Digital Commons Network^™

Manga In Bookstores, Claire Curry

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

In recent years, manga has seen a surge in popularity. This research seeks to provide insights into the role of manga in U.S. bookstores and its implications for reader discovery. Through observations at bookstores in the Portland area, including Books with Pictures, Kinokuniya, Powell’s, and Barnes and Noble, it was examined how manga is presented to readers. Factors considered include manga’s physical placement in the store and surrounding sections as well as shelving methods and categorizations like genre labels, particularly for manhwa, manhua, and light novels. Display tables, end caps, and shelf talkers also demonstrate a unique way for bookstores …

Bridging Barriers To Digital Accessibility: An Opportunity For Technical Editors, Julian Luck

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Digital content is overwhelmingly inaccessible across the web, and web accessibility is a particularly wicked problem. Technical editors with accessibility specializations serve as a part of the solution, however, the market for these professionals is emerging and poorly understood. The purpose of this research is to explore this emerging market and determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for these editors. Considering the limited body of knowledge surrounding this market, I utilize a variety of diverse web resources including peerreviewed journal publications, blogs, forums, and trusted web accessibility resources and organizations. The findings, contextualized by my identity as a disabled …

Prose By Any Other Name: Analyzing Changes To Translated Book Titles In Japanese And English, Angela Griffin

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This research analyzed the ways in which book titles are changed in translation from English to Japanese and Japanese to English. The titles of one hundred books, fifty in Japanese and fifty in English, were sorted into three main categories of translation based on Tsukawaki’s research on translated sci-fi movie titles (2009): those using the Japanese katakana script, literal, and semantic. For Japanese to English titles, literal translations accounted for 68% of the data and semantic translations for 20%, while Japanese to English titles were literally translated only 48% of the time but semantically 34%. The changes made to translated …

Exploring Consent: An Analysis Of Consent In Dark Romance And Contemporary Romance Books, Janeth Hernandez

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This research paper analyzes whether consent is found more frequently in dark romance or contemporary romance books by examining the language used, who speaks the phrases, and the contexts in which they are spoken. This paper explores the dominant sexual script in contemporary romance books and its influence on representations of consent, contrasting this with the absence of such a script in dark romance, which permits more varied incorporations of consent. This analysis was done through content analysis-- word frequency, consent analysis, and thematic coding. Word frequency provided evidence of consent use in the books, while consent analysis and thematic …

Evaluating Equitable Successes In Literary Spaces A Portland Book Festival (Pbf) Case Study, Tia-Theo Thompson

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

How do literary institutions achieve and evaluate successes in equity? Do certain factors expedite this transition? To understand the impact of Literary Art’s Discovery Model on diversity in literary spaces, data concerning all BIPOC Writers & Presenters at the Portland Book Festival 2023 was collected and analyzed by book placement, genre, and age category (among additional subcategories). Acknowledgement of publishing industry trends and activism within literary communities appear to be significant factors while curating authors with equity in mind.

A Memoir Of My Reading, Bennett B. Gilbert

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Surveying nearly seven decades of habitual and obsessive reading, I consider how my character and psychology used reading to shape philosophical questions that move me into forms in which I could pursue them by reading. This became both the method and the substance of my philosophical work. It preserved some core emotional issues but also gave me the way to integrate them into scholarship and into my life.

Does El Niño Affect Mjo-Ar Connections Over The North Pacific And Associated North American Precipitation?, Laís G. Fernandes, Paul Loikith

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigates how the El Niño phase (EN) of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) modulation of cool-season North Pacific atmospheric rivers (ARs) and associated AR-landfall North American precipitation between 1980 and 2020. EN changes the key drivers of MJO-AR connections by shifting MJO-driven convection east of 180° in MJO phases 6–8 and extending the northern Pacific subtropical jet eastward. Under these conditions, the MJO tropical-extratropical teleconnection is triggered east of 180° in phases 7–8, and a persistent cyclonic flow anomaly develops along the United States west coast. Anomalous northeastward integrated water vapor transport (IVT) …

Supporting Resource Equity For Oregon’S Home Visiting Workforce: Exploring Racial, Ethnic & Linguistic Differences, Beth L. Green, Nicole M. Lauzus, Yumi Lee, Erin Gaines, Ron Joseph

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Home visitors of color—those whose lived experience and background reflect the cultural, racial and linguistic diversity of so many Oregon families—cope with compounding stressors related to structural racism, bias and documented pay inequities.

