Digital Commons Network^™

Advancing Clean Mobility: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Bus Workforce Development For Transit Agencies, Manideep Tummalapudi, Shantanu Kumar, Jaskaran Singh

Mineta Transportation Institute

Hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) are rapidly transforming public transportation in the United States. However, while transit agencies are investing heavily in new zero-emission vehicles and fueling infrastructure, far less attention has been paid to the workforce needed to operate and maintain them. As agencies accelerate toward ambitious climate and fleet transition goals, they are also confronting a critical challenge: preparing workers for an entirely new set of technologies, safety requirements, and operational demands. This study addresses that gap by systematically identifying the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required for FCEB vehicle operators and maintenance technicians, assessing current training …

Restorative Practices And Resilience Among Trauma-Impacted Elementary Students, Rose E. Ostenson

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper examined how restorative practices may promote resilience among trauma-impacted elementary school students. Fifteen peer-reviewed studies were analyzed to address the following research question: How do restorative practices promote resilience among trauma-impacted students in elementary schools? Three consistent themes emerged from the literature: relationship building and relational safety, school connectedness and belonging, and emotional regulation and co-regulation. These themes represent crucial protective factors associated with resilience among children who have experienced trauma. Although resilience was not directly measured in most of the studies reviewed, the findings consistently suggested that restorative practices may strengthen the relational, social, and emotional conditions …

‘Passing’ The Baton Of Trauma: Queer Failure Of The Women’S Sport Policy Working Group’S Anti-Trans ‘Position’, Meredith M. Bagley, Mary Anne Taylor, Sarah F. Price

Publications and Research

Engaging in critical rhetorical theory and methodology, we interrogate the contemporary landscape of anti-trans backlash in women’s sport. Specifically, we read the ‘TERF wars’ (Pearce et al.) across critiques of biofeminism (Pape) and whiteness (Fischer) while drawing upon critical social science research into trauma-bonding, bullying, and the structural impacts of gender verification policies. Our analysis focuses on the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group (WSPWG), offering a trauma-informed reading of the WSPWG’s ‘Position’ statement to illuminate how lesbian female athletes who were previously slandered for failing to meet femininity norms in sport are unable to overcome that trauma to recognize and …

The Influence Of Ai-Powered Learning Tools On Adult Learner Engagement And Knowledge Retention In Workplace Training, Kathy S. Oatis

Graduate Teacher Education

This capstone project examined the influence of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered learning tools on adult learner engagement and knowledge retention in workplace training programs. The purpose of this study was to review current literature related to AI-assisted learning technologies and their application in corporate learning environments. Research was examined regarding the use of personalized learning systems, adaptive learning platforms, intelligent tutoring systems, and other AI-supported instructional tools. The literature reviewed suggested that AI-powered learning technologies enhanced learner engagement by providing personalized learning experiences, immediate feedback, and increased access to learning resources. Research also indicated that AI-assisted learning may support knowledge retention …

Connecting Vocabulary And Reading Comprehension For English Language Learners In Kindergarten Through Sixth Grade, Alicia L. Chimchirian

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper analyzed current research on English Language Learners’ (ELL) understanding anduse of vocabulary as it applies to reading comprehension in kindergarten through sixth grade.This topic is discussed through research findings that consider multilingual students’ language backgrounds and experiences, academic language development, reading interventions, vocabulary development, reading strategies, and primary-language-to-English transfer. Research indicates that students learning English as an additional language benefit from consistent, structured vocabulary instruction and from making connections to targeted words through morphology, syntactic awareness, and social interaction. Also, these students showed improvement in reading comprehension with modeled support from educators who encouraged L1-to-L2 language transfer skills. …

Hospital Charity Care And Medical Debt Among Low-Wage Workers In The United States, Mathieu Despard, Stephen Roll, Eva Stahl, Camila Salvagno, Ruth Lande

Center for Social Development Research

With one in five low-wage workers reporting medical or dental debt they cannot afford to pay, financial assistance programs (also known as charity care) are an important resource. Federal law requires nonprofit hospitals to offer such programs, but evidence suggests that workers experience administrative burdens in learning about and applying for the assistance. Drawing upon data from the Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility (WEIM) survey, this brief presents findings on associations between the characteristics of low-wage workers and their experiences with financial assistance programs. The brief also shares examples of how hospital policies and patients’ needs may not align, presenting …

