Digital Commons Network^™

Better Learning Though Augmented Reality: Ar In The Classroom, Alex Manning, Russell Powers, Xan Pedisich

Anthós

This paper reports on the development of an augmented reality (AR) game that immerses students virtually and in their physical environment to view PSU in different ways. Players learn historical information, interact with contributions from previous players, and use language to describe what they see, discovering new and rediscovering old hotspots. By producing knowledge through activity and learning through action, students are engaged in and shape their own education in real scenarios instead of through book work alone. Player experience and dynamics are recorded and assessed with a view toward creating more powerful learning environments.

Supporting Implementation Of The Common Core State Standards For Mathematics: Recommendations For Professional Development, Paola Sztajn, Karen A. Marrongelle, Peg Smith, Bonnie L. Melton

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2010, the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers published the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) and to date, 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the document. These content and practice standards, which specify what students are expected to understand and be able to do in K-12 mathematics, represent a significant departure from what mathematics is currently taught in most classrooms and how it is taught. Developing teachers’ capacity to enact these new standards in ways that support the intended student learning outcomes will require considerable …

Enhancing Rural Internships: Considering The Post-Intern Voice, Edwin Ralph, Keith D. Walker

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

A lingering issue that has faced rural-practicum planners across all the professions relates to enhancing the overall quality of rural internships. In this report, the authors address a key facet of this subject by considering the viewpoint of post-interns regarding their own rural practicum experiences. The authors compare the perspectives of a recent group of Education post-practicum students regarding the quality of rural internships with findings from previous research related to the subject. The post-interns participating in the present study recently completed their 16-week extended practicum in rural schools in one Western Canadian province. They submitted written responses to questions …

Diversity Of Archaeosine Synthesis In Crenarchaeota, Gabriela Phillips, Manal A. Swairjo, Kirk W. Gaston, Marc Bailly, Patrick A. Limbach, Dirk Iwata-Reuyl, Valérie De Crécy-Lagard

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Archaeosine (G+) is found at position 15 of many archaeal tRNAs. In Euryarchaeota, the G+ precursor, 7-cyano-7-deazaguanine (preQ0), is inserted into tRNA by tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (arcTGT) before conversion into G+ by ARChaeosine Synthase (ArcS). However, many Crenarchaeota known to harbor G+ lack ArcS homologs. Using comparative genomics approaches, two families that could functionally replace ArcS in these organisms were identified: 1) GAT-QueC, a two-domain family with an N-terminal glutamine amidotransferase class-II domain fused to a domain homologous to QueC, the enzyme that produces preQ0; 2) QueF-like, a family homologous to the bacterial enzyme catalyzing the reduction of preQ0 to 7- …

Functional Promiscuity Of The Cog0720 Family, Gabriela Phillips, Laura L. Grochowski, Shilah Bonnett, Huimin Xu, Marc Bailly, Crysten Haas-Blaby, Basma El Yacoubi, Dirk Iwata-Reuyl, Robert H. White, Valérie De Crécy-Lagard

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The biosynthesis of GTP derived metabolites such as tetrahydrofolate (THF), biopterin (BH4), and the modified tRNA nucleosides queuosine (Q) and archaeosine (G⁺) relies on several enzymes of the Tunnel-fold superfamily. A subset of these proteins include the 6-pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin (PTPS-II), PTPS-III, and PTPS-I homologs, all members of the COG0720 family, that have been previously shown to transform 7,8-dihydroneopterin triphosphate (H₂NTP) into different products. PTPS-II catalyzes the formation of 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin in the BH₄ pathway. PTPS-III catalyzes the formation of 6-hydroxylmethyl-7,8-dihydropterin in the THF pathway. PTPS-I catalyzes the formation of 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin in the Q pathway. Genes of these …

Engaging Global Service: Organizational Motivations For And Perceived Benefits Of Hosting International Volunteers, Erin Leslie Barnhart

Dissertations and Theses

An increasingly popular way for global citizens to contribute to communities around the world is through international volunteering. In tandem with this growing trend, academic research in the field has increased to explore the goals, motivations, and impacts of international service on volunteers, host communities, and volunteer-sending organizations. One of the larger gaps in our understanding of global civic engagement though is the specifics of how and why, as well as the overall impact of international service on, host organizations that seek and/or accept international volunteers. Using an exploratory research design to collect and analyze survey data and open-ended email …

Cell Cycle Arrest Associated With Anoxia-Induced Quiescence, Anoxic Preconditioning, And Embryonic Diapause In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Camie Lynn Meller, Robert Meller, Roger P. Simon, Kristin M. Culpepper, Jason E. Podrabsky

