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The Employment Situation of Veterans: March 2025
Get PDFIn March 2025, U.S. employment rose by 228,000, with notable gains in health care, social assistance, and transportation, while the overall unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%. Veteran unemployment declined overall, though trends varied by age, gender, and race, with some subgroups—such as older veterans and Black veterans—experiencing increases
Navigating Transparency in the Digital Age: An In-Depth Study of Disclosure Practices in Influencer Marketing on Social Media.
Get PDFThis study examines the disclosure practices of nano and micro-influencers on TikTok, focusing on their adherence to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and the impact on transparency in sponsored messaging and regulatory enforcement. With the increasing use of influencer marketing, sponsored content with disclosures has become a critical issue. Regulatory bodies emphasize the need for clear and concise disclosures, yet influencers\u27 compliance varies despite existing guidelines. This inconsistency raises concerns about consumer deception and ethical issues within digital marketing. This research examines influencers\u27 disclosure practices on TikTok through a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The quantitative analysis identifies patterns and frequency of disclosure compliance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, while the qualitative analysis explores the contextual and interpretive aspects of disclosure practices. A review of existing regulations provides a contextual background for the findings. The study aims to identify gaps in compliance and provide actionable recommendations to enhance regulatory frameworks. Findings from this study contribute to a more transparent and ethical influencer marketing ecosystem by informing policymakers, brands, and influencers about best practices and fostering an environment of trust and compliance. This research offers valuable insights into social media marketing, highlighting the need for ongoing education and regulatory adaptation to keep pace with the nature of digital content creation
The Impacts of Social Context for Women in Cybersecurity Degree Programs
Get PDFThe cybersecurity workforce has a major problem in that it is comprised of only approximately 25% women. This shortage of women is a contributing factor to the growing field’s considerable overall lack of qualified candidates and has also resulted in a critical gender diversity deficiency. Our adversaries tend to come from more various backgrounds. As such, it is essential that those of us in the cybersecurity field embrace diverse perspectives so we can defend and protect our organizations more effectively. This study was influenced by the researcher’s area of practice, Cybersecurity Education, and the desire to help broaden women’s participation in cybersecurity. Motivated by the need to provide actionable insights to increase the number of women in the field of cybersecurity, this research presents the impacts of social context for women in cybersecurity degree programs, which may influence women’s pursuit of cybersecurity degrees. Grounded in the theory from John Seely Brown, that context must be added to information to produce meaning, this study was conducted primarily through the thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, in part inspired by the landmark work done by Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher in their book, Unlocking the Clubhouse. The findings highlight key reasons women pursue degrees in cybersecurity and their most impactful social experiences. The results show that these reasons and experiences women shared are primarily related to three main themes: Interest, Community, and Academic. Interest- and Community-related reasons and experiences were found to be the most impactful. In addition to the main themes, further analysis identified several subthemes. Most notable among these were Passion, Family and Friends, Mentors, and Social Support. By analyzing the impact of social context for women in cybersecurity degree programs, this study provides insight into women’s motivations to pursue cybersecurity degrees while highlighting their most impactful social experiences post-enrollment. Thus, the findings can serve as a resource to recruit and retain more women into the field, reduce gender disparity, and provide a more positive experience for women in cybersecurity
Pluricomplex Green Functions and Transform Methods for the Laplacian
Get PDFThere are two research themes within complex analysis presented. The first is developing generalizations of the Unified Transform Method as a novel way to compute fluid flows and numerically solve boundary value problems for holomorphic functions and solutions to the Laplacian and complex Helmholtz equation. The second is finding a formula for the pluricomplex Green function with two poles of equal weights for the bidisk. The Unified Transform Method (also sometimes known as the Fokas Method) is a technique for numerically solving boundary value problems for linear and integrable nonlinear PDEs. Crowdy reformulated the Unified Transform Method in the complex analytic setting in the plane. In section 3.2, we extend Crowdy\u27s notion of transform pair for the Laplacian and complex Helmholtz equation to any bounded convex domain in the plane. In section 3.3, we use the Szegő kernel to develop a new transform pair for analytic functions. Applications include mixed boundary value problems and fluid flow computations. The work on the Unified Transform Method is joint work with L. Lanzani, E. Luca, and S. Llewellyn Smith. Pluricomplex Green functions are the fundamental solutions to the complex Monge Ampère operator. In 2017, Kosiński, Thomas, and Zwonek proved the equality between the pluricomplex Green function and the Lempert function for the bidisk with two poles of weight one. We find a formula for the pluricomplex Green function for the bidisk with two poles of weight one. We divide the bidisk into two open regions, where the formula is found explicitly on the first region, and the other region is the union of a family of hypersurfaces. On each hypersurface, the formula is explicit up to a unimodular constant that is the root of a sixth degree polynomial