Inclusive Leadership And Employee Engagement In Multigenerational Nigeria’S Public Sector, Monday Kohwo Unurhiere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership continues to engender disengaged employees whose work ethics contribute to inefficient and ineffective public service delivery across several African countries. The specific research problem is the inadequacy of knowledge about leadership behaviors that foster a sense of being valued among employees of different generational cohorts, leading to intellectual, social, and emotional engagement at work. The purpose of this quantitative correlational cross-sectional study was to investigate the influence of inclusive leadership (openness, availability, and accessibility) on employee engagement (intellectual, social, and affective) in the multigenerational Nigerian public sector. The theoretical framework included the constructs of inclusive leadership, employee engagement, …

How Non-Secular Leaders In Culturally Homogeneous Faith-Based Organizations Understand And Experience Cultural Intelligence Training, Marlon Anthony Ayers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past five decades, shifts in U.S. immigration policy, demographic change, and civil rights reforms have increased cultural diversity across the U.S. workforce, while many faith based leaders lack the cultural intelligence (CQ) needed to navigate diverse interactions effectively. Non secular leaders in culturally homogeneous faith based organizations (FBOs) need to understand this concern as a leading indicator of challenges associated with cross-cultural engagement, organizational effectiveness, and community inclusion. The specific research problem is that it is unknown how non-secular leaders in culturally homogeneous FBOs understand and experience the challenges of managing cultural diversity in the absence of CQ …

The Effects Of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring And Hospital Readmission For Hypertensive Patients, Danielle Alston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within this executive summary, the type of project discussed is an organization change project to address a health issue in chronic disease management, which is hypertension. Nearly 116 million American adults are affected by hypertension, which remains a leading force for preventable hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and cardiovascular-related mortality in the United States. Unexpected readmissions due to hypertension create system-wide strains, increased financial burden and decreased patient satisfaction. Hence, the question: In adults with hypertension, does remote home blood pressure monitoring, compared with standard office-based follow-up, reduce the rate of urgent care visits and hospital admissions over a 30-day period? …

The Individual And Combined Effects Of Individualism-Collectivism Orientation And Mental Health Stigma On Perceived Social Support In Firefighters, Emma Schafer Schutte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Repetitive trauma exposure predisposes firefighters to a variety of mental health issues. Despite efforts to expand mental health resources and peer support, stigma remains a significant barrier to formal (professional) and informal (peer) support-seeking within the fire service. According to social influence theory, firefighters may avoid using available support services because they perceive support-seeking as stigmatized by their peers and feel compelled to conform. Research across cultural groups suggests that individualism-collectivism orientation, which defines how individuals assign value to individual or group needs, has nuanced effects on perceptions of social support. However, the interplay of individualism-collectivism orientation, stigma, and perceived …

Cultural Tailoring And Co-Design Of Telehealth Interventions With Immigrants And Refugees, Saleema Allana, Thuvaraha Jeyakumaran, Dhruv Rathod, Maham Khan, Darryl Ku, Raza M. Haider, Victoria Smye, Richard Booth

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Immigrants and refugees face significant barriers in accessing and using telehealth.(1,2) Although cultural tailoring and co-production approaches are recommended,(3) little is known about how deeply these practices are integrated into existing telehealth interventions for these populations.

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to map the current evidence on telehealth interventions involving immigrants and refugees, assess how cultural tailoring was applied using the Cultural Sensitivity Framework, and evaluate the extent to which co-design approaches were used.

Methods: We conducted this scoping review following PRISMA-ScR.(4) Systematic search was undertaken in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane using telehealth, immigrant, and …

Feasibility Of A Nurse Led Sailing Program To Enhance Resilience Among Autistic School Aged Children, Myrian Sze Nga Fan, William Ho Cheung Li, Laurie Long Kwan Ho, Kay Rawbone, Kai Chow Choi, Rob Allen, Trinitey Letterman, Sek Ying Chair

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Promoting resilience and mental health among autistic children remains a global health priority, consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the World Health Organisation’s vision for inclusive, community based care. While existing interventions focus on functional outcomes, resilience among autistic children remains understudied. To address this gap, a nurse led community based sailing program was developed and implemented in partnership with Sailability Hong Kong.

