Digital Commons Network^™

Cultivation Of Methanogens From Shallow Marine Sediments At Hydrate Ridge, Orego, Melissa Kendall, David R. Boone

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Little is known about the methanogenic degradation of acetate, the fate of molecular hydrogen and formate or the ability of methanogens to grow and produce methane in cold, anoxic marine sediments. The microbes that produce methane were examined in permanently cold, anoxic marine sediments at Hydrate Ridge (44°35' N, 125°10' W, depth 800 m). Sediment samples (15 to 35 cm deep) were collected from areas of active methane ebullition or areas where methane hydrates occurred. The samples were diluted into enrichment medium with formate, acetate or trimethylamine as catabolic substrate. After 2 years of incubation at 4 °C to 15 …

Diversity Of Methanogens And Other Archaea In Permanently Cold, Anoxic Marine Sediments, Melissa Mary Kendell

Dissertations and Theses

Little is known about the mechanism of methanogenic degradation of acetate or the fate of hydrogen and formate in cold marine sediments, or the ability of methanogens to grow and produce methane there. We used cultivation and molecular techniques to examine the microbes that produce methane from these substrates in permanently cold, anoxic marine sediments at Skan Bay, Alaska (57°N, 167°W, depth 65 m), at the Nankai Trough (32°21'N, 134°56'E, depth 247 m), and at Hydrate Ridge, Oregon (44°35'N, 125°10'W, depth 800 m). Most probable number (MPN) analyses were conducted for CO2-reducing, methylotrophic, and aceticlastic methanogens from Skan Bay and …

Structural And Chiroptical Properties Of The Two Coordination Isomers Of Ybdota-Type Complexes, Lorenzo Di Bari, Gennaro Pescitelli, A. Dean Sherry, Mark Woods

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies of the structural, physical, and chemical properties of the lanthanide(III) complexes of DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) and related ligands are often complicated by the presence of two coordination isomers in solution. Since these coordination isomers are in exchange and cannot be separated, many techniques offer information only on the weighted average of the two isomers. Lanthanide ion complexes formed with the ligands S(RRRR)NO₂BnDOTMA and S(SSSS)NO₂BnDOTMA preferentially adopt only one of the two common coordination isomers in solution, so the ytterbium complexes of these ligands offer a unique opportunity to study …

Meeting Notes 2005-11-10 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Meeting Notes 2005-10-27 [Finance Committee] , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Economic Catalyst Debate: Can Consumption Benefits Justify A Municipal Stadium Investment?, Charles Andrew Santo

Dissertations and Theses

The issue of public investment in sports facilities has garnered a great deal of attention from economists and public affairs researchers; however, relevant empirical research has become mired in a stagnant discussion of whether sports stadiums can serve as economic catalysts. A host of empirical studies have indicated that stadiums and arenas have no significant impact on metropolitan area income or employment. In light of this evidence, the continued proliferation of public investment in sports facilities, begs the question: is there some other justification for this spending, or are policymakers simply acting against the public interest (either irrationally, or in …

Reconstructability Analysis As A Tool For Identifying Gene-Gene Interactions In Studies Of Human Diseases: Ieee Version, Martin Zwick, Stephen Shervais, Patricia Kramer

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

There are a number of human diseases that are caused by the epistatic interaction of multiple genes. Detecting these interactions with standard statistical tools is difficult, because there may be an interaction effect, but minimal or no main effect. Reconstructability analysis uses Shannon’s information theory to detect relationships between variables in categorical datasets. We apply reconstructability analysis to data generated by five different models of gene-gene interaction, with heritability levels from 0.053 to 0.008, using 200 controls and 200 cases. We find that even with heritability levels as low as 0.008, and with the inclusion of 50 non-associated genes in …

Application Of Information-Theoretic Data Mining Techniques In A National Ambulatory Practice Outcomes Research Network, Adam Wright, Thomas N. Ricciardi, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Medical Quality Improvement Consortium data warehouse contains de-identified data on more than 3.6 million patients including their problem lists, test results, procedures and medication lists. This study uses reconstructability analysis, an information-theoretic data mining technique, on the MQIC data warehouse to empirically identify risk factors for various complications of diabetes including myocardial infarction and microalbuminuria. The risk factors identified match those risk factors identified in the literature, demonstrating the utility of the MQIC data warehouse for outcomes research, and RA as a technique for mining clinical data warehouses.

