http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/urcaj_2023/rss Recent eScholarship items from Volume 4 (2023) Fri, 15 May 2026 19:51:11 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73m9c2m4 Machine learning techniques have revolutionized the field of financial engineering by providing accurate and efficient methods for pricing American options. This research project aims to explore the effectiveness of deep learning algorithms in accurately pricing American options. The project is divided into two schemes: Scheme I employs a sequence of neural networks, while Scheme II utilizes a single aggregate neural network to eliminate time discretization. By testing various combinations of neural network hyperparameters in both schemes, we seek to optimize the accuracy and computational speed for pricing nine different Put and Call options. Our results are compared against existing efficient algorithms, such as polynomial regression and random forest, as documented in [5]. Based on the analysis of optimal hyperparameters that enhance the accuracy of machine learning-based American option pricing, we identify the top five solvers (hyperparameter sets) in Scheme I and the top... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73m9c2m4 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Bauer, Anna https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5h45k4t8 Cotton discs with a blend of sodium alginate and germination compounds were blended into a hydrogel and planted with green onion seeds in order to determine a resulting increase of germination rate. After its product viability was determined, apparatus design was reevaluated to minimize seed suffocation effects with varied results dependent on disc thickness. Though the germination rates were lower than planting regularly, it is believed that if the gel’s physical construction could more resemble soil, the suffocation factor would be negligible and drought tolerance can be more accurately measured. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5h45k4t8 Thu, 2 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Faraci, Joseph https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9ww8d776 Despite efforts to promote gender diversity in STEM, math-based STEM majors, such as Engineering, Computer science and Physics, remain male dominated. In this research, the effects of peer interactions are examined within students in math-based STEM majors, since peer relationships significantly impact retention and success in STEM. However, underrepresented groups, such as women in STEM, are particularly susceptible to negative stereotypes about their group, through the induction of stereotype threat. This study seeks to investigate how the gender of the support-giver and support-seeker in a peer directed study group affect male dominated STEM majors’ personal wellbeing, social perceptions and STEM-related outcomes using video vignettes of an interaction in a study group. The gender of the support-giver, as depicted in the vignette, influenced social perceptions and to a lesser extent, STEM-related outcomes. Likewise, female participants scored lower in personal wellbeing, social... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9ww8d776 Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Carlin, Rori https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95t2s5cj The cultural object known as “sweet purses” was fabricated and rose in popularity in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for its ability to supersede extravagance restrictions in a Post-Reformation court culture and support ideas within early modern neuroscience. This paper explores the cultural shifts and interest in early modern neuroscience and the influence of the soul that are truly responsible for the nature and being of sweet purses, despite often being examined in current collections purely for their visual appeal. Discussing the interest and consequent belief in ideologies such as imagination and humoral theory better explicates the impact and importance that sweet purses had within English court life and often why these objects were able to circumvent the regulations of sumptuary laws. This paper examines the construction and use of sweet purses to best understand the inner workings of early modern English court culture in the aspect of theocratic... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95t2s5cj Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Connaughton, Madison https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8mv1r7qj California’s education system is in a unique position. As Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted across the country, schools and childcare facilities are losing the pandemic emergency funding that kept them barely hanging on as attendance waned and students fell through the cracks. However, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed off on a $307.9 billion state budget that features a record $128 billion toward reviving TK-12 public schools and community colleges. Understanding what to do with this significant budget allocation in order to serve California’s children best will be vital for educators and politicians in the coming years. This piece addresses how the state may use the influx in funding to address inequity. This is particularly pertinent in California, a highly diverse state with vast differences in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, identity, and need in the children served from district to district. Focusing on the Los Angeles Unified School District as... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8mv1r7qj Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Fry, Sydney https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7pr2s1k9 The effects of motivation and the depletion of cognitive resources on performance in a sustained attention task were investigated. 17 participants completed a modified version of the continuous temporal expectancy task (CTET; O’Connell et al., 2009). Performance on the CTET is a measure of sustained attention. Monetary reward was introduced as a between-subjects manipulation. Overall performance and performance across time served as behavioural measures of general sustained attention and the vigilance decrement, respectively. An electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to measure the neural correlates of behaviour, in particular, the alpha band oscillation. EEG analysis revealed higher alpha power for pre-target misses compared to hits, indicating a phase-dependent influence on sustained attention influenced by motivation levels. The vigilance decrement occurred in both reward and no reward groups, unaffected by rewards alone. Ceiling effects may have weakened the impact of rewards.