Digital Commons Network^™

Indigenous Spaces, Kerri J. Malloy

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In this chapter, the use of memory by Indigenous activists and movements in North America to unsettle the status quo by bringing attention to a contested past is reviewed to demonstrate how memory activism has become an integral component of the Indigenous rights movement of the twenty-first century. Centered on awaking the memory of settler-colonial society to unsettle the dominant narrative that pervades the understanding of Indigenous peoples as something of the past serves to spark the settler-colonial state's remembrance that Indigenous people are of the present. Acknowledging the past by honoring the promises that were made undermines the historical …

Considering Community Partnerships And New Projects: Advice From The Field, Morgan Rose Pershing

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

There are many considerations to take before embarking on a new project or creating a new community partnership. Many such considerations are undocumented and not widely taught in Master of Library and Information Science programs. This article fills in the gap with suggested steps to take before implementing a new service or partnership. Recommendations stem from the author’s own experiences and aim to help public library workers—from staff to administration—avoid possible pitfalls and become effective advocates for focus and intentionality.

Analysis Of Freight Movements In The San Joaquin Valley, Aly Tawfik, Utsav Shah

Mineta Transportation Institute

Freight transportation plays a primary role in supply chains, costs, and availability of goods and is a major part of the economy. This study identifies, assesses, and utilizes different data sources to uncover and understand the patterns and movements of different types of freight in the San Joaquin Valley’s (SJV's) different counties. The San Joaquin Valley region consists of eight counties: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare. This research explored some major datasets with freight information, such as Global Trade Atlas (GTA), Port Imports and Exports Reporting Systems (PIERS), and Streetlight data insights for the year 2019 …

Utilization Of Electronic Resources In University Of Abuja Library By Undergraduate Students Of University Of Abuja, Nigeria, Rose Lade Mommoh Dr., Hadiza Eneze Gomina Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated the utilization of electronic resources in University of Abuja library by Undergraduate students of University of Abuja. The descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. The study was guided by three research questions. The population of the study comprised of 3520 and 3750 undergraduate students from faculties of Science and Arts respectively. The sample size of for the study comprised of 352 and 375 undergraduate students from faculties of Science and Arts respectively. The study adopted a structured questionnaire for data collection. The study revealed moderate use of electronic resources by undergraduate students in faculties of …

Evolution Of Research On Prison Library: A Bibliometric Study, Andreu Sulé, Jordi Ardanuy

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The primary objective of the article is to present the historical evolution and current state of research in the field of prison libraries: what has been published, when, where, how and by whom it was published, the topic covered, etc. The study is based on the results obtained from the bibliographic databases LISA (ProQuest) and LISTA (EBSCO Publishing) up to early 2023. Entries were manually checked for irrelevant publications, and filters and specific tools, such as OpenRefine, followed by a final manual check, were used to remove duplicate entries. The same mechanisms were used for detecting duplicated entries regarding author, …

Homelessness And Taphonomy: A Multidisciplinary Study, Chloë Angst

Master's Theses

In this thesis, I present multidisciplinary research applicable to deceased unhoused individuals in urban San José, California. I present the problem of homelessness through a “hybrid collectif,” a conceptual framework that encompasses the factors that drive homelessness in life and death. I use taphonomic methodology to examine the problem of homelessness in this urban region by experimentation with porcine carcasses in simulated death scenarios. I utilize total body score (TBS), accumulated degree days (ADD), and predictive entomological species identification to examine decomposition trends. I also introduce “human survival scavenging” as an agent of decomposition, provide an account of ecological succession …

Implicit Racial Bias: A Human Computer Interaction Study Using Eye Tracker, Wenfan Zhang

Master's Projects

Contemporary Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research has an increasing emphasis on reducing ethnicity bias. The study presents a new method to explore and reduce biases using detailed experiments. The experimental procedure involves presenting participants with images of ethnically diverse characters across three conditions. The study's results significantly illuminate ethnicity bias in character selection dynamics. Participants exposed to targeted training interventions displayed a significant shift in preferences for characters engaged in intellectual activities. Notably, this shift was influenced by the ethnicity of the characters involved. Interestingly, the eye-tracking data unveiled distinct patterns of cognitive load, characterized by slower response times and greater …

Analyzing The Benthic Cover Of Crustose Coralline Algae Using Mask-R Cnn, Rachana Ravindra

