Digital Commons Network^™

Optimized Xanthene-Based Probes For Pancreatic Cancer Imaging, Ian Ruramai Munhenzva

Dissertations and Theses

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest human malignancies with an extremely poor 5-year survival rate of below 5%. Surgical resection is the most effective treatment of choice because chemotherapy and radiation therapy do not improve life expectancy. Residual tumor after PDAC surgery is common due to a lack of PDAC targeted intraoperative contrast agents to confirm clear margins.

Fluorescence imaging has the potential to improve surgery outcome and PDAC patients' survival rate via the use of highly PDAC-specific molecular probes to facilitate tumor identification. This thesis describes the application of a focused library of benzoxanthene fluorophores for …

Ethics And True Crime: Setting A Standard For The Genre, Hazel Wright

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

True crime is a genre that has existed for centuries, adapting to social and literary trends as they come and go. The 21st century, particularly in the last five years, has seen true crime explode in popularity across different forms of media. As the omnipresence of true crime grows, so to do the ethical dilemmas presented by this often controversial genre. This paper examines what readers perceive to be the common ethical problems with true crime and uses this information to create a preliminary ethical standard for true-crime literature.

A comparison of the ethical concerns raised in scholarly sources with …

What Makes Inclusion Work: An Autoethnography On Coordinating An Inclusive Youth Advocacy Program, Megan Price

University Honors Theses

In this autoethnographic thesis, I analyze my observations as the co-coordinator of an inclusive youth advocacy program (YAP) to detail what made inclusion successful, and what was ineffective. I had the unique position of facilitating conversations and workshops around social justice issues and how to advocate using self-expression and art. In this thesis, I will reflect on the Inclusive Education Conference (IEC) in Spring of 2019, and the Summer Summit in the summer of 2019, both in Portland, Oregon. At the IEC some of the observations noted as harmful to inclusion included: people wanting to silence the youth, inclusion being …

Smart Contract Vulnerabilities On The Ethereum Blockchain: A Current Perspective, Daniel Steven Connelly

Dissertations and Theses

Ethereum is a unique offshoot of blockchain technologies that incorporates the use of what are called smart contracts or DApps -- small-sized programs that orchestrate financial transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. With this fairly new paradigm in blockchain, however, comes a host of security concerns and a track record that reveals a history of losses in the range of millions of dollars. Since Ethereum is a decentralized entity, these concerns are not allayed as they are in typical financial institutions. For example, there is no Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to back the investors of these contracts from financial loss …

An Examination Of Daily Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors, Perceived Supervisor Responsiveness And Job Satisfaction, Luke Daniel Mahoney

Dissertations and Theses

Balancing both work and non-work life is increasingly recognized as a challenge for employees, and supervisors are in a position to support employees in their efforts to do so. Supervisors who exhibit family-supportive behaviors in support of employees who juggle work and family roles show benefits for employees in terms of well-being and job outcomes. The purpose of this study was to take a more fine-grained look at family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) using daily surveys in order to advance understanding of how family-supportive behaviors work within-person. Another aim of the study was to examine perceived supervisor responsiveness (PSR) for the …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet May 2020, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The May 2020 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held April 2020.

PSU faculty, staff, and students may access a recording of the meeting via this link. Log-in is required.

Identifying And Connecting With Diverse Sff Readers, Denise Morales Soto

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Science fiction and fantasy is one of the most abundant genres today, projected to gross $590.2 million in the adult fiction market in the year 2020. However, despite its growing popularity and its large reader base, it still predominantly caters to white men; something that could be detrimental to the industry. This paper aimed to show how science fiction and fantasy (SFF) publishers can learn more about their non-white reader demographic and how they can potentially increase their interaction with their diverse audiences. I conducted a study of social media interaction by compiling Twitter posts over the course of four …

Beloved And The Water Dancer: A Longitudinal Study Of Book Reviews From 1987 And 2019, Tiffany Watson

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

There is a trail of profoundly pessimistic opinions on the state of book reviews and critics from Lorentzen to Hardwick to Marshall and McCarthy to Poe to Pope.

