Digital Commons Network^™

Consequences Of Spatial Heterogeneity For Turbulent Wake Development, Ryan Scott

Dissertations and Theses

Spatial heterogeneity is an fundamental property of natural systems. In fluid dynamics subtle variations in fluid motion give rise to chaotic turbulent flows. When a fluid passes an object it retains an imprint of the object as a momentum deficit known as a wake. The resulting spatial structure of the wake is intrinsically linked to the object responsible for its creation. The coupling between geometric complexity in wake producing entities and turbulent wake evolution is considered in terms of spatial heterogeneity from individual wakes through turbulent canopy flows. First a novel Lacunarity-based method is developed for quantifying spatial heterogeneity in …

The Central Role Of Perceived Safety In Connecting Crash Risk Factors And Walking Behavior, Kyu Ri Kim

Dissertations and Theses

Despite advanced policies, plans, and facilities, many pedestrians are still injured and killed in traffic crashes in the United States. To improve pedestrian safety and the walking environment, the relationship between surrounding crash risk factors and perceived safety that influence people's behavior needs to be studied. This study aims to examine pedestrian crash risk factors, the relationship between crash risk factors and perceived safety, measured as threatened experiences and safety attitudes, and the relationship between safety attitudes and walking behavior.

The analysis used data from three primary sources: (1) an original survey of 551 residents in 10 neighborhoods in Oregon …

Three Essays On Communicative Planning: From The Perspective Of East Asians, Minji Cho

Dissertations and Theses

Communicative planning aims to strengthen the inclusiveness of planning by shifting the paradigm from the perception that the public is considered an object affected by the planning process to an active participant. In modern society, where people's values are more diverse, communicative planning can be an alternative way to reflect the opinions of people with diverse identities for decision-making. At the same time, however, it is criticized for its difficulty in universal application, particularly in non-Western countries. Scholars argue that since communicative planning theory is biased toward Anglo-Americans' context, it requires a specific contextual condition.

In this background, this dissertation …

Nostalgia Marketing: An Integrative Framework, Yasamin Mehdian Rad

University Honors Theses

Nostalgia is a longstanding yet evolving concept in marketing, employed to evoke sentimental longing for the past. It is a complex emotion that can invoke warmth, happiness, sadness, and melancholy, and can be directed towards both personal memories and imaginative pasts--times and places that one has never experienced. This dual nature of nostalgia, categorized into personal and imaginative nostalgia, offers a powerful emotional appeal that marketers leverage to influence consumer behavior. Since the 1950s, the use of nostalgia in marketing has increased significantly, allowing brands to forge deep emotional connections with consumers. Despite its prevalent use, research on nostalgia's impact …

A Systems Theoretic View Of Speculative Realism, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent developments in Continental philosophy have included the emergence of a school of “speculative realism,” which rejects the human-centered orientation that has long dominated Continental thought. Proponents of speculative realism differ on several issues, but many agree on the need for an object-oriented ontology. Some speculative realists identify realism with materialism, while others accord equal reality to objects that are non-material, even fictional. Several thinkers retain a focus on difference, a well-established theme in Continental thought. This paper looks at speculative realism from the perspective of systems theory. Many of the tenets of speculative realism have long been features of …

Training Social Work Master's Students For Integrated Health Care Settings: The Importance Of Specialized Education, Passion Ilea, Ericka L. Kimball

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Integrated health care poses a unique opportunity for social workers to deliver person-centered, empowering, and collaborative care addressing all aspects of patient health. This study analyzed four years of data from a project designed to train social work master’s students to be effective members on integrated teams. Students that participated in the project achieved statistically significant levels of improvement from pre- to posttests with large effect sizes on the Behavioral Health Consultant Core Competency Tool skills (n = 93, Cohen’s d = -1.752, t(92) = -16.894, p < .001) and the Team Skills Scale (n = 94, Cohen’s d = -1.558, t(93) = -15.101, p < .001). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests confirmed improvements. No existing evaluations of integrated training for social work students capture behavioral health competencies data. Offering specialized training in integrated behavioral health work to students has immense potential benefit for outgoing social workers seeking to support patients.

