Digital Commons Network^™

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: A Content Analysis Of Self-Inflicted Face-Ism On Instagram, Madeline Powell

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore potential gendered stereotypes by examining the facial prominence of male and female celebrities’ social media images. The face-ism theory evaluates the facial prominence of a depiction; higher facial prominence prompts viewers of media to assume the person they are observing is more intelligent and more likeable in general. In previous research men had higher facial prominence than women, which calls in to question the perpetuation of gendered stereotypes in media. This research is a content analysis of 300 self-selected Instagram photos, posted by the top 30 followed men and women celebrities on …

Nesting Microhabitat Use By A Ground-Nesting Songbird: Strict Preferences Or Random Choice?, Jazzmine Allen

University Honors Theses

Nest site choice of birds has the potential to affect predation rates on nests and reproductive success for many bird species, and is thus tied closely to fitness. Vegetation at a particular site influences concealment (and predation rate as a result). Research has shown that birds of various species base nest site choice on variables like nest height, and especially vegetation cover within the microhabitat around a site. I studied nest site choice in ground-nesting birds, which tend to experience high predation rates near the nest site, and therefore might be expected to be particular choosy about vegetation near the …

Autonomous Navigation And Hazard Evasion Platform For Personal Uav's, Ryan Scott

University Honors Theses

Personal UAV's are experiencing an increase in both functionality and popularity. Consumer-driven markets are encouraging the UAV industry to innovate towards the average user. Despite improvements in user friendliness, cost, and technological capabilities, consumer UAV's are limited by pilot skill and a lack of sensory information. This paper presents two approaches for creating a low-cost, open-source platform capable of enabling a consumer-level UAV to avoid hazards. A single beam LIDAR system and a combined LIDAR-vision system are considered. The LIDAR variant is capable of detecting and avoiding static obstacles in simple environments. The improved LIDAR-vision system is able to detect …

Wholesale Peak Demand Pricing, Jarek R. Hunger

University Honors Theses

October 2011 Bonneville Power Administration changed their wholesale electricity demand charge from a coincident to a non-coincident demand charge. This paper seeks to test the effect that this change had on overall electricity peak load on Bonneville. To do this an econometric model was created using data from ten years before the change occurred. This model was then used to estimate monthly peak load amounts between October 2011 and September 2014. These estimates were compared against the real meter data to estimate an effect of the rate change. Based on this model the average monthly peak load reduced by 0.25%. …

Currents In Fishery Management, Genevieve Depuy

University Honors Theses

This thesis provides an overview of fishery management policy types and attempts to determine best practices for biological sustainability in terms of species preservation and biomass recovery. Key concepts include biological sustainability, regulatory forces, and fishery management and output trends. The research question investigated is: what are the best policy practices for regulating marine fishery health and biological stability? The research process of this paper included a review of prior literature in the field of marine policy and fishery management, as well as the use of United States data from the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to evaluate management strategies. Based …

Variation In Green Roof Storage Capacity, Associated Drivers, And Implications For Stormwater Management In Portland, Oregon, Melecio Estrella

University Honors Theses

Greens roofs, also known as ecoroofs or living roofs, provide numerous ecosystem services and are becoming widely integrated into urban stormwater management systems. Despite a long and robust history of green roof projects in Portland, Oregon, there is a distinct lack of research on in situ performance. This thesis addressed this gap by investigating the hydrologic performance of five green roofs in Portland for a time period spanning November through February. Despite difficulty with the sensor calibrations, our analysis of moisture content data from these roofs revealed variation in: (1) total evapotranspiration, which serves as a proxy for total stormwater …

Three Novel Seminaphthorhodamines: Synthesis, Structure, And Spectral Properties, Chris Schweizer

University Honors Theses

A series of three new seminaphthorhodamine analogs were synthesized via the condensation of 7-amino-2-naphthol and amino substituted hydroxy-benzophenones. Absorption, excitation, and emission spectra were taken in a variety of solvents and pH values. At biological pH, the molecules showed increasing Stokes shifts (from 40 to 95 nm) and longer wavelength emission in phosphate buffer with increased alkylation of the rhodamine nitrogen moiety. The fluorescent properties of the compounds were pH insensitive and variable in organic solvents. Two of the compounds exhibited significant emission at long wavelengths on the edge of the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Mimicking The Bioactivation Of The Antitubercular Agent Ethionamide Using Peracetic Acid, Isabelle E. Logan

