Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Dna Extraction And Genotyping From Burned Skeletal Remains, Kayla M. Rooney

Student Theses

In this research, bovine leg bones were burned, both with and without meat intact, in order to determine if it was possible to extract and amplify DNA to obtain profiles. The meat was burned over an open flame and the DNA was extracted using the Qiagen DNeasy Blood & Tissue Mini Kit, quantified with the NanoDrop, and amplified using the Bovine Genotypes Panel 3.1 Kit, and separated using the 3500 Genetic Analyzer. Profiles were analyzed using the Thermo Fisher Cloud Microsatellite Analysis software. The samples burned with the meat intact produced lower quantities of DNA than the bones burned with …

Waiting To Tell: Factors Associated With Delays In Reporting Sexual Violence, Lahiz P. Tavarez

Student Theses

In the United States (U.S.), 20% of women have experienced completed or attempted rape and 43.6% of women have experienced some form of contact sexual violence. Many instances of sexual violence go unreported to law enforcement – only 34% are reported to the police. Reporting can lead to more favorable outcomes for survivors since it is likely to increase access to medical care and mental health services and is an important step in order to hold perpetrators accountable, prevent future victims, and reduce the likelihood of longer psychological distress for the survivor. Delays in reporting are more prevalent in cases …

Support For Militant U.S. Foreign Policy: The Role Of Authoritarianism And International Xenophobia, Brandon M. Garcia

Student Theses

Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) has been studied extensively in the domestic socio-political context, but its potential impact on foreign policy is still poorly understood. The current study replicated the putative two-factor model of the construct (Authoritarian Aggression/Submission and Conventionalism) and examined the associations of each factor with perceptions of overall danger to the U.S. posed by other countries and with the support for more militant U.S. foreign policy. As expected, both RWA factors correlated with self-reported levels of political conservatism (r = 0.32, r = 0.33; p < .001) Additionally, Authoritarian Aggression and Submission (but not Conventionalism) were correlated with increased perceived danger from foreign countries (r = .35; p < .001) and increased support for a more militant U.S. foreign policy (r = .25; p < .001). Participants higher in RWA were more likely to view the world as a hostile and threatening place, and in turn support more aggressive military action in response to those fears.

Effects Of Improper Ammunition Storage, Victoria S. Andre

Student Theses

Firearms are commonly used by law enforcement, hunters, and civilians either for protection, sport or criminal activity. Ammunition is used in traditional firearms such as rifles and handguns, and consists of a cartridge case, propellant, a bullet (projectile), and primer. The two types of priming systems within the cartridge that are commonly used today are rimfire and centerfire cartridges. There are several types of malfunctions that can occur with ammunition. Improper ammunition storage is one major factor that plays a role in ammunition failure. One form of improper ammunition storage is where the storage environment being used abruptly changes due …

Dosage Matters: What Is Dosage, Doyoung Kim

Student Theses

To reduce recidivism, many correctional programs and interventions have been introduced to offenders. Though, the rate of recidivism remains exceedingly high. To improve program outcomes, it is important to match the dosage of a program to risk levels. However, there is not a standardized definition and measurement of program dosage. This thesis extends the study on identifying the definition and measurement of dosage and the effectiveness of the programs by conducting a systematic review of prior research. The results indicate that as a treatment dosage, treatment duration was more frequently used compared to treatment intensity to reduce recidivism rate of …

Òpera, Diversitat, Inclusió: Una Reflexió A Partir D'Una Estrena A Nova York, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

La inauguració de la temporada d’òpera a qualsevol ciutat important sol ser un gran esdeveniment i el Metropolitan Opera de Nova York (MET) no és cap excepció. És, lògicament, una nit de gala i tots els rituals de le grande monde es despleguen amb rigor litúrgic. Hi ha autoritats polítiques, naturalment, però sobretot lluminàries del món de les altes finances, la cultura i la ciència. Hi ha, també, sectors de la societat que no s’ho voldrien perdre per res del món: un petit univers d’estudiants de música tan ambiciosos com pobres i alguns grups com, el col·lectiu LGBTI+, molt discrets …

