Digital Commons Network^™

An Assessment Of The Viva Callesj Event In San Jose, Richard Kos, Adam Cohen

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report evaluates the Viva CalleSJ event held in San Jose, California, on September 8, 2024. As a celebrated open-streets initiative, Viva CalleSJ temporarily transformed six miles of city streets into car-free zones to encourage active transportation, foster community engagement, and support local businesses. This assessment employed a mixed-methods approach, including participant surveys, interviews with stakeholders, and observational analysis. Key findings highlighted the event’s success in attracting a diverse audience, promoting physical activity, and driving economic benefits. Over 50% of attendees arrived by bicycle, and 77.7% planned to spend money at the event, averaging $54.23 per participant. Community-building impacts were …

Zero-Emission Buses In The Us: Understanding And Addressing Market And Policy Challenges, Leah Foecke, Zachary Karson, Thomas Tiberghien

Mineta Transportation Institute

As the US public transportation sector accelerates its shift from fossil fuels to zero-emission alternatives, transit agencies and transit bus manufacturers alike face significant uncertainty and instability. This report provides policymakers with updated insights into the US transit bus market, focusing on key industry dynamics, financial challenges with zero-emission bus (ZEB) acquisition, technological obstacles in deployment, and regulatory issues. The research relies on interviews with stakeholders, a detailed review of existing literature, and an analysis of US public transit data. Key findings reveal ongoing challenges related to costs, supply, reliability, and workforce development, all of which hinder the adoption of …

Beyond Boundaries: Governance Considerations For Climate-Driven Habitat Shifts Of Highly Migratory Marine Species Across Jurisdictions, Bianca S. Santos, Elliott L. Hazen, Heather Welch, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Barbara A. Block, Daniel P. Costa, Scott A. Shaffer, Larry B. Crowder

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The mobile nature of migratory marine animals across jurisdictional boundaries can challenge the management of biodiversity, particularly under global environmental change. While projections of climate-driven habitat change can reveal whether marine species are predicted to gain or lose habitat in the future, geopolitical boundaries and differing governance regimes may influence animals’ abilities to thrive in new areas. Broad geographic movements and diverse governance approaches elicit the need for strong international collaboration to holistically manage and conserve these shared migratory species. In this study, we use data from the Tagging of Pacific Predators program to demonstrate the feasibility of using climate-driven …

The Average Number Of Goldbach Representations And Zero-Free Regions Of The Riemann Zeta Function, Keith Billington, Maddie Cheng, Jordan Schettler, Ade Irma Suriajaya

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In this paper, we prove an unconditional form of Fujii's formula for the average number of Goldbach representations and show that the error in this formula is determined by a general zero-free region of the Riemann zeta function, and vice versa. In particular, we describe the error in the unconditional formula in terms of the remainder in the Prime Number Theorem which connects the error to zero-free regions of the Riemann zeta function.

Spartan Daily, November 21, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 38

Spartan Daily, November 20, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 37

Spartan Daily, November 14, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 35

Active Tectonics, Erosion Rates, And Topographic Metrics In The Hayword-Calaveras Fault Zone, Simone I. Yeager

Master's Theses

In northern California, the complex geometry of the San Andreas Fault system, and how it steps and propagates across the Earth’s surface, is revealed in the topography. Activity along the Mission and Arroyo Aguague oblique reverse faults, located where the right-lateral Hayward Fault steps to the left of the Calaveras Fault, are manifested in the Diablo Mountain Range. The high topography in the restraining step can be observed in lidar imagery and seismicity studies show these faults are connected at depth. In this study, we investigate active tectonics, erosion rates, and topographic metrics from the southern end of the restraining …

Exploring Community Adaptation To Public Safety Power Shutoff Events: Findings From Two Case Studies Of Unincorporated Mountain Communities In Southern California, Ramiro M. Brown

Master's Theses

As aging electrical infrastructure in the US continues to succumb to unyielding weather patterns brought on by climate change, there is an urgency among Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) to reduce the likelihood of their equipment sparking a wildfire. Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) – the intentional de-energization of the electrical grid on high fire weather danger days – have become a staple in IOU Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs) since 2018 as one way to avoid wildfire ignitions via electrical infrastructure. One criticism of PSPS events is that they create their own hazard by cutting off power to thousands – sometimes millions-of …

Relationship Between Depression, Rumination, And Emotionally Valenced Working Memory Performance, Dewey Tran

