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Library News

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04/25/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier

So much great scholarship this month from our SSU faculty! We're delighted to showcase the most recent publications and scholarly works coming out of the university. 

Martinez, Andres G. “Political Partisanship, Trait Empathy, and Social Justice Concerns in a Representative Sample of Californians.” Discover Psychology., vol. 5, no. 1, 2025.
 
Abstract: The current study provides an analysis of a representative sample of Californians (N = 875) to obtain insight into the nature of emotional empathy across the political divide. Although Democrats, Republicans, and Independents differed in average trait emotional empathy levels, the magnitudes of these differences were not large. Analysis showed that although all political categories showed some degree of empathy, the target of this empathy varied by political party. Specifically, Democrats’ and Independents’ empathic tendencies were linked to social justice concerns. In contrast, Republicans’ empathic tendencies were disconnected from this domain. These findings provide evidence that—in California and perhaps beyond—political affiliation predicts who is seen as worthy of empathy. Discussion explores the implications of these findings for political polarization and cooperation across partisan categories.
 
Ma, Alyson C., et al. “Admissions Policies and Colleges’ Retention Rates.Education Economics., 2025, pp. 1–19.
 
Abstract: Our study examines the relation between college admission criteria and college–student retention in the United States. We report two key findings related to admissions requirements using a dataset for the 2021–2022 academic year. First, there is little evidence that test–optional admissions policies had a significant effect on retention rates for this cohort. Second, Required/Recommended Letters of Recommendation and Secondary School Record are consistently associated with 1.3–3.3% higher retention rates. When combined with the appropriate institutional supports these results may assist HEIs maintain or increase retention rates in this new admission landscape.
 
Marsh, Erik J., et al. “Dating the Ebb and Flow of Tiwanaku and Post-Collapse Material Culture across the Andes.” Quaternary International., vol. 727, 2025.
 
Abstract: This paper presents a comprehensive Bayesian refinement of the chronology of Tiwanaku material culture. To place this material pattern in space, we present a presence-only map of most sites with Tiwanaku redware ceramics, snuff trays, and textiles. We compile radiocarbon dates and assess their material associations before building Bayesian models. We present bespoke calibration curve mixtures for each major region, based on air mixtures from climate models. The models suggest that redwares burst onto the scene in the AD 600s in the Lake Titicaca Basin (Peru and Bolivia) and around the same time, snuff trays with the same iconography appeared in burials at San Pedro de Atacama (Chile). Other parts of the Andes first saw this material culture later, and only in the AD 900s was it clearly present in all regions. Around ∼AD 1040, Tiwanaku redwares were no longer used at Tiwanaku or in Moquegua. Residents of the Western Valleys immediately innovated new post-collapse styles derived from Tiwanaku redwares, appearing and fading away at different times in different valleys. A small community near Lake Titicaca maintained old traditions for generations, including the use of raised fields and Tiwanaku burials. We assess temporal alignments and disjunctures in order to highlight variability of Tiwanaku material culture, long assumed to be fairly homogeneous over space and time. This opens the door to more nuanced, generation-scale questions about the interaction networks that assembled and disassembled Tiwanaku.
 
Naser, Sokiyna, et al. “At-Home Breath Data Collection for Signatures of Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Clinical Study.” Biosensors., vol. 15, no. 3, 2025.
 
Abstract: This study investigates the potential of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath as non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring blood glucose levels in individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A pilot clinical study was conducted to explore the correlation between VOCs and blood glucose levels in six T2DM patients. Participants used a custom-developed sensor device to collect breath data at home, alongside finger-stick blood glucose readings. Breath data were transmitted to a cloud database, while blood glucose readings were recorded on paper charts. The sensor data from the device and the blood glucose readings from the charts were consolidated to create the study dataset. Support vector machine and random forest models were employed to analyze the dataset, which achieved accuracies of 85% and 82%, respectively. The results demonstrate the feasibility of at-home breath sensor data collection for clinical studies and suggest its potential as a viable alternative to traditional invasive glucose monitoring methods. Future studies will expand the dataset to include more participants and additional clinical variables to enhance model performance and predictive power. This research highlights the promise of non-invasive breath analysis for glucose monitoring, which could improve patient compliance and diabetes management.
 
Janousek, Christopher N., et al. “Blue Carbon Stocks Along the Pacific Coast of North America Are Mainly Driven by Local Rather Than Regional Factors.” Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol. 39, no. 3, 2025.
 
