Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of A Novel Remote Displacement Sensor Prototype Using Video And Laser-Based Technology For Civil Infrastructure Applications, Nicholas J. Brown

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Deflection measurements on structures, especially with regards to long-term monitoring, continues to be a challenge with current sensor technologies. Material degradation and changes in the mechanical properties due to aging (for example, creep and shrinkage in concrete bridges) directly impact the deflections exhibited by a structure. In this article we introduce and discuss the evaluation of a novel laser and video-based displacement sensor prototype to monitor displacements and rotations in structures remotely. The sensor is both inexpensive, using off-the shelf components, but also accurate and practical for situations that do not allow the use of conventional displacement sensors, which require …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Corpus Data From Reddit Discussions Of "Gay Voice", Sara Elizabeth Mulliner

Dissertations and Theses

In the last decade, there have been a number of public discussions about "gay voice" and "sounding gay." These two phrases often serve as a shorthand for the belief that a listener can determine the sexuality of a speaker based on phonetic qualities found in a speaker's vocal output. However, these expressions are more accurately described as "catch-all" terms for speech that may contain features associated with non-gender conforming stances and personae. Notions about gender and sexuality could be intertwined in complicated ways in this language ideology. Investigating popular discussions of gay-sounding voices could provide information on what people are …

Flood Dynamics In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Past, Present, And Future, Lumas Terence Helaire

Dissertations and Theses

The Portland area has an extensive flood history since it was founded in 1845. In the late 19th century, the Portland area was prone to flooding from snowmelt freshets (3-6 months duration) and brief winter rain or rain-on-snow events. Since that time the magnitude of spring freshets has been curtailed by 45% due to climate change, flow diversions, and reservoir management. Along with changes in hydrology, the bathymetry of the Lower Columbia River has been altered by the dredging of the navigation channel, diking, and land reclamation. To understand how these changes in hydrology and bathymetry have affected tidal and …

Working Paper No. 37, The American Opium Trade, Karson M. Pence

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that American merchants exacerbated China’s 19th century opium epidemic. Circumventing Britain’s monopoly of Indian opium, three men, Thomas Perkins, John Cushing, and Robert Forbes, played a key role in American consolidation of Turkish opium production. With malice and blatant disregard, numerous Americans pumped tens of thousands of chests of opium into China, creating fabulous riches and incredibly influential familial dynasties while simultaneously destroying the minds and bodies of an untold number of Chinese.

Working Paper No. 50, Alexis De Tocqueville On American 'Exceptionalism', Zachary Mckinster

Working Papers in Economics

From early settlers to the sophisticated nuances and concerns facing Americans in his time, Alexis de Tocqueville authored a definitive piece on democracy as it emerged and was practiced in 19th century America. This inquiry seeks to establish that Tocqueville’s penetrating insights into the United States in its early decades assisted him in arriving at the notion of what is widely touted as American ‘Exceptionalism’. In the first half of the 19th century Tocqueville travelled widely, seeking to understand this republic and its constitutional emphases upon principles of democracy. Completing his tour, in 1835 Tocqueville published Democracy in America. It …

An Application Of Deep Learning Models To Automate Food Waste Classification, Alejandro Zachary Espinoza

Dissertations and Theses

Food wastage is a problem that affects all demographics and regions of the world. Each year, approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption is thrown away. In an effort to track and reduce food waste in the commercial sector, some companies utilize third party devices which collect data to analyze individual contributions to the global problem. These devices track the type of food wasted (such as vegetables, fruit, boneless chicken, pasta) along with the weight. Some devices also allow the user to leave the food in a kitchen container while it is weighed, so the container weight must also …

The Optimized Synthesis Of Copper Nanowire For High-Quality And Fabrication Of Core-Shell Nanowire, Suhyun Lee

Dissertations and Theses

Flexible electronics are the promising technology for prospective application in foldable phones. Currently, indium tin oxide (ITO) has been widely used for electronic devices including flat-panel display. However, it is brittle and expensive. Metal nanowires are considered as alternative materials. Among various metal nanowires, copper nanowires are attractive because of its high electrical conductivity, better flexibility, and low cost compared with ITO. However, copper nanowires are very prone to oxidize, which causes subsequent degradation of electrical conductivity. Due to this oxidation issue, core-shell structure nanowires, which are formed silver shell having high conductivity and low resistivity on the surfaces of …

A 30-Year Climatology Of Meteorological Conditions Associated With Lightning Days In The Western United States, Dmitri Alexander Kalashnikov

