Digital Commons Network^™

Bismuth Nanoparticles As Medical X-Ray Contrast Agents: Synthesis, Characterization And Applications, Anna Laura Brown

Dissertations and Theses

Bismuth based nanomaterials have recently attracted attention as heavy element X-ray contrast agents because of the high atomic number and predicted biological compatibility of bismuth. Nanoparticle X-ray contrast agents may enable a number of novel medical imaging applications, including blood pool and site-directed imaging. However these hypothetical applications are hindered by lack of suitable synthetic methods for production of imaging agents. This dissertation describes synthesis of a novel class of bismuth nanoparticles that are aqueously stabilized using poly and monosaccharides. These particles are synthesized using highly biologically compatible reagents and are oxidatively stable in water and in moderately basic buffered …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 2013, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 2013 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 2013

Us Medical Specialty Global Health Training And The Global Burden Of Disease, Vanessa B. Kerry, Rochelle P. Walensky, Alexander C. Tsai, Regan W. Bergmark, Brian A. Bergmark, Chaturia Rouse, David R. Bangsberg

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Rapid growth in global health activity among US medical specialty education programs has lead to heterogeneity in types of activities and global health training models. The breadth and scope of this activity is not well chronicled.

Methods: Using a standardized search protocol, we examined the characteristics of US medical residency global health programs by number of programs, clinical specialty, nature of activity (elective, research, extended curriculum based field training), and geographic location across seven different clinical medical residency education specialties. We tabulated programmatic activity by clinical discipline, region and country. We calculated the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient to estimate …

Improving Global Impact: How The Integration Of Remotely Reporting Sensors In Water Projects May Demonstrate And Enhance Positive Change, Evan A. Thomas

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article argues that improved feedback on the actual impact of development programs may ensure the success of poverty reduction interventions such as water filters, water pumps, latrines, and cookstoves.

Skateboarding As Transportation: Findings From An Exploratory Study, Tessa Walker

Dissertations and Theses

In recent decades skateboarding has expanded from recreation into a form of transportation. Skateboarders appear to use roadways much as other non‐motorized modes do. However, there is little academic research on the needs and characteristics of the skateboard as a mode. This research reports demographics, multi‐modal and travel behavior findings, and other data from an exploratory mixed‐methods study of skateboarding as a mode of transportation.

Diffusion Of Energy Efficient Technology In Commercial Buildings: An Analysis Of The Commercial Building Partnerships Program, Chrissi Argyro Antonopoulos

Dissertations and Theses

This study presents findings from survey and interview data investigating replication of green building measures by Commercial Building Partnership (CBP) partners that worked directly with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL partnered directly with 12 organizations on new and retrofit construction projects, which represented approximately 28 percent of the entire U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CBP program. Through a feedback survey mechanism, along with personal interviews, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered relating to replication efforts by each organization. These data were analyzed to provide insight into two primary research areas: 1) CBP partners' replication efforts of green building …

I'M Not Gonna Be Like That Guy: Exploring The Montana Meth Project Through The Eyes Of That Guy, Jaysen Nicole Ferestad

Dissertations and Theses

Graphic images of meth addicts have swept across Montana in television, radio and print ads as part of the state's latest anti-drug campaign, the Montana Meth Project. From a labeling perspective, the negative portrayal of meth addicts in these ads has significant implications for meth addicts in terms of their reintegration. The unintended population of drug addicts potentially affected by public service campaigns has failed to gain attention in the literature despite the implications suggested by labeling theory. This poses a significant gap in our knowledge and understanding, which this study addresses through the voice of recovering meth addicts. This …

Investigation Of The Structure And Dynamics Of Regioisomeric Eu³⁺ And Gd³⁺ Chelates Of Nb-Dotma: Implications For Mri Contrast Agent Design, Benjamin Charles Webber

