Digital Commons Network^™

Sport And Environmental Issues: Ncaa Division I Student-Athletes’ Personal Experiences, Ivanna M. Anderson-Villela

Master's Theses

While sport ecology is a growing category in sport management literature, there is a lack of research exploring athletes’ experiences regarding environmental issues, and the impacts environmental issues have on student-athletes. The present study qualitatively explored the personal lived experiences of eight NCAA Division I student-athletes regarding environmental issues with the aim of identifying potential influences on values and beliefs through social norms and understanding the student-athlete perspective. Thematic analysis identified 152 raw data themes and 19 higher order themes, which were organized into four central themes: awareness, care and concern from athletic departments, implications, and advocacy. Generally, student-athletes perceived …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of Speech Sound Disorder Treatment Apps For Children, Rachel G. Barnett

Master's Theses

This research examined 20 speech sound disorder (SSD) treatment apps’ features and costs as related to the feature matching process within speech-language therapy. Methods included the development of a 67-item SSD checklist and sorted into 9 categories, including linguistic levels, speech models, software customization, cost, game types, image types, technical elements, feedback types, and engagement and manipulation. Two independent reviewers applied the checklist to randomly selected contemporary apps available on both iPhones and iPads. App cost was capped at $25. Results indicated that app cost was not a good predictor of feature quantity and contemporary apps had some relevant feature …

"We'll Handle Our Business": How Immigrant Perceptions Of Police And Police Legitmacy Influence Legal Cynicism And The Mobilization Of Law, Patricia Espiritu Advincula

Master's Theses

Using a qualitative, exploratory approach, semi-structured interviews with first-generation and second-generation immigrants residing in San José, CA who were victimized by a crime were conducted to explore immigrant perspectives of the criminal justice system and the law. The guiding research questions of this study are: (1) what influences immigrants to report crimes and what are the barriers to crime reporting? and (2) what are immigrant perceptions/attitudes of local law enforcement? A total of 39 semi-structured interviews were thematically coded to understand immigrant experiences with police officers and how these perceptions of local law enforcement influence the mobilization of law and …

Remote Sensing With Airborne Infrared Thermography For Assessment Of Landscape Scale Wildfire Spread And Intensity, Christopher C. Giesige

Master's Theses

Wildland fire is one of the most complex environmental physical processes to quantify. The way in which we observe and measure wildland fire is critical in understanding how these processes drive fire dynamics. Fire behavior can be observed in several ways including the use of ground sensors and remote sensing packages aboard aircraft and satellites. Airborne sensors provide high spatial resolution and can provide high temporal resolution. Infrared thermography takes advantage of radiant heat transfer allowing for the study of fire characteristics such as fire spread and intensity. Aircraft observations utilizing infrared cameras have been a well-established method of fire …

Language Dominance And Connected Speech In Multilingual Spanish-English Adults, Alyson Jimenez

Master's Theses

With a growing prevalence of multilingual, Spanish-English speakers in the United States, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face limited research to learn about how to evaluate the language skills of this population. Exploring evaluation tools, more specifically, connected speech samples, and their effectiveness in assessing the dynamic nature of multilingualism with adults who speak Spanish and English can assist SLPs in making informed recommendations. This study aimed to investigate relations between language dominance and connected speech with cognitive-healthy multilingual Spanish-English adults. Language dominance was further examined by two perspectives that an SLP may utilize in their evaluation: evaluated and perceived. Correlations between …

Online Trolling, Harassment, Misinformation: The Psychological Predictors Of Dark Participation, Randy Kim

Master's Theses

This study aims to examine the reasons why certain individuals engage in “dark participation”, antisocial social participation online involving behavior such as trolling, hate speech, harassment, and spreading disinformation. Online toxicity has increasingly destabilized our ability to engage in socially important discourse online, and trolling has such a strong effect on our environment to the point where the 2016 presidential election was, in part, influenced by online trolls. We theorize that dark participation (DP) will be predicted by high levels of moral disengagement (MD), need for chaos (NFC), and meaninglessness in life (MLN) and self concept clarity (SCC). A series …

Deep-Learning Approaches To Predict Remaining Useful Life Of Hard Disks, Rohan Mohapatra

