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Media, Law, and the Gay/Trans Panic Defense
Get PDFThe gay/trans panic defense is a legal strategy that is used to try to lower the sentence of a defendant in cases of assault, claiming that certain actions were justified because an individual had “deceived” them as a result of their sexual or gender orientation. We analyze how cultural perceptions of gay/trans panic shape the way we understand the legitimacy of this legal defense. We look at this in two ways: first, we are using a media analysis to examine how gay/trans panic is represented in film and television to understand how it becomes culturally legitimized. Second, we conduct a survey to gather data about how people from different parts of the United States understand the defense, and gauge if there is a correlation between certain beliefs that they hold and their sympathy towards the defense. We anticipate that political and geographic differences may correlate with perceptions of the defense\u27s legitimacy, given the fact that it is still permissible in many states and has led to lighter sentencing of aggressors.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1029/thumbnail.jp
Conditions of Children Held in ICE Detention Centers During the Obama and Trump Administrations
Get PDFRecent media coverage has reported numerous stories of young children being held in unsafe and inhumane conditions within ICE detention border facilities under former Presidents Obama and Trump. This paper assesses the ICE detention centers compliance with the 1997 Flores Agreement. Flores was an agreement from the United States government to enforce certain practices to protect minors in detention facilities. Furthermore, this paper explores whether the conditions within the detention centers worsened from the Obama administration to the Trump administration in order to determine what policies had the most negative effects on migrant children and their experiences in those centers. President Obama heavily enforced policies of family detention, which meant that migrant families were detained together, while President Trump had a strict “zero tolerance” policy of any type of illegal immigration, which in turn lead to the practice of families being separated. This paper uses a variety of news articles to chronologically assess policy transitions and administrative responses. Additionally, it examines several court documents, interviews with migrant children, and two ICE Detention Standards manuals to determine the facts associated with juvenile treatment. Based upon these sources, this paper argues that while ICE detention centers were in violation of the 1997 Flores Agreement throughout both the Obama and Trump administrations, these transgressions greatly increased during the latter. This argument has significant value because unlike his predecessors, the new Biden administration should be held accountable if the Flores Agreement is not followed or if they fail to reform ICE detention center procedures and policies for migrant children.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1031/thumbnail.jp
The Integrated Effect of Diet on Neurobehaviors and Mental Wellbeing
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to investigate a potential relationship between food group consumption choices, especially those rich in tyrosine, and neurobehaviors of individuals. It is hypothesized that eating and exercise habits strongly correlate with mental state and self-motivation. An anonymous online survey using the Food-Mood and Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaires was administered through community outreach and social media. The survey included questions on demographic, mental health, eating and exercise habits, and motivation. Data collection took place between January and March 2021. A total of 500 participants aged 18 and above responded to the survey. The data collected were analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation in SPSS version 25.0. Our findings suggest an association between dietary choices, motivation to perform and mental status. These results could provide the framework to support customized diet to improve motivation level and mental wellbeing.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1073/thumbnail.jp
Analyzing the Relationship Between COVID and Amateur Painting
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has left many at home, looking for something to occupy their time. People have used social media platforms to share how they use their time with ample posts about baking, sewing, and painting. This project is particularly interested in the increasing popularity of painting, evident not only on social media, but also on television, for example, PBS’s “The Joy of Painting,” hosted by the much loved Bob Ross. While many young adults enjoy watching Bob Ross for its quiet tranquility, and the ironic pleasure of his distinctive mannerisms, there are those, perhaps, who are actually inspired to take up painting themselves. This research focuses on business reports from the art supply industry, that give a history of sales and sales projections, to support my contention that there has been a significant increase in amateur painting as a result of the pandemic. There have been earlier periods during which amateur painting has flourished, and I will compare the prevailing conditions that fostered increased creative activity historically, with the circumstances of confinement that we have recently been subject to. Keywords: amateur painting, amateur art, art supply industry, Bob Ross, pandemic recreationhttps://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1077/thumbnail.jp
Investigating the Anti-dyskinetic Effects of Serotonin- and Glutamate-acting Compounds, Vilazodone and Amantadine, in Hemiparkinsonian Rats
