Digital Commons Network^™

Inertial Sensor Algorithm To Estimate Walk Distance, Vrutangkumar Shah, Carolin Curtze, Kristen Sowalsky, Ishu Arpan, Martina Mancini, James Mcnames, Mahmoud El-Gohary, Fay Horak, Patricia Carlson-Kuhta

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The “total distance walked” obtained during a standardized walking test is an integral component of physical fitness and health status tracking in a range of consumer and clinical applications. Wearable inertial sensors offer the advantages of providing accurate, objective, and reliable measures of gait while streamlining walk test administration. The aim of this study was to develop an inertial sensor-based algorithm to estimate the total distance walked using older subjects with impaired fasting glucose (Study I), and to test the generalizability of the proposed algorithm in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (Study II). All subjects wore two inertial sensors (Opals by …

Webinar: Mobility, Accessibility, And Resiliency Of Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Kate Hyun, Kathy Lee, Caroline Krejci

TREC Webinar Series

Mobility disparities among older adults affect their ability to travel and access services. This project seeks to understand challenges, barriers, and gaps that older adults experience and to develop forms of assistance or educational strategies to fill the varying mobility gaps and meet the mobility needs. This study characterizes older adults’ use of existing and potential transportation options, including conventional transit, paratransit, and ride-hailing systems, based on surveys and interviews collected from community-dwelling older adults in Dallas, Texas. Through the interview during the pandemic, the research team found that perceptual and knowledge barriers appear to be reduced among older adults …

Social Needs Resource Connections: A Systematic Review Of Barriers, Facilitators, And Evaluation, Katherine Dubose Broadwell, Dawn Michele Richardson, Christina M. Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Healthcare organizations increasingly are screening patients for social needs (e.g., food, housing) and referring them to community resources. This systematic mixed studies review assesses how studies evaluate social needs resource connections and identifies patient- and caregiver-reported factors that may inhibit or facilitate resource connections.

The Impact Of New Light Rail Service On Employment Growth In Portland, Oregon, Lahar Santra

Dissertations and Theses

This study quantitatively examines the impact of the new Light Rail Transit (LRT) service on employment growth in retail, knowledge, and service sectors before and after opening the LRT. At the corridor level, this study conducts a case study of Greenline in Southeast Portland, Oregon. The results of the corridor level study suggest that the new LRT service increased employment along the Greenline corridor among all the three sectors of interest- retail, knowledge, service in the long-term (ten years) while having slightly different results for the short-term (five years), likely due to the slow growth of LRT benefits. This study …

American Apartheid In The Walamt Valley: The Creation Of Grand Ronde And The Struggle To Assimilate To A Segregated Society, Bruce Jenks

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Throughout its history the United States government professed the goal of assimilation of North America’s indigenous peoples. Whatever words Americans used to frame this social project, it was clearly the result of a view of Native societies as inferior to their own. In investigating the events surrounding the colonization of the Willamette Valley in the 1850s it becomes clear that apartheid, rather than assimilation, was the goal and the result of American colonization in Oregon. Working back from the text “My Life: The Autobiography of Louis Kenoyer,” dictated to anthropologist Melville Jacobs in the 1920s by a Tualatin man about …

Development Of A Testing Station For Grid-Interactive Smart Inverter Systems, Yudong Lan

Dissertations and Theses

As renewable energy penetration increases within the electrical power grid, flexible power is required to ensure reliability. Reliability can be jeopardized by the fluctuation and non-dispatch ability of renewable generators. This instability is caused by an imbalance between the amount of power produced and the amount of power consumed. Grid-enabled battery inverter systems are considered a solution to offset voltage and frequency fluctuations, which arise due to this power imbalance.

