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Raps Sheet, September 2021, Retirement Association Of Portland State

RAPS Sheet: Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Marital Status Differences In Suicidality Among Transgender People, Hui Liu, Lindsey Wilkinson

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The suicide rate for transgender people is among the highest of any group in the United States. Yet, we know little about disadvantages or resources available to transgender people to prevent suicide. The overall purpose of this study is to assess how marital status modifies the risk of suicide among transgender people. We analyzed data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey to predict marital status differences in both suicide ideation and suicide attempt in the past year. The analytic sample for suicide ideation included 17,117 transgender respondents (9,182 transwomen and 7,935 transmen), and the analytic sample for suicide attempt was …

Road Work Ahead: Using Deep Neural Networks To Estimate The Impacts Of Work Zones, Abbas Rashidi, Ali Hassandokht Mashhadi

TREC Project Briefs

Roadside construction - be it a detour, a closed lane, or a slow weave past workers and equipment - work zones impact traffic flow and travel times on a system-wide level. The ability to predict exactly what those impacts will be, and plan for them, would be a major help to both transportation agencies and road users. Funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, the latest Small Starts project led by Abbas Rashidi of the University of Utah introduces a robust, deep neural network model for analyzing the automobile traffic impacts of construction zones.

Pdx Protests, Summer 2020: A Syllabus And Timeline, Francheska Cannone, Nate Belcik, Macy Franken, Kelly Green, Sarah Harris, Philippe Kerstens, Vicky White, Katrine Barber

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This syllabus and timeline of the protests organized in Portland throughout the summer and early fall of 2020 was compiled and written by Portland State University students enrolled in Professor Katrine Barber’s HST 4/593, Introduction to Public History in Fall 2020. It was prepared in partnership with the Oregon State University Press and presented to them at the conclusion of the course. It combines local Portland journalism with a number of other scholarly resources to attempt to answer the question: “Why Portland?” The goals of the project at the outset were to correct inaccuracies or oversights in national coverage of …

Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence Of The Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma Maculatum), Amanda E. Brenner, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The complete circularized mitochondrial genome sequence of Amblyomma maculatum is 14,803 bp long. It encodes 13 protein coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 tick box motifs, and 2 control regions. The gene arrangement and content are consistent with those of previously reported Metastriata tick mitochondrial genomes.

Dynamic Control Of Upper Limb Stretch Reflex In Wrestlers, Sho Ito, Kento Nakagawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Misaki Iteya, Larry Crawshaw, Kazuyuki Kanosue

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: The objective of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the upper limb stretch reflex in wrestlers.

Methods: Ten wrestlers and 11 control subjects participated in the study. The experiment was divided into two sessions. In the extension perturbation session, participants either relaxed or flexed the elbow when they felt a perturbation (abrupt elbow extension induced by a dynamometer). This was done 30 times by each subject for both sessions. In the flexion perturbation session, participants also relaxed or extended the elbow when they felt a perturbation (abrupt elbow flexion). During the tasks, the stretch reflex …

Evaluating Mobility Impacts Of Construction Work Zones On Utah Transportation System Using Machine Learning Techniques, Ali Hassandokht Mashhadi, Abbas Rashidi

TREC Final Reports

Construction work zones are inevitable parts of daily operations at roadway systems. They have a significant impact on traffic conditions and the mobility of roadway systems. The traffic impacts of work zones could significantly vary due to several interacting factors such as work zone factors (work zone location and layout, length of the closure, work zone speed, intensity, and daily active hours); traffic factors (percentage of heavy vehicles, highway speed limit, capacity, mobility, flow, density, congestion, and occupancy); road factors (number of total lanes, number of open lanes, and pavement grade and condition); temporal factors (e.g., year, season, month, weekday, …

Videos, News, And Historical Documentaries: The Tulsa Race Massacre, 1921, Patricia A. Schechter

The Tulsa Race Massacre: Teaching and Learning Resources

To mark the centennial year since the Tulsa Race Massacre, a number of news outlets and public broadcasting stations, including the History Channel, put together one-hour specials. Included on this list is testimony solicited by the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Congress in May, 2021.

