Digital Commons Network^™

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

Mineta Transportation Institute

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

Oxygenation Influences Xylose Fermentation And Gene Expression In The Yeast Genera Spathaspora And Scheffersomyces, Katharina O. Barros, Megan Mader, David J. Krause, Jasmyn Pangilinan, Bill Andreopoulos, Anna Lipzen, Stephen J. Mondo, Igor V. Grigoriev, Carlos A. Rosa, Trey K. Sato, Chris Todd Hittinger

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Cost-effective production of biofuels from lignocellulose requires the fermentation of d-xylose. Many yeast species within and closely related to the genera Spathaspora and Scheffersomyces (both of the order Serinales) natively assimilate and ferment xylose. Other species consume xylose inefficiently, leading to extracellular accumulation of xylitol. Xylitol excretion is thought to be due to the different cofactor requirements of the first two steps of xylose metabolism. Xylose reductase (XR) generally uses NADPH to reduce xylose to xylitol, while xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) generally uses NAD+ to oxidize xylitol to xylulose, creating an imbalanced redox pathway. This imbalance is thought to be …

Spartan Daily, November 26,2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 39

Effect Of Specimen Size On The Tensile Properties Of Selective Laser Melted Ti-6ai-4v, Timothy L. Tan

Master's Theses

Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) is a burgeoning industry. It is capable of manufacturing metal components with fine, intricate features and enables localized microstructural control. Due to its fine resolution and compatibility with common engineering alloys, selective laser melting (SLM) is one particular MAM process popular in academia and industry. The biomedical and aerospace industries have shown exceptional interest in the capabilities of SLM with the alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Because SLM Ti-6Al-4V components are aimed for use in critical applications, it is necessary to understand how SLM processing characteristics affect final part performance. One characteristic of SLM Ti-6Al- 4V that requires further …

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

Master's Theses

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

Enhancing Cross-Cultural Communication In Low-Resource Language Conversational Agents, Hardi V. Trivedi

Master's Theses

Recent advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs) have facilitated the development of systems capable of generating human-like responses across a wide range of tasks. However, the majority of research has focused predominantly on English, overlooking the vast linguistic diversity globally. For true global inclusivity, extending research to other languages is crucial, particularly as it can significantly benefit various sectors such as business, healthcare, government, and education. A major challenge in this expansion is the scarcity of digital data available and the limited number of pre-trained models for low-resource languages. Our research specifically addresses these challenges …

The Impacts Of Recreational Infrastructure On Mammal Use Of Riparian Zones In Northern California Regional Parks, Emily A. Matthews

Master's Theses

Public lands have been important for the protection of riparian habitats; however, many public lands are also used for recreation, which can reduce mammal habitat use. Understanding how mammals are affected by recreation in riparian areas can help guide management decisions. The goal of this research is to understand the effect of recreation on mammal use of riparian habitats in two popular East Bay Regional Parks, Charles Lee Tilden and Wildcat Canyon, and to map the extent of that impact. Cameras were deployed in the riparian areas of a high, moderate, and low development site (Alvarado, Tilden, and Wildcat Canyon) …

The Moderating Role Of Meaningful Work On The Relationship Between Loss Of Self-Identity And Psychological Well-Being In Retired Collegiate Athletes, Sarah M. Kurd

Master's Theses

Collegiate athletes are a focal point for many universities. These student-athletes work most of their lives to make it to the university level. Many collegiate athletes aspire to make it to the professional level after they graduate from college, but only a rare handful make it to the top. The rest of the athlete population retires and is placed into a world of “normalcy,” but the transition out of athletics can be very challenging, impacting a person’s psychological well-being. Most of these athletes will have to work a professional job after leaving sports. The present study aimed to examine the …

