Digital Commons Network^™

Why Are Russian Youth Less Supportive Of Democracy Than Older Generations?, Anthony D. Castaneda

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

What explains support for democracy among Russian youth? Studies in political socialization conducted in the early 1990s, incorporating generational change, suggest that Russia’s main obstacle to the consolidation of democracy was nostalgia for the Soviet Union. The passing of time now allows for the inclusion of the post-Soviet generational cohort, also referred to as the Putin Generation. The post-Soviet youth are a byproduct of political instability and economic turmoil with little or no direct personal experience of the Soviet period. These developments allow for new theoretical mechanisms related to government legitimacy to be included in the analysis. Drawing upon 2011 …

Channeling Rear Window, Sue Brower

School of Film Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rear Window is usually interpreted as a metaphor for cinema and film spectatorship. However, the film's domestic setting, plural spectacles, and gendered spectators' conversations could also refer to television, which at the time was sweeping the nation, and which Hitchcock was on the verge of exploring creatively and financially.

Prison Programs To Reduce Recidivism: What Is The Ideal Structure Of An Inmate Reentry Program?, Magali Davila-Centeno

University Honors Theses

In the United States' correctional system, inmate programs within prisons often do not reduce recidivism. Recent surveys have shown that across the country many prisons have a form of a Prison Based Animal Program (PAP). This study examines the effect that Prison based Animal Programs have on reducing recidivism through their therapeutic effects, focusing specifically on identifying the best practices for structuring such programs and measuring outcomes, for which there is little research. The research is based on a review of journal articles, industry reports, and a case study of a PAP. The analysis incorporates the shift in emphasis from …

Language, Memory, And Exile In The Writing Of Milan Kundera, Christopher Michael Mccauley

Dissertations and Theses

During the twentieth century, the former Czechoslovakia was at the forefront of Communist takeover and control. Soviet influence regulated all aspects of life in the country. As a result, many well-known political figures, writers, and artists were forced to flee the country in order to evade imprisonment or death. One of the more notable examples is the writer Milan Kundera, who fled to France in 1975. Once in France, the notion of exile became a prominent theme in his writing as he sought to expose the political situation of his country to the western world--one of the main reasons why …

Biomimetic Tools In Oxidative Metabolism: Characterization Of Reactive Metabolites From Antithyroid Drugs, Kudzanai Chipiso

Dissertations and Theses

Toxicities of sulfur-based drugs have been attributed to formation of highly reactive sulfur oxo-acids and depletion of glutathione by the formation of reactive metabolites. Metabolic activation of these sulfur centers to conceivably toxic reactive metabolites (RMs) that can covalently modify proteins is considered the initial step in drug-induced toxicity. Despite considerable effort and research, detection and characterization of these RMs during drug development and therapy remains a challenge. Methimazole (MMI) and 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) are two commonly used antithyroid, sulfur-based drugs. Though effective, these drugs are associated with idiosyncratic toxicity. PTU has acquired a black box warning and physicians are calling …

Policy Analysis: Minimum Wage In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Aaron Kaufman

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Oregon’s current minimum wage of $9.25 per hour is unsustainable as it does not provide adequate nutritional resources or housing for full time employees. Additionally, employers of minimum wage workers often rely on social safety net benefits for their workers which effectively subsidize wages. This creates an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer. Oregon Senate Bill 1532 increases the minimum wage incrementally within Portland’s Metropolitan Area to $14.75 in 2022. This wage provides full time minimum wage workers enough income for adequate nutrition and reasonable housing while reducing reliance on social safety net programs.

Examining Generational And Gender Differences In Parent-Young Adult Child Relationships During Co-Residence, Lauren Elizabeth Ferguson

Dissertations and Theses

Young adults of the twenty-first century face a long path to adulthood marked by uncertainty and lack of stability. In response, young adults are heading back to or failing to leave their family homes in higher numbers than generations before (Jacobsen and Mather 2011; Qian 2012). These macro-level trends bring about questions about their impact on family relationships as well as how these relationships have evolved over time. My thesis investigates parent-child relationships during co-residence with a specific focus on generation and gender differences. Through secondary data analysis of the National Survey of Families and Households, I explore how parent-child …

Three Novel Seminaphthorhodamines: Synthesis, Structure, And Spectral Properties, Chris Schweizer