Cannabis Use, Psychological Distress, and Suicidal Ideation Among U.S. Veterans
No full textIntroduction: Frequent cannabis use is rising among U.S. adults, particularly among those experiencing psychological distress. While Veterans generally report lower cannabis use than civilians, they face higher risks of mental health disorders, with approximately 17 Veterans dying by suicide daily. Understanding the relationship between cannabis use and psychological distress, particularly among Veterans with and without suicidal ideation, is crucial
Bisphosphonates Loaded Nanoparticles in Microparticles as Macrophage Targeting Immunomodulatory System for Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Therapy
No full textPost-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a painful and debilitating disease that emerges following a joint injury. Given the rigorous nature of military training and the subsequent injuries sustained during service, the incidence of PTOA in military demographic is five-times higher than the general population, making it the leading medical cause of disability and early discharge from active duty. Emerging evidence suggests inflammatory macrophages as key drivers of PTOA progression, thus abating their activity may advance therapy. Zoledronate (Zol), a bisphosphonate with high macrophage-affinity and anti-inflammatory properties, has potential for PTOA treatment but is limited by low bioavailability, rapid joint-clearance and elevated cytotoxicity. To overcome these challenges, we developed a pH-responsive nanoparticle-in-microparticle (NiM) system (~7µm) for sustained Zol delivery to disease-driving macrophages. This system enables controlled drug-release over two weeks under physiological conditions ensuring minimal cytotoxicity. Notably, incorporating folic acid (FA) as a ligand to our system (NiM-FA) significantly enhanced uptake by RAW 264.7 macrophages, allowing us to modulate inflammation, reprogram macrophage phenotypes, and scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS); all considered mediators of PTOA progression. In an ACL-ruptured non-surgical mouse model of PTOA, macrophages expressing folate-receptor β were detected in knee joints. Intra-articular administration of NiM-FA reduced pro-inflammatory macrophages and promoted a reparative phenotype. Encouraged by these immunomodulatory effects, ongoing studies are analyzing joint cartilage histology and assessing behavioral outcomes such as pain and gait in treated and injured mice groups. These findings highlight NiM-FA’s potential as a targeted therapy for PTOA, addressing a critical need for curative interventions in affected populations
From Male Gaze to Feminist Vision: Exploration of Women’s Roles in Film
No full textEvery era has its own form of female consciousness awakening. As early as the 1970s, under the influence of feminist movements, a wave of outstanding female-centered films emerged. Simone de Beauvoir stated in The Second Sex: “The representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with absolute truth.” (166) Perhaps as a direct challenge to this so-called “absolute truth” created from the male perspective, female directors often crafted female characters who sharply contrasted with the popular portrayals of women in mainstream cinema. For example, Barbara Loden’s Wanda (1970) presents the story of a working-class woman who can only survive by attaching herself to men, subjected to male violence and discipline. Compared to the rising trend of films promoting female independence and empowerment at the time, Loden’s work seems to mock the very slogan of “female consciousness awakening.” Through her female gaze, she portrays a woman incapable of resisting patriarchy. Even today, when women’s education has reached unprecedented heights and self-realization is actively encouraged, women across different cultural backgrounds are still constrained by inherited “truths.” How, then, could a woman in Loden’s era who has only an elementary education to speak of “female consciousness awakening”? Half a century later, history continues to repeat itself. In today’s film industry, most of female-centric films tend to revolve around a limited set of themes, such as struggles with motherhood or workplace inequality. Yet, in every era, a few remarkable female-directed films emerge—works that stand out like lotus flowers rising from the mud, offering audiences a sense of exhilaration. This thesis will examine the evolution of women’s role in both Western and Eastern cinema, comparing how male and female directors shape women’s role in classic films. It will also reflect on how these cinematic portrayals have influenced the creation of my short film
There are No Good Landlords: Deconstructing Discourses of the “Mom and Pop” Landlord in Syracuse, NY
No full textThis thesis examines how landlords operating in Syracuse, NY’s high poverty neighborhoods use discourse to legitimize their class interests and reinforce their dominance in a postindustrial, neoliberalizing city. Drawing on interviews and participant observation with members of the Central New York Landlord Association, it explores how landlord narratives are shaped by, and help reproduce, the interconnected structures of urban neoliberalism, racial capitalism, and settler colonialism. While the City of Syracuse promotes redevelopment strategies to attract private capital and raise property values, many landlords continue to profit from long-term disinvestment and tenant confinement to the city’s poorest rental markets. Local landlord discourse is marked by a contradiction: landlords invoke neoliberal logics to justify deregulation and assert their economic importance, yet do not share the City’s commitment to increasing property values through private investment. While landlords frame themselves as benevolent housing providers and essential contributors to the city’s economy, they portray tenants as threats to property, law, and public safety. Their stigmatization of tenants draws on racialized and settler logics of property, framing tenants as an equal party to the landlord class who share responsibility in property neglect and declining property values. Through this framing, landlords obscure the unequal power at the foundation of private property and the landlord-tenant relationship. This project contributes to scholarship in critical urban geography by showing how landlord discourse plays a role in reinforcing neoliberal urban governance and the racial-capital, settler-colonial structures through which urban neoliberalization takes shape