Evaluation Of Trauma Informed Care For Indigenous Victims Of Human Trafficking: A Qualitative Discussion Of Best Practice, Nina Munson

University Honors Theses

Human trafficking is a major issue that every community and nation faces. Within the United States, Indigenous communities are especially at risk of victimization in relation to a history of systemic violence and consequent neglect. Therefore, the need for culturally competent care is crucial. This study seeks to address how culturally sensitive approaches to trauma-informed care can be developed and implemented by various providers to effectively support Native American victims of human trafficking in accessing assistance services. In order to evaluate the problem, a literature review was conducted, paired with qualitative interviews from relevant stakeholders. The findings demonstrated a significant …

Valid Confidence Intervals For Μ,Σ When There Is Only One Observation Available, Anirban Dasgupta, Stephen Portnoy

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portnoy (2019) considered the problem of constructing an optimal confidence interval for the mean based on a single observation X ∼ N(µ, σ2). Here we extend this result to obtaining 1-sample confidence intervals for σ and to cases of symmetric unimodal distributions and of distributions with compact support. Finally, we extend the multivariate result in Portnoy (2019) to allow a sample of size m from a multivariate normal distribution where m may be less than the dimension.

Zombies From Cultural Origin To Contemporary Uses, Conor Davenport

University Honors Theses

This piece explores the evolution of the Western cinematic zombie, from its spawning to its reappropriation and echoes that are seen throughout the current landscapes of cinema today. It presents the axiom of the genre with White Zombie (1932) and how it has evolved into the contemporary creature we know and love today. The paper examines a throughline from cultural origin and how this has developed and becomes a critical lens for widely spread bureaucratic systems currently in place.

Feeling Otherwise: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Queer And Trans Youth Of Color Who Create And Embody Fursonas, Hazel Ali Zaman

Dissertations and Theses

Queer and trans youth of color are often the target of surveillance, bullying, discrimination, and abuse. However, in an attempt to navigate such violent and discriminatory circumstances, the queer and trans youth of color in this dissertation found refuge in furry art and performances, both online and offline, where they were able to express themselves freely and thus acquire a sense of belonging among others with similar experiences. In this dissertation, "a furry" is used to refer to an individual who self-identifies as one who has an affinity for anthropomorphic animal characters. A common practice among furries is creating a …

Our Body-Minds Are Not Apologies: How Systemic Oppression, Beauty Standards & Desirability Politics Impact The Body-Image & Sex Lives Of Trans & Non-Binary People With Physical (Dis)Abilities, Elm Mack

University Honors Theses

Due to the ableism, whiteness, and cisgender-heteropatriarchy in the US, people who are marked by racial, physical, neuro, and gendered differences are stereotypically considered to be less desirable. By applying a perspective informed by Disability Studies, Trans Studies, and Queer of Color Theory (including scholars like Eli Clare, Robert McRuer, Sonya Renee Taylor, Audre Lorde, Sami Schalk, Chris Finley, and Alicia Cox), I investigate how societal norms, beauty standards, and systemic oppression have disproportionately impacted the body-images and sex lives of trans and non-binary people with physical (dis)abilities. This thesis aims to shed light on the variety of ways in …

Design And Test Of Asynchronous Systems Using The Link And Joint Model, Ebelechukwu Esimai

Dissertations and Theses

Asynchronous circuits offer numerous advantages, including low energy consumption and good composability and scalability. However, they remain meagerly adopted in the mainstream semiconductor industry. One reason is the limited number of design tools available to help designers navigate design complexity, particularly the myriad of asynchronous implementation styles.

