Digital Commons Network^™

Literacy Revolution: How The New Tools Of Communication Change The Stories We Tell, Molly Gamble

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The transmission of culture depends upon every generation reconsidering what it means to be literate. The way we consider ourselves to be a literate species is changing, which puts us at a unique turning point in human history. Verbal literacy, or the ability to read and write, is slowly being replaced by visual literacy as a primary tool for human communication. As a culture, we tend to underestimate the creative ferment of our increasingly visual world. The linear, structured pathways of traditional literacy are shifting towards a creative and participatory pursuit of unstructured information that emphasize dimensional thinking. The acceleration …

Trabalho Escravo: L'Esclavage Contemporain Au Brésil, Rebecca J. Scott, Jean Hebrard

Articles

"Le gouvernement brésilien a engagé, il y a quelques années, une ambitieuse campagne de lutte contre l’exploitation de travailleurs dans une condition « analogue » à celle d’esclave. Cette politique répondait à des campagnes de protestation réitérées et à des pressions internationales, mais elle se formula en référence à une histoire nationale dont l’esclavage était inséparable. Les révélations de la Commission pastorale de la terre, les plaintes déposées auprès de la Cour interaméricaine des droits de l’homme, les actions de nombreux organismes gouvernementaux ou non-gouvernementaux ont certainement été déterminantes dans les choix qui ont alors été faits. Toutefois, tout au …

Paleoecological Analysis Of The Clayton Formation (Paleocene) Near Malvern, Arkansas, Brenna J. Hart

Honors Theses

The Clayton Formation is a section of the Midway Group immediately above the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary that contains marine fossils from the Paleocene Epoch. The formation is composed of glauconitic sand, clay, marl, and limestone. Fossils within the formation commonly occur in clay or are concentrated in conglomeratic lag lenses. To assess paleoecology of the region during the Paleocene, the Clayton Formation was sampled for fossil content at a distinctly visible exposure along Interstate 30 near Malvern, Arkansas, that was excavated as part of a landslide mitigation project. Complimentary sites were sampled nearby along the Ouachita River and behind a shopping …

Catch-Up Via Agglomeration: A Study Of Township Clusters, Liangding Jia, Sali Li, Stephen Tallman, Yaqin Zheng

Management Faculty Publications

This study examines whether the premises of inter-firm competition and cooperation on cluster performance outcome hold true in the context of China. By examining 87 township clusters in Jiangsu Province, we find that cluster performance is co-determined by the intensity of inter-firm competition and cluster innovativeness. Our results also show that the cluster's competitive intensity mediates the relationship between cluster size and cluster performance, and that a cluster's R&D centers and inter-firm joint actions positively affects a cluster's innovativeness, which in turn contributes to cluster performance. These findings not only provide additional support for strategy theories about clusters in a …

Predicting Cryptic Links In Host-Parasite Networks, Tad Dallas, Andrew W. Park, John M. Drake

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Dallas et al. Networks are a way to represent interactions among one (e.g., social networks) or more (e.g., plant-pollinator networks) classes of nodes. The ability to predict likely, but unobserved, interactions has generated a great deal of interest, and is sometimes referred to as the link prediction problem. However, most studies of link prediction have focused on social networks, and have assumed a completely censused network. In biological networks, it is unlikely that all interactions are censused, and ignoring incomplete detection of interactions may lead to biased or incorrect conclusions. Previous attempts to predict network interactions have relied …

Pleistocene To Holocene Expansion Of The Black-Belt Cichlid In Central America, Vieja Maculicauda (Teleostei: Cichlidae), Caleb D. Mcmahan, Luke Ginger, Marcy Cage, Kyle T. David, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Mark Johnston, Wilfredo A. Matamoros

Faculty Publications

© 2017 McMahan et al.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The distributions of many Northern Hemisphere organisms have been influenced by fluctuations in sea level and climatic conditions during Pleistocene interglacial periods. These cycles are associated with range contraction and refugia for northern-distributed organisms as a response to glaciers. However, lower sea levels in the tropics and sub-tropics created available habitat for expansion of the ranges of freshwater organisms. The goal of …

