Digital Commons Network^™

2025 Oregon Statewide Homelessness Estimates, Minji Cho, Jacen Greene, Marisa Zapata, Franklin H. Spurbeck

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is a census of people experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on a single night in January. The federal government requires this at least every other year as a condition of funding it distributes to Continuums of Care (CoCs), networks of government agencies and service providers that manage homelessness services and funding in specific regions. In 2025, all Oregon CoCs conducted an unsheltered count and submitted both unsheltered and sheltered PIT Counts data.

This report provides county-level unsheltered and sheltered totals for all Oregon counties and across the state, as well as the Housing Inventory Count …

Organizational Causes Of Chronic Absenteeism: Unpacking The Conditions For Learning To Increase Regular Attendance, Melissa Glover

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

This study employed an improvement science methodology, using plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles of improvement, to address the persistent problem of chronic absenteeism within the Gateway School District, where annual absentee rates hovered around 45% and were historically 10% higher for students with disabilities compared to their nondisabled peers. The leadership team engaged in a thorough review of parent and student perceptions of school and aligned findings with Chang’s (2019) conditions for learning framework to pinpoint actionable areas for growth. These findings were then organized into a theory of action using a driver diagram approach. This foundational work led to the identification …

Key To Spartina Of The West Coast Based On Vegetative Characteristics, Mary Pfauth, Mark D. Sytsma, Mitchell Kloer, Jennifer Riddle, Jacob Rose, Gabriel E. Campbell

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

In their natural condition, Pacific Coast estuaries have extensive open mudflats in the intertidal area that are important shorebird feeding habitat and are used for oystering and recreational fishing. Several non-native cordgrass species are invading Pacific estuaries and damaging these functions and uses. Early detection is critical to effective management of cordgrass infestation. This key is intended to provide an easy-to-use reference for quick identification of Spartina (synonym: Sporobolus) species on the Pacific coast. We choose to focus on vegetative characteristics here, since flowers are not always visible when it can be advantageous to survey.

This publication is intended to …

Applications Of Artificial Intelligence In Dental Malocclusion: A Scoping Review Of Recent Advances (2020-2025), Man Hung, Owen Cohen, Nicholas Beasley, Cairo Ziebarth, Connor Schwartz, Alicia Parry, Martin S. Lipsky

Institute on Aging Publications

Introduction:

Dental malocclusion affects more than half of the global population, causing significant functional and esthetic consequences. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into orthodontic care for malocclusion has the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy, treatment planning, and clinical efficiency. However, existing research remains fragmented, and recent advances have not been comprehensively synthesized. This scoping review aimed to map the current landscape of AI applications in dental malocclusion from 2020 to 2025. Methods: The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The authors conducted a systematic search across four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and …

Coolies Of Shimla: Modern Slavery As Relic Of The British Raj, Priya Kapoor

Politics and Global Affairs Faculty Publications and Presentations

Coolie labor needs to be understood as a contemporary transnational practice rooted in local practices of feudal kings and the British Empire. When the British Raj established Shimla as its summer capital in 1864, they did not eliminate archaic labor practices; instead, they cleverly modified them to serve the Empire’s infrastructural needs. Under the guise of reform, the British introduced nominal pay to bypass anti-slavery laws, effectively rebranding the forced laborer as the "coolie"—a racialized linguistic construct that signified a state of permanent subalternity. This labor force was the veritable backbone of the Raj, manually carving the treacherous Hindustan-Tibet Road …

Women's Social Roles And Alcohol Use Among Military-Connected Spouses, Sheila Kathleen Mccabe Nickerson

Dissertations and Theses

Increases in women's alcohol use are an intensifying public health problem in the United States, contributing to a hidden epidemic of alcohol-related mortality. Women's alcohol consumption is often not openly discussed or recognized due to social stigma, the perception that women drink less than men, and the fact that women can experience negative health consequences from lower levels of alcohol consumption (relative to men), making the issue less visible than it actually is. A range of factors potentially influence women's drinking, including social roles (i.e., mother); yet, the literature is varied as to whether the combination of multiple-role demands/expectations fosters …

