Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Vacations On Urban Women's Well-Being From The Perspective Of Feminist Urbanism, Jie Gao, Deborah Kerstetter, Tianfu Wang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Vacations are known to foster well-being outcomes, yet few researchers have accounted for the influence of individual attributes such as gender, residential setting, or cultural context. As a result, there is a noticeable gap in the well-being literature concerning well-being outcomes for female travelers whose subjectivities have been shaped in as well as by their residential environment (urban) and culture. Using qualitative inquiry informed by the feminist urbanism perspective, this study uncovered urban Chinese women's cognitive representations of well-being outcomes from vacations. Findings revealed that vacations provide liberation from cultural constraints, boosting of social bonds and relationship building, enabling reflection …

The Potential For Fuel Reduction To Reduce Wildfire Intensity In A Warming California, Patrick T. Brown, Scott J. Strenfel, Richard B. Bagley, Craig B. Clements

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Increasing fuel aridity due to climate warming has and will continue to increase wildfire danger in California. In addition to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, one of the primary proposals for counteracting this increase in wildfire danger is a widespread expansion of hazardous fuel reductions. Here, we quantify the potential for fuel reduction to reduce wildfire intensity using empirical relationships derived from historical observations with a novel combination of spatiotemporal resolution (0.375 km, instantaneous) and extent (48 million acres, 9 years). We use machine learning to quantify relationships between sixteen environmental conditions (including ten fuel characteristics and four temperature-affected aridity …

Biomechanical Risk Classification In Repetitive Lifting Using Multi-Sensor Electromyography Data, Revised National Institute For Occupational Safety And Health Lifting Equation, And Deep Learning, Fatemeh Davoudi Kakhki, Hardik Vora, Armin Moghadam

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Repetitive lifting tasks in occupational settings often result in shoulder injuries, impacting both health and productivity. Accurately assessing the biomechanical risk of these tasks remains a significant challenge in occupational ergonomics, particularly within manufacturing environments. Traditional assessment methods frequently rely on subjective reports and limited observations, which can introduce bias and yield incomplete evaluations. This study addresses these limitations by generating and utilizing a comprehensive dataset containing detailed time-series electromyography (EMG) data from 25 participants. Using high-precision wearable sensors, EMG data were collected from eight muscles as participants performed repetitive lifting tasks. For each task, the lifting index was calculated …

Feedbacks Between Fjord Circulation, Mélange Melt, And The Subglacial Discharge Plume At Kangerlussuaq Glacier, East Greenland, M. Wood, I. Fenty, A. Khazendar, J. K. Willis

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In recent decades, the Greenland ice sheet has been losing ice and contributing substantially to global sea level rise. Approximately half of this recent loss is due to glacier acceleration, increasing the calving of icebergs into the ocean. This process has been linked with increased ocean heat content on the continental shelf, yet the pathways delivering this heat into Greenland's fjords and its interactions with fjord-scale processes modulating glacier ice loss are still unclear. In this study, we use a series of numerical ocean model configurations to examine feedbacks between ocean circulation, subglacial discharge, submarine glacier melt, and ice mélange …

Intelligent Blind Crossings For Suburban And Rural Intersections, Shahab Tayeb

Mineta Transportation Institute

Blind intersections in suburban and rural areas pose significant safety challenges due to limited visibility and inadequate infrastructure. This project proposes an innovative solution leveraging the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) paradigm, utilizing connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) for seamless communication to enhance safety at these intersections. The research focuses on developing a specialized Road-Side Unit (RSU) system equipped with a Virtual Traffic Light Algorithm implemented on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Key stakeholders, including transportation authorities, vehicle manufacturers, and local communities, stand to benefit from this initiative. The RSU system acts as a critical infrastructure component, facilitating efficient intersection management …

What Tackles Vehicle Ghg Emissions In California: Regional Plan Adoption Or Local Leadership?, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Serena Alexander, Branka Tatarevic

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The California Senate Bill No. 375 (SB 375) serves as a model policy for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by integrating transportation and land-use planning through regional and local policies. The 18 California Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are tasked with developing Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) to guide emissions reductions, often implemented locally through Climate Action Plans (CAPs). However, CAPs are voluntary, and misalignment with SCS objectives can undermine their effectiveness. This study examined 25 California cities using content analysis and regression modeling to explore whether independent local actions, supported by community engagement, activist strategies, and leadership, are more effective than …

Spartan Daily, January 30, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 164, Issue 4

Is Buddhist View Of Mental States In Consonance With The Foundational Tenets Of Their System?: Investigating Nyāya And Buddhist Debate On Perception In Jayanta Bhatta’S Nyāyamanjari, Ajay K. Verma

