Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation And Calibration Of Coupled Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors, Tyler Cargill

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Low-cost sensors (LCS), if used appropriately, are useful instruments to elucidate human exposure to particles suspended in the air (i.e. particulate matter, PM). Characterizing this exposure is crucial, as exposure to PM2.5 (i.e. particles with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) negatively affects the respiratory, cardiovascular, and other organ systems and is the leading environmental burden for global mortality. Similarly, exposure to particles with aerodynamic diameters greater than 2.5 μm and less than or equal to 10 μm, here forth termed as PMCoarse, is known to cause health ailments for the upper respiratory system. This dissertation focuses on the MODULAIRTM-PM (MOD-PM), …

Investigating Metabolic Heterogeneity In Engineered Isogenic Microorganisms, Xinyue Mu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Engineered microorganisms play an increasingly important role in the sustainable production of fuels, bioplastics, and other valuable biomaterials. Successful industrial deployment depends on maximizing product titers and ensuring process robustness at large scale. However, one of the major obstacles is non-genetic cell-to-cell heterogeneity arising from stochastic intracellular processes. Such heterogeneity can result in subpopulations that divert substrates toward growth rather than product biosynthesis, ultimately reducing yield and contributing to batch-to-batch inconsistency. To better understand the mechanisms by which cell-to-cell variation emerges, propagates, and impacts bioproduction, this dissertation investigated how intracellular energetic dynamics and stochastic biosynthetic noise contributed to metabolic heterogeneity …

Learning From Images And Text (Clinical) Data: Toward Putting Ai In Radiology Workflows, Pan Xiao

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The rapid growth of medical imaging data highlights the need for intelligent systems that can understand both radiological language and image content. This dissertation presents two complementary research directions that advance machine learning in radiology through large-scale natural language understanding and unsupervised image representation learning. The first part develops and benchmarks machine learning models for identifying follow-up recommendations in radiology reports—a task essential for improving patient care and reducing missed follow-ups. Using 49,769 reports across multiple modalities and three institutional datasets, along with external and temporal test sets, thirty-two classification methods were systematically evaluated on both findings and impression sections. …

Late-Stage Capitalism And Consumerism In Higher Education: A Morphogenetic Analysis, Kallen Zhou

Publications

Facing widespread student disengagement and dissatisfaction, U.S. higher education is undergoing a paradigm shift, detaching from its civic and pedagogical origins. A key force driving this transformation is the rise of student consumerism. While existing literature documents market-driven actions adopted by higher education institutions (HEIs) and the consumer roles students play, it overlooks structural market forces. Specifically, little theorization exists on the relationship between late-stage capitalism and student consumerism. This paper addresses that gap through two steps: first, offering a historical analysis of the traditional university model, late-stage capitalism, academic capitalism, and the decline of the liberal arts; second, developing …

Creating A Radical Social Change Campaign To Restore Rational Thinking: A Theoretical Framework, John S. Long

Student Theses and Dissertations

Rational thinking is a skill and mindset that is under siege in modern society, becoming increasingly endangered as we devolve into increasingly hyper-partisan communities rife with echo chambers and confirmation biases. The most basic processes of analyzing issues and facts to develop clearly thought-out and defendable positions have been abandoned in favor of a zealous devotion to toe the party line, no matter the evidence or implications. What we are witnessing firsthand is the fast-approaching culmination of the post-truth era.

One might assume that an issue with such far-reaching implications across our entire society would generate a significant amount of …

Data Storytelling For Reputation Management: A Multiple Case Study Of Formula 1, Patagonia & Spotify, Michael O. P. Lowsley-Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates data storytelling as a reputation management strategy by examining how organizations leverage data narratives to enhance brand identity, build stakeholder trust, and reshape public perception. Through analysis and comparison of three qualitative case studies of Patagonia, Formula 1, and Spotify, this research explores how these companies construct and utilize data-driven narratives to address reputational challenges across distinct industry contexts. Drawing on elements of framing, situational crisis and stakeholder theories as well as the concepts of encoding and decoding, this study analyzes narrative structures, framing devices, and audience engagement tactics within reports, campaigns, and multimedia content from 2015-2025. …

