November has seen a cornucopia of research disseminated by Sonoma State authors. We are especially delighted to note that almost all of them were published open access and are thus available to read by residents across the North Bay and the globe.
Burton, B., Hellmer, S., Wåhlmark, V., Ortiz, H., & Grant, D. (2025) Changing Perspectives in California: A Transformative Culture Exchange for Stockholm University and Sonoma State University Criminology Students, csuglobalaction: Vol. 2, Article 3.
From June 13 to 20, 2024, Sonoma State University (SSU) hosted 16 criminology students from Stockholm University (SU) for an educational and cultural exchange. Five SSU undergraduate “student ambassadors” participated, representing California and SSU while assisting the Swedish students. Surveys indicated the exchange was a meaningful academic and cultural experience for all participants. The Swedish students deepened their understanding of the U.S. criminal justice system through presentations by criminologists and discussions with practitioners on issues such as policing and prison reform. They also gained broader perspectives on California and the United States through interactions with SSU ambassadors and visits to historical and cultural sites such as Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. The SSU ambassadors, some of whom had never left the West Coast, developed international perspectives by engaging with peers from abroad and expressed increased interest in studying overseas. The program was designed to be affordable for Swedish students, with university housing provided and transportation arranged for off-campus visits; SSU ambassadors participated at no cost. Limitations of the pilot program are noted, and the long-term goal is to expand participation to include students from a wider range of international backgrounds.
Foster, E. U., & Hughes, B. B. (2025). Chapter 3 - The role of sea otters in seagrass and salt marsh communities. In Sea Otter Conservation II (Second Edition, pp. 69–96). Elsevier Inc.
Sea otters are known for structuring rocky-reef communities and stabilizing kelp forest communities, yet their influence in seagrass and salt marsh communities is less clearly understood. In this chapter, we discuss what is known about how sea otters alter vegetated soft sediment communities, including eelgrass (Zostera marina), and salt marsh communities composed primarily of the foundation species pickleweed (Salicornia pacifica). Across their range, sea otter recovery is correlated with increased eelgrass biomass. In California, sea otters increase eelgrass biomass through a trophic cascade: by limiting crab predation, sea otters indirectly increase mesograzer abundance, which limit epiphytes and increase eelgrass biomass. In the northern part of the sea otters' range, the mechanism behind the positive correlation between sea otters and eelgrass may be driven by the removal of clams, which relieves space competition and may reduce anoxia. Sea otter digging for infaunal prey is thought to influence the reproductive strategies of eelgrass and is positively correlated with eelgrass genetic diversity where sea otter populations are established. In salt marshes, sea otters limit shore crabs and their burrowing, thereby stabilizing tidal creek shorelines and salt marsh vegetation. Sea otters hauling out on salt marsh vegetation has been observed to increase Salicornia biomass, perhaps through deposition of urine and feces, which function as fertilizer. The maritime fur trade greatly reduced sea otter populations, disrupting ecological relationships in nearshore systems. Through this historical lens, Chapter 3 considers the effects of sea otters. Given the rich history of sea otter, eelgrass, and salt marsh coevolution, sea otter recovery may confer ecological resilience and stability in salt marsh systems.
Gaines, A. G., Wright, P. M., Goldberg, J., Ducy, E. M., McPherson, M. L., & Cagle, J. G. (2025). Caring Connections: A Grounded Theory Study of the Grief and Bereavement Experiences of Children With Intellectual Disabilities. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 302228251384463.
Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) have been minimally represented in grief research. This grounded theory study aimed to elucidate the grief and bereavement experiences of children with ID from the perspective of their caregivers, and optionally from their child, and to develop a substantive theory to guide developmentally inclusive interventions. Eligible participants were caregivers of a child with ID who was 5–17 years old when they experienced the death of someone significant within the past six months to three years. After purposive sampling through disability organizations, adult caregivers participated in semi-structured interviews. Constant comparative analysis led to the Caring Connections theory, which delineates processes related to internal loss experiences and the outward desire to care for others. With clinical implications, this theory highlights that supporting grieving children with ID includes fostering opportunities for caring and connection, which can enhance coping and may mitigate disenfranchised grief.
