Digital Commons Network^™

An Inquiry Into Developing College Student Socially-Responsible Leadership: Ethics Of Justice And Care In The Midst Of Conflict And Controversy, Jill Frances Childress

Dissertations and Theses

Colleges not only educate students in academic discipline knowledge, but also help them develop skills to meaningfully lead and participate in our complex democracy as socially responsible citizens. All campuses have formal and informal opportunities to engage students in roles that challenge and develop students' socially responsible leadership skills including commitment, common purpose, and collaboration. However, individual and organizational elements such as differences in perspectives and hostile climates can quell leadership and educational participation, inhibit critical student development skills, and result in disempowerment, especially for those students from underserved communities. Given this, a critical question is how can colleges foster …

A Solution For Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Compostable Consumption Across Industries, Prithvi Chauhan

University Honors Theses

This thesis paper addresses the potentials of a business model for promoting compostable alternatives to single-use plastic products. This thesis paper also proposes a survey to collect data from businesses in Portland, OR to forecast the potential impacts of integrating such a business model. Impacts of this business model for compostable products are hypothesized as best-case, mid-case, and worst-case scenarios of integration within Portland’s total market potential. Impacts will also be assessed along the triple bottom line. The triple bottom line is an accounting framework used in sustainable entrepreneurship to measure impact along environmental, social, and economic standards. First, in …

Lack Of Replication Disruption Following H2o2-Induced Damage In Escherichia Coli, Sierra S. Schmidt, Justin Courcelle, Charmain T. Courcelle

University Honors Theses

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) toxicity has long been thought to be predominantly due to oxidative DNA damage that can disrupt DNA replication and result in lethality. Curiously and contrary to this view, it is also well established that the glycosylases responsible for repairing oxidized-base damage are as resistant as wild-type cells when treated with H₂O₂. The observation raises the possibility that H₂O₂-induced DNA damage does not disrupt or prevent replication. To examine this possibility, I examined the sensitivity of recF mutants to H₂O₂. RecF is …

Iron-Deficiency Anaemia (Ida): Socio-Cultural Misconceptions Intersect The Health Of Vulnerable Populations In Developing Countries, Samantha G. Alarcon Basurto

University Honors Theses

Iron is a mineral that the human body uses to make hemoglobin, a protein that red blood cells need to carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. The lack of adequate iron in the blood is known as iron deficiency, which if experienced in greater proportions, can lead to anaemia. Iron-deficiency anaemia is generally understood as a nutritional deficiency that can be treated by diets of food rich in iron content or the ingestion of iron supplements; yet lack of information, restricted access to bioavailable iron-rich foods, minimal awareness of anaemia’s detrimental effects on children’s cognitive …

The Effects Of Neuron Degeneration And Methods Of Neurogenesis, Jesus I. Martinez

University Honors Theses

In the 1960’s, Joseph Altman discovered the creation of new neurons continues well into the adulthood of mammals. His work lay dormant for several decades possibly as a result of limitations in technology or the limited perceived usefulness at the time. In the 1990’s Altman’s discovery gained newfound interest and has stayed in researcher's interest ever since. A combination of improved imaging techniques, a continued shift in the public image of mental disorders, and a desire to aid those suffering from neurodegenerative disorders has led to many attempts to parse out the details of neurogenesis. After a number of studies …

Sex Differences In Prevalence And Psychophysiological Profiles Of Adhd, Mckenzie Figuracion

University Honors Theses

Background: Considerable research has been dedicated to understanding the etiology of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but the focus has been on a homogeneous subset of the population, and multiple groups go underserved when it comes to support. Previous findings suggest differences in ADHD diagnosis and referral rates based on sex, but it is less clear whether neurophysiological sex differences exist. The current study examines the effect of expert consensus diagnostic practices on rates of diagnosis in males and females, and evaluates sex differences in potential neurophysiological markers of ADHD.

Methods: 860 children and adolescents (Males=519; ADHD=516) were recruited for a longitudinal …

Understanding Technology-Based Exclusion In Emerging Smart Mobility Systems, John Macarthur, Aaron Golub

PSU Transportation Seminars

As transit agencies modernize their fare payment systems, opportunities to pay with cash are reduced. This speeds boarding and lowers the cost of operations while also creating new sources of ridership data. Arguably, service is improved for riders as well as payment systems could work across modes, creating a more seamless and simplified experience. Still, about 15% of adults in the United States are without a bank account or credit card account and many rely on restrictive cell-phone data plans or don’t have access to a smartphone. These shares are even higher for public transit users. These un- and under-banked …

Faculty Use Of Collaborative Online International Learning (Coil) For Internationalization At Home, Sally Strand Mudiamu