Betting Apps, Broadswords, And A Battle For Better Pay: Stories Of New York City As Reported On “Audiofiles”, Jarrod Barry

Capstones

This capstone is comprised of three different stories for “AudioFiles”, a bi-weekly radio and podcast news show that covers current events in and around New York City. The portfolio covers three different types of pieces: a narrated feature, a nonnarrative feature, and a quick-turn daybook story. The narrated feature looks at the growing popularity in gambling apps and their link to gambling addiction. The second piece is a nonnarrated feature profiling a modern gladiator and his experience fighting in the Armored League. The final piece looks at City Council legislation that provides a bonus to the city’s paraprofessional teaching assistants. …

Inside The Gen Z Vote Across Gender And Race, Juliet La Sala

Capstones

This capstone examines how two people from two different Gen Z groups are navigating the 2024 U.S. election. One story revolves around a young woman adopting a U.S. version of South Korea’s 4B Movement and another reflects on a Gen Z Arab American responding to the Israel–Hamas war. Through reported stories and interviews, it explores how personal experience, gender and ethnic violence, and political disillusionment shaped these young voters’ choices and activism. Sierra Bee's story is in light of Trump's election and Liam's is right before the 2024 election took place. Together, the pieces highlight how global events and identity-based …

The Bmt: Will This Time Be Different?: Red Hook Braces For A Mega-Project On The Waterfront. Can It Avoid The Mistakes Of Atlantic Yards?, Steve Kastenbaum

Capstones

"The BMT: Will this time be different?" investigates how New York City's push to rapidly build housing is reshaping communities. A $3.5 billion mega-project at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal promises transformation through 6,000 apartments, a modernized port, and waterfront improvements, but residents are split on whether it represents progress or displacement. The development uses a controversial "general project plan" process that bypasses normal community review, the same approach that enabled the still-unfinished Atlantic Yards project. Local voices in Red Hook range from excitement about investment, jobs and amenities to fears about gentrification and broken promises. This pilot episode launches a …

¡Ausente!: La Censura De Los Migrantes Dentro Del Museo Smithsonian, Gretchen Lembcke Peña

Capstones

El museo Smithsonian cerró su exhibición sobre migrantes latinos sin notificarles a los artistas. Ahora, grupos de defensa y los mismos artistas están empujando contra la censura de su arte.

City Council Bill To Decrypt Police Radio Has A Surprising Winner — Citizen App, Mikella Schuetter, Kennedy Sessions, Marina Samuel

Capstones

After the NYPD encrypted police scanners in 2024, eliminating public access to police radio communications, the New York City Council passed a bill on Dec. 18 to restore limited access for journalists and the public. The move could benefit Citizen, a crime-alert app that has pushed for decryption while entering a “no cost” partnership with the city, even as former employees and advocates raise concerns about the app’s practices and growing role in New York City’s public safety.

Gowanus Faces A Hidden Threat Beneath Its Neighborhood Boom, Emma J. Rosenberg

Capstones

This article investigates urban redevelopment, climate change and environmental contamination in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood. The Gowanus Canal itself has been a designated EPA Federal Superfund Site since 2010, this designation does not apply to the land surrounding it where legacy industrial contamination still exists. This includes coal tar from former manufactured gas plants which poses a risk to groundwater and indoor air. Under a 2021 rezoning plan, large-scale residential redevelopment is rapidly moving forward, rising groundwater and increased flooding associated with climate change may exacerbate contaminants. Utilizing agency documents, Community Advisory Group meetings, and conversations with residents, advocates, officials and …

The Debate Over The Lebanese Diaspora’S Vote: As Lebanon Tries To Reform Itself, The Diaspora Wants A Say At The Ballot Box, Sandra Sadek

Capstones

The Lebanese diaspora is demanding full voting rights ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections. The movement comes at a time when the 2026 parliamentary elections coincide with a moment of national reckoning. Despite urgency from a vocal diaspora and pressure from several members of parliament and the cabinet, the bill to permanently amend the current electoral law has stalled on the speaker’s desk. The outcome of that struggle stands not only to determine how much influence this global constituency can have on Lebanon’s future but also what the country’s recovery path can look like amid a dramatically changing regional landscape. …

Flooding, Not Just A Rain Problem, Annisha Singh

Capstones

This capstone focuses on the Rockaway Peninsula and how high-tide flooding also known as "sunny-day flooding" is not only affecting Rockaway but neighboring areas, such as Jamaica Bay.