Gehlawat, A. (2020). From Indianization to Globalization : Tracking Bond in Bollywood. In J. Verheul (Ed.), The Cultural Life of James Bond (1st ed., pp. 61–79). Routledge.
This chapter uses Bollywood Bond "adaptations" to chart the shifting relationship between India and the West, from the Cold War era to the neoliberal present. It examines how elements of the Bond films were incorporated and "Indianized" in earlier films and how these elements, and the Bollywood film itself, subsequently became more globalized, as can be seen in contemporary Bond adaptations like Farhan Akhtar's Don (2006) and Don 2 (2011). Whereas previously the Bond figure was "Indianized" and elements of the Bond film similarly indigenized via the Bollywood masala formula, what one witnesses in the ensuing transition leading to the contemporary era is how the Bollywood film has become more aligned, both aesthetically and culturally, with contemporary Hollywood film forms.<
Jung, Dr. I., & Sharma, Dr. A. (2025). Role of Trust and Hedonism in Driving Novel Food Technology Acceptance. Future Foods : A Dedicated Journal for Sustainability in Food Science, 12, Article 100824.
This study investigates consumer acceptance of novel food technologies, using cultured meat as an illustrative and emerging example. Given the uncertain long-term impacts of these technologies on the environment and society, understanding and fostering consumer acceptance will be crucial. To this end, our research assesses consumers' acceptance of novel food technology, incorporating elements of trust and convenience into the well-established Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. We empirically tested our model through an online experimental design (Study 1) and a laboratory-based experiment (Study 2) to gauge consumers' actual food choices. Results from Study 1 indicate that hedonic motivation is a primary driver of behavioral intentions for novel food technologies. Similarly, Study 2′s findings reinforce this, showing a strong correlation between hedonic motivation and attitude and behavioral intention. Overall, this study reveals that perceptions of cost and benefit, hedonic motivations, and the level of trust in food regulatory organizations are significant factors in consumer novel food technology acceptance. Additionally, it demonstrates that both Food Technology Acceptance and Food Neophobia significantly impact individuals' technology acceptance intentions and actual behavior, underscoring their importance in the broader goal of expanding sustainable food production through novel food technologies.
Virmani, E. A., Hatton, H., Nagase, A., Wiese, A., Silverstein, J., & Harshbarger, H. (2025). Escúchanos, “We do have emotions and we do have feelings”: Exploring how reflective consultation supports early childhood educators. Infant Mental Health Journal.
Despite the promise of reflective consultation and the beneficial impacts it may have on enhancing early childhood educator social-emotional well-being and competence, there is limited research on reflective consultation with early childhood educators. The current project, Escúchanos, examined how English-speaking and bilingual Spanish-English early childhood educators (n = 16, 6 White, 9 Latina, 1 Asian/Pacific Islander) in the United States experienced reflective consultation at their child care centers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the participant's preferred language to provide a better understanding of the perceived benefits and suggested improvements for delivering reflective consultation in early childhood and education settings. Early childhood educators in the study were provided with reflective consultation sessions over 7 months offered by trained mental health consultants in a linguistically responsive manner. Given the cultural and linguistic diversity of the early childhood workforce, this study contributes to the practice of providing culturally and linguistically responsive reflective consultation. Findings from this study suggest that reflective consultation offered early childhood educators with the: space to express feelings; time to take a pause; opportunities to work as a team; and an enhanced awareness of self and others.
Wink, D. A., Coutinho, L. L., Cheng, R. Y. S., Ridnour, L. A., & Fukuto, J. (2025). Fundamental inorganic chemistry and cancer and inflammatory mechanism of NO. kinetic approach to revealing insights into Cancer and other diseases. Polyhedron, Article 117866.
The recognition of nitric oxide and nitrogen oxides as key elements in human biology has driven the development of one of the most extensive areas of research in recent decades, consistently uncovering new insights into therapy and disease. These molecules are central to redox biology, with their inorganic chemistry playing a significant role in many biological systems. This review explores how fundamental chemical properties, kinetics, and thermodynamics influence important biological outcomes, including cancer, covering both normal physiology and disease states. The distinct chemical traits of these compounts allow for precise regulation of biological processes. Emerging concepts in cancer and other diseases will be discussed to highlight innovative treatments for advanced-stage conditions.