Abstract: Coastal wetlands, including seagrass meadows, emergent marshes, mangroves, and temperate tidal swamps, can efficiently sequester and store large quantities of sediment organic carbon (SOC). However, SOC stocks may vary by ecosystem type and along environmental or climate gradients at different scales. Quantifying such variability is needed to improve blue carbon accounting, conservation effectiveness, and restoration planning. We analyzed SOC stocks in 1,284 sediment cores along >6,500 km of the Pacific coast of North America that included large environmental gradients and multiple ecosystem types. Tidal wetlands with woody vegetation (mangroves and swamps) had the highest mean stocks to 1 m depth (357 and 355 Mg ha−1, respectively), 45% higher than marshes (245 Mg ha−1), and more than 500% higher than seagrass (68 Mg ha−1). Unvegetated tideflats, though not often considered a blue carbon ecosystem, had noteworthy stocks (148 Mg ha−1). Stocks increased with tidal elevation and with fine (<63 μm) sediment content in several ecosystems. Stocks also varied by dominant plant species within individual ecosystem types. At larger scales, marsh stocks were lowest in the Sonoran Desert region of Mexico, and swamp stocks differed among climate zones; otherwise stocks showed little correlation with ecoregion or latitude. More variability in SOC occurred among ecosystem types, and at smaller spatial scales (such as individual estuaries), than across regional climate gradients. These patterns can inform coastal conservation and restoration priorities across scales where preserving stored carbon and enhancing sequestration helps avert greenhouse gas emissions and maintains other vital ecosystem services.
 
Fraleigh, DC, et al. “Intra-Annual Consistent Diet of Lanternfish and Krill in Adult Female Southern Elephant Seals Mirounga Leonina from the South Georgia Population.” Marine Ecology Progress Series., vol. 753, 2025, pp. 175–89.
 
Abstract: Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina are top predators in the Southern Ocean and significant consumers of mesopelagic mid-trophic level prey while spending most of the year foraging out at sea. Yet, there is still considerable uncertainty regarding variability in the dietary composition between individuals and over time. We ran a suite of mixing models using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios from the vibrissae of 54 adult female southern elephant seals from the South Georgia population (2005–2009) and potential fish, squid, and krill prey. Our goals were to (1) estimate the dietary composition of this population as a whole, (2) compare the dietary composition of individuals between previously identified foraging strategies, and (3) quantify the degree of dietary consistency at the individual level throughout a long foraging migration. Models indicate that myctophid fish were the dominant prey item consumed (mean 45% of diet), followed by Antarctic krill and Antarctic jonasfish. However, there was considerable variability within and among groups of seals regarding specific prey items consumed and the degree of individual dietary specialization, possibly as a means of reducing intraspecific competition. Finally, our models provide evidence of most seals displaying dietary consistency throughout a foraging migration. These findings have important management implications for the South Georgia population in an uncertain future and highlight the need for more effective krill management along the western Antarctic Peninsula.
 
Freborg, Kaija, and LaTonia Clark Chalmers. “Seeing the Field: Applying Watson’s Unitary Caring Science to Discern Racism.” International Journal for Human Caring., vol. 28, no. 4, 2024, pp. 228–38.
 
Abstract: Raising unitary consciousness is fundamental in critical social praxis as the nursing profession grapples with its past and present relationships with racism. Watson’s Unitary Caring Science guides nurses to embody a practice that uplifts compassionate care and champions human dignity and belonging. However, contradiction resounds and persists; racial discrimination cannot exist simultaneously with unitary caring moments. An examination of how White comfort and White supremacy influence the Caritas–Veritas Field and a consideration of how nursing’s perceived caring ideology could act as a barrier to racial justice praxis are provided. By answering Watson’s call to see the field, move beyond the ego-self, and build positionality-informed consciousness to disrupt racism within caring moments, nurses can be better aligned with the ethical and moral standards of the profession.
 
Jenkins, Ryan, et al. "Recent Insights in Responsible AI Development and Deployment in National Defense: A Review of Literature, 2022–2024.Journal of Military Ethics., 2025, pp. 1–23.
 
Abstract: This “literature refresh” identifies the most relevant new research in AI and robotic systems ethics from January 1, 2022 to January 31, 2024. Our selection methodology consisted of traditional research methods as well as novel human-AI teaming techniques, leveraging the expert human judgment of the authors, enhanced with a collection of AI and computational tools. We have identified stable trends in the critiques of the use of AI in the defense and security domain that cluster around worries about machine bias as well as the propensity of the technology to exacerbate human cognitive biases. Training data ambiguities, irregularities or untrustworthy data, and outright hacking of training sets are notable problems reported by the papers in our research set. This limits the trustworthiness of some systems which is heightened by the “black box” nature of many of these technologies which makes accountability and testing difficult. Given the speed and immense scale of operations that AI systems are involved in, there is a pronounced drift away from the reliance on “human in the loop” and “human on the loop” as the gold standard. We are now at the stage where a new ethical paradigm is needed.
 