Dissertations and Theses

A 30-year climatology of lightning and associated synoptic meteorological patterns are characterized across the Western United States (WUS), utilizing a comprehensive composite analysis. Results generally show a preferred synoptic meteorological setup with positive 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies to the northeast of the location experiencing a lightning day, and negative sea level pressure anomalies co-located and to the northwest. Variation in preferred anomaly patterns across the western US reflects the divide between those areas affected by the North American monsoon system and areas outside the monsoonal core. Locations in the western Great Basin and northern Rocky Mountains, which are outside the …

Explaining The Sectarian Violence In The Middle East: A Conflict Analysis Of The Case Study Of Saudi Arabia And Iran, Ahmed Elsayed Eltally

Dissertations and Theses

The Middle East has been rife with conflicts, extremism, and sectarianism in recent decades. Many explanations attribute the rise of sectarianism in the Middle East to the historical divide between Sunni and Shia Muslims, while others attribute it to power or identity concerns. This thesis explores the factors that contributed to the rise of contemporary sectarianism in the Middle East through the case study of Saudi-Iranian rivalry. Drawing on the literature on the history of the Middle East, Islam, theories of international relations, and conflict studies, it underlines how Saudi Arabia and Iran use sectarianism to further their interests. This …

Hf Iq Mixer Vfo Temperature Compensation And Drive Level Optimization For Opposite Sideband Suppression, Katlin Anne-Rostomyan Dahn

Dissertations and Theses

An amateur radio 40m band temperature compensated variable frequency oscillator (VFO) with drive-level optimized for opposite sideband suppression for use as the local oscillator (LO) of a high frequency (HF) IQ image reject mixer is considered in this work. The first problem of this thesis was the discovery of the HF IQ mixer's opposite sideband suppression dependence on LO drive-level. As a solution to this problem, the author built a fixed drive-level VFO for the optimal opposite sideband suppression. This then led to the second problem of this thesis; the discovery by this author of the well-known problem of VFO …

"An Idolatry Of Sound" : Nature, The Natural, And The Castrato's Body In The Eighteenth Century, Caitlin Elizabeth Pala

Dissertations and Theses

The castrati--Italian men castrated before puberty in order to retain their high singing voice--were Europe's first superstars, reaching the height of their popularity in the first few decades of the eighteenth century. While only a tiny percentage of the European population, the castrati embodied many of the significant medical and philosophical questions of the Enlightenment that aimed to understand humanity: human emotion, physiology, sexuality, and culture. As a part of the ongoing debate over what was "natural," the castrati hold an interesting place. At the broadest level, the very existence of the castrati asked what it was to be a …

Passive Separation Of Binary Fluid Mixtures In Microchannels Using Lattice Boltzmann Method, Mohanad Kamil Radhi

Dissertations and Theses

Fluid mixtures in real life exist in two forms: miscible and immiscible. Separation of these mixtures using chemical agents or thermal energy has both environmental and economic disadvantages. The high cost and the environmental damage caused by the traditional separation techniques have stimulated both academia and industry to seek alternatives. The emergence of microfluidics offers robust solutions for a broad span of transport problems due to the high surface to volume ratio and reduced length scales. Particularly, the separation efficiency increases significantly due to the aforementioned feature. However, there is still a pressing need of passive separations for the sake …

Analysis Of E-Cigarette Liquids And Aerosols By Nmr Spectroscopy: Compositions, Boiling Points, And Degradation Profiles, Anna Katherine Duell

Dissertations and Theses

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are an increasingly popular tobacco product used by ~3% of adults and 21% of 12th grade students (as reported for the prior 30-days in surveys) in the United States in 2018. As of 2019, this number went up to ~25% for 12th grade students. Due to how quickly e-cigarettes gained popularity and the rapid design changes that have ensued, there has not been enough time to accurately assess the effects of e-cigarettes, particularly for long-term use. The liquids used in e-cigarettes (e-liquids) can degrade when vaped in an e-cigarette, so understanding the variables that can modulate degradation …

Local Radiance, Scott Peter Britell

Dissertations and Theses

Recent years have seen a proliferation of web applications based on content management systems (CMS). Using a CMS, non-technical content authors are able to define custom content types to support their needs. These content type names and the attribute names in each content type are typically domain-specific and meaningful to the content authors. The ability of a CMS to support a multitude of content types allows for endless creation and customization but also leads to a large amount of heterogeneity within a single application. While this meaningful heterogeneity is beneficial, it introduces the problem of how to write reusable functionality …

The Process Of Establishing Theoretically Grounded Measures Of Science And Chemistry Identity For Use In Undergraduate Chemistry Courses, Kathryn Nicole Hosbein

Dissertations and Theses

Identity has been theorized to aid in student persistence toward science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) degrees. However, before we can explore the impacts of learning environments on identity, and subsequently persistence, robust measures that can aid in understanding how identity is fostered need to be available. This research study aims to create measures of identity by expanding an existing physics identity framework and contextualizing it to science and chemistry identities. Development of the measures was carried out through two distinct phases that provided evidence for reliability and multiple aspects of validity.

