Digital Commons Network^™

Affordable Housing Solutions: Navigating The Cienega Heights Application Process, Valerie Solorzano

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The lack of affordable housing and widespread knowledge about the eligibility and application process in Santa Cruz County has created significant challenges for the community. This project focuses on addressing these issues by increasing public awareness of affordable housing opportunities and providing guidance on the application process. MidPen Housing, a nonprofit organization specializing in affordable housing, serves as a key example of efforts to meet this need. Their development in Watsonville provides housing for low-income and farmworker families.

A key component of this project involves conducting a public educational outreach event to inform the local community about qualifying for Cienega …

Breaking Barriers: Bridging Resource Gaps In Low-Income Communities, Maria Fernanda Yanez Cabrera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Low-income individuals often struggle with access to resources. CHISPA, which serves low-income individuals in Monterey County and surrounding areas, aims to remove this barrier through its community services department. CHISPA worked to address the resource barrier by implementing a resource fair for its population of low-income individuals, families, and seniors. CHISPA’s residents were invited to come out, explore, and create connections with community resources during a resource fair. The expected outcome was for residents gaining new knowledge and the opportunity to use resources there or in the future. Results were measured through surveys which showed success and interest in the …

Empowering Minds: Navigating Mental Health Through Workshop Based Learning, Isabel E. Rocha-Fernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Luna Y Sol is an organization located in Santa Cruz county, specifically in Watsonville. The organization serves youth with the ages ranging from 12 to 17 and their families. Luna Y Sol supports youth with Mental Health, Trauma and those who are exposed or have direct involvement with violence. The program offers youth a safe place and community for them to visit when needed. The project implemented at Luna Y Sol consisted of a four part mental health workshop for youth. The purpose was for youth to become more aware and familiarized on the topic of mental health which included, …

Parental Involvement In Supporting Inclusive Elementary School Classrooms, Marisol Aldama Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this senior capstone research project is to examine the effective ways that parents can get involved in their elementary school students’ education that would impact their children’s academics in school classrooms. Given the barriers that some families face that cause them to be absent from their education in the classrooms, this study examines the role of parents on how they could support their children’s education in inclusive elementary school classrooms. Through the use of literature review and a case study, the findings revealed that parental involvement is important for their children’s early education years in both inside …

Negative Effects Of Social Media Usage On College Students, Tanya Gallo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

My capstone project focuses on the negative effects of social media use on college students. Social media has become the primary source of communication for college students, but its impact on self-esteem presents a mix of effects. One of the major effects that social media can have is on self-esteem, and "individuals with low self-esteem try to compensate by becoming active in on-line activities” (Pineiro, 2016, p. 9). To address the negative impacts of social media usage, I created a two-day lesson plan for lower-division HDFS students at CSUMB. The lesson focuses on the adverse effects on self-esteem that can …

The Effects Of Physical Education On The Well-Being And Academics Of Elementary School Students, Maria Melendez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone examines the vital role of physical education in schools, highlighting its profound impact on students' academic success and overall well-being. Despite its importance, many districts have recently reduced physical education programs, negatively affecting students' well-being and academic performance, particularly in elementary schools. This study aims to demonstrate the necessity of physical education in elementary schools for facilitating students' well-being and academic achievement through a comprehensive review of existing literature and interviews.

Effects Of Caretakers And Attachment Styles, Shayna Tran

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Daycare workers and teachers play vital roles in the emotional well-being and developmental trajectory of the children they care for. Attachment styles are rooted in early childhood interactions with primary caregivers and greatly influence a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive well-being (Fathi-Ashtiani & Sheikholeslami, 2019). Recognizing and responding appropriately to different attachment styles not only fosters secure attachment and relationships but also mitigates behavioral challenges (Bergin & Bergin, 2009). To address this need, I have created an interactive presentation for daycare workers at VillaSport, San Jose, by explaining why staff should know the different attachment styles, how it affects the …

Benefits Of Afterschool Programs On The Academic Achievement And Social Development For Upper Grade Elementary School Students, Jorge Fernandez-Mora

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Afterschool programs provide beneficial support for students by offering tutoring, homework help, and enrichment/teach programs that reinforce classroom learning. These programs help young students build essential math, reading, and critical thinking skills. My capstone project explores the positive impact of afterschool programs on upper elementary school student's academic achievement and social development. Through the use of literature review and interviews with administrators, expanded learning coordinators, and teachers, the result findings revealed that afterschool programs are crucial in helping students meet their academic and social needs. It is also important to note that school-based academic support programs are safe in supervised …

