Recent uci_libs items

The American Civil War: Textbooks, Teaching, and Discrepancy in K-12 Historical Education

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The variation, politicization, and censorship in American K-12 historical education is most evident in textbook treatments of the American Civil War. This research investigates the development of the American Civil War and how it is taught in K-12 American schools, as well as the extent to which its education varies across time period and location. Previous research has demonstrated the average American adult’s perception of the Civil War’s development to be disparate. In this project, I utilize textual analysis of over a dozen textbooks, using Voyant Tools and critical analysis, to provide a clear depiction of each primary source’s bias and interpretation. I carefully review each reference to enslaved people, enslavers, Black people, and white people. Additionally, I analyze the textbook's explanations of the war’s main cause; the war’s timeline/development; why the Confederacy was defeated, and its features (terms, graphics, etc.). The main indicators of bias are “case studies,”...

Superstition, Hauntings, and the Armenian Genocide in Kurdish Collective Memory

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Superstition, Hauntings, and the Armenian Genocide in Kurdish Collective Memory

Built on Hope: The Feminist Star Wars Project

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Built on Hope: The Feminist Star Wars Project is an online database that takes the larger Star Wars transmedia franchise and uses a critical feminist film theory lens in its analysis and interpretation of the various canon and non-canon (including Star Wars Legends) mediums (books, comics, video games, films, animated TV shows, and live action TV shows) and their characters. This project combines film, feminist, and transmedia theories in its analysis of the franchise to determine if viewers can read this science fiction-fantasy franchise as feminist. The project contains a series of viewing guides, reading guides, and interactive guides to the franchise to help readers identify and use a feminist lens in their interpretations and interactions with the Star Wars transmedia universe. By critically analyzing Star Wars media, Built on Hope will meet a new fan and academic need for updated and inclusive scholarship in the realm of Disney’s Star Wars. The Star Wars franchise is at...

Construction of Soviet Cultural Identity Through Children’s Media

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This project examines how the Soviet Union shaped cultural identity through children’s animated media, using digital humanities tools to explore some of the values and messages woven in two well known Soviet cartoons. Although these films might appear simple on the surface, they played a crucial role in introducing children to ideas about community, responsibility, and social belonging. By translating and subtitling Cheburashka (1971) and There Once Lived a Dog (1982) myself directly from the original Russian, I was able to engage closely with the tone, humor, and cultural nuance that are often lost in some standard translations. The prototype for this project is an interactive ArcGIS StoryMap that brings together translated clips from each film, thematic analysis, historical context, and photographs. Ultimately, this project shows that Soviet children’s cartoons offer valuable insight into how the state imagined cultural identity and expected it to be passed on. As remnants of...

Urinara, Urimal: The Creation, Preservation, and Expression of Korean

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Language is influenced by culture, a development that is unique to humankind. It is specific to a group of people and changes with time. And with all of this, identity is formed, including but not limited to national, cultural, and ethnic. But this system simultaneously divides and oppresses groups, stripping them of their sense of identity to conform them into another. A close examination of the philosophies behind Hangul’s creation, preservation through Korea’s history of colonization, and the uses in the present day can explain the relationship between humanity and language. This research considers the sociocultural impacts of language, using the Korean language as an example and observing its evolution with respect to historical events and timelines. Why is language crucial to humans, other than the fact that it simply allows people to communicate? What significance, or worth, did Koreans find in Hangul that enabled this motivation to protect, and what does this say about...

Developing "Transnational Perspectives: Filipino American Political Art, 1972-1986" Digital Humanities Project

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

During the 1970s and 1980s, Filipino American activists were wrestling with martial law and human rights violations in the Philippines, as well as the history and continuation of racial discrimination in the United States. One of the ways in which activists responded to these challenges was through art-making, producing works that included paintings, plays, and poetry, among other mediums. The “Developing ‘Transnational Perspectives: Filipino American Political Art, 1972-1986’ Digital Humanities Project” poster outlines the purpose, format, and digital humanities tools used in my “Transnational Perspectives: Filipino American Political Art, 1972-1986” website prototype, which seeks to map, on a digital timeline, Filipino American political art alongside the historical events related to its production. In addition to discussing the content and tools used in the website creation process, the poster describes what an ideal version of the project could look like with more time and...

Making History in the City of Gold: The Yost Theater Project

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

While theaters primarily provide entertainment for their patrons, they doubly serve as a place of comfort. No place was this more true than the Yost Theater in Santa Ana, California. Amidst brutal segregation and racial violence, the theater did more than let Latino Americans sit in the front row, it played their films. This project aims to recover the history of the Yost and give voice to the community and family who transformed it.