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

Master's Theses

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

Gait Measurement Descriptions Of Human Tracks, Robert Speiden

International Journal of Missing Persons

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

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

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

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 33

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

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 32

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

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

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

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

Mineta Transportation Institute

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

Case Study: Impact Analysis Of Roof-Top Green Infrastructure On Urban System Sustainability In San José, Ca, Indumathi Jeyachandran, Juneseok Lee

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This paper presents results from a case study focusing on analyzing impacts of Green Infrastructure (GI) on sensible and latent heat fluxes, urban microclimate and the subsequent water–energy nexus components of an urban infrastructure system. The case study, focusing on the campus of a public university in San José, CA, aimed to quantify the pre- and post-conditions for a hypothetical GI implementation, which is in support of San José State University’s (SJSU) robust sustainability initiatives, which are also aligned with Silicon Valley’s broader strategic goals. The results revealed that a reduction of 0.3 °C in the average daily peak maximum …

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

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

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

L&D On-Ramps And Off-Ramps For The Mobility Workforce: A Blueprint For Knowledge Ecosystem Formation In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Tyler Reeb, Barbara Taylor, James Reuter

Mineta Transportation Institute

After a yearlong consensus study, this report presents a blueprint with implementation tools and strategies for CSULB and other CSU campuses to adopt a knowledge ecosystem model in higher education. By conducting talent pipeline pilots for internship preparation activities and related survey and focus group research, the research team found near universal support for pursuing university-industry partnerships. Faculty identified extracurricular activities, experiential learning opportunities, and guidance on further education as their top three priorities when mentoring students in professional development. There was, however, a paradoxical perception among faculty about what universities provide in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) …

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

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 30

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

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 29

Scale-Dependent Drivers Of Air-Sea Co2 Flux Variability, Amanda R. Fay, Dustin Carroll, Galen A. Mckinley, Dimitris Menemenlis, Hong Zhang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In climate studies, it is crucial to distinguish between changes caused by natural variability and those resulting from external forcing. Here we use a suite of numerical experiments based on the ECCO-Darwin ocean biogeochemistry model to separate the impact of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) growth rate and climate on the ocean carbon sink — with a goal of disentangling the space-time variability of the dominant drivers. When globally integrated, the variable atmospheric growth rate and climate exhibit similar magnitude impacts on ocean carbon uptake. At local scales, interannual variability in air-sea CO2 flux is dominated by climate. The implications …

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

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 26

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

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 25

Influence Of Social Media And Information Behaviour Of Postgraduate Students In Federal University Of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria, Philip Chike Aghadiuno Dr., Michael Akan Afukidang, Ebaye Asenath Sylvester

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was carried out on influence of social media and information behaviour of postgraduate students in Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Three research questions and one (1) hypothesis guided the study. Descriptive research design was used, the population of the study consist of 462 postgraduate students of Federal University Lafia. Taro Yamane was used to determine the sample size of 214. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher designed questionnaire. Data generated from the research question was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation while hypothesis was tested using Chi-square. The results …

The Effects Of Internal Training And Job Satisfaction Of Library Staff In Some Selected University Libraries In South-South, Nigeria, Okoh Helen Ewere, Ogonwa Jacinta, Ugbenyo Safiya, Ezeanuna Ginika, Ufuoma Eruvwe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated the effect of Internal trainings and job satisfaction of library staff in some selected university libraries in South-South, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design using questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The population of the study consists of 89 library staff which was randomly picked. A total of 89 questionnaires were distributed only 78 were retrieved. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics mean and percentage mean score of 2.5 and above and percentage score of 50% were considered. The revealed that the effects of internal trainings of library staff in some selected university …

A New Ecosystem Model For Arctic Phytoplankton Phenology From Ice-Covered To Open-Water Periods: Implications For Future Sea Ice Retreat Scenarios, Jang Geun Choi, Atsushi Matsuoka, Manfredi Manizza, Dustin Carroll, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Thomas Lippmann

