Digital Commons Network^™

Nile Red Microplastic Validation: Enhancing The Study Of Microplastics In Oregon’S River Water, Amy Valine

University Honors Theses

Microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment and can be found in rivers, streams, oceans, and even tap water. In Oregon, eight sites along four freshwater rivers were evaluated for the presence of microplastics. Nile Red dye was tested as a method to improve the accuracy of microplastic counts in plankton tow samples from each of the sites along the Columbia, Willamette, Deschutes, and Rogue Rivers. Samples were stratified to separate microplastics from organic debris using a hypersaline solution. All samples were analyzed using traditional light microscopy for initial microplastic counts, then Nile Red dye was applied to each filter and …

Political Queerness Against Reproductive Futurism In J.M. Coetzee's Life And Times Of Michael K., John J. Caufield

University Honors Theses

In J.M Coetzee's Life and Times of Michael K., Michael interacts with political apparatuses and individuals invested in what Lee Edelman terms "reproductive futurism." As both queer sexually, and queer in that he elicits a persistent opposition to the political bias towards reproductive futurism, Michael figures the possibility of a queer resistance to the political ideologies that underwrite state power in the postcolony. He figures what Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri dub the "biopolitical event." As he interacts with bureaucrats and others, his incomprehensibility to those characters conjures the biopolitical event via his incomprehensibility to the logic of biopolitics …

A Systems View Of Cardiovascular Disease, Madisen Cotter

University Honors Theses

The significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality caused by cardiovascular disease is preventable, yet it remains one of the leading causes of death among both men and women, indicating the complexity of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a multifaceted and persistent problem that calls for using another lens – a systems lens. A systems approach may be a useful tool to understand the structure of relationships that characterize and make cardiovascular disease so persistent and resistant to change. Therefore, the objectives of this paper were to (1) model the network of relationships that produce the epidemic of cardiovascular disease …

Equitable Academia For Students With Disabilities, Mia Cremer

University Honors Theses

Higher education has been historically ableist based on the exclusivity of academia. This qualitative study describes how the identity of students with disabilities changes through academia. The study included semi-structured interviews with four students with disabilities who are registered with the Disability Resource Center at PSU University. Narrative inquiry revealed how the students’ experience in academia revealed the infrastructure, ableism, accessibility, and classroom climate. The social model of disability provided the theoretical framework throughout the study. The social model of disability identifies how the environmental, social factors, and attitudes towards a person with an impairment prevents them from achieving equity. …

Social Correlates Of Paternal Postpartum Depression: A Statistical Analysis, Sonia Bosch

University Honors Theses

By looking at paternal depression one year after childbirth using the year one data of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey (FFCWS), I aim to understand whether maternal postpartum depression is significantly related to the development of paternal postpartum depression. Additionally, I aim to understand whether sociodemographic variables and relationship variables alter the statistical relationship between maternal and paternal postpartum depression. Initially, when examined alone, maternal depression is significantly related to paternal depression (p<0.05). However, once relationship variables were included as control variables in the model, the relationship between maternal depression and paternal depression became statistically insignificant. I recoded data from the FFCWS dataset and conducted statistical analysis of these variables using binomial logistic regressions in SPSS. This study contributes to the discourse surrounding paternal postpartum depression and what variables are most influential in its development. Implications of this study include finding effective interventions on an interpersonal and clinical level, as well as a larger sociocultural level to mitigate the consequences of postpartum depression on families.

Understanding Dignity Through Survivor Testimony, Rachel Fessenden

University Honors Theses

This paper examines the significance of the presence or absence of dignity in the lives of survivors of atrocity. In the aftermath of mass violence and conflict, the honoring of dignity is frequently sidelined or undermined by liberal peacebuilding models in lieu of social and political transformation. These models have been heavily criticized in recent literature for overlooking local context and survivor needs. The necessity for a shift toward humanitarian peacebuilding paradigms has been argued, with calls for the centering of dignity and human rights in post-conflict processes. However, the way in which individuals in post-conflict settings experience the honoring …

An Evaluation Of The Established Relationship Between Federal And Local Law Enforcement Agencies Post-9/11, Samantha Schultz

University Honors Theses

When regarding security prioritizations and intelligence gathering, 9/11 disrupted the organization of the Department of Justice and how we as a nation interpret and combat both foreign and domestic threats. This is not a question on the content of 9/11, what the day’s timeline was, the logistics of the attack itself, but instead an examination of how the mechanics of federal law and policy have reacted after a massive breach in national security. Not only did the federal government institute significant changes to its law enforcement tactics but this additionally included local law enforcement. It has been over seventeen years …