Master's Theses

On a daily basis, data centers process huge volumes of data using inexpensive hard disks. Data stored in these disks serve a range of critical functional needs from financial, and healthcare to aerospace. As such, premature disk failure and consequent loss of data can be catastrophic. To mitigate the risk of failures, cloud storage providers perform condition-based monitoring and replace hard disks before they fail. By estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of hard disk drives, one can predict the time-to-failure of a particular device and replace it at the right time, ensuring maximum utilization whilst reducing operational costs. We …

Reinforcement Learning Based Planning And Control For Robotic Source Seeking Inspired By Fruit Flies, Gauravkumar Koradiya

Master's Theses

In the exploration of mobile sensing agents such as robots equipped with sensors, these agents have the potential to measure unknown scalar fields, ranging from chemical concentrations to temperature fluctuations. One of the primary interests is the robots’ ability to gravitate towards the peaks or troughs of these fields, a phenomenon termed as “source seeking”. This behavior is invaluable in practical scenarios, like detecting chemical leaks or locating survivors after catastrophes. However, the challenge becomes significantly more pronounced when operating in turbulent flow fields, where the erratic nature of odorant plumes makes predictions and simulations highly unreliable. Interestingly, fruit flies …

Extraction, Preparation, And Characterization Of Alginate Biopolymer Films From Natural Seaweed, David Ly

Master's Theses

This study evaluates the use of naturally harvested seaweed from the Monterey Bay to produce a biodegradable film for food packaging applications. Two different film-forming methods were evaluated: solution casting and compression molding. The solution casting method using an alginate biopolymer produced the most consistent results. The seaweed biopolymer was extracted from the seaweed biomass using a modified method, resulting in a yield of 11-25 %. The highest yield was observed when using the lowest biomass concentration of 10 wt. %. The extracted alginate was then cast into films at different levels of glycerol plasticization (15-35 wt.%). The addition of …

Confronting The Myths Of “Classical” Keyboard Improvisation: A Historical Evaluation, Examination, And Re-Incorporation Of Improvisation In Contemporary Piano Education And Performance, Kiefer Taylor

Master's Theses

Improvisation has been a highly valued skill in all periods of Western keyboard music. Many composers were also famous as keyboard improvisers and demonstrate the importance of improvisation as a tradition in “classical” keyboard performance. Strangely, today’s pianists, who perform the canonical eighteenth- and nineteenth-century works of these composers, no longer practice or incorporate improvisation into performance and instead play “only from the score.” Improvisation has also disappeared from the modern education of “classical” piano performers. Since improvisation was central to the performance practice of past keyboard repertoire, why does modern piano education not teach improvisation as a standard part …

A Simulation Framework To Understand The Error Generation And Propagation Of Quantum Algorithms, Anika Zaman

Master's Theses

In this work, we present a Python framework designed to demonstrate various error types within quantum circuits through the utilization of probabilistic data obtained from quantum computers. The framework serves as a valuable tool for monitoring and mitigating errors across all stages of quantum circuits involving multiple qubits and gates. Leveraging the Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL) quantum circuit, we conduct an analysis of errors on an IBM quantum computer and subsequently optimize the circuit. The paper introduces an automated methodology for computing single bit-flip errors and propagation errors, and gate errors offering insights into opportunities for mitigating errors in the context of …

Con Respeto Y Dignidad: Transforming Educational Experiences For Students Of Color By Addressing Disproportionate Discipline Practices, Selene Munoz

Dissertations

Discipline practices wield significant influence over the social dynamics within educational settings and profoundly impact students’ ability to attain academic and social gains crucial for their success. The racialization of school discipline has been linked to negative effects on student’s academic trajectories and life outcomes. Consequently, school administrators can play a crucial role in effecting cultural change within their organizations to support disciplinary practices that uphold students’ educational dignity. This study looked at the strategies employed by secondary level administrators to shift their school cultures aimed at addressing disproportionate disciplinary practices. Using a mixed methods approach, this study draws upon …

An Exploration Of Dimensionality Reduction Of Dynamics On Lie Groups Via Structure-Aware Canonical Correlation Analysis, Wooyoung Chung