Master's Projects

Coral reefs, supporting 25% of marine biodiversity, confront challenges from local and global impacts like overfishing, runoff, acidification, and warming. Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA), pivotal for reef structure and coral settlement, are underrepresented in research. Current methods like Coral Point Count with Excel Extensions (CPCe) have limitations, relying on image quality and being time-consuming. This paper proposes computer vision and Mask R-CNN, a supervised machine learning model, for CCA analysis in reef images, considering color, texture, and shape. Results indicate promise in clustering and classifying organisms. The innovative technology reduces manual labor, enhancing image analysis, simplifying the understanding of CCA’s …

Evaluation Of Left Shoulder As Part-Time Travel Lane Design Alternatives And Transportation Management Center Staff Training Module Development, Zhuohang Deng, Zhiliang Luo, Neil Hockaday, Ahmed Farid, Anurag Pande

Mineta Transportation Institute

Permanent capacity expansion, such as adding new lanes, is no longer a viable strategy to address traffic congestion in California; hence, ITS (Intelligent Transportation System) strategies, such as part-time use of the shoulder as a travel lane, need to be explored. The use of the shoulder as a travel lane during peak traffic hours has limited applications in the US, and most use the right shoulder as a part-time travel lane even though either the right or left shoulder (but not both) may be used. Caltrans District 5 is exploring the use of Left Shoulder as a Part-time Travel Lane …

Incorporating Public Health Into Transportation Decision Making, Bruce Appleyard, Tim Garrett

Mineta Transportation Institute

Investments in transportation have the potential to significantly affect public health outcomes. Decisions to build highways, transit, or bikeways, for example, influence how residents and visitors move around a metropolitan area. Personal travel habits and proximity to transportation infrastructure play a role in how likely people are to be physically active or be exposed to dangerous traffic and toxic pollution. For this study, the research team reviewed the literature that links transportation infrastructure, the surrounding built environment context, and public health outcomes such as chronic heart and lung diseases, obesity, and death. The team then researched publicly available data that …

Sundowners And Mountain Wave Activity: Selected Observations From The Sundowner Winds Experiment (Swex), Kiera L. Malarkey

Master's Theses

Wildfires in complex terrain have resulted in tragic loss and have highlighted the vulnerability of communities over the past several years. The added intensity created by downslope windstorms, and the lack of high temporal and spatial resolution of ground observations motivates the ongoing need to understand and increase predictability of Sundowners. Sundowners, downslope windstorms that are typically intensified around sunset, are a common and significant weather phenomenon observed along the Santa Barbara coastline and are known to increase challenges during wildfire events. The Sundowner Winds EXperiment (SWEX) was a six-week field campaign from 01 April to 15 May 2022 in …

Spatiotemporal Dynamics And Biogeochemical Responses In A Tidally Restricted Moro Cojo Slough, Ryan Chiu

Master's Theses

Four years of observational data for Moro Cojo Slough (MCS), a Mediterranean climate estuary in central California, linked anthropogenic nutrient loading and hydrological modifications to a shift in net ecosystem metabolism (NEM) that differs from the characteristic net heterotrophic behavior of most estuarine systems. A lack of precipitation and limited flushing during the dry seasons, as evidenced from hypersaline waters, contribute to high ecosystem respiration rates that drove NEM to nearly balanced or net autotrophic. During the wet seasons, increased runoff and nutrient loading due to precipitation elevated primary production rates within MCS, characterizing the system as net autotrophic. Box …

Where And Why Do Ecosystem-Based Adaption Projects Take Place In California?, Daniel K. Jacobson

Master's Theses

California is experiencing the harmful impacts of climate change and will continue to do so for generations. As a result, municipalities have been forced to turn to adaptation solutions to help local residents adjust to inevitable impacts such as sea level rise, extreme heat, and extreme weather. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), the use of nature and ecosystem services to help human systems adapt to climate change impacts, is an increasingly popular, cost-effective, and multi-benefit adaptation strategy. While prior research has shown that other forms of adaptation, often referred to as ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ strategies, disproportionately benefit whiter and wealthier populations, there …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Link Between Built Environment And Safety In Chicago’S Transit Station Areas, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Agustina Laurito

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Considering that safety is a key environmental factor that promotes health, understanding the relationship between built environment features around transit station areas and crime may shed light on how to foster healthy communities. Yet, there is limited work that has examined how the combination of different built environment features around transit correlate with different crimes. We addressed this issue in this study using data from Chicago (IL). First, we used cluster analysis to classify stations in Chicago in a spectrum from transit-oriented development (TOD) to transit-adjacent development (TAD) categories depending on their built environment characteristics: …