In earlier drafts, I tapped into that same despair. I considered calling this essay "The Death of the Book Reviewer". I must admit I was committed to the allusion more than to the truth of such a statement. Because, as I read each essay which laid out the faults of the then most-recent form of book reviewing, I came to the conclusion that if the book reviewer is to die, it is …

Variability In State Regulations Pertaining To Infection Control And Pandemic Response In Us Assisted Living Communities, Taylor Bucy, Lindsey Smith, Paula C. Carder, Jaclyn Winfree, Kali Thomas

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

At the end of 2019, international attention was drawn to an outbreak of zoonotic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, formally named COVID-19, in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, with the United States recording >1600 confirmed and presumptive travel-related and community-acquired cases at that time. As of April 10, 2020, all 50 US states and the District of Columbia, have reported cases, with the total number of US cases now totaling >400,000.2 Seattle, WA, is the US epicenter, with nursing facilities experiencing the greatest number of fatalities. Because of the communal living …

Arthur Clennam’S Navigation Of Social And Physical Setting In Little Dorrit, Danielle Jochums

Anthós

While Charles Dickens is most often noted for his portrayal of squalid urban conditions, he is also able to design and describe a wide variety of settings related to every echelon of the social hierarchy. This literary inquiry delves into Dickens’ world of Little Dorrit. In particular, it investigates how Dickens implements the reciprocal development between setting and character. Focusing on the character of Arthur Clennam, the protagonist of the story and the reader’s guide through the world of Little Dorrit, this query evaluates how Dickens introduces and teaches the reader about the classed and value-laden settings featured …

Arab Student Experiences Of Inclusivity And Exclusivity At Portland State University And Off-Campus Locations, Leila M. Piazza

Anthós

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of Arab and Arab-American students at Portland State University and in non-campus settings. The study focuses on the question: How do Arab and Arab-American students experience inclusivity and exclusivity on and off campus? The research sample includes five Portland State students, three Arab-Americans and two international Arabs. Students were chosen to include Muslims and Christians, students who wear the hijab, students with heavy accents, and students who fit the stereotypical appearance of Arabs, as well as students who may not be obviously identified as Arab. Subjects were asked about the …

The Pacific Sentinel, May 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Ongoing Crisis in Yemen
• Coronavirus Updates
• Squashing Coronavirus Will Take Time
• There Is No “Chinese Virus”
• An Unequal Pandemic
• Do Not Go Gently Into That Pandemic
• The Coronavirus Outbreak Reveals the Flaws of Our Social Safety N
• Language, Thought, Freedom, and the Soul
• Stop Going on Twitter
• Crocheting COVID-19
• Isolation in the Time of Coronavirus
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons Review
• Mysteries, Wonder Boys, and Other Phenomena

Pregnancy Outcomes And Documentation Status Among Latina Women: A Systematic Review, Dawn M. Richardson, Sarah B. Andrea, Amber Ziring, Cassandra Robinson, Lynne Messer

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: The impression that Latinas experience paradoxically good pregnancy outcomes in the United States persists, despite evidence showing that these outcomes are not enjoyed by all Latina subgroups. We conducted this systematic literature review to examine the relationship between documentation status and pregnancy outcomes among Latinas.

Methods: This review synthesizes empirical evidence on this relationship; examines how these studies define and operationalize documentation status; and makes recommendations of how a more comprehensive methodological approach can guide public health research on the impact of documentation status on Latina immigrants to the United States. We searched the literature within PubMed, …

Teaching Spanish In The United States In The Digital Age: Strategies And Approaches On Teaching Spanish In Online And Hybrid Classes, Liane She, Eli Sears

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Virtual technologies are omnipresent in everyday life and are becoming essential to either online, or hybrid classes. In higher education institutions in the United States, virtual platforms are increasingly used for teaching Spanish as a foreign language to students from varying backgrounds. As such, this article proposes an approach to teaching grammar in virtual spaces, that takes into account the communicative goals established in a given syllabus. The methods and strategies we propose offer an attractive language course that allows students to remotely learn and practice a language. As Spanish professors who teach beginning to intermediate level students, we will …

Pottermore, A Case Study: What Publishers Can Learn About Developing Interactive Transmedia In The Post-Web Age, Megan Crayne

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

15 years after the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling’s magical world would be transformed into an interactive, playable website called simply Pottermore. It included all the elements that dominate successful interactive transmedia: exclusive narrative content that brought readers into the storyworld, spaces for members to create and build virtual communities, interactive gameplay, and additional forms of transmedia available for purchase. Then in 2015, Pottermore Publishing launched a major redesign of Pottermore in the face of declining eBook and audiobook sales.