Master's Theses

Incorporating prior knowledge into a data-driven modeling problem can drastically improve performance, reliability, and generalization outside of the training sample. The stronger the structural properties, the more effective these improvements become. Manifolds are a powerful nonlinear generalization of Euclidean space for modeling finite dimensions. When additionally assuming that the manifold carries (Lie) group structure, this imposes a drastically stricter global constraint. The range of their applications is very wide and includes the important case of robotic tasks. We apply this idea to Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). In traditional CCA one constructs a hierarchical sequence of maximal correlations of up to …

Comparing Shade And Impervious Surface Area With Extreme Heat And Environmental Equity: An Analysis Of The Urban Heat Island Effect In Santa Clara County, California, Jamsheed R. Mistry

Master's Theses

In the modern epoch of the Anthropocene, the rapid rise in urban sprawling has prompted a disproportionate exposure to extreme heat within underserved communities. As the global populace becomes increasingly urbanized, the inevitable formation of urban heat islands is becoming an imminent cause of concern for environmental and social justice. Due to an increase in urbanization, anthropogenic activities have not only increased the energy demand for cooling initiatives but also have increased the intensity of heat-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, dehydration, and respiratory diseases. Additionally, urbanization has yielded an unequal distribution of heat exposure and heat-related illnesses, particularly in …

Domain Specific Aspect Extraction For Product Design, Divyam Sobti

Master's Theses

As technology advances, computers become increasingly proficient at interpreting and translating human language into machine-understandable text. With the help of algorithms in natural language processing (NLP), machines can now translate textual data. These algorithms help identify and extract specific text components known as aspects. The aspects represent specific attributes or topics within textual data. For instance, an Amazon review states,“ This phone has good battery life but poor camera quality,” and attributes like ‘battery life’ and ‘camera quality’ represent aspects in the text. Aspect extraction is a pivotal process involving identifying and isolating key features or topics within text. This …

Furman, Burford J., San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

Stanford University, Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. 1991

University of California, Davis ‐ Mechanical Engineering, M.S. 1982

University of California, Davis ‐ Mechanical Engineering, B.S. 1980

Automated Fuel Vending Machine, Kush Desai

Student RSCA

This paper introduced an Automated Fuel Vending Machine system meticulously designed to address fuel dispensing challenges in developing countries. Traditional vending machines entail significant yearly installation costs and substantially burden economies with limited resources. This system emerged as a practical solution to alleviate long queues at petrol pumps, particularly in densely populated regions such as India. The system reduced labor costs and simplified fuel dispensing by eliminating the need for a salesperson. The design focused on creating a cost-effective and easily installable solution, meeting the modern demand for efficient and rapid service. The automated system proved a feasible alternative, offering …

Assessing Gtfs Accuracy, Gregory L. Newmark

Mineta Transportation Institute

The promised benefits of the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) Schedule and Realtime standards are dependent on the underlying quality of the data. Despite this fundamental reliance, there has been relatively little research on techniques and strategies to assess GTFS accuracy. The need for such assessment is growing as federal and state governments increasingly require transit agencies to make these data available to the public. This research fills this gap by presenting a suite of methods and metrics to assess the temporal accuracy of GTFS Realtime and the spatial accuracy of GTFS Schedule feeds. The temporal assessment demonstrates an approach …

Digitization Of Photo Archives As An Effort To Preserve Information At The Library And Archives Service Of Bantul, Yogyakarta - Indonesia, Yeni Rahmawati, Dwi Ridho Aulianto

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Photo archives are valuable sources of information with historical and cultural significance and, therefore, need to be preserved. However, the fragile and vulnerable physical condition of photo archives and the limited adequate storage facilities pose particular challenges for regional archival institutions like the Library and Archives Service of Bantul Regency (DISPUSIP Bantul). To address this issue, DISPUSIP Bantul has undertaken efforts to digitize photo archives to preserve the information they contain. This research aims to understand the process of digitizing photo archives undertaken by DISPUSIP Bantul. The research method used is descriptive qualitative, with data collection techniques through interviews and …

Ai And Lifelong Learning: Examining Ai’S Role In Lifelong Learning And Professional Development., Victor Omeiza Jatto, Oluwadamisola Modupe Olayemi, Morakinyo Sunday Fakunle

