Community Conversations

In the winter and spring of 2023, the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University, in partnership with New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, under the leadership of the Honorable Assemblywoman Shavonda E. Sumter, hosted a series of community conversations to bolster the statewide urban policy agenda on collaborative, evidence-informed solutions to prevent and reduce violence in urban centers and for all New Jerseyans. These conversations were held at Kean University in Union Township and in four member cities of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA): Atlantic City, Bridgeton, Camden, and Trenton. Additionally, we facilitated two round-table discussions with members of Region One, including the New Jersey Chapter of the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), and with partner stakeholders based in and around Paterson. This series brought together resident leaders, state, county, and municipal government representatives, community-based, non-profit, and non-governmental organizations with local, regional, and national portfolios, and academic experts to champion a commitment to community wellness and safety. These conversations consisted of panels of organizers and elected officials. They thought- leaders — many of whom were themselves born and raised in the cities with which we collaborated — and provided community members with the opportunity to share their thoughts with panelists about their life experiences and the issues, topics, concerns, and ideas important to them

Research Days Poster: Creation of a Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Organization Cybersecurity Incident Reporting and Dataset Repository

Cyber attacks have become a major concern in today’s digital age, affecting organizations across various sectors and industries. Cyber attacks have increased over the years, with new attacks emerging, putting various public and private entities at risk. Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are no exception and are increasingly becoming targets of cyberattacks. In this context, cybersecurity has become a critical issue for NPOs and NGOs as they handle sensitive data and information related to their donors, beneficiaries, and operations. In this poster, we will delve into the topic of cybersecurity in the context of NGOs, exploring the types of cyberattacks they face and the measures they can take to protect themselves against such attacks

Deciphering the role of particulate organic matter in soil nitrogen transformation in rice–rapeseed and rice–wheat rotation systems

Crop rotation affects the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) and thereby alter the composition of SOM fractions. It remains unclear how different SOM fractions impact soil nitrogen (N) transformation in various rotation systems. The aim of this study was to ascertain the role of particulate organic matter (POM)-a labile SOM fraction-in soil N transformation under various crop rotations. A paired plot experiment was conducted under two common cropping patterns, i.e., rice–rapeseed rotation (RR) vs. rice–wheat rotation (RW). Soil chemical composition and organic matter fraction before rice transplanting were compared between RR and RW systems after four years of crop rotations (2017–2021). With the same N inputs, the rice yield and N uptake under RR were 16.4 % and 13.2 % higher than those under RW, respectively. Compared with RW, RR resulted in higher carbon (C) and N contents in soil POM, despite minimal differences in total SOM. A larger potentially mineralizable N pool and a higher N mineralization rate occurred under RR than under RW, based on the results of soil net mineralization experiment. When POM was incubated alone, its contribution to potentially mineralizable N was 65.1 % and 61.3 % in RR and RW soils, respectively. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that in contrast with RW, RR promoted the accumulation of organic matter with high bioavailability (e.g., amides, carbohydrates, polysaccharides) in soil POM. This might be responsible for the higher gross mineralization and nitrification rates but lower gross immobilization rate under RR than under RW. Consequently, RR not only increased the contents of POMC and POMN but also improved the quality of POM fraction in soils. Findings of the present study demonstrate that POM plays a distinct role in soil N mineralization in various rotation systems. The discrepancy in POM content and composition resulting from various crop rotations leads to differences in soil N mineralization, which in turn affects the N supply and rice yield

Life During Wartime: Proactive Cybersecurity is a Humanitarian Imperative

In brief: Humanitarian agencies responding to conflict face massive challenges in distributing aid. Cyberattacks add to that burden. This short overview, tailored for non-technical leaders, demystifies the process and equips clouds security experts to proactively champion cloud security at non-profits, and non-governmental organizations. Proactive Cybersecurity is a Humanitarian Imperative | CSA (cloudsecurityalliance.org

VOICES, STORIES AND EXPERIENCES OF BLACK WOMEN PHASE II: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY REPORT Informing the Establishment of a Trenton-Based Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Center

As an extension of our 2022 study Voices, Stories and Experiences of Black Women (Phase 1), the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University’s Maternal and Child Health Equity Team was asked to share information about the planned Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center (MIHIC) with Trenton residents as a part of Nurture NJ’s community engagement efforts. The Team implemented the following community engagement activities: Communication: Community engagement through social media outreach and in-person outreach were used as approaches to inform Trenton residents about the MIHIC. Dissemination of Findings: Community cafés were designed to share and discuss findings from Phase 1; provide maternal and infant health resources; and inform Trenton women about the MIHIC. Expanding Our Reach: Focus groups and surveys were conducted to reach diverse populations to assess needs and assets, and to identify recommendations to inform the creation of the MIHIC

Reducing Bias in Cyberbullying Detection with Advanced LLMs and Transformer Models

This paper delved into a comprehensive exploration of the inherent biases present in Large Language Models (LLMs) and various Transformer models, with a focus on their role in identifying and addressing instances of cyberbullying. The objective was to refine and enhance the accuracy and fairness of these models by mitigating the biases deeply ingrained in their structures. This was crucial because language models could inadvertently perpetuate and amplify existing biases present in the data they were trained on

The exploration of neuroinflammatory mechanism by which CRHR2 deficiency induced anxiety disorder

