Digital Commons Network^™

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.

Exploring The Negative Perceptions Of Female Legislators: The Consequences Of Gender Quotas In Argentina, Marcella Silverman

University Honors Theses

This paper examines how the presence of gender quotas effect public perceptions of female legislators in regards to their competence and qualifications needed to enter public office. This paper suggests that gender quotas can promote negative public perceptions due to pre-established gender norms and meritocracy violations similarly to sentiments in Affirmative Action programs. Analyzing the survey data taken from participants in Argentina, the results suggests that perceptions of female legislators are impacted by the individual’s knowledge of what a gender quota is as well as the specifics of how Argentine gender quotas are executed. Of the total percentage of participants …

Anticommercial Purposes: New Methods In Graphic Design And Radical Environmental Change, Nina Berry

University Honors Theses

This paper explores the ways in which graphic design has approached and interacted with sustainability throughout the last quarter of the 20th century and into today. Following two collaborative manifestos of graphic designers discussing design's potential outside of the commercial realm, this paper examines the way that graphic design has assisted with environmentalism thus far and makes a proposal for the way that graphic design should be used in an environmentally sustainable context into the future. Using the tenets of the new scholarly realm of Transition Design, this paper dissects how graphic design can assist a transition away from a …

A Comparative Study Of The Performance Capabilities Of Magnetic Gears, D. S. Painter

University Honors Theses

This article is a literature review and comparison of the performance capabilities of magnetic gears. The purpose of this paper was to determine the validity of further attempts at implementing magnetic gear technology into large scale applications such as wind turbines. It was determined that mechanical gears still carry an advantage over magnetic gears in terms of performance; magnetic gears have only reached a peak torque performance of 731 Nm. The highest torque density for a magnetic gear is 239 Nm/L. Improvements in magnetic gears, such as, the types of magnets used, and improved topologies of the gears have been …

Regarding The Treatment Of Women, Where Did Jesus Set The Bar?, Katerina Paetzhold

University Honors Theses

This thesis crafts an argument for greater female education, teaching, and leadership within modern day Christian churches. By examining three key interactions between Jesus and women as recorded in the four canonical gospels, a clear example for gender equality within Christianity emerges. The manner in which Jesus speaks with the Samaritan Woman, Mary of Bethany, and the women at the resurrection, as well as the roles and responsibilities he places on them demonstrates that Christ saw women as capable of learning, teaching, and leading. As the canon of Christianity, Jesus' life on earth is the template that sets the bar …

Following The Flat Hat: What Leads People To National Park Service Interpretive Careers?, Avarie Fitzgerald

University Honors Theses

National Park Service interpreters around the United States are dedicated to connecting people to their parks and historical sites. While these interpretive rangers have an important mission of preserving the landscape and stories of our nation’s most treasured places, a gap in the research of significant life experiences and environmental education professions exists in understanding the motivations behind following a career in the park service. Through semi-structured phenomenological interviews, the significant life experiences of interpretive park rangers were investigated as to their degree of influence on their choice of career. The findings indicate that quality time spent outdoors, family involvement, …

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Mbsr) As An Alternative Therapy For Chronic Pain, Kayla Ohlgren

University Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the possibility of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as an alternative therapy for chronic pain in contrast to traditional medical care. It examines 18 peer-reviewed scholarly articles and identifies benefits for chronic pain patients in terms of pain severity, quality of life, psychological distress, and duration of benefits. This thesis also identifies practical benefits of MBSR such as cost, implementation, no negative side effects, and the creation of life-long skills to be used after treatment has ended. In conclusion, there is a significant gap in the current academic literature pertaining to chronic pain patients who are minorities, men, …

Perceived Addiction To Pornography, Level Of Distress And Their Correlates, Paul Grimes

University Honors Theses

Negative psychological states such as distress, shame and depression have been linked to problematic porn use. This is a proposal for a study that seeks to identify if perceived addiction to pornography and stress are correlated. In addition to this perceived addiction to porn, other perceived addictions (food, sex, alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes) will be tested to determine the level of comorbidity of addictions in people. The hypothesis of this study is: People that perceive themselves as having pornography addiction will have higher rates of other perceived addictions than those who do perceive themselves to be addicted to pornography; in …

Our Table: A Family Cookbook, Karalie M. Juraska

University Honors Theses

Food has always been an important part of my family; from my childhood days sitting on the counter next to mom, sneaking licks as she stirred an afternoon batch of cookies, to the laughs and tears we had over conversations around a dinner table. It’s not the food per say, but the community and love and fellowship that was shared over it. Food often meant stopping, taking a step back from the rush of a day, and simply enjoying a moment together.