This dissertation focuses on managing the myriad of asynchronous implementation styles by utilizing a circuit-neutral model, called Links and Joints, and embedding this Link-Joint approach into a design flow. Although years of past work have already laid the groundwork, the work in this dissertation identifies and addresses key missing pieces.

First, the …

Redesigning Secure School Entry Thresholds To Create Inclusive And Welcoming Environments, Alex Yarovaya

University Honors Theses

Schools are known to have been one of the largest assets to communities, providing folks with integral resources and accessible spaces that can foster a variety of activities. Over the last decade, however, our perspective of schools has undergone significant changes. Schools have eagerly been undergoing the process of "hardening" by implementing safety and violence prevention tactics with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) as a response to the staggering increase of gun violence incidents and safety & security issues today. Schools have been scrambling to accommodate this change in reality by retrofitting with security systems, implementing high security measures …

Extreme Heat & Public Perception In Portland, Oregon: Evidence Of A Compounding Vulnerability Effect For Climate Hazards, Brianne Suldovsky, Molly Baer Kramer, Jonathan Fink

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Extreme heat events are a global public health threat, and the frequency of these events are projected to increase significantly in the coming decades. Responding to extreme heat requires that municipalities communicate with public audiences. Generally speaking, risk communication and public engagement efforts are more effective when they are responsive to current risk perception trends. This social scientific study examines extreme heat risk perceptions, emergency response needs, and level of trust in first responders among residents of the Portland (OR) Metro Area. Using quantitative survey data, it demonstrates the compounding influence of three previously identified vulnerability indicators–poverty, disability, and race–on …

Urgent Care Program Influences On An Integrated Health Care System, Craig H. Carter

Dissertations and Theses

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the most extensive integrated health care delivery system in the world with over 20,000 physicians, 1,600 facilities, and more than 400,000 employees, caring for nine million veterans. The health care provided covers traditional outpatient and hospital-based services such as primary care, surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology, and physical therapy. Most VHA facilities offer additional medical and surgical specialties such as audiology, speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, urology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, and vision care. Some of the more extensive VHA facilities offer advanced health care services, such as organ transplants and plastic …

A Deep Learning Framework For Blockage Mitigation In Mmwave Wireless, Ahmed Hazaa Almutairi

Dissertations and Theses

Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) communication is a key technology to enable next generation wireless systems. However, mmWave systems are highly susceptible to blockages, which can lead to a substantial decrease in signal strength at the receiver. Identifying blockages and mitigating them is thus a key challenge to achieve next generation wireless technology goals, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). This thesis proposes several deep learning (DL) frameworks for mmWave wireless blockage detection, mitigation, and duration prediction. First, we propose a DL framework to address the problem of identifying whether the mmWave wireless channel between two devices …

Living On The Outskirts Of Things: Women And Nonbinary People Of Color With Cognitive Disabilities Describe Their Employment Experiences, Laura Spura Rodriguez

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the experiences of discrimination and the strategies used to navigate employment for women of color and nonbinary people of color (POC) with cognitive disabilities (CD) through their own narratives. Using Dis/ability Critical Race Theory and an interpretive description methodology, this study engaged 10 women of color and/or nonbinary POC with CD in semi-structured interviews in order to answer the following research questions: 1) What stories do women of color and nonbinary POC with CD tell about their experiences seeking employment? 2) What are the narratives of women and nonbinary POC with CD about their experiences of racism, …

Geographies Of Entitled Anger: Revanchist Populism In Brazil And Beyond, Ryan Centner, Mara Nogueira

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In an age of resurgent populism, emotional geographies play an underexamined yet pivotal role in explaining cross-class alliances that have enabled particularly angry forms of revanchist politics across world regions. This essay delineates the notion of “revanchist populism” and its grounding in “entitled anger,” as well as self-righteous geographical imaginations more broadly, to shed new light on the Brazilian case in recent years, which is further explored in this special issue. Beyond Brazil, we suggest how this approach can be used to bring a more geographical perspective to related iterations of revanchist populism elsewhere in the world and across the …

The Women Of The Oregon State Insane Asylum: 1900-1910, Rebekah Catherine Averette

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the lives of female patients at the Oregon State Insane Asylum between 1900 and 1910 and examines the significance of that decade as a period of transition in asylum care from a moral treatment model to a focus on moral hygiene practices to subvert insanity before it took root and medicalized psychiatric treatment for severe or chronic cases requiring institutionalization.

