Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Airborne Radar To Map Glacier Elevations In Alpine Terrain Including Estimated Glacier Volume Change, Bryce Allen Glenn

Dissertations and Theses

Alpine glaciers and perennial snowfields (G&PS) are important hydrologically and ecologically, providing meltwater during the hottest and driest summer periods. Climate warming shrinks these natural reservoirs while temporarily providing increased streamflow. To assess regional changes in glacier volume, from which contribution to streamflow can be estimated, I used NASA's Airborne Glacier and Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN). This instrument mapped the surface topography of alpine glaciers; differencing these elevations from historic elevations derived from topographic maps, volume change is calculated. GLISTIN was flown over the glacier-populated mountain ranges of the western U.S. Of the 3289 glaciers and perennial snowfields with …

Examining Bicycle And Motorized Vehicle Speeds And Their Relationships In The Context Of Urban Roadways, Jaclyn Sue Schaefer

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents a compilation of papers exploring passenger car and bicycle speeds through their interactions with each other and with urban roadway factors.

First, following a concern raised in part of the traffic literature that a large mode shift toward bicycling may cause travel time delays and potentially exacerbate congestion instead of alleviate it unless bicycle lanes are installed, an empirical study detailing how the presence of bicycles on urban roads without bicycle lanes may affect passenger car speeds is presented. Pneumatic tube data from six predominantly low speed, low volume roads in Portland, Oregon were utilized to identify …

A Historical Ecology Of Aridland Springs In Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nuwu/Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute/Chemehuevi) Ancestral Territory, Nevada, Yarrow Sarah Valentine Geggus

Dissertations and Theses

Aridland springs are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. Vital to desert ecologies and Indigenous cultures, these complex and individualistic ecosystems have layered histories. To inform management in the changing landscape of Desert National Wildlife Refuge, a 1.6 million acre protected area in Southern Nevada, I conducted a historical ecology study of a sample of ten upland springs. Through a six-part interdisciplinary methodology including interviews, archaeological survey, botanical survey, and archival research, I summarize findings into three broad eras: the Nuwu/Nuwuvi pre-Contact Era, the Settler Era, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Era.

For millennia, Nuwu/Nuwuvi drank …

Inventory Of Rock Glaciers In The American West And Their Topography And Climate, Allison Reese Trcka

Dissertations and Theses

Rock glaciers are flowing geomorphic landforms composed of an ice/debris mixture. A uniform rock glacier classification scheme was created for the western continental US, based on internationally recognized criteria, to merge the various regional published inventories. A total of 2249 rock glaciers (1564 active, 685 inactive) and 7852 features of interest were identified in 10 states (WA, OR, CA, ID, NV, UT, ID, MT, WY, CO, NM). Sulfur Creek rock glacier in Wyoming is the largest active rock glacier (2.39 km²). The mean area and elevation for active and inactive rock glaciers are 0.18 km², 3384 …

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 …

Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Pacific Northwest Coastal Ecosystems: Spatial Variation, Organism Effects, And Consumer Perspectives, Amy Lynne Ehrhart

Dissertations and Theses

Anthropogenic pollution poses a threat to marine organisms and ecosystems worldwide. Common chemical pollutants that enter the marine environment include legacy contaminants, which are well known and heavily regulated or banned pollutants, and emerging contaminants, which are more recently recognized as pollutants and often lack regulatory limits for their use and discharge. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is a major source of various contaminants of concern, particularly pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) that are not fully removed during treatment. PPCPs exist at low concentrations in the environment and may have unknown and subtle effects on marine life. Data gaps …

The Electronic Hardware Music Subculture In Portland, Oregon, James Andrew Hickey

