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Curriculum Change 2016-2017, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Landmark Based Shape Analysis For Cerebellar Ataxia Classification And Cerebellar Atrophy Pattern Visualization, Zhen Yang, S. Mazdak Abulnaga, Aaron Carass, Bruno Jedynak, Chiadi U. Onyike, Jerry L. Prince, Multiple Additional Authors

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cerebellar dysfunction can lead to a wide range of movement disorders. Studying the cerebellar atrophy pattern associated with different cerebellar disease types can potentially help in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning. In this paper, we present a landmark based shape analysis pipeline to classify healthy control and different ataxia types and to visualize the characteristic cerebellar atrophy patterns associated with different types. A highly informative feature representation of the cerebellar structure is constructed by extracting dense homologous landmarks on the boundary surfaces of cerebellar sub-structures. A diagnosis group classifier based on this representation is built using partial least square dimension …

The Pathology Of Command And Control: A Formal Synthesis, Michael Cox

Dartmouth Scholarship

One of the most important theories in the study of environmental governance and policy is the pathology of command and control, which describes the negative consequences of top-down, technocratic governance of social and ecological systems. However, to date, this theory has been expressed somewhat inconsistently and informally in the literature, even by the seminal works that have established its importance and popularized it. This presents a problem for the sustainability science community if it cannot be sure of the precise details of one of its most important theories. Without such precision, applications and tests of various elements of the theory …

Measurement Challenges In Shared Decision Making: Putting The ‘Patient’ In Patient‐Reported Measures, Paul J. Barr, Glyn Elwyn

Dartmouth Scholarship

Measuring clinicians' shared decision-making (SDM) performance is a key requirement given the intensity of policy interest in many developed countries - yet it remains one of the most difficult methodological challenges, which is a concern for many stakeholders. In this Viewpoint Article, we investigate the development of existing patient-reported measures (PRMs) of SDM identified in a recent review. We find that patients were involved in the development of only four of the 13 measures. This lack of patient involvement in PRM development is associated with two major threats to content validity, common to all 13 PRMs of SDM: (i) an …

The Effectiveness Of Physical Activity Interventions On Young Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis, Adam Nacario

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Objective: The purpose of the study is to examine the efficacy of physical activity interventions and practices on psychomotor, cognitive, or affective outcomes on young individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Methods: Standard meta-analytical procedures determining inclusion criteria, literature searches in electronic databases, coding procedures, and statistical methods were used to identify and synthesize articles retained for analysis. Cohen’s d (1988) will be utilized in order to interpret effect sizes and quantify research findings. The impact was assessed using coding procedures that categorize independent variables.

Results: A total of 23 independent samples (N=896) were utilized in this analysis. Results …

Baseline Monitoring And Characterization Of Rocky Intertidal Fish Communities In Northern California, Kevin D. Hinterman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

A network of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been established in northern California, covering 137 square miles of coastline, with the goal of maintaining commercially and recreationally important species and to preserve biodiversity. This is the first study in California to create a biodiversity and phylogenetic baseline of rocky intertidal fish communities within MPAs and nearby reference sites. Diversity, abundance, and size structure of intertidal fishes were compared among seven sites from Fort Bragg to Crescent City, CA during the summers and winters of 2014 and 2015. A total of 34 species were collected throughout sampling, just three less …

Evaluating Brandt’S Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Penicillatus) Reproductive Success: Effects Of Parental Care Behaviors And Estimating Individual Chick Survival, Shannon Murphy

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Variation in reproductive success is widely measured in seabird biology in an effort to indicate changes in the marine environment, or understand basic questions about ecology or conservation of seabirds. When variation in seabird reproductive success is suggested to indicate changes in the marine environment without identifying the proximate causes of such variation, inference is limited to association, and the proximate causes themselves could prove more effective as indicators. My study informs this problem by examining and quantifying proximate causes of variation in reproductive success, at the level of nests and individual chicks.

