Digital Commons Network^™

Academic Stress Among The Library And Information Science Students Of Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India: A Study, Jyoti Devi, Ashu Shokeen

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study aims to explore the academic stress among the Library and Information (LIS) Students of the Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra situated in the Haryana state of India. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect the data from all the 54 LIS students through the survey method and all the questions were based on a 5-point Likert scale. The study found that poor time management (M=3.72 ±.856), stress regarding the tests, assessment, grades & evaluation and meeting the deadlines for the same (M=3.70 ±.983), the stress of family’s high expectations regarding career issues (M=3.63 ±1.033) and fear of lagging behind …

Library Anxiety Of Lis Students In Universities Of Pakistan: A Measurement Using Mlas, Mahe Bushra Asghar, Rubina Bhatti, Salman Bin Naeem

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study was conducted with an aim to determine the level of library anxiety among the graduate students of Library and Information Science enrolled in public sector universities of Pakistan. The Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale developed and validated by Dr. Doris Van Kampen, was used for this study. The data was collected from 511 students of MLIS studying in different library schools of Pakistan. The collected data was then analyzed statistically by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The findings of the study indicated that graduate students of Library and Information Science exhibited overall a mild …

Gender-Based Characteristics Of Micro, Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In An Emerging Country: Is This A Man’S World?, Angelica Maria Sanchez-Riofrio, Nathaniel C. Lupton, Segundo Camino-Mogro, Álvaro Acosta-Ávila

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Purpose: Worldwide, Ecuador is one of the countries with the most entrepreneurial activity from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). However, the effect of adopting the US dollar (dollarization), over which the central bank has no control, combined with being mainly an exporter of primary products, as well as strategic currency devaluation by neighboring economies, has created a difficult situation, especially for Ecuadorian women’s MSMEs. This paper aims to study the relationship between female ownership and Ecuadorian MSMEs’ financial, economic and social outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach: The authors compile a near-population panel of 617,804 firm-year observations representing an unbalanced panel of 112,917 …

Online Databases Backbone For Teaching And Research: Case Study Of Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology, Affiliated To Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra (India), Vishwas L. Hase, Mahesh N. Gaikwad, Yuvraj G. Jadhav Assistant Professor , Dept. Of Library And Information Science

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The library facilities and services have changed during the pandemic from both the librarians’ and library users’ points of view. Research and academic communication disseminated via emerging online databases and resulted in creating awareness and utilization of electronic resources remotely. The present study investigates the availability, awareness, and use of online databases subscribed from direct publishers and also accessed from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India, under the INFEED project by Rajarambapu Institute of Technology (RIT) staff members and students during the lockdown period. A mixed research approach (i.e. quantitative and qualitative) has been applied by using an online questionnaire as a …

Development Of Job Satisfaction Scale For Female Library Professionals: Case Study, Punam Chauhan, Aditya Tripathi, Mohd Shoaib Ansari

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

It has been observed that there are no standard scales for measuring the job satisfaction of female library professionals. A scale would prove to be an excellent tool for developing policies for female library professionals. A questionnaire is prepared, which is further tested for reliability and validity, considered a standard scale. A survey method is used to collect the data for this purpose. The study suggests that job satisfaction variables are not unidirectional in their effect. The job itself can be a source of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The scale has good internal consistency. The scale has good internal consistency …

Evaluation Of A Social Determinants Of Health Screening Questionnaire And Workflow Pilot Within An Adult Ambulatory Clinic, Rachel L. Berkowitz, Linh Bui, Zijun Shen, Alice Pressman, Maria Moreno, Stephanie Brown, Anne Nilon, Chris Miller-Rosales, Kristen M.J. Azar

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background
There is increased recognition in clinical settings of the importance of documenting, understanding, and addressing patients’ social determinants of health (SDOH) to improve health and address health inequities. This study evaluated a pilot of a standardized SDOH screening questionnaire and workflow in an ambulatory clinic within a large integrated health network in Northern California.
Methods
The pilot screened for SDOH needs using an 11-question Epic-compatible paper questionnaire assessing eight SDOH and health behavior domains: financial resource, transportation, stress, depression, intimate partner violence, social connections, physical activity, and alcohol consumption. Eligible patients for the pilot receiving a Medicare wellness, adult …

