Digital Commons Network^™

How Are Mcps Doing On Achieving Assessed Calaim Requirements? A Comparative Analysis Of Selected Not-For-Profit, Publicly Governed Health Plans In California, Junell Chen

Master's Projects

At the heart of a larger societal movement, the imperative to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a resounding call to action across all sectors. This pressing concern underscores the need for proactive and equity-centric solutions, including within the American healthcare system. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been instrumental in shaping policies and initiatives, such as Healthy People, aimed at promoting health equity and reducing health disparities. Similarly, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has instituted supplementary compliance requirements to hold healthcare stakeholders accountable for implementing equitable programs designed to eliminate health disparities …

Dispersal Limits Poleward Expansion Of Mangroves On The West Coast Of North America, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Dustin Carroll, Rémi Bardou, Tom Van Der Stocken

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

While much attention has been paid to the climatic controls of species' range limits, other factors such as dispersal limitation are also important. Temperature is an important control of the distribution of coastal mangrove forests, and mangrove expansion at multiple poleward range limits has been linked to increasing temperatures. However, mangrove abundances at other poleward range limits have been surprisingly insensitive to climate change, indicating other drivers of range limitation. For example, along the west coast of North America, the poleward mangrove range limits are found on the Baja California and mainland coasts of Mexico, between 26°48ʹ and 30°18ʹN. Non-climatic …

Lithium And Water: Hydrosocial Impacts Across The Life Cycle Of Energy Storage, James J.A. Blair, Noel Vineyard, Dustin Mulvaney, Alida Cantor, Ali Sharbat, Kate Berry, Elizabeth Bartholomew, Ariana Firebaugh Ornelas

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

As a key ingredient of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), lithium plays a significant role in climate change mitigation, but lithium has considerable impacts on water and society across its life cycle. Upstream extraction methods—including open-pit mining, brine evaporation, and novel direct lithium extraction (DLE)—and downstream processes present different impacts on both the quantity and quality of water resources, leading to water depletion and contamination. Regarding upstream extraction, it is critical for a comprehensive assessment of lithium's life cycle to include cumulative impacts related not only to freshwater, but also mineralized or saline groundwater, also known as brine. Legal frameworks …

A Comparative Multivariate Analysis Of Var And Deep Learning-Based Models For Forecasting Volatile Time Series Data, Saroj Gopali, Sima Siami-Namini, Faranak Abri, Akbar Siami Namin

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The existing literature on forecasting time series data is primarily based on univariate analysis and techniques such as Univariate Autoregressive (UAR), Univariate Moving Average (UMA), Simple Exponential Smoothing (SES), deep learning models, and, most notably, univariate Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) built based on univariate variable where the next lag of time series is leveraged for forecasting the next cycle of data. This paper takes this line of research to the next level by focusing on forecasting time series data based on “multivariate” modeling and analysis. To have a better insight of the performance of various deep learning-based models when multivariate …

Effect Of Fermentation, Malting And Ultrasonication On Sorghum, Mopane Worm And Moringa Oleifera: Improvement In Their Nutritional, Techno-Functional And Health Promoting Properties, Mpho Sebabiki Maleke, Oluwafemi Ayodeji Adebo, Jonathan Wilkin, Moira Ledbetter, Xi Feng, John Gieng, Tumisi Beiri Jeremiah Molelekoa

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Food processing offers various benefits that contribute to food nutrition, food security and convenience. This study investigated the effect of three different processes (fermentation, malting and ultrasonication) on the nutritional, techno-functional and health-promoting properties of sorghum, mopane worm and Moringa oleifera. Methods: The fermented and malted flours were prepared at 35°C for 48 h, and for ultrasonication, samples were subjected to 10 min at 4°C with amplitudes of 40–70 Hz. The biochemical, nutritional quality and techno-functional properties of the obtained flours were analysed using standard procedures. Results: Fermentation resulted in significantly lower pH and higher titratable acidity in sorghum …

