Digital Commons Network^™

Model Explanations For Gender And Ethnicity Bias Mitigation In Ai-Generated Narratives, Martha Otisi Dimgba

Dissertations and Theses

Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly utilized in diverse applications, ranging from professional content creation to decision-making systems. However, their outputs often amplify the biases present in their training data, perpetuating stereotypes and reinforcing societal inequities, particularly regarding gender and ethnicity. Such biases can cause tangible harm, especially for underrepresented groups, and require awareness and effective mitigation strategies.

This work explores gender and ethnicity representation in narratives created by generative AI describing 25 occupational fields defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We examine three large language models (LLMs)--Llama 3.1 70B Instruct, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and GPT 4.0 Turbo. …

Cost Comparison Of Congregate, Motel, And Village-Type Shelters For People Experiencing Homelessness, Jacen Greene, Todd Ferry, Emily Leickly, Franklin H. Spurbeck

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Village and motel shelters exemplify the expanding field of “alternative” shelters for people experiencing homelessness, largely defined in contrast to “traditional” congregate shelters. Little research compares the financial costs of alternative and traditional shelter models. The research team analyzed cost data for 13 alternative shelters (six villages and seven motel shelters) and nine traditional congregate shelters in Portland, Oregon. Costs were assessed per “unit” (i.e. shelter bed or motel room) to account for differences in shelter sizes. Village shelters had the highest per-unit set-up costs ($99,630), followed by motel shelters ($88,462), while congregate shelters had the lowest ($43,692). Congregate shelters …

Explaining The Variance In Cardiovascular Health Indicators Among Asian Americans: A Comparison Of Demographic, Socioeconomic, And Ethnicity, Lalaine Sevillano, Adrian Matias Bacong, Dale Dagar Maglalang

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND

The Asian American (AA) population is the fastest-growing major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Typically treated as a monolith in research, disaggregated data show disproportionate cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden among certain AA ethnic groups. This analysis aimed to identify which factors explain variance in cardiovascular health among AA ethnic groups.

METHODS

We analyzed pooled 2010-2018 National Health Interview Survey cross-sectional data from Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, and Other Asian adults in the U.S. Coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke were the CVD outcomes of interest. Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics, CVD-related health behaviors (e.g., smoking tobacco, physical …

The Role Of Homocysteine Redox Chemistry In Biomolecular Mechanisms, Megha Gupta

Dissertations and Theses

Homocysteine at elevated levels is a well-known independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, it is still unclear, after large scale clinical trials, involving tens of thousands of patients, whether homocysteine is a disease mediator or marker. The disconnect between the basic science showing the association of homocysteine with cardiovascular disease and the outcomes of clinical trials based on vitamin therapy for homocysteine lowering, highlights the need for insights into the molecular mechanisms linking homocysteine to cardiovascular disease and other pathologies. For example, elevated homocysteine levels have also been associated with risk for stroke, venous thromboembolism, Alzheimer's disease, neural tube …

The Combined Treatment Of Chinese Herbal Medicines Is Correlated With A Lower Risk Of Rheumatoid Arthritis In Patients With Depression: Evidence From A Population-Based Patient–Control Study, Chieh-Tsung Yen, Hanoch Livneh, Hui-Ju Huang, Ming-Chi Lu, Ming-Chi Lu, Wei-Jen Chen, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Major depression places psychological strain on the individual that may increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Though the use of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) is widespread in clinical practice, its effect on the prevention of RA incidents is still unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the association between CHMs use by patients with depression and their subsequent risk of being diagnosed with RA.

Dimensions Of Organizational And Personal Evidence Use By Senior Managers In Private Child Welfare Agencies, Crystal Collins-Camargo, Emmeline Chuang, Bowen Mcbeath, Aian Mendoza

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Scholars know little about how human service agency leaders use evidence to improve organizational performance. We draw on interviews with 27 private child welfare administrators in six states to examine how senior leaders use evidence, the types of evidence they use, and specific organizational processes established to support evidence use. Results suggest evidence use in private agencies takes diverse forms, including the analysis of internal data, the use of external research, and evidence-based interventions. We identify actions taken by senior leaders to promote various types of evidence use, including modeling, requiring evidence use in decision-making, establishing performance measures, and developing …