Workplace Democracy Practices And Librarians’ Commitment In Universities In Southwest Nigeria, Yemisi T. Babalola Prof, Oluwaseun O. Fagbemiro, Opeyemi D. Soyemi Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The effort of committed personnel is needed for the workplace to function optimally and to achieve the goals of the organization. This study examined the influence of workplace democracy practices on librarians’ commitment in universities in Southwest, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of 477 librarians in Southwest, Nigeria. Proportionate stratified sampling technique was used to select 217 librarians who served as respondents in the study. A researcher’s developed instrument was used for data collection and collected data were subjected to analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that the extent of …

Evaluation Of Gpu Acceleration For Wrf–Sfire, Joshua Benz

Master's Projects

WRF–SFIRE is an open source, atmospheric–wildfire model that couples the WRF model with the level set fire spread model to simulate wildfires in real time. This model has many applications and more scientific questions can be asked and answered if the model can be run faster. Nvidia has put a lot of effort into easing the barrier of entry for accelerating applications with their tools to be run on GPUs. Various physical simulations have been successfully ported to utilize GPUs and have benefited from the speed increase. In this research, we take a look at WRF-SFIRE and try to use …

Goals Of Care Documentation: Insights From A Pilot Implementation Study, Marie C. Haverfield, Ariadna Garcia, Karleen F. Giannitrapani, Anne Walling, Joseph Rigdon, David B. Bekelman, Natalie Lo, Lisa S. Lehmann, Josephine Jacobs, Natalia Festa, Karl A. Lorenz

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Context
The Life Sustaining Treatment Decision Initiative is a national effort by the Veterans Health Administration to ensure goals of care documentation occurs among all patients at high risk of life-threatening events.
Objectives
Examine likelihood to receive goals of care documentation and explore associations between documentation and perceived patient care experience at the individual and site level.
Methods
Retrospective, quality improvement analysis of initiative pilot data from four geographically diverse Veterans Affairs (VA) sites (Fall 2014-Winter 2016) before national roll-out. Goals of care documentation according to gender, marital status, urban/rural status, race/ethnicity, age, serious health condition, and Care Assessment Needs …

Exploring End-Users’ Digital Literacy Skills In The Islamia University Of Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Muhammad Younus, Muhammad Irfan Saleem

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study aimed to explore end-users’ digital literacy skills in the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The study employed the quantitative research method to address the research questions. The quantitative data were collected from research students (M.Phil. and PhD) studying at different departments in the university through the questionnaire. The findings of the study suggest that the respondents had a high level of knowledge and skills to use the Internet, MS Word and computers. The participants were not aware of most of electronic resources. They possessed a low level of skills to retrieve digital information, produce and create digital contents, …

Information Seeking Behavior On Youtube's Recommendation System For Undergraduate Students In Surabaya Indonesia, Youngjoon Yang, Edi Dwi Riyanto, Imam Yuadi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

YouTube is the most used social media platform in the world where users search for information through various search tools provided. This study aims to analyze the behavior of information-seeking on YouTube among undergraduate students in Surabaya, Indonesia. We examined their information-seeking behavior and its implementation in daily life. We also evaluated the information needs and interests. This research conducted online questionnaires that were sent to undergraduate students from 27 August 2021 to 6 September 2021 and received 143 responses. We then analyzed the data based on the response results and statistics from Google Forms. The results showed that they …

Information Needs And Seeking Behaviour Of Library And Information Science Undergraduates During Covid-19 Pandemic In Niger Delta Region Of Nigeria, Lawrence Arumuru

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was hinged on the information needs and seeking behaviour of library and information science undergraduates during the covid-19 pandemic in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Three questions were raised to put the study in the right perspective. The researcher employed the simple random type of sampling technique used to sample 184 respondents who are 200, 300, and 400 level undergraduates from Library and Information Science schools in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The questionnaire was used as the sole instrument for data collection. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Data collected were …