At the turn of the twentieth century, state insane asylums were in the aspirational early stages of transforming into specialized psychiatric and medical hospitals. Ultimately, the hoped-for transformation would not materialize in a meaningful way until well …

Residential Ders In Service-Oriented Load Participation: Enhancing Grid Flexibility, Zhongkai Zeng

Dissertations and Theses

Amidst concerns about power consumption during peak periods and potential grid instability, the role of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) aggregation comes into consideration. Smart electric water heaters with remote capabilities and energy storage offer load reduction capabilities that can help maintain grid stability and manage residential energy consumption. DERs address challenges posed by stochastic renewable energy generation and fossil fuel power plant emissions, playing a contributing role in load shifting and enhancing grid flexibility by participating in energy management programs.

However, high unenrollment rates in demand response programs, notably programs that use direct load control, persist due to customer dissatisfaction. …

Women And Water: An Art-Based Academic-Community Partnership, Martina Angela Caretta, Bethani Turley

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Women constitute most volunteer water stewards in West Virginia. After having conducted participatory research on the motivations behind women’s engagement with water preservation and restoration work we carried out two participatory art-based activities. In this Practices and Curations, we reflect on these two art-based activities to facilitate networking between researchers and participants and to communicate to the wider public the role of women water stewards. Together with community partners we first organized an icebreaker for women to share a boundary object that signified their connection with water. These boundary objects were subsequently displayed in an art exhibit highlighting women’s connection …

Can Smart Supply Chain Bring Agility And Resilience For Enhanced Sustainable Business Performance?, Mahak Sharma, Rose Antony, Ashu Sharma, Tugrul Daim

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

Supply chains need to be made viable in this volatile and competitive market, which could be possible through digitalization. This study is an attempt to explore the role of Industry 4.0, smart supply chain, supply chain agility and supply chain resilience on sustainable business performance from the lens of natural resource-based view.

Design/methodology/approach

The study tests the proposed model using a covariance-based structural equation modelling and further investigates the ranking of each construct using the artificial neural networks approach in AMOS and SPSS respectively. A total of 234 respondents selected using purposive sampling aided in capturing the industry practices …

Fea Simulations For Thermal Distributions Of Large Scale 3dic Packages, Suxia Chen, Qiang Wu, Wayne Xun, Jiachen Zhang, Jianping Xun

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the market increases for Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing applications, the geometry of 3-Dimensional Integrated Circuit packages becomes more complicated; therefore, predicting the thermal distributions of the structures becomes not only more important but also more challenging. The physics governing the thermal distribution is a 3-dimensional partial differential equation. In order to predict the thermal distributions, various approaches such as the layer modeling method have been invented. While practical, these approaches solve a simplified version of the differential equation placing an inherent limitation on their capabilities which may be improved upon. In this research we solve the actual differential …

Assessing The Reliability Of The Pairwise Variability Index For Differential Diagnosis Of Apraxia Of Speech, Celeste Sinko

University Honors Theses

Differential diagnosis of apraxia of speech (AOS) from other speech and language disorders is a prevailing challenge in the field of speech language pathology. Presently, existing measures for assessing AOS consist of perceptual rating scales, such as the Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale developed by Duffy, Strand, Clark, and Josephs. While perceptual rating scales are the current gold standard for assessment and diagnosis of AOS, they require a high degree of clinical expertise, and are susceptible to rater bias and rater drift. Thus, there exists a need for quantitative, objective measures for differential diagnosis of AOS. The purpose of this …