Neighborhood Market Potentials For Alcohol Use And Rates Of Child Abuse And Neglect, Bridget Freisthler, Christiana Kranich, Jennifer Price Wolf, Reiko Boyd, Paul J. Gruenewald

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Alcohol use can lead to child abuse and neglect even if the person using alcohol does not use heavily. Yet relatively few measures that reflect alcohol use are available at smaller geographic units. We assess whether the estimated level of total alcohol use per capita is related to measures of child abuse and neglect that include substantiated reports of maltreatment, total entries into foster care, and alcohol-related entries into foster care. Methods: Our sample consists of 326 Census block groups in Sacramento, California over three time points (978 space–time units). Administrative data for substantiations of child abuse and neglect …

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 …

Does Parent Report Of Child Physical Abuse And Supervisory Neglect Differ By Method Of Study Recruitment Or Mode Of Survey Administration?, Bridget Freisthler, Christiana Kranich, Jennifer Price Wolf

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

General population studies find that rates of child maltreatment are higher than those identified in the child welfare system. Some modes of administration may result in higher disclosure rates of child maltreatment by respondents. This study assesses differences in characteristics of parents who are recruited using telephone sampling techniques or via the internet and whether the survey was administered by telephone or the web. We have 1599 parent respondents recruited from listed samples and Craigslist advertisements. Surveys were administered via the telephone or online. Survey included measures of parenting behaviours, psychosocial characteristics and demographics for the parent, child and family. …

Editorial: The Governance Of Artificial Intelligence In The “Autonomous City”, Federico Cugurullo, Sarah Barns, Vincent J. Del Casino, Natalie M. Gulsrud, Tan Yigitcanlar, Xiaoling Zhang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

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 …

Homelessness And Water Insecurity In The Global North: Trapped In The Dwelling Paradox, Katie Meehan, Melissa Beresford, Fausto Amador Cid, Lourdes Johanna Avelar Portillo, Anna Marin, Marianne Odetola, Raul Pacheco-Vega

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In this article, we introduce the “dwelling paradox” to explore how the state actively produces water insecurity for people experiencing homelessness in the Global North. We explain that the dwelling paradox is (1) produced by a modernist ideology of public service delivery that privileges water provision through private infrastructural connections in the home; (2) is reproduced by the welfare-warfare state, which has increasingly weaponized public water facilities and criminalized body functions in public space; and (3) is actively contested by some houseless communities, who challenge hegemonic ideals of the “home”—and its water infrastructure—as a private, atomized space. In advancing a …

Using New Assessment Tools During And Post-Covid-19, Gbolahan Olasina

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This work tackles the need to evaluate and identify fresh assessment techniques utilized in LIS education during and after the COVID-19 epidemic. It investigates the impact of digital media, feedback, formative assessments, and concerns such as cheating and authenticity, providing critical insights for future assessment practises in the post-pandemic period. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to employ new assessment tools post-pandemic to adapt to online and hybrid learning challenges. This qualitative study investigates complex social phenomena in higher education assessments by exploring behaviours, preferences, beliefs, customs, attitudes, viewpoints, and experiences. Twelve LIS instructors, 6 teaching and learning administrators, and …

Towards An Open And Inclusive Digital Humanities: Policies And Initiatives For Open Data Promotion In India, Mumtaj Mumtaj

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper discusses about background of open data, policies and initiatives in the field of digital humanities in India. The article highlights the significance of open data on mankind and its potential in advancing research, promoting transparency, and encouraging collaborations. The article analyzes the current state of open data policies and initiatives in world as well as in India .The paper accentuates the significance of open data in enabling greater collaboration and inclusivity in the Digital Humanities in India, and calls for increased efforts to promote open data policies and initiatives in the country .The article talked about the successful …

Estimating Abundance Of An Elusive Cetacean In A Complex Environment: Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena Phocoena) In Inland Waters Of Southeast Alaska, Alexandre N. Zerbini, Kimberly T. Goetz, Karin A. Forney, Charlotte Boyd

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is common in temperate waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean, including Southeast Alaska inland waters, a complex environment comprised of open waterways, narrow channels, and inlets. Two demographically independent populations are currently recognized in this region. Bycatch of porpoises in the salmon drift gillnet fisheries is suspected to occur regularly. In this study, we apply distance sampling to estimate abundance of harbor porpoise during ship surveys carried out in the summer of 2019. A stratified survey design was implemented to sample different harbor porpoise habitats. Survey tracklines were allocated following a randomized survey design …

