Digital Commons Network^™

Learning About Street Harassment On Transit: A Survey Instrument For Transit Agencies, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Jon Canapary, Carol Anne Caroll, Tam J. Guy, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study was conducted in accordance with California Senate Bill 1161 (2022), legislation that directed the Mineta Transportation Institute to develop a reliable, easy-to-use survey instrument for collecting information from public transit passengers about the extent, location, and characteristics of any street harassment they experience. Although the legislation is focused on large California transit agencies, the study findings are equally relevant to smaller agencies and agencies outside the state. To develop the recommended questionnaire, we reviewed literature about street harassment, analyzed transit passenger surveys to explore the questions asked about safety and harassment, received feedback on iterative drafts of the …

Exploring Traffic Speed Patterns For The Implementation Of Variable Speed Limit (Vsl) Signs, Panick Kalambay, Srinivas Pulugurtha

Mineta Transportation Institute

Traffic congestion is a prevalent issue during peak travel hours on roads in the United States. This study focuses on identifying suitable road links in Charlotte, North Carolina, for implementing variable speed limit (VSL) signs. Real-world traffic speed data collected over one year was analyzed to identify specific road links with favorable characteristics for VSL sign installations. The analysis considered weekdays, weekends, and specific times of the day to capture variations in speed patterns. The results revealed that roads with lower speed limits consistently experienced speeds exceeding the posted speed limits, suggesting additional enforcement or safety measures. For roads with …

Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Or Statistical Models For Weather-Related Crash Severity Prediction, Abimbola Ogungbire, Panick Kalambay, Hardik Gajera, Srinivas S. Pulugurtha

Mineta Transportation Institute

Nearly 5,000 people are killed and more than 418,000 are injured in weather-related traffic incidents each year. Assessments of the effectiveness of statistical models applied to crash severity prediction compared to machine learning (ML) and deep learning techniques (DL) help researchers and practitioners know what models are most effective under specific conditions. Given the class imbalance in crash data, the synthetic minority over-sampling technique for nominal (SMOTE-N) data was employed to generate synthetic samples for the minority class. The ordered logit model (OLM) and the ordered probit model (OPM) were evaluated as statistical models, while random forest (RF) and XGBoost …

Autonomous Shuttle Implementation And Best Practices, Dil Samina Diba, Ninad Gore, Srinivas S. Pulugurtha

Mineta Transportation Institute

When, where, and how autonomous shuttles are deployed can have significant safety, economic, and policy impacts on their operation and performance. This research analyzes data related to 120 existing deployments of autonomous shuttles, looking at safety, operational, economic, and policy-related issues. Analysis shows that autonomous shuttles would be an excellent supplement to public transportation. However, improvements to the vehicle and the infrastructure are needed before any permanent deployment. The study also analyzes the perceptions of practitioners, industry experts, and transportation system users toward autonomous shuttles. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Input Multiple Cause Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approaches were …

Research Performance Analysis Of Top Six Heis In Wb Based On Nirf-2021 Ranking: An Evaluation-Based Study, Debdas Mondal

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The Indian higher education system is the third largest education system in the world, however, no Indian universities have been found in the list of top 100 universities in the world. The Government of India has taken several initiatives to improve the quality of education in India and its ranking position so that Indian universities improve their quality and provide the best quality education and research. NIRF is one such initiative. As per NIRF, all the HEIs are evaluated on the basis of certain stipulated performance of parameters score, such as ’Quantitative Research (QNR)’, ’Qualitative Research (QLR)’, ’Students and Faculty …

Demystifying The Panorama Of Electoral Violence In Nigeria: Exploring Education And E-Library Resources As Antidotes, Grace Ogechukwu Ugwonna, Phd, Chizoba Jovita Akudike, Josephine Ngozi Morah, Anthony Chikadibia Ugwonna

