University at Albany, State University of New York
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Using Wearable Sensors for Gait Analysis: Measurement Accuracy for Linear Measurements
Get PDFMeasurement and analysis of human movement are necessary in a broad range of clinical, sports performance, and artistic applications. Historically, motion data were typically collected using optical motion capture systems. However, these systems are expensive and can only be used in lab spaces, which limits the range and speeds of human behavior. More recently, inexpensive, wearable sensors called Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) have enabled motion measurement in natural settings, but these systems require validation before use. In this study, we evaluate measurement accuracy for linear displacements obtained using Sparkfun OpenLog Artemis IMUs. We conducted a series of tests, moving the sensor along predetermined distances in different directions and evaluating its ability to capture displacement accurately. IMU data were processed using custom MATLAB algorithms to calibrate, filter, and double-integrate acceleration data to obtain recorded linear displacements in all three planes of motion (e.g., x, y, and z axes). Our results indicated that the IMUs could not accurately measure linear displacements, with average measurement errors ranging from 22.5% to 83.7%. We also found that the degree of measurement error differed based on the direction of measurement for this device. These results indicate that additional calibration steps should be pursued before using these devices for clinical distance measurement. In the future, we will incorporate an assessment of device accuracy to operating temperature and sensitivity settings, as well as inter-device error variation. This research is part of a larger series of IMU validation experiments that, if successful, will enable inexpensive IMU-based measurement of human motion with a broad range of applications
Development and Characterization of ASO-based Ribonuclease Targeting Chimera for the Degradation of CUG RNA Repeat Expansion in Myotonic Dystrophy Type
Get PDFMyotonic Dystrophy Type 1 is a multisystemic genetic disorder that primarily affects the muscles in the body leading to such pathologies as myotonia, muscle atrophy, insulin resistance and even neurological deficits. This disorder is caused by a series of CUG repeats in the 3’ untranslated region of the DMPK gene; symptoms appear after around 34 repeats. These repeats form foci when MBNL1 protein that deals with alternative splicing of many events in the body, forms aggregations around these repeats. These foci render the MBNL 1 proteins useless. There is no FDA approved therapeutic, but many RNA targeting therapeutics have been explored as treatment. This paper focuses on a novel therapeutic method called ModRTAC. ModRTAC drew inspiration for the original RiboTAC design which uses RNAseL to degrade RNA targets. After treating a HeLa CTG 480 model meant to model DM1 with ModRTAC, there was a rescue of key splicing events and reduction of RNA foci. The positive results in this paper show a promising future for treatment of other satellite repeat diseases
Actitudes Lingüísticas Hacia el Español en los Entornos Médicos del Estado de Nueva York
No full textIn sociolinguistics, language attitudes refer to perceptions, opinions, or beliefs about a language or language variety and its speakers. These attitudes often reflect and reinforce ideologies that favor a dominant or standard language while stigmatizing minority or non-standard languages. New York State is a uniquely multilingual region encompassing both highly urban and rural areas. Its cultural and linguistic composition has been changing rapidly, including a growing Spanish-speaking population. Despite this shift, a gap exists in research on language attitudes toward Spanish-speaking individuals in New York’s healthcare settings. Healthcare is not a universal experience, and previous studies have shown that unaddressed linguistic and cultural barriers can lead to poorer patient outcomes. To assess the current landscape of linguistic attitudes in New York’s medical environments, an anonymous survey was distributed to individuals who have received healthcare in the state while using Spanish. The survey, offered in both English and Spanish, was disseminated on the social media platform Reddit. Demographic information such as age, gender, language proficiency, and geographic area was collected. Language attitude data was gathered using a Likert scale to evaluate positive and negative statements, while significant experiences were recorded through open-ended responses. Results show that age, gender, and area of residence significantly affected language attitudes, while birth nation and area of residence influenced statement negativity. Both perceived and internal language attitudes trended negative in these populations. This study aims to prompt further investigation into the real experiences of patients and encourage the development of measures to address identified issue
“History Is within and around Us:” High School Students Actively Engage the Past in New York City
Get PDFBackground/Context: Research on history education in the United States context has focused narrowly on history as a cognitive practice. This body of research assumes that it is difficult for students to “think like historians” (Wineburg, 1999) and is largely focused on advancing a discrete set of historical thinking skills through curricular interventions. Largely ignored in this discourse are the ways in which students engage with the past in out-of-school contexts.
Purpose/Objective: This study examines students’ engagements with history in out-of-school contexts. It is my hope that better understanding and describing how students experience history outside of school spaces will suggest pathways toward more relevant and engaging models for classroom history instruction
Research Design: This research drew upon principles of practitioner research and used qualitative case study methodology. The case was a small group of secondary school students from two different schools, engaging in four different history experiences throughout New York City.
