Digital Commons Network^™

Remote Work And The Desire For Meaningful Work: The Unexpected Moderating Effects Of Age And Childrearing, Adriana Rae Meredith

Master's Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic sent the world into lock down. Since then, organizations have been wrestling with how to navigate the many opinions, as well as research-backed advantages and disadvantages of in-office work, hybrid work, and remote work. In addition to shaking up the ways in which work is done, the pandemic shutdowns caused some to re-evaluate why they do the work they do. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between remote work and an employee’s desire for meaningful work to increase understanding of how remote work can be used as a strategic element of job design rather than …

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 …

“It Makes Me Wonder, How I Keep From Goin’ Under:” Deconstructing Cultural Strengths In The Stories Of Black College And University Students, Sikeza C. Fowlks

Master's Theses

To deconstruct conceptualizations of Black cultural resiliency outside of the perception of the current dominant culture, the present study interviewed Black university and college students for their narratives about their perceptions of Black culture and how they navigate systemic oppression. To create a full conceptualization of Black issues and cultural resilience this study explored the current literature around Black experiences of racism and its relationship to Race-Based Trauma. Additionally, the researcher expanded upon current interventions used to mitigate Race-Based Trauma and how Black culture is currently defined within systemic oppression. To answer the study’s research question framework around Black cultural …

History Education: Learning History From Community College Students’ Perspectives, Mylinh V. Pham

Dissertations

Given the current political climate of division, the study of history is important now more than ever, but the value of the study of history has been marginalized. This study used student focus groups to understand ways in which history could be taught in such a way that its importance is emphasized through relevance and connection to current social and political issues and through student-centered learning. This study also determined how history could help students evaluate and think critically about historical content. This study drew on the experiences of community college students who have taken a higher education history course …

Leading With An Intercultural Mindset: Leadership Development Programs For International Students, Keri A. Toma Loehrer

Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored co-curricular student leadership development programs that included intercultural learning and were designed for international students studying at higher education institutions in the United States. The study aimed to better understand: (a) common program characteristics; (b) program administrator perceptions; and (c) the international student experience. Data was collected in a two-phase explanatory sequential design, involving surveys and semi-structured interviews. Six main content areas across all programs were identified: (a) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); (b) global engagement; (c) intercultural learning; (d) leadership development; (e) personal and professional development; and (f) supporting the international community. Administrators generally …

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 …

Kauppila, Paul (1960-2022), San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of Texas at Austin, Graduate School of Library & Information Science, MLIS, 1993

San Francisco State University, Broadcast Communication Arts, BA 1989

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 …

Time-To-Failure Prediction Of Fine-Grained Soil Slopes Subject To Weather-Driven Deterioration, Arm M. Morsy

Mineta Transportation Institute

Embankments have been widely used in the construction of transportation and flood defense infrastructure. Embankments constructed from clays experience a suite of weather-driven deterioration processes that lead to a progressive loss of hydromechanical performance, causing potentially severe and costly consequences. This study aimed to predict the time to failure of aging, deteriorating clay embankments supporting transportation infrastructure. A multi-phase numerical modeling approach was developed to replicate the long-term, weather-driven, hydromechanical behavior of clay embankments. This model simulated the behavior of a number of well-documented embankment failure case studies that had sufficient data to derive the necessary soil properties and climate …

Ten Years Forward: An Evaluation Of California’S Active Transportation Program, Bruce Appleyard, Mario Carbajal, Madison Swayne, Nell Ahangarfabrik, Megan Honey

Mineta Transportation Institute

California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP) is a competitive, grant-based program that serves as a major funding stream for active transportation infrastructure in California. The program has six goals based on increasing nonmotorized transportation, safety, equity, sustainability, and health. Evaluation of the ATP’s administrative and scoring processes is crucial to ensure goals are met as equitably and efficiently as possible. Additionally, establishing a methodology for evaluating the safety impacts of active transportation projects is critically important. Through a series of interviews and an extensive review of the documents and rubrics of the program, this report discusses how the Active Transportation Program …

