Digital Commons Network^™

Explicit Learning Of Auditory Categories In Preschoolers With And Without Developmental Language Disorder, Lauren Casey

University Honors Theses

This study a part of a broader study including Quam et al. (2020) and Yu (2020) with the aim of understanding how children with and without developmental language disorder learn language. With a better understanding of the underlying learning mechanisms affected in DLD, better interventions can be implemented. The current study investigates explicit language learning in preschoolers with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). This was done by observing sound discrimination and explicit sound-meaning mapping. One child with DLD and 29 children with typical language development (TLD) participated in this study. Inclusion in each group was determined by a hearing …

Racial Gatekeeping In Country & Hip-Hop Music, Cervanté Pope

University Honors Theses

In mass communication, gatekeeping refers to how information is edited, shaped and controlled in efforts to construct a "social reality." One way it presents itself is in regard to racial inclusion and equality, and despite the headway we’ve seemingly made as a society, we are still lightyears away from where we need to be. Because of this, the concept of cultural property has become even more paramount, as a means for keeping one's cultural history and identity-preserved. Blacks and whites similarly attempt to protect or preserve facets of their culture they feel belong to them. What’s different for both of …

Identification Of Degradation Products Formed From Glycerol And Terpenes In Aromatherapy Vaporizers, Alisha Ortiz

University Honors Theses

Degradation chemistry has been widely studied to assess the safety of aerosols in many fields. The study herein investigates the degradation products formed from MONQ personal aromatherapy devices- a new non-nicotine aromatherapy vape pen device on the market. These pens are marketed to alleviate symptoms of an unrecognized medical syndrome called “terpene deficiency”. These pens contain a glycerin (GL), or glycerol (VG), base and a blend of terpene-rich essential oils. Previous studies have investigated the degradation of both VG and terpenes and have shown that concerning compounds are released in the gas phase, including benzene, benzaldehyde, methacrolein and methyl vinyl …

Outcome Analysis Of Tranexamic Acid In Thromboembolic Complications And Coagulation Factors, Hunter A. Mccorkle

University Honors Theses

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic used for controlling hemorrhaging in patients. It’s regular application in trauma centers could be vital in reducing all-cause mortality for hemorrhaging secondary to traumatic injury but there are still concerns about possible side effects and populations at greater risk of complications. The possible use of predictive measures such as thrombelastography (TEG) and conventional coagulation testing (CCT) in detecting early markers of TXA risks are still unconfirmed, and unfortunately there is a time restriction of 3 hours for TXA to be effective in reducing all-cause mortality.

Objective: Our objective is to observe outcomes of …

Fem Or Foe?: Non-Communal Women Who Report Sexual Harassment Receive Fewer Career Advancement Opportunities, Katherine A. Werth, Larry R. Martinez, Heather A. Firestone, Timothy A. Carsey

University Honors Theses

Sexual harassment is an ever-important topic to organizations, but there is currently a gap in the literature regarding career outcomes for women who report sexual harassment. Past research has discovered that masculine women get harassed more than feminine women and that masculine women have a better chance at career advancement opportunities than feminine women, but there has yet to be any focus on how the gender personality of a sexual harassment survivor relates to organizational success after a sexual harassment report. This study aims to help address this gap by drawing from the stereotype content model (Cuddy, Glick & Fiske, …

Examining The U.S. Wars On Vietnam, Laos, And Cambodia As The Production Of Neo-Colonialism, Aiden Gregg

University Honors Theses

I interrogate the colonial and neo-colonial histories of the U.S. wars on Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos within the context of racialized and gendered labor accumulation, the production of difference through violence as a legitimation of colonial extraction, and ongoing neoliberal economic coercion. I examine genocide and ecocide as interdependent processes in the production of dependency and underdevelopment. I reject a common narrative of temporal and spatial disconnection which separates the wars from current economics and examine the violences which both produce and result from an economy based on growth.

Importance Of Interpersonal Relationships In Cbgt, Alexxa Badley

University Honors Theses

A literature review was conducted to answer the question, can CBGT, and its emphasis on interpersonal relationships bolster the treatment of depression in adolescents? Adolescents were defined as anyone between the ages of 13-17, and depression was diagnosed by the DSM-V. It was found that CBGT had strong effectiveness in the treatment of depression, lowering symptoms across the board. Teens found solidarity in having others that could relate to them and their personal experiences. Potential downfalls were the fact that time management was crucial to better treatment, making sure everyone had a chance to speak, as well as strong communication …

Six Feet Of Distance Between Belonging: Expansions And Maintenance Of Citizenship During Covid-19, Johnathon Daniel Vargas

