Digital Commons Network^™

Relationship Between Depression, Rumination, And Emotionally Valenced Working Memory Performance, Dewey Tran

Master's Theses

Working memory is limited in capacity and easily disrupted such that mood states and competing cognitive processes can impair performance. Rumination is highly associated with depression that may contribute to impaired working memory but has not often been studied. The goal of this study was to elucidate the relationship between depression severity, ruminative state, and working memory performance. Participants completed a baseline assessment of depression severity, rumination (trait and state), and working memory then randomly assigned to a rumination or control groups, followed by a second assessment. I hypothesized working memory would be explained by an interaction between depression severity …

The Effects Of Stress On Attentional Networks, Alice Tsvinev

Master's Theses

The human brain has developed mechanisms to aid our survival, including attentional networks and stress response. Attentional shifts allow humans to react accordingly to their environment, following innate processes like fight or flight. Prolonged exposure to acute stress interferes with such cognitive processes as attention and working memory, impacting attentional systems. The present study examined the effects of acute stress on visual attention processes, specifically focusing on the orienting, alerting, and executive attention networks. 49 participants were randomly placed in either a stress or non-stress condition, then asked to reflect on either stressful or positive moments in their lives, respectively. …

Win-Win Ecology: Can Mosses Promote Dudleya Germination To Restore California Quarries?, Kate L. Worrell

Master's Theses

Human actions directly damage habitat for native plants; restoration ecology facilitates successful plant re-establishment in these environments. Open-pit mines leave behind steep, rocky, and nutrient-deficient habitats that are some of the most degraded ecosystems on the planet. Dudleya or ‘live-forevers’— a genus of native California succulent plants that contains many rare, threatened, or endangered species — grow on rocky cliffs and may create a successful reclamation-restoration story. However, Dudleya germination is poorly understood. Much of the literature on Dudleya cites a single field report suggesting that bryophytes facilitate germination, but no previous experiments have evaluated this proposal. In this study, …

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) …

Creatine And Depression In Rodents: A Meta-Analysis, Ruchika S. Tirupachur

Master's Theses

Traditional treatments for major depression are based on the monoamine deficiency hypothesis, and they fail to achieve remission in a substantial portion of patients. Newer evidence suggests the pathophysiology of depression is a more complex story, highlighting a need for research in alternative therapies. Mounting evidence shows a linkage between depression and the supplement creatine monohydrate (CRMH). Research in rodent models suggests that CRMH may both alleviate depressive symptoms and enhance the efficacy of standard antidepressants like SSRIs. The following study describes findings from a combined fixed- and random-effects meta-analysis based on four empirical studies investigating the effect of CRMH …

The Effects Of Full-Body Photo-Editing On Female Body Image, Claire E. Mcelhern

Master's Theses

Over the past decade, the use of photo-based social media sites has seen an exponential increase. Although these sites can be beneficial for connecting with others, the editing and modification of images posted to social media has also produced adverse effects on some who use them. The aim of the present study was to assess whether partaking in a full-body photo-editing task would have a significant effect on weight dissatisfaction, appearance dissatisfaction and body confidence, compared to a control condition. Female college participants were first asked about their general Instagram use, and then were given a baseline Visual Analog Scale …

No Change In Functional Ecology Or Body Size In Response To A Global Climate Event In The Late Maastrichtian Owl Creek Formation, William T. Rizza

Master's Theses

During the last 300 ka of the Maastrichtian, global temperatures increased and decreased by ~2℃, likely caused by a pulse of Deccan volcanism. The Owl Creek Type Section in Mississippi records some portion of the last 400 ka of the Late Maastrichtian. It is expected that marine invertebrates will demonstrate a taxonomic, ecological, or morphological response to rapid temperature change. I anticipate a decrease in taxonomic diversity and shell volume and an increased abundance of low activity-level species, similar to the ecological impacts observed in response to Large Igneous Province eruptions in the geologic record. Clumped isotope paleotemperature reconstruction recovers …

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 …

Racial Bias In Risk Allocation And Resource Utilisation: A Contributing Factor To Ethnic Minority Overrepresentation In Missing Person Investigations?, Amy Van Langeraad, Fiona Gabbert, Adrian J. Scott

International Journal of Missing Persons

Statistics from the National Crime Agency reveal that people from ethnic minority backgrounds are over-represented within the missing population in the United Kingdom, and previous archival studies have shown there is a discrepancy in the recovery of ethnic minority missing persons compared to White missing persons. A wider body of research shows that racial bias is prevalent in the criminal justice system and law enforcement, resulting in different outcomes for victims depending on their racial background. Such outcomes have yet to be examined in the context of missing persons. Therefore, this study tries to address this gap in the literature …

