Digital Commons Network^™

Beasts Of Flight, Brian Wood

Master's Theses

Beasts of Flight is a set of thirteen short stories connected by themes of personal impotence and the dysfunction of sexual relationships.

Some stories are bizarre. The title piece, “Beasts of Flight,” explores systemic hatred and fear through the eyes of a talking parrot. In “I Should Exit My Home When the Costume Party Causes Paralysis of the Brain,” the host of a Halloween party is frozen by the mask of one of his guests. “The Joytime Killbox” details a city’s obsession with staring down the the barrel of a loaded gun. Crossing into sacrilege, “The Book of Smote,” is …

Distributions Of Ice Supersaturation And Ice Crystals From Airborne Observations In Relation To Upper Tropospheric Dynamical Boundaries, Minghui Diao, Jorgen Jensen, Laura Pan, Cameron Homeyer, Shawn Honomichl, James Bresch, Aaron Bansemer

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

Ice supersaturation (ISS) is the prerequisite condition for cirrus cloud formation. To examine multiscale dynamics' influences on ISS formation, we analyze in situ aircraft observations (~200 m scale) over North America in coordinates relative to dynamical boundaries in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Two case studies demonstrate that ISS formation is likely influenced by mesoscale uplifting, small-scale waves, and turbulence. A collective analysis of 15 flights in April–June 2008 shows that the top layers of ISS and ice crystal distributions are strongly associated with thermal tropopause height. In addition, the average occurrence frequencies of ISS and ice crystals on …

How Access To Plant & Animal Books Affects Participation In Conservation Activities, Dustin Ingram, Hassnaa Ingram

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Public libraries are an important resource for communities. Access to plant and animal books impacts a communities’ ability to learn about their environment. In this study, the number of plant and animal books available to people through local libraries in northern Kentucky, and neighboring counties in Ohio and Indiana were counted and a survey assessing one’s preferences and likeliness to participate in conservation activities was distributed to local residents. Based on the collected data, a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) was found between access to plant and animal books available at local libraries and the likelihood of people to participate in conservation activities. Further analysis was performed between the total number of shelved plant and animal books at local libraries, the total number of shelved juvenile plant and animal books and the shelved adult plant and animal books, and the total number of plant and animal books in libraries compared to the local household income and number of households near a library. This study found that people that read books about plants and animals were more likely to participate in conservation activities associated with their book preference. This study also found that people living in low-income communities with fewer households are less likely to participate in plant and animal conservation, as compared to higher-income communities with a higher number of households. Additionally, this study found that lower income areas have fewer plant and animal books on the library shelves than higher income areas. Consequently, study results suggest that if more plant and animal books were made available to low-income areas and areas of biological importance through libraries, people may be more likely to conserve the wildlife around them.

Using Neural Networks For Image Classification, Tim Kang

Master's Projects

This paper will focus on applying neural network machine learning methods to images for the purpose of automatic detection and classification. The main advantage of using neural network methods in this project is its adeptness at fitting non­linear data and its ability to work as an unsupervised algorithm. The algorithms will be run on common, publically available datasets, namely the MNIST and CIFAR­10, so that our results will be easily reproducible.

Spartan Daily, May 13, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 42

Spartan Daily, May 12, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 41

Spartan Daily, May 7, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 40

Spartan Daily, May 6, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 39

Reducing Waste With Reusable Bag Ordinances And Plastic Bag Bans In The Bay Area: An Impact Analysis, Michael Thomas

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Criminal Profilers In The Prosecution Of Serial Killers, Chelsea Van Aken

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of criminal profiling in terms of serial killers in the United States. The research provided in this paper was found using the most recent research available on the topic. The FBI’s Behavioral Unit, or National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), is the current leading law enforcement agency that investigates these types of crimes. They utilize definitions, typographies, and motives to create a criminal profile to investigate serial killings. Ultimately, these profiles are inadequate because they are inconclusive and exclude multiple suspects that are potentially dangerous. Therefore, criminal …

Access Magazine, May 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Access Magazine

No abstract provided.

The "Csi Effect" And Its Potential Impact On Juror Decisions, John Alldredge

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The “CSI Effect” was first described in the media as a phenomenon resulting from viewing forensic and crime based television shows. This effect influences jurors to have unrealistic expectations of forensic science during a criminal trial and affect jurors’ decisions in the conviction or acquittal process. Research has shown the “CSI Effect” has a possible pro-defense bias, in that jurors are less likely to convict without the presence of some sort of forensic evidence. Some studies show actors in the criminal justice system are changing their tactics, as if this effect has a significant influence, causing them to request unnecessary …

Swings For Dreams: Public Perceptions Of The Nonprofit Sector And Effects On Donating Behavior, Kelsey L. Fisher

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Heath Care Providers’ Perceptions Of The Reproductive Challenges And Experiences Among Asian Indian Women Living In Silicon Valley, Olga Alexandra Libova

