Digital Commons Network^™

Association Between Dietary Self-Perception And Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Young Adults Latinas, Mi Zhou, A. Susana Ramirez, Angela Xu, Jacqueline Bergman

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Objective: To investigate the relationship between self-perceived overall dietary healthfulness and self-reported sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among young adult Latinas, accounting for socioeconomic and acculturation-related factors. Design: Cross-sectional analysis using survey data. SSB intake was assessed using the BEVQ-15, and dietary self-perception was measured via a two-item scale. Multiple linear regression models examined associations between self-perception and total daily SSB intake, adjusting for income, education, and two validated acculturation indicators. Setting: Participants were recruited from a national online panel across the United States. Participants: A total of 881 Latina women aged 18–29 years participated. After removing cases with invalid outcome …

Spartan Daily, April 9, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 31

Spartan Daily, April 8, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 30

Audio Based Intelligence For Smart Autonomous Vehicles Using Deep Reinforcement Learning, Sweekruthi Balivada, Mansi Sanjaybhai Tanna, Meera Alpesh Dhedia, Jane Wu, Jerry Gao

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Efficient Advancements in intelligent transportation systems increasingly demand multimodal sensing frameworks capable of operating reliably under noisy, unpredictable real-world conditions. This research presents a Smart Car Audio Intelligence framework that leverages Machine Learn- ing (ML) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) to enhance real-time vehicle perception, safety, and situational awareness. Unlike traditional single-modality or static audio models, our approach integrates four specialized submodules - Emergency, Alert, Environmental/Human sounds, and Accident detection models which are each optimized through a combination of Transformer, CLAP, and CRNN architectures, augmented with adaptive RL agents. The ML models achieved strong baseline performance across all categories, with up …

Preparation And Characterization Of Double-Network Composite Hydrogels With Carboxymethyl Pachymaran In Promoting Wound Healing, Haodong Wu, Xi Feng, Zhinan Mei, Wen Huang, Ying Liu

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Utilizing food-derived bioactive polysaccharides in advanced biomedical applications offers significant potential. To effectively harness the inherent bioactivity of Poria cocos, a renowned edible and medicinal fungus, we developed a multifunctional double-network composite hydrogel (CPS) via a feasible one-pot strategy. This was achieved by incorporating functional carboxymethyl pachymaran (CMP) into a matrix of food-grade sodium alginate (SA) and polyacrylamide (PAM). This formulation endows the hydrogel with excellent extensibility, rapid self-healing capabilities, and strong tissue adhesion, all while preserving the biological activity of the natural macromolecules. In a mouse full-thickness skin defect model, the CPS significantly accelerated wound recovery, achieving a healing …

Spartan Daily, April 7, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 29

Simulations Of A High Ozone Episode And Heatwave Day Using A Coupled Multi-Layer Urban Canopy And Chemistry Model, H. Gamarro, W. M. Angevine, B. C. Mcdonald, R. Bornstein, P. Ramamurthy, F. Moshary, L. M. Judd, J. E. González-Cruz

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Coastal cities face critical challenges in managing ozone pollution because of high population density and complex interactions between urbanization and coastal meteorology. Using New York City (NYC) as a case study, this work examines how urban surfaces influence heatwaves, sea-breeze circulations, and boundary-layer dynamics, and how these processes shape nitrogen dioxide ((Formula presented.)) distributions and ozone formation. Observations from the 2018 Long Island Sound Tropospheric Ozone Study (LISTOS), collected with an airborne high-resolution ultraviolet–visible spectrometer, provide tropospheric (Formula presented.) column densities for evaluating the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) in multiple urban canopy configurations. Results show …

Is Nostalgia The Hidden Mechanic Of Mmorpgs?, Zoee Sowders

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Since the advent of online gaming, MMORPG video games have allowed players to socialize and collaborate within the bounds of a virtual world. For many, these online worlds were an escape from their daily lives, a place where they could meet people with similar interests and embark on adventures impossible in real life.1 While many of the early MMORPG games faded into obscurity after the genre lost its shiny new sparkle, there are still a handful today that maintain player counts in the millions even after nearly two decades of operation. Specifically, World of Warcraft, Runescape, and Final Fantasy XIV …