Impact Of Ai In Product Lifecycle, Atmesh Tiwari, Minnie H. Patel

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Industries are evolving more rapidly in today's time than ever before, human needs and lifestyle are constantly adapting and changing as technology is becoming an irreplaceable part of their lives. In today's world Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a groundbreaking force replacing conventional ways with new innovative processes. Product development in this era of artificial intelligence is going under major transformations. A review of papers and research shows that the role of Artificial intelligence in product management is going to increase with time. This paper dwells through the tasks, roles, and perspectives of the product lifecycle stages, along with …

Marine Protection And Environmental Forcing Influence Fish-Derived Nutrient Cycling In Kelp Forests, June Shrestha, Joseph R. Peters, Jennifer E. Caselle, Scott L. Hamilton

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Animal consumers excrete dissolved inorganic nitrogen, an essential nutrient for regulating primary production and macroalgal growth in the ocean. Often overlooked in attempts to explain kelp forest productivity, relatively little is known about the role of consumers in nutrient cycling in temperate systems, such as the magnitude of nutrients excreted and the factors that influence spatial and temporal variability in consumer-derived nutrients. To investigate the supply of ammonium (NH4+) excreted by the dominant members of the nearshore rocky reef fish community, we combined empirically-measured relationships between excretion rate and body mass with data on fish density and size structure from …

Clots Reveal Anomalous Elastic Behavior Of Fiber Networks, Andrei Zakharov, Myra Awan, Terrence Cheng, Arvind Gopinath, Sang Joon John Lee, Anand K. Ramasubramanian, Kinjal Dasbiswas

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The adaptive mechanical properties of soft and fibrous biological materials are relevant to their functionality. The emergence of the macroscopic response of these materials to external stress and intrinsic cell traction from local deformations of their structural components is not well understood. Here, we investigate the nonlinear elastic behavior of blood clots by combining microscopy, rheology, and an elastic network model that incorporates the stretching, bending, and buckling of constituent fibrin fibers. By inhibiting fibrin cross-linking in blood clots, we observe an anomalous softening regime in the macroscopic shear response as well as a reduction in platelet-induced clot contractility. Our …

Dual Effect Of Secondary Solutes On Binding Equilibria: Contributions From Solute–Reactant Interactions And Solute–Water Interactions, Daryl Eggers, Jennifer M. Le, Nhi T. Nham, Duc N. Pham, Bria M. Castellano

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study examines the role of water in binding equilibria with a special focus on secondary solutes (cosolutes) that influence the equilibrium but are not constituents of the final product. Using a thermodynamic framework that includes an explicit term for the release of water molecules upon binding, this investigation reveals how solutes may alter equilibria by changing the activity of the reactants, reflected in ΔG°(obs), and by changing the chemical potential of the solvent, reflected in ΔGS. The framework is applied to four experimental binding systems that differ in the degree of electrostatic contributions. The model …

Information Literacy Skills Among Female Students Of Secondary Schools In Bangladesh, Wares-Ul-Matin, Md. Jahangir Alam, Bilkis Begum, Md. Sakib Biswas

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study assessed information literacy skills among female students of secondary schools in Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire was developed consisting of library and ICT facilities, information literacy skills, ability to locate information, evaluate information sources, and use the approach of needed information. A total of 596 data were collected from female students of class nine of five general and five girls' high schools in the rural areas of Dhaka Districts. The study revealed that overall, 60.23% of the respondents were aware of IL; however, 49.33% of the female students were unable to locate academic information, 69.63% failed to identify information …

Re-Visions: Examining Narratives Of Asian American Mental Health, Kenji Aoki

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

This paper examines the intersection between Asian American mental health and resilience tropes. While research has acknowledged that Asian Americans have disparate mental health gaps regarding mental health stigma and how Asian American young adults are the only racial group in which suicide is their leading cause of death, there has been limited study that attempts to directly convey Asian American voices beyond broad statistical or cultural generalizations. To supplement ongoing research and Asian American livelihoods, this essay conjectures and attempts to illuminate the histories, mental illness, and health narratives of Asian Americans, the good, the bad, the ugly, the …

Memory, Politics, And Literary Imagination In Viet Thanh Nguyen’S The Refugees, Jian Zhu