Species Diversity In The Hypertragulid (Mammalia: Artiodactyla) Population Of The John Day Basin, Oregon, Lana K. Jewell

University Honors Theses

Members of the family Hypertragulidae (order Artiodactyla, class Mammalia) are the most abundant mammals in the Turtle Cove Member (Oligocene) of the John Day Formation of central and eastern Oregon and make up about 40% of the preserved specimens of the John Day Basin. Three species and two separate genera are described in the area, but any preexisting research lacks statistical support for this level of variation. Species designation among extinct artiodactyls is predominantly based on morphological and morphometric examination of dentition, but studies conducted with extant artiodactyls have revealed that this may not be a reliable diagnostic technique. Other …

Exploring Small Business Management In Mexico And The United States Using Hofstede's Dimensions, Elizabeth R. Thom

University Honors Theses

This thesis paper will consider cultural differences that lead to different processes to achieve workplace effectiveness using the Cultural Dimensions outlined by notable scholar, Geert Hofstede and use said findings to provide theoretical recommendations for a Capstone client. The literature review will highlight important themes that tend to occur in organizations of specific dimensions. In consideration of these themes, the author will highlight the best business practices for small businesses. For comparison purposes, they will specifically focus on the United States and Mexico, where Company X has expressed interest in ultimately opening a high-end retail storefront, using research surrounding Hofstede's …

The Ripples Of Vanport: Navigating Competing Narratives, Curtis J. Jewell

University Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes representations of the history of Vanport, Oregon, through the lens of narrative rhetoric. It examines two mainstream texts, one academic and one written for the general public, to establish a foundation for Vanport's dominant representation, before exploring how local nonprofit Vanport Mosaic works to revise that history through community voices. Histories of Vanport have largely focused on its success as a public housing project before the 1948 flood that destroyed the city. In these accounts, the experiences of the residents themselves, including the flood’s devastating effects on their community, were overlooked. This neglect inspired the oral history …

Design And Construction Of A Filter Bank Assembly For Low Volume Air Sampling, Marianne H. De Haan

University Honors Theses

Maintaining indoor air quality that supports human health is a primary objective of the built environment. While outdoor air is commonly thought of as having more pollutants, it has been shown that indoor air quality (IAQ) can be more polluted with VOCs and particulate matter. In order to better understand IAQ, we must understand the types of compounds present in the air that we are filtering into our buildings. One method for doing this is by analyzing the intake air and the filters in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. These filters are specifically designed to collect dust, pollen, …

Demystifying Ruth, Georgia Hatchett

University Honors Theses

Demystifying Ruth is the result of my thesis research in which I delve into the memory of my paternal grandmother Ruth, a woman who was a complete mystery to me for most of my life.

Through investigating her memory, I sought out to understand the greater cultural context of sharing family history and its complicated relationship with memory and the photograph.

The end result of this research is the creation of a website in which I talk about perspective on Ruth's life and the process of using photographs and memory to define a person that you have never met.

Explaining The Collapse Of The Industrial Workers Of The World Through Historiography, Kayla B. Gmyr

University Honors Theses

Growing out of the labor militancy and political radicalism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the revolutionary union Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) grew to be one of the most radical working-class movements in American history, containing 150,000 members during its peak in 1917. However, by its Congress in 1924, the union nearly collapsed beneath the weight of state repression, vigilante killings, organizational weaknesses, and political divisions, after which it remained on the fringes of labor politics. Many authors of varying backgrounds and decades have sought to explain the decline of the IWW, emphasizing either repression, internal …

Translation Of Personal Narrative From Russian To English, Miles J. Strang

University Honors Theses

This work is an exercise in basic translation theory. The goal of the work is to explore how translators understand and interpret a text and how they modify it for their audience. The works chosen for this are two short personal narratives from the book The World at First Glance (2012) by Tat’yana Lazareva. These short personal narratives were written by two famous modern Russian personalities: Mikhail Shirvindt, a TV presenter and TV and film producer, and Leonid Parfyonov, a journalist and writer of many documentary TV shows. These are the first translations of these texts in to English. Each …

Suicidal Ideation And Mindfulness Practice In Lgbtq Youth, Mckenna R. Martin

University Honors Theses

Mindfulness as therapeutic practice has been growing in usefulness the last decade, particularly when looking at the impact of mindfulness on depression (Deyo, Wilson, Ong, and Koopman, 2009). A small number of studies have extended beyond depression and focused on the impact of mindfulness on suicidal ideation, one of which were conducted with youth. There is need for further consideration and research surrounding mindfulness practice and LGBTQ youth (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer - identified as ages 15-24) who experience suicidal ideation. There is also a need for suicide prevention programming to expand practitioners’ strategies. Given the prevalence and devastating …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators Against Amyloid Beta Toxicity And The Pathways That Provide Protection, Maggie Rose

University Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. The leading hypothesis to explain the prevalence of the disease in the brain is the aggregation of Amyloid Beta peptides in the brain, which form senile plaques and suppress neuronal function. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) have been found to provide protective effects against the neurotoxic effects of Amyloid Beta. This experiment was conducted in two distinct phases: the experimental phase and the literature review phase. The experimental phase sought to determine if Amyloid Beta was neurotoxic to SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, and if STX—an SERM—was able to …

Language Planning And Policy In Education: The Case Of Senegal, Serena Khader

University Honors Theses

Discourse concerning globalisation, post- or neo-colonialism, and development are central to the proposed argument. The connection between globalisation, post- or neo-colonialism, and development in relation to and language and education policy is dissected in detail (Shin & Kubota, 2008). A number of historical and present actors have contributed to the formation of current language policy and, on a broader scale, the present system of education in Senegal (Faye, 2013). The lack of national languages of instruction in Senegal’s language and education policies are the result of both powerful actors, of social tensions and conflicts, and of technical issues concerning codifying …

Moving Beyond Migrant Disposability: Interrogating History And Identity, Marisol M. Cendejas

University Honors Theses

Although much of the literature surrounding forced migration establishes the relationship in between mental distress and the process of forced migration, there is a gap in the literature which specifically illuminates the direct relationship undocumentation has to mental health and that shows mental health is a significant aspect of the "undocumented experience". Here, research questions grapple with the way Latin American migrant groups within the United States have been impacted by undocumentation and illuminate the direct relationship. A literature review and a feminist media analysis pose the two questions: 1) How has migrant disposability allowed the United States to absolve …

The Life, Composing And Impact Of Kenny Wheeler, Quinn Walker

University Honors Theses

Since its birth in the beginning of the twentieth century, jazz music has had an immense impact on the world. As jazz began to grow, many sub-genres developed within jazz, incorporating elements of blues, funk, rock, free music, and complex harmony. As a jazz musician myself, something always fascinates me is the diversity within the genre. With the development of steaming platforms such as Spotify, it has never been easier to discover the immense amount of jazz that musicians have gifted to this world. The popularity of jazz music has been in steady decline since the 1960s. This has resulted …

The ‘Girl Student’ And Modernity: Imagining A Place For Women In The New Nation, Kayla Fish

University Honors Theses

The modern Chinese 'girl student' was born in a context of great upheaval and redefinition within Chinese society. The ability to produce a generation of educated and civic-minded young people was integral to various reform projects at the turn of the twentieth century--doing so would develop a widespread sense of belonging to the cause of national salvation. This meant introducing a modern education system and engaging with the general population of China in unprecedented ways, including extending opportunities previously unavailable to large portions of the population. I situate my research within this phenomenon, where the young female student takes on …

Literature Review On The Effects Of Water Fluoridation On The Human Health, Diana Abdeljawad

University Honors Theses

This thesis is a literature review of water fluoridation on the human health. As it compares many different articles about the advantages and disadvantages of having fluoride in water, and its effects on health. The thesis dives into many key points that supports the idea of fluoridated water. Such as a background information of what fluoride is, fluoride in different components like toothpaste, a general idea of what water fluoridation is, and findings that were found during the literature review. The findings include dental fluorosis, fluoride toxicity, fluoride’s effect on the pineal gland and other organs, experiments conducted via fluoride, …

Isoprene Emission In Polytrichaceae Mosses, Timea Deakova

Dissertations and Theses

Our first aim was to identify and quantify Biological Volatile Organic Compound (BVOC) emissions, specifically emissions of isoprene, from the moss Polytrichum juniperinum during its earliest stage of life. Isoprene emission from mosses could be a significant component of the total global budget of BVOC emissions. Data concerning the spatial and temporal variability of these emissions are lacking due to poor characterization of the physical and biological factors controlling isoprene synthesis in both vascular and non-vascular plants. We found that P. juniperinum in its early life stage (protonema) can emit isoprene at detectable levels at day five after spore germination. …

Β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex With Oxazine-4 Derivative For The Treatment Of Glioblastoma Multiforme, Rohi Gheewala

