Digital Commons Network^™

The ‘Double-Exposure’ Of Riverine Communities In Northeast India To Dams And Climate Change, Costanza Rampini

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Protecting Traditional Cultural Expressions: Law, Indigenous Protocols, Library Practices, Ulia Gosart, Valmaine Toki, Susan Townzen

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study responds to contemporary international policy developments focused on protecting Indigenous creative work classified as Traditional Cultural Expressions. The study claims that states’ interests continue to guide policies in this area, compromising the relationship between regulations and the aspirations and needs of Indigenous communities. The study uses comparative methodology and content analysis to develop this argument. The study also highlights the significance of partnerships between Indigenous communities and cultural institutions that may function as alternative means to protect Indigenous creative works. The study explores cases from Indigenous communities and cultural institutions in New Zealand, the USA, and Mexico to …

Awareness And Usage Of Electronic Database Among Faculty Of Management Sciences Academic Staff Of Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos State, Nigeria., Esther Motunrayo Ekeh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

This study examined the level of awareness and use of electronic databases among faculty of management sciences academic staff of Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos state, Nigeria. The objective of the study is to investigate the level of awareness and use of electronic databases by academic staff in the Faculty of Management sciences in Lagos State University, Ojo - Lagos State, Nigeria. Descriptive research design was employed with proportionate stratified random sampling. The population of the study was all the 105 academic staff in the university under study. A questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection and was …

Multi-Species Telemetry Quantifies Current And Future Efficacy Of A Remote Marine Protected Area, Morgan E. Gilmour, Kydd Pollock, Josh Adams, Barbara A. Block, Jennifer E. Caselle, Alex Filous, Alan M. Friedlander, Edward T. Game, Elliott L. Hazen, Marie Hill, Nick D. Holmes, Kevin D. Lafferty, Sara M. Maxwell, Douglas J. Mccauley, Robert Schallert, Scott A. Shaffer, Nicholas H. Wolff, Alex Wegmann

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Large-scale marine protected areas (LSMPAs; > 1000 km²) provide important refuge for large mobile species, but most do not encompass species' ranges. To better understand current and future LSMPA value, we concurrently tracked nine species (seabirds, cetaceans, pelagic fishes, manta rays, reef sharks) at Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef (PKMPA) in the U.S. Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. PKMPA and the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone encompassed 39% and 54% of species movements (n = 83; tracking duration range: 0.5–350 days), respectively. Species distribution models indicated 73% of PKMPA contained highly suitable habitat. Under two projected future scenarios (SSP …

Perception, Awareness, And Readiness By Academic Libraries Towards The 2030 Global Agenda For Sustainable Development Goals (Sdgs), Adeniyi Isaiah Kayode, Sunday Adebisi Oguntayo Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Purpose: This study sought to evaluate academic libraries' perception, awareness, and readiness towards the 2030 global agenda for SDGs

Methodology: A qualitative methodology was employed, and structured interviews were utilised to collect data. The interviews served as the primary method of data collection and were designed to accomplish five objectives. The study focused on academic librarians as the target population, with a sample size of thirty librarians representing nine academic libraries.

Findings: This study emphasises the mandatory prioritisation of all 17 SDGs by academic libraries, highlighting challenges such as insufficient financing, lack of awareness, and political instability among …

Cultural Influences On Parental Advocacy For Inclusion: Experiences Of South Asian Families With Children With Extensive Support Needs, Sudha Krishnan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This qualitative study examined the cultural factors in parental advocacy in South Asian parents of children with extensive support needs (ESN), concerning the educational placement decisions for their children. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic coding. The findings revealed that the predominant preference for segregated educational settings among participants was shaped by various cultural influences: persistent social stigma surrounding disability, a culturally-rooted belief in the curability of the disability, the prioritization of safety over academic integration, perceived inadequacies within general education settings, institutional pressures from school or IEP recommendations, advocacy for intensive home-based instruction, and a …