Master's Theses

Working memory is limited in capacity and easily disrupted such that mood states and competing cognitive processes can impair performance. Rumination is highly associated with depression that may contribute to impaired working memory but has not often been studied. The goal of this study was to elucidate the relationship between depression severity, ruminative state, and working memory performance. Participants completed a baseline assessment of depression severity, rumination (trait and state), and working memory then randomly assigned to a rumination or control groups, followed by a second assessment. I hypothesized working memory would be explained by an interaction between depression severity …

The Effects Of Stress On Attentional Networks, Alice Tsvinev

Master's Theses

The human brain has developed mechanisms to aid our survival, including attentional networks and stress response. Attentional shifts allow humans to react accordingly to their environment, following innate processes like fight or flight. Prolonged exposure to acute stress interferes with such cognitive processes as attention and working memory, impacting attentional systems. The present study examined the effects of acute stress on visual attention processes, specifically focusing on the orienting, alerting, and executive attention networks. 49 participants were randomly placed in either a stress or non-stress condition, then asked to reflect on either stressful or positive moments in their lives, respectively. …

A Novel Reinforcement Learning Method For Efficient Cross-Training Between Real And Simulated Robots, Zhonglin Liang

Master's Theses

Training reinforcement learning policy in a simulated environment can be a go-to choice for many research topics, as a simulated environment provides flexibility and costs less than building a physical environment for training. However, policy trained in a simulated environment often fails to transfer to the real environment for problems that have a more complex dynamics. As the solution, Sim2Real was proposed and it categorizes techniques that improve the performance of the transfer from simulation to reality. Sim2Real is an area of study that focuses on utilizing simulation data to train models that can apply to real world environment. It …

Swim Bladder Morphology Influences The Responses Of Nearshore Rockfishes To Barotrauma, Molly K. Alvino

Master's Theses

Rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) are ecologically and economically important fishes in the continental shelf and slope regions of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. All species within the Sebastes genus have a buoyancy organ, the swim bladder, which is sensitive to rapid changes in pressure that occur when fish are caught and brought up to the surface. Although all rockfishes have swim bladders, pressure-related injuries (barotrauma) affect rockfish species differently. I determined whether swim bladder morphology can explain differences in barotrauma among semi-pelagic (Blue and Olive rockfish) and benthic (Gopher and Vermilion rockfish) species that occupy different habitat zones. Seven different swim bladder …

Creatine And Depression In Rodents: A Meta-Analysis, Ruchika S. Tirupachur

Master's Theses

Traditional treatments for major depression are based on the monoamine deficiency hypothesis, and they fail to achieve remission in a substantial portion of patients. Newer evidence suggests the pathophysiology of depression is a more complex story, highlighting a need for research in alternative therapies. Mounting evidence shows a linkage between depression and the supplement creatine monohydrate (CRMH). Research in rodent models suggests that CRMH may both alleviate depressive symptoms and enhance the efficacy of standard antidepressants like SSRIs. The following study describes findings from a combined fixed- and random-effects meta-analysis based on four empirical studies investigating the effect of CRMH …

Spartan Daily, November 13, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 34

Racial Bias In Risk Allocation And Resource Utilisation: A Contributing Factor To Ethnic Minority Overrepresentation In Missing Person Investigations?, Amy Van Langeraad, Fiona Gabbert, Adrian J. Scott

International Journal of Missing Persons

Statistics from the National Crime Agency reveal that people from ethnic minority backgrounds are over-represented within the missing population in the United Kingdom, and previous archival studies have shown there is a discrepancy in the recovery of ethnic minority missing persons compared to White missing persons. A wider body of research shows that racial bias is prevalent in the criminal justice system and law enforcement, resulting in different outcomes for victims depending on their racial background. Such outcomes have yet to be examined in the context of missing persons. Therefore, this study tries to address this gap in the literature …

Gait Measurement Descriptions Of Human Tracks, Robert Speiden

International Journal of Missing Persons

Search and rescue missions use a variety of tools to find missing persons, one of which can be visual tracking. Trackers detect, interpret and document information about human contact with the ground. Humans typically move on two feet at various speeds. Movement as an obligate biped leaves a series of footprints that alternates from one side to the other. This pattern of footfalls is rather simple, and the footfalls can be easily divided into descriptive dimensions.

