Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing The Security Of Yioop Discussion Board, Prajna Gururaj Puranik

Master's Projects

Yioop is an open-source web portal that serves as a search engine and a discussion board, enabling users to create, join, and share content within groups. Data security is a critical concern for Yioop, as it involves storing and accessing user-generated data and generating statistical data. Yioop has an existing security mechanism in place, but continuous enhancements are needed to protect against potential vulnerabilities and cyber threats.

This project aims to strengthen the security of Yioop by implementing additional security measures that build upon the existing security mechanism. To prevent statistical attacks, this project extends differential privacy to mask the …

Static Taint Analysis Via Type-Checking In Typescript, Abhijn Chadalawada

Master's Projects

With the widespread use of web applications across the globe, and the ad- vancements in web technologies in recent years, these applications have grown more ubiquitous and sophisticated than ever before. Modern web applications face the constant threat of numerous web security risks given their presence on the internet and the massive influx of data from external sources. This paper presents a novel method for analyzing taint through type-checking and applies it to web applications in the context of preventing online security threats. The taint analysis technique is implemented in TypeScript using its built-in type-checking features, and then integrated into …

Effectiveness Of Standardized Vs. Individualized Cancer Treatment Education, Jija Issac

Master's Projects

As the number of cancer diagnoses continues to increase and is expected to keep rising, it becomes imperative to explore avenues to optimize patient education. Research has consistently demonstrated that effective education plays a crucial role in improving patient outcomes. Through my previous experiences in various outpatient oncology infusion centers, I have observed significant variations in the methods employed for delivering patient education across different facilities. In this literature review, I explored the effects of standardized chemotherapy education and individualized chemotherapy education on patients in outpatient oncology clinics. The predominant themes across these studies encompass patient awareness of anticipated symptoms, …

Unlearning Hidden Bias Between Refugees : An Initial Empirical Investigation, Akshay Sunil Gurnaney

Master's Projects

The challenges that refugees in various regions encounter are common knowledge. One such challenge is a bias among refugees on ethnocentric grounds. In particular, there are various articles that have pointed out the struggles faced by Syrian refugees in countries like Europe as a result of implicit bias. In fact, the media coverage of Syrian crises and the government responses to the same shed negative light on the refugees themselves. On the contrary, the media coverage of Ukrainian crises is very different with lesser restrictions from the governments.

This research attempts to identify the extent of implicit bias between Ukrainian …

Identification Of Copy Number Variations (Cnvs) Of Epigenetic Factors Related To The Progression Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (Pdac), Pavithra Raju

Master's Projects

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a formidable challenge in oncology due to its aggressive form and late-stage detection. PDAC is known to be influenced by various epigenetic factors like DNA methylation and histone modifications. This study focuses on copy number variations (CNVs) within epigenetic factors which for their role in early diagnosis. Thus, paving the way for identification of potential biomarkers. The epigenetic pipeline was extended based on CNVs and the CNV modified sequences extracted were compared with the wild type sequences of epigenetic PDAC genes. The epigenetic gene KCNJ11 with copy number gain of CNV id 46771406 was used …

Ensemble Transformer Architecture For Efficient And Real Time Sign Language Translation, Sumeet Ghegade

Master's Projects

Sign language is a form of visual language that uses face expression and hand gestures to communicate thoughts and concepts. The term refers to multiple visual languages that share some common visual cues but differ in their grammar and syntax. Sign language translation (SLT) is a crucial step in closing the communication gap between hearing and hearingimpaired people. The study of SLT using machine learning has gotten a lot of interest during the last three years but despite progress, SLT research is still in its early phases. Most of the previous approaches first convert the signs to glosses and then …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On The Decision-Making Processes Of Local School Governing Boards With Regard To Considering And Enacting State And Federal Policies, J Jesus Contreras

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze the decision-making and policy development of local governing boards acting in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered through open-ended items in a mixed-methods survey and through a focus group interview. This research sought to gather governing board members' perceptions about the effects that the COVID-19 crisis had on their decision-making processes with regard to enacting state, federal, and COVID-19 Relief Funds policies. The findings in the study indicate that governing board members’ understandings of state and federal policy were not nuanced enough …

How Can I Help You Today? How First-Generation Latinx/A/O Community College Students Perceive Counseling, Isaac Escoto

Dissertations

Latinx/a/o students make up almost half of the California Community College system’s population. However, Latinx/a/o students account for about 15% of three-year completion rates (certificate, degree, or transfer). In support of student success strategies, the literature describes the role of counselors and how they help students navigate the complexities of higher education. This mixed-methods study investigated how community college counseling practices and services are perceived by Latinx/a/o students; and which of those practices and services best supported the success of this student population. Key findings included the importance of counseling services, as well as preferred counseling appointment logistics and topics …