This learning brief is the first in a series to share findings from a 2023 statewide survey of Oregon’s home visiting workforce. This study has provided a wealth of information about this workforce and how to improve and support its well-being and retention, with a focus on the needs and experiences of home visitors of color and those who speak languages other than English.

Fluorescence Microscopy With Deep Uv, Near Uv, And Visible Excitation For In Situ Detection Of Microorganisms, Noel Case, Nikki Johnston, Jay Nadeau

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report a simple, inexpensive design of a fluorescence microscope with light-emitting diode (LED) excitation for detection of labeled and unlabeled microorganisms in mineral substrates. The use of deep UV (DUV) excitation with visible emission requires no specialized optics or slides and can be implemented easily and inexpensively using an oblique illumination geometry. DUV excitation (<280 >nm) is preferable to near UV (365 nm) for avoidance of mineral autofluorescence. When excited with DUV, unpigmented bacteria show two emission peaks: one in the near UV ∼320 nm, corresponding to proteins, and another peak in the blue to green range, corresponding to …

Digital Comics Subscription Service Usage And Its Impact On Printed Comic Buying Habits: The Digital Comics Subscription Loop, Isaac Swindle

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This study developed a digital comics subscription loop that borrows from consumer loyalty research done in publishing and marketing studies. The proposed loop uses comic publisher’s proprietary subscription platforms as a “book showroom” to allow consumers to sample titles, driving physical sales. Original survey data was then gathered about comic book consumers’ usage of digital subscription platforms and what drives them to make physical purchases. The data was then compared to the proposed model, finding significant cross-medium consumption, as well as many reported completions of the Digital Comics Subscription Loop. The survey data found that over 80 percent of respondents …

Dynamic Fibrillar Assembly Of Αb-Crystallin Induced By Perturbation Of The Conserved Nt-Ixi Motif Resolved By Cryo-Em, Russell Mcfarland, Steve Reichow

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

αB-crystallin is an archetypical member of the small heat-shock proteins (sHSPs) vital for cellular proteostasis and mitigating protein misfolding diseases. Gaining insights into the principles defining their molecular organization and chaperone function have been hindered by intrinsic dynamic properties and limited high-resolution structural analysis. To disentangle the mechanistic underpinnings of these dynamical properties, we mutated a conserved IXI-motif located within the N-terminal (NT) domain of human αB-crystallin. This resulted in a profound structural transformation, from highly polydispersed caged-like native assemblies into a comparatively well-ordered helical fibril state amenable to high-resolution cryo-EM analysis. The reversible nature of the induced fibrils facilitated …

Preliminary Reactions For Do3mbn Ester Design Of Experiments With A Separation Procedure For Do2mbn Ester And Do3mbn Ester Ligand, Cerys A. Easton

University Honors Theses

The ratio of products resulting from a reaction of cyclen (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) and benzyl (S)-2-bromopropanoate substituent arm is analyzed in three polar aprotic solvents at varying concentrations of cyclen and temperatures. This is for a future design of experiments procedure to determine the optimal experimental conditions for selective DO3MBn ester production without the use of a protecting group. It was found that the reaction completion time is less than 24 hours at reaction temperatures at or above 50 °C and less than 3 days for reaction temperatures at 30 °C regardless of the cyclen concentrations or equivalents of substituent …

Norse Inspired Tales: Four Changes Of Fate, Pete Wille

University Honors Theses

Norse Inspired Tales: Four Changes of Fate is a collection of four original short stories meant to act as an introduction to a broader literary world where Norse myth meets late eighteen hundred's, San Francisco. The introduction gives background on my literary journey and explains some of the choices made within these stories. Each following story reveals the characters and the world they currently inhabit.

