Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Social Work Skills In Online Environments: What Online Msw Graduates Tell Us, Samuel W. Gioia

Dissertations and Theses

Social work education is an academic discipline that prepares students to support individual, family, and community wellbeing, and to advance policies for social equity. Despite the increasing use of online education for social work, many social work faculty believe that online Master of Social Work (MSW) programs do not adequately prepare graduates for direct practice (engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation) with vulnerable populations. Students from an online MSW program at a midsized urban research university were interviewed to learn (a) how well an online MSW prepared these students for direct practice with individuals, families, and communities; and (b) what instructional …

Identifying The Cost Of Preventable Chronic Disease In Prison: Can Illness Prevention Of Adults In Custody Save Money?, Molly Bineham

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates the cost of preventable health problems and ailments when compared to other costs of incarceration. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of imprisonment on the costliest chronic illness. The health of adults in custody related to the general population and the overall fiscal cost of the deadliest chronic illness among incarcerated adults is discussed. Linear regression is used to analyze the occurrence of heart disease and diabetes among adults in custody while controlling for other factors. The results of this analysis provide insight that chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes should be …

Method Of Modeling The Swing Equation Using Time Synchronized Measurements, Robert Matthew Ferraro

Dissertations and Theses

In three phase, high-voltage transmission systems, synchronous generators accelerate or decelerate to adapt to changing power transfer requirements that occur during system disturbances. In network electrical power systems, frequency changes constantly based on system dynamics. Modeling network dynamics from oscillations and transients using time-synchronized measurements can provide real-time information, including angular displacements, voltage and current phasors, frequency changes, and rate of signal system decay from positive-sequence components.

Power system voltage and current waveforms are not steady-state sinusoids, especially during system disturbances. These waveforms contain sustained harmonic and non-harmonic components. Additionally, because of faults and other switching electromagnetic transients, there may …

The Significance Of Christian Iconography In Communist Mexican Muralism Of Diego Rivera, Rachel Renee Amaro

University Honors Theses

This study compares two of Rivera's fresco mural paintings; Liberation of the Peon (1923) at the Secretaria de Educación Publica building in Mexico City, Mexico and Agrarian Leader Zapata (1930) located at Palacio de Cortés in Cuernavaca, Mexico to two Renaissance Christian paintings to highlight the similar use of Christian iconography. This analysis argues that although groundbreaking in style, Rivera's art relied heavily on Christian iconography that not only came from his own background of knowledge, but also enabled him to speak to the people of Mexica in a time when they relied heavily on his art to tell the …

On "Developing Information Literate Abilities": Uncovering Whiteness At The Center Of The Acrl Framework For Information Literacy, Anders Tobiason

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

What does it mean to be information literate? Who is the model information literate individual? Taking its cue from Critical Discourse Analysis and Antiracist Black Language Pedagogy, this presentation questions the foundational image of the information literate individual lying at the heart of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy. Using critical race theory and an understanding of how whiteness functions as a presumed neutral background in our society, we begin to understand the whiteness of this individual. In this presentation, I briefly outline how whiteness functions and then move on to show how whiteness functions within the Framework more specifically. …

Connection, Compassion, And Honesty: Using Picture Books To Help Build A Healthier Relationship To Death In A Death-Denying Culture, Kami Sahalie Upshaw Gould

University Honors Theses

This paper explores the ways children are taught about death and dying and how children's picture books can be utilized in difficult conversations of this nature. I go into the historical advent of books specifically for children and research how different ways of explaining death can help or hurt a child. Through this research, I explore how our situationality in a death denying culture has shaped how we explain death to children and what steps can be taken to counter this denial.

Claiming Miscommunication To Justify Rape: The Role Of Liking The Perpetrator, Alyssa Marie Glace Maryn

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, four experiments tested whether sharing an ingroup with a sexual violence perpetrator (vs not sharing an ingroup) makes individuals more likely to view the survivor's consent refusal as insufficient. Although most people communicate sexual consent indirectly and nonverbally, individuals often report that indirect and nonverbal consent refusals are an insufficient form of non-consent. These claims of consent miscommunication might be used to justify instances of sexual violence when an individual is motivated to do so. I hypothesize that sharing an ingroup identity with a perpetrator might motivate individuals to justify sexual violence, leading them to report that …

Photoemission Electron Microscopy For Direct Observation Of Photonic And Plasmonic Phenomena, Theodore Stenmark