Ethnic Studies Implementation In A K-8 District: Culture, Critical Consciousness And Collective Efficacy, Genvieve Dorsey

Dissertations

This research was a descriptive study in which the researcher explored the beginning phases of Ethnic Studies implementation in a Kindergarten through Eighth grade (K-8) school district in Northern California. Using a social justice lens, and through a review of Ethnic Studies, Collective Efficacy, Critical Consciousness, and School Culture constructs, the researcher attempted to capture and articulate a cultural profile of the school district and the degree to which it aligned to the cultural typologies articulated among Ethnic Studies scholars.The study included the collection of several types of data, including: (1) archival documents; (2) teacher focus groups; and (3) administrator …

“It Feels Like A Cultural Shift": Parent School Selection And Experiences With School Choice At Title I Schools, Christina Lee Ballantyne

Dissertations

A neoliberal agenda to institute educational reform via school choice has created a school marketplace where parents and schools are connected in a supply-and-demand relationship. Rather than attend the neighborhood school, some parents can seek alternative school options for their children. Although purported to improve educational outcomes and desegregate schools, school choice has not demonstrated increased student academic achievement nor integrated school spaces. Instead, the school choice movement has been seen to contribute to and perpetuate racial and economic segregation. This study sought to understand the perspectives of parents who have selected their neighborhood Title I school and how they …

When She Speaks: A Black Feminist Autoethnography Exploring Joy And Positionality In Higher Education, Leslye M. Tinson

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersections of race, class, and gender of a Black woman as an educational leader and doctoral student. Through autoethnography, I explore self-meaning in cultural contexts and focus on how my positionality contributes to my attempts to find joy in academe. Chapter I discusses the gender and racial gaps in the American professoriate and introduces three research questions. Chapter II interprets extant literature and identifies a conceptual framework that utilizes Black feminist thought, critical race feminism, intersectionality theory, and multicultural feminist perspectives to analyze my lived experiences. Chapter III outlines the research methodology of autoethnography to address …

“Can I Get Some Help, Please?”: Examining Contributing Factors To First-Generation Student Success In California Community Colleges, Tijan G. White

Dissertations

This study aimed to determine the percentage of first-generation college students enrolled at California Community Colleges and examine their experiences through a culturally engaging lens using a mixed-methods approach. The research was interested in determining what percentage of community college students hold first-generation college student status using the federal definition of the term, understanding to what extent those students found their campus environments to be culturally responsive and relevant to their needs and what insights some of these students could offer regarding their experiences. The researcher surveyed and facilitated a focus group discussion with students throughout the Bay Area geographic …

Cultivating Parental Participation And Community Engagement Through Building A Culinary Garden And Teaching Kitchen: Latinx Perspectives On Parental Participation In A Community School, Jaclynne Michelle Medina

Dissertations

This study researched how a school could increase parental participation and community engagement while building a new Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen project. This engagement was foundational for expanding parental participation opportunities and further developing the community school. The study explored ways to balance power relationships between the home and school to develop an implementation plan that better reflects the community being served. Theoretical lenses such as CRT and LatCrit were the basis for centering the voices of Latinx families and valuing their various forms of capital consistent with the Community Cultural Model. Participants influenced the design of the garden …

“The Issue Is Already There; Just Have The Conversation!”: Culturally Sustaining Reflection In The Student Teaching Triad, Hanna M. Asrat

Dissertations

There is a vast demographic mismatch between California’s public school teachers (who are majority White, mono-lingual English-speaking women) and California’s public school students. Though universities responsible for educating preservice teachers often include coursework that attempts to help address this demographic mismatch, such as instruction about Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, if preservice teachers do not get the chance to practice this pedagogy in their fieldwork placement, they tend to fall into to the two-worlds problem. The two-worlds problem posits that preservice teachers view constructivist and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies learned at the university as theoretical and incompatible with actual teaching, and so they …

Influencers Of The Institution: Millennial Women Of Color On Leadership As Classified Professionals In California Community Colleges, Marisol Quevedo

Dissertations

This study centers Millennial Women of Color (MWOC) California Community College Professionals as institutional influencers by understanding how their leadership practices support the success of marginalized, minoritized, and historically underrepresented students and equity-advancing institutional change. In this study I use the term “influencer” to reflect the impact that MWOC, working as classified professionals at a CCC who are committed to serving as leaders beyond their job duties have on their students and within their institutions. The use of “influencer” in this study addresses three different areas that summarize the study’s findings. First, the theme “Key-Makers not Gatekeepers'' addresses the ways …

Beyond Social Emotional Learning: Toward A Humanizing And Transformative Teacher Sel, Ash Ray Busby

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to bring to life the experiences of how the development of a Social, Emotional and Cultural lens prepares teachers to meet their own social and emotional needs in the classroom and consequently be better prepared to meet their students’ social and emotional needs in ways that are culturally sustaining. This qualitative research study explored these phenomena through a series of three in-depth interviews and a classroom observation with four in-service teachers in a Northern California school district that prioritizes social emotional learning (SEL) for students and teachers. The insights from this research may inform …

Counter-Story In Machine Learning, Esperanza Huerta Espinosa

Faculty Learning Communities

No abstract provided.