Dissertations and Theses

Music is relatively understudied as a geographic phenomenon, but recently there has been a shift in academic literature to understand the social, cultural and economic factors that determine music and its development in specific places. The purpose of this study is to examine the Electronic Hardware Music Subculture (EHMS) in Portland, why it thrives, and how it is linked to the local cultural economy. To do this, I used semi-structured, long form interviews with key members of the EHMS. These interviews, and my own observations, gave insight into what factors affect the success of members of the EHMS, and how …

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 …

Relationships Between In-Situ Tests And Soil Cyclic Strength For Earthquake Hazard Characterization In The Pacific Northwest, Tanner Scott Bryantt

Dissertations and Theses

Strong earthquake shaking is a natural hazard threat in the Pacific Northwest. Soil failure due to strong earthquake shaking -- known as cyclic soil failure or liquefaction -- is expected to cause large ground deformations and damage to roads, bridges, and other civil infrastructure. Cyclic soil strength (CRR) is often characterized with in-situ geotechnical tests including the cone penetration test (CPT). Relationships between CRR and in-situ test data are not well established for soils in the Pacific Northwest. Portland State University, in partnership with New Albion Geotechnical has compiled a database of cyclic lab tests for Pacific Northwest soils to …

Wildfire Risk Assessment For A Municipal Watershed In Western Oregon, Usa: Methods For Projecting The Impact Of Mid-21st Century Climate Change On Wildfire Hazard, Andy Mcevoy

Dissertations and Theses

In the western United States, climate change is projected to lead to significant changes in regional wildfire regimes. Historically, forests west of the Cascade crest in Oregon and Washington, USA (westside) have been characterized by low-frequency wildfire events, but climate change projections indicate that wildfire could become a more common disturbance, altering ecological processes and impairing ecosystem services like surface water quality and quantity. Wildfire risk assessments based on simulation models have been used in high frequency fire regimes to evaluate contemporary and future risk, but present unique challenges in westside forests because characteristic low annual burn probabilities result in …

Human Energy In The Workplace: An Investigation Of Daily Energy Management Strategies, Job Stressors And Employee Outcomes, Morgan Rose Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

Recent research has pointed to the benefits associated with the use of work-related energy management strategies for employee outcomes. Using the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Challenge and Hindrance Stressor Framework, the current study extends the energy management literature by examining day-level relationships between work-related energy management strategies (e.g., organizing, meaning-making, and prosocial strategies) and employee outcomes, namely, goal progress, work engagement, and relational energy respectively. Further, challenge and hindrance stressors are tested as day-level moderators of these relationships. Using experience sampling methods across 10 workdays, results showed that day-level organizing strategy use was related to higher goal progress …

Vessel Trajectory Prediction Using Historical Ais Data, Jagir Laxmichand Charla

Dissertations and Theses

Maritime vessel position coordinates are important information for maritime situational planning and organization. A better estimate of future locations of the maritime vessels, from their current locations, can help maritime authorities to make planned decisions, which can be helpful to avoid traffic congestion and longer waiting times. This thesis develops a method for estimating future locations of the vessels using their current and previous locations and other data.

The motivating scenario for this work is that of determining the future locations of the vessels based on their current location and previous locations for accurate modelling of underwater acoustic noise. As …

New Perspectives On Johannes De Muris And His Notitia Artis Musicae, Jeffrey Allan Arnsdorf

Dissertations and Theses

At the end of the 1310s, Norman mathematician and astronomer Johannes de Muris (c. 1295-after 1344) reconceived the existing musical notation system on a mathematical foundation. His Notitia artis musicae dramatically increased the fidelity with which the system could represent complex rhythmic patterns. In recent years, musicologists, particularly Karen Desmond, have begun to incorporate the scholarship of historians of astronomy in their work on Muris and the Notitia. These studies take as their focus conceptual shifts in music theory and practice. This thesis repositions the perspective to Muris himself, seeking to shed light on his intention in writing the …

Achieving High Reliability Organizations Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps - The Case Of Offshore Oil And Gas, Ahmed A. Alibage

