Digital Commons Network^™

Of Kings And Queens, Alyssa Hwee

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Artistry prize winner in the 2025 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

Set against the backdrop of the Stonewall riots, this comic book cover highlights the role of drag kings and queens at the forefront of political activism and community organizing.

The Red Scare, Ingo Taylor

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Grand prize winner in the 2025 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

The Masked Moth, scourge of supervillains and protector of artists from censorship, battles his greatest foe yet—The Red Scare, who emits a scream so terrifying it sends people into a paranoid, anti-Communist frenzy.

Blacklisted. Hollywood 1950, Ana Gonzalez

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Storytelling prize winner in the 2025 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

A successful screenwriter is falsely accused of being a Communist sympathizer and must endure suffocating censorship, surveillance and the struggle to preserve both his creativity and his freedom.

Testing The Life-History Dependence Of Dietary Restriction Effects On Oxidative Molecular Damage In Hornworms, Fahime Taheri

Masters Theses

DR and ambient temperature are two environmental factors widely implicated in shaping organismal maintenance and longevity through effects on metabolic rate and oxidative damage. This study tests whether DR and reduced body temperature independently or interactively reduce oxidative protein damage in the gut of tobacco hornworm larvae, a short-lived ectotherm whose life history may constrain typical DR responses. Larvae hatched from eggs were allocated to two feeding regimes (AL and DR) and to 20 °C and 30 °C. At a defined endpoint, guts dissected and homogenized, and analyzed for protein carbonyl content and total protein. Protein damage was expressed as …

Extraction And Separation Of Metal Cations From Synthetic Acidic Solutions Using Emulsion Liquid Membrane, Nouhaila Filali

Masters Theses

The work is organized into two main papers supported by experimental and comparative studies using Emulsion Liquid Membrane (ELM) systems. The first paper explores the individual extraction of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, As, Ni) from synthetic phosphoric acid using Alamine 336 and D2EHPA as carriers. Alamine 336 achieved the highest extraction efficiency (>90%) and stability, offering a promising route to reduce toxic impurities in fertilizer-grade acid. The second paper examines the selective separation of Ni2+ and Co2+ from various acidic solutions using the ELM configuration. Systematic variation of carriers, stripping agent and feed acidity, clarified transport mechanisms and stability, …

Application Of Edge-Enhanced Phase Analysis To Active Microwave Thermographic Measurements, Douglas Blaine Fleetwood

Masters Theses

Nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) encompasses a range of inspection techniques that assess materials, components, and structures while maintaining their integrity and performance. Among these techniques, thermography is particularly attractive due to its non-contact imaging approach with easy-to-interpret results. Active Microwave Thermography (AMT) has emerged as a promising NDT&E inspection technique that utilizes electromagnetic energy to heat materials through dielectric and magnetic absorption, with subsequent infrared imaging used to detect subsurface defects. While AMT offers significant advantages including material-specific heating optimization and lower power requirements compared to conventional thermographic methods, the technique faces a persistent challenge related to the thermal …

The Theory And Practice Of Modifying Soccer: Maximizing Learning Outcomes In Elementary School Physical Education, Jongho Moon, Dongwoo Lee

Department of Kinesiology Scholarship and Creative Works

Physical education (PE) has been affirmed over the past decade as a vital part of school curriculum. Drawing from Newell’s theory of constraints (1986) and a comprehensive review of evidence-based literature, this study meticulously investigates pedagogical practices, effective activity modifications, and the implementation of a game-like progression within elementary school PE, with a focus on augmenting learning outcomes across the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains. This paper places a primary emphasis on soccer—an open-skill team sport taught in PE programs globally—as its situational conditions make it an ideal option for maximizing students’ learning. The study equips readers with an extensive …

Self-Reported Hearing Loss And Health During A Pandemic: Findings From A Cross-Sectional Analysis Using A 2021 Household Survey, Eunice Y. Park, Erin R. Nelson-Bakkum, Amy A. Schultz, Lauren K. Dillard

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic differentially impacted individuals with hearing loss, likely in part due to increased communication difficulties from masking, a commonly implemented protective measure. Objective: This study examines the association between self-reported hearing loss and health during the pandemic. Methods: This study uses data from the COVID-19 Survey collected by the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin from February to March 2021. Hearing loss was defined as self-reported fair or poor hearing. The outcomes were self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, separately, and self-reported general health. Multivariable models adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity were used to examine the …

Predicting Large-Scale Spatial Ability From Small-Scale Spatial Abilities In Children: An Application Of The Double-Dimension Framework, Daria Lasc, Stephanie Grinshpun, Michael T. Bixter, Yingying Yang