Is Parking Cash-Out Worth It? Comparing Cost-Effectiveness And Climate And Equity Benefits In The Bay Area And South Coast Air Quality Management Districts, Fynnwin Prager, Tianjun Lu, Ashley Membere, Parveen Chhetri

Mineta Transportation Institute

This research explores the potential impacts of California parking cash-out policy changes on the Bay Area and LA County. Parking cash-out—a California law since 1992—requires that certain qualifying employers who subsidize employee parking offer employees the option to give up their parking space and receive cash instead. Studies show parking cash-out substantially reduces VMT and emissions, yet enforcement remains voluntary. Current policy covers few firms (<1%) and employees (around 11%) in the study regions. Policy reform to include companies with 20+ employees could increase this to 18%. Our experimental-design survey (n=963) explores behavioral changes in response to multiple policy variables and finds that 76.9% of employees would accept cash-out if offered, and that participants who had to pay the market rate for parking and were full-time commuters were more likely to switch to using public transportation at lower cash minimums. VMT related to employees covered by parking cash-out are substantial (5.6 million in the Bay Area; 5.7 million in LA County), and account for a combined 6,593 daily tons of GHG. As even limited adoption could have significant environmental benefits, parking cash-out would be a more cost-effective approach to reducing VMT than traditional TDM programs such as trip-reduction programs, workplace parking taxation, or transit subsidies and road diets, though further evidence on the direct influence of parking cash-out on commuter behavior is needed.

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.

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 …

Moving Towards The Electrification Of Medium- And Heavy-Duty Vehicles In The Inland Empire, Kimberly Collins, Raffi Der Wartanian, Francisca Beer, Yunfei Hou

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report investigates the transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MDHD) within California’s Inland Empire (IE), emphasizing the significance of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and opportunity charging strategies in facilitating sustainable transportation. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combines a systematic literature review, geospatial and big data analytics, and thematic analysis of expert interviews, the study explores the multifaceted challenges and opportunities of electrification. The literature review assesses policies at various governance levels, while geospatial analysis identifies regional traffic patterns and infrastructure needs. Big data analytics examine vehicle movements, complemented by insights from interviews with 16 regional experts, offering a …

Forecasting Commercial Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) In Urban California Areas, Steve Chung, Jaymin Kwon, Yushin Ahn

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study investigates commercial truck vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across six diverse California counties from 2000 to 2020. The counties—Imperial, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and San Francisco—represent a broad spectrum of California’s demographics, economies, and landscapes. Using a rich dataset spanning demographics, economics, and pollution variables, we aim to understand the factors influencing commercial VMT. We first visually represent the geographic distribution of the counties, highlighting their unique characteristics. Linear regression models, particularly the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and elastic net regressions are employed to identify key predictors of total commercial VMT. LASSO regression …

Threat And Hazard Identification And Risk Assessment (Thira) Guidance For Railroads, Frances L. Edwards, Daniel C. Goodrich

Mineta Transportation Institute

Climate change creates new challenges for all critical transportation infrastructure, especially for railroads with an open system that is continuously exposed to the elements. A Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) is a necessary first step for an organization to understand the challenges and develop strategies for adaptation to them. In many cases, the railroad sector is uniquely positioned to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation steps. This guide will assist railroad risk managers and emergency managers to evaluate the risks and determine how best to respond to them through preparation, mitigation, or adaptation. The THIRA is the …

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

The Use Of Technology For Knowledge Creation And Capitalization, And The Impact On Organizational Performance In Public Service Administration, Sarah Bawack

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

No abstract provided.

