Digital Commons Network^™

Predicting Risk For Deer-Vehicle Collisions Using A Social Media Based Geographic Information System, G. Kent Webb

Faculty Publications, Information Systems & Technology

As an experiment investigating social media as a data source for making management decisions, photo sharing websites were searched for data on deer sightings. Data about deer density and location are important factors in decisions related to herd management and transportation safety, but such data are often limited or not available. Results indicate that when combined with simple rules, data from photo sharing websites reliably predicted the location of road segments with high risk for deer-vehicle collisions as reported by volunteers to an internet site tracking roadkill. Use of Google Maps as the GIS platform was helpful in plotting and …

Late Wisconsinan Glacial Geomorphology Of The Kent Interlobate Complex, Ohio, U.S.A., João Santos

Faculty Publications

The northern sector of the Kent Interlobate Complex, created by two major ice lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during late Wisconsinan times, dominates the glacial landscape of northeast Ohio. The geomorphology of this impressive complex reveals the presence of large hummocks, kettle lakes and substantial esker chains. The esker chains, usually smaller than 1.3 km long, run parallel to the interlobate complex geographic orientation of northeast-southwest. Gravel pits present on large hummocks display bedded and sorted sedimentary units of gravel, sand and gravel and climbing ripple laminated sand with folds, which demonstrate that the northern sector of the interlobate …

Understanding Transit Ridership Demand For A Multi-Destination, Multimodal Transit Network In An American Metropolitan Area, Research Report 11-06, Gregory Thompson, Jeffrey Brown, Torsha Bhattacharya, Michal Jaroszynski

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study examines the factors underlying transit demand in the multi-destination, integrated bus and rail transit network for Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta provides an opportunity to explore the consequences of a multi-destination transit network for bus patrons (largely transit-dependent riders) and rail patrons (who disproportionately illustrate choice rider characteristics). Using data obtained from the 2000 Census, coupled with data obtained from local and regional organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area, we estimate several statistical models that explain the pattern of transit commute trips across the Atlanta metropolitan area. The models show that bus riders and rail riders are different, with bus …

Analyzing The Impact Of County Radon Levels And Population Size On The Allocation Of The State Indoor Radon Grant (Sirg) Funds, Stephen Douglas De Jong

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the SIRG program's effectiveness to target funds to states with the highest risk potential, based on county radon levels and population size. The primary method of determining the program's effectiveness was an analysis of the program's allocation of funds at a regional as well as a state level. The analysis focused on two of four input variables that the EPA utilizes in its regional allocation model (e.g., county radon levels and population size).

The analysis showed that the state-level allocation of funds is only marginally related to a combination of county radon levels and population size, while …

The Role Of Language In Shaping The International Cultural Tourism Experience Of Student-Travelers, Avina Ramnani

Master's Theses

This qualitative, exploratory study sought insight into how language affects the cultural tourism experience in the international tourism context. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews of 13 student-travelers, who traveled with the San Jose State University's study-abroad programs. The analysis of the data was carried out within a socio-linguistic context using grounded theory methods. Findings indicated that travel motivations and the perception of significance of the language spoken at a destination were intimately connected. Further, the desire on the part of the student-travelers to experience the local culture affected the desire for interaction with the host population, which was in …

A Comparison Of Two Versions Of Modified Mercalli Intensity For Earthquake Exposure Assessment, Jamie Lynne Ratliff

Master's Theses

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an earthquake exposure assessment for the State of Washington using peak ground acceleration (PGA) shaking from the USGS ShakeMap Project grouped to approximate Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) classes. Since ShakeMap datasets also have data representing official MMI classes, a companion exposure assessment was performed to determine whether MMI-grouped PGA data and official MMI data are interchangeable. Along with the exposure assessment, a spatial sampling process was used to further check how MMI-grouped PGA and official MMI data compared. Results indicated that significant variations existed spatially between the two ShakeMap datasets; generalizations by ShakeMap in creating …

Visualizing Landslide Hazards: Methods For Empowering Communities In Guatemala Through Hazard Mapping, Patrick Burchfiel

