of Housing Court, Adam M. Shrier

Capstones

Residents across New York City—particularly those living in rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartments—are subject to concerted, persistent harassment at the hands of landlords determined to replace them with higher-rent paying tenants or tenants who will remain compliant in response to the landlords’ negligence or illegal actions. Although tenant harassment is illegal in New York City, the laws and penalties of New York City Housing Court have proven to be an ineffective system for tenants and insufficient deterrent against landlords who stand to make significant financial gains from deregulating apartments and who often get slapped with little to no fines for their …

The Rise And Fall Of Airbnb In New York, Nomin J. Ujiyediin

Capstones

The homesharing website Airbnb has been a controversial presence in New York City and New York state for years. This capstone explores the company's political contributions, lobbying and public relations strategies in the city and the state.

A link to the project can be found here: http://nominuj.com/airbnb

Migrant Surveillance: How The Federal Government Monitors Asylum Seekers, Roshan Abraham

Capstones

The federal government has funded electronic monitoring of undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation hearings since 2005, but a spike of refugees from Central America since 2014 have lead the program to be used more and more on women with children fleeing gang violence in the Northern Triangle. The program is run by a private prison company that also handles electronic monitoring for parolees. Advocates believe this brings up ethical questions about surveillance technologies that should be addressed, but officials claim it is a cheap and more humane solution than detention.

Crossing Borders, Jarrett Lyons

Capstones

The United State Supreme Court declared the right to marry for LGBT people under “equal dignity in the eyes of the law,” on June 26th, 2015. The front pages of virtually every newspaper that day highlighted that proclamation. Exactly a week prior, another United States federal agency made an official declaration that didn’t make the front pages but also affected LGBTQ politics. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a Transgender Care Memorandum, detailing policies for treatment trans migrants in detention facilities. The facilities have a noted history of mistreatment of transgender detainees.

Ishalaa Ortega is a transgender woman who …

Takun J Fought The Gbagba, Zach E J Williams

Capstones

Liberia's most famous rapper has embarked on a quest to save democracy in Africa's oldest republic. This challenge faces Jonathan "Takun J" Koffa after a nine-year reign as the king of HiCo — a local form of Hip Hop music defined by the local patois. A local form of corruption called "Gbagba" makes for a formidable enemy, but Takun J has a plan to defeat it.

Link to capstone project: https://zachjournalism.com/2016/12/12/takun-j-fought-the-gbagba/

Us Small Arms To Syrian Rebels, Roberto Capocelli

Capstones

The capstone is an investigation into the procurement of Russian-style weapons by small companies to the US government for shipment to Syrian rebels, Iraqi and Afghani military. Through an analysis of procurement contracts, court records and audits the investigation unveils the checkered past of some of the company procuring weapons for the Special Operation Command.

As The World Watches, George Goss, Nicholas Perez

Capstones

In 2015, President Barack Obama pledged to admit more than 10,000 Syrians fleeing the civil war, but with an asterisk: the near absence of religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslims. It is an omission that some have charged is discriminatory but, at the very least, has left some of the world’s most vulnerable hanging in the balance.

http://georgegoss.com/theminorityreport/

Wildlife Finds Its Way Back To Polluted Newtown Creek, Suzanna Masih

Capstones

The Newtown Creek in New York is one of the most polluted water bodies in the United States. Scores of chemical factories and industries lined its banks in the 1800s up until the 1950s. Toxic contaminants from these sites and sewage discharges from the city left the creek a barren wasteland. But now, decades of water conservation efforts in New York City have begun to revive the health of the waterway and are making it habitable for wildlife again. Yet, the fight for even cleaner waters continues.

India's Dalit Moment, Gabriel Kenneth Carroll Conlon

Capstones

This summer a brutal attack on Dalit youths in the Indian state of Gujarat set off months of street protests. The attack and subsequent protests underscored the persistence of caste-based discrimination in rural India, and the often brutal manner in which Dalits – members of India’s lowest castes – are excluded from everyday society. “India’s Dalit Moment” is a field report examining the causes and protagonists of the revolt. With on-the-ground reporting in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, this multimedia piece – including print, radio and photo elements – conveys a synthetic, but detailed window into the Dalit community …

How A New York Native American Community Was Polluted For Decades, Tola Brennan

Capstones

General Motors came to the upstate New York's North Country a savior, the bringer of much needed jobs. But after decades of using PCBs, a chemical much later revealed to be highly toxic, it's become the story of one the largest Superfund sites in the country. And the the hardest hit have been the Saint Regis Mohawk whose small reservation is right next door to the now demolished plant. Today, after decades of cleanup, General Motors has capped its liability through a 2009 bankruptcy. With the cleanup set to be completed next year, many Mohawk feel justice was never served. …

Shepherds, Wolves And Lizards: Exploring The Truck Stop Sex Trade During The Last Days Of The American Trucker, Joshua Keefe

Capstones

This is a longform piece on the sex trade at American truck stops.

https://app-social.shorthand.com/preview/gYMjJD4CpenyTqnbro2mTn2nEjbD5Cme3CtEjbr4yze3gKM3Wr7gv6nCOEnJH5gv

Broken Promesa: Puerto Rico Sinks, But The Life Rafts Can’T Save Everyone, Nico A. Grant

Capstones

Puerto Rico is in the midst of an economic calamity. The U.S. Territory faces a $73 billion debt, an economy on a downward spiral and hemorrhaging population numbers. In response, the U.S. Congress passed the PROMESA Act, which includes an oversight board to control Puerto Rico’s finances. But this purported pathway to prosperity won’t revitalize the Caribbean island.

As the board’s austerity measures fail to turn the economy around, ordinary Puerto Ricans are peddling to resurrect the island’s private sector. These stories from Puerto Rico illustrate the pain of economic decay and the hope that new technology can make a …

Running For Ayotzinapa: A Father's Marathon To Find His Son, Gustavo Martínez

Capstones

People find a world of reasons to run marathons: to fight cancer, to raise money for a charity, to fulfill a promise. But Antonio Tizapa runs for the reason that has dictated his every waking moment for more than two years: finding his son. The story is presented through a written piece and a video short documentary. It follows Tizapa through events and races in the New York City area.

http://intl-clarke.2016.journalism.cuny.edu/2016/12/30/running-for-ayotzinapa-a-fathers-marathon-to-find-his-missing-son/

The Post Banishment Films Of Jafar Panahi, Christopher L. Inoa

Capstones

https://medium.com/@ChristopherInoa/the-post-banishment-films-of-jafar-panahi-b039b44c810b#.xcvqp7z07