Dissertations and Theses

Photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) is a high-resolution microscopy technique that collects photoemitted electrons from the sample surface to form an image. PEEM offers a non-scanning imaging method with a spatial resolution in the range of 5-100nm by combining the advantages of light excitation and electron imaging. Our work looks at PEEM as an analysis tool for photonic and plasmonic phenomena. Photonic wave guiding structures exhibiting a strong dispersion relation have attracted considerable attention for applications in integrated optics, communications and sensing devices. Line defects in a photonic crystal (PC) slab offer a highly efficient way to create light with group …

What's Important To You? A Look Into The Historical And Social Significance Of Buttons, Hope Je Ferns

University Honors Theses

This project is an exploration into the social and historical significance of buttons and the culture surrounding buttons. Not only is it looked at from a graphic design context, but it is also looked at from the context of nonverbal communication, social change, and a piece of history that is tangible, accessible, and for all groups of people.

Session 2: Panel 2: Presenter 1 (Paper) -- A Brief History Of Footwear, Tobias B. Boudreau

Young Historians Conference

The use of footwear as a unit of analysis will help historians re-evaluate the relationship between technological diffusion and culture. Shoes are a common item across the globe, regardless of geographical, cultural, and economic divisions, and have been for a long time. Footwear reflects the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural environment of its owner, as well as characteristics of the owner themself. Shoes have taken on significant symbolic roles in art, literature, and everyday life. Essay is divided into four sections; Prehistory, Ancient, Middle Ages, Modern. Various examples from each time period are explained, compared with one another, and connected together …

Session 2: Panel 1: Presenter 3 (Paper) -- Hunting Power Through Witch Hunts In Early Modern Scotland, Devika D. Narendra

Young Historians Conference

Witch hunts occurred throughout early modern Europe and few countries were unaffected by the rampant prosecution of “witches.” Although many places experienced such witch hunts, Scotland uniquely saw a rapid increase in witch trials during the reign of King James the VI. The King, who prior to ascending the throne had not expressed interest in the prosecution of witches, suddenly focused his leadership on witch hunts. This paper explores the reasons King James VI increased Scotland’s witch prosecutions. Specifically, this paper analyzes how the increasing witch trials were correlated to various attacks on King James’ power and how the prosecutions …

Session 2: Panel 2: Presenter 2 (Paper) -- The History Of Bathing: A Cross-Cultural Tradition, Ben Iboshi

Young Historians Conference

This essay discusses how bathing practices worldwide have evolved throughout history through cultural interaction. While there is much literature on how bathing practices in specific regions have changed over time, few take a global perspective and track where bathing rituals originate and how they spread. Using bathing as a unit of analysis can reveal interactions and influences between cultures. The essay is divided into three periods in which bathing practices are analyzed: ancient, medieval, and modern. In the ancient period, the spread of Hindu and Buddhist bathing practices is discussed, as well as how Greek bathing practices went on to …

Session 1: Panel 3: Presenter 2 (Paper) -- Fighting For Freedom: Jazz And The Cold War, Cole H. Powers

Young Historians Conference

As part of a Cold War propaganda campaign, the U.S. State Department sponsored the international tours of prominent American jazz musicians. Many Americans saw jazz as representative of uniquely American freedom, and so the music functioned perfectly as a Cold War propaganda weapon. At the same time, jazz was powerfully symbolic of freedom in the context of the Civil Rights Movement. This paper explores the contradictions that arose between these two visions of freedom, and between the rhetoric and reality of U.S. Cold War policy. It first outlines the administrative history behind the program before highlighting six of the countless …

Session 1: Panel 2: Presenter 2 (Paper) -- The Irish Language And Nationalism In The 20th Century, Charlotte Cody

Young Historians Conference

Under centuries of British colonial rule, mass emigration, and discriminatory laws, the Irish language took a secondary position to English. As Irish nationalist ideology gained momentum in the early 20th century, Irish became useful and popular as a powerful symbol of resilience and a discrete national identity. However, the significance of Irish to nationalism had a mixed impact on its perception across the island due to the violence and sectarianism that accompanied the struggle for independence. This paper explores the influence that this divisive history had and continues to exert on the perception of and legislation supporting the Irish language, …

Session 1: Panel 1: Presenter 1 (Paper) -- “To Hell Or Connaught:” How British Colonizers Both Caused And Benefitted From The Irish Potato Famine, Ruby Lewis

Young Historians Conference

The Irish potato famine is well-known for the suffering and death it inflicted upon the masses of Irish peasantry between 1845 and 1848. The famine is often remembered and mourned as the tragic but unavoidable result of natural circumstances, and the blight that swept through the potato crop year after year is attributed as the sole cause of starvation. This misrepresentation of the famine’s history ignores the role of the British colonizer state in establishing conditions in Ireland that led to famine and exacerbating the suffering of the Irish through neglect. This paper explores the role of the British colonial …

31st Annual Young Historians Conference, Portland State University History Department, Portland State University Challenge Program

Young Historians Conference

This is the 2021 Young Historians Conference schedule and abstracts.

