Digital Commons Network^™

Paperless Society, Paperless Future And Borderless Libraries, Ukoha O. Igwe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: This study explores the indispensability of books and physical libraries despite the digital technologies and digital transformation engulfing our lives, work and society.

Design/Methodology: This study used qualitative design and methodology utilizing a systematic review and synthesis of empirical research, institutional reports and documents published between 1978 and 2025 to achieve its objectives. An extensive review of the pertinent literature was undertaken to underscore the journey and permutations of the death of books and libraries. This conceptual review synthesizes the interplay between digital technologies, digital transformation,and libraries in information dissemination. This provided a basis for inferences and extrapolation of …

Estimated Prebiotic Intake And Depression In Us Adults: Repeated Cross-Sectional Analyses Of Nhanes 2015–2018 And 2021–2023, Cassandra Boyd, John Gieng

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Prebiotics are selectively utilised dietary substrates that may influence depression through gut microbiota-related pathways, but population-level estimates of intake and associations with depression are limited. This repeated cross-sectional study estimated intake of International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)-recognised prebiotics and examined associations with depression among US adults using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015–2018 and NHANES August 2021–August 2023, analysed as independent survey periods. Estimated intakes of galactooligosaccharides and inulin-type fructans were assigned to foods using published source-food values, Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies food codes, and ingredient-level information for mixed dishes. Depression was …

Integrating Georeferencing And Fire Anatomy Modeling In Canyon Fire Experiments Using Thermal Uav Remote Sensing, Xiangyu Ren, Bo Yang, Alexander I. Filkov, Katherine M. Wilkin, C. David Benterou, Owen Hussey, Craig B. Clements

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Wildfires profoundly impact ecosystems and human health, making them a critical research focus. Drone-mounted Thermal Infrared (TIR) sensors are widely used for active fire monitoring due to their ability to penetrate smoke and capture real-time fire dynamics. Aims: This study addresses the challenges of georeferencing TIR data accurately, caused by limited fire anatomy modeling, imprecise georeferencing, the coarse resolution of TIR imagery and the dynamic nature of fire behavior. Methods: We collected a one-hour TIR dataset capturing a fast-moving controlled fire in a California canyon, US, alongside auxiliary data of multispectral and in situ meteorological observations. We developed an …

Lecturers' Academic Self-Concept And The Use Of Artificial Intelligence Tools On Scholarly Output In Lagos State University Of Education, Adesanya Oyeleye Olusegun Phd, Cln, Nneka Gift Lazarus Phd, Cln

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated lecturers’ academic self-concept and use of artificial intelligence tools on scholarly output in the Lagos State University of Education, Nigeria. This is to ascertain lecturers’ academic self-concept and the use of artificial intelligence tools in their scholarly output. The descriptive research design was adopted, and total enumeration was used for the study; a total of 179 lecturers participated in the study. A structured questionnaire tagged ‘Academic Self-concept, Artificial Intelligence, and Lecturers’ Scholarly Output (ASAILSO) with a reliability coefficient of 0.81 was used for data collection. Four research questions were answered from the data collected; the results showed …

How Localized Physical Processes Influence Large-Scale Phytoplankton Blooms Near The Sea Ice Edge In The Greenland Sea, Abigail P. Heiser, Till J.W. Wagner, Manfredi Manizza, Dustin Carroll, Conner W. Lester, Dimitris Menemenlis

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Arctic Ocean has experienced intensifying phytoplankton spring blooms near the sea ice edge. Here, we investigate the drivers of such near-ice blooms in the Greenland Sea by comparing satellite and in situ observations with the ECCO-Darwin physical–biogeochemical state estimate. Satellite data reveal pronounced spring blooms within ~ 200 km of the ice, a signal that is not reproduced in ECCO-Darwin. Observations further reveal that primary production is tightly linked to submesoscale meltwater eddies shed from the ice edge, which are not currently resolved by ECCO-Darwin. We argue that the relatively coarse spatial resolution, together with biases in sea ice …

Biologically-Based Alternatives To Plastic Mulch Enrich Microbiome And Buffer Yield In Small-Scale Strawberry Production, Olivia L. Fragiacomo

Master's Theses

Much of commercial agriculture has used plastic mulch since the 1950s to contain fungicides and fertilizers, control weeds, retain soil moisture, and warm the top soil to start the growing season earlier. Research suggests that small-scale strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) growers may be able to incorporate biological techniques, such as wheat straw mulch with microbial amendments, to reduce the use of single-use plastic mulch with a comparable yield. For this study, I carried out a randomized complete block comparison of five strawberry management techniques: plastic mulch (PM), straw mulch alone, and straw mulch inoculated with either arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), …

Hill, Patricia Evridge, San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of Texas at Dallas, Humanities, Emphasis in History, Ph.D. 1990