I used video of Brandt’s Cormorant ( …

Seasonal Habitat Selection Of The North American Porcupine (Erethizon Dorsatum) In A Coastal Dune Forest, Cara L. Appel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Wildlife-habitat relationship studies are important for understanding the factors that determine where species occur in space and time. Habitat selection by generalist species should be studied on fine spatial and temporal scales to avoid masking important differences between seasons, localities, or orders of selection. I conducted the first study of habitat use and general ecology of North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) in a coastal dune environment. Specifically, I assessed changes in body mass, home range size, and habitat selection in relation to the potential for seasonal nutritional and survival bottlenecks as reported elsewhere. Although they are considered generalists, …

Simulation Of Nuclear Fusion Using A One Dimensional Particle In Cell Method, Steven T. Margell

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In this thesis several novel techniques are developed to simulate fusion events in an isotropic, electrostatic three-dimensional Deuterium-Tritium plasma. These techniques allow us to accurately predict three-dimensional collision events with a one-dimensional model while simultaneously reducing compute time via a nearest neighbor algorithm. Furthermore, a fusion model based on first principles is developed that yields an average fusion reactivity which correlates well with empirical results.

Early Seral Mixed-Conifer Forest Structure And Composition Following A Wildfire Reburn In The Sierra Nevada, Erin Alvey

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Before the era of modern fire suppression, California’s northern Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer and yellow pine forests were self-regulating; recurring short-interval, low-mixed severity wildfires maintained forest structure and composition, which in turn exerted bottom-up controls on subsequent wildfires. As a result of fire suppression, and coupled with the effects of climate warming and other anthropogenic disturbances, the fundamental structure of mixed-conifer and yellow pine forests has shifted. Wildfires may now be increasing in size, severity, and frequency across western North America. However, little is known about the post-fire impacts of repeat wildfire on a forest after a long era of suppression. …

Juvenile Survival And Adult Return As A Function Of Freshwater Rearing Life History For Coho Salmon In The Klamath River Basin, Molly Gorman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Scott and Shasta rivers, Klamath River tributaries, experience spatial disparity in habitat quality in spring and summer as a result of historical and current land-use. Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) born in the upper tributary reaches often rear in natal streams before migrating to sea. However, those born in the lower reaches often encounter unsuitable habitat and emigrate during their first spring to seek non-natal rearing habitats. It is assumed that these early outmigrants are population losses. This study evaluated first-summer survival, and contribution to the adult population, of non-natal rearing juveniles in the Klamath River Basin. …

The Influence Of Enrollment In Career And Technical Education Courses On The Achievement Of High School Special Education Students, Melinda Simoneaux Partin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation joins a conversation in the special education arena about the academic and vocational agenda for special education high school students. It explores the influence of enrollment in Career Technical Education (CTE) courses on the achievement of high school special education (SPED) students. The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement of special education (SPED) students enrolled in Career Technical Education (CTE) courses with special education (SPED) students who were not enrolled in Career Technical Education (CTE) courses. The study was designed to determine whether or not SPED students enrolled in CTE improved on the academic scores …

Individuals With Dementia In Respite Care: Longitudinal Changes In Anxiety, Social Engagement, And Problem Behaviors, Rachael Elizabeth Mills

LSU Master's Theses

Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia commonly referred to as persons with dementia (PWD), often experience behavioral and psychological symptoms as a result of the disease process. With no cure for AD and no way to prevent the onset of this disease, studies are analyzing methods to manage the symptoms of this disease. Previous literature on the effect of social adult day models is limited, especially pertaining to particular symptoms linked to this disease. This study explored three presenting symptoms associated with AD: anxiety, problem behaviors, and social engagement. Using a secondary data analysis, a sample of 30 participants …

Framing The Ebola Outbreak: Systemic Influences On News Coverage, Adaobi Vivian Duru

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Using a media systems comparative framework, I investigated the relationship between systemic characteristics and news coverage of international events. Leveraging a highly salient event: the Ebola outbreak, I extended the Hallin and Mancini Model to non-western democracies. This dissertation explored differences in media coverage of Ebola across media systems. Findings revealed that characteristics of media systems inform how news about an event is framed by reporters. By investigating news influences, this dissertation broadly sheds light on the latent influences of politics and culture on what audiences receive as news. My results showed that liberal media systems such as those …

Application Of Biomass Derived Materials In Nanocomposites And Drilling Fluids, Kunlin Song

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Tar is inevitably produced from biomass thermochemical processes, and is often disposed as an industrial waste, leading to environmental pollution. As a result of its high carbon content, tar was expected to be a promising precursor for manufacturing carbon materials. Consequently, low-cost porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) using tar, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and silver nanoparticles was fabricated through electrospinning and subsequent stabilization and carbonization processes. The continuous electrospun nanofibers were obtained with diameters ranging from 392 to 903 nm. The addition of biomass tar resulted in increased fiber diameters, reduced thermal stabilities, and slowed cyclization reactions of PAN in the as-spun nanofibers. …