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Wayfinding, a large-scale spatial ability, involves the navigation of one's environment and can be classified into three types of knowledge: route, landmark, and survey. Newcombe and Shipley (2015) proposed a double-dimension spatial framework that classifies spatial abilities into four categories: intrinsic-static, intrinsic-dynamic, extrinsic-static, and extrinsic-dynamic. These abilities are usually assessed in small-scale environments, such as in desktop settings. Examining the relationship between wayfinding knowledge and small-scale spatial abilities has important theoretical implications for understanding spatial cognition at different environmental scales. It also has practical implications for designing more effective training programs to improve wayfinding skills. However, the existing literature linking …

Mismeasuring Stem?: Assessing Stem Course Taking Among Us Bachelor’S Degree Graduates, Daniel Douglas, Hal Salzman, Khudodod Khudododov

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

STEM refers to four fields of study and occupation: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But STEM has taken on social and political meaning far beyond the sum of its component parts. Public and policy discussions of STEM, whether in education or employment, rest on a startling lack of clarity about what counts as STEM. Most studies of postsecondary STEM education focus on students’ programs of study as the measure of STEM education, but we find this metric leads to substantial mismeasurement. Instead, we argue that examining STEM course taking is a more accurate measure of STEM preparation among college students. …

Artifacts Of Ableism: Semiotics Of The Built Environment And Disability Identity On University Campuses, Will M. Williams, Talia Steinmetz, Elaine Gerber

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This article examines the impact that signs, readable as texts and discourse embedded in architecture and the built environment, have on shaping disability knowledge among undergraduate students on college campuses. Using reflexive photography as a research tool, we speculate that architectural signs, the artifacts of ableism, are (mis)representing disability and essentializing what it means to be disabled - which results in an "othering"of the disabled population, perpetuates stereotypes about disability on college campuses, and limits a sense of inclusion. Further, by remaining focused on access, this distortion obscures identities within the disabled community and operates counterfactually to the disabled community's …

Fighting Disinformation Online: The Digital Services Act In The American Context, Daniela Peterka-Benton

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The internet is one of humanity’s most significant creations in the modern era. What began roughly 30 years ago has developed into a rich, diverse, but largely unregulated environment we can no longer live without. With the spread of mis- and disinformation worldwide, calls for a safer internet have gotten louder. This article discusses the threats disinformation poses to online users and provides a case study on how the European Union’s Digital Services Act attempts to protect users’ fundamental rights in the online space and whether the Digital Services Act could or should serve as a model for similar legislation …

De Acordo Com A…: Lexical Bundles And Disciplinary Variation In Academic Brazilian Portuguese, Larissa Goulart

Department of Linguistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Research on formulaic language has shown that few lexical bundles overlap across disciplines in expert academic writing, with disciplinary writing being characterized by specific bundles. This was proven to be the case in both English (Hyland, 2008) and Spanish (Cortes, 2008). This paper explores the use of lexical bundles in Portuguese academic writing in two disciplinary groups, life sciences and humanities. Using a corpus of research articles written by Brazilian scientists, four-word bundles were extracted and compared for their function (Biber; Conrad; Cortes, 2004) and structure (Biber; Johansson; Leech; Conrad; Finegan, 1999). The results of this study indicate that writing …

Human Serum Albumin Interaction With Organochlorine Pesticides, D. S. Sanford, R. Yadav, A. Mishra

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant blood plasma protein and plays a crucial role in drug transport and physiological homeostasis. HSA has a highly flexible structure consisting of three domains, each with multiple binding sites lined with hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues. The structural properties of HSA make it a robust reservoir and receptor for various endogenous and exogenous compounds, including therapeutic drugs. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are a subclass of pesticides characterized by their chlorine content. Once widely used, these compounds remain persistent in the environment and biological systems despite regulatory restrictions in many developed countries. The strong ligand-binding …

Levitated Optomechanical Sensors For Fundamental Physics, Jiaxiang Wang

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

This thesis focuses on utilizing more than 20 years of development of optomechanics to develop new measurement tools to solve open questions in fundamental physics. Optomechanical detectors offer a highly sensitive method for measuring weak forces. By optically trapping these systems in high vacuum, one can drastically reduce environmental noise and achieve exquisite control over the detector's center-of-mass motion, rotational degrees of freedom, and physical characteristics such as charge states. This level of isolation enables the detector's noise to reach the quantum measurement regime, where the dominant noise source is the measurement process itself. Such sensors are a powerful tool …

Comparison Of Machine Learning Models For Colon Cancer Survival: Predictive Modeling Approach, Reuben Adatorwovor, Motolani E. Ogunsanya, Bin Huang, Richard Charnigo, Olufunmilola Abraham

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background: Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with survival influenced by risk factors, treatment type, and patient characteristics. Traditional statistical models, such as Kaplan-Meier curves, have been widely used to estimate survival probabilities. However, these models often have difficulty handling complex interactions, covariates, and nonlinear relationships between risk factors. Recently, machine learning (ML) techniques have emerged as promising tools for improving survival prediction by handling large covariates and capturing complex patterns.