More Nyc Households To Qualify For Energy Efficiency Upgrades Under Tweaked State Program, Elise Robley

Capstones

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's EmPower+ program aims to provide low- and moderate-income households with energy-efficient upgrades. These upgrades help lower people's energy costs, especially how much it costs to heat and cool their homes. Starting this year, more low-income households in New York City will be eligible to apply for the program's benefits. This piece looks at this history of the EmPower+ program, why it's so beneficial to low- and moderate-income New Yorkers, and the potential positive impact the program's tweaks could have on local communities of color that might be dealing with high energy …

Amidst The Struggles, Nyc Actors Say The Pursuit Of Their Craft Is Always Worth It, Allison Dubrow

Capstones

Despite high ticket prices and safety concerns, Broadway has had a record-breaking season, surpassing pre-pandemic box office revenue largely due to star-driven productions. While the industry is financially thriving, many NYC actors struggle to make a livable wage and rely on non-acting jobs to support themselves. The uncertainty of auditions and booking work makes sustaining an acting career especially difficult in such a competitive city. This project highlights the contrast between Broadway’s success and the resilience it takes for actors to survive and pursue their craft in New York City.

Recortes Federales Amenazan La Ayuda A Sobrevivientes De Violencia Doméstica En Nueva York, Ilvea Lezama Melendez

Capstones

Este reportaje examina el impacto de los recientes recortes federales en el financiamiento de organizaciones sin fines de lucro en Nueva York. Esas que brindan servicios a sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica y dependen en gran medida de subvenciones federales y fondos públicos para operar refugios, líneas de ayuda en crisis, servicios legales, consejería y apoyos culturalmente específicos. La reducción de recursos ha provocado interrupciones en los servicios y una disminución en la capacidad de atención, justo cuando la demanda de apoyo por parte de las sobrevivientes dentro de comunidades inmigrantes. A través de entrevistas con proveedores de servicios y expertos …

From Elmhurst To Astoria, Indonesia’S Thousand Islands Find A Home In Food Bazaars, Adrian O'Farrill

Capstones

In Elmhurst and Astoria, three different bazaars focused on Indonesian food pop up once a month, all within two miles of each other, dubbed by the vendors as the unofficial “Little Indonesia” of New York. While there’s a handful of Indonesian restaurants in Elmhurst, for those Indonesians who don't have the necessary funds or even paperwork to start a brick and mortar establishment, or who don’t want to cook at a restaurant scale, the three bazaars in Queens present an opportunity to emphasize authentic Indonesian food and to make a profit for the culinary inclined of the tight-knit community.

https://adrianofarrill.com/cuny-capstone

Two Major Ontario Hospital Labs Bought Research Dogs From U.S. Breeder With Troubled Pastdogs Bred For Scientific And Medical Testing Suffer Abuse As The Scientific Industry Increasingly Turns To Alternatives For Research., Allison Hunter, Mary Beech, Sami Marshak, Kate Morano

Capstones

The purpose-bred dog breeding industry for research is little known. Each year, thousands of dogs are bred for scientific and medical testing, supplied to research facilities by a handful of major commercial breeders. But gaps in enforcement and regulation have allowed abuses to persist, even as the industry increasingly turns to alternatives to animal testing. Animal rights advocates have been decrying the treatment of these dogs. A federal Inspector General report found lax oversight of the industry, raising further concerns about how dogs are treated. This story was reported in collaboration with the Investigative Journalism Bureau, based in Toronto, and …

Relief, At A Cost: New Bill Forces Landlords To Offer Ac, But Leaves Tenants With The Bill, Niamh Mcauliffe