Analysis Of Disruptions In The Gulf Of Mexico Oil And Gas Industry Supply Chain And Related Economic Impacts, Negar Dahitaleghani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Catastrophic events are human and economic tragedies in collaboration. Oil spills have enormous impacts on the local economy of the area and for the local labor markets. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was caused by an explosion on semisubmersible drilling rig (Macondo) on April 20, 2010. Another regional disaster, Hurricane Katrina as it ripped over the core of the Gulf of Mexico producing zone, one of the most important oil and gas production region. With Geological complexities, continued of drilling and production in GoM increases the risk of having leak/spill. Therefore, the Econometrics methods, and Modeling to forecast impacts of …

Fuckstutter, Anthony Francis Ramstetter

LSU Master's Theses

This manuscript is my Master thesis, which I have compiled to fulfill the requirements of a creative writing examination in poetry. It collects various pathways of poetry in terms of both form & content into professional & publishable finality. The thesis presents sections (untitled) which include subsequent themes & variations that qualifies, consolidates, & measures the poet’s work during this program of writing herein.

Review Of Alaska Mental Health Statutes, Sara Gordon, Melissa Piasecki, Gil Kahn, Dawn Nielsen

Scholarly Works

This report identifies key statutory provisions that we recommend be amended, a description of our findings based on interviews with stakeholders, legislative history of the Alaska statutes, reviews of national best practices and, where applicable, information about emerging areas in national mental health law for Alaska to consider in creating new law. Our recommendations are based in large part on significant advances in law and medicine in the understanding and treatment of mental illness that have occurred in the years since Alaska last made significant and substantive reforms to its criminal and civil mental health statutes. It is important to …

Crossing The Line: Daubert, Dual Roles, And The Admissibility Of Forensic Mental Health Testimony, Sara Gordon

Scholarly Works

Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals often testify as forensic experts in civil commitment and criminal competency proceedings. When an individual clinician assumes both a treatment and a forensic role in the context of a single case, however, that clinician forms a dual relationship with the patient—a practice that creates a conflict of interest and violates professional ethical guidelines. The court, the parties, and the patient are all affected by this conflict and the biased testimony that may result from dual relationships. When providing forensic testimony, the mental health professional’s primary duty is to the court, not to the patient, …

Reconciling The Premium Tax Credit: Painful Complications For Lower And Middle-Income Taxpayers, Francine J. Lipman, James E. Williamson

Scholarly Works

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) makes available to certain middle and lower-income individuals a refundable tax credit, the Premium Tax Credit (PTC), designed to help them pay the premiums on their qualified health care plans. To achieve Congress’s goal of making health insurance affordable, the PTC is most often provided directly to an individual’s insurance provider each month in advance of actually claiming the PTC on the individual’s year-end annual tax return. Of the almost twelve million individuals who have enrolled in health insurance through the federal and state health exchanges in 2015, 85% of these individuals …

Locked Up: Fear, Racism, Prison Economics, And The Incarceration Of Native Youth, Addie C. Rolnick

Scholarly Works

Native youth are disproportionately incarcerated, often for relatively minor offenses. One potential solution is to move more Native youth out of federal and state courts and invest in tribal juvenile justice systems. Tribal systems are assumed to be less punitive than nontribal ones, so greater tribal control should mean less incarceration. Little is known, however, about the role of incarceration in tribally run systems. This article examines available information on Native youth in tribal juvenile justice systems from 1998 to 2013. At least sixteen new secure juvenile facilities were built to house youth under tribal court jurisdiction, with federal investment …

Magnesium Deficiency Results In Oxidation And Fragmentation Of Dna, Down Regulation Of Telomerase Activity, And Ceramide Release In Cardiovascular Tissues And Cells: Potential Relationship To Atherogenesis, Cardiovascular Diseases And Aging, Burton M. Altura, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Jose Luis Perez-Albela, Bella T. Altura

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

The authors discuss the potential relationship between magnesium, cardiovascular diseases, and aging.