Conquering Fears As A First-Generation Hispanic College Student, Adrian Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Applying to college can be a daunting task, especially for first-generation students like the ones at Seaside High School (SHS). Research from the National Center for Education Statistics highlights this challenge: while 54% of students whose parents completed high school enrolled in college immediately after graduation, only 36% of students whose parents did not finish high school made that transition (Balemian & Feng, 2013). These students often face barriers like financial strain, limited awareness of available support programs, and the pressure of navigating higher education independently. Recognizing these challenges is key to expanding access to opportunities. In response, I developed …

The Importance Of Mental Health In Children, Haide Batres

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project focuses on teaching children how to identify and cope with their mental health challenges. Ho and Funk's (2018) research highlighted how children's social and emotional health impacts their development and social interaction. During this time, children experience changes within themselves, increased sensitivity to stress, and challenges to socially interact with others. They begin to develop mechanisms, which can either support or delay their emotional well-being. Understanding these changes is important for contributing to their future mental health. To promote resilience and healthy coping mechanisms, I presented a three-day workshop to third-grade students (8-9 years old) from Hispanic …

The Impact Of Single Parent Households On Middle School Students, Erik Puga

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This research explores the influence of single-parent households on the academic achievement of middle school students in Salinas, CA, with a particular focus on East Salinas, an area marked by economic challenges. Grounded in my personal experience growing up in a single-parent household in Salinas and shaped by my journey through the Alisal district pipeline, this study seeks to uncover the specific barriers and strengths that middle school students from single-parent families encounter. By examining socioeconomic pressures, parental involvement, and emotional well-being, I aim to identify how family structure affects students’ educational trajectories within the community. This research strives to …

Impact Of Teacher Turnover At The Elementary School Level, Henry Jimenez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Teacher turnover continues to threaten the American education system, specifically at the elementary school level. The rate at which elementary school teachers leave their schools significantly affects academic achievement and the stability of a school. This senior capstone research project explores the cause of teacher turnover and its impact on elementary school students from two elementary schools. Through the use of literature review and interviews with teachers and principals, the result findings indicated that causes of teacher turnover which included an excessive workload, disruptive student behavior, lack of administrative support, and low compensation and how one school attempted to prevent …

Impact Of Place Based Learning On Community Engagement And Ownership, Alexis Mendez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Place-based learning (PBL) offers an educational approach that emphasizes local history, environments, and communities, allowing students to engage with relevant content through the expertise gained from lived experiences. By utilizing their immediate surroundings, students are able to absorb educational material and foster a sense of place that can encourage civic engagement, environmental stewardship, and community ownership. This senior capstone research project explores the potential to enhance community ownership and engagement in Salinas, California through a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach. This project integrates the local geological and cultural history of California, Monterey Bay, and the Salinas Valley, alongside hands-on water quality …

Buying The Trend: How Trends Target Identity Leading Into The Normalization Of Overconsumption, Marian Alvarado Rivera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper puts a lens on the growing popularity of social media apps promoting fashion trends for it's users leading to a rise in overconsumption of products. Research was aimed at several different online trends that were marketed towards female consumers; The Stanley Cup, The 2023 Barbie movie press tour and The Hello Kitty girl. In examining these trends the findings show that through the usage of the algorithm social media apps are able to learn and curate specific content targeted towards certain parts of one's identity.

Increasing College Students' Awareness Of Stress, Mental Health, And Well-Being, Marlene Villicana

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

College students face many stressors due to the transitions and responsibilities of young adulthood. According to Karyotaki et al. (2020), 93% of respondents in an international study of college students reported at least one type of mild stress, and 73% named stress in at least three life areas. The same study found that stress management interventions effectively reduce perceived stress, mood, and anxiety problems through a combination of problem-focused and appraisal-focused strategies. In order to address the issues of stress, mental health, and well-being among college students, I created an interactive two-day presentation for Human Development and Family Science students …

Effects Of Teacher Burnout On Elementary School Students’ Learning, Isela Padilla

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone explores the impact of teacher burnout on elementary students through literature review and qualitative research. Interviews with local teachers, an administrator, and a school psychologist reveal a notable correlation between teacher burnout and student outcomes. Key findings indicate that burnout among teachers is linked to lower academic performance and increased behavioral issues in students. These results underscore the importance of addressing teacher well-being to support positive student learning and behavior.

