Digital Commons Network^™

The Importance Of An Intersectional Approach To Gender-Based Violence In South Africa, Sophie Allen

University Honors Theses

Gender-based violence is an issue of major concern in South Africa and is a result of an intersectionality of oppressors. A culture of violence, firmly established by racist and classist historical institutions, remains prominent. In addition, the culture outwardly focuses on tensions of race and class, rather than the oppression of gender. Historical female oppression and patriarchal cultural patterns existed before the introduction of white rule. This phenomenon of South African culture particularly focusing on race and class as oppressors that contribute to gender-based violence, instead of patriarchal norms, can be observed through two major frameworks: discourses of rape and …

Discrimination Against Healthcare Providers: Through Training And Practice, Shawna Erickson

University Honors Theses

The objective of this literature review is to assess previous work and look for commonalities and patterns of reported discriminatory behavior. The goal is to understand the types of discrimination physicians and medical students/residents face, how discrimination negatively impacts their work, from whom this discrimination originates, and how this problem can be addressed.

The Sino-Russian Embrace: Resiliently Asymmetrical, Ryan Donovan

University Honors Theses

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sino-Russian relations have gone through an extraordinary renaissance. This paper explores Russia's relationship with China, particularly in Central Asia, through a latticework of global, regional, and bilateral trends, identifying key areas of convergence as well as underlying stresses. Both powers share an uneasiness towards "outside influence" i.e. the U.S. and the EU and have made significant progress in economic trade and institutional development. The relationship, however, faces several factors that if not managed could inhibit future growth. Among potential inhibitors are a deep-rooted historical mistrust and concerns over an increasingly asymmetrical relationship in …

The Pacific Sentinel, March 2018, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Kasey Colton

Articles in this issue include:

• Undiscovered Stories: Why We Should Start Exploring African Fiction;
• The Myth of the Sharing Economy;
• China Made Me Gay;
• Rare Scuttles Skeptics with Sea of Thieves" Beta;
• Chicago-Based Rapper Swade's Dynatnic New EP Deserves Your Attention;
• Portland Jazz Festival Showcases Portland State Talent;
• Into the Woods with Artist Gary Wiseman;
• Movie and Album Reviews;
• The Tentative Existence of Beauty; and
• Fall From Grace: The Story of Rajneeshpuram, OR: Home of the Biggest Bioterror Attack in Modern U.S. History

Do Internal Or External Csr Strategies Yield Higher Social And Financial Returns?, Emily Lundberg

University Honors Theses

In the last decade, there has been a revolution in the perception of businesses as entities whose sole goal is to yield returns for their shareholders to the belief that they have a responsibility to mitigate their negative impacts on communities and the environment by voluntarily taking actions to improve those entities. Though there is an increased emphasis among businesses on corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is limited research examining how companies can maximize the positive impact of their strategies and whether or not investing in doing so will make them more successful. To address this gap, my thesis will …

A North American Survey Of Electric Bicycle Owners, John Macarthur, Michael Harpool, Daniel Scheppke, Christopher Cherry

TREC Final Reports

Electric bicycle (e-bike) use is a rising phenomenon in North America as a growing number of manufacturers produce a variety of bicycles which can accommodate the needs of diverse populations. With the growth of the e-bike industry, e-bike users are an increasingly integral part of both the transportation network and recreational trail system. However, little research has been conducted on e-bikes within North America, especially on the individuals who have purchased e-bikes. The first-known U.S. e-bike owner survey was conducted by Portland State University in 2013. The 2013 survey aimed to understand whether e-bikes have the capacity to reduce barriers …

Tools And Techniques For Teaching Collaborative Regional Planning And Enhancing Livability And Sustainable Transportation In Gateway And Natural Amenity Regions, Danya Rumore, Divya Chandrasekhar, Sarah Hinnars

TREC Final Reports

Communities throughout the nation face a variety of interconnected transportation, livability and sustainability challenges that can only be effectively addressed through regional planning collaboration. These challenges are particularly pressing in gateway and natural amenity region (GNAR) communities throughout the western United States. This project engaged graduate students in developing curricular materials to teach planning students, professional planners and community members (1) the core concepts and skills of regional collaborative transportation and land use planning and (2) about the unique transportation and planning-related challenges and opportunities in GNAR communities. It did so through an applied graduate-level studio course taught in fall …

Development Of Rdsetgo: A Rapidly Deployable Structural Evaluation Toolkit For Global Observation, Charles Riley