University of Texas at Dallas, Humanities, Emphasis in History, M.A. 1984

Southern Methodist University, History Major; Spanish Minor, B.A. 1979

Lifetime Texas Teaching Credential Grades 6 through 12, History and Spanish, 1980

Investigating Learning In Immersive Virtual Reality, Andrew Negrette

Master's Theses

Students often struggle with learning challenging subjects throughout their education. This also tends to lead to lower enjoyment and science self-efficacy for learning. Some subjects may be better represented in 3-dimensional spaces utilizing immersive virtual reality (IVR). Recently, IVR headsets have become more accessible and affordable and therefore are in wider use. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences in science selfefficacy, enjoyment, presence and knowledge retention exist between IVR and controls on an ocean acidification lesson. I predicted that participants taking the lesson in IVR would score higher compared to a laptop on all measures, due …

Match Made In Ml: Developing Compatibility Relationships In Evidential Reasoning Approaches With Machine Learning, Ella Jolie Thomas

Master's Theses

The presented expectation maximization informed evidential reasoning model extends the ability of the evidential reasoning calculus to support decision making by integrating an adaptive model learning capability. Compatibility relationships in Evidential Reasoning models are traditionally built by human domain experts. This process is labor-intensive, especially for large and complex models. Additionally, when new data becomes available, compatibility relationships must be reconstructed. Using machine learning and the expectation maximization algorithm, it is demonstrated that compatibility relationships can be constructed that learn relationships between domain knowledge that is used to make decisions. Using drug development as a domain of application, a traditional …

Effects Of Variable Light On Sexual Competition In Kelp Species, Jaycee Lanza

Master's Theses

As foundation species, kelps significantly influence the structure and composition of their surrounding habitat by modifying environmental conditions, including light levels, currents, nutrient availability, sedimentation, and seawater chemistry. Light, in particular, is a critical resource that varies greatly within kelp forests, affecting kelp reproductive processes such as gametogenesis, fertilization, and recruitment, which are vital to population persistence. Biological factors, such as density-dependent competition for resources and sexual competition with other kelps, can also affect such processes. To understand how environmental variables influence kelp populations, it is crucial to recognize their combined effects. This study investigated the impacts of light levels …

Hydrus Modeling Of A Sahelian Agroforestry System: An Investigation Of Local Water Balance, Nicole A. Butler

Master's Theses

Effects of drought can devastate agricultural productivity in the West African Sahel. Climate complexities, such as lower-than-average rainfall and high winds, can lead to crop failure and low yields, thereby creating food security issues. Agriculture in the Sahel is primarily rainfed, and the rain is becoming increasingly unpredictable due to the changing climate. The method of intercropping groundnut (Arachis hypogea) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) with the shrub species Piliostigma reticulatum can combat the effects of climate change and restore degraded soil. Intercropping can increase water availability and crop yield when compared to crops grown in the absence of shrubs. …

Health Literacy, Health Information Seeking Behavior, And Vocal Hygiene Amongst Video Game Voice Actors In The United States, Wendy Lau

Master's Theses

Video game voice actors (VGVAs) perform vocally demanding tasks to bring video game characters to life, and are at high risk for voice disorders. This exploratory study aims to characterize vocal health in VGVAs by investigating the relationships between health literacy, health information seeking behavior, and vocal hygiene practices. Thirty-one VGVAs completed an anonymous online survey. Data were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach: quantitative health literacy scores were calculated, and qualitative data underwent inductive thematic analysis in NVivo. Results show that VGVAs are highly proactive with their vocal health due to their desire for career longevity and their professional vocal …

Supports And Challenges For Esns In Higher Education: A State University Qualitative Study, Dilkash Ahmed

Dissertations

Although extensive support needs students (ESNS) benefit from access to inclusive higher education opportunities, research shows that navigating college settings has been challenging for these students. This study examined the supports available to ESNS enrolled in college classes and the challenges they encounter within a university setting. Using a State University as the research site, this qualitative study collected data through semi-structured interviews, observations, and reflection responses to capture the experiences of ESNS, faculty, and peer mentors in higher education. The study examined ESNS experiences in classes through the perspectives of faculty on teaching ESNS, peer mentors’ (who support students …

Rewriting The Plan: Environmental Justice, Community Resistance, And Governance Power In Hollister, California, Rolan Resendiz

Dissertations

This dissertation examines how community-led resistance in Hollister, California, challenged environmental injustice and infrastructure governance through grassroots civic action. Focusing on the Hollister Guardians, a coalition of primarily Latinx residents who organized in response to concerns about the city’s sewer system, this qualitative case study introduces the Critical Just Sustainability Policy Praxis (CJSPP) framework, developed by integrating Critical Policy Analysis and the Just Sustainability Paradigm with a praxis-oriented focus on community action. Using critical document analysis of city council meeting minutes, local media coverage, and community-authored texts mainly from 2023 to 2025, the study explores how policy discourse, institutional decision-making, …