The objective of this work is to develop a system for testing grid-enabled inverters. These inverters use one or more communication standards to control their interactions with the grid. This …

Heat, Wildfire And Energy Demand: An Examination Of Residential Buildings And Community Equity, Chrissi Argyro Antonopoulos

Dissertations and Theses

Extreme heat and wildfire events are becoming more prolific and exacerbated by climate change, carrying significant implications for environmental and social systems. Residential buildings play a central role in protecting people from heat and pollutant exposure during extreme weather events, but the level of protection varies dramatically depending on building energy efficiency and technology availability. Low-income and communities of color have higher energy burdens compared to affluent populations, and underserved communities often do not have financial resources for, or access to, advanced building technologies. This dissertation explores the impacts of extreme heat and wildfire on residential buildings, focused specifically on …

More Than Words: Articulating The Multisensory Experiences Of Protected Area Visitors In Southern Nevada, Sara Nicole Temme

Dissertations and Theses

The complex sensory experiences of visitors to U.S. protected areas are not well understood. Previous research investigates visitor activities, motivations, and the ways place attachment cultivates support for conservation activities and other pro-environmental behavior. However, it is unclear how protected area visitor sensory experiences contribute to these behaviors. This study aims to articulate the multisensory experiences of visitors to the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area in southern Nevada, U.S.A. Specifically, it demonstrates the complexity of these experiences as present, intertwined, and embodied in all visit phases: before, during, and after. Utilizing a mixed-method …

Geographies Of Urban Unsafety: Homeless Women, Mental Maps, And Isolation, Jan Radle Roberson

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the intersection of urban unsafety and the marginalized population of homeless women. Specifically, it investigates how homeless women identify/perceive and navigate unsafe urban space. Specific research questions include:

1. What does housing insecurity look like for an unhoused woman?

2. In what ways is mental mapping a robust tool for gathering the stories (data) of vulnerable populations such as unhoused women?

3. What does the spatialization of unsafe locations look like and are demographic groupings dissimilarly affected?

4. What are the critical reasons for unsafety identified by participants?

5. How do homeless women respond to urban unsafety; …

Critical Synthesis Toward Transformative Collaboration: A Dialectical Analysis Of Functionalist And Critical Paradigms, Jangmin Kim, Junghee Lee

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social workers are required to become effective boundary spanners to address complex social problems with community-based and cross-system collaboration. However, substantial tensions exist in the literature about how to build successful collaboration, stemming from the massive use of the two competing paradigms: functionalist and critical paradigms. Using a dialectical analysis, this article attempted to uncover and synthesize paradoxical understandings of the major elements of successful collaboration. Significant contradictions between the two contrasting paradigms are identified at the multidimensional levels, including (1) member capacity for developing objective/consensus knowledge vs. subjective/dissensus knowledge, (2) unity vs. diversity in membership, (3) centralized vs. decentralized …

Measuring Morality In The 2020 Us Presidential Election, Scott Edward Atkins

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the moral content evident in speeches by 2020 US Presidential Candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Drawing on Moral Foundations Theory (Haidt, 2013), I test the hypotheses that each candidate's moral content, as measured by the use of certain morally salient keywords, will fall along patterns based on their political affiliation. In testing these hypotheses, I also present a comparison of keyword analysis methods. The first uses a simple word count procedure alongside the Moral Foundations Dictionary 2.0, developed by Frimer et al. (2017), which scores a document based on the presence of words from each of …

Never Ask For A Lighter Rain But A Stronger Umbrella, Anurag Pande, Melissa Haeffner, Günter Blöschl, Mohammad Faiz Alam, Cyndi Castro, Giuliano Di Baldassarre, Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky, Rick Hogeboom, Heidi Kreibich, Multiple Additional Authors

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In a recent editorial in the journal Nature Sustainability, the editors raised the concern that journal submissions on water studies appear too similar. The gist of the editorial: “too many publications and not enough ideas.” In this response, we contest this notion, and point to the numerous new ideas that result from taking a broader view of the water science field. Drawing inspiration from a recently hosted conference geared at transcending traditional disciplinary silos and forging new paradigms for water research, we are, in fact, enthusiastic and optimistic about the ways scientists are investigating political, economic, historical, and cultural intersections …

Linking Conservation And Environmental Justice: Exploring Relationship-Building Between A Land Trust And Four Pacific Northwest Tribes, C. Noel Plemmons

Dissertations and Theses

Conservation organizations around the world are addressing exclusionary policies and implicit biases that have alienated segments of society from both the conservation movement and natural places. Native American tribes make up one segment of society with a particular interest in and deep ties to land and resources. Vancouver, Washington-based Columbia Land Trust recognizes tribes' special relationships with their ancestral lands and resources thereon, but has struggled to develop policies that involve tribes in conserved areas and conservation plans. The conception among mainstream scientists that western conservation science is better equipped than Indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) to determine best practices is …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet January 2022, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The January 3, 2022 Monthly packet includes the January agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held December 6, 2021.