Dissertations and Theses

Universities are not preparing all of their students for 21st century global work and citizenship. Internationalization of the Curriculum is critical to this preparation and equity in higher education. Over the past decades, universities have relied on outbound and inbound student mobility to internationalize their institutions, the curriculum, the faculty, and student learning. However, 90% of U.S. students neither study nor intern abroad. Of the 10% who do go abroad, very few are underrepresented, Pell-eligible, or post-traditional students. Universities need to shift their focus from student mobility to Internationalization at Home so that all students may have an internationalized education …

Teachers' Critical Reflection In An Equity-Focused Professional Learning Community: A Case Study, Patrizia Lina Mastne

Dissertations and Theses

In a culturally diverse world, teachers adopt complex roles to educate a changing student body toward higher standards. They can respond to students' needs and design responsive curriculum by engaging in ongoing learning and improvement. When teachers have time and space for collaboration and reflection, they can learn and improve. Professional learning communities (PLCs) are forums for educators to think deeply about praxis. In this study, the problem of practice is that teachers have had few opportunities to reflect critically within PLCs. The purpose of my study was to describe and explain how critical reflection occurred in an equity-focused PLC …

The Stuttering Characteristics Of Spanish-English Bilingual Adult Speakers, Sima Sokolov

University Honors Theses

As the number of bilinguals and multilinguals continues to grow globally, researchers and clinicians in the field of speech-language pathology are faced with a unique challenge and opportunity - the need to understand the experiences of bilingual and multilingual clients who stutter. Yet, research and clinical guidelines about assessment and treatment of bilinguals who stutter has been scarce. There is a critical need for research to explore the types of stuttering produced by bilinguals in each of their languages. This research study has two aims: (1) to compare and contrast stuttering characteristics in two languages (English and Spanish) and across …

How Restorative Justice Practices Affect Adolescent Recidivism Rates: An Examination, Jordan A. Grant

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the current implementation of restorative justice practices in various parts of the United States of America to determine if there is a link between the use of these practices and lowered recidivism rates. The literature reviewed for this paper span multiple juvenile justice systems giving a stronger view of how different states support victims, juvenile offenders, and the communities they impact at large. Through the literature found, the majority found the use of restorative justice programming reduced recidivism rates for the populations included in the samples. In future research, there is a continued gap in whether or …

Inhibition Of Cancer Causing Genes Through The Delivery Of Omomyc In Anti-Myc Therapy: A Systematic Review, Angie Mcgraw

University Honors Theses

A systematic review of the available studies on the interference of OmoMyc with Myc's function in cancerous cells is presented. Myc is a transcription factor that regulates cellular processes such as apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation. However, Myc is often overexpressed in a variety of cancers, resulting in abnormal growth of cancer cells. Although the inhibition of Myc has been highly desired, it remained a challenge due to its undruggable characteristics. Attempts to inhibit Myc have involved the usage of small-molecules, but these attempts have failed, causing adverse effects and incomplete inhibition of Myc. Despite promising preclinical studies of OmoMyc, it …

A Public Health Recommendation Countering The Online Anti-Vaccination Movement, Grace M. Neumann

University Honors Theses

The anti-vaccination movement had posed a threat to the health of communities, since the inception of the smallpox inoculation practice. As the anti-vaxx movement continues to grow in strength and reach, public health officials must be prepared to combat the flow of misinformation, with sound scientific data in a way that connects with individuals from all communities. Online platforms such as blogs and social media, allow newfound access to vaccine opinions and information, posing an even greater risk of vaccine misinformation being spread to the public. Different communities hold different reasons for vaccine hesitancy and avoidance. An effective public health …

Two Black Utopias Of The United States: Self Determination And Survival, Makaveli Gresham

University Honors Theses

In line with Charles Davis III's assertion in regards to the formation of black space and it’s spectral qualities representing the "material conditions of black survival", two black utopian projects: Soul City, North Carolina and the unrealized work of Architects Renewal Committee in Harlem (ARCH) in New York City are analyzed to explicate to what extent that the United States built environment is compatible with "black survival". These two case studies are used to inform an understanding of the anti-black nature of Modernism and the cultural relationship between the construction of "whiteness" and "blackness" in the United States. This relationship …

Examining The Popularity Concept In The Initial Public Offering (Ipo) Market, Preston Rad

University Honors Theses

Popularity is the act of being liked. In Popularity: A Bridge Between Classical and Behavioral Finance, authors Roger Ibbotson, Thomas Idzorek, Paul Kaplan, and James Xiong (hereafter IIDX) explore the concept of Popularity in capital market theory. IIDX argue that certain companies have Popular characteristics that leads to overpricing caused by a Popularity premium. This paper begins with an overview of the historical methods of asset pricing, starting with the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). It progresses through the expansion of the model by financial theorists such as Eugene Fama and Kenneth French. Jay Ritter (1991) has documented the …

Hybrid Cultures: Solutions For Cultural Appropriation In Art, Daniela A. Uribe

University Honors Theses

Cultural Appropriation is a phenomenon that has taken part of the art world for generations. Though there are discussions within many fields about this, a sense of combativeness remains. The idea of US vs. THEM has been an issue since racial inequality has taken part in our country. Thus, how can one approach such a deep-seeded and extremely sensitive subject in a constructive way?