Get PDFParkinson’s disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative movement disorder caused by loss of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons. DA replacement therapy using L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) improves motor functioning but often results in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) typified by abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs). In this state of DA depletion, serotonin (5-HT) neuron hyperinnervation and glutamate overactivity are heavily implicated in LID. This study investigated the anti-dyskinetic effects of Vilazodone (VZD), a 5-HT transport blocker and partial 5-HT1a agonist, and/or Amantadine (AMAT), an NMDA glutamate antagonist. It was hypothesized that alone each would reduce LID, while co-administration at low doses would synergistically reduce LID without compromising L-DOPA efficacy. Hemiparkinsonian Sprague-Dawley rats were given L-DOPA (6mg/kg, s.c.) for 14 days to establish LID. VZD (0, 1, 2.5, 5mg/kg) and AMAT (0, 20, 40, 60mg/kg) were administered in a within-subjects counterbalanced design with L-DOPA to ascertain effective anti-LID doses (n=9). AIMs were monitored for 3 hours following injections to measure LID expression. Before examining potential treatment synergy, doses exhibiting minimal effect on AIMs scores were selected (VZD 1.0, 2.5mg/kg; AMAT 40mg/kg). The following cohort (n=8) received 6 counterbalanced treatments consisting of L-DOPA (6mg/kg) and either VZD (1, 2.5mg/kg), AMAT (40mg/kg), or both. Results revealed a significant decrease in AIMs and maintained motor performance with VZD (2.5mg/kg) compared to those receiving only L-DOPA. AMAT prolonged peak AIMs without maintaining L-DOPA motor efficacy when co-administered with VZD or L-DOPA alone. These results suggest co-administration of VZD and AMAT with L-DOPA does not synergistically reduce LID in hemiparkinsonian rats. Rather, our results suggest that AMAT may reduce the efficacy of VZD. However, our results suggest very low doses of VZD (2.5mg/kg) reduce LID severity and duration while maintaining L-DOPA efficacy.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1099/thumbnail.jp
Where Paths Diverge: Exploring the Differing Socioeconomic Outcomes of Immigrant Groups from the Indian Subcontinent
Get PDFImmigrants to the United States from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, the three major countries of the Indian subcontinent, share international borders, a common history of colonial rule, and many cultural and religious customs. But upon immigrating to the United States, the socioeconomic outcomes and experiences of immigrants from each country diverge significantly. Data from the Migration Policy Institute, World Bank, and U.S. Census shows that Indian immigrants enjoy the highest average income and education levels among all immigrant groups in the United States, Bangladeshi immigrants experience the lowest, and Pakistani immigrants lie somewhere in the middle. This paper argues that three main factors contribute to this observed difference in socioeconomic outcomes: economic conditions in the sending country, selection criteria, and the different cultural and societal norms new immigrants have to navigate. India’s booming international economy, political capital, and population allow it to send high numbers of educated professionals to the U.S. at rates other countries cannot match. Immigrants from all three countries face a selection process prior to even applying for a green card, as there are barriers to entry in the U.S. immigration policy that require time and resources to overcome. Lastly, Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants, by virtue of their religion, also face added discrimination and difficulties adopting American customs, both of which can negatively impact socioeconomic outcomes in complex ways.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1111/thumbnail.jp
The Upper Pressure Stability Field of Marialite
Get PDFScapolites are aluminosilicates that form in many different environments, including economic mineral deposits. Scapolites exist not only on Earth, but also in chondritic meteorites (Alexander et al., 1987) and may even exist on the surface of Mars (Swayze and Clark, 1990). Within this group is a Cl-rich end member known as marialite (Na3Al3Si9O24•NaCl). Little is known about the conditions at which marialite forms, especially the upper-pressure stability field. To determine this, experiments were conducted using a piston-cylinder press, multi-anvil press, and an X-ray diffractometer to analyze samples. The balanced reaction for marialite breakdown at high pressure is as follows: marialite = 3 jadeite + 3 quartz + halite. The marialite and jadeite components of the reaction needed to be synthesized using a piston-cylinder press. The quartz and halite components were readily sourced. A reversal mixture was created using the components of the balanced reaction. The boundary at upper pressures and temperatures for the growth of marialite was calculated based on thermochemical data from Almeida and Jenkins (2017, Amer. Min.). Multi-anvil experiments were conducted with the reversal mixture. The desired conditions for each run were determined based on data from other studies as well as the calculated boundary of marialite and jadeite + quartz + halite. Four multi-anvil experiments were conducted thus far with each one yielding a different result but indicating that growth of marialite occurs within 2.8 – 3.6 GPa at 1060 – 1300°C. Growths of marialite, jadeite, albite, and marialite occurred and all agreed with the calculated boundary and their confirmed respective boundaries. More experiments will be conducted to further narrow down the marialite upper-pressure stability field, but it appears that marialite can be a source of NaCl in the Earth’s upper mantle to depths of 85-110 km to help flux magma and economic mineral production.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1006/thumbnail.jp