University Honors Theses

A series of three new seminaphthorhodamine analogs were synthesized via the condensation of 7-amino-2-naphthol and amino substituted hydroxy-benzophenones. Absorption, excitation, and emission spectra were taken in a variety of solvents and pH values. At biological pH, the molecules showed increasing Stokes shifts (from 40 to 95 nm) and longer wavelength emission in phosphate buffer with increased alkylation of the rhodamine nitrogen moiety. The fluorescent properties of the compounds were pH insensitive and variable in organic solvents. Two of the compounds exhibited significant emission at long wavelengths on the edge of the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Investigating The Origin And Functions Of A Novel Small Rna In Escherichia Coli, Fenil Rashmin Kacharia

Dissertations and Theses

Non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate various cellular processes in bacteria. They bind to a chaperone protein Hfq for stability and regulate gene expression by base-pairing with target mRNAs. Although the importance of sRNAs in bacteria has been well established, the mode of origination of novel sRNA genes is still elusive, mainly because the rapid rate of evolution of sRNAs obscures their original sources. To overcome this impediment, we identified a recently formed sRNA (EcsR2) in E. coli, and show that it evolved from a degraded bacteriophage gene. Our analyses also revealed that young sRNAs such as EcsR2 are expressed …

Mimicking The Bioactivation Of The Antitubercular Agent Ethionamide Using Peracetic Acid, Isabelle E. Logan

University Honors Theses

Tuberculosis still affects a large number of the world’s population and drug resistance is becoming an increasing problem. Second line of defense antitubercular agents such as ethionamide (ETD) are thus becoming increasingly important. Since ethionamide is a prodrug, its metabolization through oxidation by a monooxygenase was successfully mimicked using peracetic acid. The reaction was found to be biphasic, with a fast initial oxidation to yield ethionamide sulfoxide (ETD-SO), which was relatively stable and was successfully isolated. We derived a bimolecular rate constant of 3.08 ± 0.72 × 10² M^-1 s^-1 for this initial phase of the reaction. …

Lents Strong: Community Action Plan For A Livable, Affordable Neighborhood, Adam Brunelle, Drew Devitis, Carson Groecki, Claire Lust, Katie Sellin, John Todoroff

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

This is a community action and advocacy plan, created in consultation with neighborhood organizations and underrepresented communities most at risk for displacement. It focuses on actions where collaboration and community engagement will have the largest impacts. This is a plan for the next five years.

The overarching goals of the plan are to: Ensure the viability of Livable Lents. Livable Lents should remain a transparent, accountable, accessible, and holistic community engagement process that works collaboratively with nonprofits, city agencies, and community members. This plan serves in part as a collaboration strategy which integrates engagement on a wide range of projects …

Pathway 1000 Community Housing Plan, Kaitlin Berger, Anna Dearman, Beth Gilden, Karen Guillén-Chapman, Jasmine Rucker

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

Housing prices in the City of Portland have risen dramatically in recent years, and low income and communities of color have been particularly hard hit in the northeast neighborhoods of the city. Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives has embarked on the development of 1000 affordable units over the next 10 years to help meet the needs of displaced residents. The Pathway 1000 Community Housing Plan sets out a strategy for providing those 1000 affordable, stable homes.

This project was conducted under the supervision of Marisa Zapata, Ethan Seltzer, Susam Hartnett, and Lisa Bates.

Identity Construction And Language Use By Immigrant Women In A Microenterprise Development Program, Linda Eve Bonder

Dissertations and Theses

Researchers have explored immigrant identity in various contexts, but few studies have examined identity in low-income immigrant women entrepreneurs. To address this research gap, I conducted in-depth interviews with eight low-income Latino immigrants who were starting their own businesses and receiving support through a local microenterprise development program (MDP). The study explored how participants' microenterprise efforts affected their identities and their investments in learning English.

The research found that entrepreneurship promoted positive identity construction by providing opportunities for participants to develop personal and cultural pride, strengthened parental roles, and interdependence with the community. These benefits helped participants decrease family stress …

Stellar Works: Searching For The Lives Of Women In Science, Jennifer Elizabeth Woodman

Dissertations and Theses

While women have had a profound impact in the world of science, they struggle to gain an equal foothold in many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields today. This has led to considerable public and private sector efforts to recruit women into these arenas. In order to understand how schools and nonprofits engage today's young women in STEM studies, this account includes time spent both in high school science classrooms and with ChickTech -- a Portland-based organization that works to provide a pathway into tech careers for high school-aged girls.