Multiple Perspectives On Inclusion In Science For Students Receiving Support From The Learning Center (Tlc) Program, Jeremy C. Adams

Dissertations

Almaden Country Day School (ACDS) is a small, independent private school located in the Almaden Valley neighborhood of south San Jose, California. Currently serving over 400 students, the school has been in operation for over 43 years. Nan Hunter, its founder, set out to build a school community that could “discover the gifts in every child.” As part of this mission, the school sought to support neurodiverse students with accommodations as part of its general education program. In September of 2017, the school’s leaders committed more deeply to this aspect of the school’s mission when they opened The Learning Center …

Out Of The Briar Patch: Storying Resistance Among Black Male Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse And Its Impact On Their Educational Experiences, Anthony Animuntu

Dissertations

This study examines the lack of support within educational settings for Black boys who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Despite growing attention to trauma-informed practices, the experiences of Black male survivors remain largely absent from educational research. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach informed by critical autoethnography, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five African American men reflecting on their schooling experiences as CSA survivors. Axial analysis revealed four central themes: silence as survival and strategic invisibility, shame and internalized distress, institutional misrecognition, and the transformative role of relational care and educational kinship. Findings indicate that participants’ trauma was often …

Can Curriculum Improve Confidence? Examining The Impact Of The Implementation Of The California Math Framework On Math Anxiety Levels Of Preservice Teachers In California, Amanda Lubbs

Dissertations

In 2010, the state of California adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as an effort to ensure students were graduating high school as college and career ready. Shortly after, in 2013, the California Board of Education adopted the California Math Framework (CMF) as a tool for schools to implement the CCSS for Mathematics (CCSSM). Its recommendations incorporated research-based techniques to alleviate math anxiety through the use of explorative learning experiences that help students understand math skills in applied contexts, and by de-emphasizing rote practice and memorization. This study inquires about the framework’s effectiveness in mitigating math anxiety among pre-service …

"A Door To The Future." A Case Study In Exploratory And Culturally Sustaining Theater Curriculum, Verónica Meza

Dissertations

This study addresses the persistent inequities in access to quality arts education for Latino immigrant and linguistically diverse communities in California. Despite progressive initiatives such as Proposition 28 (The Arts and Music in Schools Act) and the California Arts Council's Racial Equity Statement, systemic barriers prevent Latino and immigrant students from benefiting equitably from the arts. The central objective of this project is to understand how an exploratory, culturally sustaining theater curriculum can serve as a transformative and healing vehicle for adult immigrant Latino students, providing emotional protection, cultural affirmation, and language preservation within a U.S. educational context. This qualitative …

Application Of Machine Learning For Correcting Defect-Induced Neuromorphic Circuit Inference Errors, Vedant V. Sawal, Hiu Yung Wong

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This paper presents a machine learning-based approach to correct inference errors caused by stuck-at faults in fully analog ReRAM-based neuromorphic circuits. Using a Design-Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) simulation framework, the study models and analyzes six spatial defect types - circular, circular-complement, ring, row, column, and checkerboard - across multiple layers of a multi-array neuromorphic architecture for handwritten digit recognition tasks. It is demonstrated that the proposed correction method, which employs a lightweight neural network trained on the circuit's 10 output voltages, can improve inference accuracy from 55% to 90% (+ 35 percentage points) in highly degraded defective scenarios. Results show that …

Broadening Replication Standards For Vignette Studies: Introducing Contextually Appropriate Replications, Birgit Schyns, Gretchen Vogelgesang Lester, Michelle M. Hammond

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Vignette studies present specific challenges for replications, yet vignettes are a popular choice for replication studies in leadership. In our review of eight vignette-based leadership publications, only two were able to fully replicate the original study's findings. We suggest that part of the failure to replicate the results of vignette studies may be due to a misalignment between the vignettes and social reality at the time of data collection. This paper highlights the challenges vignettes present due to societal progression and includes recommendations regarding potential methodological artifacts including the appropriateness of the sample, vignette content, and modality. We first discuss …

The Contemporary Tax Journal’S Interview With Ms. Julia Ushakova-Stein, Shuang Zhang

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

2026 Uworld Cpa Exam Review Questions

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

The Contemporary Tax Journal Volume 15, No. 1 – Summer 2026

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Front Matter (Letter From The Editor, Masthead, Etc.)