Shhh-Tereotypes: A Conversation Among Librarians With Hearing Loss, Jill Cirasella, Lee Ann Fullington, Monica Berger, William Gargan

Publications and Research

We are four hard of hearing librarians dependent on hearing aids. Our hearing loss complicates our work, often in ways that are not apparent to colleagues and patrons. In this article, based on our panel at the 2021 LACUNY Institute, we share our experiences, challenges, and self-accommodations, and offer suggestions for supporting and effectively communicating with hard of hearing colleagues.

Intra-Participant And Inter-Analyst Cacophony: Working The Hyphen Between Modalities Using Provocative Reflexivity, David A. Caicedo, Andrea Nikté Juarez Mendoza, Miguel Pinedo

Publications and Research

Multimodal psychological research highlights the benefit of using complementary approaches to the phenomenological study of lived experience. Rather than focus on any individual method, this study attempts to concentrate on the transition, or hyphen, between them, as a place for reflexivity, ethics, and theory. Participants were 14 adults, recruited from ‘New York Community College’ and ‘New Jersey Community College’ in the U.S., who engaged in focus groups where they completed two activities: drawing a map of their personal journey to the college or of their self-identity, and their definitions for the immigration-related terms illegal and undocumented. Results demonstrated that …

How Phantom Networks, Provider Qualities, And Poverty Sway Medicaid Dental Care Access: A Geospatial Analysis Of Manhattan, Destiny Kelley, Shipeng Sun

Publications and Research

Access to general dental care is essential for preventing and treating oral diseases. To ensure adequate spatial accessibility for the most vulnerable populations, New York State mandates a ratio of one general dentist to 2000 Medicaid recipients within 30 min of public transportation. This study employed geospatial methods to determine whether the requirement is met in Manhattan by verifying the online directories of ten New York managed care organizations (MCOs), which collectively presented 868 available dentists from 259 facilities. Our survey of 118 dental facilities representing 509 dentists revealed that significantly fewer dentists are available to treat Medicaid recipients compared …

The Aesthetic Legacy Of Evolution: The History Of The Arts As A Window Into Human Nature, Aaron Kozbelt

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

A Full-Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial Of Adjunct Couples Hiv Testing And Counseling Components Addressing Drug Use And Communication Skills Among Sexual Minority Male Couples, Tyrel J. Starks, Kory D. Kyre, Christine B. Cowles, Juan Castiblanco, Catherine Washington, Jayelin N. Parker, Erin M. Kahle, Rob Stephenson

Publications and Research

Background: The past decade has seen increasing attention directed to the development of HIV prevention interventions for male couples, driven by epidemiological data indicating that main or primary – rather than causal – partnerships account for a substantial number of HIV infections in this population. Couples HIV testing and counseling (CHTC) has emerged as a standard of care in the US. This protocol describes a study that aims to evaluate the efficacy of two adjunct components to CHTC – communication training (CT) videos and a substance use module (SUM) – to reduce drug use and sexual HIV transmission risk …

Guidance For Management Of Free-Roaming Community Cats: A Bioeconomic Analysis, Valeria A. Benka, John D. Boone, Philip S. Miller, Joyce R. Briggs, Aaron M. Anderson, Christopher Slootmaker, Margaret Slater, Julie K. Levy, Felicia B. Nutter, Stephen Zawistowski

Publications and Research

Objectives This study used computer simulation modeling to estimate and compare costs of different free-roaming cat (FRC) management options (lethal and non-lethal removal, trap–neuter–return, combinations of these options and no action) and their ability to reduce FRC population abundance in open demographic settings. The findings provide a resource for selecting management approaches that are well matched for specific communities, goals and timelines, and they represent use of best available science to address FRC issues.