University Honors Theses

Tuberculosis still affects a large number of the world’s population and drug resistance is becoming an increasing problem. Second line of defense antitubercular agents such as ethionamide (ETD) are thus becoming increasingly important. Since ethionamide is a prodrug, its metabolization through oxidation by a monooxygenase was successfully mimicked using peracetic acid. The reaction was found to be biphasic, with a fast initial oxidation to yield ethionamide sulfoxide (ETD-SO), which was relatively stable and was successfully isolated. We derived a bimolecular rate constant of 3.08 ± 0.72 × 10² M^-1 s^-1 for this initial phase of the reaction. …

Assessing Wind Energy Potential For Vertical Axis Wind Turbines On The Tilikum Crossing, Clint Everett

University Honors Theses

Wind energy is a growing sector of renewables, and small wind is a key area for growth. In Portland, Oregon small scale vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) will be installed on the Tilikum Crossing bridge. Prior to turbine installation, a wind resource assessment was conducted to provide details about the wind environment turbines will placed in. For seven months, 12 instruments collected wind and weather data for analysis. Data was analyzed between different locations and over various time scales. Trends pointed to wind dominantly coming from the South and also frequently from the North, generally following the channel of the …

Arts Integrated Elementary School Classrooms And Academic Success, Rachel Fackler

University Honors Theses

To support academic achievement, schools must consider an arts integrated approach to lecture based learning. However, teachers, especially those from lower funded schools, who want to integrate the arts into their classrooms often have to fight and defend their reasoning for doing so. With standardized test scores often being the "end all be all" to how schools are funded and supported, arts education has been some of the first variables to be cut from schools and school districts. This is a failure to the students who need a multi-sensory approach to learning that only art can provide. Activities that activate …

Ribozyme/Duplex Binding Interactions As A Thermodynamic Basis For Chemical Game Theory, Elizabeth Satterwhite

University Honors Theses

Origins of life research requires searching for a plausible transition from simple chemicals to larger macromolecules that can both hold information and catalyze their own production. It has been shown that some classes of RNA molecules possess the ability to help other RNA molecules form by recombination reactions in an auto-catalytic fashion.¹ By simplifying these recombination reactions, the thermodynamic binding strength between two nucleotides of two molecules can be quantified for all 16 possible genotype combinations. The purpose of this research is to provide evidence that the thermodynamic binding strength between the tag and internal guide sequence (IGS) is …

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis Through Retinal Cell Layer Thickness: An Insight Into The Neurodegeneration Process, Zac Festner

University Honors Theses

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have long been known to suffer deterioration of the retina, sometimes leading to blindness. The damage has been assumed to occur predominantly within the retinal nerve fiber layer. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), researchers at Johns Hopkins University have determined that there is a subset of MS patients for whom the retinal deterioration is different. For this group the deterioration occurs at a deeper level within the retina, between the photoreceptors and the connecting cells. This deterioration affects the inner and outer nuclear layers of the retina. These findings are perplexing, as MS is considered …

Synthesis, Structure And Contrast Efficacy Of Bismuth (Iii) Chelated With 1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-Tetramethylene Phosphonate And Its Incorporation Into Nano-Assembled Capsules, Karley B. Maier

University Honors Theses

Medical imaging now plays an integral role in the diagnosis and treatment of illness. The use of contrast agents in molecular imaging has been instrumental in the diagnosis of cancer and similar pathologies. The incorporation of lanthanide-based contrast agents employed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into nano-assembled capsules (NACs) have shown potential utility for improved contrast in MRI by slowing the tumbling of the polyanionic paramagnetic metal ions. The utility of NACs was herein extended to computed tomography (CT) imaging by the incorporation of electron dense bismuth (III)-based chelates into NACs in order to provide a high payload of agent …

Gun Control In The United States: An Analysis Of Federal And International Policies And Applications, Claire Hummer

University Honors Theses

This paper will examine past and present U.S. gun control policies to better understand the current legal state of gun control, but also to assess gun culture in a nation that was built on its Second Amendment right to bear arms. In addition to U.S. policy, international agreements and gun control policies in other countries will also be analyzed to determine if those policies would be feasible in the U.S., or if the country’s gun culture and legal precedents would simply strike down any attempt to establish more thorough regulations.