Dissertations and Theses

The detection of disease and abnormal pathology by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been aided significantly by the use of gadolinium (Gd³⁺)-based contrast agents (CAs) over the past three decades. MRI and MRI CAs play a critical role in diagnosing tumors and diseases of the central nervous system. The agents used clinically have been shown to safely increase MRI contrast despite the toxicity of Gd³⁺, owing to the high kinetic and thermodynamic stability of these chelates. However, current CAs enhance contrast at a small fraction of what is theoretically possible. This leads to the necessity of …

"Do Not Disturb": A Micro-Macro Examination Of Intrusions At Work, Bing Chun Lin

Dissertations and Theses

Intrusions, or interruptions by others, are a common phenomenon in the modern workplace (Grove, 1983; Jett & George, 2003), particularly in the computing and information-technology (CIT) industry, as cross-specialty, and cross-team collaborations become more common (Beck et al., 2001). The present study examines the relationship between day-to-day intrusions (measured Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) and strain reactions and perceived job performance over the week (measured on Thursday) among 150 CIT employees. Using a number of resource-based theories (i.e., Conservation of Resources, Ego Depletion Model, Cognitive Fatigue Model), I hypothesize that participants experiencing more frequent intrusions on a day-to-day basis will experience …

The Portland Spectator, November 2013, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Jake Stein

Articles in this issue include: The Government Shutdown; Pay It Forward; Electronic Cigarettes About to be Taxed; The Great Food Cart Rush; "My Space"; A New Hope; Syria; and Educators Over Administrators.

A Unique Support For Sexual-Minority Identity Development: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of A Long-Term Formal Mentoring Relationship Between An Adult And A Youth From The Gay Community, Christian L. Rummell

Dissertations and Theses

An important need exists to build a baseline understanding of the phenomenon of formal mentoring relationships involving adults and youth from the gay community. During the formative years when gay adolescents navigate through the process of understanding, defining, accepting, and sharing their identity as a sexual minority, they are often faced with high levels of environmental risks, including victimization, stress, and negative social sanctions by others. Formal mentoring has been recommended as a potential strategy to offer unique one-to-one support to gay youth that can help to foster resilience and a range of positive outcomes, including strengthening processes involved in …

Taxis Toward Hydrogen Gas By Methanococcus Maripaludis, Kristen A. Brileya, James M. Connolly, Carey Downey, Robin Gerlach, Matthew W. Fields

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Knowledge of taxis (directed swimming) in the Archaea is currently expanding through identification of novel receptors, effectors, and proteins involved in signal transduction to the flagellar motor. Although the ability for biological cells to sense and swim toward hydrogen gas has been hypothesized for many years, this capacity has yet to be observed and demonstrated. Here we show that the average swimming velocity increases in the direction of a source of hydrogen gas for the methanogen, Methanococcus maripaludis using a capillary assay with anoxic gas-phase control and time-lapse microscopy. The results indicate that a methanogen couples motility to hydrogen concentration …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 2013, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 2013 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 2013

Human Development Dynamics: An Agent Based Simulation Of Macro Social Systems And Individual Heterogeneous Evolutionary Games, Mark Abdollahian, Zining Yang, Travis Coan, Birol Yesilada

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: In the context of modernization and development, a complex adaptive systems framework can help address the coupling of macro social constraint and opportunity with individual agency. Combining system dynamics and agent based modeling, we formalize a simulation approach of the Human Development (HD) perspective to explore the interactive effects of economics, culture, society and politics across multiple human scales.

Methods: Based on a system of asymmetric, coupled nonlinear equations, we first capture the core qualitative logic of HD theory, empirically validated from World Values Survey (WVS) data. Using a simple evolutionary game approach, second we fuse endogenously derived individual …

Harnessing Poverty Alleviation To Reduce The Stigma Of Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa, Alexander C. Tsai, David Bangsberg, Sheri D. Weiser