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus can enter into dormancy associated with diapause and anoxia-induced quiescence. Dormant embryos are composed primarily of cells arrested in the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle based on flow cytometry analysis of DNA content. In fact, most cells in developing embryos contain only a diploid complement of DNA, with very few cells found in the S, G2, or M phases of the cell cycle. Diapause II embryos appear to be in a G0-like state with low levels of cyclin D1 and p53. However, the active form of pAKT is high during diapause II. …

Inefficient Replication Reduces Reca-Mediated Repair Of Uvdamaged Plasmids Introduced Into Competent Escherichia Coli, Harout Arthur Jeiranian, Charmain T. Courcelle, Justin Courcelle

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transformation of Escherichia coli with purified plasmids containing DNA damage is frequently used as a tool to characterize repair pathways that operate on chromosomes. In this study, we used an assay that allowed us to quantify plasmid survival and to compare how efficiently various repair pathways operate on plasmid DNA introduced into cells relative to their efficiency on chromosomal DNA. We observed distinct differences between the mechanisms operating on the transforming plasmid DNA and the chromosome. An average of one UV-induced lesion was sufficient to inactivate ColE1-based plasmids introduced into nucleotide excision repair mutants, suggesting an essential role for repair …

Uvrd Participation In Nucleotide Excision Repair Is Required For The Recovery Of Dna Synthesis Following Uv-Induced Damage In Escherichia Coli, Kelley Nicole Newton, Charmain T. Courcelle, Justin Courcelle

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

UvrD is a DNA helicase that participates in nucleotide excision repair and several replication-associated processes, including methyl-directed mismatch repair and recombination. UvrD is capable of displacing oligonucleotides from synthetic forked DNA structures in vitro and is essential for viability in the absence of Rep, a helicase associated with processing replication forks. These observations have led others to propose that UvrD may promote fork regression and facilitate resetting of the replication fork following arrest. However, the molecular activity of UvrD at replication forks in vivo has not been directly examined. In this study, we characterized the role UvrD has in processing …

The Regulation Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 By Growth Hormone Via Stat5b, Tiffany Morrison

University Honors Theses

The growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like factor 1 (IGF-1) growth axis is integral to growth, metabolism and tissue repair. This pathway involves binding of GH to the GH receptor and activation of the transcription factor, Stat5b, leading to nuclear transclocation, interaction with DNA binding sites in chromatin and stimulation of IGF-1 transcription. Stat5b binding sites have been determined experimentally by previous research but are all found far from the IGF-1 promoters and the mechanism by which Stat5b binding initiates IGF-1 gene transcription is currently unknown. Since no system for studying this process currently exists, the goal of this project is …

Creating And Maintaining Environmentally Sustainable Organizations: Recruitment And Onboarding, Talya N. Bauer, Berrin Erdogan, Sully Taylor

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a growing realization that economic sustainability is intertwined with environmental sustainable development. The authors explore this topic, how recent changes in the global environment have led companies to realize that by solely focusing on maximization of shareholder financial returns, the long term economic viability of their firms is threatened.

A Seminaphthofluorescein-Based Fluorescent Chemodosimeter For The Highly Selective Detection Of Cysteine, Xiaofeng Yang, Yixing Guo, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

A fluorescent chemodosimeter for cysteine detection was developed based on a tandem conjugate addition and intramolecular cyclization reaction. The method exhibited an excellent selectivity for cysteine over other biothiols such as homocysteine and glutathione.

Strategic Sharing Workbook: Youth Voice In Advocacy, Eric Lulow

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This workbook is for individuals who have experienced traumatic life experiences and are interested in sharing their stories in an effort to promote change. Training in Strategic Sharing is an important part of advocacy – we encourage anyone who has experienced traumatic life events and wishes to share those experiences in an effort to promote positive changes for yourself and/or others, to do so with the help of this guide.

As you will see mentioned several times in this workbook, it is really important that you take the time to take care of yourself. This training was not developed to …

The Latino Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Amanda Cross-Hemmer, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our report, "The Latino Community in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile" uncovers an array of racial inequities across the systems of income, employment, education, juvenile justice, corrections, child welfare, philanthropic giving, housing, immigration, research practices (particularly population measurement), wealth, health, health insurance coverage, racial harassment, public service and voter registration. These systems maintain our second-class status and serve to limit our current well being and the prospects for a bright future for our children.