Strategies For Enhancing The Ability Of Rural Farmers To Deal With Challenges Of Climate Change Through Adult Education Programme In South East, Nigeria, Abaobi David Agbo Dr., Ngozi Justina Igwe Dr., Onyinye Regina Ekere, Stella C. Nwizu Prof.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Agriculture has become the main stay of the economy of developing countries in the world especially south-east, Nigeria. Rural farmers in South-east, Nigeria have suffered significant losses due to extreme weather events and natural disasters attributed to climate change such as severe flooding, drought, decease and pest attack etc. The responses and reactions of rural farmers to these extreme weather events and natural disasters has suggested that there is a lack knowledge of climate change. This study therefore is aimed at developing strategies that could help enhance the ability of rural farmers to cope and deal with the effects of …

The Impact Of Vacations On Urban Women's Well-Being From The Perspective Of Feminist Urbanism, Jie Gao, Deborah Kerstetter, Tianfu Wang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Vacations are known to foster well-being outcomes, yet few researchers have accounted for the influence of individual attributes such as gender, residential setting, or cultural context. As a result, there is a noticeable gap in the well-being literature concerning well-being outcomes for female travelers whose subjectivities have been shaped in as well as by their residential environment (urban) and culture. Using qualitative inquiry informed by the feminist urbanism perspective, this study uncovered urban Chinese women's cognitive representations of well-being outcomes from vacations. Findings revealed that vacations provide liberation from cultural constraints, boosting of social bonds and relationship building, enabling reflection …

What Tackles Vehicle Ghg Emissions In California: Regional Plan Adoption Or Local Leadership?, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Serena Alexander, Branka Tatarevic

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The California Senate Bill No. 375 (SB 375) serves as a model policy for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by integrating transportation and land-use planning through regional and local policies. The 18 California Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are tasked with developing Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) to guide emissions reductions, often implemented locally through Climate Action Plans (CAPs). However, CAPs are voluntary, and misalignment with SCS objectives can undermine their effectiveness. This study examined 25 California cities using content analysis and regression modeling to explore whether independent local actions, supported by community engagement, activist strategies, and leadership, are more effective than …

Smart: Semantic Mapping And Analysis For Regional Terrain Using Multi-Scale U-Net And Topsis, Rashmi Sonth

Master's Projects

Accurate land use classification is the backbone for urban planning. But with poor quality satellite images, varied landscapes and structures which are changing faster than ever, it becomes a challenge to define clear boundaries and hence to urban planning. This research explores the application of deep-learning model for land use classification and asses the suitability of the land. The proposed model combines a multi-scale U-Net architecture with Transformer blocks applied on a multi-spectral satellite images that improves the semantic segmentation greatly across the urban and rural regions. Additionally, a patch-wise segmentation is applied to overcome the common problem of feature …

Conceptual Critical Success Factors Model On Infrastructure Sustainability Rating System For California Construction Projects, Joseph J. Kim, Jose A. Arroyo-Turcios

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report addresses the sensitivity and reliability of the sustainability rating systems by comparing each category’s verified scores with its respective submitted scores to evaluate how points are awarded for infrastructure projects, examine which categories present the most challenges for verification, and identify the best category for verification in the sustainability rating system. The authors conducted three analyses using credit score data obtained from fourteen actual civil infrastructure projects certified under Envision. First, the Natural World category had the highest average score from the submitted and verified data. Pairwise comparisons using t-tests indicate that the mean value of one category …

Unseen Connections: A Storymap Exploring Case Studies In Water-Energy Transitions And Environmental Justice, Alida Cantor, Elizabeth Bartholomew, Kate Berry, James Blair, Dustin Mulvaney, Nancee Hunter

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Finding Floral And Faunal Species Richness Optima Among Active Fire Regimes, Zachary L. Steel, Alissa M. Fogg, Raphaela Floreani Buzbee, Kate Wilkin, Brandon M. Collins, Ryan Burnett, Marc D. Meyer, Amarina Wuenschel, Scott L. Stephens

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Changing fire regimes have important implications for biodiversity and challenge traditional conservation approaches that rely on historical conditions as proxies for ecological integrity. This historical-centric approach becomes increasingly tenuous under climate change, necessitating direct tests of environmental impacts on biodiversity. At the same time, widespread departures from historical fire regimes have limited the ability to sample diverse fire histories. We examined 2 areas in California's Sierra Nevada (USA) with active fire regimes to study the responses of bird, plant, and bat communities to a broad spectrum of temporal, spatial, and severity patterns of fire. Bird and plant species richness peaked …