Advances In Theory And Computational Methods For Next-Generation Thermoelectric Materials, Junsoo Park, Alex M. Ganose, Yi Xia

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is a review of theoretical and methodological development over the past decade pertaining to computational characterization of thermoelectric materials from first principles. Primary focus is on electronic and thermal transport in solids. Particular attention is given to the relationships between the various methods in terms of the theoretical hierarchy as well as the tradeoff of physical accuracy and computational efficiency of each. Further covered are up-and-coming methods for modeling defect formation and dopability, keys to realizing a material's thermoelectric potential. We present and discuss all these methods in close connection with parallel developments in high-throughput infrastructure and code implementation …

Towards A Global Understanding Of Tree Mortality, Andres Holz, International Tree Mortality Network

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rates of tree mortality are increasing globally, with implications for forests and climate. Yet, how and why these trends vary globally remain unknown. Developing a comprehensive assessment of global tree mortality will require systematically integrating data from ground-based long-term forest monitoring with large-scale remote sensing. We surveyed the metadata from 466 865 forest monitoring plots across 89 countries and five continents using questionnaires and discuss the potential to use these to estimate tree mortality trends globally. Our survey shows that the area monitored has increased steadily since 1960, but we also identify many regions with limited ground-based information on tree …

Scshm Benchmark Study On Bridge In-Service Structural Monitoring, Maria Pina Limongelli, Doug Thomson, Screenevas Alampalli, Aftab Mufti, Thomas Schumacher, Luca Martinelli, Othmane Lasri, Harry Shenton, Genda Chen, Mohammad Noori, Multiple Additional Authors

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The mission of the Society of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (SCSHM, previously known as ISHMII) is to advance the understanding and application of structural monitoring methodologies for the management of civil infrastructure systems. To enable comparative and contrasting studies of various monitoring issues and technologies, the SCSHM Committee on Data-Enhanced Infrastructures Management (DEIMC) identified the need for benchmark problems in the areas of bridge and building structural monitoring. This article reports and briefly discusses the first benchmark study on in-service structural monitoring of bridges that was developed in collaboration with the University of Manitoba, and presents the structure details, study …

Oregon Vegetation Change 1851 – 2023, Ray L. Brunner, Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

This effort compares the total area and spatial overlap between vegetation classes in existing vegetation maps of different eras to provide insight into possible changes in vegetation cover between 1851 and 2023 (Table 1). There are significant differences between the classifications and methods used to make each map, so we focus here on research questions that:
a) relate to at least one specific Key Habitat, and
b) where there is existing research suggesting that the specific pattern investigated is true, and
c) where the differences between the vegetation classifications compared are expected to be smaller than the differences over time. …

Plural Water Narratives: An Environmental Justice Lens On A Systematic Review Of Q-Methodology Water Research, Melissa Haeffner, Alida Cantor, Janet Cowal, Andrea Bryant, Darius Mani Yaw, Kinna Je Palacios, Daniela Serna, Bryce Sprauer, Abigail Tran-Gruver

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Environmental justice research has shown that people's experiences and perceptions of water differ because systematic inequalities shape the extent to which people access clean water and are exposed to water hazards. Q‐methodology is one technique that has been used to aggregate multifaceted subjective narratives and understand different perspectives on a topic. In this paper, we systematically review 77 case study articles applying Q‐methodology to water‐related topics, to inventory how people perceive their relationships with water. We create a classification system based on environmental justice theory to examine (1) distributive justice issues around alternative water sources and agricultural and urban water …

"Our Vision Is That Black Mothers And Birthing People, Fathers, And Partners Are Safe, Honored, And Respected Throughout Pregnancy And Parenthood": Black Birth Workers' Agenda For Black Maternal Health In Oregon, Sarah Marguerite Applin

University Honors Theses

Black women and Birthing People (BWBP) face disproportionate rates of mortality within the United States healthcare system. BWBP are three times more likely to suffer a pregnancy-related death than White women. Therefore, addressing and consulting with BWBP about the birthing experience that BWBP sustains when they are bearing children is imperative. The inclusion and application of this key knowledge and understanding should be emphasized and at the root of further development toward reproductive justice. This participatory story was led by Dr. Roberta Hunte. Interviews and focus groups with Black birth workers, birthing people, and public health professionals were conducted in …