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

HIV is highly stigmatized throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In studies conducted among general population samples, stigma has been shown to impede uptake of HIV testing and increase sexual risktaking behavior. Among HIV-infected persons, stigma has also been associated with inhibited serostatus disclosure to sexual partners and potential treatment supporters, delays in HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, and ART nonadherence. The stigma of HIV also intensifies the poverty, stress, and insecurity endemic to many resource-limited settings, resulting in worsened mental health, itself an important determinant of AIDS-related mortality. Until we can better understand how to effectively intervene to reduce the stigma of …

Research & Strategic Partnerships: Quarterly Review, Volume 1, Issue 1, Portland State University. Research & Strategic Partnerships

Portland State Research Magazine

Bridges are the connective tissue of Portland, spanning our rivers, streams, and valleys. Similarly, Portland State University’s many partnerships link our institution with those organizations that provide the economic and cultural lifeblood of our region. The Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships (RSP) oversees the largest of these, with the Oregon Health and Science University, Intel, the City of Portland, Portland General Electric, Portland Public Schools, and the Technology Association of Oregon, among many others.

In this, RSP’s first quarterly newsletter, we provide a snapshot of how PSU’s faculty and students are working with these partners to make and apply …

Putting The Heart Back Into Writing: Nurturing Voice In Middle School Students, Barbara Ruben, Leanne Moll

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

To gain a deeper understanding of young adolescent motivation and developmental needs as the nation plunges ahead with the national Common Core Standards and their implications for writing instruction, the authors of this article pondered five questions as they studied their own middle school writing team: (1) What intrinsic motivators drive these young students to write? (2) What components create a nurturing writing environment? (3) How can we understand student motivation so that we can nurture student interest in writing within the constraints of large classes and mandates to address Common Core Standards? (4) For students who are already intrinsically …

Multi-Level Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Using AgoX Thin Film, Ming Lun Tseng, Chia Min Chang, Bo Han Cheng, Pin Chieh Wu, K. S. Chung, M. K. Hsiao, H. W. Huang, D. W. Huang, Hai-Pang Chiang, P.T. Leung, D. P. Tsai

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ag nanostructures with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activities have been fabricated by applying laser-direct writing (LDW) technique on silver oxide (AgOx) thin films. By controlling the laser powers, multi-level Raman imaging of organic molecules adsorbed on the nanostructures has been observed. This phenomenon is further investigated by atomic-force microscopy and electromagnetic calculation. The SERS-active nanostructure is also fabricated on transparent and flexible substrate to demonstrate our promising strategy for the development of novel and low-cost sensing chip.

10 And Counting..., Harlot Editors

Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion

No abstract provided.

Call For Submissions: The Digital Activism Issue, Ben Mccorkle, Jason Palmeri

Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion

No abstract provided.

The Image-World: A Found Comic Poem, Franny Howes

Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion

The text of this comic is excerpted entirely from Susan Sontag's essay, "The Image World," from her 1977 book On Photography. I was assigned to read and respond to this piece when I attended the Adventure School for Ladies Comics Intensive, an alternative graduate program focused on gender, labor, and the comics industry.Sontag's essay critiques the way contemporary western culture uses photography for "imprisoning reality" and "depersonalizing our relation to the world." Photography creates another reality by the physical impression of light on film: what she calls the "image world." The idea of a separate and additive reality created through …

The 5-Sided Lego, Hanna Barker, Shawn Beaumont

Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion

The study of rhetoric usually concerns itself with analysis of discourse more clearly identifiable as a text, but often overlooked is how apparently non-textual elements may shape our own personal narratives. However, rhetorical theory can indeed be applied to something like LEGO, that beyond marketing and branding, most people do not immediately consider textual. Ultimately by using the Burkeian pentad as a terministic screen, this project aims to determine how the act of playing with LEGO, and even the LEGO brick itself, serve to construct realities, and how those realities impact our own.

The Portland Spectator, October 2013, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Jake Stein

Articles in this issue include: Next Generation Identification; Budget Bickering; Sustainable Living or Greedy Developers?; Tuition Hike; From PSU to Mayor's Office; and Pay It Forward.