Matlas-42, A Globular Cluster-Rich Ultra-Diffuse Galaxy That Diverges From The ‘Failed Galaxy’ Formation Pathway, Jonah S. Gannon, Duncan A. Forbes, Francine R. Marleau, Anna Ferré-Mateu, Aaron J. Romanowsky, Maria Luisa Buzzo, Jean P. Brodie

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

To date, there has been significant interest in globular cluster (GC)-rich ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) and the evidence that they have formed via an unexpected, ‘failed galaxy’ formation pathway. The majority of the evidence for ‘failed galaxy’ UDGs originates from spectroscopic observations targeting passive GC-rich UDGs, with a focus on those residing in galaxy clusters. In this work, we study the gas-rich, GC-rich group UDG MATLAS-42 and derive its stellar population properties using the Keck Cosmic Web Imager. We measure a redshift for the galaxy (VR,⋆ = 2433 ± 8 km s^-1), confirming the previous assumptions that it is …

Library 5.0 And Predictive Intelligence: A Conceptual Literature Review, Shrikant Ramteke

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Purpose In this paper, the author will explore the nature of predictive intelligence developed in modern libraries as part of the overall progression of libraries toward Library 5.0. It aims to give a conceptual clarity of what predictive services are, how they have been influenced by technology and ethics, and how they fit into existing traditions of librarianship.

Design/methodology/approach This paper utilizes a qualitative, conceptual literature review method as a scholarly inquiry. Approximately 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and institutional reports published after 2018 and before 2025 were purposively sampled from leading databases in library and information science and information …

Development And Service Performance Of Active Anti-Icing Pavement Materials For Energy Efficiency Optimization Of Low-Enthalpy Geothermal Deicing Systems, Junming Mo, Jiading Jiang, Ke Wu, Lei Qu, Wenbin Wei, Jinfu Zhu

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

To address high thermal loads and energy costs in Geothermal Road Snow-Melting Systems (GRSSs) within cold regions, this study optimizes energy efficiency through material-level intervention. We developed a composite anti-icing modifier synergistic with low enthalpy geothermal systems, comprising slow-release agents, anti-corrosive components, reinforcing materials, and active chloride salts. By regulating the thermodynamic boundary of the pavement, the freezing point is suppressed to −21 °C. This eliminates the requirement for positive pavement temperatures, significantly reducing the design thermal power. Chloride ion release patterns were analyzed via dissolution and 20-day soaking tests to evaluate structural durability. Results show optimal performance at a …

Spartan Daily, March 26, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 28

Spartan Daily, March 24, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 26

Braiding Epistemologies: A Testimonio Of A Woman Of Color Coach Creating Space In California Community College Athletics, Erika Marie Vargas

Dissertations

This qualitative ethnographic study examined the experiences of one woman of color intercollegiate coach navigating her path to a head coaching position within the California Community College (CCC) system using testimonio. Drawing on interviews with the head coach, her mentor, assistant coach, and a former athlete supported by ethnographic fieldnotes, the study analyzed her experiences through Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Epistemology, Chicana Feminist Epistemology, and a newly articulated Indigenous Feminist Epistemology centered on relational accountability, embodied knowledge, ancestral grounding, and community responsibility. Findings show that her coaching developed within institutional structures not designed for women of color. She navigated …

What Holds High-Speed Rail Back: Lessons From Global Systems And California’S Experience, Deepak K. Sharma, Rajnish Lekhi, Scott Parr

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report examines benefits and challenges of integrating California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) with other rail systems and reviews California legislation impacting HSR’s contracting and financing alternatives. The research compares CHSR with high-speed rail systems around the world to identify similarities and differences in costs, speeds, ridership, and operating conditions. It also reviews Japan’s Land Readjustment Act as a model for value capture and land assembly and explores international experiences on rail integration, along with U.S. cases from the East Coast and Los Angeles. A review of California’s transportation legislation highlights how laws for highways and bridges differ from those for …

Cycling Past 50: A Closer Look Into The World Of Older Cyclists, Year 5 Survey, Carol Kachadoorian