Beyond The Shadow Of Large Cities: Small And Mid-Sized Cities As Hidden Epicenters Of Eviction, Evicted In Oregon, Alex Farrington, Colleen Carroll, Azad Amir-Ghassemi, Safia Goldsmith, Lisa K. Bates

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most eviction research focuses on large cities, leaving us with limited knowledge of evictions in smaller cities. Our analysis of evictions in three small and mid-sized cities in Oregon reveals that these cities can also experience severe eviction crises. By collecting and hand-coding data from justice courts, we provide a comprehensive view of evictions in these cities–including the role different types of courts play–for the first time.

Assessing The Impact Of Anti-Dei Legislation In Florida: An Exploratory Study, Diane L. Odeh, Jan-Martijn Meij

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this study determines what influence, if any, legislation aimed at censoring discussions and practices related to equity has on the ethical decision-making behavior of staff and faculty at a regional university within the state of Florida. Using inductive analysis, themes related to how one navigates profession-based ethics, political pressures, and personal ethics in higher education work will be evaluated. This contributes to the field of administrative ethics by exploring how ideology-based political pressure and direct legislative intervention on the bureaucracy impacts the practice of promoting social equity within public administration; and how an individual balances competing ethical …

Impact Of Roughness Spanwise Wavelength On Secondary Flow Rearrangement, Jianzhi Yang, Xiang I. A. Yang, Luoqin Liu, Jian Zhu, Xiaowei Zhu

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Spanwise heterogeneity in surface roughness generates secondary mean flows in a rough-wall turbulent boundary layer. This study investigates the influence of roughness spanwise wavelength on the arrangement of these secondary flows using direct numerical simulation (DNS). We systematically vary the spanwise wavelength, δS/δ⁠, from ππ/16 to π2π⁠, while maintaining constant roughness height and surface coverage density. Here, S represents the roughness spanwise wavelength, and δδ denotes the outer length scale, which in this case is the half-channel height. Secondary flows are observed in all DNS cases, but their configurations depend on the spanwise wavelength. Specifically, small wavelengths result in low-momentum …

Publishing And The Literary Agent, Rachel Noorda

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

Literary agents are an under researched and comparatively recent feature of international book publishing. This chapter defines literary agents in comparison to other international book publishing intermediaries (like foreign rights agents and literary scouts) and maps the history and roles of the literary agent in Europe and Anglo-America from the nineteenth century to the present. Agents are pushed and pulled by various dichotomies in the industry: center vs periphery, culture vs commerce, local vs global. Over time, literary agents have evolved from brokers to author advocates and informal to professionalized, enabled to flourish and multiply through international copyright coordination and …

Uncovering Moral Injury At Work: The Development And Initial Validation Of The Moral Injury At Work Scale (Miws), Megan J. Snoeyink

Dissertations and Theses

Employees frequently encounter situations at work that present moral or ethical dilemmas. Consequently, they may engage in immoral actions, witness moral violations, or fail to intervene when their coworkers behave immorally. Repeated exposure to such moral challenges can lead to moral injury--the damage to one's moral code and self-image resulting from witnessing, failing to prevent, or participating in what is perceived as an immoral act. Despite the potential for moral injury in workplace contexts, research has yet to adequately explore or measure this phenomenon. This dissertation addresses this gap by developing and validating the Moral Injury at Work Scale (MIWS). …

Improving Public Health Data Collection Approaches Across Populations: Findings From A National Evaluation Of Fruit And Vegetable Incentives, Carmen Byker Shanks, Betty T. Izumi, Jenna Eastman, Teala W. Alvord, Amy L. Yaroch

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: Public health approaches for addressing diet-related health in the United States (US) include nutrition incentive (NI) and produce prescription (PPR) projects. These projects, funded through the US Department of Agriculture Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), aim to support intake of fruits and vegetables through healthy food incentives. Measuring GusNIP impact is vital to assessing the ability of incentives to improve public health nutrition outcomes across populations. Shared measures used across GusNIP projects assess fruit and vegetable intake, food security, demographics, among other variables, through a participant survey. This study explored challenges and opportunities to support evaluation across GusNIP. …