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The incidence of electoral violence in Nigeria and the involvement of youth, has remained a threat to the survival of Democracy. Given the damaging impact it has on the socioeconomic, cultural, religious, and political lives of the people and its threat to human existence, scholars have continued to explore ways of dealing with the enigma. This study therefore sought to ascertain the extent to which Civic education and voter education are relevant in curbing electoral violence among the youth and the extent of using e-library resources by the youth to access political information. This research effort was driven by the …

Impact Of Remuneration On Staff Productivity In Imo State University, Owerri Library And Coal City University, Enugu Library, Chinedu Egbuchu, Heman Uchechukwu Osuagwu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is on the impact of remuneration on staff productivity in Imo State University, Owerri library and Coal City University, Enugu library. The study aims to ascertain the impact of remuneration in university libraries. Three research objectives and three research questions were adopted for this study. A total of twenty five (25) library staff formed the population of the study which emanated from twenty (20) library staff of Imo State University Owerri and five (5) library staff of Coal City University Enugu. The study was carried out using questionnaire (e-copy) as instrument for data collection. The data collected were …

Impact Of Advertisement On The Use Of Library Information Resources In Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri Library, Chinedu C. Egbuchu, Heman Uchechukwu Osuagwu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is focused on the impact of advertisement on the use of library information resources in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri library. The study aims at ascertaining the impact of advertisement on the use of library information resources. Three research objectives and three research questions were adopted for this study. A total of twenty three (23) library staff formed the population of the study. The study was carried out using four point rating scale as instrument for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using mean scores and presented in tables. The result of this study revealed that library information …

Information Needs And Seeking Behaviour Of Health Workers In Rural Areas In Benue State, Nigeria, Yilase Jerome Terhemba, Obande Bonnie Obeka

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper investigates the information needs and seeking behaviour of health workers in the rural areas in Benue state Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A total of four hundred and twenty-two (423) health workers with a sample of two hundred and six (206) health workers from general hospitals in 23 Local Governments Areas in Benue state was used for the study. The questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. A mean score cut-off point of …

Access To Electronic Information Resources And Attitude Towards Plagiarism By Science Undergraduates In Three Universities In Oyo State, Nigeria, Mary Love Bamidele, Olawale Oyewole, Temitope Inioluwa Abegunde

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Undergraduates access electronic information resources for academic activities, however, this comes with abiding by good ethical behavior such as a negative attitude towards plagiarism. Literature have reported undergraduates’ negative or positive attitude towards plagiarism in Nigeria, but few studies have been carried out in Oyo State and have not investigated how access to electronic information resources influence attitude towards plagiarism. Therefore, this study examined access to Electronic Information Resources (EIR) and Attitude towards Plagiarism (ATP) by undergraduates in Faculty of Science in three universities in Oyo state, Nigeria.

The descriptive survey design of the correlational type was adopted for this …

Comparative Study Of Academic Performance Of Undergraduates Admitted Through Utme, Pre-Degree And Direct-Entry Into The Federal University Of Technology, Owerri., Felix M. Eke Dr, Ngozi Chima-James Dr, Peter O. Moneke Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In this research on comparative study of academic performance of undergraduates admitted through UTME, Pre-Degree and Direct-Entry into the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Seven (7) Schools/Faculties were randomly drawn for the study, from where sixteen (16) departments were randomly selected and the CGPA of their graduated students 2011/2012 – 2015/2016 used for the research. A total population of 1280 students out of which a sample of 668 students’ CGPA across the departments were drawn. We analyzed the CGPA data using different sample sizes for each admission mode and found that the average performance of graduated students, their standard deviation, …

Bibliotherapy: An Expanded Role For Libraries And Librarians, Loretta Odiri Daniel (Cln)