Dissertations and Theses

The safety culture of so-called high-reliability organizations (HROs) encompasses values, routines, and work processes that allow an organization to prevent mistakes and quickly bounce back if unexpected events occur. It is said to provide a model for improving organizational resilience in the offshore oil and gas industry, where small errors can grow into accidents with devastating environmental, social, and economic impacts. To date, such a transfer of successful practices is impeded by a lack of system perspective that would allow researchers and practitioners to fully understand the safety dynamics in HROs, adjust them to the unique setting of offshore oil …

Investigating Dose-Dependent, Multi-Generational, And Strain-Specific Effects Of 17Α-Ethynylestradiol Exposure In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Decatur Mitochondria Foster

Dissertations and Theses

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) pose a threat to biodiversity at the individual, population, and ecosystem level, as they can interfere with processes that are responsible for regulating metabolism, development, behavior, and reproduction in living organisms. 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) is a synthetic estrogen and EDC utilized in pharmaceutical and livestock industries, and contaminates waterways worldwide. This research explores the effects of dose-dependent and multi-generational exposure of EE2 in three strains of zebrafish. High dose (10-25 ng/L EE2) exposure led to complete reproductive failure, as well as significantly decreased survival and growth. A period in clean water (depuration) after exposure allowed for some …

Clustered Hyperspectral Target Detection, Sean Onufer Stalley

Dissertations and Theses

Aerial target detection is often used to search for relatively small things over large areas of land. Depending on the size and signature of the target, detection can be a very easy or very difficult task. By capturing images with several hundred color channels, hyperspectral sensors provide a new way of looking at this task, both literally and figuratively. Hyperspectral sensors can be used in many aerial target detection tasks such as identifying unhealthy trees in a forest, searching for minerals at a mining site, or finding the sources of chemical leaks at a factory. The high spectral resolution of …

Entrainment Processes For A Jet In Cross-Flow: The Quantification Of Turbulent Contributions And Their Importance On Accurate Modeling, Graham Asher Freedland

Dissertations and Theses

A jet in cross flow (JICF) is examined experimentally by injecting a stream of air into crossing fluid with an aim into quantifying entrainment process and downstream evolution. The behavior of JICF is important to fields ranging from turbine-blade cooling to smokestack pollution and volcanic eruption dynamics. Existing simplified volcanic plume models are tested; most importantly, the near-field contributions of complex interconnected vortex systems, which present significant uncertainties because they assume negligible turbulence. While jets in irrotational cross-flow have been investigated, this analysis has focused on the interaction between a turbulent jet in low and highly turbulent cross-flow created by …

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 …

Aligning Food Environments With Institutional Values: A Mixed Methods Study Of Oregon Health Care Organizations, Elizaveta Walker

Dissertations and Theses

A major driver of the obesity epidemic is obesogenic food environments, characterized by nutrient-poor and energy-dense foods that saturate the collective physical, economic and sociocultural conditions that influence nutritional status. Food environments in organizations such as hospitals and public health agencies warrant special consideration given their health-focused mission. Improving food environments within health care settings has been highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of seven key strategies to prevent obesity. However, most of the refereed literature examining healthy food environment policies (HFEPs) within hospitals focuses on the inpatient dietary environment, leaving a paucity of …

Neighborhood Air Quality Impact From Construction Site Emissions In Portland, Or, Lyndsey Boyle

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Research has shown that diesel particulate matter, including black carbon, is harmful to human health and has climate warming properties. Emissions from off-road engines, specifically construction, are a major source of diesel particulate matter in Portland, OR. There has been little done to manage the impact that construction has on local air quality. This project included a review of recent literature on the health and climate warming effects of particulate matter and black carbon, a modeling study to better understand what the major sources of diesel particulate matter are in Oregon, and a review of current research on construction site …

Aryne-Guided C-H Functionalization Of Benzenoid Rings Using Diaryliodonium Salts, Aleksandra Nilova