The Effects Of Imidacloprid And Polyester Microfibers On The Larval Development Of The Endangered Sunflower Star, Alexandra G. Tissot, Elise F. Granek, Fiona Curliss, Augustin Kalytiak-Davis, Jason Hodin, Michelle L. Hladik

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sea star wasting syndrome has affected numerous species of sea star, with populations of Pycnopodia helianthoides (Brandt, 1835) left most at risk. As their populations are struggling to recover, it is important to gain a better understanding of the impacts that the multiple stressors in their habitats can have on their populations. Contaminant stressors in particular are of increasing importance, because aquatic organisms can be exposed to a dynamic range of contaminants from nearby anthropogenic activity that may affect their future recovery efforts. This study is the first to quantify the effects of contaminant stressors on the larvae of P. …

Becoming A Learner: An Autoethnography, Joshua Dickinson

Dissertations and Theses

It is well understood that attitudes toward language learning impact outcomes. This thesis uses autoethnography to explore the author's experiences learning German, in-class and independently, examining the interplay between motivation, attitudes, and the learning environment. I analyze personal journals and notes, employing graphic storytelling to illustrate their emotional journey. This paper draws upon existing literature on second language acquisition, particularly focusing on Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System and Ushioda's person-in-context approach. The study reveals how personal beliefs, self-doubt, and the limitations of traditional classroom settings impacted my motivation and ultimately, how reflection facilitated a renewed commitment to learning. In conclusion, …

Navigating The Neoliberal Assemblage: The Role Of A Nonprofit Organization Shaping Disaster Governance And Community Resilience, Andrew Michael Russo

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the evolving role of Nonprofits Active in Disasters ("NADs") in disaster governance through a case study of the Cascade Relief Team, a nonprofit organization responding to the 2020 Echo Mountain Complex Fire in Oregon. Utilizing governmentality and assemblage theory frameworks, the study investigates how CRT navigates the complex interplay between neoliberal rationalities, community needs, and disaster response practices.

The research reveals CRT's multifaceted role in shaping disaster knowledge, mediating between official frameworks and local realities, and influencing the formation of resilient subjectivities. While CRT's practices often align with neoliberal approaches to disaster management, emphasizing individual responsibility and …

Environmental Stability Of The Simulated Forest Immersion Therapy (Sfit) Intervention, Amy Miner Ross, Reo J. F. Jones, Kylee Deterding, Ella Rasmussen

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Shinrin-yoku, forest bathing, has been shown to improve the pain experience in arthritis patients and the immune system in normal healthy patients. Yet, a simulated forest immersion therapy (SFIT) experience has not been tested in these two populations and specifically not in cancer patients. If SFIT complementary therapy in these two populations progresses, the intervention environment as designed needs to be tested. The purpose of this paper is to describe the SFIT setting and test the stability of the interventional environment. Methods: To operationalize SFIT, a protocol of dose delivery was designed and measured. Ambient and surface room temperatures, …

The Dementia Care Partner Hub: An Innovative Approach To Addressing Unmet Social And Health Needs, Sherril Gelmon, Jenn Reed, Walter D. Dawson

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

The well‐being of care partners of people living with dementia, who are family, friends, or neighbors and often unpaid, is often not addressed explicitly in clinical dementia care. Care partners, especially those from systematically marginalized communities, experience substantial unmet social and behavioral needs. We reviewed role model programs and conducted focus groups and interviews with care partners and representatives of community organizations and government agencies. We developed the concept of a Dementia Care Partner Hub as a “one‐stop shop” to connect dementia care partners and service providers with information and resources, meeting a need that is not currently addressed in …

Investigating Environmental Controls On Temperature Dynamics In An Urban Stream, Matthew Cullen Yates

Dissertations and Theses

Water temperature is a critical environmental variable influencing aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated the factors controlling stream temperature and thermal stratification in Rock Creek (RC) and Bethany Lake, an urbanized watershed featuring an in-line irrigation pond and buried wastewater infrastructure. Previous research suggested that subsurface water flow might drive temperature shifts in Rock Creek during summer periods when flow from Bethany Lake ceases. From 2023 to 2024, continuous temperature and stage monitoring, combined with statistical methods including principal component analysis and random forest regression, were used to evaluate seasonal temperature dynamics and their controlling factors. Results confirmed that seasonal reversals …