Mechanical Improvements And Control Implementation On A Biomimetic Quadruped Model, Matthew Jack Lutz

Dissertations and Theses

Robotic development started billions of years after earth first began biological prototyping. While the evolutionary process in animals is quite different from robotic prototyping, it still remains no surprise that animals remain more agile, more efficient, and more adaptable than even the most advanced engineered robots to date, simply due to the sheer length of their improvement process. While bridging this improvement gap between deficits in robots and the abilities of animals is difficult, a specific subfield of robotics engineering has attempted to do so using biomimetic robotics. At Portland State, the Agile and Adaptive Robotics Lab (AARL) studies these …

A Failure To Converge? The Use Of Convergent Designs In Mixed Methods Research, David L. Morgan

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prior studies show that what are known as “convergent” designs are the most common form of mixed methods research, yet there has been too little investigation into what researchers actually do when they use convergent designs. This study addresses that gap in the literature by investi-gating not only the prevalence of convergent designs but also the types of convergent designs used and the degree of integration in studies that used this design. I used content analysis to ex-amine a random sample of 500 articles from the Web of Science that mentioned mixed methods and were published in 2023. The results …

An Integrated Multivariate Econometric Modeling Framework For Risky Driving Behavior Related Crashes: Evaluating Crash Risk And Severity Across Zones, Pabitra Kumar Roy

Dissertations and Theses

Rapid advancements in crash modeling have yet to fully integrate multiple behavior-driven crash types and their severity outcomes within a single, scalable framework, specially in a way that captures the sequential nature of these behaviors where one risky action may amplify another. This study proposed an integrated multivariate econometric framework to jointly model crash frequency and severity outcomes for three major behaviorally driven crash types: alcohol-related, distraction-related, and aggressive-driving-related crashes. Specifically, using Oregon's 2022 census block group-level crash data, we propose an Integrated Multivariate Negative Binomial – Generalized Ordered Probit Fractional Split (IMNB–GOPFS) model to analyze these dimensions simultaneously while …

The Johnson-Křížek-Mercier Elasticity Element In Higher Dimensions, Jay Gopalakrishnan, Johnny Guzman, Jeonghun J. Lee

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mixed methods for linear elasticity with strongly symmetric stresses of lowest order are studied in this paper. On each simplex, the stress space has piecewise linear components with respect to its Alfeld split (which connects the vertices to barycenter), generalizing the Johnson–Mercier two-dimensional element to higher dimensions. Further reductions in the stress space in the three-dimensional case (to 24 degrees of freedom per tetrahedron) are possible when the displacement space is reduced to local rigid displacements. Proofs of optimal error estimates of numerical solutions and improved error estimates via postprocessing and the duality argument are presented.

Microbial Communities Of Selected Regions Of The Deep Springs Lake Aquifer System, Rania Zaki, Emma Bourne, Andrew Storino, Jay Nadeau

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Deep Springs Lake is a small, isolated, highly alkaline soda lake in Inyo County of Eastern California, USA. It is a seasonally filled salt lake or playa, and is part of a closed aquifer system. Such closed systems are globally rare, occurring only in arid zones where annual evaporation is greater than annual rainfall. Deep Springs Lake’s hydrology and geology have been well studied, and it is home to a unique toad species, but its microbiome remains unexplored. Here we perform 16S, 18S, and ITS amplicon sequencing of the lake water, dried salt crust at the edges the lake, and …

Leveraging High-Performance Cloud Computing To Model Underwater Acoustic Propagation And Scattering From Time-Evolving Rough Sea-Surfaces Using The Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method, James Alexander Higgins

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation presents a two-dimensional (2D) Finite-difference Time-domain (FDTD) model for simulating underwater acoustic propagation and scattering from a one-dimensional (1D) time-evolving rough sea-surface. The techniques discussed are extendable to three spatial dimensions. Traditional acoustic modeling techniques often rely on a "frozen" sea-surface assumption, which proves inadequate for long-duration signals interacting with the time-evolving boundary at many different wave height displacements during its transit. To address this, a new FDTD update equation incorporating a variable subgrid is developed, significantly enhancing spatial accuracy at the boundary without increasing computational cost or compromising stability.