Objective: This study compares several ML models to accurately estimate colon cancer survival by leveraging data from the Kentucky Cancer Registry. By identifying key risk …

Disentangling The Inverse Relationship Between Cancer And Alzheimer’S Or Parkinson’S Disease: A Systematic Review On Mendelian Randomization Studies, Khine Zin Aung, Su Su Zin, Xian Wu, Zin W. Myint, Shama D. Karanth, Steven Estus, Christopher M. Norris, Peter T. Nelson, David W. Fardo, Erin L. Abner, Yuriko Katsumata

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Introduction

Although studies have reported an inverse relationship between cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), findings remain inconsistent. Observational studies are limited by survival bias and reverse causation. To better understand the relationship, we conducted a systematic review of Mendelian randomization (MR) studies examining both directions—assessing cancer as a risk factor for AD or PD, as well as AD or PD as exposures influencing cancer risk.

Methods

We systematically reviewed MR studies investigating the causal relation between cancer and either AD or PD. Cancer could be specified as either an exposure or an …

Incident Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among Veterans By Gender Identity: A Cohort Study, Carl G. Streed Jr., Meredith S. Duncan, Kory R. Heier, T. Elizabeth Workman, Lauren B. Beach, Guneet K. Jasuja, Hill L. Wolfe, Landon D. Hughes, John R. O’Leary, Melissa Skanderson, Joseph L. Goulet

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background: Transgender and gender diverse (trans) populations are at elevated risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

Objective: Measure the association of gender identity and gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with ASCVD outcomes.

Design: Cohort study.

Participants: Over 1 million veterans receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration.

Main Measures: Gender identity was identified via a validated natural language processing (NLP) algorithm. Incident ASCVD (acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or revascularization after the baseline date) was identified via International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes among veterans without prevalent ASCVD. We calculated sample statistics stratified by gender identity and used Cox proportional hazard …

Athletic Training Students' Use Of Health Information Technology Professional Behaviors During Clinical Experiences: A Report From The Aate Research Network, Cailee E. Welch Bacon, Julie M. Cavallario, Stacy E. Walker, R. Curtis Bay, Bonnie L. Van Lunen

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context:

As an essential core competency for high-quality healthcare, health information technology (HIT) leverages the use of technology, such as electronic record systems, to collect and use patient care information to make informed clinical decisions. There is a dearth of information regarding professional athletic training students' (ATSs') use of HIT professional behaviors during clinical experiences.

Objective:

To assess HIT professional behaviors ATSs engage with during clinical experience patient encounters (PEs). DESIGN: Multisite panel design.

Setting:

12 professional athletic training programs.

Participants:

363 ATSs enrolled across the participating professional athletic training programs entered patient encounter information within E*Value during their scheduled …

A Multi-Scale Perspective On Planet Formation, Konstantin Gerbig

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Planet formation is an inherently multi-scale process, spanning nine order of magnitude in spatial scale from micron-sized dust grains to planetary system. This thesis adopts a multi-scale perspective to investigate the physical mechanisms that drive this transformation, focusing on the coupled dynamics of dust and gas in protoplanetary disks, the formation of planetesimals, and the imprints of disk physics on orbital architectures in planet-hosting binary systems.

At the smallest scales, I present a new hydrodynamical instability that operates in dust-enhanced regions of protoplanetary disks if mass diffusion (or dust viscosity) declines sufficiently steeply with increasing dust density – conditions that …

Long-Term Antibacterial Efficacy Of Silver (I) Cyanoximates Against Streptococcus Mutans Ua159 Biofilm Growth, Tiffany A. Rojas

Honors Program Theses

Streptococcus mutans is the primary causative agent of dental caries due to its ability to form resilient multispecies biofilms. These biofilms promote acid production and degradation of the protective layers of the tooth, making biofilm formation a target for novel treatments. Silver(I) cyanoximates are of interest as alternatives to traditional antimicrobials and antibiotics due to the high UV and heat resistivity as well as poor solubility of the cyanoxime ligand paired with the well-established antimicrobial silver ion. Previous research has shown that silver(I) cyanoximates can effectively inhibit S. mutans biofilm formation after 24 hours in vitro. This study aimed to …