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7pr2s1k9 Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Chandra, Riddhima https://escholarship.org/uc/item/64r864cd Fan Culture has changed and challenged storytelling through social media platforms like TikTok, Tumblr, and Instagram, opening doors to other perspectives outside the dominant social groups. In the blink of an eye, fandom has turned pop culture into a conversation, highlighting every displeasure or appreciation for the fictional worlds. In these conversations, fans start talking about the representational gaps in the media and come to the mutual understanding that to be represented, marginalized social groups need to break down the mold built by the dominant groups. My project highlights the complexity and diversity of literary fandoms. The interactive website will feature a series of profiles that will investigate how fan culture has fostered a sense of identity and reflection for those who belong to marginalized groups. The interviews I conduct will cover a variety of topics, including how readers have found representation in books featuring marginalized characters and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/64r864cd Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Bustamante, Viviana https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dp6r2v0 This study aimed to look at the correlations between depersonalization, mindfulness, and specifically the decentering aspect of mindfulness. This study is a correlational design, where 144 participants completed the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS), the Clinician Administered Dissociative State Scale (CADSS), and the Toronto Mindfulness Scale’s subscale for state decentering (TMS-D) on an online Qualtrics survey. It was predicted those higher in depersonalization would also be higher in state decentering. A Pearson’s r was conducted. In line with the hypothesis, both trait, and state depersonalization positively correlated with state decentering. Results also replicate the overall negative relationship between mindfulness and depersonalization. This implies mindfulness is multi-faceted, with many positives for those that experience depersonalization; however, a focus on decentering may not be the best course of treatment. Future... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dp6r2v0 Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mendenhall, Allison https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41n5z6pw Phosphonates are organophosphorus compounds recalcitrant to degradation. The Carbon - Phosphorus lyase pathway allows certain microbes to make use of such compounds, releasing a hydrocarbon in the process. This process is shown when methane derives from methylphosphonate consumption. Methane liberation from methylphosphonate facilitated by microbial activity has been shown to occur in the oxygen-rich surface ocean around the world. It may provide these bacteria a phosphorus source used to support growth when phosphate is limited. This project tested the hypothesis that the cyanobacteria Trichodesmium in wild populations in the Gulf of Mexico and lab cultures use methylphosphonate when phosphate concentrations are low, releasing methane as a byproduct. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41n5z6pw Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Murphy, Kyla https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41h3m42t This research aims to understand the affect that sexual assault trauma has on survivors’ sex lives and romantic relationships. Using a qualitative research method of interviews, ten female-identifying sexual assault survivors from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) were asked about their history, attitudes, and behaviors on sex and relationships. An intersectional approach combined with a feminist lens was utilized in order to understand the lives of these survivors’ post-assault with a sociological perspective. The findings revealed that participants received inadequate formal education on consent in schools. I discovered intimacy challenges both romantically and sexually, where participants revealed a hesitancy and even avoidance to intimate interactions. Relatedly, a struggle in reintegration into society as sexual assault survivors was found to be evident. This study expanded on previous research on the perpetuation of hegemonic masculinity and femininity and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41h3m42t Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Teodoro, Sarah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4095f372 Mobile learning, or m-learning is becoming increasingly popular in the classroom as technology advances and more affordable options hit the market. This systematic literature review examines m-learning in relation to STEM settings for K-8 classrooms. Seven studies published after 2010 were reviewed, focusing on m-learning curriculum and instruction as well as assessment and evaluation. The results reveal that mobile learning has the potential to enhance student engagement, promote collaboration, and encourage creativity. Challenges such as potential distractions and the need for effective content also came up frequently. Successful implementation of mobile learning depends on factors such as teacher training, technical knowledge, and the availability of one-on-one support. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4095f372 Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Chatterton, Kara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vf078rd Most research on allyship in the racial domain focuses on White allies while overlooking allies from other racial/ethnic minority groups. White allies and racial/ethnic minority allies may have different motives for supporting the targeted group. The current study assessed the perceived motivations of White and racial/ethnic minority allies from the perspective of the targeted group. The study was conducted between subjects, in which half of the participants read a vignette on an example of White allyship during a BLM protest, while the other half read a vignette on an example of Latinx allyship during a BLM protest. We found that Black Americans perceived Latinx allyship during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest to be significantly more outgroup motivated, morally motivated, internally motivated, ingroup motivated, less personally motivated, and less externally motivated than White allyship. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vf078rd Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sharma, Navya https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tz2t78z A documented phenomenon is that people want to quit social media but do not. A leading explanation is that the content shown on social media is addictive. However, I use a survey to show that the content is not the main reason people say they cannot leave social media. Instead, it is losing the ability to communicate through direct messaging. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tz2t78z Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Heyman, Nicholas https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mj4w4qs Gym equipment is not required to follow ADA guidelines to ensure they can be used by people with disabilities. We have adapted one half of a dual-pulley machine to allow our sponsor, a paralympic athlete, to demonstrate these issues and push for change because the components used to alter these machines are often inaccessible. The height adjuster changes the angle between the weight and the user, allowing them to focus on different muscle groups, but if a user cannot reach the mechanism, they cannot use the machine, so we have automated and motorized that aspect. The weight stack requires users to move a small pin to a very specific position, so creating a raised system with linear guides to make that easier will allow users with hand dexterity issues to use the machine on their own. We hope these changes will make exercise more accessible for all. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mj4w4qs Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Crocker, Janna https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3f38k53d 48 hours in... A Gaucho's Guide to Studying and Traveling in Europe  https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3f38k53d Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Meyers, Hannah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2rg3862x Past literature examining dissociation beyond white populations is sparse. The few studies that have diversified their sampling report higher rates of dissociative symptomatology amongst black participants as compared to other racial groups. However, much of this research has failed to extend their findings beyond the general conclusion of an observable racial discrepancy in experienced dissociation. The present study incorporates theoretical models of racial traumatic stress and maladaptive dissociative coping in its investigation of perceived exposure to racial abuse as a potential factor for racial differences in dissociation—specifically of the nonpathological variety. Findings reveal a significantly higher rate of nonpathological dissociation amongst black individuals as compared to white individuals. Less statistically conclusive results were obtained regarding the degree of exposure to racial abuse and related dissociative tendencies. Yet, intrinsic limitations within the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2rg3862x Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Kushnir, Christina N. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2j48057k Students from low-socioeconomic status (SES) who are just starting college are more likely to experience discrimination. Frequent discrimination is associated with harmful effects on students’ well-being, including increased negative mental health symptoms (Hwang & Goto, 2008) and decreased sense of belonging in their college environment (Hussain and Jones, 2021). Discrimination is also associated with greater perceptions of cultural mismatch (Feasel et al., 2023), which occurs when a student’s home culture does not match their university culture. Cultural mismatch also negatively impacts college students’ sense of belonging (Phillips et al., 2020). Given that discrimination and cultural mismatch have similar effects on belonging, the current study tests our hypothesis that cultural mismatch mediates the relationship between SES discrimination and the perceived sense of belonging in low-SES college students. We found support for this mediational model in data analyses from... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2j48057k Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lopez, Alexa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2fc2v1tr This paper presents a systematic literature review on the relationship between influencer marketing and parasocial relationships in social media. Influencer marketing has gained significant traction as an effective marketing strategy with the advent of social media platforms. Thus, this study seeks to explore the impact of parasocial relationships between influencers and their followers on consumer trust, purchasing decisions, the factors that influence these relationships, and how influencers can enhance them to optimize marketing outcomes. The review encompasses analysis of five primary research studies, investigating factors such as interpersonal attraction, personal attributes, intimate self-disclosure, and empathy as determinants of parasocial relationships. The findings indicate that parasocial relationships exert a positive influence on consumer trust, purchase intentions, and brand evaluations. Notably, factors such as interpersonal attraction, intimate self-disclosure,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2fc2v1tr Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Yi, Josephine https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0rt993jd Tehachapi Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps stebbinsi) is endemic to the Tehachapi Mountains to the Piute Mountains and is listed as a threatened species by the State of California. This species is found in scattered populations from the San Andreas Fault to Walker Basin. Previous studies have found that northern and southern populations of this species have high levels of genetic, color, and size differences. It has been suggested that northern and southern populations of B. stebbinsi, divided by the Tehachapi Valley, could be separate species. We obtained morphological measurements from images of preserved specimens from northern (N = 27) and southern (N = 10) populations. No significant differences in shape or size were detected between these two populations. In future work, we will explore local adaptation, increase sample sizes, and incorporate the evolution of color variation across the range of this species. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0rt993jd Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Yinghui https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0kv3f9pw In this research paper, I have applied the Marxian theory of conflict to the ongoing situation between a teachers union and its corresponding school district. My research uses a mix-method approach, which includes interviews, ethnographic observations, and content analysis. In this dispute, wages and class sizes are the main contentious issues. The teachers believe that smaller classes would greatly improve their working conditions and have concerns about inadequate responses and perceived incompetence, particularly with the superintendent. Despite this, both sides agree on the importance of constructive conversation to resolve this ongoing conflict. According to the orthodox Marxian theory, labor conflicts arise from divergent interests due to economic structural disposition. The teachers seek better treatment while the school district aims to maintain budgets and a professional image under the superintendent’s guidance. Considering these circumstances, I advocate for constructive... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0kv3f9pw Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Guo, Yuzhou https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0bh019dd Everyone will suffer from the effects of climate change and environmental degradation, but it is having the greatest impact on people and communities who are already socially and economically disadvantaged. Historical, political, and economic inequalities have created systemic injustices that have always been present, but are now rampaging society at an ever more menacing pace. In the face of climate change, these inequities are not only a detriment to society, but also a threat to human life, disproportionately assailing the most marginalized communities. The present study explores the environmental injustices that are actively forcing countless people and entire communities out of their homes. Through interviews with experts in the field, as well as people directly affected by the issue, this research aims to raise awareness of the problems and human rights abuses that are arising as a result of climate changes. In addition, it explores possible solutions to these problems threatening... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0bh019dd Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Difede, Emile https://escholarship.org/uc/item/02p2n9k2 The zine is curated for people who have experienced a world made unlivable for them. It stands strong for those who have faced trauma and felt shattered beyond repair. This is my message to you: Even though some parts of us are lost forever, we can still become someone even greater. We can still cultivate a life that is worth living, having a radically different outlook and appreciation for life. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/02p2n9k2 Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Phommasa, Ash