Digital Commons Network^™

Track I Diplomacy And Civil Society In Cyprus: Reconciliation And Peacebuilding During Negotiations, Elicia Keren Reed

Dissertations and Theses

This paper examines the relationship between Track I Diplomacy and Civil Society in Cyprus. Cyprus has been a divided island for over 45 years despite numerous attempts at reconciliation on the societal level and ongoing negotiations on the diplomatic level. It was the aim of this study to examine the ways in which both civil societies and their leaders do or have worked together, if at all, to negotiate a political solution or reconciliation between the two communities. Interviews were conducted on both sides of the cultural divide and within both political and civil society sectors. Those interviews were coded, …

International And Domestic Student Health-Information Seeking And Satisfaction, Stacy Theodora Austin

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines two groups -international and domestic students at Portland State University (PSU) - in terms of their motivations to seek university-health services, and their satisfaction with university-health services. The Theory of Motivated Information Management (W. A. Afifi & Weiner, 2004) served as the foundation for this study to examine the preferences of students in terms of the ways they seek information about their health concerns. Differences in international and domestic students' anxiety, efficacy, and satisfaction with physicians were supported. International students reported more anxiety than domestic students. Domestic students reported being more efficacious than international students when talking …

War's Visual Discourse: A Content Analysis Of Iraq War Imagery, Mary Elizabeth Major

Dissertations and Theses

This study reports the findings of a systematic visual content analysis of 356 randomly sampled images published about the Iraq War in Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report from 2003-2009. In comparison to a 1995 Gulf War study, published images in all three newsmagazines continued to be U.S.-centric, with the highest content frequencies reflected in the categories U.S. troops on combat patrol, Iraqi civilians, and U.S. political leaders respectively. These content categories do not resemble the results of the Gulf War study in which armaments garnered the largest share of the images with 23%. This study concludes that …

Sustainable, Affordable Housing For Older Adults: A Case Study Of Factors That Affect Development In Portland, Oregon, Alan Kenneth Delatorre

Dissertations and Theses

Portland, Oregon, is considered to be a leader in sustainable development. Government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and businesses have been innovators in policymaking and practice that is aimed at creating a more sustainable city. Despite population aging, little is known about how or whether planners and developers consider older persons in terms of sustainable development. Thus, this study examined the case of sustainable, affordable housing developed for low-income adults aged 55 and older. Interviews with 31 key informants were conducted in order to answer three research questions: What is the meaning of sustainable development in Portland, Oregon, as it pertains to …

Status Of Nutria (Myocastor Coypus) Populations In The Pacific Northwest And Development Of Associated Control And Management Strategies, With An Emphasis On Metropolitan Habitats, Trevor Robert Sheffels

Dissertations and Theses

The nutria (Myocastor coypus) is a semi-aquatic rodent native to South America that was introduced to the Pacific Northwest, USA, in the 1930s. Primary damage categories from this invasive species include burrowing and herbivory, resulting in habitat degradation. Nutria have become well-established in metropolitan habitats, and anecdotal information suggests the problem has increased in recent years. However, little regional research on the species has been conducted. The scope of this research, which emphasizes metropolitan habitats, includes three primary foci in relation to nutria populations in the Pacific Northwest: modeling habitat suitability, assessing activity and movement patterns, and identifying and managing …

Finding The Gifted Child's Voice In The Public Elementary School Setting: A Phenomenological Exploration, Keely S. Porter

Dissertations and Theses

Who are talented and gifted (TAG) students and how do we meet their unique needs in the elementary school setting? The body of literature clearly articulates the unique intellectual, social and emotional needs and characteristics of TAG students. Additionally, the literature supports the implementation of differentiated teaching strategies and affective curriculum to help meet these unique needs. This descriptive phenomenological study allowed gifted children, in fifth grade from a Pacific Northwest suburban elementary school, to share their lived experiences through reflective narratives and art. The data collected generated a central theme of Friends and general themes of Awareness, Feelings, Learning, …

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

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

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

Use Of Soybean Lecithin In Shape Controlled Synthesis Of Gold Nanoparticles, Benjamin Robert Ayres

Dissertations and Theses

The work presented in this dissertation is a composite of experiments in the growth of gold nanoparticles with specific optical properties of interest. The goal is to synthesize these gold nanoparticles using soybean extract for not only shape control, but for propensity as a biocompatible delivery system. The optical properties of these nanoparticles has found great application in coloring glass during the Roman empire and, over the centuries, has grown into its own research field in applications of nanoparticulate materials. Many of the current functions include use in biological systems as biosensors and therapeutic applications, thus making biocompatibility a necessity. …