A historical perspective reveals that modern women aren't treading …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2016, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 2016 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 2016.

The Development Of Digital Literacy And Inclusion Skills Of Public Librarians, Konstantina Martzoukou, Joanneke Elliott

Communications in Information Literacy

This paper examines the extent to which public librarians are successfully prepared to engage the community in digital literacy and inclusion. A qualitative, multiple case study research design was chosen, using an analysis of policy documents and existing training programmes offered by the libraries together with semi-structured interviews with public librarians and library management. This was followed by an analysis of Masters in Library & Information Science programmes. The majority of public librarians felt that information technology skills and transferable skills were perceived to be equally important. However most of the public librarians identified quite a few gaps between what …

Empowering Students To Make Sense Of An Information Saturated World: The Evolution Of Information Searching And Analysis, James H. Wittebols

Communications in Information Literacy

How well students conduct research online is an increasing concern for educators at all levels but especially higher education. The paper describes the evolution of a course that grew from a unit within a course to a whole course that examines confirmation bias, information searching and the political economy of information as keys to becoming more information and media literate. After a key assignment in which students assess their own tendency to engage in confirmation bias, students choose a social justice issue to investigate across web, news and academic research resources. Designed to build good analytical skills in assessing the …

Escritos Para Desocupados (2013) De Vivian Abenshushan: De Contraensayos, Libros Aumentados Y Vanguardias De Liberación, Gloria M. Robayo Trujillo

Dissertations and Theses

The present study focuses on Escritos para desocupados (Writings for the Unoccupied), a 2013 work by Mexican author Vivian Abenshushan, as a multifaceted book that poses challenges for literary studies, book studies, and the reader in general. From a textual perspective, Escritos para desocupados is a shape-shifter. That is, depending on how the reader accesses its content, it can be a blog-book, a web-book, a printed book or a digital PDF-book. Using a term coined by the author, the "augmented book," I seek to encompass a phenomenon that is no longer unusual, the publication of a text in different media. …

Two Parts Reflection, One Part Selfie: A Visual Alternative To The Minute Paper, Kellie Meehlhause

Communications in Information Literacy

For almost 40 years, the Minute Paper has been a quick and easy means of learning assessment, both in the college classroom and library instruction. More recently, the use of social media, particularly selfies, has gained popularity by connecting with students through the technology they are most familiar with. This column makes the case for combining the Minute Paper and selfies in order to gain an insight into students' skill development and retention after a library session. Adaptable to a variety of classes and learning outcomes, the activity enables students to actively use what they learned rather than passively reflecting …

Reporting Or Reconstructing? The Zine As A Medium For Reflecting On Research Experiences, Silvia Vong

Communications in Information Literacy

In a research-based course, undergraduate third year students were asked to submit their reflections on their research experience in the zine medium. While the literature shows that the zine medium can encourage students to reflect meaningfully about their experiences, evaluating the medium, which is a mix of text and visuals, can be challenging for the instructor. This paper explores the value of zines as a medium for reflection using the 4R Reflection Scale as a framework. The 4R Scale by Ryan and Ryan (2015) outlines four levels, reporting and responding, relating, reasoning and reconstructing, to determine the depth of thinking …

Creating An Engaging Library Orientation: First Year Experience Courses At University Of California, San Diego, Crystal Goldman, Dominique Turnbow, Amanda Roth, Lia Friedman, Karen Heskett

Communications in Information Literacy

This article focuses on the development of an engaging library orientation module for UC San Diego First Year Experience (FYE) courses. The library module included a brief in-class presentation about research concepts and library services, an online interactive library scavenger hunt given as an in-class activity, and a homework assignment where students created public service announcements highlighting their favorite library space or resource. Over 400 FYE students completed the library module, and many indicated a marked increase in comfort using the library by the end of the module. Recommended practices are included for those wishing to create a similar module.

Gritos En El Desierto: Denuncia Y Resistencia En Las Obras De Las Escritoras Wayuu Estercilia Simanca Pushaina Y Vicenta Marí­A Siosi Pino, Lindsay H. Perwak

Dissertations and Theses

The way we read and interpret literature is frequently influenced by factors that operate beyond the scope of the average reader's awareness. In this thesis, selected works by two Wayuu writers, Estercilia Simanca Pushaina and Vicenta Maria Siosi Pino, are analyzed and interpreted in an attempt to unveil some of these behind-the-scenes agents and issues, as well as explore how the stories' classification in the children's literature genre reveals a deep-rooted colonial tendency to infantilize indigenous individuals in contemporary Colombia.