TREC Final Reports

The most expensive and critical links in the nation’s transportation network are its bridges. Historical and contemporary bridge failures have highlighted our reliance on these structures. While the nation’s bridge management system is robust and well administered, the tools needed to evaluate individual bridges to determine their condition, whether for asset management or in response to a significant loading event such as the imminent Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, are currently highly specialized. The goal of this study was to develop a cost-effective, accurate, and easily deployed evaluation tool using widely available mobile technology, specifically iPods, to …

The Effect Of Zn2+ Binding On The Chemistry Of Tm3+ And Eu3+ Chelates, Diana King

University Honors Theses

Current contrast agents are Gd³⁺-based, which successfully enhance MRI images but are limited in detecting certain analytes compared to new agents that operate through a CEST mechanism. In this study, a Eu³⁺ and Tm³⁺ chelate were examined as CEST agents for MRI imaging in four concentrations of zinc: 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 equivalents. T₁ values were obtained using NMR spectrometry, which were then used to fit the data to obtain CEST spectra for the compounds. The CEST spectra of the Tm³⁺ chelate had a shift in the amide protons as Zn²⁺ concentrations …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Accounting: 2 Csr Case Studies And A Literature Review, Anzhelika Levkiv

University Honors Theses

Companies make promises from the day they are registered. Their brand, their marketing promises, and their promises for change when faults are discovered all pile up to a list of guarantees made to the public. While the financial statements of companies are verified by third-party auditors for fraud, the non-financial information released by companies is not required to be verified. Corporate social responsibility (hereafter referred to as CSR) is a corporation's assessment and of the company’s effects on issues related to social and environmental responsibility. Monitoring and reporting the corporate social responsibility efforts of companies is more important in the …

Corrosion Behavior Of Plasma Nitrided And Nitrocarburised Supermartensitic Stainless Steel, Frederico Augusto Pires Fernandes, Carlos Alberto Picone, George Totten, Luiz Carlos Casteletti

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Supermartensitic stainles steels (SMSS's) are a new generation of martensitic steels that have been increasingly used in oil and gas applications due to their adequate corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. In the present study, SMSS specimens (UNS S41425) were solution heat treated and air cooled followed by plasma nitriding and nitrocarburising at 400, 450 and 500°C for 5h. The produced layers were characterized by optical microscopy, microhardness testing, X-ray diffraction and corrosion testing in NaCl 3.5% solution. Surface alloying with nitrogen or both nitrogen and carbon results in increased surface hardness and homogeneous layers in which layer thickness increases with …

Development Of A Liquid Contacting Method For Investigating Photovoltaic Properties Of Pbs Quantum Dot Solids, Vitalii Alekseevich Dereviankin

Dissertations and Theses

Photovoltaic (PV) devices based on PbS quantum dot (QD) solids demonstrate high photon-to-electron conversion yields. However, record power conversion efficiencies remain limited mainly due to bulk and interfacial defects in the light absorbing material (QD solids). Interfacial defects can be formed when a semiconductor, such as QD solid, is contacted by another material and may predetermine the semiconductor/metal or semiconductor/metal-oxide junction properties. The objective of the work described in this dissertation was set to explore whether electrochemical contacting using liquid electrolytes can provide sufficient means of contacting the QD solids to investigate their PV performance without introducing the unwanted interfacial …

College Student Rankings Of Multiple Speakers In A Public Speaking Context: A Language Attitudes Study On Japanese-Accented English With A World Englishes Perspective, John James Ahlbrecht

Dissertations and Theses

This language attitudes study used a matched guise technique to compare participant reactions of American-accented English to Japanese-accented English. Participants (n = 40) were college educated adults living in the Portland area who completed an online survey which measured characteristics related to Status, Solidarity, and Dynamism using semantic differential Likert scales. Results showed that while Japanese-accented English received less favorable ratings on the Status and Solidarity dimensions on a statistically significant level, the small effect size may have indicated that the differences were negligible. Interpreting the results from the data through the World Englishes Kachruvian paradigm, it is argued that …

Exploring Technology Forecasting And Its Implications For Strategic Technology Planning, Yonghee Cho

Dissertations and Theses

As the importance of R&D has been growing in economic growth, the accountability and effectiveness of R&D programs are highly emphasized. Especially, in times of economic downturn, the evaluation of performance in a firm is needed to justify R&D investment. In response, various attempts have been made to improve success rates of R&D projects, gain competitive advantage, and achieve a firm's growth in profitability. In particular, in industries where technological innovation is significant, strategic technology planning and R&D capabilities may be the lead ones in defining the dynamic capabilities of a firm. In addition, technology forecasting (TF) in technology planning …