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Visual-Motor Coordination In Automated Driving: Effects Of Temporal Urgency And Motor Demand On Intervention Behavior, Kailin Cui, Jonathan Chiu, Pranav Meda, Gaojian Huang, Yue Luo

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Occupational Applications: This study shows that time-critical automation intervention requests increase drivers’ visual-motor demands, reflected in measurable changes in driving performance and posture (i.e., limb engagement and trunk positioning) during transitions of control. These responses indicate that maneuver urgency and takeover timing can place elevated biomechanical and coordination demands on drivers, particularly in work-based automated driving. For ergonomics and human factors practice, the findings underscore the need to design automated transportation systems (e.g., ridesharing services) that align request timing with operators’ physical and perceptual capabilities. In occupational settings such as automated shuttles and fleet-supervised vehicles, intervention requests should provide adequate …

Sober Curiosity Among Lgbtq+ Women And Non-Binary People In Aotearoa New Zealand, Tonda L. Hughes, Jillian R. Scheer, Lauren Bochicchio, Laurie A. Drabble, Carol Emslie, David Whiteley, Belinda Lunnay, Paul R. Ward, Antonia C. Lyons

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Although global drinking rates are declining, this trend is less evident among women, with LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people at elevated risk for hazardous drinking. In addition to minority stress (e.g., stigma, discrimination), drinking culture and social norms likely shape alcohol use within these groups, yet remain underexplored as potential intervention points. Objective: This study was part of a larger multi-country project on alcohol use among LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals. Because online resources have been found to appeal to stigmatized groups, we aimed to examine LGBTQ+ women’s and nonbinary people’s experiences with alcohol use in Aotearoa New Zealand, …

Safe, Secure, And Affordable? The State Of Household Water Insecurity In California, Melissa Beresford, Wendy Jepson, Jeremiah Osborne-Gowey, Kristin Dobbin, Amanda Fencl, Silvia R. González, Gregory Pierce

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

California's efforts to advance the Human Right to Water are constrained by limited household-level data on water insecurity. Using the 2021 CalSpeaks statewide probability survey (n = 628) this study offers the first representative look at water insecurity across California households. Results reveal significant water-related struggles: approximately 23% of respondents worried about having enough water to meet their household needs, 15% worried about perceived health impacts from water quality, and 7% struggled with affordability. Negative binomial regression models show that water insecurity is not randomly distributed: households with non-white residents, households which rely on private or small water companies for …

Knowledge And Application Of Solar Energy As Alternative Power Source To Ict Facilities: A Case Study Of Minhaj University Lahore, Dr.Shahid Mehmood Dr., , Muhammad Faisal Mr., Ahmad Nawaz, Dr Allah Ditta Nawaz, Dr. Muhammad Aamir Hameed

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper is an exploration of the knowledge and utilization of solar energy to support ICT infrastructure at Minhaj University Lahore. In Pakistan, library operations and digital services can be disrupted due to power outages. In the survey, 87 scholars, students and library workers were surveyed about their awareness, experience and attitudes towards solar energy. The level of knowledge on solar energy was high as 100% of the respondents indicated that they are well informed about solar energy, 93.1 percent indicating that they can use it in the ICT sector. Nonetheless, large start-up costs, lack of equipment, and institutional barriers …

Application Of Virtual Reality To Alter Sweetness Perception, Serena Wellbelove, John Gieng, Valerie A. Carr, Kate Mcleod, Xi Feng

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Regular consumption of excess sugar is linked to nutrition-based diseases, including gut problems, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Increasing sweetness perception is a novel technique to decrease sugar consumption. This experiment compared the sweetness perception of sweetened and unsweetened almond milk in response to different virtual environments with music and visuals. Two music types, the classical song Goldberg Variations, BMV. 998-Variation 13 and a jazz song generated by AI were used. Additionally, fall and spring forest backgrounds were generated by the Blockade Labs 3D image generator. Each participant tasted sweetened and unsweetened almond milk in music-only, …

Advancing Data-Driven Health Research From The All Of Us Data Training And Engagement Program, Kristi Sadowski, Debran Tarver, Jennifer Burnette, Allissa Dillman, Regina Renfro, Lafrancis Gibson, Kelli Bursey, Laura Bartlett, Nadine Bonds-Bishop, Lisa Connor, Efraín Flores-Rivera, Sarah Joseph, Yuqi He, Margaret Henderson, Savannah L. Kelley, Maletta Payne, Brett Porter, Kimberly Prosper, Melissa Rethlefsen, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Fulfilling a recognized need in data skills training for academic librarians, the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program collaborated to enhance academic library workers’ skills in biomedical and public health data, as well as their library's research capacity, through the awareness and use of the All of Us Researcher Workbench. Case Presentation: The All of Us Data Training and Engagement Program for Academic Libraries (ALP) blended professional development training, hands-on learning, and peer-to-peer networking that focused on increasing knowledge of the All of Us Researcher Workbench. Activities were designed to …