Using Lateral Flow Assay To Assess The Prevalence Of Trachemys Hybridization, Lillian Groves

Honors Program Theses

The current study focuses on Trachemys species, which is a group of freshwater turtles found throughout the Greater Antilles. The role of studying an isolated island, such as the Dominican Republic, is significant because it serves as a way to better understand how the combined effects of species migration, mass tourism, and climate change can greatly impact isolated species. Of particular significance is how these forces interact in complex ways to reshape habitats and threaten biodiversity. Additionally, the introduction of a highly invasive species, Trachemys scripta elegans (T. scripta), in this environment pressures native species by acting as a source …

Promises Of Prosperity: The Impact Of Constitutionalizing Economic And Social Human Rights, Arabella A. Lilleslåtten

Honors Program Theses

Does the attempt to have legal enforcement of economic and social rights in national constitutions positively influence other development outcomes? I hypothesize that economic and social outcomes are better in countries that enshrine these rights in their constitutions, and use a mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative analyses to test this. This study includes a regression analysis of 52 countries correlating a summary index of the strength of constitutional rights to education, health, housing and workers' rights in 68 countries with the 2019 Social and Economic Rights Fulfillment (SERF) Index, finding no significant correlation between the variables. A second …

Off The Rails: A Path Forward For High-Speed Rail In The Northeast Corridor, Evan Link

Honors Program Theses

This thesis seeks to determine the major factors hindering the development of high-speed rail (HSR) in the Northeast Corridor of the United States. After conducting a PESTL analysis to determine the political, economic, social, technological, and legal roadblocks to HSR, the author discovered a myriad of inefficiencies and areas of concern. These included partisan gridlock, inadequate funding for Amtrak, American exceptionalism, outdated infrastructure, nonenforcement of laws regarding the preference of passenger rail over freight rail on shared railways, and, perhaps most critically, a lack of a unified and comprehensive vision for HSR. After analyzing these factors, the author proposed two …

Consumptive Femininity: (De)Constructions Of Gender And Colonization In Korean Diaspora Literature, Jack Kelly

Honors Program Theses

This paper explores how two authors with Korean heritage use similar metaphors to write about the same historical traumas. I engage close readings of two novels—Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko and Yu Miri’s The End of August—to interrogate how each author uses images of food/food preparation as well as images of sexual encounters to draw links between exploited bodies and exploited land. Ultimately, I find that the differences in these two authors’ approaches reflect their distance from modern centers of empire. This reminds us of the importance of having a diverse literary and historical canon that centers on authors who have …

The Impact Of Social Participation Through Adaptive Sports On Quality Of Life In Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury, Mikayla Martin, Zeida Gutierrez

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

This project researched and explored how socialization through adaptive sports in this case impacts the perception of quality of life among individuals who have sustained a spinal cord injury.

Front Matter

City University of New York Law Review

No abstract provided.

People Ex Rel. King V. Gallagher And The Forgotten Legal Struggle Over Racial Segregation In New York State Public Schools, David A. Weinstein

City University of New York Law Review

In 1883, in People ex rel. King v. Gallagher, the New York Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit brought on behalf of an eleven-year-old African American girl who sought admission into her neighborhood public school in Brooklyn and thereby challenged the legal segregation regime governing New York’s public education system. The case, largely forgotten today, had a profound impact on subsequent legal efforts at school desegregation. This article examines the development of African American legal rights to public education in New York State in the nineteenth century and early efforts to challenge the exclusion of Black …

Mailing It In: Due Process Requires Technology-Driven Safeguards In Public Benefits, Eric Lukoff

City University of New York Law Review

Due process in safety net public benefit programs requires agencies to employ modern technology in providing notice that is reasonably likely to reach participants. The Supreme Court has held that due process is dependent on the time, place, and circumstances in which it operates. Scholars have further argued that due process is adaptable to changing facts and circumstances over time. Yet, mailed paper notices remain the standard in providing notice to participants in public benefit programs. Living in poverty today looks significantly different than it did nearly fifty years ago at the time of Mathews v. Eldridge, where the …

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: Evaluating Its Promise And Navigating Regulatory Challenges In A Post-Chevron Era, Rebecca B. Stein

City University of New York Law Review

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) establishes the first federal standard to protect pregnant workers by explicitly granting them the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Historically, pregnant workers have faced challenges in receiving the necessary accommodations due to limited legal protections, often forcing them to choose between income and health. Previous legislation, such as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, provided insufficient protection. This comment examines the PWFA’s potential impact, analyzing factors influencing its effectiveness and critiquing its limitations. It also explores recent state legal challenges to the PWFA in conjunction with the Supreme …