Digital Commons Network^™

Color Associations As Advertising Strategies: An Analysis Of Consumer Attitudes Toward The Healthfulness Of Energy Bar Packaging, Rachel Lotz

University Honors Theses

Color plays a strong role in shaping consumers’ attitude toward brands, expectations, and likeability in the field of advertising. Associations with colors are formed within consumers’ culture and are often universal in meaning. Through three studies, the role of color in relationship to perceived healthfulness on energy bar packaging is observed. The results show a strong correlation between a particular color associated with healthfulness due to preconceived color associations often highlighted in advertising strategies. However the results raised unexpected, yet insightful correlations with other colors, which participants identified as healthy. When participants were asked to pick the energy bar that …

Integration Of Movement/Posture: A Dynamic Adaptive Process Model, Daniel A. Akins

University Honors Theses

Structural Integration (SI) is a process of manual therapy and sensorimotor education that aims to facilitate sustainable improvement in whole-body biomechanical functioning and a sense of ease and coherence in normal movement/posture. Traditional and currently widespread explanations for the physiological mechanisms underlying SI theory and practice have focused on notions of fascial tissue change and postural alignment, while recent challenges to these explanations advocate a shift away from these interests toward a neurocentric model that emphasizes movement, pain, and biopsychosocial factors. SI seeks to professionalize and become an auxiliary to healthcare, so it must embrace scientific standards while maintaining its …

Defining Protein Interactions: Ankle Link Proteins Of Stereocilia In Hair Cells, Ladan Yazdidoust

University Honors Theses

Hearing loss presenting without any other defects is referred to as nonsyndromic, whereas hearing loss in combination with one or more defects is referred to as syndromic hearing loss. Usher syndrome, one example of syndromic hearing loss, is a genetic disorder that affects both hearing and vision. There are several genes associated with Usher syndrome. The genes GPR98 and USH2A are critical for ankle link formation and when mutated result in deafness. Our lab (Barr-Gillespie Lab at OHSU) is interested in further characterizing the protein-protein interactions required to form the ankle links. This includes two genes (PDZD7 and MYO7A …

Precipitation Intensity Required For Landslide Initiation In Rwanda, Angela N. Piller

University Honors Theses

Rwanda has a high density of landslides, heavy precipitation events and a shortage of resources to study them, making it an excellent candidate for study using satellite-based remote sensing data. To assess landslide hazards countrywide, I first built a landslide inventory of 254 landslides and used a statistical methodology. Using logistic regression on 24 test variables, I determined that slope and population density are statistically most relevant to landslide occurrence in Rwanda. A preliminary predictive hazard map for Rwanda was produced, with an overall predictive accuracy of 79.6%. Second, I worked to define a relationship between precipitation intensity and landslide …

Carbon Dioxide Concentrations: An Examination Of Carbon Sequestration Via Global Reforestation, Jordan Bertagnolli

University Honors Theses

Deforestation has resulted in a dramatic change to Earth’s landscape, climate, and ecosystems. To date, 46% of all forests have been cut since the onset of agriculture about 12,000 years ago (Crowther et al., 2015). During that same time, greenhouse gas concentrations have grown by 51.8% (Crowther et al., 2015). A solution to this problem could be vast carbon capture initiatives involving tree planting. Historical reforestation efforts have thus far been conducted regionally and currently make up less than 1% of the forest cover that they are replacing. With current CO₂ concentrations at a record high of 402.26 ppm …

Adverse Effects Of Mercury And Some Management Options To Reduce Dental Amalgam Waste, Marta Szabatin

University Honors Theses

Mercury is a persistent, toxic pollutant and at elevated levels can cause serious environmental harm to aquatic life, wildlife, and humans. Mercury from anthropogenic sources continues to be a significant risk to human health causing regulatory agencies to address this issue. The purpose of this study is to review the sources, forms and adverse effects of mercury, and identify the tools regulating mercury-containing dental waste management, and the advantages and disadvantages of various management practices that help to minimize mercury releases into municipal sewage system and into waterbodies. Dental facilities are significant mercury dischargers to wastewater treatment facilities and dental …

Gi Zoonoses In Companion Pets Of The Homeless : The Effects Of Environment And Behavior On The Prevalence Of Gi Parasites, And The Role Of Veterinarians In Public Health Education, Matthew Edwards