Master's Theses

Landslides occur at a high frequency throughout the mountainous regions of Guatemala, posing an elevated risk to communities and their infrastructure. A crucial component of the analysis of landslide hazards incorporates the creation of landslide hazard or susceptibility maps. This paper's research objective had two distinct components. The first was to identify practical and effective cartographic visualization methods to deliver map-based hazard information at the community level in Guatemala. Mapping methods were evaluated for their potential effectiveness in visually communicating landslide risks to the isolated rural communities of Lake Atitlan and the town of Santiago Atitlan. The research illustrated the …

Doppler Wind Lidar Observations Of A Wildland Fire Plume, Allison Marie Charland

Master's Theses

Observations in the vicinity of a wildland fire showed the development of a convergence zone downwind of the convection column. These observations were obtained during a prescribed burn in complex terrain east of San Jose, California. A ground-based Halo Photonics, Ltd. Stream Line 75 Lidar acquired Doppler wind velocities and backscatter intensity in and around the fire plume from multiple vertically pointing, PPI, and RHI scans while a ASC miniSodar obtained vertical wind and turbulence profiles downwind. These observations allowed for the study of the kinematic structure and spatial and temporal evolution of the fire plume. Observations showed velocities accelerating …

Modeling Wildfire Hazard In The Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas, David Bylow

Master's Theses

Wildfire regimes are a leading driver of global environmental change affecting diverse ecosystems across the planet. The objectives of this study was to model regional wildfire potential and identify environmental, topological, and sociological factors that contribute to the ignition of regional wildfire events in the Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas. The environmental, topological, and sociological factors were used to model regional wildfire potential through multi-criteria evaluation using a method of weighted linear combination. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and geographic information systems (GIS) data were integrated to identify regional wildfire factors. Point pattern and inferential statistical analysis were used to analyze regional …

Geography And Social Structure Of Monasteries: Cultural Diffusion Or Convergent Evolution?, Constance Powell Chin

Master's Theses

At both ends of the Eurasian continent, cenobitic monasticism took root and flourished in the fourth century. This parallel development at roughly the same time in regions so different and distant from each other as Egypt and China lends itself to an interesting comparison and a large question. Is this a case of cultural diffusion, a borrowing of ideas and attitudes and perhaps even monastic rules and practices from India, which lies midway between the two? Is it instead a case of convergent evolution?

Monastic rules and behaviors, the archaeology of monasteries, and the functions of early monasteries are explored …

Maintenance Of Polish Language And Culture Among First Generation Polish Immigrants Living In The Southern San Francisco Bay Area, California., Dominika Bialek

Master's Theses

The focus of this thesis research is to investigate the extent to which first

generation Polish immigrants living in the southern San Francisco Bay Area in California maintain their native Polish language and culture. Qualitative data were collected in the form of interviews and survey questionnaires. The major findings show that in this small immigrant community (1) maintenance of Polish language and culture happens primarily at home; (2) females married to first generation Polish immigrants are more likely than others to maintain Polish language and culture; (3) the small size of the Polish community, knowledge of English at the time …

Dynamics Of Vibrio With Virulence Genes Detected In Pacific Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina Richardii) Off California: Implications For Marine Mammal Health, Stephanie Nichole Hughes

Master's Theses

Given their coastal site fidelity and opportunistic foraging behavior, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) may serve as sentinels for coastal ecosystem health. Seals using urbanized coastal habitat can acquire enteric bacteria, including Vibrio, that may affect their health. To understand Vibrio dynamics in seals, demographic and environmental factors were tested for predicting potentially virulent Vibrio in free-ranging and stranded Pacific harbor seals (P. v. richardii) off the coast of California. Vibrio prevalence did not vary with season and was greater in free-ranging seals (29%, n = 319) compared with stranded seals (17%, n = 189). Of …

The Effects Of Restored Aquatic Large Woody Debris Structures On Invertebrate Populations In The Napa River, Clayton Christopher Leal