By comparing and contrasting the three versions of Pottermore (Old, New, and now Wizarding …

Effects Of Management For Productivity On Adult Survival Of Snowy Plovers, Eleanor P. Gaines, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the factors contributing to variation in demographic parameters and their influences on population growth is fundamental to effective conservation of small populations, but this information is often not available. Among shorebirds, population growth is generally most sensitive to changes in adult survival so understanding the factors affecting this vital rate is important. We used a long‐term mark–resight dataset and Program MARK to examine the effect of management actions, initiated to improve nesting productivity, on adult survival in a threatened population of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus ) in Oregon, USA. Apparent adult survival averaged 0.71 ± 0.01 (SE), but …

Building A Collaborative Governance Framework: A Five Step Process, Jim Johnson, Wendy Willis, Cat Mcginnis

National Policy Consensus Center Publications

As collaborative governance groups form and evolve, they increasingly need a clearly articulated organizational structure to advance their strategy and achieve their goals. This guide provides groups with a process for developing a collaborative governance framework.

A Major Motion Picture Or Just A Picture? An Analysis In Movie Tie-Ins Vs. Original Cover Art, Vivian Nguyen

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

It has been believed that the needs of consumers who are primarily readers versus moviegoers greatly differ; those who are readers are more likely to purchase a book that features the original cover art, while those who are mostly moviegoers gravitate toward movie tie-in covers. This paper examines the accuracy behind that belief by calculating the number of book sales from NPD BookScan, as well as collecting survey data from participants across all reading activity levels.

Analysis revealed that though there is a slight difference in amount of preference based on reading group, overall participants overwhelmingly preferred the original cover …

Chehalis River And Tributary Water Quality And Hydrodynamic Modeling: Model Setup, Calibration Analysis For 2013-2015, Tel Jensen

Dissertations and Theses

The Chehalis River is located in southwest Washington State. Its headwaters are in the Willapa Hills, and it drains parts of the Doty Hills, the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and the southern Olympic Mountains. The Chehalis River is over 125 miles long and its basin is over 2000 square miles spanning parts of seven counties and diverse land uses.

CE-QUAL-W2 is a widely used two-dimensional (vertical and longitudinal) hydrodynamic and water quality model developed by the US Army Corp of Engineers and the Water Quality Research Group at Portland State University. Version 4.2 includes the ability to run …

The Rise Of Mono-Ethnic Religious Nationalism In Myanmar And Its Impacts On The Security Situation Of The South Asian Region, S M Anisuz Zaman

Dissertations and Theses

In spite of the technological advancement and progress of liberalism, religion has remained an essential aspect of individual and national life in many countries. In many societies, religion has manifested elements of extremism, which ultimately perpetuates violence and destruction. This radical religious phenomenon is much predominant in the Southeast and South Asian region, including the country known as Myanmar. Myanmar has become a classic example of the religious fusion of politics and social life. The hybrid form of emerging democratic tenets, albeit under military sponsorship in Myanmar, provides a breeding ground for religious nationalism, with dire consequences for religious minorities. …

A War Of Implicit Forces: The Algerian Revolution, Grace I. Graham

Young Historians Conference

The Algerian Revolution, Algeria’s fight against the colonial power of France epitomized the perseverance of the people’s voice. However, with few military battles won by the Algerians, against the resource rich France, how did Algeria ultimately become the victor? This paper explores the F.L.N.’s strategies in approaching the war and how France’s response to such tactics contributed to domestic and international sympathy for the Algerians’ cause, leading to the eventual liberation of Algeria.

The Use Of The Birth Control Movement As A Eugenics Weapon, 1920'S-1960'S, Peyton P. Holstein

Young Historians Conference

While Margaret Sanger made great strides in the crusade for legalization and open access to birth control for women, groups paired her work with ideologies such as Social Darwinism to arm the eugenics movement throughout the Twentieth-century. The eugenics movement was a culmination of racism and newly found scientific theories which led a crusade to purify the American population through reproductive cherry-picking on the basis of race. One of the primary ways that this group attempted to weed out “undesirable” races within the American population was through birth control as well as sterilization. These two movements - birth control and …

Pig Iron To Wrought Iron: Lake Oswego's Transformation From Iron Smelting To The Privatization Of Oswego Lake, Mathew K. Ragsdale

Young Historians Conference

The paper focuses on the interaction between Oregon's public trust doctrine, city ordinances, and private interests surrounding access to Oswego Lake. Areas of study include the early development of Lake Oswego with its prominence in the Oregon iron industry, and its transition from industrial town to weekend retreat to affluent suburb between the late 1800s and mid 1900s. The Lake Oswego Corporation has claimed power over all aspects of the lake, a notion disputed by Oregon's strong public trust doctrine. The city, whose duty is to all residents, has used the lake as a public asset while restricting access to …

The Importance Of Richard Lionheart In The Third Crusade, Stefan Caplazi Mr.