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

Despite the official conclusion of the Vietnam War, the struggle for remembrance and recollection endures. Within the pages of The Refugees, Viet Thanh Nguyen offers a transnational lens through which to examine the formation and contestation of collective memories between the United States and Vietnam. Despite its military defeat, the United States appropriated anti-communist ideology during the Cold War era to assimilate the refugee community, leveraging a discourse of “freedom and democracy” as a means to reshape historical narratives. In stark contrast, Vietnam commemorated its revolutionary struggle against imperialism through the establishment of museums, statues, and public cemeteries within …

"Loving You No Matter What You Do": Ai's Dramatic Monologues, 1970s Asian American Feminisms, And Reproductive Justice, Catherine Irwin

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

This essay makes visible the 1970s involvement of Asian American and Women of Color feminists in reproductive justice. Grounded in the Asian American feminist praxis of remembering, this essay analyzes how three dramatic monologues by the Asian American mixed-race poet Ai engage with the discourses of reproduce justice set forth by Asian American and Women of Color activists leading up to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Using an Asian American feminist lens, this paper argues that the speakers in Ai’s monologues utilize these discourses circulating about abortion and women’s health care to construct images of the treatment of dispossessed …

Quantum Diamonds At The Beach: Chemical Insights Into Silica Growth On Nanoscale Diamond Using Multimodal Characterization And Simulation, Perla J. Sandoval, Karen Lopez, Andres Arreola, Anida Len, Nedah Basravi, Pomaikaimaikalani Yamaguchi, Rina Kawamura, Camron X. Stokes, Cynthia Melendrez, Davida Simpson, Sang Jun Lee, Charles James Titus, Virginia Altoe, Sami Sainio, Dennis Nordlund, Kent Irwin, Abraham Wolcott

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Surface chemistry of materials that host quantum bits such as diamond is an important avenue of exploration as quantum computation and quantum sensing platforms mature. Interfacing diamond in general and nanoscale diamond (ND) in particular with silica is a potential route to integrate room temperature quantum bits into photonic devices, fiber optics, cells, or tissues with flexible functionalization chemistry. While silica growth on ND cores has been used successfully for quantum sensing and biolabeling, the surface mechanism to initiate growth was unknown. This report describes the surface chemistry responsible for silica bond formation on diamond and uses X-ray absorption spectroscopy …

The Role Of Lis Professional In Open Educational Resources And Its Impact In Bangladesh, Dr. Md. Azizur Rahman, Sumitra Mitra Biswas, Dr. Subrata Biswas

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction- This study aims to explore of the role of LIS Professionals in open educational resources (OERs) and its impact on Bangladesh. In addition, there is a focus on raising awareness and improving open educational resources.

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to provide quantitative information on the growth and development of the LIS professionals in OER in Bangladesh. In addition, the focus is on raising awareness and improving open educational resources.

Research problem- The study is about acquiring data sources, facing huge problems related to field of LIS Professionals in OER in Bangladesh. LIS professionals in the …

Behavioural Responses Of Fin Whales To Military Mid-Frequency Active Sonar, Brandon L. Southall, Ann N. Allen, John Calambokidis, Caroline Casey, Stacy L. Deruiter, Selene Fregosi, Ari S. Friedlaender, Jeremy A. Goldbogen, Catriona M. Harris, Elliott L. Hazen, Valentin Popov, Alison K. Stimpert

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The effect of active sonars on marine mammal behaviour is a topic of considerable interest and scientific investigation. Some whales, including the largest species (blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus), can be impacted by mid-frequency (1-10 kHz) military sonars. Here we apply complementary experimental methods to provide the first experimentally controlled measurements of behavioural responses to military sonar and similar stimuli for a related endangered species, fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Analytical methods include: (i) principal component analysis paired with generalized additive mixed models; (ii) hidden Markov models; and (iii) structured expert elicitation using response severity metrics. These approaches provide complementary perspectives on …

Evaluation Of Four Ground-Based Retrievals Of Cloud Droplet Number Concentration In Marine Stratocumulus With Aircraft In Situ Measurements, Damao Zhang, Andrew M. Vogelmann, Fan Yang, Edward Luke, Pavlos Kollias, Zhien Wang, Peng Wu, William I. Gustafson, Fan Mei, Susanne Glienke, Jason Tomlinson, Neel Desai