Dissertations and Theses

The benzenoid core is a frequent and irreplaceable component of biologically active molecules. Structure function relationship of these compounds has been broadly analyzed and presented in numerous literature reports. Herein, we augmented existing knowledge by a broad analysis of the benzenoid substitution patterns in small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients approved by the FDA. Our findings reveal a strong correlation that the most represented substitution patterns are those achieved via S_EAr. Despite the rapid development of methods to functionalize benzenoid rings, the lack of synthetic methodologies to access sterically and electronically unfavorable positions is highlighted. We sought to establish …

Smoking Behaviors In Patients Offered Lung Cancer Screening, Sara Elizabeth Golden

Dissertations and Theses

In the United States, smoking causes preventable diseases, including lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Improving smoking cessation rates is important to decrease lung cancer deaths. Health care visits with a discussion about lung cancer screening (LCS) may help in increasing prevalence of smoking cessation. Importantly, insurers now require clinicians to have a shared decision-making discussion with patients that includes discussion of smoking abstinence before they can receive an LCS scan (i.e., a low-dose computed tomography scan). This discussion may represent a unique opportunity to encourage smoking cessation since it may prompt positive smoking behavior change. …

Microplastics In Pacific Northwest Bivalves: Ecological Prevalence, Harvester-Consumer Exposure, And Aquarium Exhibit Outcomes, Britta Rahel Baechler

Dissertations and Theses

Up to 23 million metric tons of mismanaged plastics enter the global ocean annually. Microplastics (MPs;<5mm) degrading. MPs leak into the environment and now pervade every corner of the earth, with implications for animal, plant, ecosystem and human health. It is important to understand localized environmental MP prevalence, distribution and organismal uptake in order to determine the extent of MP pollution, and ultimately unlock solution sets to reduce transmission of MPs into the natural world. In Chapter 2, I quantified MP types, concentrations, anatomical burdens, geographic distribution, and temporal differences in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) from 15 coastal sites in Oregon. Both of these species are integral to culture, economy, gastronomy and food security along the United States West Coast. In Chapter 3, I quantified MPs in Pacific razor clams collected from 8 Olympic Coast, Washington sites, administered questionnaires to recreational razor clammers and subsequently estimated annual MP exposure of those Olympic Coast razor clam harvester-consumers surveyed. In Chapter 4, I designed and installed an educational ocean plastic …

Methodologies To Quantify Transit Performance Metrics At The System-Level Using High-Resolution Gps, Stop-Level, And Gtfs Archived Transit Data, Travis Bradley Glick

Dissertations and Theses

Performance metrics have typically focused at two main scales: a microscopic scale that focuses on specific locations, time-periods, and trips; and, a macroscopic scale that averages metrics over longer times, entire routes, and networks. When applied to entire transit systems, microscopic methodologies often have computational limitations while macroscopic methodologies ascribe artificial uniformity to non-uniform analysis areas. These limitations highlight the need for a middle approach.

This dissertation presents a mesoscopic analysis based around timepoint-segments, which are a novel application of an existing system for many transit agencies. For this research, routes are divided into a consecutive group of bus stops …

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 …

Use Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Cfrp) Including Sheets, Rods, And Ropes In Strengthening And Repairing Long Reinforced Concrete Columns, Yasir Matloob Saeed

Dissertations and Theses

The use of FRP materials in strengthening and repairing of reinforced concrete (RC) structures has increased in the past two decades. Recently, FRP materials have become one of the most used materials in rehabilitation engineering. For seismic retrofitting of RC structures, usually the process involves strengthening or repairing the vertical support elements of the buildings or bridges. Several studies focused on the use of FRP materials in strengthening and repairing RC columns. Externally bonded (EB) FRP sheets or laminates and near-surface-mounted (NSM) FRP rods have been used for enhancing the strength and ductility of RC columns. Although glass FRP (GFRP) …

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.

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 …

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 …