Two-Level Data Augmentation With Transfer Learning For Classification Of Medical Images With Limited Data, Nihil Pudota

Master's Theses

Machine learning used in the medical industry can potentially detect cancer in humancells at an early stage. However, training the machine learning models, especially deep learning models require thousands to millions of samples in order to reach an acceptable accuracy level. It is well-know that obtaining medical data is tedious hence in most cases, medical datasets have limited number of data samples. One solution for this problem is utilizing transfer learning such as pretrained networks on another dataset. Another solution is to increase the number of training data points with data augmentation. Common data augmentation methods for images include not …

Entrepreneurialism As Precarity: American Bookkeepers And Technological Transformation, Melanie Maxwell Bailey

Master's Theses

This study documents how small, U.S. bookkeepers are coping with and adapting to changing accounting technology, revealing how larger social and economic processes shape those reactions. This ethnographic research was conducted through literature review, ethnographic fieldwork, and semi-structured interviews, which were then thematically coded and analyzed. New accounting technology is seen both a tool and a source of freedom for bookkeepers, enabling remote entrepreneurship (argued to be a manifestation of neoliberal ideals) for the White women who primarily make up the industry. However, a major consequence of these technological transformations is the increasing ability to automate tasks bookkeepers historically considered …

“It Made Me Question If I Was In The Right Hands”: Exploring Cancer Prognostic Conversations Between Providers And Latinx Patients, Yesenia Anabel Carrillo

Master's Theses

People of color are often confronted by barriers within the health-care system that white people are not likely to encounter. Latinx patients are among those who experience racial health disparities, typically due to the lack of health literacy support and limited resource access. Drawing on previous work that focuses on exploring patient, provider, and caregiver preferences for cancer prognostic conversations; this study explores perceptions of cancer prognostic conversations between providers and Latinx patients to better understand the degree of cultural competence among providers and opportunities for enhancing interpersonal communication with Latinx patients. Interviews with seven patients and five providers were …

Effects Of Lemon Or Cinnamon Essential Oil Vapor On Physicochemical Properties Of Strawberries During Storage, Elise Christine Anita Freche

Master's Theses

Essential oils are currently being investigated for their potential role as food preservatives. They contain a mixture of bioactive compounds that would help increase the shelf life of food and might help preserve fruits without using synthetic chemicals. Although much research has been conducted on their antimicrobial properties, their effect on the physicochemical properties and organoleptic characteristics needs more investigation. In this study, the effects of lemon or cinnamon essential oil vapor on the physicochemical properties of strawberries were analyzed, focusing on the weight loss, color, firmness, acidity status, sugar content and visible decay. Strawberries were treated for 12 hours …

Ionic Percolation Networks In Composite Electrodes For All-Solid-State Batteries, Corey G. Abraham

Master's Theses

As the demand for high performance lithium-ion batteries grows, materials research isneeded to provide a safer alternative to the use of flammable liquid electrolytes. All-solid-state composite electrolytes consisting of a polymer host and ceramic filler can balance both the need for high ion-conductivity and mechanical flexibility within operating battery systems. The high interfacial resistances between such electrolytes and electrodes, as well as within porous electrodes, however, is a prohibitive performance attribute characteristic of this class of materials. One strategy to mitigate the inhibitory diffusion kinetics associated with the interface is to introduce an ionic percolation network into the electrodes. This …

Urban Edge Effects On Soil Conditions, Stand Structure, And Understory Composition In A Coast Redwood Forest, Nanako Oba

Master's Theses

Forests in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) can experience edge effects caused byhuman activities, such as timber harvest and urban development, altering vegetation composition and structure. Both the WUI and resulting edge effects are well studied in general; however, the influences of the urban edge on coast redwood forests specifically are not well understood. I analyzed soil properties, stand structure, and understory composition in a coast redwood preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California using twenty 300 m transects established across an anthropogenic edge and twenty transects within a forest interior control. Spearman’s rank correlations indicated that several variables exhibited positive …