Young Historians Conference

The impact that King Richard III of England had on the third crusade is apparent through his limited strategic victories on the battlefield. Richard III did well with his limited resources, but ultimately failed to retake Jerusalem. Due to unforeseeable events, Richard III lost his military support before embarking on much of the campaign to regain the Holy Land. These events proved detrimental to his task. While he was an excellent strategist and fearsome leader, Richard III simply lacked the resources and troops to succeed. This paper argues that with more military support, Richard “The Lionheart” would have retaken the …

The Spies That Founded America: How The War For Independence Revolutionized American Espionage, Masaki Lew

Young Historians Conference

Prior to the American Revolutionary War (1775-1883), tensions rose as American colonial smugglers circumvented British taxes. By the onset of the conflict, Continental General George Washington faced a daunting British military invasion. Washington's strategy to outmaneuver and tire enemy forces necessitated a way to anticipate incoming attacks. Thus, he looked to espionage, but found few colonists with professional experience. So who would have the deceptive skills to fulfill the task? An exploration of Washington’s dilemma provides compelling evidence explaining how the colonial smugglers who started the war became the Patriot spies who ended it.

Epictetus’ Enchiridion And The Influence On Women, Eloise C. Schell

Young Historians Conference

The Enchiridion, attributed to the ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus, has been interpreted in many ways since its creation nearly two thousand years ago. This research explores the ways in which Epictetus’ teachings in the Enchiridion, although not originally intended for women, have influenced women throughout history. Not only are the interpretations relating to gender different from the intended purpose of the text, but also the way that the Enchiridion has influenced women has changed over time. In some cases the Enchiridion was used to reinforce power differentials between genders and, in others, it was cited in support of female independence. …

Jazz Banned: How Jazz Music Shaped Nazi Germany, Stella Coomes

Young Historians Conference

Jazz is widely known to be a formative element in American history, but it also played an important role during some of Europe’s most formative and memorable years: the time of World War II and Adolf Hitler’s reign in Germany and surrounding countries. With its roots in Black American culture, it is easy to believe that Hitler would not have supported the increasing popularity of jazz music in his homeland. However, that did not stop him from using it to his advantage (of course, denouncing any form of jazz that was not sponsored by the state). Also not to be …

Invigorated Writers, Quieted Children, And Self-Interested Pharmacists: The Proliferation Of Opium In 19th Century Britain, Clea Thomas

Young Historians Conference

The proliferation of opium use in 19th century Britain significantly affected the country's social culture due to it becoming a mainstream substance used by people of many social standings. Opium is a historic case study for addiction due to its economic impact and changes to the legal regulation of medicine. Poor legislation and enforcement, untimely and ineffective response, and financial self-interest caused the 19th century epidemic of opium addiction. Opium was the right drug at the right place and right time. Pharmacists and medical professionals protected their financial self-interest, and failed to enforce regulation of the drug. Although they were …

Paradoxical Feminism: Attempts At Gender Equality In The French Revolution, Maggie E. Stanton

Young Historians Conference

As French society found itself swept into a frenzied pursuit of liberty, equality, and fraternity, French Revolutionaries ironically neglected to include all citizens in their so-called “inalienable rights of man.” Most notably, the newly formed French National Assembly forgot its women. As a result, female Revolutionaries fought not only for a more equitable political system, but also for the rights and liberties of women. Yet, feminists of the French Revolution faced a paradoxical dilemma. In attempting to publish political writings, form political clubs, and wield weapons against the monarchy, women were forced out of the domestic sphere, an action that …

The Power Of A Prince: Machiavelli, Devotion, And The Secularization Of Western Politics, Jason D. Grossmann-Ferris

Young Historians Conference

3rd place winner of the Karen E. Hoppes Young Historians Award for Outstanding Research and Writing.

Although The Prince was clearly not well-recieved in its day by many, its influence is clear in modern realpolitik and the creation of the secular state. This paper examines the role of Machiavelli’s seminal work in Western politics within the timeline of the Catholic Church’s decline. In The Prince, Machiavelli clearly guides the reader towards the pragmatic political use of religion instead of legitimate belief, insinuating that faith is more useful as a tool for social control rather than personal conviction. This paper posits …