San Francisco State University

About: San Francisco State University is a education organization based out in San Francisco, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Planet. The organization has 5669 authors who have published 11433 publications receiving 408075 citations. The organization is also known as: San Francisco State & San Francisco State Normal School.

Nowhere to go: How stigma limits the options of female drug users after release from jail

Abstract: Drug and alcohol using women leaving prison or jail face many challenges to successful re-integration in the community and are severely hampered in their efforts by the stigma of drug or alcohol use compounded by the stigma of incarceration. This qualitative study is based on individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 17 women who had recently left jail about the challenges they faced on reentry. Our analysis identified three major themes, which are related by the overarching influence of stigma: survival (jobs and housing), access to treatment services, and family and community reintegration. Stigma based on drug use and incarceration works to increase the needs of women for health and social services and at the same time, restricts their access to these services. These specific forms of stigma may amplify gender and race-based stigma. Punitive drug and social policies related to employment, housing, education, welfare, and mental health and substance abuse treatment make it extremely difficult for women to succeed.

Detecting Trichodesmium blooms in SeaWiFS imagery

Abstract: A multispectral classification scheme was developed to detect the cyanobacteria Trichodesmium spp. in satellite data of the sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor (SeaWiFS). The criteria for this scheme were established from spectral characteristics derived from (1) SeaWiFS imagery of a Trichodesmium bloom located in the South Atlantic Bight and (2) modeled remote sensing reflectances of Trichodesmium and other phytoplankton. The classification scheme, which is valid for moderate chlorophyll concentrations of Trichodesmium in coastal waters, is based on the magnitude of the 490-channel reflectance and the spectral shape of remote sensing reflectance at 443, 490 and 555 nm. Analysis suggests that the spatial structure of Trichodesmium populations at sub-pixel scales must be considered when employing spectral characteristics to detect their presence in satellite imagery. This study demonstrates the potential of mapping Trichodesmium from space using spectral observations, even in waters as optically complex as the South Atlantic Bight. Future efforts, which will incorporate ancillary data such as wind speeds and water temperature, will improve the likelihood of correct identification.

Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy as a Form of Liberatory Praxis

Abstract: This article uses Paulo Freire's problem-posing method, youth participatory action research, and case study methodology to introduce an alternative instructional strategy called Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy (CHHP). This approach attempts to address deep-rooted ideologies to social inequities by creating a space in teacher education courses for prospective teachers to re-examine their knowledge of hip hop as it intersects with race, class, gender, and sexual orientation; while analyzing and theorizing to what extent hip hop can be used as a tool for social justice in teacher education and beyond. Borrowing and extending the work of critical race theorists, particularly, Solorzano & Delgado Bernal, CHHP utilizes the following five elements to form its basic core: “1) The centrality of race and racism and their intersectionality with other forms of oppression; 2) Challenging traditional paradigms, texts, and theories used to explain the experiences of students of color; 3) The centrality of experiential knowled...

The Relative Contribution of War Experiences and Exile-Related Stressors to Levels of Psychological Distress Among Bosnian Refugees

Abstract: This study examined the relative contribution of 2 exile-related variables—social isolation and daily activity level—and war experiences of violence and loss, to levels of PTSD and depressive symptomatology in 2 groups of Bosnian refugees, 1 clinical group (N = 59) and the other a nonclinical community (N = 40) group. As hypothesized, exposure to war-related violence was highly predictive of PTSD symptoms in both groups; in addition, social isolation was significantly related to PTSD symptomatology in the community group. In contrast, depressive symptomatology was accounted for primarily by the exile-related stressors. For the clinical group, depressive symptoms were also accounted for by experiences of war-related loss. The implications of these findings for mental health interventions with refugees are considered.

The Release 5.1 annotation of Drosophila melanogaster heterochromatin.

Abstract: The repetitive DNA that constitutes most of the heterochromatic regions of metazoan genomes has hindered the comprehensive analysis of gene content and other functions. We have generated a detailed computational and manual annotation of 24 megabases of heterochromatic sequence in the Release 5 Drosophila melanogaster genome sequence. The heterochromatin contains a minimum of 230 to 254 protein-coding genes, which are conserved in other Drosophilids and more diverged species, as well as 32 pseudogenes and 13 noncoding RNAs. Improved methods revealed that more than 77% of this heterochromatin sequence, including introns and intergenic regions, is composed of fragmented and nested transposable elements and other repeated DNAs. Drosophila heterochromatin contains “islands” of highly conserved genes embedded in these “oceans” of complex repeats, which may require special expression and splicing mechanisms.