Parable of the Sower: Mapping Fires, Fiction and Reality

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this project is to make Parable of the Sower accessible to an audience in a different medium, while also bring together the element of actual California fires. Using spatial storytelling with the Knight Labs StoryMaps tool, 20 fires from both archival California data and the novel were compiled; text and visual elements were included. Further analysis on Parable was conducted, synthesizing the discourse on the genres under which the novel falls under and underscoring the environmental themes found in the novel. While the StoryMap does not offer a significant comparison between actual fires and Parable, it fulfills its purpose as a spatial retelling of the novel. Traditional literary analysis reveals how Butler's environmental themes work as both the foreground and the backdrop to Lauren's journey, underscoring the relationship between humans and nature.

Legacies of the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill: A Catalyst for Environmental Consciousness

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fifty-five years ago, the Santa Barbara area experienced the largest oil spill in the United States at its time of occurrence. In the afternoon of January 28, 1969, offshore of the Santa Barbara, a blowout of Union Oil's Company Platform A caused the release of more than 4.5 million gallons of crude oil to seep into the ocean floor, resulting in crude foam to rest across 150 to 200 miles across the coast of Santa Barbara, washing up dead and dying bodies of seabirds, fish, and other marine life (LeMenager 21). In the days following the oil spill's aftermath onto the Santa Barbara Channel, the spill sparked public outrage from Santa Barbara residents and others across the nation. As residents of the Santa Barbara area and other Americans across the nation witnessed the violence of cheap energy, many trying to cope with the devastation transformed people into activists working to protect the environment. Media and print coverage of clean-up and rescue efforts of marine life in the...

Vision Through Films: Women’s Internalization of a Surveyor Male under Men’s Promise of Power

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

My research, Vision Through Films: Women’s Internalization of a Surveyor Male under Men’s Promise of Power, examines the internalization of the “surveyor male,” a concept stemming from the pervasive “male gaze” that influences women to evaluate themselves through a lens shaped by male expectations. The project blends psychoanalysis, film theory, and feminist theory to explore the complexities of women's representation in visual culture, particularly in the context of contemporary media. The research comprises three parts: psychoanalysis fundamentals, a Knightlab timeline, and a short video collection. The first section introduces Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema by offering a quote from the original essay, along with explanations of key terms and overall meanings. The timeline traces the evolution of male gaze, anti-male gaze, and female gaze, and psychoanalysis in film from the 1960s to the present, showcasing how social awareness has altered and subverted former gender hierarchies....

Tracing Egg Foo Young within Books and Articles on Chinese American Cuisine

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

TikTok has become a popular source for trend, news, and controversy, pushing out constant videos catering to a new age of digital information. From TikTok came the Chinese food debate, a war between American Chinese cuisine and British Chinese cuisine on which is “better”. Americans, disgusted by British Chinese cuisine’s excessive use of curry sauce and seemingly inauthentic Chinese dishes of prawn crackers and other fried staples, encouraged British diners to expand their palates beyond their seemingly bland and saucy dishes. Even large creators such as Soogia, a Korean American TikToker prominent in Asian American spaces, commented on the debate. Brits, on the other hand, defend their unique cuisine claiming that while it may not be “authentic”, its history born from Chinese diaspora in Britain makes it not as different from American Chinese cuisine as it may seem.

Life in the Fields: The Lives of Imperial Valley Farm Workers During the Emergence of the UFW. Told in the Perspective of the Silva Family

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This project tells the story of Imperial Valley farm workers working in the fields during the 1960s and 1970s during the emergence of the UFW. The Imperial Valley is a county of agrarian small cities near the border of Mexicali, whose biggest industry is agriculture. This research is told in the perspective of the Silva Family, a family of 17, that immigrated from Mexicali to the Imperial Valley in order to work in the fields in the mid-1960s. Research was conducted by interviewing 4 of my family members: Isabel Silva (100 years old), Javier Silva Jr. (82 years old), Gustavo Silva (66 years old) and Maria Silva (66 years old). They talk about their hardships of working in the fields, their activism in the UFW and the effects of the UFW on their community and lives. I would like to tell this story as it is one that often overlooks individual farm workers that were involved in the UFW and it allows my family's story to be heard.This activism is something that deserves to be heard...

Community-Centered Archives Practice: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations for Institutions

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Community-Centered Archives Practice: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations for Institutions

UAV Forge

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

UAV Forge is a multidisciplinary engineering design team focusing on designing, manufacturing, programming, and testing autonomous aerial vehicles at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The design aims to fulfill the constraints that allow the team to participate in the SUAS 2025 competition season. The SUAS competition is designed to spark interest in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), promote careers and technology in the field, and allow students to take on a challenging mission.