This graphic design project uses classical typesetting and illustration to showcase a collection of recipes that have been, …

Trespass, Veronika Ivanova

University Honors Theses

Controversial artworks are relentlessly defended by art critics, who frequently downplay their disturbing emotional affect. Against an overwhelming consensus to the contrary, this essay will propose that ethical analysis is an effective and critically revealing method of engaging with contemporary transgressive art. It will argue that in favoring conceptual rather than emotional reactions, commentators fail to fully engage with the work they promote. Far from clouding our judgement, shame, outrage, and revulsion are the very emotions that artworks can set out to evoke. I am specifically interested in artists that challenge the attitude of aesthetic disinterestedness through engaging our moral …

The Role Of Portland State University As A Community Partner In Addressing Homelessness, Jennifer Hoskins

University Honors Theses

This paper explores the role of Portland State University as a community partner in addressing the issue of homelessness. The research includes a literature review, findings from a 10-month participant observation study, and interviews with community and academic leaders. The findings from the study focus on community needs, which include having a citizenry educated on issues of poverty and homelessness; having vocal support for public policies that serve people who are homeless; insight from research; and having labor to get work done. The research findings also focus on university needs, which include classroom curriculum centered on poverty and homelessness; service …

Language Sample Length Effects On Various Lexical Diversity Measures: An Analysis Of Spanish Language Samples From Children, Morgan Stills

University Honors Theses

Purpose: various studies have assessed whether lexical diversity in language samples is a useful clinical tool for assessing language abilities. However, not all studies used the same measure of lexical diversity indices or sample demographic. Therefore it is unclear which lexical diversity indices work best when analyzing Spanish language samples. The current study aimed to compare validity evidence for five lexical diversity measures based on Spanish language samples. Specifically it assessed how changes in language-sample length influenced each measure. The most accurate lexical diversity measures were expected to yield similar estimates for a given child across language samples that differed …

Determinants Of State Firearms Policy Variation, Brandon Paul Kaskawal

University Honors Theses

The public policy landscape within the United States in regards to firearms is one which is inhabited by a large variation in policies. While many studies, such as those conducted by Azrael, Cook and Miller or O’Brien, Forrest, Lynott, and Daly, have looked at aspects of a states given firearms policy, little research has be conducted looking at why such a variation among state firearms policies exist. In order to uncover possible reasons for state firearms policy variation, this study looked at nine states as case studies along with six variables which are known to influence public policy. Utilizing the …

Communication Methods In Healthcare For Latinos With Limited English Proficiency: Physician Language Concordance And Children As Translators, Katie Castellanos

University Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis was to examine the primary methods of communication that Latinos with limited English proficiency (LEP) use when professional translators are not available. Latinos constitute 17% of the United States population, 64% of which have limited English proficiency. A literature review was conducted to identify research done in regards to children as translators and physician language concordance. Two themes of communication for Latinos with LEP in the absence of professional translators emerged from the literature review: the use of children as translators, and reliance on physician language concordance. Providers should take caution when working with these …

Mills And Veblen: An Institutional Analysis, Matthew Klosterman

University Honors Theses

This inquiry considers and also seeks to establish theoretical relationships between the thinking and contributions of Thorstein Veblen and C. Wright Mills. Selected writings of Veblen have not only formed new approaches to the discipline of Economics, but also influenced prominent scholars, like Mills. In his contributions, Veblen employs various approaches to social science analysis, such as use of dichotomy (Veblenian Dichotomy), subreption, and cumulative causation in his efforts to describe social change within an evolutionary-institutionalist framework. While not being explicit, some contributions of Mills utilize similar approaches advanced earlier by Veblen. In summary, Mills’ contributions to sociology appear to …

#Blacklivesmatter: This Generation's Civil Rights Movement, Tanika Siscoe

University Honors Theses

Do Black Lives Matter or do All Lives Matter? That question has been the cause of many debates and conversations across America recently. The All Lives Matter response was created to criticize the Black Lives Matter Movement and operates under the assumption that the movement isn’t needed in America because it is a post racial society. This thesis reviews race theories, racial formation in the United States and racist ideology in the pre- and post-Civil Rights era in order to show why the Black Lives Matter Movement is needed. It looks at the influence colorblindness has on the United States …