Mineta Transportation Institute

This document reports on approximately 2,800 responses to a North American survey of older adults who cycle. The survey, open from March 2024 through February 2025, included questions that captured a person’s cycling over their life course, as well as their current cycling styles, habits, and preferences. Responses reflect the impact of various factors on an older adult’s cycling habits with respect to their ability and agility and their expectation to continue cycling. The survey asked about falls and near misses in the past year, coding fall descriptions into six categories and sorting them by the respondent’s gender and age. …

Assessing Flash Drought Development And Propagation Across The Contiguous United States Using Remote Sensing, Masoud Zeraati, Alireza Farahmand, Richard Seager, Hayley J. Fowler, Nima Madani, Nicholas Parazoo, Colin Manning, Christopher J. White, Yixin Wen, Ali Mehran, Amir Aghakouchak

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Flash droughts are characterized by rapid onset and intensification, with severe impacts on agriculture and ecosystems. They often begin as meteorological droughts and, if conditions worsen, evolve into agricultural droughts. While precipitation deficit is often the primary driver, atmospheric and hydrological anomalies can exacerbate flash drought development. This study characterizes flash droughts across the Contiguous United States using remote sensing data from 2003 to 2020. A combination of satellite-derived meteorological, agricultural, and ecological variables are used to investigate large-scale flash drought development. Events are defined using root-zone soil moisture. We used the Aridity Index to assess how background aridity influences …

Spartan Daily, March 19, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 25

Evidence Of Emperor Penguins’ Sensitivity To Sea Ice Fluctuations, Rose T.N. Foster-Dyer, David Iles, Leo Salas, David G. Ainley, Birgitte Mcdonald, Sharon Stammerjohn, Lise Viollat, David Ortega, Annie E. Schmidt, Grant Ballard, Carolynne Hultquist, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Michelle Larue

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Using satellite-derived abundance indices over 20 years, we investigated population change among the seven Ross Sea emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colonies. We found a 90% probability that the Ross Sea metapopulation had lower springtime attendance between 2005 and 2024 (mean change = -23%; 95% CI: -46 to +20%). We identified two distinct phases of change: slightly increasing 2005 to 2019/2020, followed by a steep decline 2020-2024, resulting in a decrease of approximately 23 000 birds in 5 years or approximately 32% of the regional population. Over the 20 years, the two southernmost colonies, Cape Crozier and Cape Colbeck, increased in …

Spartan Daily, March 17, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 23

Physics-Informed Neural Network For The Simulation Of Turbulent Jet Grout Flow, Rakam Lama Tamang, Yichuan Zhu, Joseph Coe

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study presents a physics-informed neural network (PINN) framework to simulate axisymmetric submerged jet grout flow using high-fidelity data generated from ANSYS Fluent simulations. The CFD model solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the k-ε turbulence closure model, converted into axisymmetric form to reflect jet grouting. The PINN incorporates continuity, RANS equations, and turbulence closure equations into the loss function, enabling it to learn turbulent flow physics without requiring mesh generation. Separate neural networks were used for each flow variables—axial velocity (U), radial velocity (V), pressure (P), turbulent kinetic energy (k), and dissipation rate (ε). The model was …

Activation-Guided Layer Selection For Lora, Aditya Dawadikar, Pooja Shyamsundar, Rashmi Vishwanath Bhat, Navrati Saxena

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) has become a widely adopted parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT) technique for large language models (LLMs). LoRA’s benefits stem from its light weight and modular adapters. Standard LoRA applies adapters uniformly across all Transformer layers, implicitly assuming that each layer contributes equally to task adaptation. However, LLMs are found to have internal substructures that contribute in a disproportionate manner. In this work, we provide a theoretical analysis of how LoRA weight updates are influenced by a layer’s activation magnitude. We propose Act-LoRA, a simple activation-guided layer selection strategy for selective Low-Rank Adaptation. We evaluate this strategy for both encoder-only …

From Protocol To Action: Critical Perspectives On Earthquake Preparedness In Mexico, Sandra Vaiciulyte, David A. Novelo-Casanova, Thalia Anagnos, Gerardo Suárez

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Purpose – This study explores perceptions and reactions to earthquake preparedness education, earthquake early warning (EEW) systems and earthquake drill protocols in Mexico, as well as potential strategies to make these earthquake preparedness tools more effective and meaningful. Design/methodology/approach – Eleven Focus Groups were conducted with 109 students from diverse academic and social backgrounds of the two largest public universities in Mexico. The findings were validated on a broader participant group using questionnaires, focused solely on the drill, administered to two populations at two distinct institutions following the 2025 National Earthquake Drill in Mexico City. Findings – Focus group findings …