A pilot assessor blinded, parallel group randomised controlled trial evaluated the program’s feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects. Children aged 7–12 years with autism diagnosis were recruited, then randomised to either: (1) an intervention …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health And Well-Being Of Black And Latinx Nurses In California, Jerry John Ouner, Patience Afulani, David A. Asakitogum, Nneka Umeh, Monica Getahun, Jaffer Okiring, Michael Denyu, Orlando Harris, Osamuedeme Odiase

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

On January 31, 2020, Santa Clara County reported California’s (CA) first COVID-19 case. As the pandemic unfolded, health systems were severely strained, and health care workers faced dual exposure risks from their communities and households alongside heightened occupational risk from direct patient care.1,2 For Black and Latinx nurses, COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on their communities intensified stress, fear, and uncertainty, and when combined with the demands of frontline work, greatly increased their risk of psychological distress and burnout. We examined COVID-19’s impact on the mental health and well-being of Black and Latinx nurses in CA.

Method: We conducted an explanatory sequential …

Developing Congenital Heart Disease Screening: Adult From Heart To Sole, Tami L. Jakubowski, Sarah Curtis, Carole Kenner, Marina Boykova, Simranjot Mann, Emma Cartnick, Mia Conners, Kayla Creedon

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: “Adult From Heart to Sole” is a study exploring a non-invasive, low-cost screening method for congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods: This pilot study explores identification of a specific crease on the sole of the foot as a marker for early detection of CHD in newborns. A Qualitrics survey was developed and distributed on social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) and the Adult Congenital Heart Association “Studies Recruiting Subjects” webpage. Participants were asked about demographic data, whether they have been diagnosed with a CHD and what type, if they have the specific crease on either foot, and if they have …

Building Tomorrow's Innovators: A Model Fusing Research, Collaboration, And Entrepreneurship, Modupe Akintomide, Monica Nandan, Joy Falilatu Li, Toi-Ann Kingsby, Dandre Williamsons, Ben Karanja, Blessing Anyanwu, Maggy Boadu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Integrating research, interprofessional teamwork, and entrepreneurship into undergraduate education enhances student achievement and success [1–3]. Traditional teaching methods often fall short due to limited experiential opportunities [4–6].

Aim: To evaluated the effectiveness of a course designed on the Research, Interprofessional Collaboration, and Entrepreneurship (RICE) Model in improving undergraduate competencies in research methodology, interdisciplinary teamwork, and entrepreneurial thinking skills.

Methods: Using a quality improvement framework, we developed and infused the RICE Model into a tuition-free, credit undergraduate course embedded in our Vertical Integrated Programs (VIP) funded research project. It was built around three pillars: (1) Research (R), emphasizing hands-on methodology …

Nursing Beyond Borders: Ethics, Trust, And Relational Safety In Global Practice, Jitana P. Benton-Lee, Jerry John Ouner, Amy Beth Staley, Jasper Erwin Tolarba, Regina Yuen, Siobhan O'Connor, Charlotte Mcardle

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Nurses encounter ethical dilemmas daily in clinical, community, and cross-cultural care settings. Relational ethics provides a guiding foundation for ethical nursing practice by emphasizing human connection, mutual respect, and shared meaning rather than rules, duties, or procedural norms alone. This workshop examines how relational ethics operates across borders, highlighting how nurses adapt their communication strategies, clinical judgment, and ethical reasoning to support individuals whose cultural values, histories, and expectations of care differ from their own. By framing ethics as relational rather than universal, the session positions relational safety as an essential precursor to ethical decision-making and professional accountability.

The workshop …

Making An Impact! Development Of An Interprofessional Clinical Effectiveness Training Program, Katherine Melton, Kara Misto, Ashley Perry, Michelle Marie Parent, Christian Keenan, Olivia Young, Katherine Mason

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Achieving and maintaining meaningful change in patient safety outcomes remains an ongoing challenge.(1) Clinical Effectiveness Education (CEE) is a promising method to help address the challenge of creating sustainable change in healthcare. CEE is a comprehensive approach to improving patient safety by educating healthcare team members in methods to use best-evidence to inform care decisions.(2) Two foundational CEE strategies are Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) and Quality Improvement (QI). EBP and QI practices have both been shown to have a positive impact on patient safety and return on investment.(1,3) Despite its documented benefits, CEE is not typically covered in-depth in health-professions education …