The Role Of Sulfur Dioxide In Stratospheric Aerosol Formation Evaluated By Using In Situ Measurements In The Tropical Lower Stratosphere, A. W. Rollins, T. D. Thornberry, L. A. Watts, P. Yu, K. H. Rosenlof, M. Mills, E. Baumann, F. R. Giorgetta, T. V. Bui, M. Höpfner, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Stratospheric aerosols (SAs) are a variable component of the Earth's albedo that may be intentionally enhanced in the future to offset greenhouse gases (geoengineering). The role of tropospheric-sourced sulfur dioxide (SO₂) in maintaining background SAs has been debated for decades without in situ measurements of SO₂ at the tropical tropopause to inform this issue. Here we clarify the role of SO₂ in maintaining SAs by using new in situ SO₂ measurements to evaluate climate models and satellite retrievals. We then use the observed tropical tropopause SO₂ mixing ratios to estimate the global flux of …

Military Intervention In Interstate And Civil Wars: A Unified Interpretation, Zachary C. Shirkey

Publications and Research

Military intervention into interstate and civil wars is both common and important. It lengthens wars, makes them more severe, and shapes how they are fought. Even the mere possibility of intervention can alter the course of a war as belligerent powers alter their strategies to either encourage or dissuade potential interveners. These effects of military intervention are found in both civil and interstate wars. Yet, is state intervention into interstate and civil wars essentially one phenomenon or are they distinct phenomena? By looking at which states are likely to intervene, why and when they intervene, and which wars are most …

Becoming Queer In The 20 Th Century: An Analysis Of Print Literature And Changing Queer Identity, Keith Plummer

Sociology Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Fire Exclusion And Climate Change Interact To Affect Long-Term Changes In The Functional Composition Of Plant Communities, Daijiang Li, Donald M. Waller

Faculty Publications

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Plant functional traits allow us to mechanistically link changes in species composition to changes in ecosystem functions. Understanding how and why changes occur in functional composition of plant communities can thus help us better conserve and restore biodiversity. We aim to examine long-term effects of fire exclusion and climate change on the functional composition of fire-maintained pine barrens in central Wisconsin. Location: Central Wisconsin, USA. Methods: Using a database that included vegetation data of surveys (1958) and resurveys (2012) of 30 sites, we quantified functional composition (α and β functional diversity, community-weighted …

Sacral Variability In Tailless Species: Homo Sapiens And Ochotona Princeps, Robert G. Tague

Faculty Publications

Homo sapiens is variable in number of sacral vertebrae, and this variability can lead to obstetrical complication. This study uses the comparative method to test the hypothesis that sacral variability in H. sapiens is associated with absence of a tail. Three species of lagomorphs are studied: Ochotona princeps (N = 271), which is tailless, and Lepus californicus (N = 212) and Sylvilagus audubonii (N = 206), which have tails. Results show that O. princeps has (1) higher diversity index for number of sacral vertebrae (0.49) compared to L. californicus (0.25) and S. audubonii (0.26) and (2) significantly higher percentage of …

Theological Function As The Key To Israelite Religious Distinctiveness In The Ancient Near East : The Holy Place As A Case Study, Samuel C. Long

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Comparative Clinical Study Of Laparoscopic And Open Surgery In Children With Choledochal Cysts, Guoxin Song, Xiangyu Jiang, Jian Wang, Aiwu Li

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic management of choledochal cysts compared with the open approach, even in early childhood. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 206 patients with choledochal cysts between June 2003 and May 2015. Of these, 104 patients underwent open cyst excision and hepaticojejunostomy (open operation [OP]) and 102 patients received laparoscopic management and hepaticojejunostomy (laparoscopic operation [LP]). The patients who underwent a laparoscopic approach were further divided by the age of 3 years. We compared patients’ perioperative and follow-up conditions between the 2 approaches and the 2 age groups. Results: All patients were …

Becoming Co-Witnesses To The Fukushima Disaster In An Elementary Literacy Classroom, Kaoru Miyazawa