Working Learners In An Workplace Learning Ecosystem, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Direct Supervisor: Insights From Research Partners, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

Part of our research process has been to engage the voices of individuals involved in employer-supported education and training initiatives or otherwise impacted by the issues we have been investigating. To this end, we hosted a series of convenings to discuss our findings and invited a group of12 interested parties who represented a range of backgrounds and experience in the workforce development system to respond to our initial observations, to make sure that we are doing things that were relevant and useful, and to identify things that we had missed or that we didn't get right.

What Do We Mean By Learning?, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

There is no one way a working learner interacts in the workplace to learn. Nor is there just one set of initiatives in the field that promote learning. Learning is a set of interactions that depend on the context, the conditions, the learner, and the learner's goals.

Reflections On Teaching And Learning Chemistry Through Youth Participatory Science, Daniel Morales-Doyle, Alejandra Frausto Aceves, Karen Canales Salas, Mindy J. Chappell, Tomasz Rajski, Adilene Aguilera, Giani Clay, Delani Lopez

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This chapter captures a panel discussion from the 2019 conference of Science Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (SEEDS) in Norfolk, Virginia. The panel included two high school students, three high school chemistry teachers, a community organizer, an administrator for a large urban school district, and a university-based science educator. These panelists, the authors of this chapter, had been collaborating on an initiative to support youth participatory science (YPS) projects in high school chemistry classes (Morales-Doyle & Frausto, 2021). We share this lightly edited transcript of our conversation as a way to communicate perspectives about the opportunities and challenges …

Assembly 2022, Portland State University Art And Social Practice

Assembly

Every year, the Portland State University Art and Social Practice (A+SP) MFA Program cohort endeavors to create a “conference” that presents socially engaged art and offers a forum for discussion around the field of Social Practice.* Starting in 2014, Assembly has provided students with a chance to create multiday gatherings full of participatory events, discussions, and presentations in various sites across Portland. However, Assembly has seen some major changes due to the ongoing pandemic. With that being said, it’s our honor to WELCOME YOU TO THE FIRST IN-PERSON ASSEMBLY SINCE 2019! Assembly is extra special this year, not only because …

Identifying And Prioritizing Urban And Commercial Stormwater Concerns: City Of Grants Pass, Oregon, Amie Nicole Siedlecki

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

For many communities, drinking water comes from surface water sources, or source water, such as rivers and creeks. Within the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, this is the case. The Rogue River, which spans 215 miles, beginning near Crater Lake and emptying into the ocean at Gold Beach, is Grants Pass' Rogue River, in relation to drinking water, is rarely an issue for the City of Grants Pass' Public Works Department, the potential contaminant sources (PCS) from the urban, commercial, and industrial geographical areas of Grants Pass is a concern. In order to deploy treatment processes that are capable of …

Oregon's Safe Harbor For Tenants: Rocky Shoals In Eviction Diversion, Lisa K. Bates

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

In an effort to mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 public health emergency, throughout 2020 and into 2021 novel public health emergency programs were initiated, including a variety of federal, state, and local ‘moratoriums’ on residential evictions for nonpayment of rent. As the moratoria began to sunset, additional ‘post-pandemic’ eviction diversion and tenant protection programs were created to buffer the ‘tsunami’ of evictions that were expected.