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

A deep research into the concept of bibliotherapy revealed that it has been existence for a long time and rooted in ancient librarianship. However, the concept has moved from libraries to other corporations and organizations. This paper looks at the expanded role for libraries and librarians in bibliotherapy. Firstly, it discusses bibliotherapy or the combination of literature and healing which is designed to bring healings to library users through their interactions between relevant literature and their personalities as well as the etymology of the concept. Secondly, it expedites the types of bibliotherapy; relationship between bibliotherapy and library science; types of …

Ict Application And Information Service Delivery In South-West Nigeria’S Public Polytechnic Libraries, Omolabake Eunice Akinyemi, Toyosi Rachel Afolabi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Teh study dwells on teh application of information and communication technology (ICT) for enhancing information service delivery in South-West Nigeria’s public polytechnic libraries. Teh study's goal is to determine teh extent of ICT application in polytechnic libraries. For teh study, a descriptive survey research design was adopted. Teh population of teh study consists of all teh library personnel in South-West Nigeria’s public polytechnic libraries. Teh instrument for gathering data was a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, frequency count, and simple percentage were used to analyse teh data. Teh hypothesis was tested by Pearson Moment Product Correlation at …

Information Needs And Information Seeking Behaviour Of Health Workers On The Treatment Of Diabetic Mellitus Patients In Rural Areas In Benue State, Nigeria, Yilase Jerome Terhemba, Obande Bonnie Obeka, Hussaini Mustapha Yusuf

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigates the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of clinical health workers for the treatment of diabetic mellitus patients in the rural areas in Benue state Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A total of four hundred and twenty-two (422) health workers with a sample of two hundred and six (206) clinical health workers from general hospitals in 23 Local Governments Areas in Benue state was used for the study. The questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics of mean …

Spartan Daily, November 7, 2023, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2023

Volume 161, Issue 33

Library Users’ Attitudes Towards Virtual Library And Information Services In Ugandan Public And Private Universities, Lydia Namugera, Joyce Bukirwa, Constant Okello-Obura

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Technological advancements, innovations, research, changing user needs, and online education have significantly affected traditional libraries. The 21st-century has engendered library users who seldom visit physical libraries but rely on alternative sources of information like Google from their convenient locations. This implies that for libraries to effectively adapt to the technologically driven academic landscape, adoption of Virtual Library and Information Services (VLIS) is the most feasible approach for them to fulfill their mandate of information provision. However, despite the numerous benefits VLIS offers, such as timely and convenient access to a wide range of current electronic resources, its adoption, implementation and …

Utilization Of Contemporary Technologies For Service Delivery In Special Libraries In Enugu State, Nigeria : A Survey, Emmanuel Chidiadi Onwubiko, Cecilia Chimezie Offor

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Contemporary technologies involve the application of modern scientific knowledge in doing things in a much quicker and efficient ways which improve the workflow. Either it could be helping humans or doing the task alone, machines are always better in terms of accuracy and efficiency. This study therefore examines the extent at which special libraries in Enugu State, Nigeria utilize contemporary technologies for service delivery. The study which employed descriptive survey design, was guided by five research questions framed in line with the research objectives with a sampled population of 15 librarians derived from the six selected special libraries while the …

Examining The Externalities Of Highway Capacity Expansions In California: An Analysis Of Land Use And Land Cover (Lulc) Using Remote Sensing Technology, Serena E. Alexander, Bo Yang, Owen Hussey, Derek Hicks

Mineta Transportation Institute

There are over 590,000 bridges dispersed across the roadway network that stretches across the United States alone. Each bridge with a length of 20 feet or greater must be inspected at least once every 24 months, according to the Federal Highway Act (FHWA) of 1968. This research developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based framework for bridge and road inspection using drones with multiple sensors collecting capabilities. It is not sufficient to conduct inspections of bridges and roads using cameras alone, so the research team utilized an infrared (IR) camera along with a high-resolution optical camera. In many instances, the IR camera …

A Guide To Navigating Existing And Emerging Sources Of Local Vmt And Travel Data, So-Ra Baek, Dohyung Kim

