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From Beach to Basin: Assessing the Spatio-temporal Distribution of Microplastics in Lake Champlain
No full textMicroplastics are of increasing concern in our natural environment, with plastic production
increasing at an annual rate of 8.4% (1950-2015). Once plastic is discarded, it fragments and travels via pathways as particulate macro and microplastic (<5mm). Pre-production pellets are a type of microplastic used in mass-production that are transported via roadways, railways, manufacturing outflows, and sewers, risking pollution within waterways and along shoreline beaches. The focus of my research is to investigate the potential pollution pathways and the spatio-temporal distribution of pre-production pellets in Lake Champlain. Beginning in summer 2024, we commenced wrack line surveys along six New York beaches, including Point Au Roche State Park, Plattsburgh City Beach, Ausable Point, Port Douglas, Port Kent, and the Boquet. Additionally, we sampled five local tributaries including the Little Chazy, Great Chazy, Saranac, Ausable, and Boquet using neuston net tows, followed by sample wet peroxide oxidation. Finally, we continue to explore historical whole lake samples, collected for the Long-term Monitoring Program (LTM), archived at the Lake Champlain Research Institute (1992-2024). Preliminary findings show few pre-production microplastics on the wrack line of these beaches. Some evidence of pre-production pellet accumulation was observed at Plattsburgh City Beach and Ausable Point, with higher abundances closer to dunes. Early tributary sampling shows minimal evidence of them being a major pathway of industrial pellet pollution in Lake Champlain. Preliminary data from Lake Champlain samples suggests that pre-production plastics are found throughout the lake system. Our study will focus on identifying the timing and distribution of these plastics in the Lake Champlain Basin and their possible sources. By identifying potential microplastic pathways and distribution throughout the lake, we can better
inform manufacturers and future infrastructure projects to reduce the threat of pre-production plastic in Lake Champlain.NASUNY PlattsburghCenter for Earth & Environmental ScienceN/ABegum, NurjahanStumpf, AndreaDegrenier, ArdenJefferson, Ann
Promoting Parental Engagement Amongst ELLs
No full textThis capstone aims to explore how teachers can create a warm and welcoming environment that encourages parental engagement. Research shows that parental involvement is a key aspect to student success. Parents of ELLs often face many challenges such as language barriers, lack of communication, and an overall lack of resources. Educators can provide the assistance needed to ensure parents feel welcomed, and supported in ways that cultivate collaboration. Teachers can shift their mindset by including parents into the classroom to join in on student learning. Teachers can also aid in providing the resources parents may need to become actively engaged. This capstone contains a professional development (PD) which informs educators and parents of the importance of student engagement and provides strategies for both parties for fostering meaningful communication and support. Furthermore, the PD features resources that parents can utilize to aid in any barriers that have that would prevent them from engagement. The end result of the PD is to encourage educators and parents to work together to support student learning. The search in this capstone shows that ELLs make great strides in learning when teachers and parents are teammates not opponents. This capstone also discusses the positive effects on parent-teacher relationships when communication is a two way road. Additionally, more research is needed on how parental engagement effects ELLs emotionally and socially.AMSUNY BrockportDepartment of Education and Human DevelopmentMSMazurett-Boyle, Ros
Diabetes and Hypertension Risk Across Acculturation and Education Levels in Hispanic/Latino Adults
Get PDFImportance: Acculturation among Hispanic/Latino populations, defined as adaptation to US lifestyle and culture, is often assumed to lead to adverse health outcomes that will reduce the immigrant health advantage.
Objective: To evaluate the risks for incident diabetes and hypertension by levels of acculturation and educational attainment.
Design, setting, and participants: This study used data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, a population-based cohort study of men and women aged 18 to 74 years who identified as Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or South American living in 4 urban locales in the US. Visit 1 spanned March 2008 to June 2011; visit 2 spanned October 2014 to December 2017.
Main outcomes and measures: Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between language acculturation level defined by the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH) and educational attainment (less than high school graduate vs more than high school) and incident diabetes and hypertension by heritage group.