Methods Multiple FRC management approaches were simulated at varying intensities using a stochastic individual- based model in the software package Vortex. Itemized costs were obtained from …

The Nature Of Anti-Asian American Xenophobia During The Coronavirus Pandemic: A Preliminary Exploration Into Envy As A Key Motivator Of Hate, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

Background. The current Coronavirus pandemic has been linked to a dramatic increase in anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate incidents in the United States. At the time of writing, there does not appear to be any published empirical research examining the mechanisms underlying Asiaphobia during the current pandemic. Based on the stereotype content model, we investigated the idea that ambivalent attitudes toward AAPIs, marked primarily with envy, may be contributing to anti-AAPI xenophobia. Methods. Study 1 (N = 140) explored, through a survey, the link between envious stereotypes toward AAPIs and Asiaphobia. Study 2 (N = 167), …

Embracing The Non-Traditional: Incorporating Non-Traditional Elements Into Library Identity, Melissa Fraser-Arnott

Urban Library Journal

A shift in library and librarian identities occurs as libraries and library workers evolve and explore new practices. These changes prompt a discussion of what constitutes “traditional” and “non-traditional” practice in libraries. Identity and gatekeeper theories provide a lens through which the process of introducing and incorporating professional practices in libraries can be understood and offer insights into how ‘non-traditional’ ideas can be incorporated into the concepts of what constitute library collections and services for library workers and other stakeholders. Acceptance of non-traditional practice is aided by three factors. First, library organizational and professional identities must be sufficiently broad to …

Prison Librarianship And Lis Schools: Is There A Career-Path?, Patrick J. Raftery Jr

Urban Library Journal

Library Information Science research has inquired and advocated for prison librarianship since as far back as the 1930s. While most of the articles published focus on the problems facing these institutional libraries, (budgets, censorship, best practices, and standards), very few focus on the preparations LIS schools take to prepare and promote prison librarianship. For many years’ civilians, not professional librarians, operated prison libraries. Although the rise in professional librarians in prison libraries has grown, has the preparation and quality of professionally trained institutional/prison librarians changed? Previous research states LIS schools often overlook or ignore institutional/prison librarianship. This article explores past …

Participatory Budgeting: A Librarian’S Experience, John P. Delooper

Publications and Research

This article discusses one librarian’s experience with the Participatory Budgeting process in New York City. It includes information about how New York’s Participatory Budgeting process works, as well as Participatory Budgeting’s principles, and some discussion of how libraries have utilized PB. In addition, it includes discussion of how librarian skillsets can be especially useful for participatory budgeting.

Impact Of Forensic Medical Evaluations On Immigration Relief Grant Rates And Correlates Of Outcomes In The United States., Holly G. Atkinson, Katarzyna Wyka, Kathryn Hampton, Christian Seno, Elizabeth Yim, Deborah Ottenheimer, Nermeen Arastu

Publications and Research

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of forensic medical evaluations on grant rates for applicants seeking immigration relief in the United States (U.S.) and to identify significant correlates of grant success. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 2584 cases initiated by Physicians for Human Rights between 2008-2018 that included forensic medical evaluations, and found that 81.6% of applicants for various forms of immigration relief were granted relief, as compared to the national asylum grant rate of 42.4%. Among the study’s cohort, the majority (73.7%) of positive outcomes were grants of asylum. A multivariable regression analysis revealed …

An Examination Of Coping Strategies And Intent To Leave Child Welfare During The Covid 19 Pandemic, Francie J. Julien‑Chinn, Colleen C. Katz, Eden Wall

Publications and Research

Child welfare work is inherently difficult, and child welfare agencies are known to experience high rates of turnover. We sought to expand the existing literature on intention to leave one’s child welfare agency and commitment to child welfare work through examining the coping mechanisms of frontline workers. Having and utilizing healthy coping mechanisms has proved beneficial to child welfare workers in previous research. In this paper, we examine specific coping mechanisms identifed in the Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment and how they were associated with child welfare workers’ intent to leave their agency and their commitment to remain in the field …

A New Morning In Higher Education Collective Bargaining, 2013-2019, William A. Herbert

