Digital Commons Network^™

Targeted Therpeutics For Prostate Cancer, Behind The Scenes Of Psma & Cysteine Protease Trapping Mechanism, Alireza Basiri

Theses & Dissertations

In an attempt to increase the residence time of PSMA-targeted theranostics inside the prostate cancer cells and tumors, we designed and prepared a CPTA-PSMATA resembling PSMA-617 by adding a well-known cysteine protease inhibitor (E-64) to the conjugate. Lysosomal proteases, including cysteine, serine, and aspartic families of hydrolytic enzymes, are expressed in high concentrations in the lysosomes and are responsible for the catabolism of proteins inside the cell [165, 278]. We proposed that after successful internalization of the PSMA-targeted conjugates into the cells, they will be conveyed to the endolysosomes. In these endolysosomal compartments, the E-64 moiety will covalently bind to …

A Cell Culture Model To Study Tobacco Associated Oral Cancer Progression And Treatment Resistance, Amanda Busch

Theses & Dissertations

Head and Neck Squamous cell carcinoma is the 6^th most common cancer in the world. Risk factors for HNSCC include alcohol and tobacco consumption, infection with Human Papilloma Virus, and exposure to environmental toxins. Unlike many other cancers, the incidence of HNSCC is growing, yet the treatment options and outcomes have not been significantly improved for decades. An increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of these cancers is needed for improvement in early diagnosis, enhanced treatment effectiveness, and cancer prevention. 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) is a well-tested, tobacco mimicking, carcinogen. 4NQO produces similar histological and chemical changes found in human …

Teaching Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Self-Protection Skills In Response To Bullying Situations, Maya J. Fallon

Theses & Dissertations

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at high risk of being bullied but research on teaching children with ASD self-protection skills for bullying situations is scant. We assessed the generality of teaching procedures used in Stannis et al. (2019) to teach adults self-protection skills with autistic children. We taught five children self-protection skills for two types of bullying (threats and unkind remarks) in a one-on-one format. In addition, we taught children a self-protection skill for repeated bullying occurrences. We first evaluated behavioral skills training to teach children to report threats of physical or material harm, provide a disapproving …

Structural And Inhibitory Studies On (I)Two Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Enzymes Essential For Capsular Glucan Biosynthesis And Mrna Degradation: (Ii) Hantann Virus L-Protein Endonuclease Domain, Hettiarachchige Thilina D. Jayasinghe

Theses & Dissertations

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the pathogenic bacterium species that causes Tuberculosis (TB). Understanding the major biosynthetic pathways responsible for cell viability is essential in developing new drugs against Mtb. The first two projects will reflect our approach in identifying inhibitors against Mtb GlgE, Mtb GpsI, and characterization of protein inhibitor interactions using X-ray crystallography.

The enzyme GlgE plays an essential role in the α-glucan biosynthesis pathway in Mtb cells. These α-glucans are one of the major structural units in the Mtb capsule. GlgE catalyzes the elongation of α-glucan by transferring maltose from maltose-1-phosphate (M1P) to the non-reducing end …

Structural And Biochemical Studies Of Three Enzymes Involved In Amino Acid Metabolism To Develop Novel Drugs, Yahani Pankaja Jayasinghe Arachchige

Theses & Dissertations

Intrinsic drug resistance in bacteria predates the clinical use of antibiotics. Additionally, heterogeneous metabolic states and the ability of many bacteria to form biofilms further enhances bacterial survival during infection and exacerbates treatment challenges. This necessitates the identification of novel drugs against new drug targets. These studies focus on the development of compounds targeting enzymes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Staphylococcus aureus that avoid intrinsic antibiotic defenses. The Mtb-encoded homoserine transacetylase enzyme (HTA) catalyzes the first step of the methionine biosynthesis pathway that produces methionine and S-adenosyl methionine. These compounds are shown to be essential for both dormant …

The Influence Of Predation Environment On The Sensory Ecology Of Brachyrhaphis Rhabdophora, Alexandra Grace Duffy