Just Go To The Office! An Intersectional Exploration Of The Role Of Race And Gender In Discipline Referral Reasons, Kamilah B. Legette, Yoli Anyon

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Educators’ differential selection of Black and Latine students for office discipline referrals is a significant driver of inequity in exclusionary outcomes. Using demographic data and discipline records for all students in one large urban school district, we use descriptive statistics and multilevel regression models to consider whether referral reasons are racialized and if these patterns intersect with gender. Our analyses indicate that educators are consistently more likely to refer Black students than White students to the office for several subjective reasons, including habitual disruption, that are purportedly race-neutral but privilege Whiteness. They are less likely to make referrals for Black …

Factors Influencing Educational Equity In Online Instruction For Students During Covid-19, Sudha Krishnan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This qualitative study examined special education teachers’ perceptions of student success in online instruction during the pandemic school closures to isolate the key determinants in the differential student outcomes reported by the teachers. Data were collected from 16 teachers using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic coding. The six themes that emerged from the data were that the key determinants of student outcomes were variables related to teacher, school administrator, district, student, parent, and pedagogy. The study showed that underlying deficit thinking in school professionals, lack of planned support for those parents and students needing the most support, and limited …

Network Anatomy In Logopenic Variant Of Primary Progressive Aphasia, Maria Luisa Mandelli, Diego L. Lorca-Puls, Sladjana Lukic, Maxime Montembeault, Andrea Gajardo-Vidal, Abigail Licata, Aaron Scheffler, Giovanni Battistella, Stephanie M. Grasso, Rian Bogley, Buddhika M. Ratnasiri, Renaud La Joie, Nidhi S. Mundada, Eduardo Europa, Gil Rabinovici, Bruce L. Miller, Jessica De Leon, Maya L. Henry, Zachary Miller, Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterized linguistically by gradual loss of repetition and naming skills resulting from left posterior temporal and inferior parietal atrophy. Here, we sought to identify which specific cortical loci are initially targeted by the disease (epicenters) and investigate whether atrophy spreads through predetermined networks. First, we used cross-sectional structural MRI data from individuals with lvPPA to define putative disease epicenters using a surface-based approach paired with an anatomically fine-grained parcellation of the cortical surface (i.e., HCP-MMP1.0 atlas). Second, we combined cross-sectional functional MRI data from healthy controls and longitudinal …

Learning From The First Citizen Science Association Virtual Conference, Abigail Hils, Skye Kelty, Angel Hjarding, Linda Silka, Alison Cawood

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Citizen Science Association (CSA) is a member-driven organization that connects people with interest in community/citizen science (c*science) from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines, and experiences. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bi-annual CSA conference pivoted away from an in-person format to a virtual format. CitSciVirtual: Local, Global, Connected occurred throughout May 2021 and brought together more than 700 attendees from 36 countries. The conference prioritized interactive experiences for attendees, including 16 collaborative poster sessions featuring 240 virtual posters, 55 workshops to learn and practice new skills, and 7 social events. This paper summarizes the impacts of the …

Well-Being, Changes To Academic Behavior, And Resilience Among Families Experiencing Parental Immigration Imprisonment, Caitlin Patler, Gabriela Gonzalez

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

While the deleterious impacts of parental incarceration are well documented, we know less about the experiences of children with parents imprisoned by immigration authorities. We draw from 62 multigenerational and multiperspective interviews conducted in California with school-age children experiencing parental immigration imprisonment (PII), and their nondetained caregivers. We find that children experiencing PII report feelings and behaviors suggestive of significant psychological distress, which leads to changes in engagement and behavior at school. While some children access academic support and counseling, often following advocacy from nondetained parents or interventions by teachers, others do not receive such support. Many children conceal their …

Never Lose Your Ecg: A Novel Key Generation And Authentication Scheme For Implantable Medical Devices, Nima Karimian, Gokay Saldamli, Younghee Park, Victor Lui

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators, and insulin pumps, play a crucial role in monitoring patients' vital signs within healthcare systems. However, these networked devices are susceptible to external attacks and breaches of trust, hindering the potential innovation and social benefits of eHealth services. To address these concerns, we propose a novel ECG-based key generation scheme and blockchain-based authentication protocol to build a trustworthy healthcare service under any situation. The key will be extracted in a single heartbeat using fiducial features. Compared with the existing works, the proposed key generation achieves the most efficient and secure method by …

Self-Efficacy And Research Output Among Librarians In Polytechnic Libraries In South-South, Nigeria, Osaheni Oni Cln, Esharenana E. Adomi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: This article examines the self-efficacy and research output of librarians in polytechnic libraries in South-South Nigeria.