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Juvenile Offender Typology, Aliza Beth Lipman

Dissertations and Theses

Approximately 1 in 5 girls and in 20 boys in the United States are victims of child sexual assault every year. Child sexual assault can lead to multiple negative short term and long-term impacts affecting general health, mental health, interpersonal relationships, socio-economic status, criminal behavior and more. Prevention research focuses on a thorough understanding of the perpetrators of assault and the context surrounding offenses in order to reduce and prevent assault. Within this research, juvenile offenders are perceived as a single homogenous group whereas adult offenders are consistently specified based on offender and offense characteristics. The exploration of the relationship …

Corporatizing Violence: Targeted Repression Of Indigenous Dissent In Democratic States, Laikaika Layne Rivera

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores state repression of disruptive protests against private development projects in democracies. Using a mixed methods approach, including logistic regression and case studies, the research identifies key factors influencing repression. Indigenous leadership, fragmented public opposition, and private elite influence increase the likelihood of violent repression. The findings suggest that when public resistance is insufficient against powerful private interests, coercive institutions resort to violent strategies to quell disruptions and signal increased costs for future dissent. State repression is more likely when the protest movement is comprised of Indigenous groups than compared to those of the general public. The study …

Comparison Of Conventional And Adaptive Acoustic Beamforming Algorithms Using A Tetrahedral Microphone Array In Noisy Environments, Megan Brittany Ewers

Dissertations and Theses

In situ acoustic measurements are often plagued by interfering sound sources that occur within the measurement environment. Both adaptive and conventional beamforming algorithms, when applied to the outputs of a microphone array arranged in a tetrahedral geometry, are able to capture sound sources in desired directions and reject sound from unwanted directions. Adaptive algorithms may be able to measure a desired sound source with greater spatial precision, but require more calculations and, therefore, computational power. A conventional frequency-domain phase-shift algorithm and a modified adaptive frequency-domain Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) algorithm were applied to simulated and recorded signals from a …

A Survey Of North American Electric Bicycle Owners, Cameron Steven Bennett

Dissertations and Theses

Rapid recent growth in the popularity of electric bicycles (e-bikes) has captured the attention of transportation researchers and policymakers seeking safe, sustainable, and active alternatives to conventional transportation modes. This thesis presents an investigation of e-bike owners in North America, complementing previous efforts in 2013 and 2017, and suggests implications for North American transportation planning.

An online survey was distributed to e-bike owners in the United States and Canada through email outreach, purchase incentive programs, and social media. The survey included questions on the respondents’ demographics, e-bikes, purchase decisions, travel behavior, perceptions of e-bikes, crash experience, maintenance needs, and receipt …

The Decline Of The Non-Hispanic White Population In The United States Of America, Richard R. Verdugo, David A. Swanson

Publications, Reports and Presentations

Objectives: The question of a declining non-Hispanic white (NHW) population has sparked debate in the United States. In examining this question, three bodies of research have emerged. One group reports that the decline is real, a second argues that it is an illusion, and the third provides evidence that the decline is concentrated within socio-economic segments of the NHW population. We use the third groups’ insight as the starting point for our research objective. Methods: In conjunction with data from Census Bureau sources, we use a series of Regression Models in this inquiry. Results: Our results show that the decline …