Mind The Gap: Gender's Effect On Quality Of Elected Members Of Parliament In The United Kingdom, Alyssa Lenore Herr

University Honors Theses

In order to discover if the statement "men and women win elections at equal rates" had any validity I created a quality test and applied to the 650 men and women elected to Westminster in 2015. My theory was that due to a historical exclusion from politics, elected women would exceed their male counterparts in political quality. Female candidates are informally encouraged by voters, political parties, and lifelong gendered socialization to seek more qualifications for office than male candidates in order to counteract gender bias. My research showed that my theory was supported and that the female politicians who were …

Designing Black Watch: How Being A Military Spouse Shaped My Creation Of The Set Design For A Play About War, Nichole Meehl

University Honors Theses

This thesis documents the process of designing the set for the play Black Watch by Gregory Burke. This play tells the story of the British Army’s Black Watch Regiment and their deployment to Iraq in 2004. The Black Watch Regiment is a Scottish regiment, and the play focuses on their history, as well as their current operations. Black Watch was first performed on the 5^th of August 2006 in Edinburgh, Scotland with the National Theatre of Scotland and received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. This thesis will focus on two main areas. First, I will highlight …

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplantation: An Analysis Of Risk Factors And Incidence From Oregon Health & Science University, Ashlee Hubsky

University Honors Theses

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the top ten most frequently diagnosed cancers in the United States, with liver transplantation widely accepted as the best treatment option for long term outcomes. The risk of HCC recurrence after liver transplantation is a growing concern among the medical community due to the scarcity of available organs for transplant. Scholars desire to understand HCC biology and risk factors associated with recurrence, for more accurate predictions of HCC recurrence in the future. A retrospective review from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) examined 69 HCC patients from February 27, 2002 to December 31, 2011. Data …

Human Trafficking And Potential Solutions In The Russian Federation, Phil Turoff

University Honors Theses

Human trafficking is problematic all over the world. Lately, however, Eastern Europe has proven to be a haven for human traffickers. This paper elucidates the nuances of human trafficking, and the methods and mechanisms by which traffickers function, and people are trafficked. Then, it looks at the history of slavery in Russia, and considers the problem of human trafficking in the present day. Finally, this paper presents three potential solutions to the problems of human trafficking and slavery in Russia.

The Impact Of Drought On The Sierra Nevada Range: Using Remote Sensing Data To Estimate Large-Scale Carbon Dioxide Flux, Jessica Mazzi

University Honors Theses

Remote sensing is a widely used technique for studying Earth systems, including ecosystem response to global warming. With the recent California drought, remote sensing gives an opportunity to study large-scale CO₂ flux changes over time due to insufficient water uptake by plant life. In this study three flux towers were used, to correlate Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE = PRI * NDVI * PAR), gathered from remote sensing data, and measurements of CO₂ flux from in-situ flux towers over an area of 8,149 km² in the Sierra Nevada Range. To estimate CO₂ from NEE, two linear regressions …

Integration Of Movement/Posture: A Dynamic Adaptive Process Model, Daniel A. Akins

University Honors Theses

Structural Integration (SI) is a process of manual therapy and sensorimotor education that aims to facilitate sustainable improvement in whole-body biomechanical functioning and a sense of ease and coherence in normal movement/posture. Traditional and currently widespread explanations for the physiological mechanisms underlying SI theory and practice have focused on notions of fascial tissue change and postural alignment, while recent challenges to these explanations advocate a shift away from these interests toward a neurocentric model that emphasizes movement, pain, and biopsychosocial factors. SI seeks to professionalize and become an auxiliary to healthcare, so it must embrace scientific standards while maintaining its …

Asbestos Exposure In Demolition: An Analysis Of Abatement Practices And Alternatives To Demolition, Allison Woolverton

University Honors Theses

This paper examines the effectiveness of the abatement process on homes in Portland, Oregon through the analysis of asbestos surveys conducted by The City of Portland. It evaluates the levels of hazardous materials that are left in homes after the abatement process which can be disbursed into the air and soil during demolition and thus create significant health hazards for demolition crews and surrounding residents.

The research methods employed for this paper include the analysis of asbestos surveys on homes provided by The Rebuilding Center of Portland (The Rebuilding Center) to see what materials contained asbestos. The surveys were used …

Fitness And Fatness: The Conflation Of Weight With Health, And The Consequences Of Fat-Shaming, Kristin Spurkland

University Honors Theses

Obesity is widely accepted as one of the major health crises facing the United States, and increasingly, the world. Labeled a disease by the American Medical Association, and frequently characterized as an epidemic, obesity is the target of high profile national health interventions, media campaigns, and a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. The message produced by public health agencies is that obesity is a killer, and that reducing weight is a beneficial and achievable goal generating many positive health outcomes. This paper presents two primary arguments that counter the prevailing attitudes towards obesity: that as a stand-alone measure, Body Mass Index …