The model's accuracy is rigorously validated against established …

Mitigating Risk Of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Using Adjunct Chinese Herbal Medicines: A Nested Patient-Control Study In Female Cancer Patients With Chemotherapy, Tzu-Ning Tseng, Hou-Hsun Liao, Hanoch Livneh, Ming-Chi Lu, Szu-Chin Li, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Leadership, Learning and Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a common late effect of chemotherapy among survivors of adolescent and young-adult cancer (AYAC). Given on the widespread use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in restoring individual health, we performed a cohort-based nested patient-control study with the aim of exploring the effect of blending CHM into routine care on the reduction of chemotherapy-induced POIrisk among females with AYAC.

"I Like The Idea In Theory": Experiencing The Imperial Matrix Through Legal Gender Marker Changes And Nonbinary Disidentifications, Wynn Strange

Dissertations and Theses

Since 2018 twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have implemented administrative changes that provide a third gender option on at least one state identification document allowing nonbinary and intersex people the opportunity to select a gender marker that reflects their gender identity. This study draws from 28 interviews with agender or otherwise nonbinary people living in Maryland and California. I use queer of color and critical trans theory to consider the implications of legal gender marker changes. This research explores how social, historical, and geographical location can influence ones' awareness of, experiences with, and relation to real and imagined …

Lattice Thermal Transport Beyond The Quasiparticle Approximation: Nontrivial Spectral Competition Between Three- And Four-Phonon Interactions, Yi Xia

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The breakdown of the quasiparticle approximation (QPA) for phonons in strongly anharmonic materials necessitates advanced first-principles frameworks for accurate lattice dynamics and thermal transport predictions. We develop a comprehensive beyond-quasiparticle approximation (BQPA) approach incorporating both three- (3ph) and four-phonon (4ph) interactions and apply it to investigate lattice thermal conductivity (κL) in MgO, PbTe, and AgCl – materials that span a broad spectrum of anharmonicity, from weak to severe anharmonic regimes with overdamped phonons. We reveal that while BQPA consistently increases κL relative to QPA due to phonon softening when considering only 3ph interactions, the inclusion of additional 4ph interactions hardens …

Working Paper No. 104, An Gorta Mór: The ‘Great Hunger’ And Irish Immigrant Labor In 19th Century America, Amanda Bergeson

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that portions of the population of Ireland -- responding to what has been referred to in their Celtic language as An Gorta Mór, or in the English language as the ‘Great Hunger -- took to emigrating en masse and therewith contributed bigly to the expansion of America’s labor supply. Bolsterd by Irish immigrants, this expanding mid-nineteenth century labor force provided for an abundance of workers needed for a broadly based industrialization, that would also lead to large-scale urbanization as well as a host of changes in this nation’s social fabric. Of note is that …

Working Paper No. 105, John Locke And The American Experiment, Riley Sharps

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that ideas advanced by the Englishman John Locke, regarding private property, natural rights, as well as a social contract for relations between authorities and governed, influenced the American experiment at its founding. Locke’s novel understanding regarding private property greatly influenced leaders railing against British dominance. His ideas were picked up by founding figures such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, as well as James Madison, and Thomas Paine. Through their leadership, in particular, Locke’s ideas were carried forward and served as the inspiration behind key concepts appearing in this new nation’s founding documents. First appearing in …

Leveraging Social Capital For Value Creation In Public Procurement: The Role Of Strategic Purchasing Integration, Iryna Malacina, Jad El Bizri, Frederik G. S. Vos, Elina Karttunen, Aki Jaaskelainen

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose Although the integration of the purchasing function within strategic decision-making has been extensively studied in the context of the private sector, its significance for the effective functioning of public procurement (PP) remains underexplored. Effective PP is critical for suppliers, users of public services and society at large. This study investigates how the strategic integration of PP influences operational, environmental and innovative value creation by developing social capital in buyer–supplier relationships. Design/methodology/approach This study empirically examined how strategic purchasing integration contributes to the development of social capital in buyer–supplier relationships, which in turn affects value creation. It utilizes survey data …