Socialism Vanquished, Socialism Challenged: Eastern Europe and China, 1989-2009

Wed, 1 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This book examines the 20-year aftermath of the 1989 assaults on established, state-sponsored socialism in the former Soviet bloc and in China. It brings together prominent experts on Eastern Europe and China to examine the respective trajectories of political, economic and social transformations that unfolded in these two areas, while also comparing the changes that ensued within the two regions. The volume features paired comparisons, with one chapter on the countries from the former Soviet bloc and one on China for each of the following themes: the reinstitutionalization of politics, the recasting of state-society relations, the reform of economic systems, changes in economic behavior, and transformations of social institutions. Even if they differ in their specific substantive focus and in their disciplinary grounding, the chapters share a concern with the fate of the state in postsocialism. They elaborate on topics such as the transformations of the old socialist state...

Defining Deutschtum: Political Ideology, German Identity, and Music-Critical Discourse in Liberal Vienna

Wed, 1 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This book presents a roadmap for an evolutionary psychology of the twenty-first century. It brings together theory from biology and cognitive science to show how the brain can be composed of specialized adaptations, and yet also be an organ of plasticity. Although mental adaptations have typically been seen as monolithic, hardwired components frozen in the evolutionary past, this book presents a new view of mental adaptations as diverse and variable, with distinct functions and evolutionary histories that shape how they develop, what information they use, and what they do with it. The book describes how advances in evolutionary developmental biology can be applied to the brain by focusing on the design of the developmental systems that build it. Crucially, developmental systems can be adaptively plastic, designed by the process of natural selection to build adaptive phenotypes using the rich information available in our social and physical environments. This approach bridges...

The Quantum Mechanics of Minds and Worlds

Wed, 1 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This book presents the most comprehensive study yet of a problem that has puzzled physicists and philosophers since the 1930s. The standard theory of quantum mechanics is in one sense the most successful physical theory ever, predicting the behaviour of the basic constituents of all physical things; no other theory has ever made such accurate empirical predictions. However, if one tries to understand the theory as providing a complete and accurate framework for the description of the behaviour of all physical interactions, it becomes evident that the theory is ambiguous, or even logically inconsistent. The most notable attempt to formulate the theory so as to deal with this problem, the quantum measurement problem, was initiated by Hugh Everett III in the 1950s. This book gives a careful and challenging examination and evaluation of the work of Everett and those who have followed him. The informal approach, minimizing technicality, makes the book accessible and illuminating...

The TARCiS statement: Guidance on terminology, application, and reporting of citation searching

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT Evidence syntheses adhering to systematic literature searching techniques are a cornerstone of evidence-based health care. Beyond term-based searching in electronic databases, citation searching is a prevalent search technique to identify relevant sources of evidence. However, for decades, citation searching methodology and terminology has not been standardized. We performed an evidence-guided four-round Delphi consensus study with 27 international methodological experts in order to develop the Terminology, Application, and Reporting of Citation Searching (TARCiS) statement. TARCiS comprises ten specific recommendations on when and how to conduct and report citation searching in the context of systematic literature searches and four research priorities. We encourage systematic reviewers and information specialists to incorporate TARCiS into their standardized workflows.

Postoperative Activity Restrictions After Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

(Abstracted from Urogynecology (Phila) 2025;31(3):266–275 Physical activity restrictions after reconstructive pelvic surgery are not standardized. Traditional recommendations for abstaining from physical exertion seem to be founded on the belief that limiting physical stress can positively influence anatomical and functional recovery, although there is little evidence this is true.

Postoperative Activity Restrictions After Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

IMPORTANCE: Restrictive physical activity after pelvic reconstructive surgery is recommended, although the optimal duration and intensity are not standardized. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the existing literature comparing clinical outcomes for liberal postoperative physical activity versus standard of care, defined as restricted postoperative physical activity, after pelvic reconstructive surgery. STUDY DESIGN: PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases were searched for observational and randomized studies comparing liberal postoperative physical activity and standard of care in women undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery, reporting anatomic and functional outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan software, presenting results as mean difference (MD) or odds ratio in a random-effects model, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Five randomized trials, representing total n = 434, were included,...

Accuracy and precision of minimally-invasive cardiac output monitoring in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Several minimally-invasive technologies are available for cardiac output (CO) measurement in children, but the accuracy and precision of these devices have not yet been evaluated in a systematic review and meta-analysis. We conducted a comprehensive search of the medical literature in PubMed, Cochrane Library of Clinical Trials, Scopus, and Web of Science from its inception to June 2014 assessing the accuracy and precision of all minimally-invasive CO monitoring systems used in children when compared with CO monitoring reference methods. Pooled mean bias, standard deviation, and mean percentage error of included studies were calculated using a random-effects model. The inter-study heterogeneity was also assessed using an I2 statistic. A total of 20 studies (624 patients) were included. The overall random-effects pooled bias, and mean percentage error were 0.13 ± 0.44 l min−1 and 29.1 %, respectively. Significant inter-study heterogeneity was detected...