Examining The Effects Of Power Posing On Stress Reactivity And Performance, Mitzi D. Ochoa

Master's Theses

Power posing is a concept that has garnered widespread attention due to claims thatan expansive powerful posture can improve self-perceptions of power, trigger changes in hormone levels, and improve behavioral outcomes including enhanced performance in social evaluative situations. Recently, these claims have been challenged by studies that failed to replicate the power boosting effects of expansive poses. This study aimed to address inconsistencies in the power posing literature and replicate original findings while controlling for potential effects of experimenter bias and touch. It was predicted that a high-power pose would reduce cortisol, increase perceptions of power, and improve performance. To …

An Examination Of Factors Predicting Academic Engagement And Commitment Among Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Students: The Moderating Role Of Gender, Tasanee S. Thienpothong

Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of gender on the relationships between the predictor variables (i.e., sense of belonging, grit, and support systems) and academic engagement and commitment to major among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. Specifically, this study proposed that gender would act as a moderator of these relationships such that the relationships between the predictor variables and the outcome variables would be stronger for women than for men in STEM. A total of 254 undergraduates from a university in Northern California participated in an in-person survey. Although results did not show …

Tuning Poly(Isopropyl Glycidyl Ether-Block-Polyethylene Glycol-Block-Isopropyl Glycidyl Ether) Poly(Iprge-Peg-Iprge) Triblock Hydrogels For Use In 3d Printing, Alexander B. Le

Master's Theses

Additive manufacturing, otherwise known as 3D printing, is an emerging technology with wide applications. The goal of this work is to study hydrogels comprised of the poly(isopropyl glycidyl ether-block-polyethylene glycol-block-isopropyl glycidyl ether) triblock copolymer, poly(iPrGE-PEG-iPrGE), for 3D printing. The hydrogel blends contain poly(iPrGE-PEG-iPrGE) along with varying concentrations of 2.5k PEG, 4k PEG, 8k PEG, 18.5k PEG or 2.5k iPrGE homopolymers. The effectiveness of the blends was measured by comparing the gel point, storage modulus, equilibrium modulus, and yield stress of the hydrogels. The average gel point for the samples ranged from 7.03-12.78 °C and the hydrogels were thermoreversible. The concentration …

Negotiating Transportation Insecurity: Local Responses And Coping Strategies In San José, Ca, Andrew K. Ng

Master's Theses

Transportation insecurity causes adverse effects on people’s lives by limiting access to opportunities and resources even in San José. Understanding how people experience transportation insecurity in metropolitan areas may contribute to building a better transportation system. I conducted my research study by interviewing downtown San José residents and analyzing their stories on the effects of transportation insecurity and what they did to cope with the situation to move around San José. I analyzed the contents of the interviews through qualitative data analysis. Findings suggest that people experience transportation insecurity as time infringement through congested traffic, convoluted schedules, and service complications, …

Recommendations For A Water Conservationist Diet In California, Helen M. Lee

Master's Theses

As the world’s population continues to increase, a focus on nutrition security and water sustainability is needed to ensure enough resources for future generations and their wellbeing. The agricultural sector uses the most water worldwide, so identifying agricultural commodities that use less water and are more nutritious could help society reach these goals. California is the largest producer of agriculture in the United States. Therefore, an analysis of water use and nutritional value was conducted using water footprint (WF) and nutrient rich food scores (NRF) of California’s agricultural products. The results of the WF and NRF analysis showed that the …

The Moderating Effect Of Locational Autonomy On The Relationship Between Remote Work And Counterproductive Work Behaviors, Alexandra Wong

Master's Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified remote work, where many companies shifted their employees to working remotely with possibilities of adopting remote work permanently. The purpose of this study was to understand negative consequences of remote work intensity on employee behavior through counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs), and whether a lack of locational autonomy would strengthen this relationship. Locational autonomy was conceptualized as two constructs: choice and approval. Results of an online survey administered to 202 participants revealed no direct relationship between remote work intensity and CWBs and locational autonomy choice had no moderating effects. However, locational autonomy approval moderated the relationships between …