Ten Years On: Engaging The Public Through The Archaeology Roadshow, Virginia L. Butler, Lyssia Merrifield, Virginia Parks, Shelby Anderson

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Public engagement is a critical part of archaeologists’ tool kit for encouraging people to look beyond the glittering but superficial appeal of “artifacts” to appreciate and respect the peoples and cultures that made them. Engagement takes many forms—from museum exhibits, archaeological site tours, K–12 curriculum, and social media to heritage tourism, documentary films, and more. Whatever the medium or approach, a common goal is to increase the public’s understanding of the broader values archaeology strives to promote (e.g., scientific literacy, cultural diversity, civic engagement, critical thinking) and to open the door for discussion of the ethical and moral issues surrounding …

Deep Learning-Based Penetration Depth Prediction In Al/Cu Laser Welding Using Spectrometer Signal And Ccd Image, Sanghoon Kang, Minjung Kang, Yong Hoon Jang, Cheolhee Kim

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the laser welding of thin Al/Cu sheets, proper penetration depth and wide interface bead width ensure stable joint strength and low electrical conductance. In this study, we proposed deep learning models to predict the penetration depth. The inputs for the prediction models were 500 Hz-sampled low-cost charge-coupled device (CCD) camera images and 100 Hz-sampled spectral signals. The output was the penetration depth estimated from the keyhole depth measured coaxially using optical coherence tomography. A unisensor model using a CCD image and a multisensor model using a CCD image and the spectrometer signal were proposed in this study. The input …

Towards Understanding The Welfare Of Cetaceans In Accredited Zoos And Aquariums, Lisa K. Lauderdale, Jill D. Mellen, Michael T. Walsh, Douglas A. Granger, Lance J. Miller

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cetaceans are long-lived, social species that are valued as ambassadors inspiring the public to engage in conservation action. Under professional care, they are critical partners with the scientific community to understanding the biology, behavior, physiology, health, and welfare requirements of this taxonomic group. The Cetacean Welfare Study was a highly collaborative research effort among zoos and aquariums accredited by the Alliance for Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and/or the Association of Zoos & Aquariums that provided important empirical and comparative information on the care and management of cetaceans. The goal was to identify factors that were related to the welfare …

“It’S Like 1998 Again”: Why Parents Still Refuse And Delay Vaccines, Jiana L. Ugale, Heather Spielvogle, Christine Spina, Cathryn Perreira, Ben Katz, Barbara Pahud, Phd Amanda F. Dempsey Md, Jeffrey D. Robinson Phd, Kathleen Garrett Ma, Mph Sean T. O’Leary Md, Mph Douglas J. Opel Md

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

We conducted a qualitative study from 2018 to 2019 to update the reasons why US parents’ refuse or delay vaccines. Four focus groups and 4 semi-structured interviews involving 33 primary care pediatric providers were conducted in Washington and Colorado. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes related to reasons for parental refusal or delay. Five predominant themes were identified: (1) vaccine safety, (2) relative influence of information sources, decision-makers, and timing, (3) low perceived risk of contracting vaccine-preventable disease, (4) lack of trust, and (5) religious objection. Vaccine safety was the theme mentioned most frequently by providers (N = …

Representation Justice As A Research Agenda For Socio-Hydrology And Water Governance, Melissa Haeffner, Dana E. Hellman, Alida Cantor, Idowu Ajibade, Vinka Oyanedel-Craver, Maura Kelly, Laura Schifman, Lisa Weasel

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

We propose representation justice as a theoretical lens for socio-hydrology and water governance studies. An exploratory survey of 496 water sector employees in the United States revealed that self-identifying females felt more strongly discriminated against due to their gender and other social factors, compared to self-identifying males. Responses unveiled how macro- and microaggressions impede career pathways to leadership positions and, therefore, representation. We identify ways in which socio-hydrology can benefit from a representation justice lens by considering the following: (1) how power and politics shape the composition of the water sector and decision-making processes; (2) how available quantitative data do …

Climate Change Will Increase The Vector Capacity Of The Aedes Aegypti In South America: A Systematic Map, Liliana I. Maz, Richard S. Lockwood

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Tropical infectious diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika affect millions of people annually in all regions of the world. The disease burden propagated by these arboviruses has rapidly increased in recent decades due to the range expansion of their shared vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The IPCC has predicted a global increase in temperatures of 1.4-5.8°C over the next century; understanding how that will affect the vector capacity of the Aedes aegypti is essential for public health planning. This paper examined findings from a systematic map of the current state of research on this increasingly important influence on infectious …

Multi-Scale Environmental Conditions Associated With Shade-Tolerant Conifer Regeneration In Forest Park, Portland, Oregon, Matthew Cook