Capstones

As summers in New York City are getting hotter and hotter every year due to climate change, lack of home air conditioning is a serious issue. A newly passed City Council bill would require landlords to provide air conditioning upon tenant request. While advocates see the legislation as a necessary step to protect tenants from the dangers of extreme heat, there are still unresolved questions around energy affordability, costs and implementation.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XgVilwyn6ncwVbslr1UcdP6p-3OwGQAseHXMY3EYCeY/edit?usp=sharing

El Camino Al Exilio Para Una Estudiante De Nicaragua Que Huyó De Ortega, Leyrian Colon Santiago

Capstones

A inicios de 2018, Lucía tenía bien estructurado como serían sus próximos dos años en la escuela de medicina. En las mañanas, se enfocaría en las clases teóricas y en las tardes, haría sus rotaciones como practicante en algún hospital de Nicaragua. Y cuando le sobrara tiempo, visitaría a su familia a las afueras de la capital, Managua.

Lo que Lucía jamás pensó fue que ser una estudiante universitaria que protestó pacíficamente contra el gobierno de su país la empujaría al exilio a sus 23 años de edad.

Actualmente Lucía, quien pidió que su nombre real no fuese publicado por …

Organizational Return On Investment In Nursing: A Systematic Review, Olga Yakusheva, Kathryn Lee, Alissa V. Fial, Marianne E. Weiss

Individual Open Access Articles

Background: High-quality nursing care is crucial for healthcare quality and safety, yet there’s limited understanding of the business case for investing in nursing from an organizational perspective. This study seeks to address this evidence gap by identifying and synthesizing data on the organizational return on investment in nursing human capital, considering initial investment costs and the resulting impact on production costs and revenue.

Method: We conducted a systematic review using four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EconLit, Web of Science) to find nursing human capital studies from January 1990 to June 2024. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they examined nurses …

Biophysical Characterization And Structural Insights Into The Complex Between The Extracytoplasmic Function Sigma Factor, Pupi, With The Antisigma Domain Of The Sigma Regulator, Pupr, From Pseudomonas Capeferrum, Tajnin Sultana, Robin N. Kutsi, Alexander Tischer, Siri Froiland, Elizabeth L. Gertz, Jaime L. Jensen, Matthew Auton, Sangita C. Sinha, Christopher L. Colbert

APC Fund Awardees

Gram-negative bacteria utilize siderophores to scavenge for environmental iron. Pseudomonas capeferrum produces the siderophores pseudobactin BN7/8, which trigger cell surface signaling (CSS). Iron import CSS pathways consist of an outer membrane TonBdependent transporter, an inner membrane sigma regulator, and a cytoplasmic sigma factor that activates transcription of target genes. The P. capeferrum sigma regulator, PupR, has an N-terminal antisigma domain (ASD). Previously, the PupR ASD was purified as a dimer in the absence of its cognate sigma factor, PupI. Here we use pulldown assays to demonstrate that His6-PupIFL interacts with the PupR ASD as well as with homodimer-disrupting mutants. We …

Manual Therapy In Conjunction With Other Multimodal Interventions In A Patient With Chronic Pain And Hypertension: A Case Report, Craig P. Hensley, Renzo Mendoza, Jennifer Ryan, Emmanuel Yung

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Chronic pain and hypertension (HTN) are worldwide epidemics that are difficult to manage and frequently encountered as comorbid conditions in patient care. There is a paucity of information regarding the effect that manual therapy has on blood pressure (BP), particularly in those with chronic pain and HTN. This case report describes the management of a patient with chronic pain and HTN. The patient was a 41-year-old female with chronic multisite pain and multiple comorbidities, including HTN. Her BP at the initial evaluation was 147/78 with an oscillated device and 142/82 with a sphygmomanometer in the right arm and 144/80 in …

Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge And Environmental Science For Sustainable Lake Conservation: Danu Kerthi In Bali, Ni Kadek Surpi, Si Luh Nyoman Seriadi, Ni Wayan Jemiwi Jero

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

This study investigates how the Danu Kerthi philosophy operates as a framework that integrates Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with environmental science to support sustainable lake conservation in three upstream lakes in Bali: Beratan, Buyan, and Tamblingan. While previous scholarship has largely focused on the normative and symbolic dimensions of Sad Kerthi, empirical evidence on its ecological effectiveness remains limited. To address this gap, the study adopts a multi-site qualitative design involving participatory observation, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 30 participants representing traditional leaders, Hindu priests, tourism managers, village officials, and local residents. Thematic analysis shows that Danu Kerthi continues …

