Digital Commons Network^™

Use Of School Library Resources In Enhancing Childhood Education In Primary Schools In Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Egwuonwu Ugochi Iruoma, Osuchukwu Perpetua Ngozi Dr., Okafor Amarachi Jane

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the use of school library resources in enhancing Childhood education in primary schools in Idemili South Local Government Area Anambra State, Nigeria. Five research questions guided the study. A structured questionnaire and observation checklist were the instrument used in collecting data. The Descriptive survey design was used. The population of the study comprised of some selected primary schools in Idemili South local government area which according to the data collected from the state Ministry of Education, Awka. The simple random sampling technique was used to draw out the sample of five (5) primary schools from the …

Percent Grade Scale Amplifies Racial Or Ethnic Inequities In Introductory Physics, Cassandra A. Paul, David J. Webb

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In previous work we analyzed databases for 95 classes to show that the percent grade scale was correlated with a much higher student fail rate than the 4.0 grade scale. This paper builds on this work and investigates equity gaps occurring under both scales. By employing a “course deficit model” we attribute the responsibility for closing the gaps to those who are responsible for the policies that guide the course. When comparing course grades in classes graded using the percent scale with those in courses graded using the 4.0 scale, we find that students identifying as belonging to racial or …

Awareness Of Undergraduates In Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State About Reference Management Software., Oghenovo Kelvin Onoriode Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is on Awareness of Undergraduates in Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State about Reference Management Software.. It aims to provide new essential information on a relatively unexplored subject, with the goal of providing background for future understanding and comparison. For the purpose of this, the descriptive study adopted a survey research design. Therefore, 200 – 400 level students from six department of the college were selected. The total population of the students in the College was 358 to which questionnaire was administered. Consequently 240 were retrieved and were used for the analysis. The data collected were analyzed using …

Intra-Seasonal Variation In Feeding Rates And Diel Foraging Behaviour In A Seasonally Fasting Mammal, The Humpback Whale, Ross C. Nichols, David E. Cade, Shirel Kahane-Rapport, Jeremy Goldbogen, Alison Stimpert, Douglas Nowacek, Andrew J. Read, David W. Johnston, Ari Friedlaender

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Antarctic humpback whales forage in summer, coincident with the seasonal abundance of their primary prey, the Antarctic krill. During the feeding season, humpback whales accumulate energy stores sufficient to fuel their fasting period lasting over six months. Previous animal movement modelling work (using area-restricted search as a proxy) suggests a hyperphagic period late in the feeding season, similar in timing to some terrestrial fasting mammals. However, no direct measures of seasonal foraging behaviour existed to corroborate this hypothesis. We attached high-resolution, motion-sensing biologging tags to 69 humpback whales along the Western Antarctic Peninsula throughout the feeding season from January to …

Culturally Tailored Diabetes Self-Management Educational (Dsme) Program And Its Impact On Motivation And Self-Efficacy Among Hispanic Adults With T2dm: A Pilot Study, Andrellie P. Van Wageningen

Doctoral Projects

Type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States is an epidemic that disproportionately affects Hispanics in the state of California. Many factors have been attributed to this phenomenon because of their unique characteristics. As recent studies have pointed out, their social determinants of health, cultural influences, and genetic predisposition often lead to poor health outcomes and impaired quality of life. A targeted approach is critical in promoting increased diabetes knowledge, enabling skills to master self-care activities, and positive self-care behaviors to avert poor outcomes. The purpose of this doctoral project is to examine whether culturally tailored DSME influences an individual’s …

Supervised Learning Models For The Preliminary Detection Of Covid-19 In Patients Using Demographic And Epidemiological Parameters, Aditya Pradhan, Srikanth Prabhu, Krishnaraj Chadaga, Saptarshi Sengupta, Gopal Nath

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The World Health Organization labelled the new COVID-19 breakout a public health crisis of worldwide concern on 30 January 2020, and it was named the new global pandemic in March 2020. It has had catastrophic consequences on the world economy and well-being of people and has put a tremendous strain on already-scarce healthcare systems globally, particularly in underdeveloped countries. Over 11 billion vaccine doses have already been administered worldwide, and the benefits of these vaccinations will take some time to appear. Today, the only practical approach to diagnosing COVID-19 is through the RT-PCR and RAT tests, which have sometimes been …

Designing A Model To Measure Information Intelligence Based On The Indices And Measures, Asefeh Asemi, Vahid Aghakishizadeh, Ahmad Shabani, Adeleh Asemi, Andrea Ko