Using A Digital Entertainment Tax To Strengthen Local Information Infrastructure In The United States: A Conceptual Exploration, Lee Shaker, Antoine Haywood

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

As traditional local media decline, how might state and local governments provide support for local information infrastructure? We offer a proposal for states (or communities) to tax digital entertainment and then leverage existing community media centers (CMCs) to facilitate the distribution of the proceeds to local media outlets. Compared to other public subsidy plans, this approach is viable nationwide without federal action and offers several advantages that could lead to more immediate and durable support for local information infrastructure. To contextualize our proposal, we model both the possible revenue generation and distribution of funding that would result from its implementation.

Sex Toys In The City- The Sex Toy Market Vs. Profit, Culture And Education, Abigail M. Jobe

Student Research Symposium

Since the development of sex stores, the product appeal has been directed toward cisgender men and excluded other groups, creating an experience exclusive to the male gaze. With this, products sold at early sex stores often did not appeal to the female population and excluded queer and gender non-conforming individuals altogether. These original sex stores objectified the female body and many of these traditional stores still exist now. However, in the 1970s, feminists began to create sex stores directed toward women and they in turn became hubs for information as opposed to just sex stores where women could shop comfortably …

Evaluation Of Us Immigration Policies For Technology Professionals, Angel Contreras Cruz

Student Research Symposium

The U.S. Immigration System is complex for technology professionals seeking to relocate to the United States for employment or education. The United States relies on its employment-based immigration to attract and select the best talent to fill the shortage of skilled jobs. Technology professionals, a stream of highly skilled immigrants, tend to contribute and be more beneficial to the U.S. economy, which is one of the principles of U.S. immigration policies. Although U.S. immigration policies are constantly updating, policymakers, experts, and scholars suggest that the United States needs significant immigration reform to solve current issues, such as improving technological capabilities …

A Novel Caching Algorithm For Efficient Fine-Grained Access Control In Database Management Systems, Anadi Shakya

Student Research Symposium

Fine-grained access Control (FGAC) in DBMS is vital for restricting user access to authorized data and enhancing security. FGAC policies govern how users are granted access to specific resources based on detailed criteria, ensuring security and privacy measures. Traditional methods struggle with scaling policies to thousands, causing delays in query responses. This paper introduces a novel caching algorithm designed to address this challenge by accelerating query processing and ensuring compliance with FGAC policies. In our approach, we create a circular hashmap and employ different replacement techniques to efficiently manage the cache, prioritizing entries that are visited more frequently. To evaluate …

Youtube Video Essays As Critical Remixed Scholarship, Michelle L. Arendt

Student Research Symposium

YouTube videos have contributed primary and supplementary instructional materials to traditional classrooms since the 2010s (Sylvia & Moody, 2022). These internet-native materials are more successful than their traditional counterparts due to their recontextualization which melds dissemination with the semiotic landscape of web 2.0 culture.

Preferential treatment towards long-form, research-based content has facilitated the development of the YouTube video essay format: a grassroots practice that unapologetically embeds identity, pop culture, and humor with rigorous scholarly praxis and remediation of major elements of academic discourse (Davis, 2022). Videos of this type regularly reach “audiences which may rival or dwarf the enrollment of …

Beyond Craigslist Personal Ads: Contemporary Usage Of The Label T4t, Madi Lou Alexander

Student Research Symposium

Trans for trans relationships (t4t) are a special type of connection specific to transgender individuals, whether in the process of [re]affirming one’s gender identity and/or finding and building community. Originating from Craigslist personal ads, t4t indicates a trans person seeking out another trans person. What are these t4t relationships like for the trans people involved in them? With this research, I hope to evaluate and define the range of what t4t relationships are, hypothesize how t4t relations foster a sense of connection for the transgender individuals in said relationships, and explain why community amongst those who identify as transgender is …