Goodbye To The National Endowment For The Arts?, Naomi Adiv

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the shadow of the truly egregious policies rolled out by the Trump administration in their first year in office (anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant policies, de-staffing the State Department into paralysis, shrinking national monuments, strangling the ACA), and a general tone of chaos surrounding the office of the presidency, a standing threat remains. That is: among other cuts, freezes and gag orders, the administration has vowed to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Here, I demonstrate how current political arguments around defunding the NEA are derived …

How Should We Manage Urban Gardens, Mykl Nelson, Gail Langellotto

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

We conducted an observation study of urban gardens in Corvallis and Portland, Oregon. A brief site analysis recorded weed pressure, season extension techniques, and crops grown, among other details. We took soil samples from every vegetable bed at each participating site. We are in the midst of testing these samples for nutrient content, heavy metal contamination, as well as a couple biological and physical parameters. We intend to contrast raised-beds against in-ground beds as well as suggest alteration to sampling procedures for garden soil. This research will result in increased precision of vocabulary by refining the defining differences between bed …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet February 2018, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The February 2018 Monthly packet includes the February agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held January 2018.

Aerobic Method For The Synthesis Of Nearly Size-Monodisperse Bismuth Nanoparticles From A Redox Non-Innocent Precursor, Hayden Winter, Elena Christopher-Allison, Anna L. Brown, Andrea M. Goforth

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Herein, we report an aerobic synthesis method to produce bismuth nanoparticles (Bi NPs) with average diameters in the range 40-80 nm using commercially available bismuth triiodide (BiI₃) as starting material; the method uses only readily available chemicals and conventional laboratory equipment. Furthermore, size data from replicates of the synthesis under standard reaction conditions indicate that this method is highly reproducible in achieving Bi NP populations with low standard deviations in the mean diameters. We also investigated the mechanism of the reaction, which we determined results from the reduction of a soluble alkylammonium iodobismuthate precursor species formed in situ …

Equity And Inclusion: Expanding The Urban Ecosystem, Tia Brown Mcnair, Judith A. Ramaley

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

As our nation grows ever more diverse, the need to ensure that our educational institutions are truly equitable and inclusive becomes more and more urgent. This sense of urgency plays out across a social and political terrain that threatens the very core of our identity as a nation. Our growing diversity is seen by some as a threat to our national security and as the primary cause behind the displacements and angers being created by the ever growing differences that are dividing our country. Our authors see our growing diversity as a much needed and valued source of energy, creativity …

Hedonic Modeling Of Commercial Property Values: Distance Decay From The Links And Nodes Of Rail And Highway Infrastructure, Kihwan Seo, Deborah Salon, Michael Kuby, Aaron Golub

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigates the impacts of positive and negative externalities of highways and light rail on commercial property values in Phoenix, Arizona. We hypothesize that the positive externality (i.e., accessibility) of highway and light rail accrues at exits and stations, whereas nodes and links of highways and light rail emanate negative effects. Positive and negative effects decay with increasing distance and are captured by multiple distance bands. Hypotheses are tested using a spatial error regression model. Results show that commercial property values are positively and significantly associated with the accessibility benefits of transport nodes. The distance-band coefficients form a typical …

Flavour Chemicals In A Sample Of Non-Cigarette Tobacco Products Without Explicit Flavour Names Sold In New York City In 2015, Shannon M. Farley, Kevin R.J. Schroth, Victoria Grimshaw, Wentai Luo, Julia Lynn Degagne, Peyton A. Tierney, Kilsun Kim, James F. Pankow

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background Youth who experiment with tobacco often start with flavoured products. In New York City (NYC), local law restricts sales of all tobacco products with ‘characterising flavours’ except for ‘tobacco, menthol, mint and wintergreen’. Enforcement is based on packaging: explicit use of a flavour name (eg, ‘strawberry’) or image depicting a flavour (eg, a fruit) is presumptive evidence that a product is flavoured and therefore prohibited. However, a tobacco product may contain significant levels of added flavour chemicals even when the label does not explicitly use a flavour name.

Methods Sixteen tobacco products were purchased within NYC in 2015 that …

Help-Seeking On Facebook Versus More Traditional Sources Of Help: Cross-Sectional Survey Of Military Veterans, Alan R. Teo, Heather E. Marsh, Samuel B.L. Liebow, Jason I. Chen, Christopher W. Forsberg, Christina Nicolaidis, Somnath Saha, Steven K. Dobscha

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The media has devoted significant attention to anecdotes of individuals who post messages on Facebook prior to suicide. However, it is unclear to what extent social media is perceived as a source of help or how it compares to other sources of potential support for mental health problems.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the degree to which military veterans with depression use social media for help-seeking in comparison to other more traditional sources of help.

