University at Albany, State University of New York
University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY): Scholars ArchiveNot a member yet
6197 research outputs found
Sort by
Intergenerational Transmission Of Gendered Cultural Traditions And Environmental Stewardship Values Among Adirondack Hunters
Get PDFHunting is not simply a sport, but rather a culture that connects practitioners to each other, to the natural environment, and to those who have come before them and will continue the tradition long after they are gone. As a culture intertwined with the environment in which practices and traditions take place, hunting can act as a mechanism for both environmental conservation efforts and the performance of a particular type of ethics. This dissertation explores how hunting values and traditions are transmitted to new, more diverse generations of hunters, how hunters forge and maintain connections through hunting, and how hunting traditions reflect and reinforce environmental values. Through a combination of in-depth interviews with 42 Adirondack hunters and eight hours of participant observation, I examined the processes through which hunters invoke environmental stewardship, sportsmanship, and intergenerational ties as cultural values within the Adirondack community. Drawing on previous literature, I identified a new “interrupted pathway” to hunting involvement that bridges the existing traditional and nontraditional pathways, and uncovered a shift in moral codes from perpetuating ideals of masculinity to upholding values of ethics and environmental stewardship
Community perceptions of therapist support after media coverage of anti-Black violence
Get PDFViewing media coverage of violent acts committed against Black individuals (i.e., police violence and other racially motivated violence) can lead to distressing mental health impacts including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. While several cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based therapy techniques may help therapists to support Black clients in these moments, little is known about how these interventions are perceived by prospective therapy clients. Acceptability of these interventions may also differ by therapist race, and Black individuals of differing identities and with life experiences may hold different views. This therapy analogue study included N = 179 Black adult participants recruited in the Albany, NY area and through social media who completed an online survey. Participants were randomized to view one of four videos of a simulated therapist-client interaction: a White therapist using cognitive restructuring (n = 40), a White therapist using value-guided action (n = 45), a Black therapist using cognitive restructuring (n = 36), or a Black therapist using value-guided action (n = 51). Participants provided ratings of their perceptions of the therapist, the therapist’s credibility, and expectancies for therapy. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no significant between-group differences between therapist race and intervention conditions on these dimensions. However, some participant characteristics including age, racial identity centrality and public regard, and exposure to media coverage were associated with differing perceptions of the therapist. Among participants for whom media coverage of anti-Black violence was a more salient issue, the White therapist was perceived more positively in the cognitive restructuring condition than the values condition. These results suggest that culturally responsive cognitive restructuring, as well as value-guided action, can be effective interventions for patients coping with racial trauma symptoms after viewing anti-Black violence media coverage
Novel Applications Of Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy For Drug Discovery, Mrna Vaccine Stability Assessment, And Forensic Purposes
Get PDFThe main focus of this dissertation was to apply enhanced Raman spectroscopy techniques to a variety of applications, ranging from drug discovery, mRNA vaccine stability, to forensic analysis. There are five chapters in this dissertation. The first chapter discusses the basics of enhanced Raman spectroscopy techniques and their relevance. The second chapter is focused on the use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for drug discovery. The third chapter introduces the use of deep ultraviolet resonance Raman (DUVRR) spectroscopy for the detection of mRNA degradation in a mRNA vaccine model. The fourth chapter introduces the use of stand-off Raman spectroscopy in addition to chemometrics for the detection and identification of body fluid traces. The final chapter presents an overview of the conclusions drawn from this dissertation
Senses of finiteness: a sketch
Get PDFFamiliar properties such as group generation and presentation share certain topological features, allowing one to define many grades of group finiteness. They might also be finite in stronger or weaker senses. Groups finite in some grade might not be in others, and one can yield groups which match a given finiteness profile; Morse functions can operate on simplicial complexes and other elementary structures to indicate, through a series of isomorphisms, how to discover restrictedly finite groups
Maternal exposure of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during pregnancy and wheeze in children : the Upstate KIDS study
Get PDFBackground: Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a group of persistent environmental chemicals with endocrine disrupting abilities, has been associated with immunomodulation and may contribute to the etiology of asthma in young children. The need for research and additional prospective analysis clearly exists to measure the impact of the chemicals (PFAS) on child wheeze or asthma. We used newborn dried blood spots to quantify two PFAS and their associations with infant wheeze in the Upstate KIDS population.Methods: We measured, perfluoro octane - sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in 2071 singleton and 1040 twin infants born to mothers in New York State (excluding New York City). Infant’s wheeze was reported by questionnaire every 4–6 months until 3 years of age. To examine the associations between chemicals and Infant’s wheeze we performed Generalized estimating equations with robust standard errors to account for the lack of independence given the inclusion of twins. All the models were adjusted for breast feeding, parity, and smoking in pregnancy identified by directed acyclic graph. Results: All the chemicals were quantified above the limits of detection (\u3e 99%) and log transformed. 28% answered yes to wheeze in single or multiple reports. Overall, we observed no significant associations between PFASs and reported wheeze in infants (RR \u3c 1). Also, no association was observed while investigating interaction of the chemicals with breast feeding. Conclusions: Our findings suggest there is no association between PFAS concentrations and infant wheeze. Our findings support the value of using DBSs for the quantification of neonatal exposure. More studies are warranted following the direct exposure measurement using DBSs in diverse populations