Kim, Chong-Uk, and Gieyoung Lim. “The Economic Impact of Napa Valley on Other California Grape Districts.” Applied Economics., 2025, pp. 1–17.
 
Abstract: This paper investigates the economic impacts on other grape-growing regions in California relative to Napa Valley. To test empirically, we examine the influence of the production levels and prices of each grape variety in Napa, prioritized by their prevalence in Napa, on the production and price of the same varieties in other regions. Our empirical results suggest that first, price changes of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa affect prices across all other major regions. Second, changes in Sonoma’s Pinot Noir prices are found to influence fluctuations in Napa’s prices. Last, the lesser impact of production changes on other regions compared to price dynamics may be attributed to environmental factors.
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04/21/2025

We want to hear from you. Your voice matters, and your experiences help shape the future of our library. Whether you come in to study, borrow books, use our online resources, or just need a quiet place to focus, your insights help us better understand what works--and what could be better. We've created a short survey to learn more about how you study, what helps you succeed, and how we can support you even more. 

If you haven't taken the survey yet, there's still time. It only take a few minutes, and your input will directly guide decisions about the services, spaces, and resources that matter to you. We're listening--help us create a library that grows with you. 

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04/10/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier

The library is excited to announce the addition of a new primary source collection, History Vault: Latino Civil Rights During the Carter Administration

In the summer of 1979, the Carter Administration created the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs in order to address issues of critical importance to the Latino community. Major topics covered in Latino Civil Rights During the Carter Administration include inflation, bilingual education, police brutality, political unrest in Latin America, Haitian refugees,  immigration (legal and otherwise), Puerto Rican self-determination, and the US Navy's use of Vieques Island. 

The collection consists of digital archival documents from the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs and includes the Esteban Torres files and the Files of Gilbert Colon, Raul Robert Tapia, Miriam Cruz, Armando Rendon, and Hila Solis. 

Esteban Torres was the head of the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs and a former UNESCO ambassador. The files inlude records of his travels across the United States and documents pertaining to the inner workings of many Latinx organizations, including La Raza, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Colon, Tapia, Cruz, Rendon, and Solis were Ambassador Torres's assistants in the Office. 

This collection represents a full spectrum of issues affecting the Latinx community in the late 1970s and early 1980s and provides a fascinating look at the work of a newly formed White House office. 

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04/07/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier

Did you know you can sign up to get updates about new books added to the library's collection? We send a New Books newsletter every other month highlighting some of our newest additions. Read April's New Books newsletter online and sign up to receive future installments

You can also see newly added books and DVDs on our New Books and Media page online. This page is continuously updated as new items are received. 

And if you're taking a walk around campus or just need a little break, swing by the 2nd floor of Schulz to see our New Books display in the lobby, or check out new popular reading and media in Lobo's Lounge. 

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03/30/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier

We are pleased to announce that 3 North has been reopened, and access to collections shelved in this area is restored. We will be in the process of reshelving some materials in this area for a few weeks, but all of the 3 North study areas are available again and collections can be freely browsed.

If the book you're looking for isn't on the shelf, please don't hesitate to ask the staff at the Information/Checkout Desk. They can help locate items that have not yet been reshelved or place requests for items that were permanently damaged and have been withdrawn. 

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03/28/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier

Check out the latest publications from Sonoma State University researchers. 

Post, Alanna J., et al. “Using Handheld Mobile Laser Scanning to Quantify Fine-Scale Surface Fuels and Detect Changes Post-Disturbance in Northern California Forests.” Ecological Indicators., vol. 172, 2025.
 
Abstract: The understory plays a critical role in the disturbance dynamics of forest, as it influences wildfire behavior. Unfortunately, the structure of understory fuels is difficult to quantify due to heterogeneity. LiDAR can measure changes in forest structure more rapidly, comprehensively, and accurately than manual approaches, but remote sensing is more frequently applied to the overstory. We evaluated the use of handheld mobile laser scanning (HMLS) to measure changes in fine-scale surface fuels following wildfire and timber harvest in Northern Californian forests, USA. The ability of HMLS to quantify surface fuels was validated by destructively sampling vegetation within a 3D frame and comparing destructive-based volumes with HMLS-based occupied volume estimates. There was a positive linear relationship between volume estimates, and occupied volume estimated from 1-cm voxels had the best relationship with measured biomass compared to larger voxel sizes. Next, HMLS was used to scan forest plots where wildfire or timber harvest occurred, producing bi-temporal structural measurements. Plot level HMLS estimates without ground voxels revealed regrowth of live vegetation one-year post-fire that was not apparent from field measurements collected via Brown's transects. Comparison between Brown's transects and HMLS estimate showed similar decreases in surface fuels post-wildfire, further indicating that the increase in estimated volume one-year post-fire comes from vegetation regrowth rather than dead fuel accumulation. HMLS can be a valuable tool for land stewards to rapidly quantify understory vegetation, especially following disturbance. Assessing understory vegetation is crucial for reducing wildfire risk and fuels might not be captured fully post-wildfire using traditional approaches.
 