Explicating Factors That Foster Civic Engagement Among Students, Masami Nishishiba, Hal T. Nelson, Craig Shinn

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

This paper investigates many facets of civic engagement by analyzing how college undergraduate students conceptualize civic engagement and by examining factors that predict greater student involvement in political, social, and community affairs.We administered a survey to college students at the beginning of fall, winter, and spring terms, 2001-02.We analyzed survey responses using a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The analysis examines how expectations of community and political efficacy, attitudes regarding citizen control of government, and attitudes toward diversity relate to the students’ civic engagement behaviors such as monthly volunteer hours, organizational participation, advocacy, voting, direct political action, and action to …

Meeting Notes 2005-09-22 [Finance Committee] , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Towards The Rational Design Of Mri Contrast Agents: A Practical Approach To The Synthesis Of Gadolinium Complexes That Exhibit Optimal Water Exchange, Mark Woods, Mauro Botta, Stefano Avedano, Jing Wang, A. Dean Sherry

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The gadolinium(III) complex of S-SSSS-NO₂BnDOTMA exhibits water exchange kinetics that are optimal for use in high relaxivity or targeted contrast agents. However, the synthesis of this ligand is hampered by the steric encumbrance imparted upon the cyclen ring by the nitrobenzyl substituent. A relatively simple modification has been used to enable the synthesis of larger quantities of a bifunctional ligand that retains similar fast water exchange properties. The gadolinium complex of S-SSS-NO₂BnDO3MA-1A is shown to retain the rapid water exchange kinetics characteristic of a twisted square antiprismatic (TSAP) …

The Suits That Counted: The Judicialization Of Presidential Elections After Bush V. Gore, Charles Anthony Smith, Christopher Shortell

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

After the litigation of the 2000 presidential election are parties, candidates, and interest groups more likely to utilize pre-election litigation as a part of the normal election strategy? Our findings suggest this is the case, at least when a close election is anticipated. The difference in the political landscape and logic after the 2000 litigation is that the political players now perceive the judiciary as a venue of first rather than last recourse. Using data from all fifty states and the District of Columbia, we show that courts are seen as one of the primary arenas for challenging the rules …

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: An American finds his passion in Japanese culture and shares it with his students; new study shows lawmakers the heartbreak of Medicaid cuts; Alma Bingham prepared Portland State College’s first graduating class for careers in education; Grasping this small island’s conflict and acting on it is the goal of two professors raised in Cyprus; alumnus plums the depths for an alternative form of clean energy; and more.

Ecolopolis: Making The Case For A Cascadian Supercity, Portland State University

Regional Planning and Metropolitan Growth Management Research Projects

This is a working document and is the first product of an ongoing project focused on the existence of and prospects for Cascadia. The document is organized into three main sections. In section one we consider Cascadia from an economic point of view using the cluster model developed by Michael Porter and others. In section two we look at the Cascadia through the lens afforded by high speed rail. In the third section we revisit the questions that launched this study, and discuss the next steps. For those you new to Cascadia, we append some basic background information on the …

Meeting Notes 2005-07-14 [Part A] , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

"Varying Realities Of The Human Experience": University Studies Program At Portland State University, Charles Ryan Brown, Grace L. Dillon, Celine Fitzmaurice, Greg Jacob, Yves P. Labissiere, Antonia Levi, Cherry Muhanji, Candyce Reynolds, Jack C. Straton

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Like many institutions of higher education, Portland State University (PSU) has engaged in initiatives to promote a more equitable and democratic society, from curricular changes to institutional policy implementation. In the late 1980s, PSU required students to complete a certain number of “diversity” credits as part of its general education requirements. During the 1990s, PSU radically revised its approach to general education, creating the University Studies Program that places diversity awareness among its core goals. Most recently, current President Daniel O. Bernstine has instituted a comprehensive “Diversity Initiative” as part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving the quality …

2005 Commencement Program, Neal Keny-Guyer

Commencement Archives 2000-09

The program for the PSU Commencement ceremony on June 11, 2005.

Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps, delivered the commencement address and was awarded an honorary doctorate by PSU President Daniel Bernstine.

Meeting Notes 2005-06-09 [Part B] , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Matrix Composition In Engineered Cartilage With Stochastic Supplementation Of Growth Factors, Asit K. Saha, J. (Jagannath) Mazumdar, Sean S. Kohles

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dynamic extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis is explored in a hypothesized engineered cartilage construct. Growth (α) and decay (β) rate parameters are developed from a previous engineered cartilage model. The presented mathematical model was constructed from the parameterized experimental data using a deterministic and stochastic examination of ECM synthesis based on a negative feedback control mechanism. A growth factor supplementation is incorporated in a probabilistic mathematical approach. The growth factor component modified an initial deterministic model through a Gaussian white noise fluctuation. As the primary constituents of ECM, the mathematical tool is intended to characterize the probable steady state distribution of …

Public Opinion, The Media, And Environmental Policy: Agenda-Setting, Framing, And Maintaining The Status Quo, Jonela Rae Estes

Dissertations and Theses

Contributing to the research on the topic of the media, public opinion, and public policy, this research investigated the question: Given the environment's relatively bipartisan backing and the public's support for a stronger environmental protection agenda, how can an environmental policy direction apparently incongruent with public opinion be maintained?