University Honors Theses

Citizenship is the dominant 'political regime of belonging' that is coupled with rights and access to necessary material resources. This paper reviews the dimensions of citizenship, its connection to the nation-state, and analytical approaches to belonging. The review of literature is then applied to an analysis of how COVID-19 has challenged notions of citizenship by revealing maintenance strategies and enactments of belonging in Portland, Oregon and the surrounding region. This paper uses qualitative research to analyze events, communication, activities, and conditions of those who lack citizenship, mediated through local media. Data collected from the first 3 months of the COVID-19 …

Interests And Priorities In Sockeye Salmon Management: How Are Policies Enacted And Interpreted On Three Alaskan Rivers?, Jake P. Palazzi

University Honors Theses

The large export abundance of Alaskan salmon is well documented, and many studies have been performed to assess the economic and environmental viability of the industry and its management. Less research has been done to characterize how state intentions regarding fisheries allocation are conceived of by management or perceived by vulnerable groups in the user pool. This study seeks to qualitatively characterize the disconnect between state and Native Alaskan perceptions of management effectiveness, public interest, and Native Alaskan involvement using interviews. Results showed that Native Alaskan and state manager respondents had very different perceptions of management effectiveness and equity. When …

The Experience Of Family Therapists Providing An In-Person Group Intervention, Responding To The Covid-19 Pandemic, And Attempting To Continue With A Comparable Intervention In A Virtual Setting, Miranda R. Gab

University Honors Theses

Group interventions are widely used in mental health and educational settings. Studies have shown that these groups can be conducted in either in-person or virtual settings with success, though there is limited research on the delivery of synchronous, online group interventions, particularly an in-person group intervention that abruptly transitioned to telehealth delivery due to the coronavirus. This observational research aims to tell the story of how two family therapists, who served as co-facilitators for an in-person parenting intervention, transitioned to deliver the same content virtually due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon previous and present research in …

The Utility Of Multiplex Closeness Centrality For Predicting Item Difficulty Parameters In Anomia Tests, Khanh L. Nguyen

University Honors Theses

Background: Confrontation naming tests for the assessment of aphasia are perhaps the most commonly used tests in aphasiology. Recently, such tests have been modeled using item response theory approaches. Despite their advantages, item response theory models require large sample sizes for parameter estimation that are often unrealistic when working with clinical populations. As an alternative approach, Fergadiotis, Kellough & Hula (2015) explored automatic item calibration by regressing item difficulty parameters on word length, age of acquisition (AOA), and lexical frequency as quantified by the Log10CD index. Despite the high predictive utility that they achieved, the model’s performance was far from …

Modeling Airflows And Voc Source Strengths For An Occupied School, Brett Stinson

University Honors Theses

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a group of air pollutants that can adversely impact human health, engage in chemistry indoors, and meaningfully degrade indoor and outdoor urban air quality. While extensive research with regard to VOC emission rates from indoor sources has been conducted, it was not until recently that this work began to focus on characterizing emissions from humans and human activity in depth. As buildings are constructed to be increasingly airtight, and the materials utilized are chosen to reduce VOC emissions, it follows that human contributions are poised to become increasingly important indoor sources of VOCs. Utilizing data …

Disney's Reign Over Independent Cinema: How Mega-Corporations Are Commercializing Creativity, Hannah Z. Dawson

University Honors Theses

The Walt Disney Company is undoubtedly a monopoly in the media industry space. Their impressive acquisitions have expanded their portfolio to corner the market in nearly every genre. Most recently, the company has hired independent directors in hopes of re-invigorating and creating variety between multiple brands and franchises. But the directors' authoritative voices are lost under the Disney brand, which I argue overshadows independent autonomy and potentially envelopes the rest of the media market. Brandishing this massive media force, Disney (and its other subsidiary branches) promotes palatable, conservative leaning "family friendly" content that leads to a wider chance of profit. …

Exploratory Study Of Obesogenic Commercial School Food Environments In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Sruthi Eapen

University Honors Theses

Objective

The purpose of this exploratory research was to study commercial food environments around high schools in the Portland metropolitan area to explore the question: How do the economic, geographic, and racial demographics of public high schools in the Portland metropolitan area affect the prevalence and make-up of obesogenic commercial food environments surrounding these schools?