Jackson, Brandy L., et al. “Disability and Accommodation Use in US Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs.” JAMA Network Open., vol. 8, no. 2, 2025, p. e2461038.
 
Abstract: Medical associations’ commitment to advancing disability-inclusive practices has led to data collection on, and a significant increase in representation of, medical students with disabilities. However, information on disability representation and accommodation use in US nursing programs remains scarce. The lack of data collection on this population impedes the ability to identify barriers, benchmark, and measure progress. To address this gap, we quantified disabilities and types of accommodations used among traditional prelicensure nursing students in US Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree programs.
 
Glass, Julie, et al. “Peer Instruction in Mathematics: A Survey of the California State University.PRIMUS : Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies., 2025, pp. 1–18.
 
This report describes the current landscape of peer instruction models for mathematics, and its diversity, commonalities, and efficacy across California State University (CSU) campuses. While models differ in their placement, organization, and level of support, they share similar goals and values: increasing a sense of belonging in students, improving their academic self-sufficiency and confidence, creating an academic and social community of learners, and improving course-level outcomes and retention. Here we identify and synthesize shared themes, factors that influence implementation, and common challenges. Based on our investigation, we share recommendations for universities, departments, and other relevant stakeholders for sustainably implementing and coordinating peer instruction within their institutions.
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The library will be closed on Cesar Chavez Day, Monday, March 31
03/27/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier

Monday, March 31 is César Chávez Day. The library will be closed to honor his legacy. Who was César Chávez and why do we commemorate him on March 31? 

Chávez was a labor activist and leader who championed farm workers' rights and civil rights for Mexicans and Mexican Americans. With Dolores Huerta, he founded the National Farm Workers Association (now United Farm Workers). Their work was instrumental in achieving better wages and working conditions and the right to collective bargaining for farm workers. 

The library has tons of resources that can help you learn more about Cesar Chavez's life and legacy. Check out our Cesar Chavez Research Guide, and search OneSearch for even more information. Also check out this page on César Chávez's legacy from The Hub

Did you know the library has a mural commemorating Chávez on the 2nd floor? Stop by and check it out, and learn more about the artist, Johanna Poethig

 

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03/18/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier
Explore a new resource from the library covering the history of Hispanic Life in America!
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03/12/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier

The library will be open reduced hours during spring break, from Sunday, March 16 through Friday, March 21. 

  • Sunday, March 16: 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
  • Monday, March 17 - Thursday, March 20: 7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, March 21: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m

Regular hours will resume on Sunday, March 23. 

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02/28/2025
profile-icon Laura Krier
Casesa, R. H., Canady, F., & Scott, L. (2025). Languages and literacies learning lab: Bringing home to school. TESOL Journal., 16(1). 
 
The Languages & Literacies Learning Lab (4L), a collaborative project between Sonoma State University and Mariposa Elementary School, supports the development of and engagement around community biliteracy (Casesa et al., 2004). Understanding the benefits of family engagement on student success, we created a space for elementary students and their families to connect literacy with life experiences through a summer program. 
 
Buckmire, R., Hibdon, J. E., Lewis, D., Ortega, O., Pabón, J. L., Roca, R., & Vindas-Meléndez, A. R. (2025). The Mathematics of Mathematics: Using Mathematics and Data Science to Analyze the Mathematical Sciences Community and Enhance Social Justice. La Matematica.
 
We present and discuss a curated selection of recent literature related to the application of quantitative techniques, tools, and topics from mathematics and data science that have been used to analyze the mathematical sciences community. We engage in this project with a focus on including research that highlights, documents, or quantifies inequality that exists in the mathematical sciences, specifically, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) more broadly. We seek to enhance social justice in the mathematics and data science communities by providing numerous examples of the ways in which the mathematical sciences fails to meet standards of equity, equal opportunity, and inclusion. We introduce the term “mathematics of Mathematics” for this project, explicitly building upon the growing, interdisciplinary field known as “Science of Science” to interrogate, investigate, and identify the nature of the mathematical sciences itself. We aim to promote, provide, and posit sources of productive collaborations and we invite interested researchers to contribute to this developing body of work.
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