Spartan Daily, March 11, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 21

Ocean Observing System Design: Transatlantic Acoustic Propagation For Acoustic Thermometry, Brian D. Dushaw, Dimitris Menemenlis, John A. Colosi

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Ocean acoustic thermometry is simulated in the North Atlantic using two global ocean state estimates to assess its potential contributions to the Global Ocean Observing System. Acoustic data were simulated for transatlantic acoustic propagation from Cabo Verde to Bermuda, a 4183-km archetypal path across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Acoustic scattering by internal waves was simulated using a range-dependent, stochastic model added to the ocean state estimates. While the Ridge blocks acoustic propagation traveling deeper than about 3000 m, and internal-wave sound speed scintillations cause prohibitive scattering of later-arriving rays, it is apparent that O(10) acoustic ray arrivals on this path are …

Spartan Daily, March 10, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 20

Addressing Failing Water Systems: A Qualitative Protocol For Intervention Research On Water Insecurity, Patrick Thomson, Melissa Beresford, Jobayer Hossain, Cara Jacob, Carolina Jordão, Oswaldo Medina-Ramírez, Sophie Neems, Daniel Salcedo Serrano, Dave White, Amber Wutich

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

It is increasingly acknowledged that high income countries do not enjoy universal drinking water coverage, with pockets of water insecurity persisting close to areas that have had high-quality, centralized water provision for half a century or more. The reasons behind this are complex, and effective ways to improve water security in these areas defy simple prescriptions. Nuanced measures that disaggregate the different facets of water insecurity are especially important as we attempt to understand and, crucially, improve water security in high-income countries.In this paper, we describe a qualitative protocol for assessing water insecurity at the household level in a study …

Radiv2: An Adaptable And Versatile Diagenetic Model For Coastal And Open-Ocean Sediments, Hinne F. Van Der Zant, Olivier Sulpis, Jack J. Middelburg, Matthew P. Humphreys, Raphaël Savelli, Dustin Carroll, Dimitris Menemenlis, Kay Sušelj, Vincent Le Fouest

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Ocean biogeochemistry is being altered by anthropogenic processes such as warming, acidification, eutrophication, and deoxygenation. Global-ocean biogeochemistry models are essential for investigating present and projecting future conditions, yet they often lack detailed representations of seafloor processes, despite the seafloor’s important role in material exchange between the biosphere and geosphere. To improve the representation of exchange across the sediment-water interface, we present RADIv2, a flexible and computationally efficient diagenetic model designed to simulate benthic biogeochemical processes across a range of marine environments, from coastal zones to abyssal plains. RADIv2 incorporates key features such as benthic methane cycling, a hydrodynamically controlled diffusive …

Public Perception Of Risk In Missing Persons Investigations, Harry Lockett, Stefana Juncu

International Journal of Missing Persons

The current study investigated public perceptions of risk in missing person cases. A total of 271 participants were sequentially presented with five fictional vignettes describing missing individuals. Each case included a baseline description of the disappearance being "out of character" and four of these cases were paired with an additional risk factor: substance abuse, depression, dementia, or repeat missing status. The gender of the missing person was also manipulated between participants. Participants rated each case using both the standard categorical scale (Low/Medium/High) and an Extended Scale ranging from 1 to 7 and were also invited to respond to exploratory items …

‘‘If It Bleeds, Does It Lead?’: Lived Experiences Of Media Engagement For Families Of Missing Persons., Sarah Wayland Professor, Loren O'Keeffe, Syadani Riyad Fatema, Amy-Louise Byrne Dr, Elizabeth Paton

International Journal of Missing Persons

The media plays an important role in a missing persons case. Media is a powerful tool in raising public awareness and support, traversing police investigation, family liaison, and the business of media. This article reports on a focus group of seven people with a long-term missing family member, and two focus group facilitators, one of whom was also the family member of a missing person (n=9). The aim of the study was to better understand how people, who have lived experience of a family member missing, participate in media opportunities, to understand impact. Thematic analysis generated five major themes 1) …