University Honors Theses

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common type of high-grade glioma and accounts for as much as 50% of all primary brain tumors. With the current standard of care, survival of GBM patients remains poor at 15 months after diagnosis. In this study, the antiproliferative effects of a novel oxazine-4 derivative called 0108 were examined. Delivery of 0108 was accomplished via complexation with (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) to form 0108CD. The association constant, K_a, of 0108CD was determined and stability of 0108CD formulations made with 1, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% HP-β-CD were assessed over 24, 48, and 72 hours. …

Glitch Art As An Expression Of Medium, Maxwell Ettel

University Honors Theses

Glitch Art is a fairly unique medium. This thesis explores Glitch Art through the lens of photographic theory primarily in relation to Roland Barthes work 'Camera Lucida'. Concepts and Ideas derived from Barthes theory are developed, and creative work is then developed taking them in mind. The creative work itself is comprised of 4 different image processing scripts written in the Javascript library p5js. These different scripts all take different approaches to applying the theory developed, and create engaging entropic imagery.

Insta-Identity : The Construction Of Identity Through Instagram An Extended Literature Review, Bailey Seibel

University Honors Theses

A person's ability to curate, communicate, and perceive their identity through the exploration and sharing of selfhood has never been easier thanks to social media applications that promote user-generated content and encourage self-promotion through computer-mediated communication within a social network. This paper analyzes the role Instagram has in the construction of identity by reviewing existing literature on identity theories, with a focus on communication theory of identity, as well as the methodologies behind representing self to see how they apply to the features and frameworks of Instagram. Based on the review it is argued that social media applications such as …

Testing The Bechdel Test, Kathryn Gray Bouchat

University Honors Theses

This paper examines the Bechdel Test and its accuracy in measuring the progressiveness of films. The Bechdel Test is a set of parameters that are used to measure a film's representation of women; for a film to pass the Bechdel Test, two named women must talk to each other about something other than a man. In the United States, 40% of films still fail this test. The representation of women in film, especially teenage girls, creates a negative stereotype; it shows that they are aggressive and only care about their male love interests. The experiment in this paper compares two …

The Effects Of Chronic Chemogenetic Stimulation Of Nucleus Accumbens On Binge Drinking, The Transcriptome, And Neuronal Morphology, Dar'ya Y. Pozhidayeva

University Honors Theses

Background: Binge drinking is a dangerous pattern of behavior. We previously used Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to modulate binge drinking. Here, we test whether chronically manipulating NAc activity can produce lasting effects on drinking, the transcriptome, and neuronal morphology.

Methods: High Drinking in the Dark (HDID-1) mice were stereotaxically injected with AAV2 DREADDs or GFP in the NAc and treated with vehicle or clozapine-n-oxide (CNO; 1mg/kg) prior to Drinking in the Dark (DID). We then performed 1) RNA-Seq to identify genes changed with alcohol and rescued by CNO and 2) Golgi-Cox …

Virginia Woolf And Freud : The Implications Of His Work On Her Mental Health, Kenidee M. Barner

University Honors Theses

Virginia Woolf is an author still known today for her work in using literature as a vehicle for understanding her own life. Woolf used her novels to uncover and explore parts of her own personal relationships, and molded them into prominent characters. Modern scholarship discussing Woolf has generally accepted the timeline of her life, which includes the sexual abuse inflicted on her by her two older half-brothers, George and Gerald Duckworth, from her age 6 to 22. In dealing with this trauma in her later years, Woolf began seeking help in dealing with her pain through the study of psychoanalysis. …

"Music That Binds Us": Development And Production Of An Electroacoustic Concert, Christina Diane Ebersohl

University Honors Theses

This thesis will explore the contemporary evolution of the classical music concert by recording and analyzing the creation, development, production, and realization of an electroacoustic concert with a strong community engagement theme. The concert, entitled “Music That Binds Us”, blends audio recorded stories of participants with commissioned music for a set of pre-determined instruments to create a powerful and thought-provoking exhibit of the human experience. Risk-benefit analysis of potential complications, effective publicizing practices, organization and management of participants, and helpful guidelines to increase the efficacy of the community aspect are discussed.

Pilot Study Investigating The Effectiveness Of The Active Workplace Study Through A Dissemination Lens, Mary Beth Barnum

University Honors Theses

There are many studies demonstrating the health risks associated with low physical activity and sedentary behavior. Considering that much of an adult’s time prior to retirement is spent in their work environment, researchers have recognized that sedentary work environments play a significant role in a person’s overall level of sedentary behavior and physical activity. Researchers are therefore examining workplace intervention programs aimed to minimize sedentary behavior and improve the overall working environment, including interpersonal and intrapersonal communications between employees and their supervisors. However, in order for this research to positively impact the large population of sedentary workers it is important …