Preventing Carbon Emissions With Imaging-Based Civil Infrastructure Assessment And Evaluation, Thomas Schumacher

PSU Transportation Seminars

For concrete bridges without existing plans, simplified and highly conservative load rating (structural evaluation) methods may be used, which can lead to unnecessary load restrictions, unjustifiable strengthening, or in the worst case, preventable replacements. Avoiding these outcomes not only saves money but it prevents carbon emissions from longer travel and construction activities and resources associated with replacement.

This presentation discusses a case study of a prestressed concrete bridge that required a load rating, and for which no plans existed. Imaging and image fusion using radar and ultrasonic measurements taken from the top and bottom of the slab were performed to …

Commensality In The Eateries Of Roman Pompeii, Amaya Yolanda Eckersley

Dissertations and Theses

Despite a nearly 300-year excavation history at Pompeii and many identified eating and drinking establishments, social behavior in these public or semi-public spaces has eluded significant research. Elite Roman literature is the traditional guideline for understanding Roman mealtimes and what they meant for social behavior. This literature, however, fails to accurately represent its sub-elite inhabitants. These sub-elites of Rome largely had their meals prepared outside of their homes. Pompeii is no exception and provides a massive boon for researchers willing to consider archaeological evidence. The buildings and evidence buried at Pompeii have ultimately shown a wide array of tabernae related …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Wallowa Mountainbalm (Monardella Walwaamaxsia), Nora Dunkirk, Gabriel E. Campbell

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Wallowa mountainbalm (Monardella walwaamaxsia) using NatureServe methodology, 2025.

All The Lonely People: An Integrated Review And Research Agenda On Work And Loneliness, Julie M. Mccarthy, Berrin Erdogan, Talya Bauer, Selin Kudret, Emily Campion

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Decades of studies spanning multiple disciplines have provided insight into the critical role of loneliness in work contexts. In spite of this extensive research, a comprehensive review of loneliness and work remains absent. To address this gap, we conducted a multidisciplinary review of relevant theory and research and identified 213 articles reporting on 233 empirical studies from management, organizational psychology, sociology, medicine, and other domains to uncover why people feel lonely, how different features of work can contribute to feelings of loneliness, and the implications of employee loneliness for organizational settings. This enabled a critical examination of the distinct conceptualizations …

A Critical Appraisal Of Poverty In The Context Of Nature-Based Communities: Selected Cases From The Philippines, Carla Edith Gonzales Jimena

Dissertations and Theses

The Philippines is considered one of the wealthiest countries in both Southeast Asia and the world when measured by biodiversity, mineral resources and natural resources. It is also one of the most highly mineralized countries on earth. However, despite these natural endowments, when measured by established economic and human development indices the Philippines remains poor. Using critical perspectives derived from Marxist tradition, William Chambliss' theory of law and its dialectical nature, Immanuel Wallerstein's World Systems Theory, and Fred Block's structural mechanism of the state, this study aimed to critically appraise the persistence of poverty in nature-based communities in the Philippines. …

Life History, Reproductive, And Demographic Parameters For Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Sarasota Bay, Florida, Randall S. Wells, Aleta A. Hohn, Michael D. Scott, Jay C. Sweeney, Forrest I. Townsend, Jason B. Allen, Aaron A. Barleycorn, Katherine A. Mchugh, Kim Bassos-Hull, Gretchen N. Lovewell, Deborah A. Duffield, Cynthia R. Smith, A. Blair Irvine

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies of the resident community of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of Sarasota Bay, Florida, have been conducted for more than 50 years. Detailed histories have been collected for resident individuals through integrated observations, systematic photographic identification surveys, tagging and tracking, catch-and-release health assessments, remote biopsy sampling, and stranding response. This has produced a unique dataset documenting life history milestones and vital rates of a small cetacean. Analyses of data from 482 resident Sarasota Bay dolphins have revealed estimated maximum life spans of 67 years for females and 52 years for males. For females, predicted age at sexual maturation …