Dissertations and Theses

Forest Park is a 5,100-acre urban forest located in Portland, Oregon, that has been impacted by various anthropogenic stressors including logging, fragmentation, invasive species, air pollution and recreation use due to its proximity to the urban environment. This legacy of land use coupled with natural disturbances has resulted in changes to forest structure, composition, and function--threatening the long-term sustainability of the park. Past research in Forest Park has identified a lack of regenerating shade-tolerant conifers, particularly western hemlock and western red cedar species, in the section of the park closest to the city. Typically, western hemlock and western red cedar …

Primo's Newspapers Search: Identifying Authentic News Articles In The 21st Century, Kimberly Willson-St. Clair

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

After assessing 60 sophomores' ability to identify news articles, I started a pedagogical journey to address how students can identify and evaluate authentic journalism and news articles rather than blog posts, web sites, vlogs, or propaganda. This presentation covers my instructional shift; especially, in regards to turning on the Newspapers Search scope in Primo. Good journalism informs good citizenship, so I am particularly keen to improve the user's experience discovering the resource type, Newspapers, in Primo.

Exploring How Antecedent Precipitation Amount And The Effects Of Covid-19 Affect Stormwater Runoff Quality Along Urban Gradients, Daniel Ramirez, Katherine Gelsey

REU Final Reports

Stormwater runoff quality is affected by a multitude of factors including surrounding land characteristics, human activities, and antecedent precipitation amounts. We explore how seasonal and variable precipitation affect E. Coli, total suspended solids, nitrogen-nitrate, orthophosphate, lead, and zinc concentrations in Portland, OR, USA. Correlation analysis was conducted between the pollutant concentrations and antecedent rainfall each sample site received for the previous 1, 3, 5, 7, and 30 days from when the sample was taken. We ran Mann-Whitney tests to determine if the levels of the pollutants were statistically different between the wet season and the dry season. We found that …

Balanced Polymorphism Fuels Rapid Selection In An Invasive Crab Despite High Gene Flow And Low Genetic Diversity., C K. Tepolt, E D. Grosholz, Catherine E. De Rivera, G M. Ruiz

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Adaptation across environmental gradients has been demonstrated in numerous systems with extensive dispersal, despite high gene flow and consequently low genetic structure. The speed and mechanisms by which such adaptation occurs remain poorly resolved, but are critical to understanding species spread and persistence in a changing world. Here, we investigate these mechanisms in the European green crab Carcinus maenas, a globally distributed invader. We focus on a northwestern Pacific population that spread across >12 degrees of latitude in 10 years from a single source, following its introduction 1,500 km, we examine genetic structure using 9,376 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). We …

Modeling Renal Function During Pregnancy, Christina A. Valtierra

REU Final Reports

The main goal of this research project is to build a computational model that illustrates the main processes in renal function during pregnancy. The analysis of how pregnancy affects all the factors that take place within the kidney will allow for a better understanding of how pathologies like proteinuria, hypertension, and glomerular endotheliosis develop. This model is a small part of a more complex model that showcases the complete pathophysiology of preeclampsia.

E-Scooter Safety And How To Improve It, Eric Valentino

altREU Projects

In the last few years, electronic scooters have taken over cities as a means of personal transportation. Between 2017 and 2019 alone, over 30 million trips were recorded across over 100 cities in the US. These scooters pose a safety risk, as 20 in 100,000 trips will result in injury of the rider. On top of this, scooters can cause damage to property, injury pedestrians and motor vehicle drivers, as well as obstruct important infrastructure such as wheelchair ramps. For these reasons, it is important to develop an understanding of the factors that contribute to e-scooter related injuries in order …

Simulating Dislocation Densities With Finite Element Analysis, Ja'nya Breeden, Dow Drake, Saurabh Puri

REU Final Reports

A one-dimensional set of nonlinear time-dependent partial differential equations developed by Acharya (2010) is studied to observe how differing levels of applied strain affect dislocation walls. The framework of this model consists of a convective and diffusive term which is used to develop a linear system of equations to test two methods of the finite element method. The linear system of partial differential equations is used to determine whether the standard or Discontinuous Galerkin method will be used. The Discontinuous Galerkin method is implemented to discretize the continuum model and the results of simulations involving zero and non-zero applied strain …

Exploring Mirna Function And Host Response To Coxiella Burnetii Infection, Madhur Sachan

Dissertations and Theses

Alveolar macrophages attempt to control bacterial infection through a spectrum of defense processes, including induction of apoptosis, autophagy, inflammatory response, and nutrient sequestration. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, are involved in a spectrum of physiological processes, including immune response to intracellular infections. However, whether microRNAs have any functions in host response to Coxiella burnetii infection is unknown. Coxiella burnetii is a highly infectious intracellular pathogen that causes Q fever, a zoonosis with a worldwide occurrence. In this work, I investigated the functions of miRNAs in host response to C. burnetii infection and found that miRNAs are an …

Online Grocery Shopping: A Staple Of The Present -- And Maybe The Future?, Henry B. Chao

altREU Projects

This project aims to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people's food shopping tendencies, specifically focusing on the use of online grocers. It uses data collected by a team of researchers led out of Portland State University. This data consists of roughly 8000 surveys distributed starting in September of 2020. The survey asks respondents to discuss their demographics, household resources, and shopping tendencies.