Welcome And Full Program With Abstracts, Jennifer Kerns, Karen Bjork

Young Historians Conference

Dr. Jennifer Kerns, Department of History, welcomes participants to the 31st Annual Young Historians Conference, held virtually on May 19, 2021.

Karen Bjork, Head of Digital Initiatives, PSU Library, provides an overview of PDXScholar, the campus repository for PSU, and the Young Historians Conference collection.

Preventing Sexual Violence Through Understanding Perceptions Of Sexual Offenders, Judith G. Zatkin

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, I present three complete manuscripts. I utilize social and community psychological theory, as well as criminological theory to better understand those who perpetrate sexual violence in two domains: child sexual abuse and college campus sexual assault. All three studies are conducted with an eye toward the prevention of sexual violence. In the first study, I conduct a complete psychometric analysis of the Modus Operandi Questionnaire, a comprehensive quantitative tool that examines offending patterns and tactics of those who commit child sexual abuse (Chapter II). An updated factor structure for this tool is presented, as well as recommendations …

Urban Lakes: Ecosystem Services And Management, Laura Costadone

Dissertations and Theses

Lakes provide a variety of ecosystem services and benefits that greatly contribute to urban sustainability. Despite the growing interest in integrating freshwater systems into management and policy decisions, urban lakes are often overlooked in land-use planning. Nutrient and pollutant runoff from the surrounding urbanized watershed result in water quality deterioration that negatively impact the lake ecological functions and related ecosystem services. The vulnerability and degradation of these urban ecosystems should be a matter of concern, especially considering that, in rapidly growing metropolitan areas, the demand for aesthetic and recreational services provided by urban lakes is increasing. The overall goal of …

Development Of A Design Guideline For Pile Foundations Subjected To Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spreading, Milad Souri

Dissertations and Theses

Extensive loss of stiffness and strength in liquefied soils can cause large ground deformations during strong earthquake shaking. One of the major sources of damage in pile foundations in liquefied soil is the excessive deformation due to lateral spreading. Pile-supported wharves subjected to earthquake motions are expected to accommodate inertial loads imposed at pile head from the superstructure as well as the kinematic loads imposed on piles from the lateral ground deformations. Current design codes significantly vary on how to combine inertia and kinematic demands. Recent research on soil-foundation-structure interaction suffers from lack of experiment-based data. There is a serious …

Book Readers Who Are Buccaneers And Buyers, Rachel Noorda, Kathi Inman Berens, Chris Kenneally

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

These readers buy, subscribe to, and borrow books at higher rates than the general population. They engage at higher rates in fan fiction and discover new authors across multiple media, including streaming movies and television. These readers are also pirates.

Immersive Media and Books 2020 is the first study to capture data expressly about how people engage with books, video games, film, and TV. The final report focuses sharply on reader behavior across a wide range of demographic groups, based on surveys conducted before and during the pandemic.

Co-authors Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Kathi Inman Berens probe especially for …

Men And Oral Health: A Review Of Sex And Gender Differences, Martin S. Lipsky, Sharon Su, Carlos J. Crespo, Man Hung

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sex and gender related health disparities in oral health remain an underappreciated and often over looked aspect of well-being. The goal of this narrative review is to identify sex and gender related oral health disparities by summarizing the current literature related to differences in oral health between men and women. The review identified that men are more likely to: ignore their oral health, have poorer oral hygiene habits, and experience higher rates of periodontal disease, oral cancer, and dental trauma. Men also visit dentists less frequently and compared to women seek oral treatment more often for an acute problem and …

Steady-State Transmembrane Water Exchange In Proliferating Cultures Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Joseph O'Malley Armstrong

Dissertations and Theses

Cellular water exchange is often considered in terms of a change in volume, where a net flux of water moves across the cell membrane due to a change in osmotic pressure. Osmotic pressure can cause a cell to shrink or swell, however, rapid water exchange persists across the membrane even when the volume of the cell is constant. Steady-state transmembrane water exchange describes the exchange of water across the cell membranes which results in no net change in cell volume. This exchange is astonishingly rapid; the entire pool of intracellular water of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell may exchange 2-5 times …

Spectrum Modeling Of Rf Amplifiers Based On Intercept Points With Measurement Improvements, Siyuan Yan