Action Plan For An Age-Friendly Portland, The Age-Friendly Portland Advisory Council

Institute on Aging Publications

The goal of this Action Plan is to enhance Portland, Oregon’s age friendliness. As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), an "age friendly" city:

• has structures and services that are accessible and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities
• emphasizes enablement rather than disablement, and
• is friendly for people of all ages and abilities

The action steps that comprise this plan are intended to move Portland toward future development and activities that foster not only physical environments but also social and service environments that meet these criteria, making Portland a community for all ages.

Disjointed Cosmopolitanism: Climate Change And Lived Experience In Portland, Oregon, Stephen Wayne Flinn

Dissertations and Theses

Climate change has emerged as one of the most significant issues facing the world. This research endeavored to uncover and describe the lived experience of Portland, Oregon residents in relation to the substantive issue of climate change. The specific purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the ways that Portland residents conceive of and communicate about climate change. Utilizing semi-structured phenomenological interviews, particular attention was paid to the culture of Portland residents, their lived experience and how the issue of climate change manifests itself in their everyday experiences. In addition, this particular phenomenological inquiry incorporated elements …

Grief Lives Online: An Empirical Study Of Kübler-Ross' Categories Of Bereavement On Myspace Profiles, Ilona Yurivna Malenkovich

Dissertations and Theses

With the widespread use of the Internet, grief has been extended in its representation. Specifically, social networking sites, like MySpace, have turned grief presentation from private expressions into public displays of mourning. This study utilizes the theoretical foundations of the grief presentation process of Kübler-Ross' (1969) five categories of bereavement (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) to determine whether the grief presentation process is present in an online setting. In this study, the researcher conducted an empirical investigation of 4,931 comments, resulting in 22,263 bereavement themes outlined by Kübler-Ross, which were condensed into 2,288 time-point comparisons posted to 140 MySpace …

Optics And Spectroscopy In Massive Electrodynamic Theory, Adam Caccavano

Dissertations and Theses

The kinematics and dynamics for plane wave optics are derived for a massive electrodynamic field by utilizing Proca's theory. Atomic spectroscopy is also examined, with the focus on the 21 cm radiation due to the hyperfine structure of hydrogen. The modifications to Snell's Law, the Fresnel formulas, and the 21 cm radiation are shown to reduce to the familiar expressions in the limit of zero photon mass.

Talking The Talk: An Exploration Of Parent-Child Communication About Cyberbullying, Veronica Anne Droser

Dissertations and Theses

Technology has, without a doubt, altered the social fabric of society. Mediated forms of communication have paved the way for more efficient production, and the vast amount of information available online has given people the opportunity to be more informed than ever. However, the rise of mediated communication has also presented a number of new threats. The current study focused on one of these threats, cyberbullying, and was interested in looking at how parents talk about and understand their child's cyberbullying behavior.

This study had the goal of uncovering if parents talk to their child about cyberbullying, and how they …

Evidence Supporting Treatment Practice Based Delineation Of Stormwater Runoff Zones, Jacob J. Gorski

Dissertations and Theses

Particles mobilized by stormwater negatively affect receiving surface waters. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) can reduce solids along with associated pollutants in runoff but engineers and environmental managers have been long vexed by the problem of choosing the optimal BMP for a given situation. A common BMP process for solids removal is sedimentation. This thesis addresses the question of whether the effectiveness (and thus choice) of a sedimentation device can be estimated (and thus optimized) from the particle size properties of runoff, which, in turn, could be associated with specific runoff zones or land uses. Presented here is a series …

Language At Play: Digital Games In Second And Foreign Language Teaching And Learning. Language Learning & Technology, Steven L. Thorne, Erin Watters

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

A review of Language at Play: Digital games in second and foreign language teaching and learning Julie Sykes and Jonathan Reinhard 2013 ISBN 10: 0-205-00085-1 US 157 pp. Pearson New York, US

by Steven L. Thorne, Portland State University and University of Groningen and Erin Watters, Portland State University