In particular, this project wants to understand how inclined a respondent is to use online grocers based on their personal experience with COVID-19. To do this, the project uses a Latent Class Model (LCM) to classify …

Developing A Strategy For Creating Affordable Student Housing Solutions, Juan D. Campolargo

altREU Projects

College is becoming more and more expensive, and students are graduating with more and more debt. In 2021, we have almost 1.6 trillion dollars of student loan debt. While students are in college, they need a place to live, and this project will be about how to develop a strategy for creating affordable student housing solutions.

Housing should not be another cause of concern to students or really anyone.

The way it’s done is that people get more loans to pay for housing, or they work as much as they can when they’re not studying to pay for rent. Affordable …

Finding Lonely Routes For Runners And Bikers, Ethan T. Spicher

REU Final Reports

With COVID-19 raging around the world, personal health is even more important to a lot of people. One way to maintain good physical and mental health is to exercise according to Deslandes [2]. When exercising it may be important to make sure that you are running/biking on trails that are less populated than others, as well as taking into account the distance. This can be solved by creating an algorithm that allows the user to choose the starting and end point, and the algorithm will then find the optimal path between the two points with the distance and popularity of …

Digitally Reporting Trail Obstructions In Forest Park, Colton S. Maybee

REU Final Reports

The inclusion of technology on the trail can lead to better experiences for everyone involved in the hobby. Hikers can play a more prominent role in the maintenance of the trails by being able to provide better reports of obstructions while directly on the trail. This paper goes into the project of revamping the obstruction report system applied at Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. Most of my contributions to the project focus on mobile app development with some research into path planning algorithms related to the continuations of this project.

Modeling The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Azithromycin Prescription In General Practices Across The Uk, Oluwasegun Isaac Daramola

altREU Projects

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was reported that some antibiotics were prescribed as a remedy for viral treatment and prophylaxis based on non-randomized, uncontrolled short clinical trials. A major antibiotic consulted being Azithromycin; a broad-spectrum macrolide selected based on its immunomodulatory effects in chronic inflammatory lung diseases, with a seasonal prescription increase of 21.5% in March 2020 compared to March 2019.

To analyze the effect and possible antimicrobial resistance impact of the pandemic on Azithromycin prescription across general practices in the United Kingdom (UK), this study uses a time series decomposition modeling method to compare a …

Assessing The Impact Of Changing Drought Conditions On Wildfire Emissions In Washington And Oregon, Maggie Liu

altREU Projects

Wildfires impact public health, and threaten life, livelihood, and property across the United States, particularly on the West Coast. This project seeks to find correlations between drought and wildfire emissions by comparing the Modified Palmer Drought Index (PMDI) with smoke particulate (PM2.5) emissions from fires in Oregon and Washington. PM2.5 emissions were taken from 2002 – 2020 from the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s FINN model, which uses satellite observations of active fires to assign burned area, and compares against observed vegetation to model emissions. This project found the strongest positive correlation between fire activity for a summer season (July …

Agent-Based Activity Generation Of Runners For City Infrastructure Planning, Quang Le

REU Final Reports

Since the pandemic started, many gyms and indoor classes have been shut down to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus. Many people have been forced to get onto pavement streets to get some fresh air while running around and coping with the new reality. There are over 60 million runners in the U.S., and that number is growing rapidly during this time without any sign of stopping once life gets back to normal. In this project, an agent-based model has been developed to generate a set of routes that runners would take in their daily run in a neighborhood of Portland …

Forest Park Trail Monitoring, Adan Robles, Colton S. Maybee, Erin Dougherty

REU Final Reports

Forest Park, one of the largest public parks in the United States with over 40 trails to pick from when planning a hiking trip. One of the main problems this park has is that there are too many trails, and a lot of the trails extend over 3 miles. Due to these circumstances’ trails are not checked frequently and hikers are forced to hike trails in the area with no warnings of potential hazards they can encounter. In this paper I researched how Forest Park currently monitors its trails and then set up a goal to solve the problem. We …