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Cloud droplet number concentration (Nd) is crucial for understanding aerosol–cloud interactions (ACI) and associated radiative effects. We present evaluations of four ground-based Nd retrievals based on comprehensive datasets from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) field campaign. The Nd retrieval methods use ARM ENA observatory ground-based remote sensing observations from a micropulse lidar, Raman lidar, cloud radar, and the ARM NDROP (Droplet Number Concentration) value-added product (VAP), all of which also retrieve cloud effective radius (re). The retrievals are compared against aircraft measurements from the fast cloud droplet probe (FCDP) and …

Registration Status, Reading Interest Level, And Library Use Habits Of Teaching Staff In Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria: An Investigation, Nse Emmanuel Akwang Phd, Cln

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated registration status, reading interest level, and library use habits of teaching staff in Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design, with a total population of 467 teaching staff from eight (8) academic faculties. Out of the total study population, a sample of 212 was selected using an online sample calculator known as Survey Monkey Sample Size Calculator at 95% confidence level and confidence interval of 5%. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher-developed questionnaire, which was subjected to face and content validity and reliability coefficient of 0.80 using Cronbach’s Alpha technique. …

Perceived Effect Of Awareness And Use Of Open Access Journals By Library Users For Research Efficiency In Margaret Lawrence University, Delta State, Nigeria, Obande Bonnie Obeka

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of the present study was to examine the Perceived effect of awareness and use of Open Access Journals by Library users for research efficiency in Margaret Lawrence University. Three hundred and twenty nine Library (329) users were selected in the study. A specifically designed questionnaire was administered to gather information about the awareness and use of open access journals by library users for research efficiency in Margaret Lawrence University. Data collected were analyzed using mean () and standard deviation (SD) to answer research questions. The Results revealed that library users of MLU are much aware of open access …

Genetic And Environmental Drivers Of Migratory Behavior In Western Burrowing Owls And Implications For Conservation And Management, Kelly Barr, Christen M. Bossu, Rachael A. Bay, Eric C. Anderson, Jim Belthoff, Lynne A. Trulio, Debra Chromczak, Colleen L. Wisinski, Thomas B. Smith, Kristen C. Ruegg

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Migration is driven by a combination of environmental and genetic factors, but many questions remain about those drivers. Potential interactions between genetic and environmental variants associated with different migratory phenotypes are rarely the focus of study. We pair low coverage whole genome resequencing with a de novo genome assembly to examine population structure, inbreeding, and the environmental factors associated with genetic differentiation between migratory and resident breeding phenotypes in a species of conservation concern, the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea). Our analyses reveal a dichotomy in gene flow depending on whether the population is resident or migratory, with the …

Impacts Of Marine Heatwaves On Top Predator Distributions Are Variable But Predictable, Heather Welch, Matthew S. Savoca, Stephanie Brodie, Michael G. Jacox, Barbara A. Muhling, Thomas A. Clay, Megan A. Cimino, Scott R. Benson, Barbara A. Block, Melinda G. Conners, Daniel P. Costa, Fredrick D. Jordan, Andrew W. Leising, Chloe S. Mikles, Daniel M. Palacios, Scott A. Shaffer, Lesley H. Thorne, Jordan T. Watson, Rachel R. Holser

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Marine heatwaves cause widespread environmental, biological, and socio-economic impacts, placing them at the forefront of 21st-century management challenges. However, heatwaves vary in intensity and evolution, and a paucity of information on how this variability impacts marine species limits our ability to proactively manage for these extreme events. Here, we model the effects of four recent heatwaves (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020) in the Northeastern Pacific on the distributions of 14 top predator species of ecological, cultural, and commercial importance. Predicted responses were highly variable across species and heatwaves, ranging from near total loss of habitat to a two-fold increase. Heatwaves rapidly …

Using Ecological Momentary Assessments To Understand How Drinking During Special Occasions Relates To Parenting Behaviors, Bridget Freisthler, Joselyn Sarabia, Jennifer Price Wolf