University Honors Theses

Veterinarians are the front-line in the world of pet-health and zoonoses which means they are also at the front-line of human health and have an important role of educating clients on behaviors that would both reduce the risk of human and pet contracting a disease. In this study we collected 85 stool samples in Portland OR, USA and examined these by centrifugal fecal flotation, direct smears and for a small number (n=15) ELISA snap-tests. Parasitic prevalence was found to be 27.1% total including 2.4% Ancyclostoma Sp., 4.7% Cryptosporidium Sp., 7.1% Cystoisopora Sp., 9.4% Taenia Sp., 2.4% Giardia Sp., and 2.4% …

Asbestos Exposure In Demolition: An Analysis Of Abatement Practices And Alternatives To Demolition, Allison Woolverton

University Honors Theses

This paper examines the effectiveness of the abatement process on homes in Portland, Oregon through the analysis of asbestos surveys conducted by The City of Portland. It evaluates the levels of hazardous materials that are left in homes after the abatement process which can be disbursed into the air and soil during demolition and thus create significant health hazards for demolition crews and surrounding residents.

The research methods employed for this paper include the analysis of asbestos surveys on homes provided by The Rebuilding Center of Portland (The Rebuilding Center) to see what materials contained asbestos. The surveys were used …

Anticommercial Purposes: New Methods In Graphic Design And Radical Environmental Change, Nina Berry

University Honors Theses

This paper explores the ways in which graphic design has approached and interacted with sustainability throughout the last quarter of the 20th century and into today. Following two collaborative manifestos of graphic designers discussing design's potential outside of the commercial realm, this paper examines the way that graphic design has assisted with environmentalism thus far and makes a proposal for the way that graphic design should be used in an environmentally sustainable context into the future. Using the tenets of the new scholarly realm of Transition Design, this paper dissects how graphic design can assist a transition away from a …

Looking To The Future Of Education: A Social Art Practice Pedagogy, Alexis Xochihua

University Honors Theses

This article discusses how the implementation of a social practice arts pedagogy will benefit the American educational system. It discusses methodologies and influences that affect the current system and how this system does not prepare students for higher education or life. The social practice art pedagogy utilized arts-integrated pluralization of topics and integration of social examination in order to develop critical thinking skills, social awareness, and quality of education.

Fitness And Fatness: The Conflation Of Weight With Health, And The Consequences Of Fat-Shaming, Kristin Spurkland

University Honors Theses

Obesity is widely accepted as one of the major health crises facing the United States, and increasingly, the world. Labeled a disease by the American Medical Association, and frequently characterized as an epidemic, obesity is the target of high profile national health interventions, media campaigns, and a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. The message produced by public health agencies is that obesity is a killer, and that reducing weight is a beneficial and achievable goal generating many positive health outcomes. This paper presents two primary arguments that counter the prevailing attitudes towards obesity: that as a stand-alone measure, Body Mass Index …

Animal Hoarding: An In Depth Look At The Issues And Interventions, Amanda Mooneyham

University Honors Theses

Animal hoarding cases in regard to 501(c)3 nonprofit agencies have been on the rise in recent decades and current intervention strategies are struggling to address this complex social problem. Animal hoarding not only affects the animals being abused, but it has adverse effects on humans and the environment. This paper examines the complexities surrounding animal hoarding, specifically focusing on the rescue hoarder mentality. The current intervention methods used are criminal prosecution, civil/regulatory enforcement, and mental health evaluations/treatments. Criminal prosecution is effective for some animal hoarders, but a lack of laws protecting animals along with animals being viewed as property translates …

Elsie's Secret, Mersene Pappas

University Honors Theses

Not Required for Creative Thesis

The Controversy Over Community Water Fluoridation : An Analysis Of Its Effects And Reasons Behind The Arguments, Grace Noda

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores different viewpoints on the history of community water fluoridation and reflects on the arguments made by the pro- and anti-fluoridationists in the United States. Community water fluoridation has been controversial in the United States since it was first proposed in 1945. Since then, fluoridation has been a major factor in reducing the prevalence and severity of dental cavities in the United States (U.S.).