Conservation Benefits Of A Large Marine Protected Area Network That Spans Multiple Ecosystems, Joshua G. Smith, Cori Lopazanski, Christopher M. Free, Julien Brun, Clarissa Anderson, Mark H. Carr, Joachim Claudet, Jenifer E. Dugan, Jacob G. Eurich, Tessa B. Francis, David A. Gill, Scott L. Hamilton, Kristin Kaschner, David Mouillot, Peter T. Raimondi, Richard M. Starr, Shelby L. Ziegler, Daniel Malone, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely implemented tools for long-term ocean conservation and resource management. Assessments of MPA performance have largely focused on specific ecosystems individually and have rarely evaluated performance across multiple ecosystems either in an individual MPA or across an MPA network. We evaluated the conservation performance of 59 MPAs in California's large MPA network, which encompasses 4 primary ecosystems (surf zone, kelp forest, shallow reef, deep reef) and 4 bioregions, and identified MPA attributes that best explain performance. Using a meta-analytic framework, we evaluated the ability of MPAs to conserve fish biomass, richness, and diversity. At the …

Contraceptive Use Among Transgender Men And Gender Diverse Individuals In The United States: Reasons For Use, Non-Use, And Methods Used For Pregnancy Prevention, Juno Obedin-Maliver, Ava Snow, Sachiko Ragosta, Laura Fix, Jen Hastings, Micah E. Lubensky, Matthew R. Capriotti, Zubin Dastur, Annesa Flentje, Mitchell R. Lunn, Heidi Moseson

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Objectives: To describe contraceptive use for pregnancy prevention among transgender men and gender diverse (TGD) individuals assigned female or intersex at birth (AFIAB) and explore whether contraceptive use differs by testosterone use. Study design: We analyzed data from a cross-sectional, online survey of N = 1694 TGD individuals AFIAB recruited in 2019 through a community-facing website and a national community-engaged cohort study of sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) adults in the US. Descriptive and regression analyses characterized the current and ever use of contraceptive methods for pregnancy prevention, stratified by testosterone use, and described reasons for contraceptive use/non-use. Results: Most …

Early Electronic Journals: A Preservation Survey, Nick Szydlowski, Rosa Salangsang, Daniella Kate Corpuz

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In 1994, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) published a print directory containing information on every electronic journal that could be identified, anywhere in the world. Thirty years later, this study surveys the current availability and preservation status of those 443 journals. While a significant number of these journals are no longer available, the results indicate that independent preservation efforts by individuals and small groups were a major factor in preserving many of the remaining publications. This study uses the preservation survey method to assess the preservation environment for these journals, and also to build an online directory of the …

Modeling Of Precipitation Over Africa: Progress, Challenges, And Prospects, A. A. Akinsanola, C. N. Wenhaji, R. Barimalala, P. A. Monerie, R. D. Dixon, A. T. Tamoffo, M. O. Adeniyi, V. Ongoma, I. Diallo, M. Gudoshava, C. M. Wainwright, R. James, K. C. Silverio, A. Faye, S. S. Nangombe, M. W. Pokam, D. A. Vondou, N. C.G. Hart, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In recent years, there has been an increasing need for climate information across diverse sectors of society. This demand has arisen from the necessity to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate variability and change. Likewise, this period has seen a significant increase in our understanding of the physical processes and mechanisms that drive precipitation and its variability across different regions of Africa. By leveraging a large volume of climate model outputs, numerous studies have investigated the model representation of African precipitation as well as underlying physical processes. These studies have assessed whether the physical processes are well depicted …

Can Household Water Sharing Advance Water Security? An Integrative Review Of Water Entitlements And Entitlement Failures, Melissa Beresford, Ellis Adams, Jessica Budds, Leila M. Harris, Wendy Jepson, Tennille Marley, Chloe Nguyen, Amber Pearson, Anaís Delilah Roque, Asher Y. Rosinger, Sameer H. Shah, Matthew Stellbauer, Amber Wutich