Mineta Transportation Institute

As the crisis of climate change looms, transportation policy in California continues to emphasize sustainability in land-use and transportation decisions. This report evaluates the implementation of two sustainability-focused policies (Senate Bill 375 and 743) by local governments and the current-state-of-the-practices by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in assisting them in California. The research focuses on local governments’ access and use of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and transportation data for achieving VMT and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by land-use planning. The research also examines the role of MPOs in providing needed transportation data, training, and technical support to its local members to …

What Do Americans Think About Federal Tax Options To Support Transportation? Results From Year Fourteen Of A National Survey, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Hilary Nixon, Adam Azevedo

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report summarizes the results from the fourteenth year of a national public opinion survey asking U.S. adults questions related to their views on federal transportation taxes. A nationally representative sample of 2,531 respondents completed the online survey from February 13 to March 23, 2023. The questions test public opinions about raising the federal gas tax rate, replacing the federal gas tax with a new mileage fee, and imposing a mileage fee just on commercial travel. In addition to asking directly about support for these tax options, the survey collected data on respondents’ views on the quality of their local …

Misconduct On Public Transit: An Exploratory Analysis Using The Comments Formerly Known As Tweets, Egbe Etu Etu, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Imokhai Tenebe, Jordan Larot, Dang Minh Nhu Nguyen

Mineta Transportation Institute

This project developed a simple methodology for using Twitter data to explore public perceptions about misconduct on public transit in California. The methodology allows future researchers to analyze tweets to answer questions such as: How frequent are tweets related to assault, abuse, or other misconduct on public transit? What concerns arise most frequently? What are the types of behaviors discussed? We collected and analyzed data from Twitter posts in California about various types of public transit misconduct from January 2020 to March 2023 to identify the nature and frequency of reported misconduct. Our findings reveal that harassment, uncivil behavior, and …

Ai-Based Bridge And Road Inspection Framework Using Drones, Hovannes Kulhandjian

Mineta Transportation Institute

There are over 590,000 bridges dispersed across the roadway network that stretches across the United States alone. Each bridge with a length of 20 feet or greater must be inspected at least once every 24 months, according to the Federal Highway Act (FHWA) of 1968. This research developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based framework for bridge and road inspection using drones with multiple sensors collecting capabilities. It is not sufficient to conduct inspections of bridges and roads using cameras alone, so the research team utilized an infrared (IR) camera along with a high-resolution optical camera. In many instances, the IR camera …

Prospection Of Peptide Inhibitors Of Thrombin From Diverse Origins Using A Machine Learning Pipeline, Nivedha Balakrishnan, Rahul Katkar, Peter V. Pham, Taylor Downey, Prarthna Kashyap, David C. Anastasiu, Anand K. Ramasubramanian

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Thrombin is a key enzyme involved in the development and progression of many cardiovascular diseases. Direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs), with their minimum off-target effects and immediacy of action, have greatly improved the treatment of these diseases. However, the risk of bleeding, pharmacokinetic issues, and thrombotic complications remain major concerns. In an effort to increase the effectiveness of the DTI discovery pipeline, we developed a two-stage machine learning pipeline to identify and rank peptide sequences based on their effective thrombin inhibitory potential. The positive dataset for our model consisted of thrombin inhibitor peptides and their binding affinities (KI) curated from published …

Postgraduate Students Perception And Utilization Of Serial Materials In South-East, University Libraries, Nigeria, Aworo Promise, Helen Kikiri

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The goal of this study is to learn how postgraduate students in Nigeria's university libraries perceive and use serial resources. The study used a descriptive survey as its method. 295 postgraduate library and information science students from four South-East regional institutions two state universities and two federal universities make up the research population. The instrument used to collect the data was a questionnaire. Based on the study's goals, a questionnaire was created. The findings show that postgraduate students have a positive perception of the use of serial materials, which includes the following: serial materials carry current information on a variety …