Comparative Philosophy

The first noble truth in Buddhism points toward a purely phenomenal experience. Though purely qualitative in nature, the experience of suffering has an existential aspect. As stated in the second noble truth, suffering has a cause that relates to our situatedness in the world. Notwithstanding, the cause of suffering has to be something external to the mental state of suffering itself. Some of the more recent studies on mental states suggest two different positions on the nature of mental states. One may view mental states as self-referential, reflexive and purely qualitative in nature; alternatively, one could view them as transitive …

Epistemic Injustices In Philosophical Practice: African And Western, Michael Omoge

Comparative Philosophy

Arguably, there is a Eurocentric problem in philosophical practice, which, among many other things, has unwarrantedly given Western analytic philosophy an identity power that governs our collective social imagination regarding the ideal philosophy. In this paper, I argue that in both the African and Western philosophical communities, this identity power makes it such that the African analytic philosopher is the victim of different forms of epistemic injustice. In the African community, he is a victim of epistemic withdrawal and epistemic meekness; in the Western community, he is a victim of epistemic gatekeeping. I characterize these forms of epistemic injustice, setting …

Epicurus And The Buddha On Desire, Andrew Alwood

Comparative Philosophy

The philosophies of Epicurus and the Buddha aim to free us from suffering by helping us to recognize how ignorance and delusion lead us to pursue harmful desires. Since the problem lies in our attitudes, the solution is to change our attitudes. Like doctors healing the sick, they offer therapeutic practical advice, to remove the groundless opinions and the unhealthy desires that cause suffering. Although various misconceptions may lead us to conceive of these two thinkers as quite different with respect to values and ethics, there are remarkable similarities. Indeed, their practical advice for how to live has the same …

Vol 16 No 1 Information Page

Comparative Philosophy

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Imprints Of Colliding-Wind Dust Formation From Wr 140, Emma P. Lieb, Ryan M. Lau, Jennifer L. Hoffman, Michael F. Corcoran, Macarena Garcia Marin, Theodore R. Gull, Kenji Hamaguchi, Yinuo Han, Matthew J. Hankins, Olivia C. Jones, Thomas I. Madura, Sergey V. Marchenko, Hideo Matsuhara, Florentin Millour, Anthony F.J. Moffat, Mark R. Morris, Patrick W. Morris, Takashi Onaka, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet (WR) binaries are a prominent source of carbonaceous dust that contribute to the dust budget of galaxies. The “textbook” example of an episodic dust-producing WR binary, WR 140 (HD 193793), provides us with an ideal laboratory for investigating the dust physics and kinematics in an extreme environment. This study is among the first to utilize two separate JWST observations, from Cycle 1 ERS (2022 July) and Cycle 2 (2023 September), to measure WR 140’s dust kinematics and confirm its morphology. To measure the proper motions and projected velocities of the dust shells, we performed a novel point-spread function …

Spherical And Sessile Droplet Dynamics By Fluctuating Hydrodynamics, John B. Bell, Andrew Nonaka, Alejandro L. Garcia

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

We simulate the mesoscopic dynamics of droplets formed by phase-separated fluids at nanometer scales where thermal fluctuations are significant. Both spherical droplets fully immersed in a second fluid and sessile droplets which are also in contact with a solid surface are studied. Our model combines a Cahn-Hilliard formulation with incompressible fluctuating hydrodynamics; for sessile droplets, the fluid-solid contact angle is specified as a boundary condition. Deterministic simulations with an applied body force are used to measure the droplets' mobility from which a diffusion coefficient is obtained using the Einstein relation. Stochastic simulations are independently used to obtain a diffusion coefficient …

(Missed) Opportunities To Build Solidarity: A Critical Analysis Of Spanish-English Bilingual Children’S Books, Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica, Allison Briceño

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Two-way dual language (TWDL) programs have traditionally served white and non-Black Latinx students, with limited attention to other cultures and races. This limitation can result in the erasure of Afro-Latinx culture from bilingual programs. This study explores the ways Black characters are represented in bilingual picturebooks, which can serve to perpetuate or combat anti-blackness within bilingual education. We completed a critical content analysis of Spanish-English bilingual picturebooks that include Black or Afro-Latinx characters, employing LatCrit and BlackCrit theoretical frameworks to explore how Black characters are positioned. Findings show a significant dearth of bilingual books that include Black or Afro-Latinx characters. …

Tsao, H.-S. Jacob, San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of California, Berkeley, Operations Research, Ph.D. 1984

University of Texas at Dallas, Mathematical Statistics, MS, 1979

National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan, Applied Mathematics, BS, 1976

Characteristics Of World Class School Librarians, David V. Loertscher, Michelle Young, Charlene Peterson

Learning Hub

Over 30 school librarians across the U.S. and Canada and who had been nominated by their peers for their excellence were interviewed as a part of the AliveLibrary Project at San Jose State University. The major question was “What are the major characteristics of world class school librarians.” Each was read and rated by three researchers, and in several rounds resulted in eight major characteristics that seem to undergird high impact on teaching and learning across a wide spectrum of locations, affluence, diversity, and communities.