Publications and Research

This book chapter appears in Julius, D. J. (ed.), Collective Bargaining in Higher Education: Best Practices for Promoting Collaboration, Equity, and Measurable Outcomes (Routledge, New York and London). The chapter analyzes and contextualizes data concerning the growth in unionization and collective bargaining involving faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate assistants from 2013 to 2019, the period between the economic fallout from the Great Recession and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. It discusses the democratic values underlying collective bargaining and the historical and legal development of unionization at public and private institutions over the decades. It identifies three significant new trends …

Resilience And Urban Regeneration Policies. Lessons From Community-Led Initiatives. The Case Study Of Canfugarolas In Mataro (Barcelona), Diego Saez Ujaque, Elisabet Roca, Rafael De Balanzó Joue, Pere Fuertes, Pilar Garcia-Almirall

Publications and Research

This paper addresses socio-ecological, community-led resilience as the ability of the urban system to progress and adapt. This is based on the socio-cultural, self-organized case study of CanFugarolas in Mataró (Barcelona), for the recovery of a derelict industrial building and given the lack of attention to resilience emerging from grassroots. Facing rigidities (stagnation) observed under the provisions of urban regeneration policies (regulatory realm), evidenced in the proliferation of urban voids (infrastructural arena), the social subsystem stands as the enabler of urban progression. Under the heuristics of the Adaptive Cycle and Panarchy, the study embraces Fath’s model to analyze the transition …

Psychosocial Factors Associated With Mask-Wearing Behavior During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cliff (Yung-Chi) Chen, Mengjia Lei

Publications and Research

Although increasing evidence has supported the efficacy of masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), inconsistent and noncompliant mask-wearing behavior has been observed among members of the society. Because mask-wearing is often considered a social contract, it is important to understand the psychosocial factors that influence people’s mask-wearing behavior in order to implement the necessary steps to respond to the pandemic. Based on the protection motivation theory (PMT), this study examined the cognitive factors (threat and coping appraisals) that contribute to mask-wearing behavior and the intention to engage in health protective behavior until the end of the pandemic. …

Adverse Childhood Experiences Distinguish Violent Juvenile Sexual Offenders’ Victim Typologies, Michael T. Baglivio, Kevin T. Wolff

Publications and Research

Juvenile perpetrators account for over 25% of all sexual offenses, and over one-third of such offenses are against victims under the age of 18. Given empirical connections between adverse childhood experience (ACE) exposure and perpetration of violence, we create victim typologies based on the juveniles’ relationship to their victims among 5539 justice-involved adolescents who have committed violent against-person sexual felonies. Multinomial logistic regression is used to assess which covariates, including individual ACE exposures and cumulative traumatic exposures, are associated with victim typologies. This approach allows for better targeting of violence prevention efforts, as a more nuanced understanding of the increased …

Identity Selection And The Social Construction Of Birthdays, Brett W. Pelham, Tracy Dehart, Mitsuru Shimizu, Curtis D. Hardin, H. Anna Han, William Von Hippel

Publications and Research

We argue that rather than being a wholly random event, birthdays are sometimes selected by parents. We further argue that such effects have changed over time and are the result of important psychological processes. Long ago, U.S. American parents greatly overclaimed holidays as their children’s birthdays. These effects were larger for more important holidays, and they grew smaller as births moved to hospitals and became officially documented. These effects were exaggerated for ethnic groups that deeply valued specific holidays. Parents also overclaimed well-liked calendar days and avoided disliked calendar days as their children’s birthdays. However, after birthday selection effects virtually …

Shooting Trends Vary Across Areas Of New York City, Jeffrey A. Butts, Richard A. Espinobarros

Publications and Research

Recent reports point to slight reductions in New York City’s recent surge of shooting incidents. The number of shooting incidents was higher in 2020 and 2021 than in 2019, but the rate of increase appeared to be slowing. The degree of change varied across areas of the city.