First Bacterial Endosymbionts Found In The Phylum Ascomycota, Eileen Elizabeth Fitzpatrick

Dissertations and Theses

Organisms belonging to the Kingdom Fungi are known to occupy a wide variety of ecological niches and are found globally in virtually all environments. Two members of the smallest of the fungal phylum, the Zygomycota, have also been found to harbor intercellular bacteria initially described as being from or closely related to organisms from the Genus Burkholderia. In this study two microaerophilic members of the species Verticilium from the phyla Ascomycota were characterized. Both appear to carry two bacterial endosymbionts. This is the first evidence of bacterial endosymbionts found within a member of the Ascomycota. Through the use of fluorescent …

Assessing The Potential Contribution Of Vacant Land To Urban Vegetable Production And Consumption In Oakland, California, Nathan Mcclintock, Jenny Cooper, Snehee Khandeshi

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

As urban agriculture grows in popularity, researchers are attempting to quantify its potential contribution to local food systems. We present the results of a vacant land inventory conducted in collaboration with the HOPE Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder, community-based initiative in Oakland, CA, USA. Vacant lots, open space, and underutilized parks with agricultural potential were identified using GIS and aerial imagery. Using visual interpretation, we identified 1201 ac (486.4 ha) of public land and 337 ac (136.4 ha) of private land that could potentially be used for vegetable production. Based on USDA loss-adjusted consumption data, we calculated the potential contribution of these …

Synthetic Array Processing Of Ocean Ambient Noise For Higher Resolution Seabed Bottom Loss Estimation, Martin Siderius, Lanfranco Muzi, Chris H. Harrison, Peter L. Nielsen

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Predicting transmission loss in the ocean often strongly depends on the bottom loss. Bottom loss can be estimated using ocean noise and vertical array beam-forming [Harrison and Simons, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 112, 1377–1389 (2002)]. With finite length arrays, the bottom loss estimate using this method can be smoothed due to beam widths. This paper describes how the noise coherence function can be synthetically expanded, which is similar to extending the length of an array. A full wave ocean noise model is used to demonstrate, in simulation, how this leads to improvements in the resolution of bottom loss estimates.

An In Situ Experimental Study Of Grain Growth In A Nanocrystalline Fe91ni8zr1 Alloy, Hasan Kotan, Kris A. Darling, Mostafa Saber, Ronald O. Scattergood, Carl C. Koch

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Grain growth and microstructural evolution of thermally stabilized Fe91Ni8Zr1 were investigated by in situ and ex situ studies. Our investigations suggest that the microstructural evolution is fairly slow and the microstructure shows stabilization up to about 700 °C. Above this temperature, a certain fraction of grains grow abnormally into the nanocrystalline matrix, resulting in a bimodal microstructure and causing the complete loss of thermal stability. The reason for abnormal grain growth and the loss of thermal stability is identified as the appearance of the fcc γ-phase and consequent reduction in the total area of grain boundaries and the overall stored …

Death By Birth, Alastair Hunt

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The article offers the author's insights concerning agricultural animal death. The author states that animals die in several reasons including disease, old age, and accidents. The author adds that agricultural animals like beef cattle, dairy cows, and domesticated pigs die in merchandised facilities designed for killing animals to be packed and marketed as food for human beings.

Women's Actions And Reactions To Male Migration: A Case Study Of Women In San Juan Guelavía, Oaxaca, Mexico, Julie Boyles

Dissertations and Theses

Using a mixed methods, interdisciplinary case study approach, this research project explores the benefits, risks, and challenges of male migration for women who reside in San Juan Guelavía, Oaxaca, Mexico. In a unique approach in the field of migration studies, this project considers not only women whose husbands have migrated--absent husbands--but also the impact of male migration on women whose husbands have returned as well as women whose husbands have never left--anchored husbands. Women with returned husbands and even women with anchored husbands feel the threat, worry, and fear that male migration could, at an unknown point in the future, …

Using Fun To Teach Rigorous Content, Mary Francis

Communications in Information Literacy

This paper will offer a position on the place of fun within education and learning. It will place fun as an important component of learning. The intent is not to espouse the belief that it is the duty of teachers and instructors to entertain students. Unlike a movie or TV show that provides passive entertainment, fun in this context relates to actions and techniques that aid students in learning new material. So rather than fun being associated with ease, fun is associated with rigor. In drawing together research on the successful impact of fun in education, this paper hopes to …

Information Evaluation Instruction: A Three Term Project With A First Year Experience Course, Steve Borrelli, Corey M. Johnson