Fluoride safely and effectively prevents dental cavities and is available from multiple sources. Community water fluoridation is one of these sources, providing fluoride to all people regardless of their position within the community. Even …

Expression And Purification Of Recombinant Protein To Generate A Monoclonal Antibody To The Px Domain Of Tks5 Α Isoform In Cancer Cells, Eva Y. Chan

University Honors Theses

Tyrosine kinase Src substrates, Tks4 and Tks5, are involved in the formation of podosomes and invadopodia during cell migration and cancer cell metastasis. Most recently, the α isoform of Tks5 has been discovered highly expressed in cancer cells, suggesting that the Tks5 α isoform plays essential roles in the regulation of invadopodia. In the Tks protein family, only the Tks5 α isoform contains a PX domain, which binds an important second messenger, PI (3,4) P2. Using a monoclonal antibody as an antigen-specific-probe to detect the protein of interest could be a useful tool that would provide a highly specific recognition …

Regarding The Treatment Of Women, Where Did Jesus Set The Bar?, Katerina Paetzhold

University Honors Theses

This thesis crafts an argument for greater female education, teaching, and leadership within modern day Christian churches. By examining three key interactions between Jesus and women as recorded in the four canonical gospels, a clear example for gender equality within Christianity emerges. The manner in which Jesus speaks with the Samaritan Woman, Mary of Bethany, and the women at the resurrection, as well as the roles and responsibilities he places on them demonstrates that Christ saw women as capable of learning, teaching, and leading. As the canon of Christianity, Jesus' life on earth is the template that sets the bar …

Cofactor Binding Determinants In The Nadph-Dependent Nitrile-Oxidoreductase Quef, Spencer William Cohen

University Honors Theses

The NADPH-dependent nitrile-oxidioreductase, QueF is the only known enzyme capable of reducing a nitrile group to an amine. This ability makes it an attractive alternative to conventional industrial nitrile reduction. Understating how QueF binds NADPH may lead to the development of an enzyme capable of using the less expensive reductive cofactor NADH. A cofactor docking model indicates that key residues, Q60 and Y21, interact with the ribose phosphate moiety unique to NADPH. Mutants of these residues (Q60A, Q60N, Q60E, Y21A and Y21F) were developed for steady-state kinetic analysis. Modification to either residue resulted in a decrease in binding and catalytic …

Pre-Roosting Assemblages In Birds: An Observation Of American Crows In The Portland Park Blocks, Katherine Hendricks

University Honors Theses

The first objective of this study is to describe the seasonal patterns of variation in crow numbers and to assess the extent to which crow numbers vary with weather over the course of the winter in the Portland State University Park Blocks. The second objective of this study is to draw on current literature to help determine a possible explanation for the crow gatherings that occur at the Portland State University Park Blocks. I observed the population of crows from October 23^rd 2016 to March 31^st 2016 with a restricted survey area around Millar Library on the Portland …

Fetal Stress And Neurogenesis In Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis, Kalera Stratton

University Honors Theses

Little is currently known about normal brain development and the growth of new nerve cells, known as neurogenesis, in most species, let alone how exposure to prenatal stress affects these processes. Using red-sided garter snakes as our animal model, we have a unique opportunity to study the impact of exposure to elevated maternal glucocorticoids, commonly known as "stress hormones", on brain development. This species is viviparous, with a proto-placental structure through which developing fetuses receive nutrients from the dam. Adult snakes also exhibit high rates of seasonal changes in neurogenesis. We captured mated female snakes and treated one-third of them …

Review: A Novel Multiple Sclerosis Model Utilizing Cuprizone And Rapamycin, Mara Bahri

University Honors Theses

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system leading to debilitating long-term neurologic damage, primarily due to the limited ability of remyelination in the adult human brain. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the combined administration of Cuprizone (CPZ) and rapamycin as a novel animal model for MS. Utilization of CPZ induces non-immune mediated demyelination, therefore bypassing complexities of the immune system and allowing analysis of de-/remyelination. Furthermore, remyelination occurs simultaneous with demyelination due to ongoing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) differentiation into mature oligodendrocytes (OLGs).

The immunosuppressive agent, rapamycin inhibits the regulatory pathway Akt/mTOR, …

Determinants Of Activity Levels In African Americans With Mild Cognitive Impairment., Barry W. Rovner, Md, Robin J. Casten, Phd, Benjamin E. Leiby, Phd

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Engaging in cognitive, social, and physical activities may prevent cognitive decline. In a sample of older African Americans with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; N=221), we investigated the cross-sectional relationships between activity levels and participants' demographic, clinical, and neuropsychological characteristics. The average age of participants was 75.4 years (SD, 7.0); 177 (80.1%) were women. Participation in cognitive/social activities was positively associated with education, depression, literacy, mobility, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), verbal learning, and subcomponents of executive function. A linear regression identified IADLs, education, depression, and verbal learning as independent predictors. Participation in physical activities was positively associated with sex, …