Through research and active participation in cultural education, artists and historians can better come to understand how cultural appropriation takes the stage from minorities whilst keeping them oppressed. This study aims to present the communities of …

"Good For Rosetta" : The Fugitive Slave Law And The Case Of Rosetta Armstead In Ohio, 1855, Alexandra A. Berg

University Honors Theses

Rosetta Armstead was a sixteen year old enslaved girl who in March of 1855 was being transported through the state of Ohio on her way to Kentucky, where she was to become the nurse to her owner’s infant child. While overnighting in Columbus she came to the attention of local abolitionists and her case was brought in front of the Ohio courts. Her whirlwind case challenged the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 as well as the authority of the federal government when her freedom was granted by the power of Ohio’s state courts. Her case highlights key issues in the …

An Analysis Of Fraud In The Context Of Depreciation Manipulation, Sydney G. Jackson

University Honors Theses

Accounting scandals such as Waste Management and Hertz Global Holding's shatter investor confidence, destroy employee retirement plans, and negatively impact the U.S. economy as a whole. By having a clear understanding of the internal and external forces that drive the motivation of fraud, accountants and businesses are better able to prep and set proper internal controls. As proper internal controls prevent fraud, this thesis will explore catching fraud through financial implications, by focusing specifically on the fraud committed through depreciation. In this paper, I will examine prior research related to fraud motivation and consequences. As an analysis of fraud in …

The Relation Between Spinoza's Monism And Kabbalistic Monotheism, Naomi H. Fredgant

University Honors Theses

Benedict de Spinoza's (1632-1677) excommunication from the strict Jewish-Portuguese community of Amsterdam didn’t erase all of the years of studying Judaic and Kabbalistic thought. His theory of G-d (monism) is deeply connected to Kabbalistic monotheism (the Judiac mystic theory of G-d). This thesis explores the similarities and differences between Spinoza's monism and Kabbalistic monotheism in order to shine new light on Spinoza's proof of the existence of G-d, and the nature of how we exist in relation to Him. By moving through descriptions of the two theories, it becomes evident that both have similar structures. There is one infinite G-d, …

The Pursuit Of Democracy: The Racial Subject And Sympathy’S Limits In Leaves Of Grass, Aidan Kennelley

University Honors Theses

Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass has long been celebrated as a great work of American democracy, a work of democratic poetics. Throughout the text, Whitman goes to great lengths to sympathize with as many different sects of American society as possible. But where do his sympathies deserve scrutiny? By analyzing Whitman's relationship to the black, enslaved subject throughout the text, it becomes clear that there are limits to sympathy, and sympathetic intentions can inadvertently inflict violence upon subjugated groups. In turn, it becomes evident that Whitman’s democratic project is much more flawed and complicated than the way it is often …

Developmental Programming Effects Of Maternal Obesity, Carolle J. Kassab

University Honors Theses

Population studies within the United States indicate increasing rates of obesity, considerably prominent for women within reproductive age. Maternal obesity is associated with the offspring’s hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, which have chronic consequences. Obesity in pregnancy causes metabolic and epigenetic perturbations within the fetal environment, disrupting future health of offspring. This phenomenon is known as developmental programming. Although the relationship between maternal undernutrition and developmental programming has been demonstrated, its relationship to maternal obesity remains understudied.

The Representation Of Rape And Sexual Assault Within News Media, Katherine E. Layman

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to observe how the framing of rape and sexual assault within The New York Times has changed from 1980 to 2020. To achieve this study, I conducted a content analysis of 150 New York Times articles divided into three separate time periods and taking 50 randomized articles from each timeframe. The first data set was taken from 1980-84 to provide a baseline to work from. The second set is from 1993-97 to encompass significant legislative changes about sexual violence. The final data set is from 2016-2020 and provides the most recent conversation about rape …

Facilitating Mixed Self-Timed Circuits, Alexandra R. Hanson

University Honors Theses

Designers constrain the ordering of computation events in self-timed circuits to ensure the correct behavior of the circuits. Different circuit families utilize different constraints that, when families are combined, may be more difficult to guarantee in combination without inserting delay to postpone necessary events. By analyzing established constraints of different circuit families like Click and GasP, we are able to identify the small changes necessary to either 1) avoid constraints entirely; or 2) decrease the likelihood of necessary delay insertion. Because delay insertion can be tricky for novice designers and because the likelihood of its requirement increases when mixing different …