A customizable ligand-conjugate system for investigation and detection of ghrelin O-acyltransferase
No full textGhrelin is a 28 amino acid peptide hormone responsible for a variety of physiological functions. Ghrelin signals these functions via its cognate receptor, GHSR, after an essential post translational modification which acylates its third serine. The acylation of ghrelin is facilitated by the enzyme ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) for which ghrelin is the only known substrate. Canonically, GOAT acylates ghrelin in the endoplasmic reticulum before it is further processed and secreted in circulation. Recent studies, however, have detected GOAT in the cytoplasm, plasma membrane, and in circulation in extracellular vesicles. Furthermore, GOAT has been identified as a potential prostate cancer (PCa) biomarker due to its overexpression in several aggressive PCa cell lines and detection in patient urine and plasma. These data combined suggest GOAT may be an attractive target for potential PCa detection and treatment. The work presented in this dissertation aimed to target GOAT and understand its function. Using antibody-drug conjugates as a model, we developed a customizable ligand-conjugate (LC) system with a nanomolar affinity for GOAT. After confirming these LCs inhibited GOAT, we gathered evidence capturing these LC-GOAT interactions by developing several binding assays including microplate reader assays and photo cross-linking. We also evaluated LC interactions with PCa cells overexpressing GOAT and showed evidence of GOAT-specific LC internalization tolerant of several fluorescent cargoes. Based on extracellular interactions with our LCs and evidence of cell surface GOAT expression, we began work to detect cell surface acylation of ghrelin by using new LCs capable of being acylated and acyl donor derivatives capable of click chemistry. These studies are vital in identifying biochemical and biological GOAT interactions with extracellular LCs, understanding the potentially expanded role of GOAT in local ghrelin re-acylation, and assessing the potential for GOAT to be a novel PCa biomarker
Development of Lead-free Perovskite Passivated Core/Shell Perovskite Nanocrystals with Enhanced Optoelectronic Properties and Environmental Stability
No full textAll-inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have great optoelectronic properties with promising applications in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers, photodetectors, solar cells, and photocatalysis. However, the applications of perovskite NCs face many challenges, including environmental issues and poor endurability of the perovskite-based devices caused by the intrinsic toxicity of Pb and the poor stabilities of perovskites against moisture, heat and light. To address those issues of the lead halide perovskite NCs, we utilized stable lead-free perovskite as a shell to protect the lead halide perovskite NCs, as well as developed lanthanide ions (Ln3+) doped/based-lead-free perovskite NCs to enhance their optical properties, making them compatible substitutions of the lead halide perovskite. In the first work of this dissertation, lead-free vacancy-ordered double perovskite Cs2SnX6 (X = Cl, Br, I) was grown epitaxially on the surface of CsPbX3 NCs by a hot-injection method. The effectiveness of the non-toxic shell protection is demonstrated by the enhanced environmental and phase stability against UV illumination and polar solvents such as water and ethanol. The photoluminescence quantum yields (PL QYs) increase for the CsPbCl3 and CsPbBr3 NCs after shelling because of the type I band alignment of the core/shell materials, while enhanced charge transport properties obtained from CsPbI3/Cs2SnI6 core/shell NCs due to the efficient charge separation in the type II core/shell band alignment. To understand the interfacial properties of core/shell NCs, we developed a facile method to grow a lead-free CsMnCl3 shell on the surface of CsPbCl3 NCs to form CsPbCl3/CsMnCl3 core/shell NCs with enhanced environmental stability and improved PLQYs. Interestingly, the Mn2+ from CsMnCl3 shell can diffuse into the lattice of CsPbCl3 core by thermal annealing of the resulting core/shell NCs, activating the orange PL from Mn2+ dopants. The Mn PL to host CsPbCl3 PL ratio can be precisely tuned by adjusting the thermal annealing time of the core/shell NCs. Incorporation of rare earth lanthanide ions into lead-free halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) is an effective and promising way to expand their optical, magnetic, and electrochemical properties. We developed various Ln3+ (including Yb3+, Er3+, and Nd3+), doped Sb3+- or Bi3+-based and Sb3+/Bi3+ alloyed lead-free perovskite NCs, including vacancy-induced perovskite (A3B(III)2X9), double perovskite (A2B(I)B(III)X6), and layered-double perovskite (A4B(II)B(III)2X12) NCs in this work. Interestingly, it is found that the lanthanide ions, even Ln3+ ions with large ionic radii, such as Nd3+ ions with their 112 pm ionic radius, in an octahedral (Oh) coordination environment, prefer smaller isovalent Sb(III) Oh cation sites (90 pm) instead of Bi(III) Oh sites (117 pm) in the lead-free perovskite NCs due to the relatively high polarizabilities of lanthanide ions and the more intense second-order Jahn-Teller in [SbCl6]3- compared to that in [BiCl6]3-. The efficient Ln3+doping in Sb3+-rich alloyed perovskite NCs was confirmed by elemental analysis and leads to enhanced Ln3+ ion near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence (PL) of the doped NCs. Furthermore, we first synthesized Cs2KLnCl6 NCs with strong blue emissions through bandgap radiative excitonic recombination, and the characteristic NIR emissions from Ln3+ can be turned on by doping Sb3+. This study provides a fundamental understanding of Ln3+ doping behavior in lead-free perovskite NCs and new opportunities for designing efficient Ln3+-based functional materials