Easing The Transition To School By Strengthening Attachment, Serena A. Rodriquez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The transition to school for preschoolers aged three to five years old can be extremely challenging, more so due to the fact that separation anxiety is considered developmentally normal for children ranging from nine months to three years of age, regardless of attachment style. However, children with insecure attachment styles, such as anxious-ambivalent or avoidant, are especially vulnerable during this transition (Verywell Health, 2023). Children who exhibit insecure attachment styles often face several negative consequences that affect both their school experience and their overall development (Evans et al., 2018). Although the fear of separating from one's parents or primary caregiver …

Teaching New Mothers The Importance Of Prenatal And Postnatal Nutrition, Brisa Villa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many pregnant women are unaware of the significant impact that prenatal and postnatal malnutrition can have on both their health and their baby's development. Prenatal and postnatal malnutrition can affect pregnancy, childhood, and even adulthood. According to Barker (1997), prenatal malnutrition puts the baby at a high risk for heart disease, low-birth weight, high blood pressure, stillbirth, and many more long-term health issues. To address the issue of prenatal and postnatal malnutrition, I created a two-day workshop for new mothers on how to identify consequences of malnutrition during and after pregnancy, understanding appropriate portion sizes across different food groups and …

Parenting With Grace, Eva Nelson Cole

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Parents are often caught off guard by the upheaval of adding children to their lives. Feelings of guilt, shame, isolation, and depression can arise when parents are faced with the demands and stressors that come along with having children. Studies have shown that children who have distressed parents endure lasting negative outcomes that can extend into the primary school years (Mihelic et al., 2018). Educating parents and giving them some awareness about what to expect can make a real difference. To have these conversations, I created a two-part parenting workshop for new parents at Parents’ Place in Pacific Grove, CA. …

Eurocentrism In Curriculum And Its Detriment To Cultural Awareness, Kimberly Rose Sterzick

Masters Projects

Some school curricula may hinder students' development of cultural awareness. School is the vessel through which many students get their first glimpse of the world, and bias throughout that voyage can negatively alter students’ development of cultural awareness --- the very skill that schools hope to promote. A Eurocentric approach and overemphasis on Western civilizations and ideals dominates the cultural conversations through their prolific use in “world” courses. When educational discourses point to Western cultures as the epitome of culture in “world” courses, students fail to obtain a true cultural understanding and awareness of the world around them, and they …

Draft Final 2022 Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Sampling Bres No. 37 – Josephine Shaft Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Right To Inequality: Conservative Politics And Precedent Collide, Jonathan Feingold

Faculty Scholarship

The “end of affirmative action” is the beginning of this story. In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), the Supreme Court struck a near fatal blow to race-consciousness. Many institutions have since pivoted to “race neutral alternatives.” This is a natural turn. But one that faces immediate headwinds.

The same entities that demanded Harvard pursue racial diversity through colorblind means have sued public high schools for doing just that. These litigants assert a “right to inequality”—a theory that would pit the equal protection clause against equality itself. Even if normatively jarring, a right to inequality might seem a …

Just Fix The Damn Payment System!, Frances H. Miller

Faculty Scholarship

This piece takes as a given that we are stuck with our fragmented, inefficient, multi-payor health care system for at least the short run. It then analyzes the deficiencies of three payment mechanisms whereby regulators (including Congress) have invited private sector providers to help ameliorate perceived problems. The first concerns an inadequate supply of nursing home beds in the early ‘70s, the next focuses on Medicare Advantage as a supposedly superior cost containment alternative to traditional Medicare, and the final one involves the ‘devil’s bargain’ struck with the pharmaceutical industry to get prescription drug coverage added to Medicare. All three …

Transplantation And Immortality: A Selective History Of Boston University’S Center For Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights, George J. Annas

Faculty Scholarship

The celebration of the anniversary of the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights (the “Center”) provides an opportunity to reflect on what defines the field of health law, as well as its conjoined twins of bioethics and human rights. The related fields are vast, and the subjects they encompass are ever-expanding. It is probably impossible to lay out a summary that does justice to their expansive, interdisciplinary scope. Instead, my discussion of the Center examines a subject that barely existed when the Center was formed in 19581 and that continues to make headlines more than sixty–six years later …

Colonizing By Contract, Emmanuel Hiram Arnaud

Faculty Scholarship

Since 1898, Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States, meaning that Congress wields plenary power over the Island. Although scholars have highlighted the history and some modern manifestations of this power, conversations about how plenary power affects the territories have largely ignored constitutional criminal procedure.