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

An increasing number of studies find that water sharing—the non-market transfer of privately held water between households—is a ubiquitous informal practice around the world and a primary way that households respond to water insecurity. Yet, a key question about household water sharing remains: is water sharing a viable path that can help advance household water security? Or should water sharing be understood as a symptom of water insecurity in wait for more formalized solutions? Here, we address this question by applying Sen’s entitlement framework in an integrative review of empirical scholarship on household water sharing. Our review shows that when …

English-Lueck, Jan A., San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of California, Santa Barbara, California, Anthropology, Ph.D. 1985

University of California, Santa Barbara, California, Anthropology, M.A. 1978

California State University, Fresno, California, Summa cum Laude in Anthropology, B.A. 1976

Classroom To Console, Ashton Headley

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

In an era where technology is continuously growing and intertwined into daily life, the field of education has seen drastic changes and innovation. Including changes we see today, with the ability to connect to class online, procter tests, submit assignments etc. And amongst these innovations, educational games have surfaced as a resource for helping learners across various age groups. By merging entertainment/gamification with educational content, these games offer an interactive and entertaining approach to acquiring knowledge and learning essential or non-essential skills. Whether it is implemented in classrooms, workplaces, or home settings, educational games are transforming the educational environment effectively …

The Evolution And Preservation Of Video Games: An Artistic And Cultural Journey, Dhru Fuletra

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

From the first time I held a game controller, video games have been a fundamental part of my life. They started as simple, pixel-filled adventures on early consoles and have grown into the vast, immersive worlds we explore on today’s advanced systems. For me, they’ve always been more than just a way to pass the time; they’ve been gateways to alternate realities where creativity, interaction, and storytelling seamlessly come together. Over the years, video games have transformed from casual hobbies into intricate cultural phenomena and, importantly, into a recognized art form. In this essay, I contend that video games are …

Consistent Vmt Mapping And Modeling In California: How Can We Better Assess The Vmt Impacts Of State And Local Transportation Projects?, Serena E. Alexander, Shams Tanvir, Syed Tanvir Ahmed, Annie Jones

Mineta Transportation Institute

Despite California’s ambitious target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, the state is not reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from personal vehicle travel, and per capita Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and GHG emissions continue to increase. One central challenge of climate planning facing California is the lack of consistent methods to measure the VMT impacts of transportation projects. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this research answers the question: “What are the advantages and limitations of existing VMT calculators to determine the climate impacts of transportation projects to help meet California’s climate goals?” Research methods included: (1) a quantitative analysis …

Zero-Emission Buses In The Us: Understanding And Addressing Market And Policy Challenges, Leah Foecke, Zachary Karson, Thomas Tiberghien

Mineta Transportation Institute

As the US public transportation sector accelerates its shift from fossil fuels to zero-emission alternatives, transit agencies and transit bus manufacturers alike face significant uncertainty and instability. This report provides policymakers with updated insights into the US transit bus market, focusing on key industry dynamics, financial challenges with zero-emission bus (ZEB) acquisition, technological obstacles in deployment, and regulatory issues. The research relies on interviews with stakeholders, a detailed review of existing literature, and an analysis of US public transit data. Key findings reveal ongoing challenges related to costs, supply, reliability, and workforce development, all of which hinder the adoption of …

Predevelopment Revolving Loan Funds To Develop Affordable Housing: Program Features And How They Can Be Strengthened, Shishir Mathur, Hilary Nixon, Shreya Chokshi

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Predevelopment revolving loan funds (PDRLFs) are pools of money from which loans are made and to which loan repayments flow in. They are a part of revolving loan funds (RLFs) that are extensively used in the US to support small businesses and housing. However, PDRLFs' use for funding affordable housing is little-studied. This paper begins to fill this research gap through a literature review and case studies to better understand the key features and the ways to strengthen affordable housing-focused PDRLFs. Finally, it suggests key strategies to strengthen them further, which include flexible funding by the state and federal governments …

Workplace Support For Physicians During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Did It Affect Burnout?, Joy Melnikow, Guibo Xing, Marykate E. Miller, Sabrina Loureiro, Andrew J. Padovani, Robin Whitney, Richard L. Kravitz