The method of answering this larger question was to examine the dynamic among public opinion, the media, and environmental policy, focusing specifically on the media's agenda-setting and framing functions. This dynamic was explored through a three part methodology: by looking at the amounts of environmental policy media coverage over the last …

A Decision Model For Technology Assessment To Reduce The Internal Digital Divide In Emerging Economies (Case: Costa Rica), Audrey MaríA Alvear BáEz

Dissertations and Theses

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as Wireless, the Internet, and e-commerce software are profoundly impacting how business and government are conducted. Digital divide (DD) refers to the gap that opens up between those who have access to, benefit and interact with ICTs and those who can not. ICTs can either accelerate change and thereby increase the DD in developing countries, or, if deployed carefully can be a tool to reduce the DD within a country. This study presents a systematic approach for doing the latter by identifying the ICTs, technology applications and key sectors that most impact the internal …

Activism Through Music, Cherry Muhanji, Jack C. Straton

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article discuses the pedagogy behind a University Studies freshman inquiry class taught at Portland State University. Portland State University has been engaged in a 10-year revolution in general education (Journal of General Education, 1999) that has inculcated activist education as central to instruction. In addition to the Critical Thinking and Communication instruction that any general education program must provide, Portland State’s University Studies Program promotes Social Responsibility and Diversity as central goals of its efforts.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet March 2005, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The March 2005 Monthly packet includes the March agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held February 2005

Meeting Notes 2005-02-24 [Finance Committee] , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

The Portland Spectator, February/March 2005, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Shahriyar Smith

Articles in this issue include: What if Bush was right: a Democrat reflects; Why Iraq will succeed: Iraq's election and what lies ahead; The sick man of Europe: Islamism and leftism add up to anti-american madness in Turkey; American idiot: freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequences; Democracy by democrats: a look at Washington's race for governor; Elephants on fire: gay republicans break stereotypes and make their voice heard; and A matter of tolerance: anti-Catholic bias finds its way into PSU classrooms.

Does The "News" Come First? Social Responsibility, Infotainment, And Local Television Newscasts In Portland, Oregon: A Content Analysis, Carey Lynne Higgins

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the infotainment versus social responsibility debate as it applies to local television newscasts in the United States. An overview of the concerns surrounding infotainment as news follows, including a look at a newsroom's traditional responsibilities to its viewers, as well as its current role in adding to parent company profit. Socially responsible hard news and infotainment characteristics are defined as they apply to television news broadcasts, both within the context of news story content and in presentation style.

A descriptive content analysis examines these characteristics within the late night local newscasts airing in Portland, Oregon. Portland is …

Ecological Science And Sustainability For The 21st Century, Margaret A. Palmer, Emily S. Bernhardt, Elizabeth A. Chornesky, Scott L. Collins, Andrew P. Dobson, Clifford S. Duke, Barry D. Gold, Robert B. Jacobson, Sharon E. Kingsland, Rhonda H. Kranz, Michael J. Mappin, M. Luisa Martinez, Florenza Micheli, Jennifer L. Morse, Michael L. Pace, Mercedes Pascual, Stephen S. Palumbi, Oj Reichman, Alan R. Townsend, Monica G. Turner

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ecological science has contributed greatly to our understanding of the natural world and the impact of humans on that world. Now, we need to refocus the discipline towards research that ensures a future in which natural systems and the humans they include coexist on a more sustainable planet. Acknowledging that managed ecosystems and intensive exploitation of resources define our future, ecologists must play a greatly expanded role in communicating their research and influencing policy and decisions that affect the environment. To accomplish this, they will have to forge partnerships at scales and in forms they have not traditionally used. These …

The Portland Spectator, January 2005, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Shahriyar Smith

Articles in this issue include: 2004 year in review; Inside Iraq; Renewed ambition: from Moscow to Beijing, old powers reassert themselves; Social Security (just privatize it); Supreme Court: up for grabs; and The Oil-for Food scandal.

Understanding The Relative Importance Of Positive And Negative Social Exchanges: Examining Specific Domains And Appraisals, Jason T. Newsom, Karen S. Rook, Masami Nishishiba, Dara H. Sorkin, Tyrae Mahan

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Negative social exchanges have been more reliably related to psychological health than have positive social exchanges. Little research, however, has sought to understand how underlying appraisal processes link such exchanges to psychological health. This study examined the frequencies of occurrence and appraisals of four parallel domains of positive and negative exchanges in relation to positive well-being and psychological distress in a national sample of 916 older adults. Structural equation analyses revealed that negative exchanges were related both to less well-being and greater psychological distress, whereas positive exchanges were related only to positive well-being. Furthermore, results supported a process in which …

Danger! Danger! Danger!, Or When Animals Might Attack: The Adventure Activist Genre, Mark L. Berrettini

School of Film Faculty Publications and Presentations

An analysis of the current state of the adventure activist genre in film, centering on The Crocodile Hunter and Project Grizzly.