Communications in Information Literacy

In response to the recognition that work world success is dependent on locating and effectively utilizing information, the academy has acknowledged the need to produce information literate graduates. There needs to be more focus on how to develop the most effective collaborative programs with teaching faculty and benchmark the progress toward research skill mastery. This paper outlines a multiple term collaborative effort targeting student evaluation skill development. Librarians taught hybrid (mostly online with some in-person interaction) lessons to groups of lower undergraduates enrolled in a first year experience seminar. A pre-test/post-test assessment package revealed that students' strongest area of proficiency …

Adapting And Using Instruction Proficiencies To Encourage Reflection, Goal Setting And Professional Development, Uta Hussong-Christian

Communications in Information Literacy

Librarians at Oregon State University undertook a teaching competency project to lay the foundation for practices that improve teaching by adapting the core teaching proficiencies in the ACRL Standards for Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians and Coordinators. This article describes one model for locally adapting those proficiencies, the Oregon State University Libraries (OSUL) Framework for Teaching Excellence. This framework promotes reflection on, goal setting for, and professional development around teaching. The project team utilized a survey to determine the proficiency categories most valued by OSUL instruction librarians. The development and inclusion of context material for each proficiency category included in the …

Microbial Biomineralization Of Iron, Wen Fang

Dissertations and Theses

Iron is a common cation in biomineral sand; it is present for example in magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria and in iron sulfides produced by sulfate reducing microorganisms. The work presented in this thesis focused on two types of microorganisms capable of forming iron biominerals. In the first project I have studied the effect of O2 on the respiratory physiology and the formation of magnetosomes by Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1. In the second project I have studied the relationship between olivine and the activity of dissimilatory sulfate reducing (DSR) microorganisms. For the first project, I grew cells of AMB-1 in cultures …

Annealing Effect On Sb2s3-Tio2 Nanostructures For Solar Cell Applications, Yitan Li, Lin Wei, Ruizi Zhang, Yanxue Chen, Liangmo Mei, Jun Jiao

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nanostructures composited of vertical rutile TiO₂ nanorod arrays and Sb₂S₃ nanoparticles were prepared on an F:SnO₂ conductive glass by hydrothermal method and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method at low temperature. Sb₂S₃-sensitized TiO₂ nanorod solar cells were assembled using the SB₂S₃-TiO₂ nanostructure as the photoanode and a polysulfide solution as an electrolyte. Annealing effects on the optical and photovoltaic properties of SB₂S₃-TiO₂ nanostructure were studied systematically. As the annealing temperatures increased, a regular red shift of the bandgap of Sb₂S₃ nanoparticles was observed, where the bandgap decreased from 2.25 to 1.73 eV. At the same time, the photovoltaic conversion …

Beyond The Technology Revolution: Putting Practice Into Context, Jesse F. Dillard, Kristi Jane Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

As accounting information systems become more and more central to the technique and practice of accounting, it becomes crucial that our understanding expand beyond the technical aspects of development and application. Drawing on Habermas' social theory, arguments are presented that facilitate a significant expansion in the issues considered and participants involved. We illustrate how the theory can be used to formulate alternative views and to provide a basis for explicit recognition of the assumptions and ideologies that underlie systems applications.

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

Portland Spectator

Editor: Max Boardman

Articles in this issue include: Food cart face-off; Artist profile: Coery Hatley; Beer face-off; PSU's neuroscience club; The crabtastic Portland Seafood and Wine; Portland INternational Film Festival; Date night; and KPSU trivia night.

Globalization And Environmental Sustainability: An Analysis Of The Impact Of Globalization Using The Natural Step Framework, Joyce S. Osland, K. Kathy Dhanda, Kristi Jane Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Globalization is becoming an increasingly controversial topic as shown by recent protests around the world. To date, however, U.S. business scholars have seldom questioned the basic assumptions of globalization, opting instead to describe the phenomena and focus on best practices. The purpose of this literature review is to broaden the boundaries of the debate on globalization and increase our understanding of its impact beyond the economic sphere into the realm of environmental sustainability. The Natural Step framework is used to organize an analysis of the existing empirical research. It describes four basic system conditions required for sustainability: 1) substances from …

Urban Ecology & Conservation Symposium 2013: 11th Annual (Abstracts), Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium Of Portland/Vancouver

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The UERC is a consortium of people from various universities and colleges, state and federal agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and independent professionals interested in supporting urban ecosystem research and creating an information-sharing network of people that collect and use ecological data in the Portland/Vancouver area.