Artificial Intelligence And Social Equities: Navigating The Intersectionalities In A Digital Age (Editorial), Daisuke Akiba, Julie Albright

Publications and Research

This editorial article introduces and synthesizes the Special Issue, “Artificial intelligence and social equities: navigating the intersectionalities in a digital age,” which examines how AI systems intersect with race, ethnicity, and interconnected identity dimensions across global contexts. The eight contributions span healthcare, digital media, higher education, organizational communication, and speculative futures, addressing anti-racist psychiatric algorithms, AI-generated visual disinformation, epistemic injustice between the Global North and South, algorithmically mediated rural–urban divides, culturally untranslated technology transfer, accessibility auditing across the AI lifecycle, and the tension between mechanical objectivity and empathic understanding. Read together, they show that AI is neither inherently …

Trophic Ecology Of A South Carolina Estuarine Predator Guild, Shane John Molander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Estuaries are among the world’s most productive ecosystems in the world and are characterized by the convergence of two distinct habitats, creating a mosaic of environmental conditions from inland rivers to the nearshore ocean. Many fishes occupy estuaries during various life stages for growth, reproduction, or foraging, and may reside in them seasonally. The co-occurrence of species, particularly upper-trophic level carnivores, can result in competitive interactions for prey resources within a shared environment. Identifying the degree of these interactions as well as understanding basal energy consumption can inform food web dynamics and how overlapping species use shared spaces. I used …

Spartan Daily, August, 26, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 167, Issue 03

Statistical Model Of Subsurface Scattering Bias In Icesat‐2'S Atl06 Product, Thilini Bamunu Arachchige, Kelly E. Gleason, Jonathan C. Ryan, Markus Allgaier

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

ICESat‐2 uses visible laser pulses and photon‐counting detectors to range the Earth's surface, providing precision altimetry for measuring ice sheet elevation change. However, since water ice is transparent to visible light, the photon returns recorded by ICESat‐2's ATLAS instrument may originate from subsurface scattering inside the snow or glacier ice volume, making the surface appear lower than it is. Here, we develop a Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer model to characterize the potential bias caused by subsurface scattering in snow and ice. Our model allows us to study the subsurface scattering bias in relation to photon number, scattering coefficient, and slope …

Mentor Evaluation Of A Black Male Youth Mentoring Program, Kenneth Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an exploration of how Black male mentors perceived organizational practices, culturally responsive mentoring, relational safety, and systems level barriers shaping their effectiveness and continued participation. The purpose was to examine early mentor-mentee match dissolution and low mentor retention in a nonprofit youth mentoring through the lens of the ecological systems theory and program evaluation framework. The practice-focused research questions were: How do volunteer mentors and program staff perceive the organizational practices and culturally responsive strategies that influence mentor effectiveness and retention in youth mentoring programs, and what organizational and systemic challenges do Black male mentors encounter in …

A New Reptile Search Algorithm For An Intelligent Video Retrieval System, Ansam Nazar Younis, Fawziya Mahmood Ramo

Baghdad Science Journal

The increasing volume of videos produced and shared via smart devices has made indexing and retrieving them a clear challenge. Current retrieval systems, such as specialized video retrieval systems, rely on text-based searches, which often misrepresent and frequently result in erroneous descriptions of the requested video, particularly when it comes to videos about certain specialities like security or medical procedures that are hard to describe. As a result, we developed a model that handles information-rich video queries, making it easier to find related videos that are specifically relevant to the user's needs. This paper proposes a new method for indexing …

Video Steganography Based On Invertible Neural Networks With Densenet And U-Net Features, Noor Fahem Sahib, Soukaena Hassan Hashem, Ekhlas Falih Naser

Baghdad Science Journal

The increased rate of cyber threats such as fraud and other forms of attack, including phishing, malware, and denial-of-service attacks, has led to a growing demand for secure methods to ensure the security of sensitive information that is transferred among users. Video steganography has become a very important element in dealing with these security issues, as communication has become more dependent on multimedia content. Hiding information is now an area that is being developed very fast with the introduction of Deep Learning (DL)-based steganography methods. This framework introduces Vid_Steg_DenseUNet, a video steganography method which efficiently extracts multi-level features using edge-preserving …

Qrc-Pso: A Quad-Module Ring-Competitive Pso Algorithm For Coverage Optimization In Wireless Sensor Networks, Yu-Xuan Zhou, Shao-Qiang Ye, Di-Wen Kang, Xue-Wei Liu, Kai-Qing Zhou