Powering Up Clinical Scholarship In Dental Journal Club: Article Review Session 2, Evelyn Wang

HSLIC Faculty and Staff Instructional Resources

This presentation is designed for Dental Services Journal Club attendees as Session 2 of an article‑based workshop series on clinical scholarship, featuring three exemplar systematic reviews and meta-analyses on endodontic restoration: Naumann 2018 (ferrule effect in post-and-core restorations), Tsintsadze 2024 (survival rates of glass-fiber vs metal posts), and Batista 2020 (ferrule effect on fiber-reinforced composite post-and-core failure). The session teaches participants how to distinguish between systematic review and meta-analysis, apply PICO framework for formulating clinical questions, evaluate study design and methodological rigor (risk of bias assessment, inclusion/exclusion criteria, follow-up duration), interpret results and heterogeneity (I² statistic, confidence intervals), and understand …

Collapsing Sparse Responses In Likert-Type Scale Data: Advantages And Disadvantages For Model Fit In Cfa, Jin Liu, Yu Bao, Christine Distefano Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Applied researchers often encounter situations where certain item response categories receive very few endorsements, resulting in sparse data. Collapsing categories may mitigate sparsity by increasing cell counts, yet the methodological consequences of this practice remain insufficiently explored. The current study examined the effects of response collapsing in Likert-type scale data through a simulation study under the confirmatory factor analysis model. Sparse response categories were collapsed to determine the impact on fit indices (i.e., chi-square, comparative fit index [CFI], Tucker–Lewis index [TLI], root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA], and standardized root mean square residual [SRMR]). Findings indicate that category collapsing …

Baseline Exposure-Response Assessment Of Metals From Dried Blood Spots And Personal Household Air Pollution Concentrations Among Pregnant Women In Rwanda: Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial, Adolphe Ndikubwimana, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Victor G Dávila-Román, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Exposure to metals from the combustion of biomass via inhalation may result in negative health outcomes affecting a variety of organs and systems. Pregnant women cooking with biomass fuels may be exposed to metals, such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), and have unique risks for adverse health effects with potential impacts on the growing fetus. We assessed the associations between household air pollution and metals detected in dried blood spots from pregnant women at baseline in Rwanda.

METHODS: We analyzed data from 781 pregnant women aged 18-35 years who resided in rural households using biomass fuel and who …

Abnormalities In Sensorimotor Brain Function Are Related To Chronicity Of Low Back Pain, Jo Armour Smith, Rongwen Tain, Kelli G. Sharp, Laura M. Glynn, Linda R. Van Dillen, Jesse V. Jacobs, Steven C. Cramer

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Maladaptive plasticity in the brain may contribute to chronic low back pain (LBP) and underlie the altered postural control of the lumbopelvic musculature that is evident in some individuals with LBP. We recently described an MRI-compatible leg-raise paradigm to measure brain activity associated with lumbopelvic postural control. The objective of this study was to compare brain function in young adults with and without a history of LBP and to determine relationships between brain function, pain, and postural control characteristics. We recruited 55 participants with a history of LBP, who were asymptomatic when studied, and 30 healthy controls. Postural control during …

Evaluating The Accuracy Of Point Of Care Testing Compared To Standard Laboratory Testing Among Inborn Infants In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Mar Romero-Lopez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Point-of-care (POC) testing offers expedited results with lower blood volume requirements than central laboratory (CL) tests, particularly for low-birth-weight infants.

Methods: A retrospective cohort included 118 patients with paired POC and CL tests within one hour in the first 14 postnatal days. Differences and agreement were assessed using linear mixed-effect models that account for within and between-subject variations.

Results: Compared to CL, POC testing underestimated sodium (6.0 mEq/L), potassium (0.1 mEq/L), chloride (5.1 mEq/L), and glucose (2.3 mg/dL), and overestimated hemoglobin (0.08 g/dL) and hematocrit (0.8%). Differences (CL- POC) varied by postnatal age and sample type, with larger differences …