Plasma Levels Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, And Causation, Michael D. Freeman, Sean S. Kohles

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbons that have extensively polluted the environment and bioaccumulated in the food chain. PCBs have been deemed to be probable carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency, and exposure to high levels of PCBs has been consistently linked to increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In the present article we present a forensic epidemiologic evaluation of the causal relationship between NHL and elevated PCB levels via application of the Bradford-Hill criteria. Included in the evaluation is a meta-analysis of the results of previously published case-control studies in order to assess the strength of association between …

Compound Capillary Rise, Mark M. Weislogel

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Irregular conduits, complex surfaces, and porous media often manifest more than one geometric wetting condition for spontaneous capillary flows. As a result, different regions of the flow exhibit different rates of flow, all the while sharing common dynamical capillary pressure boundary conditions. The classic problem of sudden capillary rise in tubes with interior corners is revisited from this perspective and solved numerically in the self-similar visco-capillary limit à laLucas–Washburn. Useful closed-form analytical solutions are obtained in asymptotic limits appropriate for many practical flows in conduits containing one or more interior corner. The critically wetted corners imbibe fluid away from …

Public Policy And Sexual Geography In Portland, Oregon, 1970-2010, Elizabeth Morehead

Dissertations and Theses

Drawing on the concept of sexual geography, this study examines the social and political meanings of sexualized spaces in the urban geography of Portland, Oregon between 1970 and 2010. This includes an examination of the sexual geography of urban spaces as a deliberate construct resulting from official and unofficial public policy and urban planning decisions. Sexual geographies, the collective and individual constructions of sexuality, are not static. Nor are definitions of deviant sexual practices fixed in the collective consciousness. Both are continuously being reshaped and reconstructed in response to changing economic structures and beliefs about sex, race and class. Primary …

Figurative Language In The Immigration Debate: Comparing Early 20th Century And Current U.S. Debate With The Contemporary European Debate, Ensieh Biria

Dissertations and Theses

This study analyzes newspaper coverage of immigration reform in mainstream newspapers prior to, and following the debate in June 2007. The newspaper text is analyzed using metaphor interpretation supported by content analysis. The quantitative result categorizes the identified metaphors in three distinct metaphor categories about: immigrants and immigration, immigration policy and enforcement, and metaphors about the debate and immigration issue itself. The relative distribution of metaphors among categories is provided. Using an open coding process, emergent metaphor categories are identified. The qualitative findings describe metaphors and schemas that were potentially activated by particular metaphorical phrases in this context. Lastly, this …

Fluorescent Indicators For Disease Biomarkers, Soojin Lim

Dissertations and Theses

Xanthene dyes are common fluorophores which have been widely used as molecular probes. The xanthene fluorophores can be used as highly selective optical sensors to detect disease biomarkers. A new fluorogenic dye containing an alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehyde moiety exhibits selective fluorescent signal enhancement in the presence of cysteine or peptides containing N-terminal cysteine residues. The mechanism is based on synergistic covalent and supramolecular interactions. A unique rhodamine boronic acid indicator is used in an optimized data collection protocol for wavelength- and time-dependent selectivity of various saccharides and nucleosides. One indicator is thereby capable of selectively distinguishing structurally related analytes in …

Public Participation In Emergency Management, Jason Alexander Rood

Dissertations and Theses

With disasters increasing in frequency and costs each year, this study seeks to explore ways greater public participation can assist emergency managers in their mission to keep communities safe. Specifically this study examines the policy process and administrative functions of emergency management to illuminated the benefits and hindrances involved in greater participation. This study conducted a qualitative analysis of governmental documents, disaster case studies, international research, as well as political science and administrative doctrines, to arrive at its conclusions. The results of this study reveal that the public is a largely untapped resource in the emergency management field. Engaging the …

Giving Voice To The Peace And Justice Challenger Intellectuals: Counterpublic Development As Civic Engagement, Tom Harry Hastings

Dissertations and Theses

"Let knowledge serve the city" reads the golden letters on a pedestrian bridge just 200 feet from my faculty office in Neuberger Hall at Portland State University. Public peace scholarship might allow knowledge to help the polis by keeping it out of war via changing the national discourse toward a strong and informed peace analysis. Educators have an uneasy relationship to public scholarship and mainstream media have a nervous attitude toward public peace intellectuals. Institutions of higher learning are also often either unaware or uncomfortable with a public promotion of a positive peace platform. Academic writing and research is hard …

A Strategic Model For Ingo Accountability Systems, Sarah Elizabeth Wardwell

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis reconstructs the concept of International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) accountability to beneficiaries through the development of a strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries. It works through the history and arguments surrounding the rise of the debate around whether INGOs should be held accountable to their beneficiary populations. Unique definitions are developed for the terms and concepts related to this topic and a framework for understanding the strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries is outlined: Accountable to whom? Accountable for what? Accountable how? A practical example of an internal assessment for measuring an INGO's accountability to beneficiaries is …

The Role Of Nucleotide Excision Repair In Restoring Replication Following Uv-Induced Damage In Escherichia Coli, Kelley Nicole Newton

Dissertations and Theses

Following low levels of UV exposure, Escherichia coli cells deficient in nucleotide excision repair recover and synthesize DNA at near wild type levels, an observation that formed the basis of the post replication recombination repair model. In this study, we characterized the DNA synthesis that occurs following UV-irradiation in the absence of nucleotide excision repair and show that although this synthesis resumes at near wild type levels, it is coincident with a high degree of cell death. We confirm that the replication occurring under these conditions involves extensive levels of strand exchange. However, cells undergoing this form of replication accumulate …