Theses and Dissertations

Across the animal kingdom, predation is a ubiquitous and omnipresent selective agent for a variety of traits. I aimed to address gaps in our knowledge pertaining to how predation shapes animal behavior. Many species of fish naturally occur in drainages that differ in the density of predators and exhibit obvious population divergence, making them ideal study organisms to investigate predator-driven behavioral evolution. In Chapter 1, I conducted a systematic review of the literature. The purpose of this review was to determine if predation acted as a stronger or weaker selective agent on particular behavioral traits (e.g., foraging, mating, antipredator etc.) …

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Pre-Assessment Of A Proposed Restoration In The Grand River, Grand Rapids, Mi, Usa, Matthew L. Bain

Masters Theses

River restoration is the dominant field of applied water resources management in the United States. Ecological improvement should be the goal of all river restorations, though many restoration projects fail to produce positive results due to limited scope or inadequate assessment methodologies. Pre-restoration, biotic data is essential for such projects as it can be paired with post-restoration data to gauge ecological outcomes. A major restoration effort is now underway in Michigan's longest river, the Grand River, where it flows through downtown Grand Rapids. The primary restoration measures will occur in-stream at local scale. We conducted a pre- restoration survey for …

Narrative Review: Food Image Use For Machine Learnings’ Function In Dietary Assessment And Real Time Nutrition Feedback And Education, Jason Fee

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Technology has played a key role in advancing the health and agriculture sectors to improve obesity rates, diseasecontrol, food waste, and overall health disparities. However, these health and lifestyle determinants continue to plague theUnited States population. While new technologies have been and are currently being developed to address these concerns, they may not be practical for the general population. Utilizing machine learning advancement in food recognition using smartphone technology may be a means to improve the dietary component of nutrition assessments while providing valuable nutrition feedback. This narrative review was conducted to assess the current state of the literature on …

After Being Ignored, Autistic Adults Find Their Place On The Spectrum, Leonardo A. Lopez Carreno

Capstones

Autistic adults have been historically ignored by researchers and clinical psychologists when discussing autism spectrum disorder. But the broadening of the diagnosis requirements for the disorder, as well as the perspectives from autistic adults that have been shared on social media, have made it so that autistic adults are being discussed more now than ever before, both in the autism community and among professionals in the field. This project puts together interviews with autistic people who have found communities online and in person, as well as the perspectives of researchers who have published studies about autism.

https://medium.com/@leonardolpezcarreo/after-being-ignored-autistic-adults-find-their-place-on-the-spectrum-6e131fc00796

Tiktok: A Path To Stardom… Sort Of, Giselle G. Medina

Capstones

“TikTok: A Path to Stardom… Sort of” delves deep into one of the top social media apps. TikTok has gone beyond just being the “new vine,” becoming a marketing tool, whether for yourself or a product. This package will address going viral on the app and what it means to be a full-time content creator through gifs, an audio documentary, written words, and of course... TikToks.

https://gisellemedina.github.io/TikTok-A-Path-To-Stardom...-Sort-of/

New York Set High Sights On A Progressive Retail Weed Industry. But The State Now Stands To Fall Short., Trina Mannino

Capstones

Almost a year-and-a-half after New York legalized recreational marijuana, state officials and other industry insiders praise what they view as the country's most socially equitable cannabis industry. But as New York prepares to launch its legal retail dispensary program, rollout details remain murky. The state also faces challenges with the legal industry’s most significant obstacle: illicit sales. If the state doesn’t deliver an equitable and robust market, New York risks winding up with a sputtering legal industry that could cause harm to the very people and communities it intends to lift up.

Link: https://trinamannino9.wixsite.com/mannino-mckinney

Limpieza De Asbestos En La Ciudad De Nueva York, Ariana G. Perez-Castells

Capstones

This is the story of how asbestos is removed in New York City, and who carries out the work. It's unclear how much more asbestos abatement is left in the county, and the U.S. has not completely banned the dangerous material, unlike over 50 other countries across the world. Both of these things could change soon. A new study that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will carry out by December 2024 would give us a better picture of how much asbestos there is still in buildings and how much more removal work is to be done. At the same time, …

Some In Corporate America Have Followed Through On Their Commitments To The Black Lives Matter Movement, But The Black Community Has Yet To Be Convinced., Brianna M. Monsanto

Capstones

Nearly three years following George Floyd's murder back in 2020, corporations are continuing to follow up on their commitments to the Black community. However, the Black community has yet to be impressed.