Methods: Cross-sectional self-report survey of 270 adult military veterans with probable major depression. Help-seeking intentions were measured with a modified General Help-Seeking …

Comparing Men Who Have Sex With Men And Transgender Women Who Use Grindr, Other Similar Social And Sexual Networking Apps, Or No Social And Sexual Networking Apps: Implications For Recruitment And Health Promotion, Christina J. Sun, Erin L. Sutfin, Laura H. Bachmann, Jason Stowers, Scott D. Rhodes

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: Researchers and public health professionals have increased their attention to GPS-based social and sexual networking applications (apps) tailored to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. These populations continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States; therefore, these apps, in particular Grindr, have become an important sampling venue for the recruitment of HIV-related research participants. As such, it is essential to identify differences among app users to avoid potential sampling bias. This paper seeks to identify differences in MSM and transgender women who use Grindr and those who …

Social Position Influencing The Water Perception Gap Between Local Leaders And Constituents In A Socio-Hydrological System, Melissa Haeffner, Douglas Jackson-Smith, Courtney G. Flint

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

How well city leaders represent their constituents and meet their needs are key concerns in transitioning to local sustainable water governance. To date, however, there is little research documenting the influence of social position between elected leaders who make policy, career staff water managers who design and operate systems and implement policies, and the members of the public whose individual water use behaviors are important drivers of water sustainability outcomes. In this study, we ask: ‘‘How does social position explain variation in water perceptions and concerns between different actors in a sociohydrological system?’’ Using a mixed method approach with survey …

The Nonprofit Nerd (February 2018), The Nonprofit Institute At Portland State University

The Nonprofit Institute Newsletter

This month's topic is Opinion Research.

We recently sent out a survey about using data in nonprofit work. We received a lot of great feedback from many of you -- thank you! We are working hard to analyze the data from the survey to inform our decision making on our upcoming Nonprofit Data Lab project.

One of the many interesting things you had to tell us involved the challenge of learning about (and getting feedback from) people you aren’t currently reaching through your programs. So, we are devoting this month’s newsletter to a discussion of opinion research as one …

Shifted Baselines Reduce Willingness To Pay For Conservation, Loren Mcclenachan, Ryunosuke Matsuura, Payal Shah, Sahan T.M. Dissanayake

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A loss of memory of past environmental degradation has resulted in shifted baselines, which may result in conservation and restoration goals that are less ambitious than if stakeholders had a full knowledge of ecosystem potential. However, the link between perception of baseline states and support for conservation planning has not been tested empirically. Here, we investigate how perceptions of change in coral reef ecosystems affect stakeholders' willingness to pay (WTP) for the establishment of protected areas. Coral reefs are experiencing rapid, global change that is observable by the public, and therefore provide an ideal ecosystem to test links between beliefs …

Help-Seeking On Facebook Versus More Traditional Sources Of Help: Cross-Sectional Survey Of Military Veterans, Alan R. Teo, Heather E. Marsh, Samuel B.L. Liebow, Jason I. Chen, Christopher W. Forsberg, Christina Nicolaidis, Somnath Saha, Steven K. Dobscha

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The media has devoted significant attention to anecdotes of individuals who post messages on Facebook prior to suicide. However, it is unclear to what extent social media is perceived as a source of help or how it compares to other sources of potential support for mental health problems.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the degree to which military veterans with depression use social media for help-seeking in comparison to other more traditional sources of help.

Methods: Cross-sectional self-report survey of 270 adult military veterans with probable major depression. Help-seeking intentions were measured with a modified General Help-Seeking Questionnaire. …

Sosiel: A Cognitive, Multi-Agent, And Knowledge-Based Platform For Modeling Boundedly-Rational Decision-Making, Garry Sotnik

Dissertations and Theses

Decision-related activities, such as bottom-up and top-down policy development, analysis, and planning, stand to benefit from the development and application of computer-based models that are capable of representing spatiotemporal social human behavior in local contexts. This is especially the case with our efforts to understand and search for ways to mitigate the context-specific effects of climate change, in which case such models need to include interacting social and ecological components. The development and application of such models has been significantly hindered by the challenges in designing artificial agents whose behavior is grounded in both empirical evidence and theory and in …

Program Presentation, Portland State University

Winter Symposium

Symposium 2018 Program Presentation slides

Participant Handout, Portland State University

Winter Symposium

Winter Symposium participant handout