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Measuring information intelligence is especially important in information societies. The present study aimed to identify indices and measures effective and design a model for measuring information intelligence. The research used a mixed method to achieve objectives. Data collection tools included the study of scientific literature and interviews. The research population included related published literature related to scientific theories, information science experts, and psychology experts. Based on the research findings, 14 indices and 97 measures were identified as effective for measuring information intelligence in two dimensions of management and information retrieval. After weighing and prioritizing the indices, finally, a model is …

Disease Surveillance By Artificial Intelligence Links Eelgrass Wasting Disease To Ocean Warming Across Latitudes, Lillian R. Aoki, Brendan Rappazzo, Deanna S. Beatty, Lia K. Domke, Ginny L. Eckert, Morgan E. Eisenlord, Olivia J. Graham, Leah Harper, Timothy L. Hawthorne, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Kevin A. Hovel, Zachary L. Monteith, Ryan S. Mueller, Angeleen M. Olson, Carolyn Prentice, John J. Stachowicz, Fiona Tomas, Bo Yang, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Ocean warming endangers coastal ecosystems through increased risk of infectious disease, yet detection, surveillance, and forecasting of marine diseases remain limited. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows provide essential coastal habitat and are vulnerable to a temperature-sensitive wasting disease caused by the protist Labyrinthula zosterae. We assessed wasting disease sensitivity to warming temperatures across a 3500 km study range by combining long-term satellite remote sensing of ocean temperature with field surveys from 32 meadows along the Pacific coast of North America in 2019. Between 11% and 99% of plants were infected in individual meadows, with up to 35% of plant tissue damaged. …

The Impact Of Faculty-In-Residence Programs: A Difference-In-Differences And Cross-Sectional Approach, Leonard Lira, Christine Ma-Kellams, Kyle Hambrook, Ravneet Tiwana, Lina Anastasovitou, Luis Arabit, Jennifer Johnston, Theodore Tsau

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Purpose: Faculty-in-Residence (FIR) programs are implemented based on research that shows positive effects on student success when students interact with faculty outside of the classroom. However, most research is limited by cross-sectional studies of only students and does not look at the Faculty-in-Residence programs from a holistic perspective that investigates the impact on faculty. This study focuses on the impact, not only on students over time but additionally on the perceived impact on faculty who participate in Faculty-in-Residence programs.

Methods: We examined the effect of FIR programs at a large, public California university on both student success (i.e., …

Open Innovation Web-Based Platform For Evaluation Of Water Quality Based On Big Data Analysis, Xiaofang Han, Hong Shen, Hongqing Hu, Jerry Gao

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

There are many models presented that assess water quality. However, the applications of the models are limited due to the difficulty of preparing input data and interpreting model output. In this paper, we developed a Web-based platform to assist researchers in analyzing water quality. The data from sensors can be automatically imported to the platform according to the configured information of data structures. The platform also provides conventional methods and big data methods for the users to analyze water quality. Moreover, the users can choose the water quality parameters according to the water usage. The presented platform can show the …

Wastewater-Derived Ammonia For A Green Transportation Fuel, Joseph Kalman, Maryam Haddad

Mineta Transportation Institute

The energy-water nexus (i.e., availability of potable water and clean energy) is among the most important problems currently facing society. Ammonia is a carbon-free fuel that has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint in combustion related vehicles. However, ammonia production processes typically have their own carbon footprint and do not necessarily come from sustainable sources. This research examines wastewater filtration processes to harvest ammonia for transportation processes. The research team studied mock wastewater solutions and was able to achieve ammonia concentrations above 80%(nanofiltration) and 90% (reverse osmosis). The research team also investigated the influence of transmembrane pressure and flow …

Biological Hydrogen Gas Production From Food Waste As A Sustainable Fuel For Future Transportation, Pitiporn Asvapathanagul, Leanne Deocampo, Nicholas Banuelos

Mineta Transportation Institute

In the global search for the right alternative energy sources for a more sustainable future, hydrogen production has stood out as a strong contender. Hydrogen gas (H2) is well-known as one of the cleanest and most sustainable energy sources, one that mainly yields only water vapor as a byproduct. Additionally, H2 generates triple the amount of energy compared to hydrocarbon fuels. H2 can be synthesized from several technologies, but currently only 1% of H2 production is generated from biomass. Biological H2 production generated from anaerobic digestion is a fraction of the 1%. This study aims to enhance biological H2 production …

Mangrove Dispersal Disrupted By Projected Changes In Global Seawater Density, Tom Van Der Stocken, Bram Vanschoenwinkel, Dustin Carroll, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Nico Koedam