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed educational paradigms and professional development, altering how knowledge is acquired, refined, and applied throughout an individual's life. This paper explores the pivotal role(s) of AI in facilitating lifelong learning—a continuous, voluntary pursuit of knowledge driven by individual and professional motivations. AI's capability to personalize learning experiences, provide real-time feedback, and predict future learning needs is fundamental to this transformation. Key applications of AI in education include intelligent coaching systems, adaptive learning platforms, and AI-powered tools such as virtual tutors and chatbots. These technologies have confirmed significant potential in enhancing learning outcomes, reducing …

Comparison Of Transport Models In Dense Plasmas, Zachary A. Johnson, Luciano G. Silvestri, George M. Petrov, Liam G. Stanton, Michael S. Murillo

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

We compare a variety of models used for the calculation of transport coefficients in dense plasmas, including average-atom models, models based on kinetic theory, structure matching effective potentials, and pair-potential molecular dynamics. In particular, we focus on the parameter space investigated in the second charged-particle transport coefficient code comparison workshop [Stanek et al., Phys. Plasmas 31, 052104 (2024)]. Each model is based on the self-consistent output of our average-atom calculations. Ionic transport properties are generated from implicit electron pair matched molecular dynamics simulations, bypassing the need for either dynamical electron simulations or on-the-fly electronic structure calculations. These matched pair potentials …

Evolutionary Genomic Analyses Of Canine E. Coli Infections Identify A Relic Capsular Locus Associated With Resistance To Multiple Classes Of Antimicrobials, Kristina Ceres, Jordan D. Zehr, Chloe Murrell, Jean K. Millet, Qi Sun, Holly C. Mcqueary, Alanna Horton, Casey Cazer, Kelly Sams, Guillaume Reboul, William B. Andreopoulos, Patrick K. Mitchell, Renee Anderson, Rebecca Franklin-Guild, Brittany D. Cronk, Bryce J. Stanhope, Claire R. Burbick, Rebecca Wolking, Laura Peak

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli are the leading cause of death attributed to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide, and the known AMR mechanisms involve a range of functional proteins. Here, we employed a pangenome wide association study (GWAS) approach on over 1,000 E. coli isolates from sick dogs collected across the US and Canada and identified a strong statistical association (empirical P < 0.01) of AMR, involving a range of antibiotics to a group 1 capsular (CPS) gene cluster. This cluster included genes under relaxed selection pressure, had several loci missing, and had pseudogenes for other key loci. Furthermore, this cluster is widespread in E. coli and Klebsiella clinical isolates across multiple host species. Earlier studies demonstrated that the octameric CPS polysaccharide export protein Wza can transmit macrolide antibiotics into the E. coli periplasm. We suggest that the CPS in question, and its highly divergent Wza, functions as an antibiotic trap, preventing antimicrobial penetration. We also highlight the high diversity of lineages circulating in dogs across all regions studied, the overlap with human lineages, and regional prevalence of resistance to multiple antimicrobial classes.

Ultrathin Boron Growth Onto Nanodiamond Surfaces Via Electrophilic Boron Precursors, Krishna Govindaraju, Tyanna Supreme, Daniel N. Labunsky, Nicole Martin, Juan Miguel Del Rosario, Alana Washington, Ezhioghode O. Uwadiale, Solomon Adjei, Sandra Ladjadj, Cynthia V. Melendrez, Sang Jun Lee, Maria V. Altoe, Avery Green, Sebastian Riano, Sami Sainio, Dennis Nordlund, Abraham Wolcott

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Diamond as a templating substrate is largely unexplored, and the unique properties of diamond, including its large bandgap, thermal conductance, and lack of cytotoxicity, makes it versatile in emergent technologies in medicine and quantum sensing. Surface termination of an inert diamond substrate and its chemical reactivity are key in generating new bonds for nucleation and growth of an overlayer material. Oxidized high-pressure high temperature (HPHT) nanodiamonds (NDs) are largely terminated by alcohols that act as nucleophiles to initiate covalent bond formation when an electrophilic reactant is available. In this work, we demonstrate a templated synthesis of ultrathin boron on ND …

Regrounding The Unworldly: Carnap’S Politically Engaged Logical Pluralism, Noah Friedman-Biglin