Food Insecurity And Dietary Changes During Covid-19 In The San Francisco Bay Area, Iris Vanessa Tablas-Mejia

Master's Theses

Shelter-in-place and social distancing protocols were issued across the country to containthe spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); however, these safety measures gave rise to unprecedented unemployment rates and disruptions to food access. This study investigated how COVID-19 affected food security and food consumption patterns in the San Francisco Bay Area. A validated survey developed by the National Food Access and COVID Research Team (NFACT) was distributed online from August to November 2020. The survey measured food access and eating behaviors during the pandemic. Seven hundred and twentyfour participants (403 female, 76 male, average age 43.9 ± 15.0 years) completed …

Assessing Wrf Precipitation Forecasts Of Atmospheric Rivers In Northern California Using 4d-Var Data Assmiliation Of Cosmic-2 Gps Radio Occultation Profiles, Paul R. Zechiel

Master's Theses

Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) can provide much needed water to drought-ridden locations, however, can also lead to potential devastating flooding events. Thus, AR forecasts must be improved to keep the public safe. This case study used the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to compare the impact of including COSMIC-2 GPS Radio Occultation (RO) measurements using 4D-VAR data assimilation techniques. Each WRF simulation analyzed the vertical motion, pressure, mixing ratios with respect to ice, rain, and vapor, and precipitation fields. To provide observational precipitation data for model comparison, the Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) satellite and the Santa …

Effects Of Extra-Curricular Project-Based Learning Experiences On Self-Efficacy And Interest In Stem Fields In High School, Taihao Kevin Wan

Dissertations

As our society and systems become more technologically advanced, increasing opportunities exist for students interested to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. However, pervasive inequities have led to differences in the extent to which women and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups choose to pursue study and career pathways in STEM. Project-Based Learning (PBL) is among the most widely researched strategies suggested to support student learning and motivation and has more recently been applied to school-based efforts to increase student interest in STEM related fields. Rooted in Social Cognitive Career Theory, this study examined changes in students’ self-reported general …

Unpacking Educational Harm: Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of English Learners, Amalia Guzmán Ayala

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to: (1) provide the opportunity to Spanish-speaking parents of English Learner (EL) students to voice their perceptions regarding policies, procedures, and programs related to ELs, and (2) provide the opportunity to teachers to share their perceptions regarding the policies, procedures, and programs related to ELs. The research design for this qualitative study was exploratory and descriptive. The key findings were: (1) Hispanic Spanish-speaking parents had limited knowledge about policies, procedures, and programs related to ELs; and (2) Teacher knowledge about the policies, procedures and programs related to ELs was limited. The conclusions were: (1) …

Association Between Meal Dietary Inflammatory Potential And Postprandial Sleepiness, Samantha Beth Kalb

Master's Theses

The amount and composition of food that is consumed are known to contribute toinflammation and may affect how we feel in the following hours. The aim of this research was to determine if the inflammatory potential of a single meal is associated with level of postprandial sleepiness. Participants (n = 70) recorded intake of one of their meals, then reported their degree of postprandial sleepiness (Stanford Sleepiness Scale), average activity level, average hours of nightly sleep, and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale). The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) of the meal was estimated by adjusting DII parameters by 26%, reflecting the …

The Filipino American Diet: Generational Comparison Of Acculturation, Health Literacy, And Dietary Patterns, Regina Reina

Master's Theses

There is evidence to suggest that Filipino Americans (FAs) are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic conditions when compared to other Asian American subgroups. However, research on possible risk factors for this group is limited as race classifications are seldomly disaggregated. Having limited health literacy is known to be a contributing factor in health disparities among immigrant populations, though it has largely been understudied among FAs. The comparison of dietary intake, acculturation, dietary acculturation, and health literacy between Philippine-born (PBs) FAs and U.S-born (UBs) FAs has not previously been described. PBs and UBs (n=140) from across the …