Master's Theses

Agricultural encroachment and habitat destruction within the riparian zone of many California ecosystems have created a need for restoration of stream hydrology in order to enhance and support native flora and fauna. On the Napa River, adjacent vineyards have caused the channel to become deeply incised, so that the stream now lacks geomorphic variability and biodiversity. In order to restore channel complexity, large woody debris (LWD) structures were installed in the river in the summer of 2010. In this study I evaluated the effects of installing LWD structures within the Napa River on benthic invertebrates in the first year after …

Comparison Of Cataloging In Publication (Cip) With Cataloging-After-Publication (Opac) Of Iran National Library Bibliographic Center, Hajar Zarei

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of the study is to assign information elements status of CIP records and compression with Cataloging-after-Publication (Opac) records of Iran National Library bibliographic center. The study method is survey and content analysis. The studied population is National Library CIP records including OPAC records. In this study, 163 CIP records have been studied. The data indicate that in each record there is 1/06 errors in average. The other data show that the most heterogeneous bibliographic elements include collation elements (30.49%), added entries (15.24%), title (14.02%), and congress classification No. (11.59%), subject (subject heading, 10.37%), main entry form (9.15%), Dewey …

Organization Of Islamic Knowledge In Libraries: The Role Of Classification Systems, Haroon Idrees

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries deal with recorded knowledge. Classification systems play a fundamental role in the organization, display, retrieval and access of the knowledge and materials in libraries. During the last one and a half century, formal classification systems and standards have been developed to replace the previous generic categorization. Such the systems are very famous, known and used by the libraries internationally. Some of these international standard systems include: Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC); Charles Ammi Cutter’s Expansive Classification (EC); The Subject Classification of James Duff Brown (SC); American Library of Congress Classification (LCC); Universal Decimal Classification (UDC): Henry E. Bliss’ Bibliographic Classification …

Rudolph Ackermann, Katherine D. Harris

Faculty Publications, English and Comparative Literature

No abstract provided.

Wittgensteinian Support For Domain Analysis In Classification, Andrew Wesolek

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Hjorland contends that in order to further the goal of linking researchers to relevant information ‘domain analysis’ should be used in concept classification. He thinks that concept classification should not strive to classify on the basis of the properties of objects, but rather on descriptions of objects that are loosely derived from human activity and social negotiation. Currently, most information scientists operate under a ‘positivist’ view of concept classification, which, Hjorland maintains, mistakenly strives for universal classification schema while muddling the comprehension of individual researchers. Though he tends to include Wittgenstein in the positivist camp for classification, Hjorland’s domain analysis …

A Versatile Group Of Investigative Theater Practitioners: An Examination And Analysis Of "The Civilians", Kimberly Suzanne Peterson

Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes The Civilians, a New York-based theater company that creates interview-based cabaret/theater works, specifically examining the group's organizational structure and creative and administrative processes. The goal of this thesis is to provide insight into how this organization functions, and the lens of organizational structure and processes is used because, as business scholars have noted, structure and process are fundamental elements of any organization. Additionally, this study is framed using Gaétan Morency and Jane Needles's analysis of Cirque du Soleil, François Colbert's analysis of the Piccolo Teatro of Milan, and Celia Wren's article, "Dissolving the Barriers," which investigates eliminating …

Constructing And Deconstructing Border Wars, Damien Chadsworth Wendel

Master's Theses

Discussing a border's location, how it functions, and who is allowed to cross it can quickly give rise to heated arguments that at times escalate to violent disputes. In order to better understand the tension surrounding borders, a mediated-rhetorical critique of National Geographic's television show Border Wars was conducted. Performing this critique enables an understanding of the rhetorical strategies the show employs to construct and reify the Mexico/U.S. border, keep out outlaw discourse from influencing the civic imaginary, and answer the question, "Is there an end in sight?" This thesis will specifically address these questions: What rhetorical strategies does Border …

Spartan Daily November 17, 2011, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 137, Issue 44

Information Outlook, October/November 2011, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2011

Volume 15, Issue 7

Status Of Institutional Repositories In Asian Countries: A Quantitative Study, Mohammad Nazim, Bhaskar Mukherjee