Conclusions: Findings suggest that students are well positioned to engage with the past on substantive levels in non-academic contexts. Students engaged multiple epistemologies, using imagination as well as reason to come to know in history. Space, place, and material culture supported students’ ability to imagine and access the past, as did examining history at a smaller scale. Students came to appreciate the contingency and subjectivity inherent in the process of making history. Ultimately, students adopted a transformative view of the discipline, sensing their power to change the future through their engagement with the past
Theoretical Foundations and Applied Performance of Periodicity-Aware Imputation: Variable Bandpass Block Bootstrap Methods for Incomplete Time Series
No full textTime series data are prevalent across a wide range of disciplines, including health surveillance, public policy, and environmental monitoring. In the presence of underlying cyclical patterns, the integrity of time series analysis depends critically on the ability to detect, model, and impute structured missing data without compromising the temporal structure. This dissertation introduces and validates a novel imputation framework that integrates the Variable Bandpass Periodic Block Bootstrap (VBPBB) into multiple imputation procedures, improving the accuracy, robustness, and interpretability of time series models under high rates of missingness and noise. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to develop and evaluate a periodicity-aware, structure-preserving methodology for time series imputation, and to demonstrate its practical utility through rigorous simulation studies and applications to real-world healthcare data. This purpose was operationalized through three interrelated objectives.
The first objective was to detect and quantify dominant periodic components in time series using VBPBB. This method builds on traditional block bootstrap techniques by filtering time series data through bandpass filters centered on specific frequencies, thereby isolating annual and harmonic components. Using New York State COVID-19 hospitalization data, this study demonstrated the superior capacity of VBPBB to generate narrow confidence intervals for periodic means, outperforming standard techniques and uncovering multiple significant harmonics of the annual cycle. The method provided strong evidence for stable, recurring seasonal components that traditional bootstrap approaches failed to detect, thus underscoring the relevance of advanced spectral techniques for healthcare data with latent seasonality.
The second objective was to incorporate these extracted periodic signals into a structure-aware imputation framework. By embedding the VBPBB-derived periodic covariates into the Amelia II multiple imputation engine, the framework preserved frequency-specific structure during the imputation process. Comparative simulations revealed that this VBPBB-enhanced imputation strategy consistently outperformed standard methods in both low- and high-noise environments, and across varying levels of missing data (5%–70%). Notably, the gains in performance were most pronounced under severe data loss and in the presence of complex, multicomponent signals. These findings validate the approach’s utility in contexts where both data completeness and structural fidelity are essential, such as pandemic surveillance and hospital capacity forecasting.
The third objective extended this evaluation by systematically simulating time series under three levels of signal complexity: annual only, annual with harmonics, and annual with harmonics plus monthly components, and applying both standard and VBPBB-enhanced imputation methods. Each scenario was tested across multiple levels of noise variance and missingness. Performance was measured using Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE), revealing that the VBPBB-based framework preserved both the mean and variance of the original signal more effectively than conventional approaches. In the most challenging conditions, 70% missingness with very high noise, VBPBB-based imputation maintained structural coherence and reduced error by up to 25% compared to standard models.
This dissertation also introduced several innovations with broad utility: a simulation-based protocol for validating time series imputation methods; a reproducible workflow for extracting significant periodic components using the KZFT and VBPBB methods; and a principled approach for integrating spectral information into time-domain imputation models. In practical terms, these tools offer a blueprint for improving data quality in healthcare systems where accurate monitoring and forecasting depend on structurally complete data. The tools and methods developed here are broadly applicable to public health, climate science, energy consumption forecasting, and other fields where periodic signals coexist with nonresponse or incomplete reporting.
The findings of this dissertation demonstrate that meaningful periodic structure in time series data can and should be leveraged to improve the quality of imputation and analysis. The integration of VBPBB with multiple imputation models not only enhances statistical validity but also strengthens the interpretability and operational utility of results. Future research should focus on extending this framework to multivariate settings, incorporating adaptive smoothing techniques, and embedding it within public health data pipelines for real-time applications. In doing so, this work lays the foundation for a new generation of imputation methods grounded in spectral awareness and methodological rigor
Photoswitchable Inhibitors of EAAT3
No full textAzobenzene is a photoswitchable molecule known for its high conversion yield and repeatability. The inclusion of an azobenzene moiety with a known inhibitor of your target of interest allows for greater study of function as well as potential therapies. Three derivatives were designed from azobenzene and known inhibitor of EAATs, TBOA, to synthesize photoswitchable inhibitors of EAATs. Further investigation into the function of EAATs and development of a specific inhibitor for EAAT3, an important glutamate transporter in the brain required for proper function, can then be conducted. Photoisomerization studies on the derivatives were conducted using UV/vis spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy. Two of the synthesized derivatives were successful in their photoisomerization using 365 nm and 455 nm light, while the derivative with a stronger electron donating group at the para position of the azobenzene was unable to isomerize using UV or visible light. These findings can be used to influence the design of more photoswitchable inhibitors as well as study the function of glutamate transporter EAAT3