Link to Project: https://briannamonsanto64.wixsite.com/cuny

Mad About Late Buses Or Broken Trains? Blame Your Governor, Peter Tomao

Capstones

President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act promised to "expand public transit options across every state" and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while modernizing America's transit systems. But a series of hurdles ranging from recalcitrant local officials to entrenched car culture mean the bill may simply reinforce the status quo.

Here is link to capstone: https://falliblenumbers.substack.com/p/mad-about-late-buses-or-broken-trains

West 219 Show: Bail Reform, Anslem Michael Joseph

Capstones

Should freedom have a cost? Bail is an amount of money judges order defendants to pay in order to await trial out of jail. The bail system was designed to ensure that defendants would return to court to face their charges. However, criminal justice advocates argued that bail became a form of pretrial punishment as defendants, mostly black and brown people, are ordered to pay high bail costs without being convicted of any crimes. This led to New York legislators taking action in creating a new bail reform law in 2019 which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and some …

Solos Y Juntos: Dos Al Tres Por Ciento De La Población En Los Estados Unidos Tienen Escoliosis. Muy Pocos De Ellos Están Preparados Para Las Tensiones Emocionales Que Trae La Condición., Anacaona Y. Rodriguez Martinez

Capstones

Dos al tres por ciento de la población en los Estados Unidos tiene escoliosis. Muy pocos de ellos están preparados para las tensiones emocionales que trae la condición. Estas son las historias de pacientes que tienen escoliosis y sus viajes en encontrar salud propio (físico y mental) en sus comunidades

New York Running, Kellen Bulger

Capstones

My community is the New York City running community. This includes everyone from casual joggers to high school track athletes to folks training for an ultramarathon. The community also encompasses all five boroughs. For my community practicum project, I plan to host my second event/run in the community, where we will discuss the overall state of the running community in NYC. The successes, shortcomings, frustrations, and whatever else is on our minds. As I did with the last event, the discussion that takes place after our run will be loosely structured around this community-wide callout I distributed in the spring …

The Tale Of Two Leagues: Is There A Wage Gap Between The Nba & Wnba, Isaiah D. Johnson

Capstones

This capstone takes a look at the differences between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The capstone looks to find any similarities and looks to see if there's truly a wage gap between the two professional leagues.

Reclaiming South Asian Beauty, Rizwana Zafer

Capstones

Shows like Never Have I Ever, Bridgerton, and Love Is Blind have put South Asian beauty at the forefront of American media. However, the increased popularity of these shows has also reignited an interest in the appropriation of South Asian beauty trends. Through their work in the beauty industry and social media, Arpita, Susana Mollick, and Soni Kohli are reclaiming South Asian beauty in the face of appropriation.

Link to capstone project:

https://medium.com/@rizwana.zafer81/reclaiming-south-asian-beauty-9d8484f00a14

Fighting For The Right To Dance In Nyc’S Public Parks, Caithlin Peña

Capstones

Kanami Kusajima is an ink dancer and street performer who dances and creates art at Washington Square Park. She’s also been clashing with the Park Enforcement Patrol officers, who patrol the area. Her attempts to create a safer space for her fellow performers brings to light the complicated rules and regulations as well as the obstacles street performers face on the daily. Link to capstone project: https://medium.com/@caithlin.pena53/fighting-for-the-right-to-dance-in-nycs-public-parks-2cab922d1a1c

Pixel Predicament, Francisco J. Lahoz

Capstones

If the art that affected you greatly in your youth was under the risk of fading away, wouldn't you do anything to preserve it? Gamers are tired of seeing the art of video games be neglected by their copyright holders and are making efforts to find, catalogue, and preserve their artform in multiple ways.

https://flahoz.com/2023/01/24/pixel-predicament/

Flying Hope: Bringing Pets To Safety In Nyc, Jose D. Santiago-Morales

Capstones

The animal overcrowding issue is impacting stray pets in Puerto Rico. Various not-for-profit organizations in NYC (The Sato Project and Wings of Rescue) are working to bring these animals from the island to states across the Northeast of the United States and helping by finding them their forever homes. One pet at a time.

https://dansantiagojournalist.wordpress.com/2023/10/01/flying-hope-bringing-pets-to-safety-in-nyc/

The Experiences Of Nyc's Social Equity Cannabis Initiative, Jimmie J. Mckinney Ii

Capstones

This capstone is a photo essay on the experiences of NYS's dispensary licenses applicants as they make their bid to be one of the first legal dispensaries in the state. The priority was to give those who've been arrested for cannabis a chance to benefit from their conviction. Photography, print, and videography were incorporated in this project.