Despite the fact that the two authors, both mestizo women who self-identify with the Wayuu indigenous group of northern Colombia, …

An Examination Of School Readiness: How Is The Construct Defined For Children Who Are Blind?, Lisa Joann Mcconachie

Dissertations and Theses

An increased focus on school readiness exists as students enter public school for the first time. Given unique challenges for students who are blind and use braille, school readiness in the transition to and preparation for kindergarten is even more critical to their future academic success. If children who are blind and use braille as their primary learning medium have the necessary school readiness skills entering kindergarten, they will be better prepared to participate in the academic classroom. There is a need for additional research to illuminate the skills needed for school readiness for children who are blind and use …

Cultures-Of-Use And Morphologies Of Communicative Action, Steven L. Thorne

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this article I revisit the cultures-of-use conceptual framework-that technologies, as forms and processes comprising human culture, mediate and assume variable meanings, values, and conventionalized functions for different communities (Thorne, 2003). I trace the antecedent arc of investigation and serendipitous encounters that led to the 2003 publication and conclude by proposing that digital environments and the human experience of activity form unified ecologies with agency distributed through the system.

Where Is Portland Made? The Complex Relationship Between Social Media And Place In The Artisan Economy Of Portland, Oregon (Usa), Stephen Marotta, Austin Cummings, Charles H. Heying

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland, Oregon (USA) has become known for an artisanal or ‘maker’ economy that relies on a resurgence of place specificity (Heying), primarily expressed and exported to a global audience in the notion of ‘Portland Made’ (Roy). Portland Made reveals a tension immanent in the notion of ‘place’: place is both here and not here, both real and imaginary. What emerges is a complicated picture of how place conceptually captures various intersections of materiality and mythology, aesthetics and economics. On the one hand, Portland Made represents the collective brand-identity used by Portland’s makers to signify a products’ material existence as handcrafted, …

North Douglas County Community Needs Health Assessment (Phase 1), Callie H. Lambarth, Diane Reid, Beth L. Green

Early Childhood

Beginning in February 2016, the North Douglas County (NDC) communities of Drain, Elkton, and Yoncalla, Oregon engaged in a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) planning process, focusing on children ages birth-to-8 and their families. The purpose of this process was to explore, understand, and integrate linkages between early learning and young child and family health; identify health-related resources currently available and accessible to NDC families; and prioritize health areas of interest to be explored during the CHNA.

The North Douglas County CHNA builds on community partnerships already established in the region through initiatives that aim to coordinate and align early …

The Pacific Sentinel, June 2016, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Alex Skousen

Articles in this issue include:

• ASPSU Election;
• Whole Foods Berry Boycott;
• #GiveElsaAGirlfriend;
• Mars Landings Improved;
• Film Review

The Value Of Place: Planning For Walkability In The Tigard Triangle, Wala Abuhejleh, Ray Atkinson, Linn Davis, Curtis Fisher

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The “Tigard Triangle” is bounded by highways and characterized by auto-oriented land uses in an incomplete street grid. It currently presents a challenge to the City of Tigard, whose vision is to be the most walkable community in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the Value of Place project is to develop a plan for improving walkability, safety, comfort, and aesthetics in the Tigard Triangle. In addition, this project was developed to test the application of the State of Place analytical tools to the planning and design challenges faced by the city.

This project was conducted under the supervision of …

Communicating With Library Donors, Marilyn K. Moody

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

How do you communicate effectively with donors and potential donors? What does that communication look like? Libraries often envision donor communications as including only direct fundraising requests. Communications with donors, however, encompass a wide range of activities, is ongoing, and may even span decades with an individual donor. Library staff not directly involved with fundraising may not even think about donors as part of their user audience, but almost everyone who works in a library has a potential role in communicating with donors.

Research & Strategic Partnerships: Quarterly Review, Volume 3, Issue 2, Portland State University. Research & Strategic Partnerships

Portland State Research Magazine

Portland State University plays a central role in our city’s transformation into the country’s leading laboratory for transportation innovation. Starting over a decade ago, our engineering and urban studies researchers began receiving federal funding to study the connections between the ways people get around in cities and their quality of life. This issue of the RSP Quarterly Review highlights this growing body of work, focusing on the contributions made by the Transportation Research and Education Center, or TREC.