Queer Rural Youth Online: A Digital Ethnography, Joseph Robert Burns

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is based on digital ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2023 within Queer subcommunities on the social media sites Reddit and Twitter (now known as X) and data collected from interviews with Queer rural youth members of these communities. The data reveal that social media use directly influences the lives and actions of Queer rural youth, who use the space to build social connections, shape their personal identities, and seek advice pertaining to their in-person lives and decisions. By using these spaces, Queer rural youth build both bonding and bridging social capital, learn to subvert restrictions to their Internet access, …

Health From The Grassroots, Listening To Mob: University- Based Aboriginal Researchers Collaborate With Aboriginal Communities To Identify Health Priorities, Emma Walke, Kathleen P. Conte, David Edwards, Veronica Matthews

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Background: There is opportunity for Universities to actively engage with Aboriginal communities to participate, conduct, and ideally lead, responsible research that attends to community priorities and issues. The Health from the Grassroots (Grassroots) project seeks to address an ongoing mismatch between university-defined priorities and community-defined priorities in rural [***]. Grassroots, led by Aboriginal staff of the [***], is a community engagement project aimed at engaging Aboriginal communities in conversations to inform research priorities. This paper describes the project vision, implementation, and lessons learned in the first years.

Approach: The Grassroots project was a true representation of collaborative research led by …

A Review Of The Business Capstone: Working With An Education Program, Hanna Tran

University Honors Theses

This review thesis walks through the business capstone process which is a hands-on experience with a local business client. The business client, Company A, is an arts and education program that has reached out to the School of Business's capstone class to help them improve their reach to potential customers and find alternative funding other than student tuition and donations. To achieve these goals, our group conducted several analyses and thorough research combined with our existing business education. Our findings and final recommendations are shown in presentations and a final report that the business client can utilize for their future …

Localized Eigenvectors On Metric Graphs, Hannah Kravitz, Moysey Brio, J G, Caputo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We analyze the eigenvectors of the generalized Laplacian for two metric graphs occurring in practical applications. In accordance with random network theory, localization of an eigenvector is rare and the network should be tuned to observe exactly localized eigenvectors. We derive the resonance conditions to obtain localized eigenvectors for various geometric configurations and their combinations to form more complicated resonant structures. These localized eigenvectors suggest new indicators based on the energy density; in contrast to standard criteria, ours provide the number of active edges. We also suggest practical ways to design resonating systems based on metric graphs. Finally, …

Youth Mental Health And Help-Seeking Behaviors, Azya Ripley

University Honors Theses

We know that there is a mental health crisis but that many youth will hesitate to seek out help or will not know how to seek out help. This thesis investigates some factors that represent barriers to youth in asking and getting help from adults for mental health, and how adults can intervene to increase youth's likelihood to be vulnerable and honest in their struggles. Moving forward, I outline some concrete ways to normalize asking for help and to make it easier for youth to access counselors and therapists.

Can Artificial Intelligence Be Used As A Stepping-Stone Towards Face-To-Face Therapy?, Zachary Salcido

University Honors Theses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool in various fields, including mental health care and therapy. This study provides a comprehensive review of literature, gathered through Portland State University's Online Library, on the potential of AI as a stepping stone towards face-to-face therapy. The study examines the historical development of AI in mental health, highlighting its development and advancements that have influenced its current implementations.

In addition to its direct applications in therapy, AI is also examined in the context of its role as a facilitator or "stepping stone" in the delivery of mental health care. AI-driven platforms …

Becoming And Acting As An Ally Against Weight-Based Discrimination, Christopher J. Waterbury, Larry R. Martinez, Liana Bernard, Nicholas A. Smith

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We appreciate and agree with the importance of the Best Practices for Weight at Work Research outlined by Lemmon et al. (Reference Lemmon, Jensen and Kuljanin2023). To help further contribute to this body of literature, we connect the scholarship related to weight-basedFootnote1 discrimination to contemporary allyship scholarship. Allyship support and advocacy behaviors improve employee experiences on day-to-day and long-term bases, and are therefore critical to research about weight at work. It is critically important to examine the development of allies against weight-stigma for two reasons.