This Article is the first to center the territory’s criminal legal system within the broader debate over the exercise of plenary power. In doing so, it fills significant gaps in the constitutional and criminal law literature on the territories by uncovering how the federal government’s plenary power affects local criminal adjudication. This …

In Ovo Administration Of L. Animalis, B. Licheniformis, , Or Their Combination Influences Ross 708 Broiler Chick Hatch Performance And Immuno-Physiological Parameters, C. N. Beck, K.G.S. Wamsley, C. D. Mcdaniel, A. S. Kiess

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a demand for novel pathogen mitigation strategies in antibiotic-free poultry production, which has triggered the development of various probiotic application methods. One application method is the in ovo (in egg) administration of probiotics on incubation day (d) 18, where the unhatched chick consumes a probiotic before hatch and prior to being exposed to environmental pathogens. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of in ovo L. animalis, B. licheniformis, or L. animalis + B. licheniformis (10⁶ cfu/50 mL L each) administration on hatch performance (N = 21 egg flats/treatment, 30 …

Characterization Of An Acetogenin-Carrying Nanosuspension And Its Effect On Bacteria Of Interest In The Poultry Industry, Brandon A. Lopez-Romero, Gabriela Aguilar-Hernandez, Billy M. Hargis, Maria De Lourdes Garcia-Magana, Ulises M. Lopez-Garcia, Rosa I. Ortiz-Basurto, Adalberto Zamudio-Ojeda, Juan D. Latorre, Efigenia Montalvo-Gonzalez

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This work aimed to develop a nanosuspension (NSps) as an acetogenin (ACGs) carrier, using soy lecithin (SL) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (βCD) named NSps-βCDSL-ACGs. It was characterized by various spectroscopic techniques (DLS, FTIR, UV-vis diffuse reflectance). Moreover, the NSps morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, the antibacterial activity of NSps-βCDSL-ACGs was evaluated against strains of interest in the poultry sector. NSps-βCDSL-ACGs presented nanometric size (207–239 nm), acceptable polydispersity index (PDI) values (0.13–0.17) and a high Z potential value (−47.17–50.36 mV), demonstrating high stability. The presence of ACGs in NSps-βCDSL-ACGs was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The nanoparticles had a spherical …

The Case For Stronger Scrutiny Of The Deductibility Of Crypto Losses, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Crypto losses have the potential to adversely impact the tax base, particularly if they are deducted against income from other profitable sources. There is a key question of fairness as to whether crypto losses should be cross-subsidised by income from other sources that may have nothing to do with cryptoassets at all. This article argues for stronger scrutiny of the deductibility of crypto losses at the stage of determining whether such losses can be set off against income from other sources or at the stage of the shifting of the losses across time and between companies. It explains why crypto …

Guest Editorial – Special Issue: Environmental, Social, Governance, And Taxation, Vincent Ooi, Amy Lawton

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This special issue of the eJournal of Tax Research comprises five articles that are a selection of papers that were originally presented at the SMU–Edinburgh Environmental, Social, Governance and Taxation Conference hosted by the Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University in April 2024.

Efficacy And Feasibility Of Intradialytic Plantar Electrical Stimulation In Patients With Diabetes: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial, Myeounggon Lee, Abdullah Hamad, Mehrnaz Azarian, Jaewon Beom, Abderrahman Ouattas, Mohammad Dehghan Rouzi, Naima Rodriguez, Nhi Quach, Rania Ibrahim, Mincy Mathew, Talal Talal, Fadwa Al-Ali, Bijan Najafi

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Objective: This study investigates the efficacy and feasibility of electrical stimulation (E-Stim) on sensory fibers of the plantar region during hemodialysis sessions, aiming to improve mobility in patients with diabetes by providing a connection between E-Stim and enhanced mobility with minimal patient effort required.

Research design and methods: Participants aged ≥18 years with diabetes undergoing hemodialysis and able to walk at least 10 m with or without aid were recruited and divided into an intervention group receiving 1-h intradialytic E-Stim three times a week and a control group using an identical nonfunctional device for 12 weeks. Gait, physical activity, patient-reported …