This work summarized published measurements of bipedal gait ground contact points in 70 resources. Four resource types were surveyed including 33 biomechanical gait analysis …

Spartan Daily, November 7, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 33

Spartan Daily, November 6, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 32

Adversarial Attacks And Defenses In Multivariate Time-Series Forecasting For Smart And Connected Infrastructures, Pooja Krishan, Rohan Mohapatra, Sanchari Das, Saptarshi Sengupta

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The emergence of deep learning models has revolutionized various industries over the last decade, leading to a surge in connected devices and infrastructures. However, these models can be tricked into making incorrect predictions with high confidence, leading to disastrous failures and security concerns. To this end, we explore the impact of adversarial attacks on multivariate time-series forecasting and investigate methods to counter them. Specifically, we employ untargeted white-box attacks, namely the Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM) and the Basic Iterative Method (BIM), to poison the inputs to the training process, effectively misleading the model. We also illustrate the subtle modifications …

Estimating Models For Engineering Costs On The State Highway Operation And Protection Program (Shopp) Portfolio Of Projects, Elhami Nasr, Tariq Shehab, Nigel Blampied, Vinit Kanani

Mineta Transportation Institute

The State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) is crucial for maintaining California’s 15,000-mile state highway system, which includes projects like pavement rehabilitation, bridge repair, safety enhancements, and traffic management systems. Administered by Caltrans, SHOPP aims to preserve highway efficiency and safety, supporting economic growth and public safety. This research aimed to develop robust cost-estimating models to improve budgeting and financial planning, aiding Caltrans, the California Transportation Commission (CTC), and the Legislature. The research team collected and refined comprehensive data from Caltrans project expenditures from 1983 to 2021, ensuring a high-quality dataset. Subject matter experts validated the data, enhancing its …

Using Virtual Learning Labs To (Re)Mediate Exclusionary Discipline Practices For Young Children Of Color With Disabilities, Saili Kulkarni, Sunyoung Kim, Nicola Holdman

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Disabled children of color (ages 3-8) face multiple, intersecting oppressions in schools and are more likely to be excluded and/or harshly punished for minor behavioral issues compared to white and/or non-disabled peers. Approaches that center multiple stakeholders (families, teachers, and administrators) using a formative intervention called a Learning Lab (LL) have worked to reduce discipline disparities among secondary and upper primary students of color with disabilities (Bal, 2016). Knowing that discipline disparities can start as early as preschool (Kulkarni et al., 2021), however, we examined how LL (re)mediates exclusionary and harsh discipline practices for young children of color with disabilities. …

Genie: Enhancing Information Management In The Restaurant Industry Through Ai-Powered Chatbot, Megha Gupta, Venkatasai Dheekonda, Mohammad Masum

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In the dynamic restaurant industry, we introduce "Genie," an AI-powered chatbot, represents an advancement in customer service efficiency through technological innovation. Designed to enhance restaurant operations including order processing, reservations, and FAQs management, Genie leverages advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. By converting input queries into word embeddings and applying a sophisticated tag classification system, Genie precisely interprets customer intents and generates accurate responses, thereby markedly improving the dining experience. Our thorough examination of various word embeddings and classifiers—Word2Vec, Glove, BERT, Gaussian Naive Bayes, XGB, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and Recurrent Neural Networks—revealed that the combination of Word2Vec and ANN …

Quantitative Label-Free Digital Holographic Imaging Of Cardiomyocyte Optical Volume, Nucleation, And Cell Division, Herman Huang, Sangsoon Park, Ines Ross, Joseph Moreno, Sheamin Khyeam, Jacquelyn Simmons, Guo N. Huang, Alexander Y. Payumo

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Cardiac regeneration in newborn rodents depends on the ability of pre-existing cardiomyocytes to proliferate and divide. This capacity is lost within the first week of postnatal development when these cells rapidly switch from hyperplasia to hypertrophy, withdraw from the cell cycle, become binucleated, and increase in size. How these dynamic changes in cell size and nucleation impact cardiomyocyte proliferative potential is not well understood. In this study, we innovate the application of a commercially available digital holographic imaging microscope, the Holomonitor M4, to evaluate the proliferative responses of mononucleated and binucleated cardiomyocytes after CHIR99021 treatment, a model proliferative stimulus. This …

Spartan Daily, October 31, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 30

Spartan Daily, October 30, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 29

Spartan Daily, October 29, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 28

Spartan Daily, October 24, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 27

Spartan Daily, October 23, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 26

Spartan Daily, October 22, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 25