Design, methodology, and approach: This study adopted an ex-post facto research design and used a questionnaire to collect data from librarians in Polytechnic Libraries in South-South, Nigeria.

Findings: This study showed a moderate relationship between self-efficacy and the research output of librarians in polytechnic libraries in southern Nigeria. The study also revealed that self-efficacy will significantly predict research output among librarians in polytechnic libraries in southern Nigeria.

Originality/value: This study generated significant findings that are capable of encouraging polytechnic management …

Application Of Information And Communication Technology (Ict) In Service Delivery In Nigerian Private University Libraries, Jane C. Anyanwu Odu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information and Communication Technologies have pervaded every sphere of human endeavour and nowhere has its impact been felt more than in the library. ICT covers all forms of computer and communications equipment and software used to create, design, store, transmit, interpret and manipulate information in its various formats. Personal computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, transport systems, televisions, and network technologies are just some examples of the diverse array of ICT tools. The research was carried out because of the need to fill the knowledge gap of how private university libraries have utilized information and communication technologies to deliver services to …

Lecturers' Awareness, Perception, And Utilization Of Institutional Repositories In Two Universities In Nigeria, Jemilat Iyabo Arilesere, Gafar Abiodun Akinosho Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this study was to examine the lecturer's awareness, perception, and utilization of institutional repositories in two universities in Nigeria. The universities include Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Jos. The research design adopted for the study was correlational research design, while the questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The questionnaire was grouped into five sections and most of the questions were close-ended. Also, the validity and reliability of the questionnaire were done in order to obtain the desired results. Out of 642 questionnaires distributed, 473 were completed, returned, and found suitable for use. …

Exploring Computer Self-Efficacy And Implementation Context Influencing The Use Of Koha Ils In The National Library Of Nigeria (Nln), Glory Odochi Okeagu, Dr. Amogu Uma Kalu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study explored the computer self-efficacy and implementation context on the use of KOHA ILS in the National Library of Nigeria and adopted the experimental descriptive survey design. The study was based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology by Venkatesh, Moris, Davis and Davis (2003). The population of the study comprised 170 librarians from the NLN. Random sampling technique was used to choose a sample size of 150 respondents, 120 copies of the questionnaire representing 80% returned, were used for the analysis and 30 copies of the questionnaire (20%) invalid. Data collected were analyzed using significant …

Finding A Nexus Between Qualitative Education And The Intellectually Challenged Children In Nigeria: The School Libraries As Rescue Agents, Monisola Adebanke Osoba, Kolawole Akinjide Aramide, Adesola Faustina Oyesiku

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The intellectually challenged children (children with intellectual disability) suffer from a condition which limits their capacity to learn and function in the society. Ensuring qualitative education for this category of children is still an herculean task in Nigeria as at today. Such children suffer from poor memory and have difficulties with abstract thinking and problem solving. Because the conventional educational system is built on skills such as comprehension, memory, abstract thinking and problem solving, intellectually challenged children are at a disadvantage of being excluded in an inclusive education system. In special education, teaching intellectually challenged children have over time evolved …

Challenges And Prospects Of Library And Information Services In Academic Libraries In Nigeria, Josiah Chukwumaobi Nworie, Elvis Uchenna Ubochi, Charity Iwuchukwu, Chioma Chinyere Njoku

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Every activity that is being done and carried out in the library is aimed at delivering services to the users and the community that is hosting the library. The services that libraries render cannot be overemphasized especially the Academic library. Their advantages are numerous and help towards the growth and development of the society. Libraries have continued to evolve since its operation, and the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has changed alot about librarianship all over the world. Many new concepts are being introduced, yet, not without their challenges and prospects. No academic library is devoid of challenges; …

Human Resource Development Practices In Academic Libraries In Tertiary Institutions In Nigeria, Cajetan Okechukwu Onyeneke, Doris Chiemeka Obasi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined human resource development practices in academic libraries in non-university tertiary institutions in Imo State, Nigeria. Four research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. A census study technique was adopted to cover the entire population of one hundred and fifty-two (152) library staff in the four public tertiary institutions in Imo State. A rating scale titled “Human Resource Development Practices Rating Scale (HRDPRS) was used to collect data for the study. A reliability index was established using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and it was (r) 0.82. The …