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 5, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 31

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 …

Using Virtual Learning Labs To (Re)Mediate Exclusionary Discipline Practices For Young Children Of Color With Disabilities, Saili Kulkarni, Sunyoung Kim, Nicola Holdman

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Disabled children of color (ages 3-8) face multiple, intersecting oppressions in schools and are more likely to be excluded and/or harshly punished for minor behavioral issues compared to white and/or non-disabled peers. Approaches that center multiple stakeholders (families, teachers, and administrators) using a formative intervention called a Learning Lab (LL) have worked to reduce discipline disparities among secondary and upper primary students of color with disabilities (Bal, 2016). Knowing that discipline disparities can start as early as preschool (Kulkarni et al., 2021), however, we examined how LL (re)mediates exclusionary and harsh discipline practices for young children of color with disabilities. …

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 29, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 28

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 24, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 27

Nitrogen Isotope Homogenization Of Dissolved Ammonium With Depth And 15N Enrichment Of Ammonium During Incorporation Into Expandable Layer Silicates In Organic-Rich Marine Sediment From Guaymas Basin, Gulf Of California, Toshiro Yamanaka, Arisa Sakamoto, Kanon Kiyokawa, Jaeguk Jo, Yuji Onishi, Yoshihiro Kuwahara, Ji Hoon Kim, Lucie C. Pastor, Andreas Teske, Daniel Lizarralde, Tobias W. Höfig, Ivano W. Aiello, Jeanine L. Ash, Diana P. Bojanova, Martine D. Buatier, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Christophe Y. Galerne, Swanne Gontharet, Verena B. Heuer

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Sedimentary nitrogen isotopic ratios are used as a proxy for ancient biogeochemical cycles on Earth's surface. It is generally accepted that sediment hole tops record primary signatures because organic nitrogen (ON) is predominant in this part of the hole. In contrast to such early to middle diagenetic stages, it is well known that heavier nitrogen isotope 15N tends to enrich in sedimentary rocks during later diagenetic and metamorphic stages. However, there are some critical gaps in our understanding of nitrogen isotopic alteration associated with abiotic processes during early-middle diagenesis. In this study, we examined the isotope ratios of ammonium nitrogen …

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 …

Library Stock Management: Mandya University Library Scenario, Kavitha N., Hullerappa G., Sampath Kumar B.T.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Stock Verification is an essential part of library management that ascertains to check the library resources in the stock. It is an effective method to identify mistakes and prevent fraudulent procedures. The purpose of this article is to investigate the potential and intensive stock verification of more than 60000 documents from Mandya University Library. Study results reveal that 39127 library books are available in the powerhouse of the new library building constituent government college of Mandya University library and 23060 books are discarded as loss of books. Notable findings show that insufficient knowledge of cataloguing and classification rules has hampered …

Spartan Daily, October 17, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 24

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 …

Navigating The Digital Frontier: Key Challenges For Dental College Librarians In Managing Electronic Collections, Trupti Aniruddha Tulsankar, Vrushali Rane

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study focuses on the challenges and opportunities in digital collection management faced by librarians in Dental College libraries across Maharashtra. The study findings reveal that there are limitations in using e-resources and the ICT infrastructure in dental college libraries needs to be improved. The challenges dental college librarians face include unannounced hikes in the pricing of digital resources, poor understanding and interpretation of licensing agreements, interrupted power supply, and lack of skilled library staff to manage resources. By addressing these challenges, Dental colleges can enhance their ability to give students access to the latest e-resources and support their learning …

Spartan Daily, October 16, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 23

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 …

The Spanish Translation, Adaptation, And Validation Of A Community-Engaged Research Survey And A Pragmatic Short Version: Encuesta Comunitaria And Fuertes, Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, Juan M. Peña, Carlos Devia, Blake Boursaw, Magdalena Avila, Diana Rudametkin, Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, Margarita Alegria, Lourdes E. Soto De Laurido, Edna Acosta Pérez, Nina Wallerstein

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction: Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) and Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) require validated measures and metrics for evaluating research partnerships and outcomes. There is a need to adapt and translate existing measures for practical use with diverse and non-English-speaking communities. This paper describes the Spanish translation and adaptation of Engage for Equity's Community Engagement Survey (E2 CES), a nationally validated and empirically-supported CEnR evaluation tool, into the full-length Encuesta Comunitaria, and a pragmatic shorter version Fortaleciendo y Uniendo EsfueRzos Transdisciplinarios para Equidad de Salud (FUERTES). Methods: Community and academic partners from the mainland US, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua participated in translating and …

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

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 22