The first phase of the study used qualitative …

Student Voice In A Participatory Design Process Focused On Developing Equity-Based Stem Teaching Practices, Frank Heimerdinger

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study with second grade students in a mid-sized city in the Northwest was to examine an equity-based STEM teaching practice and design process that builds on student's voice in the context of an elementary school. Teaching practice innovations were designed using a participatory process drawing on student voice and experience, culturally responsive pedagogy, STEM content, and teaching practices. The students collaborated with the teacher to design and enact equity-based STEM teaching practice innovations and gave necessary and appropriate feedback regarding its efficacy in creating equitable and empowering learning experiences from their own perspective. A specific goal …

Bone Mineral Density Of The Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus: A Proposed Model For Monitoring Osteological And Ecosystem Health, James Wright Burrus Powell

Dissertations and Theses

Bone mineral density (BMD) in the pectoral flipper of the common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was examined to address the need to define a comprehensive target site for clinical osteodensitometric assessment and to establish ranges of observed bone density values for this species. Radii were analyzed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the accepted standard in human medical studies. Multiple loci within the radius were identified and assessed for their correlation to BMD of the entire bone. Radii BMD were also examined for differences based on sex, age, total body length, handedness, geographical affinity, and nutritional status at time …

Optimizing On-Street Parking Supply With Analytical Models, Chawalit Tipagornwong

Dissertations and Theses

Commercial vehicles are crucial for the urban economy, but they generate negative impacts as well. This leads to restrictions such as a reduction in the number of loading zones. The result is that commercial drivers spend a significant amount of time searching for available loading zones. To avoid searching for parking, some commercial drivers double park, which causes traffic congestion. Therefore, the number of loading zones should be set properly. Since a curb is allocated between both loading zones and parking spaces, both parking types have to be considered. Many on-street parking management strategies have been implemented, including pricing meter …

Transmission-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems: A Systematic Literature Review, Kevin Marnell, Manasseh Obi, Robert B. Bass

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

When the transmission capacity of an electrical system is insufficient to adequately serve customer demand, the transmission system is said to be experiencing congestion. More transmission lines can be built to increase capacity. However, transmission congestion typically only occurs during periods of peak demand, which occur just a few times per year; capitol-intensive investments in new transmission capacity address problems that occur infrequently. Alternative solutions to alleviated transmission congestion have been devised, including generation curtailment, demand response programs, and various remedial action schema. Though not currently a common solution, battery energy storage systems can also provide transmission congestion relief. Technological …

Assessing The Barriers To Equity In Smart Mobility Systems: A Case Study Of Portland, Oregon, Aaron Golub, Vivian Satterfield, Michael Serritella, Jai Singh, Senna Phillips

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is an active debate about the potential costs and benefits of emerging “smart mobility” systems, especially in how they will serve communities already facing transportation challenges. This paper describes the results of an assessment of these equity issues in the context of lower-income areas of Portland, Oregon, based on a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research. The study found that by lowering costs and improving service for public transit, ridesharing and active transportation, smart mobility systems could address many of the needs of transportation disadvantaged communities. Similar to those found in other case studies, significant barriers prevent smart mobility …

Performing Self, Performing Community, Performing Care: A Polyphony, Lindsay M. Goldman, Musonda Mwango, Vicki Reitenauer

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article traces a performative arc across time and distance, starting in the men's carceral setting in which the co-authors first met in a gender studies course called Writing as Activism; through their continued co-learning (and individual authorship of self) in a campus-based course, Women, Writing, and Memoir; to and through the co-construction of this essay. These co-authors are variously situated relative to the institutions in which they were positioned; embody difference related to race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, religion, age, and national origin; and are co-committed both to creating learning communities in which a socially just pedagogy might be …

Lyrically Informed Performance: A Creative Study Of Desire And Motivation In Rodgers And Hammerstein's Musical Collaborations, Fiona Palazzi

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to outline the process I used to prepare a performance of ten songs written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, a famous composer and lyricist duo who wrote five notable works for the stage during the "Golden Age" of Musical Theater. I ask the question: how can I use evidence of motivation and desire in Hammerstein's lyrics to help inform my acting and vocal choice in the performance of each song? I investigate manifestations of desire in each of the song lyrics on my set list and reflect on the reality of applying my findings from …