Dissertations and Theses

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing has been developed into a popular modulation scheme for wireless communication systems, used in applications such as LTE and 5G. In wireless communication system, spectrum regrowth caused by RF amplifiers will generate distortions to both passband in use and adjacent channels such that the transmission quality will be degraded. The study of this dissertation aims to predict the spectrum regrowth for OFDM based signals at the output of a RF amplifier due to the nonlinearity. Based on Taylor polynomial coefficients, a power spectrum expression for amplified OFDM signals in terms of intercept points up to nth-order is …

Chemical Characterization Of Toxicologically Relevant Molecules In Cannabis Concentrates And Vaporizer Aerosols, Jiries Meehan-Atrash

Dissertations and Theses

Consumption of cannabis concentrates using the relatively novel non-combustion methods dabbing and vaping has steadily grown in popularity as cannabis legalization in North America has allowed increased access to sophisticated cannabis products and technology. In order to assess the safety of these products, it is necessary to gain a chemical understanding of the decomposition reactions that occur when the active ingredients are heated in the conditions seen when dabbing or vaping. This dissertation contains a manuscript that details efforts to structurally characterize a toxic cannabis concentrate adulterant, and three manuscripts that studied the chemical decomposition of the two primary cannabis …

Technology Management Maturity Assessment Model In Healthcare, Amir Shaygan

Dissertations and Theses

Significant gaps in the practical transformation of clinical knowledge into practices, increasing healthcare costs, costly medical errors, healthcare institutions' obligations towards improving safety, clinical outcomes, and efficacy of care from one side; and the rise of disruptive innovations, the adoption of electronic health records and novel diagnostic tools, and the plethora of data from the other side has made the need for a new approach in managing the U.S healthcare systems an imperative. Continuous learning has been utilized to mitigate some of these issues have been in healthcare organizations. Continuous learning is especially important in the research centers that act …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Adult Depression, And Suicidal Ideation In Rural Uganda: A Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Study, Emily N. Satinsky, Bernard Kakuhikire, Charles Baguma, Justin D. Rasmussen, Scholastic Ashaba, Christine E. Cooper-Vince, Jessica M. Perkins, Allen Kiconco, Elizabeth B. Namara, David R. Bangsberg, Multiple Additional Authors

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Depression is recognized globally as a leading cause of disability. Early-life adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to have robust associations with poor mental health during adulthood. These effects may be cumulative, whereby a greater number of ACEs are progressively associated with worse outcomes. This study aimed to estimate the associations between ACEs and adult depression and suicidal ideation in a cross-sectional, population-based study of adults in Uganda. Methods and findings: Between 2016 and 2018, research assistants visited the homes of 1,626 adult residents of Nyakabare Parish, a rural area in southwestern Uganda. ACEs were assessed using a …

Webinar: Eliminating Cash Options For Public Transit Fares: Costs, Benefits And Equity Impacts, Aaron Golub

TREC Webinar Series

Many transit agencies plan to automate their fare collection and limit the use of cash, with the goals of improving boarding and data collection while lowering operating costs. Yet about 10% of adults in the United States lack a bank account or credit card, and many either rely on restrictive cell-phone data plans or don’t have access to internet or a smartphone. This webinar will present part of a larger research project exploring these issues in the cities of Denver, Colorado, and Eugene and Portland–Gresham, Oregon. In this part, we explore the tradeoffs between reducing cash acceptance, ridership and the …

Mutual Aid As Spiritual Tacit Knowledge Within Doukhobor Epistemology, Rachel L. Neubuhr Torres

University Honors Theses

The relationship between Michael Polanyi’s concept of tacit knowledge and religion is a topic that is rarely explored. Applying tacit knowledge to the study of religion and spirituality allows us to think about how we connect with the world and how we address the concern of what one feels to be true of their existence, or existential intuition. In the latter half of the 1800s the Russian prince turned anarchist, Peter Kropotkin, wrote extensively on the theory of mutually beneficial cooperation, or mutual aid, as being one of the most important factors of evolution. As Kropotkin began writing his series …

Examining Pre-Service Literacy Teachers’ Perceptions About Providing Writing Feedback To Elementary Students, Roberta D. Raymond, Lillian Benavente-Mcenery, Rose M. Toman

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine pre-service teachers’ perceptions about providing writing feedback to fourth-grade students. A group of 102 pre-service teachers participated in the study. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The findings revealed four critical components to giving feedback, the importance of scaffolding for the writer, and the vulnerability of pre-service teachers regarding writing. Implications for teacher educators include the importance of providing authentic writing and feedback opportunities for pre-service teachers. Additionally, pre-service teachers would benefit from being exposed to a strengths perspective in order to nurture their growth as proficient writers and …