Methods

Commercial food environments within a 1 km radius of 35 public high schools in the Portland metropolitan area were surveyed. The “healthiness” of the environment was calculated by establishing a “Food Environment Score.” This score was correlated with economic, geographic, and racial demographics obtained …

The Seasonal Effects Of Photovoltaic Cells On Sedum Eco Roof Substrate Moisture, Brook M. Thompson

University Honors Theses

This paper investigates a combined PV eco roof system and analyzes the soil moisture levels in front of the panels and directly underneath the PV Cells on an experimental ecoroof platform in Portland, Oregon. The purpose of the study was to examine how PV Cells create differences in the moisture level of the soil on the ecoroof. Four moisture sensors were set in different quadrants in four experimental testbeds, and the moisture level data was recorded from October 18^th, 2018 to September 10^th, 2019. The study found that in with heavy rainfall, the front of the …

Greening Inequality: How Urban Sustainable Development Fails Under Neoliberalism, Josie R. Allison

University Honors Theses

Despite its banner of common-good altruism, urban sustainable development becomes a branding scheme for municipalities when it operates under and prioritizes a neoliberal agenda. Neoliberalism is the dominant economic philosophy within the United States, and other western economies, that emphasizes extreme economic liberalism and open markets with public fiscal austerity and the diminished role of governments. This has transferred a great portion of power and funding once held by the public sector into the hands of the private sector. Under neoliberalism, city governments function with stripped federal funding and limited budgets, while leaning on private companies for public operations, like …

"I'M Absolutely Ordinary": Bella And Her Perception Of Gender Within Twilight, Jaid M. Eichmiller

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores Bella's perceptions of femininity, virtue, and gender roles within Twilight, with a focus on the feminist stance that Bella takes as the narrator. Through a close reading, I explore traditional gender roles, the internalized maternal roles of wife and mother, and the externalized judgements that Bella expresses. Her relationships with those around her, and most importantly Edward, are judged by her internalized concepts of gender politics. Through the examination of previous literature and the close reading of the core text, I argue that Bella both embodies and rejects traditional femininity.

Late-Night Political Comedy's Impact On Audience Political Attentiveness, Public Opinion, And Civic Engagement, Molly J. Olmstead

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between late-night comedy news shows and their audiences, in terms of how they impact public opinion, political attentiveness and civic engagement. It looks at how the genre of late night political comedy is not a monolith, and neither is its audiences, and addresses the different ways these two interact with one another. Through an in-depth literature review, this thesis finds that late night political comedy has the most impact on politically inattentive audiences who end up learning about politics inadvertently, and that the jokes featured on these shows actively primes these viewers to hold certain …

Numerical Model Of A Radio Frequency Ion Source For Fusion Plasma Using Particle-In-Cell And Finite Difference Time Domain, Augustin L. Griswold

University Honors Theses

Radio frequency (RF) plasma sources are common tool for application and study, and of particular interest for inertial electrostatic (IEC) fusion. Computational analysis is often carried out using particle in cell (PIC) methods or finite difference time domain (FDTD). However, a more holistic analysis is necessary as the particle distribution is highly dependant on the fields created by the plasma source. Herein, an analysis of a particular planar RF electrode with deuterium gas is provided which covers the fields and the particle behaviour using first FDTD then PIC. Further applications are discussed as well as further directions for this study.

Computed Tomography In Medicolegal Death Investigation: A Critical Review, Trenton Eames

University Honors Theses

The use of computed tomography (CT) scanning in medicolegal death investigations has increased in frequency in recent years. It can be used by investigators to help identify a victim, find a cause of death, or otherwise reveal legally relevant case details. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the research surrounding the use of CT scanning in medicolegal death investigation, focusing in particular on researchers’ scrutiny of the accuracy and precision of this technique within forensic contexts. Thirty-nine research papers were reviewed, with specific attributes and findings examined together in an effort to contextualize CT scanning in medicolegal death investigations. CT scanning …

A New Perspective On Blue-Collar Work: Examining The Relevance Of Common Career Development Theories For Blue-Collar Workers In Manufacturing, Sarah J. Barber

University Honors Theses

Blue-collar career development has been overlooked in academia. This study investigates blue-collar career development based on four career development theories including: Holland's theory of vocational types, social cognitive career theory, Super's developmental self-concept theory, and crystallization of vocational self-concept.

An Introductory Overview Of The Koyukon (Athabaskan) Verb, Jonathan K. Vincent

University Honors Theses

The Athabaskan languages of western North America are notorious for exhibiting highly complex verbal morphology. Koyukon, a language spoken along the Yukon River in Alaska, and a member of the Northern branch of the Athabaskan family, is one such example. This overview seeks to introduce students and language practitioners to the theoretical fundamentals of Koyukon's verbal morphology, including the parts that constitute the discontinuous verbal base, or 'verb theme,' as well as the inflectional and derivational processes under which a verb theme may go in order to render morphologically complex surface forms with richly engineered meaning. These principles are amply …