Standing On The Street Corners Of Capitalism : Translations Of Tawara Machi's Chocolate Revolution Tanka, Jared Ridabock

University Honors Theses

This thesis contains original translations of the first three rensaku of best selling author Tawara Machi's 1997 tanka collection Chocolate Revolution. In it, Tawara's work is examined from a critical lens developed by Dean Brink, arguing that while her poetry is subsumed within the language of capitalist consumer society, it's engagement with absurd moments therein creates an opportunity for resistance for readers. While this thesis initially agrees with Brink's assessment of Tawara as an apolitical writer, it suggests that recent works published to social media by Tawara Machi may show a deviation from her apolitical stance and discusses the effect …

Photo Quality Assessment: Predicting Crowd Opinions, Uyen T. Mai

University Honors Theses

Existing methods for photo quality assessment typically formulate photo quality assessment as a binary classification problem that labels a photo as low- or high-quality. Photo quality assessment, however, is subjective, and people often rate a photo differently. Therefore, the quality of a photo sometimes cannot be fully described by a low- or high-quality label. In this paper, we present a subjective photo quality assessment method that predicts how a group of users rates a photo. Specifically, our method predicts a quality score distribution that is likely produced by a group of people rating the photo. Our method models the score …

Gretchen Kafoury: The Personal Is Political, Corinne Rupp

University Honors Theses

Gretchen Kafoury (June 23, 1942 – March 13, 2015) was a Portland politician whose personal ideals formed the backbone of her lengthy career in public service. While an avowed liberal and feminist, Kafoury recognized the need to work across political boundaries in order to get things done. She dedicated her time and voice to communities she saw as underserved, and helped build and protect a social safety net in all her elected positions.

The exhibit created from the Special Collections Archives housing her documents highlighted her political life and achievements, from her earliest days as a grassroots organizer for women’s …

A Numerical Modeling Investigation On Calving And The Recession Of South Cascade Glacier, Annika Noel Horlings

University Honors Theses

Retreat of South Cascade Glacier has been well documented since 1957. Despite this, little research has examined why South Cascade Glacier has receded more rapidly than other glaciers in the North Cascades region of Washington State during the last century. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether calving associated with the proglacial South Cascade Lake significantly influenced the glacier’s retreat. A simple numerical model using documented and projected historical net mass balances, bed configuration data, and lake basin data is used to approximate the recession of South Cascade Glacier during the last century. To evaluate the influence of …

The Nature Of Kinematic Waves In Glaciers And Their Application To Understanding The Nisqually Glacier, Mt. Rainier, Washington, Brita Ilyse Horlings

University Honors Theses

The Nisqually Glacier is one of the best studied glaciers on Mt. Rainier. Data was first collected on the glacier in 1857 and since then a number of kinematic waves have been observed but not extensively studied. The purpose of the thesis is to numerically model the conditions that favor or restrict kinematic wave propagation/initiation and subsequently model the relationship between kinematic wave behavior and the Nisqually Glacier. The numerical models used in this study are 2-D and use bedrock elevation, mass balance, basal sliding, and other equations to simulate alpine glaciers. A perturbation is added instantaneously for a specified …

Color Associations As Advertising Strategies: An Analysis Of Consumer Attitudes Toward The Healthfulness Of Energy Bar Packaging, Rachel Lotz

University Honors Theses

Color plays a strong role in shaping consumers’ attitude toward brands, expectations, and likeability in the field of advertising. Associations with colors are formed within consumers’ culture and are often universal in meaning. Through three studies, the role of color in relationship to perceived healthfulness on energy bar packaging is observed. The results show a strong correlation between a particular color associated with healthfulness due to preconceived color associations often highlighted in advertising strategies. However the results raised unexpected, yet insightful correlations with other colors, which participants identified as healthy. When participants were asked to pick the energy bar that …

Transformative Encounters In Conflict Processes, Garrett Evans

University Honors Theses

Beyond resolutions and agreements, there is a deeper level of internal and relational transformation which some conflict processes seek to bring forth. The purpose of this paper is to examine three models of transformation, how it occurs, and how to facilitate it; and to seek common themes and patterns between these models. With these themes identified and illuminated by insights from psychology, philosophy, and interpersonal neurobiology, I offer a synthesized hypothesis of transformation and recommendations for facilitation. Finally, I address future directions for study, particularly in the intersection of trauma, interpersonal neurobiology, contemplative psychology, and conflict transformation.