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The degree to which the distribution of mangrove forests will be impacted by climate change depends on the dispersal and establishment of sea-faring propagules, which drive forest rejuvenation, gene flow and range expansion. Climate change affects sea surface density via changes in temperature and salinity. However, these changes have not been mapped and it remains unclear how these factors may impact mangrove propagule dispersal. Here, we provide evidence for strong warming of coastal mangrove waters and elevated geographic variability in surface ocean density under representative concentration pathway RCP 8.5 by 2100. The largest changes will occur in the Indo West …

Assessing The Performance And Efficiency Of Environmental Dna/Rna Capture Methodologies Under Controlled Experimental Conditions, Anastasija Zaiko, Ulla Von Ammon, Jacqui Stuart, Kirsty F. Smith, Richard Yao, Melissa Welsh, Xavier Pochon, Holly A. Bowers

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Growing interest and affordability of environmental DNA and RNA (eDNA and eRNA) approaches for biodiversity assessments and monitoring of complex ecosystems have led to the emergence of manifold protocols for nucleic acids (NAs) isolation and processing. Although there is no consensus on a standardized workflow, the common practice for water samples is to concentrate NAs via filtration using varying pore size membranes. Using the smallest pore is assumed to be most efficient for NAs capture from a wide range of material (including sub-cellular particles); however, a trade-off must occur between detection of a meaningful molecular signal and cost/time effort when …

Lu, Nancy C., San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

National Taiwan University, Taiwan, BS, 1963

University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, MS, 1964

University of California, Berkeley, PhD, 1973

University of California, Berkeley, Post-doctoral Fellowship 1974

Information Needs And Seeking Behaviour Of Post Graduate Students Of Kohat University Of Science And Technology Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Saeed Ullah Jan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: This study investigated the information needs and seeking behaviour, hurdles to information seeking of Post Graduate students of Kohat University of Science and Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It focused on the information requirements of the Post Graduate students of the university, the pattern they use for seeking information, the difficulties they faced during seeking information.

Design/Methodology/approach: This study used a quantitative approach, adapting a survey questionnaire method for data collection. The population of this study was composed of M.Phil. and PhD students of 2019 and 2020 in the faculties of Physical and Numerical Sciences, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biological Sciences …

Dynamic Python-Based Method Provides Quantitative Analysis Of Intercellular Junction Organization During S. Pneumoniae Infection Of The Respiratory Epithelium, Devons Mo, Shuying Xu, Juan P. Rosa, Shakir Hasan, Walter Adams

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Many respiratory pathogens compromise epithelial barrier function during lung infection by disrupting intercellular junctions, such as adherens junctions and tight junctions, that maintain intercellular integrity. This includes Streptococcus pneumoniae, a leading cause of pneumonia, which can successfully breach the epithelial barrier and cause severe infections such as septicemia and meningitis. Fluorescence microscopy analysis on intercellular junction protein manipulation by respiratory pathogens has yielded major advances in our understanding of their pathogenesis. Unfortunately, a lack of automated image analysis tools that can tolerate variability in sample-sample staining has limited the accuracy in evaluating intercellular junction organization quantitatively. We have created an …

Improving Students’ Achievement In Physics Using Library Electronic Journals, Christian Ugwuanyi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Electronic journals in libraries are essential for updating facilities and expanding services so that users can acquire the information they require. The modern epoch is marked by an information and knowledge revolution. Electronic materials are now available to libraries in a variety of formats. As a result of technology advancements and higher expectations in teaching and learning, 21st-century classrooms demand a lot from both teachers and students. Most parents nowadays purchase (smartphones, tablets, or laptops) for their children without realizing the educational benefits of these devices in allowing access to online learning materials. Electronic journals from libraries have proven to …

Molecular Determinants Of Mechanosensation In The Muscle Spindle, Katherine A. Wilkinson

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The muscle spindle (MS) provides essential sensory information for motor control and proprioception. The Group Ia and II MS afferents are low threshold slowly-adapting mechanoreceptors and report both static muscle length and dynamic muscle movement information. The exact molecular mechanism by which MS afferents transduce muscle movement into action potentials is incompletely understood. This short review will discuss recent evidence suggesting that PIEZO2 is an essential mechanically sensitive ion channel in MS afferents and that vesicle-released glutamate contributes to maintaining afferent excitability during the static phase of stretch. Other mechanically gated ion channels, voltage-gated sodium channels, other ion channels, regulatory …