Nonlinear Interactions Of Sea‐Level Rise And Storm Tide Alter Extreme Coastal Water Levels: How And Why?, H. Moftakhari, D. F. Muñoz, A. Akbari Asanjan, A. Aghakouchak, Hamid Moradkhani, David A. Jay

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sea-level rise (SLR) increasingly threatens coastal communities around the world. However, not all coastal communities are equally threatened, and realistic estimation of hazard is difficult. Understanding SLR impacts on extreme sea level is challenging due to interactions between multiple tidal and non-tidal flood drivers. We here use global hourly tidal data to show how and why tides and surges interact with mean sea level (MSL) fluctuations. At most locations around the world, the amplitude of at least one tidal constituent and/or amplitude of non-tidal residual have changed in response to MSL variation over the past few decades. In 37% of …

The Α-Crystallin Chaperones Undergo A Quasi-Ordered Co-Aggregation Process In Response To Saturating Client Interaction, Kirsten Lampi, Adam P. Miller, Susan E. O'Neill, Steve L. Reichow

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are ATP-independent chaperones vital to cellular proteostasis, preventing protein aggregation events linked to various human diseases including cataract. The α-crystallins, αA-crystallin (αAc) and αB-crystallin (αBc), represent archetypal sHSPs that exhibit complex polydispersed oligomeric assemblies and rapid subunit exchange dynamics. Yet, our understanding of how this plasticity contributes to chaperone function remains poorly understood. This study investigates structural changes in αAc and αBc during client sequestration under varying degree of chaperone saturation. Using biochemical and biophysical analyses combined with single-particle electron microscopy (EM), we examined αAc and αBc in their apo-states and at various stages of …

What Adolescents Say In Text Messages To Motivate Peer Networks To Access Health Care And Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing: Qualitative Thematic Analysis, Marguerita Lightfoot, Chadwick Campbell, Allysha C. Maragh-Bass, Joi Jackson-Morgan, Kelly Taylor

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background:While rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are extremely high among adolescents and young adults in the United States, rates of HIV and STI testing remain low. Given the ubiquity of mobile phones and the saliency of peers for youths, text messaging strategies may successfully promote HIV or STI testing among youths.

Objective:This study aimed to understand the types of messages youths believe were motivating and persuasive when asked to text friends to encourage them to seek HIV or STI testing services at a neighborhood clinic.

Methods:We implemented an adolescent peer-based text messaging intervention to encourage clinic attendance …

Uncovering The Critical Drivers Of Blockchain Sustainability In Higher Education Using A Deep Learning-Based Hybrid Sem-Ann Approach, Mohammed Alshamsi, Mostafa Al-Emran, Tugrul Daim, Mohammed A. Al-Sharafi, Gulin Idil Sonmezturk Bolatan, Khaled Shaalan

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The increasing popularity of Blockchain technology has led to its adoption in various sectors, including higher education. However, the sustainability of Blockchain in higher education is yet to be fully understood. Therefore, this research examines the determinants affecting Blockchain sustainability by developing a theoretical model that integrates the protection motivation theory (PMT) and expectation confirmation model (ECM). Based on 374 valid responses collected from university students, the proposed model is evaluated through a deep learning-based hybrid structural equation modeling (SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) approach. The PLS-SEM results confirmed most of the hypotheses in the proposed model. The sensitivity …

Inclusive Postsecondary Education's Effect On Individuals With Idd: A Systematic Literature Review, Hunter Wolff

University Honors Theses

With the purpose of evaluating the impact of Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) effects on those experiencing intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), a systematic literature review was conducted. Proponents of the expansion of these programs often cite participant growth in academic-related skills, socialization, and competitive integrated employment. While several studies document these benefits, few studies present and discuss all the data collectively. This review aims to both locate the data that shows how IPSE programs affect the students within them as well as to provide a location in which all the data can be accessed. A thorough conducting of the research …