Concerted Rattling-Induced Strong Anharmonicity And Phonon Coherence Lead To Ultralow Glasslike Thermal Conductivity In Tlagte, Shantanu Semwal, Yi Xia, Chris Wolverton, Koushik Pal

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ordered crystalline compounds exhibiting ultralow and glass-like thermal conductivity are both fundamentally and technologically important, where phonon quasi-particles dominate their heat transport. Understanding the microscopic mechanisms that govern such unusual transport behavior is necessary to unravel the complex interplay of crystal structure, phonons, and collective excitations of these quasi-particles. Here, we use state-of-the-art first-principles calculations based on quantum density functional theory to investigate the origin of experimentally measured unusually low and glassy thermal conductivity in semiconducting TlAgTe that possesses disconnected chains of Tl atoms within its three-dimensional crystalline framework made up of distorted AgTe4 tetrahedra. Utilizing a unifying framework of …

More Than Just A Criminal: Talking Back As A Critical Autoethnographic Journey, Anakin Rivera Ramirez

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article explores the experiences of doctoral students with criminal records navigating higher education, using a critical theoretical framework to highlight the unique challenges and triumphs I faced. Drawing upon decoloniality and critical race theory perspectives and activism, I define my critical scholarship as challenging the dominant oppression through thoughts and actions. Through autoethnographic and self-reflective narratives, I reflect on how my lived experiences as a Latino who has experienced criminalization. I have shaped my academic pursuits and critical consciousness. The autoethnography discusses systemic barriers such as stigma, discrimination, and institutional biases, showing how these obstacles have informed the author’s …

Exploring The Experiences Of White Passing And White-Assumed Latine College Students, Emanuel Magaña

Dissertations and Theses

Between 2009 and 2019 Latine college enrollment has increased, yet retention and graduation rates lag those of their white peers. While barriers for Latine students are well-documented, the influence of colorism, particularly among lighter-skinned or white passing students, remains understudied. This study utilized a qualitative case-study approach grounded in CRT and LatCrit and based on a Street Race Praxis framework. This study explored the experiences of twelve white passing and/or white-assumed Latine students at an emerging HSI in the Pacific Northwest. Using Testimonio informed approach and Counterstory, I drew from interviews, pláticas, site observations, and document analysis to create four …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Plumed Clover (Trifolium Plumosum Var. Plumosum), Nora Dunkirk

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Plumed Clover (Trifolium plumosum var. plumosum) using NatureServe methodology, 2025.

From Cafes To Competitiveness: The Influence Of Amenities On Office Values And Suburban Economic Development In Portland, Or, Jihye Kang

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the spatial and economic implications of urban amenities in the formation of suburban office markets in the post-pandemic period. The research applies principles from agglomeration theory, spatial econometrics, and urban planning to analyze the statistical relationships between amenity distribution, rent formation, and location behavior across central and non-central submarkets.

The research consists of three integrated papers focused on the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The first paper employs spatial econometric modeling, specifically a Spatial Autoregressive Model with Autoregressive Disturbances (SARAR), to examine the relationship between proximity to cafés and office rent levels in Portland’s central business …

Citizen's Rare Plant Watch 2025 Recap, Nora Dunkirk

Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank and Plant Conservation Program

Citizen's Rare Plant Watch (CRPW) is a community science program which takes volunteers out to visit populations of rare and threatened Oregon native plant species. Volunteers assess their health and viability, update the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC) state database for rare species, and help contribute to data driven management decisions throughout the state. Housed at Portland State University, this program is open to the public and attracts plant lovers from diverse backgrounds. Each spring, CRPW trains volunteers on methods of data collection, and this year we implemented new technology using Survey123 to streamline population assessments. We focus on species …

Demystifying The Plea Process: Investigating Attorney Communications And Client Misconceptions, M. M. Wilford, R. J. Difava, K. S. Henderson