Science, Physiology, And Nutrition For The Nonscientist, Judi S. Morrill

Open Educational Resources

A wonderful blend of physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, genetics, biology, evolution, chemistry--what we all need to know as informed citizens. A basic knowledge of the life sciences and how our bodies work--to promote our own good health, especially as we're bombarded with misleading advertisements, soundbites, and the like. DNA fingerprinting, calorie requirements, dietary advice, genetic engineering (including gene editing with CRISPR cas9)--all in an easy-to understand book.

Carbohydrate Counting: Traditional Filipino Food Lists For Management And Prevention Of Diabetes Mellitus, Ashwini Wagle

Open Educational Resources

The Carbohydrate Counting tool was created to address the specific dietary needs of the Filipino population. It is an original intellectual work by Ashwini Wagle, Ed.D., MS, RD, Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging at San Jose State University (SJSU).

The development of this tool was made possible through the collaboration and support of several contributors. Serena Starr, MS; Justine Martinez Cuaresma, MS, RD; Nazli Goudarzi, MS; Leah Olaivar; and Joe Johnston—a graduate student in the Department—played integral roles in the project. Their contributions included verifying the authenticity of traditional foods, designing culturally appropriate meal plans, …

Realities Of Nutrition, Judi S. Morrill

Open Educational Resources

What Is Nutrition Reality? Is it in the advertising claims that a food is natural or supplies instant energy? Is it in the myriad of dietary supplements? Is it in the diet plans for instant weight loss and glowing health? The only way to find out is to learn the basic principles of nutrition science, so you can be your own nutrition expert. Here is the true introduction to nutrition that you will read with pleasure and real understanding. It will free you from dependence on popular sources of information - often misinformation - so you can distinguish illusion from …

Words And Stardom: Modernist Poetic Responses To Asta Nielsen, Karl E. Toepfer

Open Educational Resources

This essay discusses how four modernist poets portrayed the Danish movie star Asta Nilesen (1881-1972). German Hans Schiebelhuth (1895-1944) describes the "demonic" power of Nielsen's image to awaken dark aspects of his adolscent personality. For the Flemish poet Paul van Ostaijen (1896-1928), Nielsen's cinematic image provokes a radical shattering of language into extravagant "word-images." Danish writer Rudolf Broby-Johansen (1900-1987) linked Nielsen's image to a radical (Marxist) critique of oppressive sexual politics within a capitalist society. German Franz Behrens (1895-1977) composed a lengthy, expressionist ode to Nielsen from the perspective of one who actually worked as a screenwriter in the German …

Application Of Root Cause Analysis For Fall Prevention: A Quality Improvement Initiative For Older Adults In A Skilled Nursing And Long-Term Care Facility, Terrence Ranjo

Doctoral Projects

Falls in older adults are common and often have severe outcomes. They are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among people aged 65 and older and continue to increase. Half of residents in nursing facilities fall annually, and one in every ten falls will lead to a severe injury. Federal regulations like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services require long-term care (LTC) facilities to incorporate quality assurance performance improvement initiatives to address identified quality concerns in LTC facilities. Root cause analysis (RCA) can help clinicians identify several root causes of falls and guide clinicians in developing personalized …

Advocating For The Field Of Occupational Therapy Among High School Students, Linda Crabtree

Doctoral Projects

The field of occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare field that is impactful on the lives of many individuals however there is currently a lack of awareness of the field of OT due to a lack of knowledge of and interest in OT among healthcare providers and the public (Richards and Valleé, 2020). The Aim of Research. The purpose of this project is to advocate for the field of OT and assess if an introductory presentation and hands-on lab about OT’s scope can improve the interest in OT among high school students in both rural and urban environments. Methods. The …

Detecting Ai-Generated News Articles Using Unsupervised Machine Learning Algorithms, Lilou Sicard-Noel

Master's Projects

The widespread adoption of Large Language Models (LLMs) has revolutionized text generation and heightened concerns over misinformation and the erosion of journalistic integrity. Detecting AI-generated text is critical to addressing these challenges, yet current detection methods face adaptability, scalability, and accuracy limitations. This research paper uses machine-learning techniques to explore the classification of human and AI-generated articles, including a mix of human and AI-written content. The primary focus is on evaluating the effectiveness of clustering algorithms (K-Means and Agglomerative Clustering), auto-encoders, and Part-Of- Speech Tag Transition Matrix Log-Likelihood for distinguishing between AI-generated and human-written texts. Our findings reveal that while …