Inflammation stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and triggers glial neuroinflammatory phenotypes, which reduces monoamine neurotransmitters by activating indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase enzyme. These changes can induce psychiatric diseases, including anxiety. Corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRHR2) in the HPA axis is involved in the etiology of anxiety. Omega(n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can attenuate anxiety through anti-inflammation and HPA axis modulation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by CRHR2 modulates anxiety and its correlation with neuroinflammation remain unclear. Here, we first constructed a crhr2 zebrafish mutant line, and evaluated anxiety-like behaviors, gene expression associated with the HPA axis, neuroinflammatory response, neurotransmitters, and PUFAs profile in crhr2+/+ and crhr2−/− zebrafish. The crhr2 deficiency decreased cortisol levels and up-regulated crhr1 and down-regulated crhb, crhbp, ucn3l and proopiomelanocortin a (pomc a) in zebrafish. Interestingly, a significant increase in the neuroinflammatory markers, translocator protein (TSPO) and the activation of microglia M1 phenotype (CD11b) were found in crhr2−/− zebrafish. As a consequence, the expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, pro-inflammatory cytokines vascular endothelial growth factor, and astrocyte A1 phenotype c3 were up-regulated. While microglia anti-inflammatory phenotype (CD206), central anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-4, arginase-1, and transforming growth factor-β were downregulated. In parallel, crhr2-deficient zebrafish showed an upregulation of vdac1 protein, a TSPO ligand, and its downstream caspase-3. Furthermore, 5-HT/5-HIAA ratio was decreased and n-3 PUFAs deficiency was identified in crhr2−/− zebrafish. In conclusion, anxiety-like behavior displayed by crhr2-deficient zebrafish may be caused by the HPA axis dysfunction and enhanced neuroinflammation, which resulted in n-3 PUFAs and monoamine neurotransmitter reductions

Neighborhood garden\u27s age shapes phyllosphere microbiota associated with respiratory diseases in cold seasons

Neighborhood gardens serve as sensitive sites for human microbial encounters, with phyllosphere microbes directly impacting our respiratory health. Yet, our understanding remains limited on how factors like season, garden age, and land use shape the risk of respiratory diseases (RDs) tied to these garden microbes. Here we examined the microbial communities within the phyllosphere of 72 neighborhood gardens across Shanghai, spanning different seasons (warm and cold), garden ages (old and young), and locales (urban and rural). We found a reduced microbial diversity during the cold season, except for Gammaproteobacteria which exhibited an inverse trend. While land use influenced the microbial composition, urban and rural gardens had strikingly similar microbial profiles. Alarmingly, young gardens in the cold season hosted a substantial proportion of RDs-associated species, pointing towards increased respiratory inflammation risks. In essence, while newer gardens during colder periods show a decline in microbial diversity, they have an increased presence of RDs-associated microbes, potentially escalating respiratory disease prevalence. This underscores the pivotal role the garden age plays in enhancing both urban microbial diversity and respiratory health

What is Liberalism? A Mixed-Method Study of Ideology and Representation in Latin American Party Systems

What is the concept of liberalism? Despite being a conceptually contested term, political parties still label themselves liberal and seek legitimacy by joining Liberal International (LI). In this paper, I adopt a mixed-methods strategy to assess what this ideology means in Latin America. First, I rely on economic and political theory to propose four potential components of liberalism: private property, liberal democracy, non-conformism, and social justice. Then, I search for these components in the declaration of principles of all the region’s LI members. Next, I assess liberals’ relative support for these components by comparing the attitudes of their elites and voters to those of conservatives and socialists in Paraguay, Honduras, and Nicaragua. This paper finds that liberal democracy is the only core component of liberalism in Latin America. Even though non-conformism and social justice are widely mentioned in political documents, their support among elites and voters is context-dependent. These results emphasize the contestability of liberalism while shedding light on what unites liberals in Latin America

Chemometric Modeling of Emerging Materials for the Removal of Environmental Pollutants

Widespread usage of pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs), and agrochemicals followed by the release of household waste, industrial and hospital wastes has affected the environment and ecosystems immensely. These toxic chemicals are primarily classified under contaminants of emerging concerns (CEC) and/or environmental pollutants (EPs). Due to their harmful effects, timely removal of these EPs is an utmost requirement under risk management of the environment. A series of traditional techniques are accepted by the environmental organization to remove these products from the environment. Adsorption is one of the low-budget, easy to perform, and efficient approaches. With the advancement of nanotechnology, materials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs), magnetic nanoparticles, modified activated carbons/biochar, clay polycations, polyamide nanofilters (PNF), etc. have emerged as the materials of interest at present time. Along with the existing hazardous chemicals in the ecosystems, every day thousands of new chemicals are introduced to the environment. As a result, there is a continuous requirement for efficient materials which are capable of adsorbing these contaminants from the environment. In this perspective, chemometric-based modeling and machine learning (ML) models are shown to be capable of predicting important structural and physicochemical features that are responsible for the efficient adsorption property of these emerging materials. Once these features are identified, further modification in the structure of these materials can be performed to make them much more efficient adsorbers than the existing materials. The present chapter discusses the CECs and EPs, emerging materials in the present time, along with details about the chemometric and ML models which can be employed for modeling of the adsorption of EPs. Finally, successful case studies for the prediction of adsorption of EPs onto different emerging materials are meticulously discussed with mechanistic interpretations