Results: Of 11 623 adult participants, 1207 (10.4%) were of Central American heritage, 1645 (14.2%) of Cuban heritage, 1021 (8.8%) of Dominican heritage, 11 623 (41.3%) of Mexican heritage, 1801 (15.5%) of Puerto Rican heritage, and 795 (6.8%) of South American heritage. The mean (SE) age of all participants was 43.1 (0.3) years, and 7345 (56.3%) were female. A total of 8697 (71.4%) were born outside the US, 4358 (32.5%) had less than a high school education, and 7475 (58.3%) were less acculturated (SASH score less than 2). Incident rates of diabetes (total cohort, 14.6% [95% CI, 13.6%-15.6%]) and hypertension (total cohort, 20.4% [95% CI, 19.0%-21.9%]) varied across heritages; Mexican individuals (17.2% [95% CI, 15.5%-19.0%]) had the highest diabetes incidence and Dominican individuals the highest hypertension incidence (27.1% [95% CI, 22.7%-31.4%]). Persons with more educational attainment were at lower risk for diabetes and hypertension independent of acculturation, and more acculturated participants had a lower risk for incident diabetes. Less acculturated with lower socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to have incident diabetes (weighted predicted probability [WPP], 0.17 [95% CI, 0.14-0.19]), and more acculturated with lower SES had the highest predicted probability of hypertension (WPP, 0.19 [95% CI, 0.15-0.23]). More acculturated with higher SES were at lower risk of diabetes (WPP, 0.11 [95% CI, 0.09-0.13]) and had a lower predicted probability of hypertension (WPP, 0.10 [95% CI, 0.08-0.12]).
Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study, the association of acculturation with health outcomes is not unidirectional and interacts with educational attainment in determining incident diabetes and hypertension. The Hispanic and Latino paradox, in which immigrants have a health advantage, is influenced by more factors than acculturation and may persist with higher educational attainment. These observations may inform prevention and treatment strategies associated with cardiometabolic health in Hispanic/Latino populations.VoRSUNY DownstateCommunity Health SciencesN/
The effects of glare, luminance and contrast on visual acuity (VA)
No full text"Purpose: Clinical measurements of VA are typically obtained under optimal conditions using high contrast optotypes. However, these conditions are not representative of real-life environments where observers are frequently faced with low contrast, low luminance targets accompanied by significant degrees of glare. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to measure VA under both optimal and suboptimal conditions in younger and older adults.
Method: The study was performed on 30 older (ages 50-71 years) and 30 younger (21-28 years) subjects. High (0.0 log unit) and low (1.05 log unit) contrast VAs were tested using the Adhikari Carter Feigl Zele logMAR chart. VA was measured both with and without a 0.3 neutral density (ND) filter to create low luminance conditions, as well as both with and without an LED glare source being directed into the eye.
Results: The average change in VA under the low contrast and low luminance conditions were 1.22 logMAR (p < 0.001) and 0.94 (p < 0.001), respectively. Average VA changed by -0.77 in the presence of glare (p < 0.001). There were no significant age effects noted between the two groups (p=0.25). Interaction effects were significant between luminance and contrast (p < 0.001) as well as between luminance, contrast and the presence of glare (p < 0.001) in both age groups.
Conclusions: The results demonstrate that reducing contrast and luminance produced a significant decline in VA in younger and older adults. This finding has considerable clinical significance, for example when driving at night, where a subject with excellent VA in the examination room might exhibit very poor VA under degraded conditions. Clinical measurements should include assessment of visual performance under sub-optimal conditions.
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Ole Roemer’s speed of light: recreating the unintentional discovery
Get PDFBefore the year 1676, the speed of light was thought to be an unmeasurable, infinite quantity in
the field of physics and astronomy. It had been proposed briefly by Jean-Dominique Cassini that
it was a finite value, rejected, and then adopted once more by Ole Roemer from the same staff
while Cassini was at the Paris Observatory. The theory used by Roemer proved conducive, yet
not as accurate as if it had been recreated using modern knowledge and astronomical data. This
experiment aims to combine Ole Roemer’s theory with the astronomical technology of today to
determine the finitude of the speed of light. In order to fulfill this, observations are made using
both the open-source astronomy software Stellarium to take simulated data of 40 orbits of Io
around Jupiter as the Earth moves counterclockwise in its orbit around the Sun, and a SeeStar
S50 smart telescope to observe Io as it orbits around its planet in the months of December 2024,
March, and April 2025. As the Earth moves towards Jupiter, the observed orbits of Io become
shorter, due to the light reflected off the moon and its planet that’s coming towards us having a
decreasing distance it needs to travel. On the opposite side of Earth’s orbit, moving away from
Jupiter, the orbits of Io become longer due to the light needing to travel an increasing distance
from us as observers. This change in the orbit of Io proves that the speed of light is finite, as it
would remain unchanged should it be infinite.