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: A concern before 2020, physician burnout worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little empirical data are available on pandemic workplace support interventions or their influence on burnout. We surveyed a national sample of frontline physicians on burnout and workplace support during the pandemic. Methods: We surveyed a stratified random sample of 12,833 US physicians most likely to care for adult COVID-19 patients from the comprehensive AMA Physician Professional Data ™ file. The sample included 6722 primary care physicians (3331 family physicians, 3391 internists), 880 hospitalists, 1783 critical care physicians (894 critical care physicians, 889 pulmonary intensivists), 2548 emergency medicine physicians, …

Beyond Boundaries: Governance Considerations For Climate-Driven Habitat Shifts Of Highly Migratory Marine Species Across Jurisdictions, Bianca S. Santos, Elliott L. Hazen, Heather Welch, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Barbara A. Block, Daniel P. Costa, Scott A. Shaffer, Larry B. Crowder

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The mobile nature of migratory marine animals across jurisdictional boundaries can challenge the management of biodiversity, particularly under global environmental change. While projections of climate-driven habitat change can reveal whether marine species are predicted to gain or lose habitat in the future, geopolitical boundaries and differing governance regimes may influence animals’ abilities to thrive in new areas. Broad geographic movements and diverse governance approaches elicit the need for strong international collaboration to holistically manage and conserve these shared migratory species. In this study, we use data from the Tagging of Pacific Predators program to demonstrate the feasibility of using climate-driven …

Using Moss As An Inexpensive Air Pollution Bioindicator For Environmental Equity In Santa Clara Country, California, Tam Dan Tran

Master's Theses

Toxins pervade urban areas and pose long-term health risks to humans. I examine moss as an affordable bioindicator and assess whether moss monitor results reflect other air quality (AQ) indicators, environmental factors, and social vulnerability. Specifically, I investigate (1) whether moss is an effective atmospheric pollution indicator and (2) whether low-income or high-lead-risk neighborhoods experience greater exposure to air pollution. I set out Hypnum cupressiforme moss for two months of exposure in 28 Santa Clara County locations and then measured chromium, zinc, nickel, and the loss of chlorophyll fluorescence in the moss tissue. I gathered real-time particulate matter (PM2.5) measurements …

Exploring Community Adaptation To Public Safety Power Shutoff Events: Findings From Two Case Studies Of Unincorporated Mountain Communities In Southern California, Ramiro M. Brown

Master's Theses

As aging electrical infrastructure in the US continues to succumb to unyielding weather patterns brought on by climate change, there is an urgency among Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) to reduce the likelihood of their equipment sparking a wildfire. Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) – the intentional de-energization of the electrical grid on high fire weather danger days – have become a staple in IOU Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs) since 2018 as one way to avoid wildfire ignitions via electrical infrastructure. One criticism of PSPS events is that they create their own hazard by cutting off power to thousands – sometimes millions-of …

An Assessment Of Anthropogenic Injuries On White Sharks (Carcharodon Carcharias) In Central California, Kaitlyn Yee

Master's Theses

As human activities increasingly impact marine ecosystems, understanding the effects of anthropogenic activity on white sharks is important for their continued conservation. Human-induced injuries are observed in many shark species. Such injuries have been found to have physiological and ecological impacts. Four sites in Central California off the coasts of Aptos, Año Nuevo Island, Southeast Farallon Island, and Point Reyes are all known areas of white shark aggregation with varying levels of human use and protection. Utilizing a vast video database, this study evaluated the effects of natural and non-natural anthropogenic shark injury types across all locations, age classes, and …

An Exploration Into Why There Is An Overrepresentation Of Bame People In Missing Person Cases, Phoebe Sleigh-Johnson, Fiona Gabbert Dr., Adrian J. Scott

International Journal of Missing Persons

The overrepresentation of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people in missing person cases is an issue that is not understood within society and has largely been neglected within academic literature to date. This study, therefore, aims to explore why this overrepresentation might exist by obtaining the views and opinions of 24 professionals (including police officers) working within the field of missing people. The study used a qualitative, exploratory method and an anonymous online survey containing a series of open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was performed on the data, and three main themes were identified; the first related to the idea …