Incivility and Injustice: Perceived Racial Discriminatory Intent and Negative Affect as a Function of Job Embeddedness
No full textReactions of employees of color to workplace incivility—a low-intensity deviant behavior characterized by ambiguous intent to harm—are critical to understanding the experiences of a diverse workforce. The extent to which employees of color evaluate such ambiguous behavior as unjust warrants further investigation. I propose two explanatory pathways, cognitive and affective, through which incivility may foster perceptions of injustice. Within the cognitive pathway, I examined whether attributing racial discriminatory intent to incivility operates as an explanatory mechanism underlying injustice perceptions. Within the affective pathway, I investigated whether state negative affect contributes to the formation of injustice perceptions following experiences of incivility. In addition, I assessed whether job embeddedness, defined as the extent to which individuals feel stuck in their jobs, influences these pathways. Finally, I evaluated whether perceptions of injustice are associated with reduced job satisfaction. These hypotheses were tested in a sample of 93 full-time employees of color recruited through Prolific who completed six surveys over 10 workdays in a diary study. Using both path analysis modeling in R and PROCESS models in SPSS, results indicated that incivility could heighten perceptions of injustice when interpreted as racially discriminatory, thereby advancing understanding of the mechanisms through which incivility affects employees at work. Additional findings and their implications are discussed
Development of Novel Small Molecule Therapeutics for Myotonic Dystrophy
No full textMyotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1) results from expanded CUG repeat RNA that sequesters MBNL proteins and disrupts alternative splicing. Small molecules that bind toxic repeat RNA and release MBNL proteins represent a promising therapeutic strategy. This thesis examines newly synthesized modified polycyclic compounds (MPCs) engineered to target CUG RNA with enhanced specificity and efficacy. Through Suzuki–Miyaura coupling and benzoquinone-mediated cyclization, MPC03 was synthesized and characterized by NMR and LC–MS. The biological activity of these compounds was assessed in DM1 patient-derived myotubes and fibroblasts. MPC03 consistently produced dose-dependent rescue of multiple MBNL-regulated exons, restoring splicing patterns toward those observed in healthy controls. These findings highlight the importance of specific structural features in facilitating effective RNA binding and functional correction. The results identify MPC03-like scaffolds as promising leads for RNA-targeted therapeutics and inform further optimization of small-molecule approaches for DM1 treatment
Instructional Design to Promote Formulaic Language for English-as-a-Foreign-Language Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence
No full textIntercultural communicative competence (ICC) has long been acknowledged to develop not only knowledge of cultural frameworks and attitudes but also the ability to mobilize appropriate linguistic resources in authentic intercultural encounters (Byram, 1997; Deardorff, 2006). Although ICC has long been recognized as a key outcome of language education, most ICC research has emphasized broad cultural awareness and general communicative strategies rather than the role of language form itself in ICC development. Within this realm, formulaic language (FL), comprising idiomatic expressions, collocations, and culturally embedded routines, has been increasingly acknowledged as central to pragmatic competence and intercultural interaction (Wray, 2002; Bardovi-Harlig, 2009). This feature of FL suggests that explicit FL instruction can be posited as a potential pathway to foster ICC by enabling learners to both recognize and enact culturally embedded ways of speaking. This theoretical alignment provides the foundation for investigating how FL-focused pedagogy can serve as a bridge between linguistic proficiency and ICC in English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) education. However, little is known about how explicit instruction in FL can systematically foster ICC, especially in contexts where intercultural encounters are limited, such as Vietnamese higher education.
In recognition of this gap, the current study is set out to investigate the impact of FL-focused instructional design on the development of ICC in Vietnamese EFL contexts. On the sample of 60 non-English major students from two Vietnamese universities, the study employed a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design, involving a control group and an experimental group in the pre-test-intervention-post-test paradigm. Data sources included Nguyen et al.’s (2013) FL assessment and Ang et al.’s (2007) Cultural Intelligence Scale administered in the pre- and post-tests to both groups as well as reflective journals and semi-structured interviews conducted with the experimental group. Qualitative data from reflective journals revealed that students engaged meaningfully with culturally embedded expressions, demonstrating the ability to interpret FL through their own cultural perspectives, emotionally connect with differing cultural values, and critically reflect on intercultural differences. Semi-structured interview responses further indicated that FL-oriented instruction fostered students’ perceived growth of ICC by promoting openness to various cultures, ethical reflection, and contextualized cultural understanding, even within monocultural Vietnamese classrooms. Students were also found to develop heightened sensitivity to various cultural nuances and greater self-awareness in navigating intercultural interactions. Quantitative findings complemented this perspective, showing that FL instruction significantly enhanced students’ FL knowledge and contributed to measurable gains in intercultural attitudes and knowledge. Regression analyses confirmed that FL knowledge positively predicted these two ICC components. Together, the findings underscore the pedagogical value of embedding FL instruction into EFL curricula to promote both language proficiency and ICC. The study offers original contributions to research on ICC in EFL contexts by evidencing the integrative potential of FL in fostering ICC development