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Drinking on special occasions (e.g., Super Bowl, Christmas) often results in more alcohol consumed. Further, police often report higher levels of crime, such as assaults and domestic violence, on days of major sporting events (e.g., Super Bowl, World Cup). Yet, drinking behaviors of parents during special occasions or large sporting events have not been assessed for their effects on parenting behaviors. Here, we assess the relationship between drinking during the Super Bowl and on Valentine's Day to determine whether they differ. Methods: Participants, recruited from social media, completed a 40-min baseline survey and 14 days of three daily Ecological …

Empirical Measurements Of Ammonium Excretion In Kelp Forest Fishes: Effects Of Body Size, Taxonomy And Trophic Guild, June Shrestha, Kenneth H. Coale, Scott L. Hamilton

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Fishes and other consumers excrete metabolic waste products, including dissolved nutrients rich in nitrogen, which is an essential nutrient for primary production. Relatively little is known about the magnitude and variability of nutrients excreted by fishes in kelp forest ecosystems and whether consumer-derived nutrients are important for supporting kelp productivity. In this study, the supply of ammonium (NH4+) excreted by the dominant fishes (30 species representing ∼85% of total fish biomass) was investigated on nearshore rocky reefs in California. Using rapid field incubations, the amount of excreted dissolved ammonium was measured as a function of body size (n = 460 …

Characterization Of Essential Eggshell Proteins From Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Jun Isoe, Carter J. Simington, Max E. Oscherwitz, Alyssa J. Peterson, Alberto A. Rascón, Brooke B. Massani, Roger L. Miesfeld, Michael A. Riehle

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Up to 40% of the world population live in areas where mosquitoes capable of transmitting the dengue virus, including Aedes aegypti, coexist with humans. Understanding how mosquito egg development and oviposition are regulated at the molecular level may provide new insights into novel mosquito control strategies. Previously, we identified a protein named eggshell organizing factor 1 (EOF1) that when knocked down with RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in non-melanized and fragile eggs that did not contain viable embryos. Results: In this current study, we performed a comprehensive RNAi screen of putative A. aegypti eggshell proteins to identify additional proteins that …

Spartan Daily, November 29, 2023, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2023

Volume 161, Issue 41

Spartan Daily, November 21, 2023, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2023

Volume 161, Issue 39

Novak, Jean Marie, San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of California, Berkeley & SFSU, Doctoral Program - Ph.D. - 1991

• Major - Special Education Emphasis in Neuro-Speech Pathology and Psychology

California State University, Fresno, M.A. - 1980

• Major - Speech Pathology

California State University, Fresno, B.A. - 1978

• Major - Communicative Disorders

University of San Francisco, San Francisco 1974-77

• Major – Pre-Medicine: Biological Sciences
• Minor – Theology and Philosophy

Spartan Daily, November 1, 2023, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2023

Volume 161, Issue 31

Codis: Community Detection Via Distributed Seed Set Expansion On Graph Streams, Austin Anderson, Petros Potikas, Katerina Potika

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Community detection has been (and remains) a very important topic in several fields. From marketing and social networking to biological studies, community detection plays a key role in advancing research in many different fields. Research on this topic originally looked at classifying nodes into discrete communities (non-overlapping communities) but eventually moved forward to placing nodes in multiple communities (overlapping communities). Unfortunately, community detection has always been a time-inefficient process, and datasets are too large to realistically process them using traditional methods. Because of this, recent methods have turned to parallelism and graph stream models, where the edge list is accessed …

Prospection Of Peptide Inhibitors Of Thrombin From Diverse Origins Using A Machine Learning Pipeline, Nivedha Balakrishnan, Rahul Katkar, Peter V. Pham, Taylor Downey, Prarthna Kashyap, David C. Anastasiu, Anand K. Ramasubramanian

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Thrombin is a key enzyme involved in the development and progression of many cardiovascular diseases. Direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs), with their minimum off-target effects and immediacy of action, have greatly improved the treatment of these diseases. However, the risk of bleeding, pharmacokinetic issues, and thrombotic complications remain major concerns. In an effort to increase the effectiveness of the DTI discovery pipeline, we developed a two-stage machine learning pipeline to identify and rank peptide sequences based on their effective thrombin inhibitory potential. The positive dataset for our model consisted of thrombin inhibitor peptides and their binding affinities (KI) curated from published …