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

To predict ecosystem change in the Arctic Ocean, understanding Arctic phytoplankton phenology is essential. We develop a marine ecosystem model focusing on phytoplankton dynamics and the competition for multiple resources based on knowledge from in situ data obtained in the Chukchi Sea. The model is designed to include the unique ecological characteristics of the Arctic Ocean. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first model successfully simulating the current paradigm for Arctic phytoplankton phenology, including both under-ice blooms and succession of phytoplankton groups. Sensitivity experiments show that the dominance of diatoms can be sustained by lateral transport of …

Spartan Daily, October 15, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 22

Exploring The Impact Of Lighting Sources On Walking Behavior In Obstructed Walkways Among Older Adults, Yue Luo, Yuhao Chen, Gaojian Huang, Boyi Hu

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The pandemic has reinforced older adults' reliance on their homes and the concept of “aging in place”. Changes like reduced physical strength and cognitive deficit, however, have heightened the challenge of simple tasks like obstacle crossing among older adults, let alone when older adults cannot perceive the surroundings well during the nighttime. The study is, therefore, to evaluate the impact of lighting on older adults' obstacle-crossing behavior during the nighttime. Twenty-seven older adults (81 ± 6 yrs., 171 ± 12 cm, 75 ± 20 kg, 14 females) were recruited. Participants were asked to cross over the obstacle in a dark …

A (Sub)Field Guide To Quality Control In Hippocampal Subfield Segmentation On High-Resolution T2-Weighted Mri, Kelsey L. Canada, Negar Mazloum-Farzaghi, Gustaf Rådman, Jenna N. Adams, Arnold Bakker, Hannah Baumeister, David Berron, Martina Bocchetta, Valerie A. Carr, Marshall A. Dalton, Robin De Flores, Attila Keresztes, Renaud La Joie, Susanne G. Mueller, Naftali Raz, Tales Santini, Thomas Shaw, Craig E.L. Stark, Tammy T. Tran

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Inquiries into properties of brain structure and function have progressed due to developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To sustain progress in investigating and quantifying neuroanatomical details in vivo, the reliability and validity of brain measurements are paramount. Quality control (QC) is a set of procedures for mitigating errors and ensuring the validity and reliability of brain measurements. Despite its importance, there is little guidance on best QC practices and reporting procedures. The study of hippocampal subfields in vivo is a critical case for QC because of their small size, inter-dependent boundary definitions, and common artifacts in the MRI data …

Antibiofilm Activity Of Pdms/Tio2 Against Candida Glabrata Through Inhibited Hydrophobic Recovery, Khoi Nguyen Nguyen, Leena Sao, Kevin Kyllo, Danitza Hernandez, Samantha Salomon, Kalp Shah, Dahyun Oh, Katy C. Kao

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Coatings with antibiofilm properties are desirable for biomedical applications. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been explored as an antimicrobial agent in materials development primarily due to it being an excellent photocatalyst. Candida glabrata (C. glabrata) is an emerging human fungal pathogen with known high resistance to oxidative stress. Here, we fabricated a polydimethylsiloxane/titanium dioxide (PDMS/TiO2) nanocomposite coating and tested its antibiofilm activities against C. glabrata. The resulting nanocomposite exhibited >50% reduction in C. glabrata biofilm formation with 2.5 wt % TiO2 loading, even in the dark. Through ROS detection and surface characterization, the antibiofilm activity was attributed to the synergistic interaction …

Influence Of Mindfulness On Online Information Searching Strategies Of The University Of Ibadan Undergraduate Students, Abiola Moses Akinwale Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The objective of the study was to determine the impact of mindfulness on online information search strategies of undergraduate students at the University of Ibadan. The study assessed the level of online information search strategies, and mindfulness dimension, aiming at identifying the relationship between the independent variable (mindfulness dimension) on online information search strategies. The study was conducted on undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan.

The research adopted a correlational research survey design, with a total population of 11,812 students across seven faculties that were purposively determined, and a sample of 387 using Yamane (1967) sampling formula. The data …