The Development Of Immigrants In Education, Kayla R. Guerrero

University Honors Theses

Being an essential part of American community, immigrants face several challenges as they adjust to life away from their home country. Many of those challenges begin when immigrant students start school in the United States education system. This exploratory research investigates the school experiences of immigrants and whether or not they were supported by their peers, teachers, parents, and community and how that influenced their development. Adult immigrants will reflect back on their education experience through interviews in order for the researcher to contribute a new foundation for immigrant student development research from the perspective of actual immigrants. This will …

How Does The Effect Of Hurricane Katrina Influence Healthcare Infrastructure And Resilience?, Sean Y. Wei

University Honors Theses

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought upon the city of New Orleans, LA one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. This paper looks at how hospitals were prepared before Katrina, responded to, and grappled with the aftermath of this natural disaster. In the aftermath of Katrina, careful investigation of the healthcare system along with its hospitals, physicians, patients, and residents allow us to take innovative measures and provide guidance to create recommendations to better monitor and care for individuals in the future. Frameworks of resilience theories, studies, and recommendations display how and why disaster planning is essential. The …

The Performativity And Dynamics Of H.P. Grice's "Logic And Conversation": An Interdisciplinary Re-Conceptualization, Linnea Alexander

University Honors Theses

The following paper covers an interdisciplinary examination and re-conceptualization of philosopher H.P. Grice's Logic and Conversation. By way of interdisciplinary analysis and theory building, this paper breaks down Grice's philosophical understandings of conversational pragmatics as well as significant components of speech act theory, as put forth by philosopher J. L. Austin and revisited by J. R. Searle, and interactive frame theory as understood in sociocultural linguistic anthropology by Deborah Tannen and Cynthia Wallat. It interrogates shortcomings of Grice’s understanding of conversation and draws from speech act and frame theory to fill these shortcomings and expand on Grice's original …

Social Media In Business-To-Business Marketing And Sales: Review Of Literature & Research Recommendations, Daniel Bello Manjarrez

University Honors Theses

Social media usage in business to business marketing and sales has been steadily rising since its advent in the late 2000s. Similarly, research surrounding social media in this context has increased, with specific focus on its usage, influence, and adoption from B2B marketers and salespeople. This focus has resulted in gaps in the literature, especially when regarding small and medium B2B enterprises. This review of literature provides a systemic understanding of the research landscape by identifying the theory, methods, context, and results of twenty-one peer-reviewed business marketing articles concerning social media. This review also proposes five key recommendations to inform …

Socio-Emotional Learning As A Core Standard In Early Education: Producing Competent Adults, Talia Maras

University Honors Theses

A child’s foundational emotional proficiency is highly predictive of their academic success. It is therefore imperative that center-based, federally funded, public childhood education systems provide their students with a curriculum that facilitates the development of a strong socio-emotional baseline on which to build their cognitive, academic abilities. Drawing on government reports by the US Department of Education and empirical publications from an academic perspective, this paper reviews the nature of current efforts to reform the childhood education system, as seen through the implementation of the common core standards of learning. I review the quality of education that is provided by …

The Meaning Of Red And Green In User Interfaces For The Color Deficient, Bassel Hamieh

University Honors Theses

Around 108 million web users are color blind which is a problem when the way we communicate over the web or interfaces is through the use of color. Red and green are two colors that are especially heavily used in interface design because of their strong symbolic associations; red being a sign to warn or stop and green being the opposite. This has a large effect on red-green color blind people who are not able to perceive either of those colors correctly. Many solutions exist that aim to help through color differentiation but none take into account color symbolism. With …

Theater Over Textbooks: How A Neuroscience Outreach Group Utilizing Art In S.T.E.M. Provides Cost-Effective Strategies In Tackling The United States Education Gap, Camden Grant Howard, William Griesar

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to summarize the relevant research for the evaluation of a S.T.E.A.M.-based, grassroots, neuroscience outreach group called 'NW Noggin'. This paper discusses the benefits and skills of S.T.E.M. in learning, the benefits and skills of S.T.E.A.M. in learning, educational disparities within the United States, educational outreach groups how they are currently assessed as well as more innovative arts-based and inquiry-based alternative assessments of student knowledge. This paper then focuses on the nonprofit NW Noggin to discuss their goals and activities and possible options for program assessment. This thesis also discusses how they fulfill their civic …

Empirical Analysis Of Cbow And Skip Gram Nlp Models, Tejas Menon

University Honors Theses

CBOW and Skip Gram are two NLP techniques to produce word embedding models that are accurate and performant. They were invented in the seminal paper by T. Mikolov et al. and have since observed optimizations such as negative sampling and subsampling. This paper implements a fully-optimized version of these models using Py-Torch and runs them through a toy sentiment/subject analysis. It is weakly observed that different corpus types affect the skew of word embeddings such that fictional corpus are better suited for sentiment analysis and non-fictional for subject analysis.