Niche Television Content, Taya Welter

University Honors Theses

This research ties together the concepts of group vitality and niche television content. Group vitality, the position a group takes based on structures in society, is partially formed by institutional support. This includes representation and depiction in the media. Niche describes specialized content that gratifies individuals, groups, and their needs. This content can be found in the form of books, music, film, television, and more. The current study focused on niche television content preference within specific groups of people based on their demographics. Separate genres were considered niche categories in this research. Participants were asked to rate how much they …

Palestinian Opinion On Peace: Analysis Of Survey Data From The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Kaylee G. Brink

University Honors Theses

There have been many articles on the influence of public opinion on Palestinian peace with Israel, but none have been written using data since the early 2000s. This gap is important because many Israeli and Palestinian citizens have increasingly lost hope in the Oslo peace process. This article uses data from 2006 to 2012 to analyze changes in Palestinian support for peace with Israel. Variables include political affiliation, gender, religiosity, economic situation, and area of residence. The Arab Barometer and the Palestinian Center originally gathered all of the data for Policy and Survey Research used in this paper. A binomial …

Venture Capital Dynamics: Challenges In Financing Technological Entrepreneurship, Evan Kaeding

University Honors Theses

The venture capital process is fraught with risk to the venture capitalist induced by agency costs, information asymmetry and moral hazard. Venture capitalists employ sophisticated contracting techniques to mitigate these risks, often at the expense of the entrepreneur. Additional complexity can arise depending on the affiliation of the venture capitalist. This work highlights the common pitfalls that high-technology entrepreneurs face as a result of the circumstances inherent in the fund raising process, and makes recommendations for mitigating these pitfalls.

Future Mrs. President Or Simply Bill's Wife? : A Content Analysis Of New York Times Coverage Of Hillary Clinton In 2008 Versus 2016, Chandler E. Paterson

University Honors Theses

This study analyzed New York Times coverage in January 2008 and January 2016 of Hillary Clinton. Coverage of Hillary during these two months was compared based on the number of times the categories family and appearance were mentioned. In four of the sub-categories, the results show that fewer stories mentioned aspects of Hillary’s family and appearance in 2016 than in 2008. These findings support the hypotheses and indicate a change in the way media is discussing female politicians, along with the country’s support of them.

The United States’ Criminal Justice System Divided* : …On The Connection Between The Exclusionary Rule And Preserving Civil Liberties, Alexandre Pomar

University Honors Theses

The injustice by professionals within the criminal justice system gives rise to societal opinion that purports that these respective agencies lack a clear perception of their professional conduct. This invidious neglect toward societal opinion preempts the divide among law enforcement agencies--most specifically--and the United States population. The impaired perception on professional conduct the criminal justice professionals suffer from nationwide owes itself to the misuse of authority and a subsequent lack of accountability for improper actions. Over time, the dissolving of one’s civil liberties has perpetuated in accord to the deference awarded to law enforcement agencies and the courts that allow …

Depression In Older Adults In Nursing Homes: A Review Of The Literature, Isabella Mccarthy-Zelaya

University Honors Theses

The rates of depression are high in nursing homes and often is not treated. A systematic literature review was conducted searching for research studies on depression interventions in nursing homes. Nineteen studies met selection criteria, which included being published in a peer-reviewed journal, being set in a nursing home and utilizing an experimental design. The sample sizes of the studies ranged from 21 participants to as many as 595; the lengths of the studies varied as well from 4 weeks to 24 weeks, with six studies also including follow-ups up to one year post-intervention. Studies showed that interventions involving reminiscing …

Defining Protein Interactions: Ankle Link Proteins Of Stereocilia In Hair Cells, Ladan Yazdidoust

University Honors Theses

Hearing loss presenting without any other defects is referred to as nonsyndromic, whereas hearing loss in combination with one or more defects is referred to as syndromic hearing loss. Usher syndrome, one example of syndromic hearing loss, is a genetic disorder that affects both hearing and vision. There are several genes associated with Usher syndrome. The genes GPR98 and USH2A are critical for ankle link formation and when mutated result in deafness. Our lab (Barr-Gillespie Lab at OHSU) is interested in further characterizing the protein-protein interactions required to form the ankle links. This includes two genes (PDZD7 and MYO7A …