Automated Sponge Segmentation With Mask R-Cnn On Arms Plate Images For Reef Monitoring, Mrunali Abhijit Thokadiwala

Master's Projects

Climate change-driven ocean warming and acidification are disrupting the ecological balance of coral reefs. Notably, these oceanic conditions are undermining coral health and accelerating their decline which is favoring some sponge species in outcompeting them for dominance. Although functional, these altered reefs destabilize the reef architecture, hinder nutrient cycling, and support fewer marine species. Thus, monitoring the growth and abundance of various sponges and understanding their roles at different stages of ecological succession in coral reefs is vital. Autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) are often used for this purpose, but manual taxonomic analysis using their images is time-consuming, inconsistent and …

Disease Diagnosis Using Rag Llm With Smart Prompt Engineering, Qadeerullah Syed

Master's Projects

Although recent trends indicate that LLMs outperform traditional methods in solving complex problems with enhanced reasoning, there has been barely any progress in replicating the quality of diagnoses like those of actual human doctors. The identification of an accurate diagnosis with thorough reasoning is still a significant challenge, even with advanced AI models. The process of performing accurate diagnosis remains challenging due to a lack of transparency in state-of-the-art models existing today, a lack of explanation in the diagnosis process, an emphasis on results rather than reasoning, and a lack of foundational knowledge in models, along with limited exploration of …

Transformers In Time-Series Forecasting: Enhancing Robustness Via Dynamic Attention Mechanisms, Kush Patel

Master's Projects

Transformer architectures have emerged as powerful tools for time series forecasting, excelling at capturing complex temporal dependencies across multivariate inputs. However, these models are highly susceptible to adversarial attacks such as the Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM) and Basic Iterative Method (BIM), which can significantly degrade predictive performance through small, targeted perturbations. This work integrates dynamic attention mechanisms, adaptive masking modules that introduce controlled variability into attention pathways, into a transformer forecasting model to enhance robustness against such attacks. Using two distinct datasets, we compare the performance of a standard transformer and a dynamic attention-enhanced transformer under both clean and …

Rul Estimation Of N-Cmapss Turbofan Engines Using Deep Learning With Customized Penalty And Expanded Sensors, Prathmesh Pethkar

Master's Projects

Accurate prediction of Remaining Useful Life (RUL) for aircraft engines is important to enhance maintenance efficiency and flight safety. For this project, a solution to RUL prediction on NASA's N-CMAPSS data set, mimicking realistic engine degradation under simulated full-flight scenarios, is being proposed. For addressing the high-dimensional noisy sensor data challenge, a new feature engineering pipeline was utilized. Models trained on healthy data predict normal sensor behavior, and the discrepancy between these predictions—referred to as residual features—is a measure of degradation. To handle the size and computational demands of the dataset, training was conducted on Google Cloud Platform using GPU-supported …

Moving Target Defense With Quantized Morphence: Defense Quantification Against Common Adversaries In Image And Time Series Problems, Rithika Dhamala

Master's Projects

In recent years, the vulnerability of deep learning models to adversarial attacks has emerged as a serious threat, particularly in domains where reliability and robustness are critical. This project builds upon the Morphence framework, a Moving Target Defense (MTD) strategy designed to counter adversarial threats by maintaining a dynamic pool of models and introducing randomness at inference time. While Morphence was originally developed for image classification tasks, this work not only reproduces the original architecture using MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets but also extends the core principles to an entirely new domain: time series forecasting. The project proposes a unified defense …

Retrieval-Augmented Generation For Survival Analysis In Cancers: Methods And Evaluation On The Surveillance, Epidemiology, And End Results Database, Jyothi Vaidyanathan

Master's Projects

Healthcare is one of the most important fields that benefits from advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI). From classic models like linear regression to cuttingedge transformers, AI is applied across various healthcare subdomains, such as drug discovery, predictive analytics, and personalized medicine, to name a few. These techniques enable medical practitioners to make more informed decisions, significantly improving both the speed and accuracy of diagnoses and treatments. Machine learning has played a transformative role in oncology, especially in areas like early detection, diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient monitoring, by analyzing medical images, clinical information, genomic data, sensor information. Our research aims …

Ai-Based Dynamic Spectrum Allocation Model For Wireless Network Management, Sai Sashank Peddibhotla

Master's Projects

The growth of wireless communication has introduced challenges in the dynamic and resource contrived space which is the efficient utilization of bandwidth and spectrum. This research presents a model for dynamic spectrum allocation with the help of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for feature extraction and the Deep Q-Network (DQN) model’s reinforcement learning architecture. The CNN captures both spatial and temporal features of the network states and gives them to the DQN for optimal allocation decision making. This CNN-DQN architecture effectively implements spectrum resource allocation in wireless networks and adapts to resource allocation changes within performance bounds. The system’s performance is …