Evaluation Of Mpa Designs That Protect Highly Mobile Megafauna Now And Under Climate Change Scenarios, M. E. Gilmour, J. Adams, B. A. Block, J. E. Caselle, A. M. Friedlander, E. T. Game, E. L. Hazen, N. D. Holmes, K. D. Lafferty, S. M. Maxwell, D. J. Mccauley, E. M. Oleson, K. Pollock, S. A. Shaffer, N. H. Wolff, A. Wegmann

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Marine protected area (MPA) designs, including large-scale MPAs (LSMPAs; >150,000 km2), mobile MPAs (fluid spatiotemporal boundaries), and MPA networks, may offer different benefits to species and could enhance protection by encompassing spatiotemporal scales of animal movement. We sought to understand how well LSMPAs could benefit nine highly-mobile marine species in the tropics now and into the future by: 1) evaluating current range overlap within a LSMPA; 2) evaluating range overlap under climate change projections; and 3) evaluating how well theoretical MPA designs benefit these nine species. We focused on Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef, a 2000 km2 area within the …

"You Are Not Alone": Family-Based Hiv Risk And Protective Factors For Hispanic/Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men In San Juan, Pr, Moctezuma Garcia

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) have the second largest HIV infection rate in the United States and Puerto Rico (PR) has ranked number five with the greatest number of Hispanics living with HIV. This study aims to understand how family affects HIV risk and protective factors for young adults. PR MSM ages 21 through 30 in San Juan, PR completed semi-structured interviews exploring the influence interpersonal family relationships have on HIV risk and protective factors. PR MSM (N = 15) completed a semi-structured in-depth individual interview. NVivo was used for administering a thematic analysis based on the …

Minority Stress, Structural Stigma, And Physical Health Among Sexual And Gender Minority Individuals: Examining The Relative Strength Of The Relationships, Annesa Flentje, Kristen D. Clark, Ethan Cicero, Matthew R. Capriotti, Micah E. Lubensky, John Sauceda, Torsten B. Neilands, Mitchell R. Lunn, Juno Obedin-Maliver

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Sexual and gender minority (SGM; i.e., non-heterosexual and transgender or gender-expansive, respectively) people experience physical health disparities attributed to greater exposure to minority stress (experiences of discrimination or victimization, anticipation of discrimination or victimization, concealment of SGM status, and internalization of stigma) and structural stigma. Purpose: To examine which components of minority stress and structural stigma have the strongest relationships with physical health among SGM people. Methods: Participants (5,299 SGM people, 1,902 gender minority individuals) were from The Population Research in Identity and Disparities for Equality (PRIDE) Study. Dominance analyses estimated effect sizes showing how important each component of …

Early Starts And Late Finishes Both Reduce Alertness And Performance Among Short-Haul Airline Pilots, Lucia Arsintescu, Sean Pradhan, Ravi G. Chachad, Kevin B. Gregory, Jeffrey B. Mulligan, Erin E. Flynn-Evans

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Flight crews are frequently required to work irregular schedules and, as a result, can experience sleep deficiency and fatigue. This study was conducted to determine whether perceived fatigue levels and objective performance varied by time of day, time awake, and prior night's sleep duration. Ninety-five pilots (86 male, 9 female) aged 33 years (±8) volunteered for the study. Participants completed a daily sleep diary, Samn-Perelli fatigue scale, and psychomotor vigilance task that were completed before and after each flight duty period and at the top-of-descent for each flight. Pilots experienced higher self-reported fatigue (EMM = 3.92, SE = 0.09, p < 0.001) and worse performance (Response speed: EMM = 4.27, SE = 0.08, p = 0.004) for late-finishing duties compared with early-starting duties (Samn-Perelli: EMM = 3.74, SE = 0.08; Response speed: EMM = 4.37, SE = 0.08), but had shorter sleep before early-starting duties (early: EMM = 6.94, SE = 0.10; late: EMM = 8.47, SE = 0.14, p < 0.001). However, pre-duty Samn-Perelli and response speed were worse (z = 4.18, p < 0.001; z = 3.05, p = 0.03; respectively) for early starts compared with late finishes (EMM = 2.74, SE = 0.19), while post-duty Samn-Perelli was worse for late finishes (EMM = 4.74, SE = 0.19) compared with early starts (EMM = 4.05, SE = 0.12). The results confirm that duty time has a strong influence on self-reported fatigue and performance. Thus, all flights that encroach on a biological night are targets for fatigue risk management oversight.