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: to study issues related to the lawyer and client interaction regarding building a legal position on the case and the plea process.Methods: the article uses the universal dialectical method of cognition, as well as general (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction) and specific scientific research methods (formal-legal method).Results: As the United States has shifted to “a system of pleas,” the role of defense attorneys has swung from trial litigator to plea negotiator. The study results indicated that defense attorneys spend a significant amount of time meeting with clients. Attorneys also cited substantial deficits in criminal defendants’ knowledge of the legal system, …

The Social Side Of Aging In Place: Community, Belonging, And Cultural Fit, Michael Crespo

University Honors Theses

Aging in place, or the capacity of older adults to remain in their homes and communities as they age has been a central tenet of the field of gerontology and the gerontological social policy area. Although access to physical facilities and service provision has been the main focus of traditional studies, contemporary experience demonstrates that social and cultural issues are equally important as determinants of the quality of life. This thesis discusses the influence of social networks, cultural congruence, and community belonging on the aging in place experience. The content of the study is based on the Ecological Model of …

An Innovative Hdm Model For Assessing Renewable Heat Energy Resources In Utility Energy Systems, Mark Alan Ryan

Dissertations and Theses

Renewable Heat Energy projects exhibit numerous unique, complex, and often conflicting characteristics, including varying project sizes, diverse energy resources, stakeholder demands, and significant challenges in energy conversion applications. Traditionally, cash flow analysis and return on investment are the most widely recognized metrics for evaluating remote energy projects. However, numerous quantitative and qualitative factors influence the overall performance and success of Renewable Heat Energy System (RHES) projects. A comprehensive approach using advanced tools is essential for assessing the factors and criteria that significantly impact these projects.

This research investigates the key quantitative and qualitative factors that contribute to the successful implementation …

Signal Processing Of Ecologically Significant Signals For Transient Bedload Characterization, Nathan R. Sjullie, Quinn B. Morgan, David Burnett

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

When rivers achieve a great enough flow rate, sediment along their riverbed becomes mobilized and transported downstream. This process is known as bedload transport. As bedload transport initiates, micro-collisions of various sediments and gravel generate underwater acoustic signals that can be detected by hydrophones. While there is extensive research on underwater acoustic theory and surrogate methods for monitoring bedload transport, there is a lack of heuristic work that analyzes collected bedload samples in conjunction with underwater acoustic recordings. The aim of this work is to complete an analysis on collected bedload samples and the simultaneous underwater acoustic recordings via signal …

Addressing Injustices Toward Individuals With Schizophrenia-Spectrum Conditions: A Call To Action For Social Work Practice, Shannon M. Blajeski, Lindsay A. Bornheimer, Jessica A. Wojtalik, Lynette Studer, Shelly Ben-David, Patricia R. Turner, Ana T. Flores, Matthew J. Smith, Nev Jones, Jordan E. Devylder

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The field of social work has a lengthy history of training social workers for community mental health settings, and an ethical commitment to advance human rights and social justice. However, individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum conditions continue to suffer from myriad social injustices, including poverty, social isolation, and lower-life expectancy. This paper outlines these injustices, and reviews historical social work contributions and current training for supporting this population. Finally, the authors outline actions to 1) adopt national practice guidelines that formally acknowledge injustices, including anti-oppressive practice guidelines that are inclusive of lived experience, and 2) revitalize social work’s contributions to models of …

Medicaid Funding And Health-Related Social Needs: A Policy Analysis, Passion Ilea

Dissertations and Theses

The U.S. has disproportionately high health care spending compared to other high-income nations and comparatively poor health outcomes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have recently increased emphasis on addressing Medicaid member social needs. CMS believes addressing health-related social needs (HRSN) may reduce costs and improve health outcomes for Medicaid members. CMS has begun to test theories regarding the impact of member HRSN on health care by designing federal mechanisms to address HRSN, such as in lieu of services and settings-funded services, and by encouraging state Medicaid programs to develop their own approaches, such as Flexible Services. Information …