Shhh-Tereotypes: A Conversation Among Librarians With Hearing Loss, Jill Cirasella, Lee Ann Fullington, Monica Berger, William Gargan

Urban Library Journal

We are four hard of hearing librarians dependent on hearing aids. Our hearing loss complicates our work, often in ways that are not apparent to colleagues and patrons. In this article, based on our panel at the 2021 LACUNY Institute, we share our experiences, challenges, and self-accommodations, and offer suggestions for supporting and effectively communicating with hard of hearing colleagues.

Communication During A Crisis: Keeping Our Patrons Informed During The Covid-19 Pandemic, John P. Delooper, Michelle Ehrenpreis

Urban Library Journal

This article discusses the Leonard Lief Library’s communications strategy to keep its patrons informed during the COVID-19 crisis. The Leonard Lief Library at Lehman College (CUNY) made use of its website, social media, and research guides to effectively convey timely information about service changes, library resources, and to improve outreach activities to our patron community while the library’s physical building was closed to its students, faculty, and staff.

Graduate Student Employee Unionization In The Second Gilded Age, William A. Herbert, Joseph Van Der Naald

Publications and Research

In debates on the future of work, a common theme has been how work became
less secure through the denial of employee status. Though much of the attention
has focused on other industries, precarity has also affected those working in
higher education, including graduate student employees, contributing to what is
now called the “gig academy.” While universities have reassigned teaching and
research to graduate assistants, they have also refused to recognize them as
employees. Nevertheless, unionization has grown considerably since 2012, most
significantly at private institutions. Utilizing a unique dataset, this chapter
demonstrates that between 2012 and 2019, graduate student …

Tectonic And Geotechnical Review Of Bengal Basin For Seismic Risk Assessment In Bangladesh, Mir Fazlul Karim, Jnana Ranjan Kayal, Daya Shanker, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Arif M. Sikder, M Zillur Rahman, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan

Publications and Research

Four major geotectonic provinces of the basin are recognized: 1) the continental slope to the west of the Hinge Zone, 2) the stable shelf, 3) the deep central trough (Sylhet-Hatiya) and 4) the Chittagong-Tripura fold belt to the east. The ~300 km long Dauki Fault demarcates the elevated Shillong Plateau, part of the Indian Shield to the north and the deep basin to the south. The basin experienced three strong to major intraplate earthquakes: a) 1885 Bengal earthquake (rev. Mw 6.8) close to the Hinge Zone, b) 1918 Srimangal earthquake (rev. Mw 7.1) on the Sylhet (trough) fault and c) …

Ecological Selectivity And The Evolution Of Mammalian Substrate Preference Across The K–Pg Boundary, Jonathan J. Hughes, Jacob S. Berv, Stephen G. B. Chester, Eric J. Sargis, Daniel J. Field

Publications and Research

The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) mass extinction 66 million years ago was characterized by a worldwide ecological catastrophe and rapid species turnover. Large-scale devastation of forested environments resulting from the Chicxulub asteroid impact likely influenced the evolutionary trajectories of multiple clades in terrestrial environments, and it has been hypothesized to have biased survivorship in favour of nonarboreal lineages across the K–Pg boundary. Here, we evaluate patterns of substrate preferences across the K–Pg boundary among crown group mammals, a group that underwent rapid diversification following the mass extinction. Using Bayesian, likelihood, and parsimony reconstructions, we identify patterns of mammalian ecological selectivity that are …

Partisanship And The Politics Of Covid Vaccine Hesitancy, David Jones, Monika L. Mcdermott

Publications and Research

Has partisan polarization reached the stage that it now affects Americans’ decisions whether or not to get vaccinated against a pervasive and deadly virus such as COVID-19? To date, the evidence has largely been hypothetical—collected before the vaccine was widely available—superficial, or contradictory. Using two original surveys conducted at two different time periods after vaccines became available, this study represents one of the first efforts to systematically analyze the role of party affiliation in predicting vaccine hesitancy. We find that even after controlling for a host of demographic and attitudinal variables, Republicans are significantly less likely—and Democrats more likely—to be …