Undetected Conflict-Of-Laws Problems In Cross-Border Online Copyright Infringement Cases, Marketa Trimble

Scholarly Works

This article provides and analyzes data on copyright infringement cases filed in U.S. federal district courts in 2013; it focuses on infringement cases involving activity on the internet and discusses actual and potential conflict-of-laws issues that the cases raised or could have raised. The article complements the report entitled "Private International Law Issues in Online Intellectual Property Infringement Disputes with Cross-Border Elements: An Analysis of National Approaches" (the "Report"), which was published by the World Intellectual Property Organization in September 2015. In the Report its author, Professor Andrew F. Christie, discusses his empirical findings about the intersection of intellectual property …

The Humanities In The Law School Curriculum: Courtship And Consummation, Linda H. Edwards

Scholarly Works

Today the humanities occupy a small corner of the law school curriculum. Might they instead become a more vibrant partner in legal education? Might law and humanities scholarship escape the pages of law reviews and teach us something important about how to read and understand the law?

Despite the long theoretical dominance of legal realism in scholarly circles, much of legal education as we know it has remained mired in Langdell's formalist vision of the law—a vision of a narrow, abstract, impersonal system bereft of human meaning and value. But we can do better. We can approach law, and teach …

Introduction To The U.S. Feminist Judgments Project, Linda L. Berger, Kathryn M. Stanchi, Bridget J. Crawford

Scholarly Works

The U.S. Feminist Judgments Project turns attention to the U.S. Supreme Court. Contributors to this volume challenge the formalistic concepts that U.S. Supreme Court opinions are, or should be, written from a neutral vantage point and that they are, or should be, based on deductive logic or “pure” rationality. When the project’s authors brought their own feminist consciousness or philosophy to some of the most important (and supposedly “neutral”) decisions and assertions about gender-related issues, the judicial decisions took on a very different character. Feminist consciousness broadens and widens the lens through which we view law and helps the decision …

Complying With The Hipaa Privacy Rule: Problems And Perspectives, Stacey A. Tovino

Scholarly Works

Twenty years ago, President Clinton signed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) into law. Over the past two decades, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published several sets of rules implementing the Administrative Simplification provisions within HIPAA as well as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical (HITECH) Act within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These rules include a final rule governing the use and disclosure of protected health information by covered entities and their business associates (Privacy Rule).

This Article addresses the question of what it means for …

Speaking Of Stories And Law, Linda H. Edwards

Scholarly Works

A recurring question in narrative scholarship has been the relationship of narrative to law. Most narrative scholars agree that stories are central to law. As Stephen Paskey recently pointed out, stories are more than a tool for persuasion. They are embedded in law’s very structure. But how does that work? Are rules just stories articulated in a different form?

We have barely begun to explore narrative’s roles, but it is already clear that, in the words of Meryl Streep, “it’s complicated.” A conceptual map of what we’ve learned so far can help us unpack the complexity. Otherwise we may run …

Gambling Disorder, Vulnerability, And The Law: Mapping The Field, Stacey A. Tovino

Scholarly Works

This Article seeks to descriptively map the sub-field of gambling disorder and the law and ask whether individuals with gambling disorder are vulnerable under the law. Like other scholarship that descriptively maps ethical, legal, and social implications of lesser known conditions and developments, this Article seeks to describe the treatment of individuals with gambling disorder in a variety of illustrative, but not exhaustive, legal contexts, to identify the limited scholarship assessing the application of the law to individuals with gambling disorder, and to invite members of the health law academy to bring their significant expertise to bear on these issues …

Inattentional Blindness: Psychological Barriers Between Legal Mandates And Progress Toward Workplace Gender Equality, Rachel J. Anderson

Scholarly Works

This Article uses a law and psychology approach to identify ways to strengthen the administration of justice in the corporate workplace. Essentially, a better understanding of human behavior provides insights that are useful in crafting effective laws and improving the implementation of existing laws. The analysis of perception gaps due to inattentional blindness uncovers an under-theorized factor contributing to an enduring problem. Part I sets out the workforce crisis at the individual, company, national, and international levels and the role of gender inequality in this crisis and the pace of change. Part II discusses perception gaps among demographic groups as …

“Law &” Meets “Law As”, Linda L. Berger

Scholarly Works

Prof. Berger reviews The Handbook of Law and Society, edited by Austin Sarat and Patrick Ewick.