Voicing Oppositional Conformity: Sarah Winnemucca And The Politics Of Rape, Colonialism, And "Citizenship": 1870-1890, Jennifer Bailey

Dissertations and Theses

Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute Indian born around the year 1844, crossed cultural boundaries and became an influential voice within both white and Indian societies. This thesis employs a settler colonial framework that places the sexuality and rape of native women at the center of colonial relations in the settlement of the Americas. Viewed through this lens I perform an in-depth analysis of Winnemucca's gendered critique of colonialism that focused on sexual violence. Rather than the unstable, mixed messages of native resistance and assimilation emphasized by earlier scholars, I argue that Winnemucca purposefully employed a strategy of oppositional conformity to publicize …

Gendering Gardasil: Framing Gender And Sexuality In Media Representations Of The Hpv Vaccine, Maura Kathleen Pisciotta

Dissertations and Theses

In an age of biomedicine, technologies, drugs, and treatments are expanding in new and diverse ways. Especially relevant to biomedicalization and this research is how such information is conveyed to the public through the media. Medical information is omnipresent in the media through direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and regular coverage of health topics in the news. The accessibility and proliferation of medical information provides an important opportunity to examine the ways in which these topics are framed in the media. This research specifically examines the framing of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil in the mass media. In this study, I explore how …

Are We Cool Yet?: A Longitudinal Content Analysis Of Nerd And Geek Representations In Popular Television, Christopher Louis Cardiel

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the representation of nerds and geeks in popular broadcast television programs over the course of the past twenty years. A content analysis of the five most popular scripted broadcast television programs for each year was conducted in order to assess the frequency of nerd characters, as well as the social competence, physical attractiveness, and demographic information of each such character. In addition, a supplemental survey design study was employed in order to collect public opinion data regarding perceptions of nerds in general and on television. The results of these studies indicated that while the per-year frequency of …

Differential Susceptibility To Social Network Influences On School Motivation In A Cohort Of Sixth Graders, Justin William Vollet

Dissertations and Theses

Students' classroom engagement is a strong predictor of positive educational outcomes including academic achievement, GPA, and standardized test scores. Most existing research has focused on the role of quality parenting and teaching in the development of student engagement. However, some research has shown small, yet significant effects of influences from students' peer groups on the development of their engagement. The goal of this study was to explore whether some children are more susceptible to the effects of their peer groups, and to examine a series of possible factors that might amplify the influence of a target students peer group on …

Biological Treatment Of Leachates Of Microaerobic Fermentation, Manar Arica Alattar

Dissertations and Theses

Microaerobic fermentation (MF) is a process of controlled degradation of organic waste material that occurs in enclosed fermentors under micro-aerobic conditions at near-room temperature. MF processing of vegetal materials progresses to endpoints in about 2-5 weeks. During MF processing, an acidic leachate rich in organic acids and alcohols is produced. The research presented in this thesis focuses on the efficiency of MF pre-processing of feedstock containing fibrous lignocellulosic (FLC) materials; efficiency of microbial and insect larvae-based treatments of MF leachate; tolerance of the Black Soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to various biological inhibitors common in leachate; and effectiveness of using MF …

Groundwater Surface Trends In The North Florence Dunal Aquifer, Oregon Coast, Usa, Sarah Rebecca Doliber

Dissertations and Theses

The North Florence Dunal Aquifer is the only feasible source for drinking water for the coastal city of Florence, Oregon and Florence's Urban Growth Boundary. High infiltration rates and a shallow groundwater table leave the aquifer highly susceptible to contamination from septic tank effluent, storm runoff, chemical fertilizers and recreational ATV use throughout the dunes. Public interest in the quality and quantity of the aquifer water has been sparked since the City of Florence received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for a watershed protection and restoration project. Delineation of the shallow groundwater surface and its relationship to the …

Late Pleistocene And Holocene Aged Glacial And Climatic Reconstructions In The Goat Rocks Wilderness, Washington, United States, Joshua Andrews Heard

Dissertations and Theses

Eight glaciers, covering an area of 1.63 km2, reside on the northern and northeastern slopes of the Goat Rocks tallest peaks in the Cascades of central Washington. At least three glacial stands occurred downstream from these glaciers. Closest to modern glacier termini are Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines that were deposited between 1870 and 1899 AD, according to the lichenometric analysis. They are characterized by sharp, minimally eroded crests, little to no soil cover, and minimal vegetation cover. Glacier reconstructions indicate that LIA glaciers covered 8.29 km2, 76% more area than modern ice coverage. The average LIA equilibrium line altitude …