Measuring Competition Between The Great Powers Across Africa And Asia Using A Measure Of Relative Dispersion In Media Coverage Bias, Elizabeth Gooch, Stone Goethe, Nicholas Sobrepena, Eric Eckstrand

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Senior leaders in the US Department of Defense, as well as global affairs strategists and academics, have argued that China’s economic growth is associated with a dramatic increase in competition for resources and Chinese influence abroad. We aim to ascertain whether and where competition between great powers exists and to characterize China’s growing influence. Our main contribution is that we create a measure of competition among the United States, China, Russia, India, and France within African and Asian countries. We draw our data from a large media database that records news articles published since March 2015. We sum the quantity …

Traffic Restrictions During The 2008 Olympic Games Reduced Urban Heat Intensity And Extent In Beijing, Bo Yang, Hongxing Liu, Emily L. Kang, Timothy L. Hawthorne, Susanna T.Y. Tong, Song Shu, Min Xu

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Satellite thermal remote sensing has been utilized to examine the urban heat dynamics in relation to the urban traffic restriction policy. During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the traffic volume was approximately cut off by half through the road space rationing. Based on daily MODIS satellite thermal observations on the surface temperature, statistical models were developed to analyze the contribution of traffic volume reduction to the urban heat intensity and spatial extent. Our analyses show that cutting off half of the traffic volume has led to a marked decrease in the mean surface temperature by 1.5–2.4 °C and shrinkage …

Open Access Resources Usage And Copyright Violation Amongst Undergraduates In Two Universities In Ibadan, Oyo State, Adebisola Theresa Oguntimehin, James Ogielagbega Enamudu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Open access is a burning issue in web-based education and research that makes provision for resources that is digital, online, free of charge and free of most licensing restrictions. However, the free accessibility provided to these resources has led to the speculations that undergraduates might tend to violate the copyright protection of these resources. Hence, the study aimed to examine the relationship between the use of open access resources and copyright violation amongst undergraduates in two universities in Ibadan, Oyo state.

The study adopted the descriptive survey design with a study population from two universities in Ibadan, Oyo state (Lead …

Problems Associated With Effective Provision Of Information On Agricultural Insurance To Rural Farmers For Climate Change Adaptation., Abaobi David Agbo Dr, Victor N. Nwachukwu Prof, Ishmael, Umunnakwe Agbo Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information provision and adult literacy on Agricultural insurance is very vital in facilitating rural farmer’s change of behavior and adjustment to climate change adaptation. Majority of rural farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria is mostly illiterate, found in rural communities and are mainly dependent on rain-fed agriculture and with low level of educational development and thus require agricultural information and adult literacy on Agricultural insurance to be able to adapt to the never-ending climate change. However, there are problems facing Information provision and adult literacy on Agricultural insurance to rural farmers for climate change adaptation. This study therefore identified some of …

Spartan Daily, November 8, 2022, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2022

Volume 159, Issue 33

Exploring The Use Of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A National Survey, Keertana Sureshbabu, Egbe-Etu Etu, Susan Summerville, Ankur Parmar, Gaojian Huang

Mineta Transportation Institute

Public transportation is an essential part of many older adults’ lives, but the pandemic presented new challenges for the vulnerable population. Adults aged 65 years and older experienced additional challenges, such as limited mobility options (e.g., lack of buses or trains in service due a combination of government lockdowns, fear of contracting or spreading the virus, and driver shortages in certain areas) because of the pandemic, which may have resulted in more age-related declines in perceptual, cognitive, and physical functioning. This study explores how older adults living in major metropolitan cities in the United States used and perceived public transportation …

Understanding The Role Of Transportation In Human Trafficking In California, Kezban Yagci Sokat

Mineta Transportation Institute

Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, is the recruitment, transport, and/or transfer of persons using force, fraud, or coercion to exploit them for acts of labor or sex. According to the International Labor Organization, human trafficking is the fastest growing organized crime with approximately $150 billion in annual profits and 40.3 million individuals trapped in slave-like conditions. While it is not compulsory to involve transportation for human trafficking, the transportation industry plays a critical role in combating human trafficking as traffickers often rely on the transportation system to recruit, move, or transfer victims. This multi-method study investigates the role …