Keywords: Astronomy, Io, Jupiter, Galileo Galilei, Jean-Dominique Cassini, Ole Roemer,
Stellarium, SeeStar S50NASUNY College at New PaltzHonorsN/
Reflecting Responsibly: Effective Tools to Promote Culturally Responsive Teaching in the TESOL Classroom
Get PDFThe gap between the academic definition of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) and its adaptation in TESOL instruction still limits the ability of educators to address English Language Learners (ELLs). Although the research base supporting CRT has expanded, most teachers have limited opportunities to engage in systematic self-analysis and rarely receive valid, student-generated feedback on classroom procedures. Such detachment usually results in perfunctory application of CRT, thus failing to accommodate the multicultural and linguistic identities of ELLs. In a bid to resolve this recurring issue, a professional development (PD) module and dual-assessment tool were constructed to support continuous teacher reflection and place the student voice on the front line of the assessment of culturally responsive practices. Using the CRT principles and the sociocultural theory, this study explored the extent to which pairing teacher self-reflection with feedback from students could encourage more responsive teaching. The two instruments of assessment, namely the Teacher Self-Reflection Rubric and the Student Voice Survey, were designed to form part of a feedback loop that enables educators to refine pedagogy in real-time. The results indicate that a systematic reflection process, combined with genuine student feedback, leads to meaningful shifts in teaching, thereby empowering teachers to better address and remain accountable for the cultural identities within their classrooms.SUNY BrockportDepartment of Education and Human Developmen
Bowls, Banter, and Belonging: Emergency Food as a Third Space
No full textAfter COVID-19, social spaces are reported to be dwindling, barred by memberships, buying expectations, underfunded, or completely shut down. Now, four years post-pandemic, how are communities coping? Analyzing food banks shows part of the answer. This thesis explores how communities are responding to the decline of traditional "third spaces" by examining the growing social role of food banks. It investigates whether these sites, typically associated with emergency food aid, are also becoming key places for social connection and community life. Using ethnographic methods, including participant observation and interviews, alongside spatial analysis through ArcGIS mapping tools, this study analyzes how food banks foster social bonds, particularly among vulnerable populations. It considers factors such as shared experiences of hunger, poverty, and the emotional dynamics of volunteering and social work to understand how food banks serve as alternative infrastructures of care and community. While food banks may support social cohesion, they also operate within extremely precarious conditions, raising concerns about the long-term viability of charity-based systems as replacements for public investment in social infrastructure. This research contributes to broader discussions about social isolation, inclusion, and the future of communal spaces in a post-pandemic society.SUNY BrockportDepartment of Sociolog
Emerging National Trends in Normothermic Regional Perfusion for Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplantation.
No full textBACKGROUND: Normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is rapidly gaining adoption for donation after cardiac death (DCD) organ recovery in the United States. However, little is known about trends in NRP procured grafts for simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK).
DESIGN: SPK recipients between January 2021 and June 2025 were identified using the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) national data.
PATIENTS: DCD-SPK donors and recipients were included and grouped by recovery method.
MEASUREMENTS: Donor and recipient demographic data were described. Primary outcomes were pancreas and kidney graft survival at 1 year, evaluated with Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Kidney outcomes included delayed graft function and creatinine levels.
RESULTS: A total of 137 DCD SPKs were included, with NRP and super-rapid recovery (SRR) performed in 33 (24%) and 104 (76%) of donors, respectively. Donors in the NRP group were older (28 [22-34] vs. 22 [18-29], p < 0.05) and had a longer withdrawal-to-death time (22 [18-24] vs. 18 [15-22], p < 0.05). Recipients in the NRP group were younger (38 [35-46] vs. 48 [39-55], p < 0.05), more frequently transplanted for Type 1 diabetes, and had worse functional status at the time of transplant. NRP was associated with lower rates of delayed kidney graft function (6% vs. 33%, p < 0.05) and a trend toward lower 6-month creatinine (1.1 vs. 1.3 mg/dL, p = 0.054), with similar 1-year values. One-year pancreas and kidney graft survival following NRP were 91% and 100%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Since the introduction of NRP, 24% of the DCD-SPK grafts were procured with NRP. Comparable 1-year kidney and pancreas graft survival between SRR and NRP with lower rates of kidney dysfunction following NRP.VoRSUNY DownstateNephrolog