Challenges Faced By Pregnant Women In Information-Seeking In The Tamale Metropolis, Joana Dango, Stephen Okyere

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study explored the stages of pregnancy at which pregnant women seek information from various sources and the challenges pregnant women encounter in seeking information. A Mixed-method approach was used to carry out the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 148 pregnant women from three hospitals namely, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale West Hospital, and the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, Interviews were conducted with three midwives, one from each hospital, and a Gynecologist at the Tamale Teaching Hospital. The findings of the study revealed that the main challenges that were identified include lack of funds, non-use of the …

Archiving In Academic Institutions: A Case Study Of Catholic University Of Ghana, Charles Kofi Arthur Mr., Emmanuel Kwadwo Kaba

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study looked into issues surrounding the custody of records considered be of timeless value to the University. The population of study were the administrative and library staff of the University. Purposive sampling was used to select the staff who handle the records at the University. Interviews and observation were the data collection instruments. Findings showed existence of multiple archives across the various departments, faculties and secretariat of the Vice-Chancellor and a lack of university-wide finding aids to accessing records among others. A policy on archiving, the establishment of a centralized archival unit, engagement of a professional archivist, adoption of …

Is A Psychotic Anthropology Possible? Or How To Have Inclusive Anthropologies Of Subjectivity And Personhood, John Marlovits, Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Dominant anthropological theories of mind, cognition, and consciousness reify particular ways of being in the world as "normal," which marginalizes the experiences of people who do not meet normative expectations of personhood or exhibit nonnormative subjectivities. By focusing on atypical forms of communication and self-representation in the ethnographic record, which draws from work in the anthropology of disability and psychological anthropology, we argue for the need to attend to interactions and behavior as the necessary basis for anthropological studies of personhood and subjectivity. These foci, which build on a foundation provided by affect theory and disability studies, stand to open …

Metropolitan Transportation Commission Discretionary Transit Funding Methods Evaluation, Christopher E. Ferrell, John M. Eells, David Reinke, Richard Lee

Mineta Transportation Institute

In 2021, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) approached the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) with a proposal to have MTI provide an evaluation of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC’s) operational discretionary funding allocation policies and methods for Bay Area transit operators. The research was done in two parts. Part 1 investigated MTC’s past and current allocation methods for discretionary operational transit funding programs; Part 2 involved the evaluation of outcomes if MTC employed alternative allocation methods. After the Part 1 review of MTC’s various transit funding programs, the federal pandemic relief funds and the Transportation Development Act/State Transit Assistance …

Virus Control Aboard A Commuter Bus, Hamid Rahai, Jeremy Bonifacio

Mineta Transportation Institute

A major health concern for public transit users is exposure to viruses from other passengers. This numerical study examines virus containment aboard a public bus with changes to the bus ventilation system. The virus was modeled as a 2.5 µm round solid particle released from the mouth of the infectious passenger at a rate of 21 particles per second at a mouth velocity of 0.278 m/sec. The air delivery to the cabin was two linear ceiling slots spanning the length of the bus delivering 59.38 m3/min (2,097 CFM) of air at a mean velocity of 1 m/sec. Two different axial …

A Bike System For All In Silicon Valley: Equity Assessment Of Bike Infrastructure In San José, Ca, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Jochen Albrecht, Hilary Nixon

Mineta Transportation Institute

Investing in sustainable, multimodal infrastructure is of increasing importance throughout the United States and worldwide. Cities are increasingly making strategic capital investment decisions about bicycle infrastructure—decisions that need planning efforts that accurately assess the equity aspects of developments, achieve equitable distribution of infrastructures, and draw upon accurate assessment methods. Toward these efforts, this project uses a granular bike network dataset with statistical and geospatial analyses to quantify a bike infrastructure availability score (i.e., bike score) that accounts for the safety and comfort differences in bike path classes in San José, California. San José is the 10th largest U.S. city and …