Animal Hoarding: An In Depth Look At The Issues And Interventions, Amanda Mooneyham

University Honors Theses

Animal hoarding cases in regard to 501(c)3 nonprofit agencies have been on the rise in recent decades and current intervention strategies are struggling to address this complex social problem. Animal hoarding not only affects the animals being abused, but it has adverse effects on humans and the environment. This paper examines the complexities surrounding animal hoarding, specifically focusing on the rescue hoarder mentality. The current intervention methods used are criminal prosecution, civil/regulatory enforcement, and mental health evaluations/treatments. Criminal prosecution is effective for some animal hoarders, but a lack of laws protecting animals along with animals being viewed as property translates …

Cost Of Commuting: A Review Of Determinants, Outcomes, And Theories Of Commuting-Related Stress, Damon M. Holland

University Honors Theses

Commuter-related stress, its history, associated determinants, outcomes in work environments and theoretical and methodological approaches were examined. In this cross-disciplinary review, I synthesize the research findings on commuting-related stress as it relates to workplace outcomes. In the extant literature, control, predictability, impedance, and length of commute are commonly associated with commuter stress. In addition, prior research has identified workplace aggression and absenteeism as prominent work-related outcomes of commuter stress.

Migration Movement, Robert Porte

University Honors Theses

All†Borders†Are†Temporary

"Migration is a phenomenon, not a problem – something that simply is. The right to migrate and to move freely is our human right. When societies restrict or choke off the movements of their citizens, they end up doing the work of a dam, they generate power and control floods, but in doing so they destroy life and wreck the surrounding space."

Justseeds†(excerpt)

As the current administration at the time of this writing continues its program of deportation of women and children from the U.S. to their war torn and violent countries of origin, I want not to engage …

Abusive Supervision In The Workplace: An Examination Of Current Research And A Proposal For Preventive Measures, Samantha Kemper

University Honors Theses

Abusive supervision is a serious and growing problem plaguing today’s organizations, affecting up to 16 percent of employees. This paper provides an overview of workplace mistreatment research, focusing specifically on abusive supervision and its antecedents and consequences, and proposes a course of action for organizations interested in reducing and preventing abusive supervision. In total, 93 articles were included based on the originality of their contributions to the literature. The central objective of this paper is to create a foundation of knowledge and understanding of abusive supervision, which organizations can then use to identify and prevent the occurrence of abusive supervision. …

Collective Intervention: An Analysis Of The Political Issues Regarding Secession, Self-Determination, And Sovereignty In The Republic Of Kosovo, Benjamin Werthan

University Honors Theses

In 2008, the Republic of Kosovo, after years of war and internal conflicts between the ethnic Albanians and Serbians who lived in the territory, finally received status as an independent state. The process was long and even after declaring independence the Republic still had to fight for such recognition. This thesis explores that process, starting with the years prior to the Yugoslav Wars, through the Republic of Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence and the subsequent International Court of Justice advisory opinion. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the concepts of self-determination and state sovereignty with regard to the actions …

When Enough Is Enough: The Impact Of Parental Involvement In Children's Participation In Organized Sports, Dorothy K. Hollins

University Honors Theses

In the United States, organized sports for children and youth play a key role in our country’s culture. Child participation in organized youth sports begins as young as the age of 5 and continues on to 18 years of age. Youth participation in athletics is premised upon the socially accepted notion that participation in competitive sports builds character, which in turn helps children learn valuable life lessons. However, recent studies have shown that youth athletics provides an environment for adults to become overly emotionally invested in their children’s athletic endeavors. This thesis examines varying levels of parental involvement in their …

Meditation And Mindfulness: Combatting Negative Mindsets And Mental Health Afflictions While Promoting Positives Such As Confidence And General Well-Being, Charlotte R. Dicharry

University Honors Theses

Popular opinion holds that meditation and mindfulness render positive effects. However, minimal empirical evidence has been submitted except in the last seven years that it has gained attention. This study uses data from these recent years to gather a concise view of the effects of meditation and mindfulness practices in combatting anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem as well as the increase in positives such as confidence and general well-being.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. has been promoting meditation and mindfulness as treatment for stress since the 1980s. He has applied the practice to physical ailments as well as mental maladies (Kabat-Zinn, 2014b). …

Vignettes And Havensville Farm, Michael Mckee Green

University Honors Theses

This thesis includes a series of terse vignettes and a pastoral section. Both groups of poems share a connection to imagism and are invested in latency, given that the fraught images hint at violences just beyond the reader's sensual periphery.