21st Century Supply Chain Innovations In The Fast Food Industry, Saitoti Meekisho

University Honors Theses

In the last 20 years, attending to consumer demand for at-home delivery has been an area of concern for supply chain specialists in the restaurant industry. Applying logistically-sound processes for food delivery to its final destination (Also called last-mile delivery) has become a necessity for restaurants to gain and sustain competitive advantages. This research seeks to catalog the dynamic last-mile delivery innovations by restaurants per consumer demand, assess the competitive sustainability of four current food delivery methods (takeout, restaurant delivery, 3^rd party company delivery, & monthly meal delivery) using the VRIN framework, and suggest collaborative delivery strategies for future …

Long Term Effects Of Concussions And The Frequency Of Injury To The Different Regions Of The Human Brain, Marissa S. Swadener

University Honors Theses

Concussions, or mild traumatic brain injuries, do not have a universally accepted definition but there are key features that the experts agree upon; most notably that they are caused by a direct blow, they cause functional disturbances, and that they cannot be explained by another injury or impairment. Most concussions are resolved within a few days but 10-20% have lingering effects that can last for years. In this study, frequency of lingering injury to each brain region was determined from data from thirteen studies and compared to Scheid et. al's frequency of short term injury by brain region using ANOVA …

Portland’S I-5 Expansion: Evaluating The Environmental And Cultural Impact Of Odot's Rose Quarter Improvement Plan, Mason Ashmore

University Honors Theses

To this day highway expansion remains one of the primary techniques employed to combat urban automobile congestion during peak hours. This paper examines the cultural and environmental shortcomings of Portland, Oregon's I-5 highway expansion project. Research for this paper primarily cites existing academic studies relating to highway expansion, Portland's complicated relationship with urban renewal, and highway expansion alternatives. The evidence suggests that Oregon's expansion project would have less than optimal impact and the resources could be used better elsewhere.

Sudden Cardiac Death In Young Adults With Long-Chain 3-Hydroxyacyl Coa Dehydrogenase Deficiency (Lchadd), Ajesh Saini

University Honors Theses

Long-chain 3-Hydroxyacyl CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (LCHADD) is an autosomal recessive defect in fatty acid oxidation that presents with hypoketotic hypoglycemia and/or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in infancy, and recurrent rhabdomyolysis in adolescence, however, sudden cardiac death has not been a previously reported complication of LCHADD. We have conducted a case review study comparing young adult LCHADD patients who have experienced sudden cardiac arrest events (n=5) to similar patients who have not (n=5) for the purpose of evaluating associated cardiac risk factors. We reviewed medical records from ECG tests, hospitalization reports, acylcarnitine, and complete metabolic panels, clinic notes, and autopsy reports. Retrospective chart …

Exploring Telepractice For Stuttering: A Case Study, Yatta D. Barnett

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to describe how telepractice can be used as a speech-language pathology service delivery model with a school-age child who stutters. Specifically, the research questions were: 1) Can a school-age client who stutters increase their use of stuttering modification strategies to manage their stuttering through telepractice? 2) Can a school-age client who stutters increase acceptance of stuttering through telepractice treatment?

Projections Of Change In Frequency And Persistence In Atmospheric Ridging Over The Pacific Northwest Using Cmip6 Models, Ellen Koukel

University Honors Theses

The hydroclimatology of the Pacific Northwest is characterized by wet winters and dry summers; however, the end of the rainy season is subject to considerable year-to-year variability. Early onset of the dry season can introduce challenges for water resource managers. Historically, anomalously dry springs are the result of persistent atmospheric ridging, with notable examples in May 2015 and 2018. As climate change may affect the persistence and frequency of ridges, it is important to understand potential changes in springtime ridging. Future changes will have implications for the length of the rainy season and consequently freshwater availability throughout the region. Therefore, …

Reviewing The Potential Link Between Grain-Free Diets And Dilated Cardiomyopathy In Canines, Larissa J. Webster

University Honors Theses

Grain-free diets for dogs are becoming increasingly popular, but concerns are emerging following the FDA's recent investigation that there might be a link between grain-free diets and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs with no known genetic predisposition. Contrary to the majority of the public thought, dogs do nutritionally require grains, and there is rarely a medical reason to switch to a grain-free diet. Not all cases of DCM are linked to diet, and many dogs who are fed grain-free diets do not develop the disease; the extent of this issue therefore is not entirely known. This review aims to explore …