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Recent discussions of logical pluralism trace its origins to Rudolf Carnap’s principle of tolerance; indeed, the principle is seen as one of Carnap’s lasting philosophical contributions. In this paper, I will argue that Carnap’s reasons for adopting this principle are not purely logical, but are rather founded in the Vienna Circle’s manifesto—a programmatic document that brings the Circle’s philosophical work together with a program of social change. Building on work by Uebel, Romizi, and others, I argue that we must understand the principle in light of Carnap’s role in writing the manifesto, and thus as integrated into the larger philosophical …

Smart City Community Watch—Camera-Based Community Watch For Traffic And Illegal Dumping, Nupur Pathak, Gangotri Biswal, Megha Goushal, Vraj Mistry, Palak Shah, Fenglian Li, Jerry Gao

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Highlights: What are the main findings? The smart city community watch program developed using YOLOv5 for object detection and DeepSORT for multi-object tracking achieves 97% accuracy in detecting illegal dumping. The web-based application integrates person detection, trash detection, license plate detection and extraction, and a decision algorithm aiding government agencies to monitor and effectively manage illegal dumping. What are the implications of the main findings? With the 97% detection accuracy and real-time detection capabilities of the YOLOv5- and DeepSORT-based solution, this solution can help in saving government expenditure to clean up illegal dumping. The solution can be integrated with smart …

Mathias, Harry, San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

San Francisco State University, Radio, Television, Film, BA, 1968

San Francisco State University, Creative Arts Interdisciplinary Studies with emphasis Film Production, Broadcast TV Production, Broadcast Engineering, Drama, and Computer Graphic Video Imaging Systems Design, MA,1974,

Villagran, Gilbert Joseph, San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

San Jose State University, Social Work, 1976 MSW

San Jose State University, Community College Teaching Credential, 1973

San Jose State University, Philosophy, 1971 BA

Comparison Between Ribosomal Assembly And Machine Learning Tools For Microbial Identification Of Organisms With Different Characteristics, Stephanie Chau, Carlos Rojas, Jorjeta G. Jetcheva, Mary Markart, Sudha Vijayakumar, Sophia Yuan, Vincent Stowbunenko, Amanda N. Shelton, William B. Andreopoulos

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Genome assembly tools are used to reconstruct genomic sequences from raw sequencing data, which are then used for identifying the organisms present in a metagenomic sample. Methodology: More recently, machine learning approaches have been applied to a variety of bioinformatics problems, and in this paper, we explore their use for organism identification. We start by evaluating several commonly used metagenomic assembly tools, including PhyloFlash, MEGAHIT, MetaSPAdes, Kraken2, Mothur, UniCycler, and PathRacer, and compare them against state-of-the-art deep learning-based machine learning classification approaches represented by DNABERT and DeLUCS, in the context of two synthetic mock community datasets. Results: Our analysis …

Photoinduced Charge Injection From Shallow Point Defects In Diamond Into Water, Kang Xu, Daniela Pagliero, Gabriel I. López-Morales, Johannes Flick, Abraham Wolcott, Carlos A. Meriles

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Thanks to its low or negative surface electron affinity and chemical inertness, diamond is attracting broad attention as a source material of solvated electrons produced by optical excitation of the solid-liquid interface. Unfortunately, its wide bandgap typically imposes the use of wavelengths in the ultraviolet range, hence complicating practical applications. Here, we probe the photocurrent response of water surrounded by single-crystal diamond surfaces engineered to host shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. We observe clear signatures of diamond-induced photocurrent generation throughout the visible range and for wavelengths reaching up to 594 nm. Experiments as a function of laser power suggest that NV …

Library Services And Resource Provision To Prison Inmates In Enugu Maximum Prison Library, Enugu State, Nigeria, Andrew Ifeanyi Ifeabor, Godwin Sunday Ezeh, Comfort Ometere Alabi, Margaret N. Ngwuchukwu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study focused on library services and resource provision to prison inmates in Enugu Maximum Prison Library Enugu State Nigeria. Four (4) research questions were formulated to guide the study. The objectives of the study were to find out the extent of library services provision to the prison inmates, extent of provision of library resources to the inmates, agencies that provide resources and services to the Prison Library, and the problems associated with the provision of library services and resources to meet the inmates’ information needs. Eighty-three (83) respondents comprising eighty prison inmates and three library staff were used as …