Syracuse University
Syracuse University Research Facility and Collaborative EnvironmentNot a member yet
20376 research outputs found
Sort by
Why Are Food System Workers Excluded from Local Food Policy Councils?
No full textOne in seven workers in the United States is employed in food labor jobs, yet these jobs are among the lowest paid and least regulated in the country. Food Policy Councils (FPCs) have emerged to expand the benefits of food systems, however, few FPCs have prioritized food system labor concerns. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from the 2016-2023 Food Policy Network’s national survey as well as focus groups and interviews with over 25 FPC representatives and leaders to examine the challenges and barriers that have limited FPCs’ engagement with labor issues. The authors find that internal tensions, limited capacity, and weak ties to labor groups hinder FPC engagement in food labor advocac
Hayan Charara, Raymond Carver Reading Series, April 2, 2025
No full textA video recording of Hayan Charara reading on April 2, 2025, as part of the Syracuse University Creative Writing Program\u27s Raymond Carver Reading Series
The Limits of SNAP in Addressing Older Adult Food Insecurity
No full textThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to address the economic roots of food insecurity. However, SNAP participation rates among older adults substantially lag behind those of other age groups. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief describes how SNAP is not well designed for older adults in three respects: (1) the high levels of administrative burden associated with eligibility, certification, and benefit-determination processes, (2) the low value of SNAP benefits compared with the high costs associated with redeeming them, and (3) the high levels of state variation in SNAP policies that produce substantially different conditions for SNAP depending on where one lives
Multiaxial Expansion of 4D-Printed Shape Memory Polymer Scaffolds via Programming via Printing (PvP)
No full textShape memory polymers (SMPs) offer unique opportunities for engineering responsive medical devices that can adapt to changing anatomical environments. However, most SMP-based systems are limited to uniaxial deformation which restricts their ability to conform to complex geometries found in soft tissue applications. Moreover, 3D approaches to print and program SMPs have demonstrated printed parts that can contract, but printed parts that can expand after printing has not been demonstrated to date. This work presents the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a 4D-printed SMP scaffold capable of controlled expansion along all three orthogonal axes (x, y, and z). Utilizing a method known as Programming via Printing (PvP), directional tensile strain was embedded directly during extrusion by tuning print parameters such as infill direction, speed, and orientation. The scaffold was composed of several elements to help drive expansion of the whole structure—bowtie-framed beams for x-axis expansion, a flat triangular element for y-axis unfolding, and an upright triangular element for z-axis elevation. Each element was individually optimized for actuation performance. MM-3520 thermoplastic polyurethane was used to fabricate custom filament, and scaffold components were printed using fused deposition modeling (FDM). Functional testing involved thermal activation in a 70 ± 5 °C water bath and quantified expansion using digital calipers and image J analysis. Results confirmed reliable multiaxial shape recovery, with measurable deformation in each axis corresponding to the programmed strain. This study highlights the ability of Programming via Printing (PvP) to enable multiaxial shape change within a single, continuous fabrication process which eliminats the need for postprocessing or external mechanical programming. By achieving controlled expansion in the x-, y-, and z-directions, this work represents a significant advancement in the design of adaptive shape memory polymer devices. The demonstrated approach offers a scalable pathway for engineering patient-specific, shape-morphing scaffolds suited for regenerative medicine, airway stabilization, and anatomically complex tissue reconstructio
An Examination of Student Adherence and Intervention Complexity within a Class-Wide Cover-Copy-Compare Intervention
No full textCover-Copy-Compare is a self-management intervention strategy developed to improve students’ academic performance, particularly in spelling. In academic intervention research, it is often assumed that students are completing the intervention as intended, yet this is seldom examined during intervention implementation or subsequent data analysis. The purpose of the present study was to extend the empirical literature on students’ intervention adherence by examining Cover-Copy-Compare permanent products to assess whether the complexity of the intervention (i.e., targeting six versus nine spelling words) contributed to a student’s ability to adhere to core intervention components. For the purposes of the present study, data from one randomized controlled trial that sought to examine the effects of targeting six versus nine spelling words was retrospectively examined, resulting in a total sample size of 58 third-grade students. Results suggested that regardless of intervention complexity, students were likely to adhere to the Cover-Copy-Compare intervention, and students in both conditions were relatively similar with respect to the percentage of COVER 2 trials completed over the course of the intervention. Further, pre-intervention spelling performance emerged as a significant predictor of students’ intervention adherence and students’ intervention adherence emerged as a significant predictor of students’ post-intervention spelling performance. Limitations of the study and implications for assessing students’ intervention adherence are discussed
The Impact Of ADHD On Entrepreneurship Through A Gender Lens Three Essays
No full textThis dissertation investigates how neurodiversity, specifically attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), relates to entrepreneurial behaviors and outcomes, with a specific attention to gender as a moderating factor. The first essay provides a comprehensive meta-analytic review of 44 empirical studies, synthesizing 261 effect sizes to assess the relationship between ADHD and different stages of the entrepreneurial process: attitudes, behaviors, and post-launch outcomes. Results reveal that hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms are positively associated with entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviors but unrelated to post-launch outcomes, while inattention symptoms are negatively associated with outcomes. These findings offer evidence that ADHD’s impact is phase-specific and contingent. The second essay draws on the NLSY79 CYA dataset to examine how ADHD influences entrepreneurial entry, with intelligence and gender as moderators. Results show that men with ADHD and high intelligence are more likely to become entrepreneurs. This study suggests that the benefits of ADHD traits are not universal but depend on additional personal resources and sociocultural context. The third essay analyzes survey data from 1,256 entrepreneurs across the U.S., Australia, and Spain to examine how ADHD symptoms are associated with entrepreneurs’ subjective well-being. Findings show that higher ADHD symptoms are associated with increased team conflict, which in turn reduces well-being. This mediating effect is especially pronounced for women entrepreneurs, suggesting that gendered expectations amplify the interpersonal challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals. Together, these three essays contribute to neurodiversity and entrepreneurship literature and hold important practical implications for individuals with ADHD, their support networks, practitioners, and policymakers
Structural Design using Parametric Modeling and Optimization Algorithms
No full textA new end-to-end flexible framework is proposed for optimizing structural designs and geometric shapes using global and local search algorithms. Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS)-based representations are deployed for geometric designs and Isogeometric Analyses (IGAs) are carried out for the finite element evaluations. The NURBS-based object representation and associated finite element analyses overcome the issues related to discretization errors of traditional polygon-based finite element meshes. The end-to-end framework integrates Rhino (a NURBS modeler), optimization algorithms, and Abaqus (commercial finite element software) via socket programming. Customized user element and material subroutines are developed to perform IGAs. A wireframe-based parametric modeling of the NURBS objects is used; this approach considers their geometrical features as design variables, without increasing the optimization problem size for dense meshes. Benchmark examples, convergence studies, and design optimization problems are used to illustrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed framework. Several Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) are evaluated, viz., Genetic Algorithms, Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategies, adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization, and Differential Evolution are chosen as evolutionary methods, Sequential Least SQuares Programming is deployed for the gradient-based search. EAs demonstrate a robust performance, whereas gradient-based searches are found to get stuck in the local optima. Potential infeasibility of designs is another problem addressed here: during structural optimization, several self-intersecting designs are generated that render finite element evaluations infeasible. The method of penalizing infeasible designs during search and optimization results in poor optimal solutions. To address this bottleneck, we have proposed two novel self-intersection correction algorithms to detect and correct three-dimensional ill-posed self-intersecting designs, making them feasible for structural analysis