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

With the development of information communication technologies, a number of alternative strategies to the traditional scholarly publishing system have been evolved. Among these, Open Access (OA) model which promise to be extremely advantageous to peers everywhere, especially to those who have acute shortage of resources for purchasing scholarly literature. The impetus of OA was boosted by the Open Society Institute (OSI) in a small meeting convened in Budapest on December 1-2, 2001. The purpose of the meeting was to accelerate progress in the international effort to make research literature in all academic fields freely available on the Internet (OAIS, 2002; …

Internet Use By Social Scientists At The Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan: A Survey, Rubina Bhatti, Mahe Bushra Asghar, Sarwat Mukhtar, Tariq M. Chohan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan South Punjab, Pakistan

Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan was established in 1975 by an act of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. To pay tribute to the Great Saint Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya, the name was changed in 1979. The University offers a wide range of programmes: M.A., M.Sc. MBA, M.Com., MCS, M.Phil and Ph.D. It is divided into seven faculties: Faculty of Arts and social Sciences, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Business Administration, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Islamia Studies and Languages, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Veterinary Science (Prospectus, 2009 p.14).

Bahauddin Zakariya University Library, Multan

The library …

Use Of Information Resources And Services At Delhi Public Library (Dpl): A Survey, Sunil Tyagi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This research sought to determine the use of Information Resources and Services at Delhi Public Library, Delhi. A well structured 120 questionnaires were distributed among DPL users during the academic session 2010-11 to find out the use Information Resources and Services at Delhi Public Library. The questionnaires were checked and out of 109 filled questionnaires returned 105 (96.33%) were found fit for analysis and out of which 04(03.67%) were considered unusable. The present study demonstrates and elaborates the various aspect of use of information resources and services, physical facilities available and collection of DPL. Identifies the levels of use of …

Spartan Daily September 7, 2011, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 137, Issue 5

Do-It‐Yourself Urban Design: Making Local Improvements Through Unauthorized Alterations Of Urban Space, Gordon Douglas

Faculty Publications, Urban and Regional Planning

This study examines “spatial interventions”: street art, guerrilla gardening, public space invasions, and other unauthorized practices of place-based, site-specific art or activism that challenge the normative uses or meanings of particular urban spaces. In recent years, a growing number of individuals have taken up these forms of site-specific direct action. Some argue that they represent new strategies of political expression, even “resistance”; others, that it is little more than vandalism or pointless juvenile acting out. Yet my research suggests that many of these actions are rather connected by something more subtle, a simple willingness to reimagine the built environment on …

Use Of The School Resource Centre Among Malaysian High School Teachers, Yushiana Mansor, Norhiyah Mohd Nor

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigates the pattern of School Resource Centre (SRC) use among teachers from selected high schools in Malaysia. Survey methodology was used and questionnaire was the only instrument used to gather relevant information for the study. The findings of the study indicated that the level of SRC usage among teachers is still low. While only a small number of teachers really used SRC services for their teaching-learning purposes. In general, the study seems to suggest that there was an overall lack of interest in the use of SRC by teachers. The findings further revealed the factors that might have …

Student Citation Behaviour In Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria, Alex Ozoemelem Obuh, Ihuoma Sandra Babatope

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study seeks to ascertain undergraduate students' citation behaviour in two departments in Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. It assesses the types and formats of resources preferred and their reasons for preferring a particular format /type.

Tribal Corridor Management Planning: Model, Case Study, And Guide For Caltrans District 1, Research Report 10-01, Jay K. Adams, Mary Scoggin

Mineta Transportation Institute

In Northern California, tribal governments and personnel of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 1, have applied innovative context-sensitive solutions to meet a variety of transportation challenges along state highways that traverse tribal lands. This report describes and discusses the efforts under way and offer suggestions for continuing and extending these initiatives through the development of Tribal Corridor Management Plans (TCMPs). The methods employed in this project are multidisciplinary and include: (1) content analysis of existing corridor management plans; (2) literature review to identify “best practices;” (3) participant observation; (4) interviews with local stakeholders; (5) focus group interviews with …

Spartan Daily April 19, 2011, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 136, Issue 40