Doctoral Projects

Objective: To identify common reproductive challenges among Asian Indian (AI) women living in Silicon Valley as perceived by healthcare providers (HCP). Design: A 71-item investigator-developed survey Setting: The survey was available on-line to all HCPs in California Santa Clara county, 75% of respondents were affiliated with El Camino Hospital Mountain View. Participants: Convenience sample of 78 respondents: 34% mother-baby nurses, 24% labor-delivery nurses, 21% OB/GYNs, 7% CNMs, 14% other HCP; 89% female; 55% Caucasian, 24% Asian. Methods: Likert-type scales comparing prevalence of certain reproductive challenges among AI women and women from other race-ethnic groups and openended questions regarding HCPs’ experience …

Frontal Lobe And Psychopathy, Shawna Germain

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This research paper presents an analysis of the functions of the frontal lobe and how damage to the frontal lobe correlates to psychopathy. Initially, it will look at how damage to the frontal lobe obstructs frontal lobe functions. The decrease in executive function, due to a reduction of blood flow to the frontal lobe following a subarachnoid hemorrhage, is explored. The correlation between cortical thickness and impulsiveness in adolescence is examined. Subsequently, the issue is then examined through the observation of groups with psychopathy and how the diagnosis relates to their frontal lobes. One study compares individuals with psychopathy to …

Spartan Daily, April 29, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 36

Spartan Daily, April 28, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 35

Spartan Daily, April 22, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 33

Spartan Daily, April 16, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 31

Spartan Daily, April 15, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 30

Spartan Daily, April 9, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 28

Spartan Daily, April 8, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 27

Spartan Daily, April 7, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 26

Isotopic Incorporation Rates And Discrimination Factors In Mantis Shrimp Crustaceans., Maya Devries, Carlos Del Rio, Tate Tunstall, Todd Dawson

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Stable isotope analysis has provided insights into the trophic ecology of a wide diversity of animals. Knowledge about isotopic incorporation rates and isotopic discrimination between the consumer and its diet for different tissue types is essential for interpreting stable isotope data, but these parameters remain understudied in many animal taxa and particularly in aquatic invertebrates. We performed a 292-day diet shift experiment on 92 individuals of the predatory mantis shrimp, Neogonodactylus bredini, to quantify carbon and nitrogen incorporation rates and isotope discrimination factors in muscle and hemolymph tissues. Average isotopic discrimination factors between mantis shrimp muscle and the new diet …

Glowing Seashells: Diversity Of Fossilized Coloration Patterns On Coral Reef-Associated Cone Snail (Gastropoda: Conidae) Shells From The Neogene Of The Dominican Republic, Jonathan R. Hendricks

Faculty Publications

The biology of modern Conidae (cone snails)—which includes the hyperdiverse genus Conus—has been intensively studied, but the fossil record of the clade remains poorly understood, particularly within an evolutionary framework. Here, ultraviolet light is used to reveal and characterize the original shell coloration patterns of 28 species of cone snails from three Neogene coral reef-associated deposits from the Cibao Valley, northern Dominican Republic. These fossils come from the upper Miocene Cercado Fm. and lower Pliocene Gurabo Fm., and range in age from about 6.6-4.8 Ma. Comparison of the revealed coloration patterns with those of extant species allow the taxa to …

Expressions, Spring 2015, San Jose State University, College Of The Humanities And The Arts

Expressions (College of Humanities and the Arts)

College of Humanities and the Arts Newsletter, Volume 6

Theft And Vandalism Of Books, Manuscripts, And Related Materials In Public And Academic Libraries, Archives, And Special Collections, Silke P. Higgins

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

While book theft and vandalism in public and academic libraries, as well as archives and special collections, are not considered a modern problem, they have, in recent years, become a matter of increasing concern to these institutions. Easy access to materials housed in multi-story libraries difficult to effectively supervise; the online presence of archives and special collections detailing the contents of their collections to attract researchers and visitors; and a seemingly growing number of persons willing to express their personal convictions and beliefs by removing or destroying items from public and private collections, are among the primary reasons for the …

Access Magazine, April 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Access Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Materials-Centred Approach To Public Library Collection Development: A Defense., Matthew Kelly

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

How selection of materials, understood as subject knowledge, should occur for non-fiction collections in public libraries has been polarized along an axis of user demand and intellectual rigor for many decades. Attempts to synthesize these various approaches have, largely, failed to do justice to either tendency. This paper is formulated as an encomium to the materials-centered approach and looks to uncover what is lost when librarians choose to focus in extremis, on the role of the user in the building of subject knowledge for a comprehensive civil society-oriented collection.

Pieced Together With Love And The Dublin Core, Sarah L. Feldhaus

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of using Dublin Core to create records describing three-dimensional objects especially quilts - containing 20 original Dublin Core records created from a personal collection of quilts made by Julie Feldhaus, Howard, South Dakota. It also questions if there is any benefit when creating records for such objects.