Diabetes And Physical Activity, Jameela Banu

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Diabetes has been on the rise globally. Although many factors contribute to the increasing risk and manifestation of this disease lack and decreased physical activity/ exercise stands out as one of the major factors. Treatment interventions for prediabetic and diabetic patients include diet and lifestyle changes with enhanced physical activity/ exercise. Several types of physical activity are available for these patients but, recommendations have to be made on an individual basis after giving due consideration to the comorbidities and other risks and barriers. Implementation of progressive resistance therapy may be successful in maintaining glucose homeostasis in diabetic patients.

Assessing The Information Needs And Information Sources Of Urban And Peri-Urban Livestock Keepers In Kinondoni And Morogoro Urban Districts, Tanzania., Consolata Angello 1, Jangawe Msuya 2, Doris Matovelo 3

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper discusses the information needs of urban and peri-urban livestock keepers and the various information sources used and their effectiveness in disseminating livestock information. Mixed method approach was the methodology used in the study whereby quantitative data was gathered using questionnaires while qualitative data was gathered using in-depth interviews and participant observations. Findings from this study revealed that livestock keepers had various information needs such as disease control (95.3%), nutrition and feeds (62.2%), markets (56.3%), housing techniques (29.1%) and loans (20.1%). Urban livestock keepers also used different sources of information to access information including veterinary shops (77.2%), extension services …

Current Challenges In Atrial Fibrillation Ablation, Edward John Davies

Peninsula Medical School Theses

The ablative management of atrial fibrillation, despite a number of landmark discoveries, remains one of the most challenging fields in interventional electrophysiology. It is generally accepted that successful isolation of the pulmonary veins is a highly effective way of managing paroxysmal forms of AF. However, despite almost a decade of research into alternative lesion patterns, the solution to persistent AF remains beyond our grasp. A variety of strategies have been proposed to target key areas in the atria; these use various complex mapping systems, usually based on tailored lesion sets to try and improve outcomes. None have proven to be …

Visual Odometry And Mapping In Natural Environments For Arbitrary Camera Motion Models, George Terzakis

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This is a thesis on outdoor monocular visual SLAM in natural environments. The techniques proposed herein aim at estimating camera pose and 3D geometrical structure of the surrounding environment. This problem statement was motivated by the GPS-denied scenario for a sea-surface vehicle developed at Plymouth University named Springer. The algorithms proposed in this thesis are mainly adapted for the Springer’s environmental conditions, so that the vehicle can navigate on a vision based localization system when GPS is not available; such environments include estuarine areas, forests and the occasional semi-urban territories. The research objectives are constrained versions of the ever-abiding problems …

Memories From Rudbøl, 1923-1927: My Teaching At Rudbøl Danish School, M.R. Mikkelsen

The Bridge

All four of my grandparents emigrated from Denmark in the 1890s. The first time any member of my immediate family visited Denmark was almost a century later, when my wife Marge and I, together with our two sons David and Philip, went over to spend an eight-month sabbatical leave from Iowa State University in Denmark in 1981.

Use Of Plastic Mulch For Vegetable Production, Tiffany Maughan, Dan Drost

All Current Publications

Plastic mulches are used commercially for both vegetables and small fruit crops. Vegetable crops well suited for production with plastic mulch are typically high value row crops. This fact sheet describes the advantages, disadvantages, installation, and planting considerations. It includes sources for plastic and equipment.

Gras-Fed Americans: Sick Of Lax Regulation Of Food Additives, Martha Dragich

Faculty Publications

Americans are “GRAS-fed” because of a “loophole” in the strict regime Congress provided for the regulation of food additives. Additives - and food products containing them - are exempt from this strict regime if they are accorded GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status. The guidelines Congress provided for achieving that status by scientific evidence of safety are no longer observed. Most additives are determined by the producer alone to be GRAS. At the same time, Americans’ consumption of highly processed foods continues to rise, giving rise to long-term health problems that are increasingly tied to diet. The average American’s diet …

Bound For Beaumont: Eleanor Roosevelt's 1939 Train Trip Through East Texas And Beyond, Mary L. Scheer

East Texas Historical Journal

No abstract provided.

Ethj Vol-54 No-2

East Texas Historical Journal

No abstract provided.