Baghdad Science Journal

Coverage optimization in WSNs is critical for disaster warning and industrial monitoring, but is challenging due to multi-modality and high-dimensionality. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) offers fast convergence and simple parameter tuning, yet suffers from premature convergence and parameter sensitivity in multi-peak problems. To address these issues, we propose a Quad-module Ring-Competitive PSO (QRC-PSO). It comprises four heterogeneous subgroups with distinct parameter configurations for global exploration, local exploitation, balanced search, and perturbation enhancement. Subgroups evolve independently but exchange elite particles via a ring-topology migration strategy: every 20 iterations, the best three particles of each subgroup move clockwise to the next subgroup …

How Does The Science Of Reading Approach Enhance Small Reading Group Instruction?, Destiny M. Morman

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper examined how the Science of Reading (SOR) practices enhance student success in small-group reading. Specifically, the purpose of this research is to analyze which SOR-aligned instructional practices are the most beneficial for promoting student success in small-group settings and to examine practices that may be less effective. Effective reading practices are crucial for small-group instruction (Smith et al., 2022). When instruction is strategically designed around students’ specific reading needs, educators can provide a more targeted and personalized support that may be difficult to achieve during whole-group instruction. During small-group learning, teachers can differentiate instruction by aligning lessons with …

The Health Communications Assessment Checklist: A Teaching Tool For Uncovering Bias In The Age Of Ai, Rebecca H. Ofrane, Taliah Canada, Amanda S. Birnbaum

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted significant failures in United States public health communications, which were often perceived as unclear and biased, particularly among racialized and marginalized groups. As generative artificial intelligence (genAI) becomes integrated into public health practice, there is an urgent need to train the workforce to recognize and mitigate the societal biases these tools can reproduce. This study describes the development and classroom testing of a tool designed to teach these critical evaluation skills.

Methods: We developed the “Health Communications Assessment Checklist,” a 14-question pedagogical tool based on the CommunicateHealth Framework for Equity-Centered Health Communication and the CDC’s …

Endothelin Receptor Antagonists In Resistant Hypertension And Proteinuric Kidney Disease: Receptor Strategy And Volume Management, Corey Keith Goldman, Jesse M. Goldman

Division of Nephrology Faculty Papers

This narrative review examines how endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs) can be used at the intersection of difficult-to-control hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and albuminuria or proteinuria. For clinicians, the central question is not receptor selectivity alone, but whether a specific agent, indication, dose, background therapy, and monitoring plan can deliver meaningful blood-pressure or kidney benefit without unacceptable fluid retention. Pulmonary arterial hypertension established the pharmacology and major safety liabilities of the class; the current implementation questions for hypertension and kidney specialists arise in systemic hypertension and proteinuric kidney disease. Aprocitentan is the first and only ERA approved for hypertension; in …

A Vision For The Future Of Academic Publishing In Sports Analytics, Ryan Elmore, B. Baumer, Brian Macdonald, Gregory J. Matthews, Michael E. Schuckers

Statistical and Data Sciences: Faculty Publications

This article introduces the Journal of Statistics and Data Science in Sports (JSDSS), a Diamond Open Access, peer-reviewed journal. The journal is founded on three core principles. First, our commitment to open access is absolute. Second, reproducibility is critical and fundamental to the journal. Third, we believe sport is a rich and underutilized laboratory for statistical and data science innovation. The aim of the Journal of Statistics and Data Science in Sports is to provide an outlet for original, rigorous, practical, state-of-the-art, reproducible, and peer-reviewed analysis of sports data as well as the data science tools (software, applications, data, etc.) …

An Exceptional Model At Sea: Functionalist Targeting And The Legal Vulnerability Of Maritime Civil Defense In Japan, Kentaro Furuya

International Law Studies

The intensifying security competition in East Asia, characterized by persistent territorial disputes and the potential for major regional contingencies, has placed the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) at a strategic crossroads. The 2023 Control Guideline, which outlines the JCG’s role during armed attacks, has further heightened interest in the agency’s legal status. This article examines the critical gap between Japan’s domestic legal framework and the international law of naval warfare, specifically addressing how the potential classification of JCG assets as military objectives undermines the safety of maritime civil defense operations.

While the Japanese government firmly maintains the JCG’s status as a …