The Third Annual Science Boot Camp West for Librarians

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Third Annual Science Boot Camp West for Librarians

Accuracy of Prospective Assessments of 4 Large Language Model Chatbot Responses to Patient Questions About Emergency Care: Experimental Comparative Study (Preprint)

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND

Recent surveys indicate that 48% of consumers actively use generative artificial intelligence (AI) for health-related inquiries. Despite widespread adoption and the potential to improve health care access, scant research examines the performance of AI chatbot responses regarding emergency care advice.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the quality of AI chatbot responses to common emergency care questions. We sought to determine qualitative differences in responses from 4 free-access AI chatbots, for 10 different serious and benign emergency conditions.

METHODS

We created 10 emergency care questions that we fed into the free-access versions of ChatGPT 3.5 (OpenAI), Google Bard, Bing AI Chat (Microsoft), and Claude AI (Anthropic) on November 26, 2023. Each response was graded by 5 board-certified emergency medicine (EM) faculty for 8 domains of percentage accuracy, presence of dangerous information, factual accuracy, clarity, completeness, understandability,...

Using EBM to Answer CAM Questions and How to Teach it: a Collaborative Multidisciplinary Approach Workshop

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Using EBM to Answer CAM Questions and How to Teach it: a Collaborative Multidisciplinary Approach Workshop

Clinical Presentation, Imaging Features, and Management of Morel-Lavallee Lesions: A Scoping Review.

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Morel-Lavallee lesions (MLLs) are rare closed soft tissue degloving injuries caused by shearing forces that separate skin and subcutaneous tissue from underlying fascia. These injuries may be underrecognized in polytrauma patients, increasing the risk of delayed diagnosis, infection, prolonged healing, and long-term morbidity. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of clinical presentation, imaging features, and evolving management for MLLs, with the goal of identifying gaps in the literature and guiding clinical decision making. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov between 1992 and 2025 for studies pertaining to adult patients with MLLs. Four independent reviewers screened full texts for inclusion. Data were extracted and summarized using narrative synthesis. Of 633 unique articles, 102 underwent full-text review, and 69 studies met inclusion/exclusion criteria. RESULTS: MLLs...

Accuracy of Continuous Noninvasive Hemoglobin Monitoring

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive hemoglobin (Hb) monitoring devices are available in the clinical setting, but their accuracy and precision against central laboratory Hb measurements have not been evaluated in a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of the literature (2005 to August 2013) with PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library, reviewed references of retrieved articles, and contacted manufactures to identify studies assessing the accuracy of noninvasive Hb monitoring against central laboratory Hb measurements. Two independent reviewers assessed the quality of studies using recommendations for reporting guidelines and quality criteria for method comparison studies. Pooled mean difference and standard deviation (SD) (95% limits of agreement) across studies were calculated using the random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I statistic. RESULTS: A total of 32 studies (4425 subjects, median sample size of 44, ranged...

Spinal palpatory diagnostic procedures utilized by practitioners of spinal manipulation: annotated bibliography of content validity and reliability studies

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The diagnosis of spinal neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction is a pre-requisite for application of spinal manual therapy. Different disciplines rely on palpatory procedures to establish this diagnosis and design treatment plans. Over the past 30 years, the osteopathic, chiropractic, physical therapy and allopathic professions have investigated the validity and reliability of spinal palpatory procedures. We explored the literature from all four disciplines looking for scientific papers studying the content validity and reliability of spinal palpatory procedures. Thirteen databases were searched for relevant papers between January 1966 and October 2001. An annotated bibliography of these articles is presented and organized by the type of test used.

Environmental Management and Cultural Geography Lightning Talks

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Scaling Up Drone-Based 3D Mapping for Campus Facility Management

This lightning talk continues our work on using drones to enhance campus facility management. Since last year’s presentation, the project has expanded from mapping a small neighborhood to developing a detailed 3D model of the entire UC San Diego La Jolla campus. Utilizing drone-based photogrammetry with Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning, we achieved high spatial accuracy across extensive areas. Ground Control Points (GCPs) collected with Bad Elf and FieldMaps ensured precision and consistency within a unified coordinate system. Drone imagery and GCP data were processed through ArcGIS SiteScan for geotagging and 3D mesh generation, with outputs integrated into the campus GIS database. The resulting 3D campus model supports virtual fieldwork, site analysis, and data-driven decision-making, offering new tools for planning, management, and research. The project remains under active development to further...

Indigenous Geographies