Oregon’s eviction diversion program, the so-called ‘safe harbor period’ for nonpayment eviction cases, was put into place in July 2021 to maintain some protections for tenants after the state moratorium on nonpayment evictions ended. …

Village Research & How-To Guide, Todd Ferry, Greg Townley, Marisa Zapata

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The village model is an increasingly popular form of alternative shelter being explored by organizations, activists, and municipalities around the country. Portland’s Dignity Village is the country’s first and longest running village, serving as a touchstone for community dialogue in Oregon around the subject of supporting people experiencing homelessness since 2000. More recently, the region has seen the rapid increase in alternative shelters informed by or following the village model, sparked by a state of emergency declaration on housing and homelessness in Portland in 2015, and further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the model continues to grow and morph …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Microplastics Management In Oregon, Maya Hurst-Mayr

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

There is currently no federal policy in the United States that specifically addresses microplastics (MPs) pollution. However, states are beginning to act on this issue; California's SB 1422 initiates measurement of MPs in drinking water resources and Senate Bill 1263 requires the state to adopt a strategy to reduce the ecological impact of MPs in marine ecosystems. Other West Coast states like Oregon and Washington are expected to follow California's example. It is important to know what the actors who are a part of shaping MPs policy in Oregon would see as barriers and opportunities to doing so. We conducted …

Quality Control And Management In Digital Learning Platforms, Saumya Saxena

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of education forever. Though the educational system has seamlessly transitioned from the traditional physical classroom teaching to the digital teaching setup, there are certain barriers faced by students and faculty that affect the quality of digital learning. The aim of this paper is to identify key quality issues in the digital learning platforms used in current online education system from the perspective of students. The research is based on literature review, and responses to a structured questionnaire along with semi-structured interviews. The research shows that majority of the students are satisfied with their …

How Relevant Is The Basic Reproductive Number Computed During Covid-19, Especially During Lockdowns?, Arni S.R. Srinivasa Rao, Steven G. Krantz, Thomas Kurien, David Swanson, Multiple Additional Authors

Publications, Reports and Presentations

Basic reproductive numbers during COVID-19, either through standard approaches or through time-varying approaches, are key for understanding the pandemic growth. However, improper usage and interpretations and computational difficulties during lockdowns could be misleading for planning and mitigation.

Quantum Computing In A Humanoid Robot, Lynn Nguyen

Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

Objective: Design a head for a HR-OS1 robot that can communicate and express emotions, which will be used to imitate human-like behavior through quantum computing.

Improving Power Grid Reliability: Building A Water Heater Control Module Prototype, Nicole Henderson

Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

Introduction: Finding innovative ways to store energy can help improve the reliability of power grids. DERs, or Distributed Energy Resources, are an affordable and accessible option for energy storage. The focus of this project is to build a prototype of a Distributed Control Module (DCM) that acts as a communication point between water heaters– as DERs– and Grid Service Providers (GSPs).

Characterizing Electrically Small Antennas At 2.4ghz, Luis Brennan

Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

Antenna size is a limiting factor for small scale RFIC used in application such as IoT and wireless sensor networks. Many electrically small antenna designs are available but without robust characterization. This study established and tests a method for antenna characterization, useful for future design iteration.

Building Roseburg Public Library’S Community Demographics Dashboard, Spencer Keller

Masters in GIS Practicum Reports

In a globally connected society becoming increasingly reliant on data, community GIS practitioners help bring spatial data to community organizations and other community partners in the form of data acquisition, collection, analytics, visualization, and presentation. Many Community GIS practitioners help their community partners better serve their community by harnessing the power of GIS, including community partners who advocate for and provide services to their community. Public libraries are one such service-providing entity that has been struggling in modern times, especially in rural areas. The Center for Geography Education in Oregon received grant funding in 2020 from the Institute of Museum …

Healthcare Information Security Maturity Model Grande Ronde Hospital, Pallavi Agrawal, Riad Alharithi, Karthik Manjunath, Kamal Thapa, Eric Ingersoll, Sujitha Rajagopal

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Technology offers significant advantages in improving the delivery of healthcare to patients. The technology creates electronic data associated with each patient. The data journey starts from the collection point, through the data warehouses that store the data, the application that processes the data, and the medium that transfers the data throughout the patient's life. Data collection starts with patients filling out web forms on a provider's website. This information is stored for the Healthcare organization in remote servers managed by developers and is shared with healthcare specialists, hospitals, labs, pharmacists, insurance providers, and billing software among many other healthcare workers. …