UERC Mission Statement:

To advance the state of the science of urban ecosystems and improve our understanding of them, with a focus on the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan region, by fostering communication and collaboration among researchers, managers and citizens at academic institutions, public agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, and other interested groups.

The principal organizers span …

Meaningful Space In A Digital Age, Ben Malczewski

Online Northwest

Extracting from the ALA book The Library 2025, the author considers our relationship with our physical surroundings and objects from a multidisciplinary perspective (behavioral/neurological) and reflects on their roles in creating experience and memory, as well as inward/outward concepts of identity, self, and community. We’ll then graduate the idea to address how the library's notion of content (from analog to digital) will undergo a further evolution to "dynamic," and introduce how concepts such as "dialectal design" and the "occasioning of space" will play vital roles in capturing and projecting the essence of the Library.

Mobile Stats Are Not Enough: What Do Mobile Library Site Users Actually Do?, Hannah Gascho Rempel, Laurie Bridges

Online Northwest

Good mobile websites are designed around an understanding of the context of what the user is expected to do. But what exactly are our users doing on our mobile library sites? User stats only provide part of the story, so Oregon State University librarians set out to solve this mystery by actually asking users what they do on our mobile site. The answers to this question are the first step in a usability study and will help us make smarter design decisions, decide what services to feature, and figure out what new tools might enhance our users’ mobile library experience. …

Accounting For Taste: An Etextbook Experiment, Cheryl Cuillier, Jason Dewland

Online Northwest

In Fall 2012, the University of Arizona Libraries launched an eTextbook pilot project with the Courseload eReading platform in a 300-level accounting class. Students received a free copy of the professor's annotated eText, subsidized by the library. We’ll share lessons the library learned about student perceptions of eTexts, faculty involvement, licensing terms and costs, eReading platforms, functionality, printing limits, assessment, accessibility, and campus politics.

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (Dmso) Exacerbates Cisplatin-Induced Sensory Hair Cell Death In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Phillip M. Uribe, Melissa A. Mueller, Julia S. Gleichman, Matthew D. Kramer, Qi Wang, Martha Sibrian-Vazquez, Robert M. Strongin, Peter S. Steyger, Douglas A. Cotanche, Jonathan I. Matsui

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Inner ear sensory hair cells die following exposure to aminoglycoside antibiotics or chemotherapeutics like cisplatin, leading to permanent auditory and/or balance deficits in humans. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are used to study drug-induced sensory hair cell death since their hair cells are similar in structure and function to those found in humans. We developed a cisplatin dose-response curve using a transgenic line of zebrafish that expresses membrane-targeted green fluorescent protein under the control of the Brn3c promoter/enhancer. Recently, several small molecule screens have been conducted using zebrafish to identify potential pharmacological agents that could be used to protect sensory hair cells …

The Role Of The Modern Intermediary And What Constitutes Value In The Library Of 2012, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses how subscription services for electronic publications can add value to academic libraries. The author looks at the subscription agent for academic periodicals called JSTOR and its platform offered by the ITHAKA subscription service. Additional topics include the June 2011 decision by the American Institute of Physics to discontinue its use of its Scitation electronic publication platform in 2012, as well as the electronic publication platform of the publisher Taylor and Francis. Also discussed are academic libraries' strategies for data management in their work with intermediary subscription providers and intermediary vendors.

Replication School: Scaling Social Innovation Through Dissemination Training, Jacen Greene, Cindy Cooper, Carolyn Mcknight, Impact Entrepreneurs, School Of Business Administration, Institute For Sustainable Solutions

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes a training methodology to scale social innovation through dissemination undertaken in 2012 by Portland State University’s (PSU) Impact Entrepreneurs for the award-winning social enterprise Digital Divide Data (DDD). It begins with descriptions of some commonly used terms in the field — social innovation, social entrepreneurship, replication, and impact sourcing — and illustrates how each of these concepts was integrated into the development and delivery of a training program for replication of Digital Divide Data’s impact sourcing model. Program outcomes are reviewed, including findings that dissemination training is a viable, cost-effective method for replicating successful social innovations.

Stability And Instability In Third World Security Complexes: The Role Of Arms Transfers, David Todd Kinsella

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Controversy surrounds the alleged effects of foreign arms transfers on belligerency: do they precipitate international conflict, as some critics suggest, or do they promote stability by reinforcing deterrence, as others maintain? This paper examines the connection between arms transfers to the Third World and the occurrence of interstate conflict, including militarized disputes, from the end of World War II until the early 1990s. My analysis indicates that, in the aggregate, arms transfers almost uniformly contributed to subsequent instability within security complexes located in various regions of the Third World, but that the effects of American versus Russian arms supplies often …