Roles Of Nigerian Academic Libraries In Creating Ethical Awareness And Fair Use Legislation Of Digital Intellectual Property, Daniel Aloysius, Victoria David Jimmy, Itoro Effiong Ekanemesang, Ukeme Monday Udoikut

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper examined roles of Nigerian academic libraries in creating ethical awareness and fair use legislation of digital intellectual property. It provided the conceptual overview of digital intellectual property and identified the various components of intellectual property. The paper carefully scrutinized the Nigeria Amended Digital Intellectual Property Act 2022 and gave a comprehensive analysis of the ethical awareness of digital intellectual property. The mechanics of fair dealings legislation in Nigeria were explored. The challenges confronting intellectual property in the digital age were identified and the roles of Nigerian academic libraries in providing ethical awareness and fair use legislation of intellectual …

Scholarly Contributions And Web Visibility Of Library And Information Science Educators In Nigeria, Manir Abdullahi Kamba, Sani Mohammed Gwarzo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the scholarly contributions and web visibility of LIS educators in Nigeria through citation analysis using Google Scholar. The study analyzed the scholarly contributions of LIS educators and ranks them according to their performance. The study confined its scope to present LIS educators working in LIS schools in Nigeria. Scholarly contributions and web visibility of LIS educators was carried out by counting the number of articles published, number of citations received, h-index, and i10 index. Data was collected using Google Scholar database because of its comprehensiveness in scholarly literature. The collected data were analyzed and …

The Roles Of Library In Digital Language Documentation Of The Ethnic Minorities Of Bangladesh, Md. Aktarul Islam, Md. Habibur Rahman

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

From the dawn of human civilization, language has been considered a significant medium for conveying ideas, information, viewpoints, and feelings between one person and another or among a group of people. In Bangladesh, Bengali has been used as the medium of education and communication by the majority of the populace where the languages of ethnic minorities face different challenges, and a good number of languages are on the verge of extinction due to the lack of proper conservation policies and other issues. This paper focused on the roles of libraries in language documentation for ethnic minorities by applying the scientific …

Dnaforge: A Design Tool For Nucleic Acid Wireframe Nanostructures, Antti Elonen, Leon Wimbes, Abdulmelik Mohammed, Pekka Orponen

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

DNAforge is an online tool that provides a unified, user-friendly interface to several recent design methods for DNA and RNA wireframe nanostructures, with the possibility of integrating additional methods into the same framework. Currently, DNAforge supports three design methods for DNA nanostructures and two for RNA nanostructures. The tool enables the design, visualisation and sequence generation for highly complex wireframe nanostructures with a simple fully automated process. DNAforge is freely accessible at https://dnaforge.org/.

The Awareness And Use Of Electronic Information Resources Among Non-Academic Staff Of University Of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria, Abdulwaliy Oloruntobi Akinnubi, Oluwafemi Emmanuel Amupitan, Temitope Joseph Babatunde

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Electronic Information Resources (EIRS) has become the choice platform for academics, non-academics, and researchers primarily for their capacity to accommodate and retrieve information resources online. Therefore, It is understandable why EIRS is embraced daily by both established and aspiring scholars and students in academic institutions globally. It has been shown in literature over time that the awareness and usage of EIRS have influenced people to become more innovative and technologically savvy neighbors. This work, therefore, intends to explore the depth of awareness and usage of Electronic resources by Non-Academic staff of the University of Ilorin. The study has adopted quantitative …

Development Of The Roadway Pothole Management Program, Dingxin Cheng

Mineta Transportation Institute

Addressing the issue of potholes is a primary concern for maintaining urban infrastructure. The research team has developed a prototype pothole management program. The program includes a mobile application and two machine learning models. The mobile app enables users to upload images of potholes, report relevant information, and provide driving directions to the pothole location. With the help of this application, the user can seamlessly capture images of the potholes, record pertinent information, and submit the data for necessary action. The mobile application is an essential tool in the Pothole Management Program (PMP), as it enhances the program's efficiency, effectiveness, …

Mapping Of Pavement Conditions Using Smartphone/Tablet Lidar Case Study: Sensor Performance Comparison, Calvin Beavers, Chad Day, Austin Krietemeyer, Scott M. Peterson, Yushin Ahn, Xiaojun Li

Mineta Transportation Institute

Poor road conditions affect millions of drivers, and assessing the condition of paved surfaces is a critical step towards repairing them. This project explores the feasibility of using the Apple iPad Pro LiDAR sensor as a cost-effective tool for assessing the damage and condition of paved surfaces. Our research aims to provide accurate and precise measurements using readily available consumer devices and compare the results to state-of-the-art equipment. This investigation involved visual inspection, identification, and classification of pavement distresses, followed by a comparison of the iPad and iPhone LiDAR data with a survey-grade terrestrial laser scanner. The project revealed several …