The Impact of Illicit ADHD Medication Use on Dietary Choices and Mental Distress Among College Students
Get PDFStudents on college campuses use ADHD medications illicitly, often to increase their focus, concentration, and memory in an attempt to better their academic performance. These psychostimulants have an appetite suppressive effect that make them attractive for use by many college students. Psychostimulants impact the brain circuitry in a way that impacts mental health, which in turn impact eating behaviors that may lead to disordered eating. The brain reward circuits affected by ADHD medication may play a role in “pleasure-seeking behavior and food cravings.” Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between ADHD medications, dietary choices and mental distress. Data has been collected from over 600 undergraduate students from several U.S. colleges. Data collection is ongoing. The survey included questions on dietary patterns, exercise practices, frequency of specific food group consumption, mental health, and ADHD medication use. Data was collected using a Google Survey and analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient in SPSS, Version 25.0. Our results suggest that there is a bidirectional relationship between ADHD medications, dietary choices and mental distress.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1026/thumbnail.jp
Poker Bluff Detection Dataset Based on Facial Analysis
Get PDFPoker is a high-stakes game involving a deceptive strategy called bluffing and is an ideal research subject for improving high-stakes deception detection (HSDD) techniques like those used by interrogators. Multiple HSDD studies involve staged scenarios in controlled settings with subjects who were told to lie. Scenarios like staged interrogations are inherently poor data sources for HSDD because the subjects will naturally respond differently than someone who actually risks imprisonment, or in the case of poker, loses great sums of money. Thus, unstaged data is a necessity. Unlike traditional HSDD methods involving invasive measurement of biometric data, using video footage of subjects allows for analyzing people’s natural deceptions in real high-stakes scenarios using facial expressions. Deception detection generalizes well for different high-stakes situations, so the accessibility of data in videos of poker tournaments online is convenient for research on this subject. In the hopes of encouraging additional research on real-world HSDD, we present a novel in-the-wild dataset using four different videos from separate professional poker tournaments, totaling 48 minutes. These videos contain great variety in head poses, lighting conditions, and occlusions. We used players’ cards and bets to manually label bluffs and then extracted facial expressions in over 31,000 video frames containing face images from 25 players. We used the dataset to train a state-of-the-art convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify bluffing based on face images, achieving high accuracy for a baseline model. We believe this dataset will allow future in-the-wild bluff detection research to achieve higher deception detection rates, which will enable the development of techniques for more practical applications of HSDD such as in police interrogations and customs inspections.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1028/thumbnail.jp
Evaluating the Role of Transportation and Potential Barriers to Food Access in Binghamton’s North Side
Get PDFIn Binghamton, which is home to the Northside and First Ward food deserts, food insecurity is a significant community concern. Many emergency food aid networks operate in Binghamton, such as community pantries, the Binghamton Food Rescue, North Side Mutual Aid, and CHOW to address immediate needs; however, long-term food security requires removing barriers to food access, such as inadequate transportation. Food-insecure people without personal transportation either try to navigate public transportation, or choose to use more proximate outlets that may lack nutritious foods. Public transportation provided through the Broome County Bus System is limited in the scope of bus routes, schedules, and how many bags of groceries one can carry at once. To better understand how to improve public transportation for Binghamton’s Northside residents, and especially the food-insecure population, I study whether the Broome County Transit System adequately meets transportation needs for its Northside to facilitate food access. I identify limitations of the Broome County bus system by conversing with community members and people working in food aid, reviewing Census maps, and studying the transportation system in relation to the location of food outlets. I also survey shoppers at the newly-opened Greater Good Grocery, the first grocery in the Northside food desert since 1996, about their transportation and grocery needs. I find that those without personal transportation tend to rely on food aid, less nutritious food outlets, or more expensive services like Grubhub. The opening of the Greater Good Grocery seems to be a good first step to improve access to food in the Northside for those nearby without personal transportation. Targeted community transportation initiatives such as restructured bus and CHOW mobile market routes would help further improve food access, and protect those who may become food insecure because of unforeseen financial stresses.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1036/thumbnail.jp