Collaborative Features Of Graphic Narratives: Research For "Lovely, Satisfied, Indifferent Eyes", Brigid K. Fitzpatrick

University Honors Theses

Graphic narratives, such as comics and graphic novels, innately include formal features that invite reader participation. Reading a graphic narrative means contributing to the work. I created a graphic novelette, Lovely, Satisfied, Indifferent Eyes, that prioritizes the conceptual collaboration between author and reader. I did this by enhancing the formal features of the gutter, visual voice, braiding, and temporal representation (time). Creating a graphic narrative that relies on reader participation allows the author and the work to benefit from the vast networks of diverse readers, made possible by the internet and the increased communication in our world as a …

Attachment In Higher Education And The Workplace: A Literature Review, Emily A. Robey

University Honors Theses

This literature review explores attachment theory in the context of the workplace and higher education. The attachment research in these contexts is lacking, especially for higher education, but the data that does exist shows an important influence of attachment orientation and attachment related behaviors on the success of and interaction between individuals in these environments. Additionally, the influence of context on attachment related behaviors is explored. These discussions culminate in suggestions as to how attachment research can be further expanded upon and limitations in both the current research and this literature review.

Erotic Manga, Its Artists, And The Pressures Of Censorship, Dominique Andrée Lief

University Honors Theses

Erotic manga (エロマンガ), a genre of adult-oriented Japanese comics is subjected to censorship that may seem irrelevant or confusing to people outside of the industry. Why is erotic manga censored? How is erotic manga censored? How does censorship affect erotic manga artists? These questions are examined through use of English academic sources, Japanese academic sources and news articles, and interviews with professional erotic manga artists translated into English.

Report On The 2018 Impact Study Of Recreational Park Use On The Nesting Success Of Actinemys Marmorata, Chrysemys Picta Bellii, And Trachemys Scripta Elegans, Joseph Gayaldo

University Honors Theses

In June and July 2018, I, in collaboration with the Audubon Society volunteers, City park managers, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, conducted turtle nesting surveys at three known nesting sites in the Park in order to discern the effects of recreational park use on turtle nesting success, and turtle nesting behavior. This study was conducted to aid the City in their development of a ten-year habitat management plan, as well as inform and contribute to their overarching conservation and restoration efforts by the City. We observed two nesting attempts with one being successful, eleven attempted nests, and …

Cortical Thickness Comparison Of Asd And Td Subjects, Jonathan Rigoberto Uriarte-Lopez

University Honors Theses

With 1 out of every 59 adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), more research interest has been dedicated to studying why ASD individuals experience their symptoms of restricted and/or repetitive behaviors, and deficits in social interaction and communication. ASD can only be diagnosed by psychiatric evaluation of behavior, and there is a lack of reliable biomarkers for ASD to verify the diagnosis. To potentially find a reliable biomarker, we compared cortical thickness in 911 ASD subjects and 999 controls from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) dataset. The dataset was processed using the Developmental Cognition and Neuroimaging (DCAN) …

Statistical Methods And Validation Procedures For Spike Sorting, Michael Thomas

University Honors Theses

Spike sorting is the process of converting a recording of the electrical activity generated by neurons firing in the brain, into a representation of the timings for each distinct neuron's firing. This representation of neuronal firings, when paired with data on the subjects' perceptions or actions during the recording, can then be used to map patterns of brain activity to specific stimuli or behaviors. Here we will examine the evolution of mathematical techniques employed to tackle this problem, as well as examine a few of the still open questions.

How Urban Land Use Contributes To Inequitable Health Outcomes: An Interdisciplinary Review & Analysis, Bliss Storm Croton

University Honors Theses

Using existing literature as a basis for initial review, this paper seeks to explore the relationship between urban land use and socioeconomic status as both pertain to the prevalence of psychological health diagnoses among neighborhood residents. The purpose of this analysis is to investigate the combined literature from multiple areas of research in order to gain a more holistic, up-to-date scope of knowledge regarding how discriminatory neighborhood land use may result in poorer psychological health outcomes for urban populations. By utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, some of the locally relevant, long-term impacts of uneven development and environmental injustice are examined based …

Art Therapy And Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: A Workbook, Jasmine S. Griswold

University Honors Theses

Looking into the ways in which we treat anxiety and depression in both clinical and casual settings it seemed apparent that there are similar tools being utilized to alleviate the effects, but there didn’t seem to be a cohesion of these tools. With Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) a mindfulness based approach to therapy and the use of art as a tool to create dialogue in Art Therapy (AT) it seemed appropriate to combine the modalities to create a workbook that could be used on one's own or in conjunction with a therapist.