Experimental Investigation Of The Self-Healing Potential Of Bacteria For Sustainable Concrete Structures Phase 2, Andrea Calabrese, Pitiporn Asvapathanagul, Nisarg N. Patel, Nanubala Dhruvan, Austin Adams, Michael Hernandez, Douglas S. Lopez-Cruz

Mineta Transportation Institute

Concrete is a critical component of so much of the modern construction industry. This material, well known for its versatility, robustness, longevity, and strength, is well-suited for a wide range of structural applications. Nonetheless, the widespread occurrence of cracks in concrete structures, primarily attributed to its limited tensile strength, shrinkage, and overstain, imposes a considerable economic and environmental challenge when it comes to retrofitting these fissures. This study tackles this problem by harnessing bacteria tolerant to high alkaline conditions to enable Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) for the self-repair of concrete. This is achieved through an external application method, …

Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of The Roadside Transportation-Related Air Quality (Startraq 2022): Data-Driven Exposure Analysis By Transportation Modes, Jaymin Kwon, Yushin Ahn, Steve Chung

Mineta Transportation Institute

Particulate matter (PM) pollution poses significant health risks, influenced by various meteorological factors and seasonal variations. This study investigates the impact of temperature and other meteorological variables on PM10 and PM2.5 levels in Fresno County, known for high air pollution. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and generalized additive models (GAMs) assess the significance of these relationships. Analyzing data from Fresno County, we examine PM10 and PM2.5 levels across "hot" (June to August) and "cool" (September to May) seasons. Findings indicate PM10, both MLR and GAM models identify statistically significant variables, excluding temperature and wind direction in each season. However, during the …

Drosophila Nhe2 Overexpression Induces Autophagic Cell Death, Jobelle Peralta, Blake Dupriest, Daniel Orozco, Juan Reyna Pacheco, Laura Martins, Rachel Ann Soriano, Alan Wong, Ramy Wong, Bree Grillo-Hill

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process where double membrane-bound structures form around macromolecules or organelles targeted for degradation. Autophagosomes fuse with lysosomes to facilitate degradation and macromolecule recycling for homeostasis or growth in a cell autonomous manner. In cancer cells, autophagy is often up-regulated and helps cancer cells survive nutrient deprivation and stressful growth conditions. Here, we propose that the increased intracellular pH (pHi) common to cancer cells is sufficient to induce autophagic cell death. We previously developed tools to increase pHi in the Drosophila eye via overexpression of DNhe2, resulting in aberrant patterning and reduced tissue size. We examined …

Malware Classification Using Dynamically Extracted Api Call Embeddings, Sahil Aggarwal, Fabio Di Troia

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Malware classification stands as a crucial element in establishing robust computer security protocols, encompassing the segmentation of malware into discrete groupings. Recently, the emergence of machine learning has presented itself as an apt approach for addressing this challenge. Models can undergo training employing diverse malware attributes, such as opcodes and API calls, to distill valuable insights for effective classification. Within the realm of natural language processing, word embeddings assume a pivotal role by representing text in a manner that aligns closely with the proximity of similar words. These embeddings facilitate the quantification of word resemblances. This research embarks on a …

Populism’S Influence On News Content: Polarization, Political Parallelism, And Journalistic Professionalism In Rafael Correa’S Ecuador, Manel Palos Pons

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This article investigates how populism in power influenced news media in Ecuador during leftist president Rafael Correa’s presidency (2007–2017). Correa’s administration triggered a bold media reform in Ecuador challenging traditional media and promising media democratization, but his government received sharp denunciations from press freedom and media organizations which considered Ecuador as a “not free” country, especially after the passing of a Communication Law in 2013 that regulated media extensively. Through content analysis of news and opinion pieces published in 2005, 2006, 2015, 2016, and 2018 by Ecuador’s main legacy newspapers, El Comercio and El Universo, different legal and political contexts …