Scenario Planning In A Post-Pandemic World: Karner Blue Butterfly And The Albany Pine Bush
Get PDFThis study outlines four future scenarios for the Karner blue butterfly and the Albany PineBush in a post-pandemic world. Management changes and modifications are becoming more necessary due to the changing climate conditions and habitat loss. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed certain conditions that affect the Karner blue butterfly and its habitats, such as noise and air pollution, increased outdoor recreation, and pausing development along the pine bush borders. A scenario planning model was used to better understand how policy and lockdown restrictions being lifted will affect the Karner blue butterfly population after the Albany Pine Bush surveyed a record-high population number of 46,100 individual butterflies in 2020. The analysis of the four scenarios showed that, regardless of policy stance, limiting noise and air pollution through vehicular traffic-reducing measures is essential to maintain the record-high Karner blue butterfly population. Other important variables include managing the amount of private development around the pine bush and continuing to maintain and expand environmental buffers. These findings indicate the need for local policy to strictly maintain the prioritization of the endangered butterfly and the sensitive environment of the Albany Pine Bush to the benefit of the surrounding communities
The identification of new directions for the research of ADHD
Get PDFADHD is a disease commonly associated with childhood; however, recently adult cases of ADHD have been on the rise. The cause of ADHD is not yet known but can be treated. The issue with the treatment of ADHD is the use of heavily restricted stimulants. The use of these medications carry many health risks, most notability addiction. ADHD also has many co-morbidities like anxiety and autism. This makes ADHD a complex disorder, making the identification of a cause difficult. However, by identifying how drugs used to treat ADHD work, combined with genetic testing, areas of interest start to appear. An already studied system with ADHD in mind is the dopamine neurotransmitter system. ADHD has lower levels of dopamine. The drugs typically used to treat ADHD work by increasing the amount of dopamine in the brain through various methods. The dopamine system also interacts with other neurotransmitter systems like norepinephrine and serotonin, all of which regulate each other. A likely cause of the symptoms of ADHD is the result of a signaling cascade that is continuously active. Without the presence of dopamine, the signal cannot be turned off resulting in a period of extended abnormal expression. Along with this, ADHD may also stem from an abnormality in the structure of the brain which arises from genetic disorders or brain injury. This makes ADHD a symptom of the disease, but it may also cause other diseases. ADHD affects the ability to focus, which in education will lead to poor grades and social isolation. This may lead to disorders like anxiety and depression, making the identification of ADHD a high priority that will have major societal improvements. Currently, ADHD cannot be detected by a test. However, by using biomarkers and brain scans, ADHD can be identified. The reliable identification of ADHD will allow for proper understanding and improved outcomes for those who have it
“That Danger Shall Seem Sport”: Shakespearean Romantic Comedy For A Postfeminist Era
Get PDFIn the era of the filmic romantic comedy, film adaptations of William Shakespeare’s comedies provide a unique avenue to explore the precedence Shakespeare has set for social challenge. Not only do these films attempt to integrate Shakespeare’s gendered themes into the current culture, but the filmmakers craft narratives based on elements they see as worthy of preserving. Utilizing postfeminist theory, I explore how these films discuss and challenge predominant notions of gender and sexuality and the role of romance in the lives of women. In looking at film adaptations of Twelfth Night and The Taming of the Shrew, I find that while issues of gender and sexuality are retained from Shakespeare’s plays, they are nevertheless constrained by the market imperatives and dominant ideologies that dissuade challenge to these structures. These restrictions demonstrate both the female complacency that the filmic romantic comedy facilitates and the need for comedy that challenges hegemonic perceptions of gender and sexuality as Shakespeare’s plays did in their time
Age-of-acquisition (AoA) impacts spelling error detection : evidence from an online proofreading task
Get PDFDuring reading, words are processed faster if they are rated as being acquired early in life compared to later in life (i.e., age of acquisition effects; AoA). Given that the task demands for proofreading differ from reading, we investigated if AoA effects extend to an online proofreading task. Specifically, early- and late-acquired target words were embedded in sentence frames after being matched for a variety of potentially confounding variables, including word frequency, length, imageability, OLD-20, and familiarity (using the stimulus set from Juhasz & Sheridan, 2020). The participants rapidly proofread these sentences for spelling errors, and our results showed that they detected spelling errors in early-acquired words more frequently than in late-acquired words. This advantage in proofreading performance for early-acquired words demonstrates that AoA effects, which have been extensively documented in reading tasks, can also extend to proofreading. We discuss the implications of our results for theories of AoA effects
New York State Birth Through Five (NYSB5) Preschool Development Grant Needs Assessment Update Report: Kindergarten Transitions (2023)
Get PDFThis report will review current kindergarten transition activities in New York State in terms of best practices, examine the impact of NYSB5 deliverables on these activities, and pinpoint what remains to be done to ensure successful transitions to kindergarten for all children in NYS. This goal is accomplished by incorporating data gathered from the Kindergarten Transition Summits, surveys of Kindergarten Transition seed money recipients, focus groups with parents of children entering or already in kindergarten, and interviews with school administrators and program providers who have implemented new ideas/practices or augmented existing practices with Kindergarten Transition Seed Money