The Influence Of Cultural Stigma On Perceptions Of Mental Illness, Rakshitha Mohankumar

Master's Theses

The stigma of mental illness can often lead to the afflicted individual not receiving the professional help they need and thereby worsening their condition, which has serious consequences both for themselves and their loved ones. Moreover, stigma surrounding mental illness varies from culture to culture. This research study highlighted the significance of studying stigma and long-term coping with a loved one’s mental health issues across cultures. Differences in perceptions of mental health based on the type of culture and (in)experience of growing up with someone who had mental health issues were tested. I predicted that there were main effects of …

Steric Effect On Benzyl Ether Olefines Under Sadmet Polymerization, Su Hu

Master's Theses

Acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization, a type of olefin cross metathesis, is a step-growth and condensation polymerization that can be used to synthesize hydrocarbon polymers with diverse functional groups. Traditional ADMET with symmetric α,ω-dienes is not selective and can only form homopolymers or statistical copolymers. Changing to monomers with acrylate functional groups allows selective reactivity to form block and alternating polymers. In this project, we want to explore other functional groups that result in selective reactivity to form advanced polymer architectures via what we have termed selective acyclic diene metathesis (SADMET) polymerization. Developing new functionalized monomers for SADMET polymerization allows …

The Role Of Ions In Irradiated Astrophysical O2 Ice, Kristen J. Darnell

Master's Theses

Cosmic ices contain ions produced by irradiation from cosmic rays and UVphotons, yet solid-phase ion-ice reactions are currently ignored in all astrochemical models, even though gas-phase ion-molecule reactions are arguably the single-most important class of reactions in astrochemistry. Thus, developing a model that includes solid-phase ion-ice reactions is essential to accurately model interstellar ice chemistry, especially given the recent launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. To fill this gap, we have compiled a solid-phase chemical network for use in a rate-based irradiated ice astrochemical model which, for the first time, includes ionic species produced via the photoionization of the …

The Shallow Benthic Invertebrate Recovery From The End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction Across The Gulf Coastal Plain, Ronan B. Beltracchi

Master's Theses

The Gulf Coastal Plain, in the southeastern United States, contains several sites with well-preserved fossil assemblages from the Cretaceous- Paleogene boundary (K/Pg). Changes in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages after mass extinction events commonly include reduction in body size of surviving organisms and preferential survival based on ecospace occupation. This study examines patterns of functional ecology and body size change in mollusk fossils from bulk samples collected throughout the post-extinction recovery interval at a well-studied boundary site from Darting Minnow Creek in Brazos, Texas USA and a recently described K/Pg boundary section on the Ouachita River in Malvern, Arkansas USA. The proportional …

Fragmentation Drives Dominant Plant Encroachment On A Horizontal Wastewater Treatment Levee, Joia S. Fishman

Master's Theses

Urban coastal wetlands protect humans from sea-level rise while providing valuable habitat for wildlife. Degradation and loss of these wetlands threaten urban infrastructure such as wastewater treatment facilities. Nature-based adaptive solutions with the combined purposes of bioremediation, coastal defense, and habitat creation are being tested to make communities safer and more resilient. The current research examines a 6-year-old experimental horizontal levee at the Oro Loma Sanitary District in San Lorenzo, California. Using horizontal transects and quadrat sampling, I compare the success of two planting strategies – a wet meadow and a riparian scrub community – on an ecotone slope. I …

The Influence Of Happiness On The Perception Of Ingroup And Outgroup Stereotypes, Diego R. Gómez

Master's Theses

An important social issue that influences judgments between ingroups and outgroups is how moods influence stereotype judgments. For instance, research on moods has provided evidence that happiness increases stereotype judgments. However, research has not considered the impact of individuals’ ingroup membership and how it may moderate these effects. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential moderating role that ingroup membership may have on the effects of happiness on stereotype judgments. University student participants in a happy or neutral induced mood completed a disciplinary task to assess guilt of either a Hispanic or non-Hispanic suspect of an assault …

The Spatial Distribution Of Mercury Contamination In The Yolo Bypass, California, Thomas S. Mykytyn

Master's Theses

Gold and mercury mining in the latter half of California’s 19th century resulted in massive and lingering alterations to downstream ecosystems through sedimentation and mercury contamination. Located at the confluence of Sierra Nevada and Coast Range watersheds, the Yolo Bypass is a critical conveyor of flood waters from the Lower Sacramento Valley to the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Sedimentation in the bypass diminishes its flood conveyance capacity, and Hg contamination is hazardous to humans and ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to locate and quantify mercury contamination in the Yolo Bypass. Concentrations of total mercury ([THg]) were measured in 22 …