Here is a link to my capstone website: https://readymag.com/u2050520461/mckinneycapstone/

Motives For (In)Effective Giving: Comparing Rural And Urban Groups In South Africa., Luvuyo Bulelani Magwaza

Master's Theses

Different cultures have their own set of norms and values that not only shape people’s motives but also influences their decision making. What may be viewed as logical and ethical in one culture, may be seen as illogical or unethical in another. One area that is consistently affected by cross-cultural differences in motives is charitable giving. Recently, there has been an increase in interest around effective altruism— a social movement and philosophy that argues, people should give to charities that do the most good. Prior research that has found that people do not give based on efficiency; instead, people give …

Grip Characterization Of Protective Gloves, Doris Burns

Theses & Dissertations

In 2014, ASTM International (ASTM), one of the world's largest international standards developing organizations, published a new test method on glove grip performance. This method was adopted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in some of their specification standards. The method utilized hand torque instead of the pull method previously used by the NFPA to determine the Percent Bare Hand Control Value (%BHCV). The %BHCV, compares torque results of a gloved hand versus a bare hand. In developing this new test method, only four males and one female participated; therefore, it is unclear if statistical significance was attained. In …

A Study To Determine The Most Important Leadership Skills For Entry-Level Public Health Practitioners, Taelyr Weekly

Theses & Dissertations

Objective: This study 1) identifies the top leadership skills needed for entry-level local public health department employees, 2) provides employee self-assessment ratings in importance, preparation, and proficiency of select leadership skills, and 3) compares the self-assessment and supervisor ratings of select leadership skills to assess how prepared and proficient employees are. Participants: A sample of positional leaders (n=15) from Nebraska’s local health departments provided results for the top leadership skills for entry-level local public health department employees. Employee self-assessment ratings (n=18) and paired samples of employees and supervisors (n=12) produced results on the importance, preparation, and proficiency of …

New York City Homeless Queer Youth Face Harsh Realities; Advocates Fight For Change, Randi R. Love

Capstones

New York City unhoused youth face years of harsh realities because the lack of knowledge and policies that exist to aid them don't provide the protections and outreach to assure they don't live on the streets or in bad situations for years to come. These youths experiences are exacerbated when sexuality or gender are included.

https://randilove.github.io/capstone-2022/

The Experiences Of Nyc's Social Equity Cannabis Initiative, Jimmie J. Mckinney Ii

Capstones

This capstone is a photo essay documenting the experiences of a few recreational cannabis dispensary applicants. These stores will be some of the first legal dispensaries in NYS and owned by those once arrested for cannabis-- and their families. Photography, text, and videography are incorporated in the project.

Here is a link to my capstone website: https://readymag.com/u2050520461/4094571/

El Valle Del Río Grande Siempre Ha Sido Bilingüe. ¿Por Qué Sus Escuelas No?, Karina Guerrero, Jesus Chapa-Malacara

Capstones

Months before the pandemic began its wrath on education in the U.S., highlighting inequities that disproportionately impact English Language Learners, the Texas Legislature passed legislation (HB3) that created a funding incentive for starting dual language programs – a type of bilingual education found to be the most beneficial for English learners. As schools presumably “return to normal” and at an inflection point that could define the future of multilingual education in the United States, we catch up with several district’s in the country’s most bilingual region as it wrestles with and fights for how to preserve and promote bilingualism. English …

Coming Together: The Street Vendors Of Corona Plaza, Hannah Bottum

Capstones

Of New York City’s 20,000 street vendors, nearly all of them are immigrants, and most are unlicensed. This makes them vulnerable to harassment, fines, and even arrest. In Corona Plaza in Queens, vendors are coming together to push for change. This is their story.

De los 20,000 vendedores ambulantes de la ciudad de Nueva York, casi todos son inmigrantes y la mayoría no tienen licencia ni permiso. Esto los hace vulnerables al acoso, multas e incluso la detención. En Corona Plaza, en Queens, los vendedores se están organizando para impulsar el cambio. Esta es su historia.