Education Faculty Publications

This study explores what challenges fifth and sixth graders in Pennsylvania encountered as they exchanged letters with children in Fukushima and read a testimony of the Fukushima disaster written by a child there. Trauma theory and seikatsu tsuzurikata, a Japanese traditional critical literacy approach, were used in designing the project and in interpreting children’s engagement with the project. The children demonstrated signs of emerging empathy for children in Fukushima. However, the unspeakable nature of the trauma experience, students’ discomfort, and a pressure to read and write in a structured manner to prepare for the statewide exam posed obstacles for their …

Books Reviews, Katy Sternberger, Brandon Wason, Donnie Summerlin, Joshua Minor, Amanda Pellerin, Erin Lawrimore, Anne Graham

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Peer reviews of:

• Becoming a Trusted Digital Repository, by Steve Marks
• Digital Preservation Essentials, by Erin O'Meara and Kate Stratton, edited by Christopher J. Prom
• Teaching with Primary Sources, edited by Christopher J. Prom and Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe
• Donors and Archives: A Guidebook for Successful Programs, by Aaron D. Purcell
• Archives in Libraries: What Librarians and Archivists Need to Know to Work Together, by Jeanette A. Bastian, Megan Sniffin-Marinoff, and Donna Webber
• Adjusted Margin: Xerography, Art, and Activism in the Late Twentieth Century, by Kate Eichhorn
• Conceptualizing 21st-Century Archives, by Anne J. Gilliland …

Smuggling On Lopez Farm, Jonah Delasanta

Senior Honors Projects

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the issue of illegal trade exacerbated tensions between the American colonies and the British government. Many Rhode Islanders, including wealthy merchants, smuggled goods like Madeira wine or French West Indian sugar into the colony in contravention of British trade laws. British warships patrolled Narragansett Bay in an attempt to interdict illegal trade, but many of the ships they intercepted were trading legally. Colonial resentment of British enforcement was exacerbated each time an innocent merchant captain suffered humiliation and financial loss at the hands of a British naval officer. While smuggling appears …

Literature Review And Accompanying Analysis Of Diversity On A Nonprofit’S Board Of Directors: Does Diversity Impact Organizational Effectiveness?, Jessica Christoffel

Public Administration & Policy

The potential benefits of diversity in board members are increasingly recognized in both diversity and public administration literature, in that the innovative ideas and diverse perspectives of board members may translate into business-related gains for the organization. Following a literature review and theories that discuss diversity on boards, the paper uses financial data from two nonprofit organizations in order to test the assertion that nonprofits with more diverse boards will show signs of greater organizational effectiveness. Results from several comparison ratios show a lower level of donations, but greater operating, fundraising, and programming efficiency, in a nonprofit with a more …

Genetically Engineered Organisms: Progress Or Poison, Melina Sansi

Senior Theses

Genetically engineered organisms are a part of almost everything we put into our bodies. More than any other time in history, humans are manipulating plants and organisms on an advanced level. Scientists are able to genetically alter food so that it precisely fills a specific dietary need, or increase crop yields to feed the growing global population expected to reach 9 billion people by the year 2050. Currently 250 million acres worldwide are used to grow genetically modified organisms. Many consumers don’t fully understand the use and impact of genetically engineered organisms for lack of accessible and straightforward information. Federal …

Impact Of High-Resolution Topographic Mapping On Beach Morphological Analyses Based On Terrestrial Lidar And Object-Oriented Beach Evolution, Xuelian Meng, Xukai Zhang, Rodolfo Silva, Chunyan Li, Lei Wang

Faculty Publications

This research applied terrestrial LiDAR for laboratory beach evolution experiments to quantify the impact of resolution on topographic mapping and change analyses. The multi-site registration and multi-Temporal scanning processes produced high accuracy (-0.002 - 0.003 m) topographic models in a wave tank environment. Morphological analyses based on surface change and profiles showed that models of all resolutions were capable of capturing major sediment changes in relatively smooth areas. However, higher resolution models were necessary in areas with rough surfaces and sudden elevation changes, while coarser resolution models smoothed the roughness and underestimated feature height (e.g., peaks and troughs). Decreasing resolutions …

Exploring The Impact Of Community Service On Career Exploration, Self-Determination, And Social Skills For Transition-Age Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Agnes Zalewska, Allison C. Hall, Sheila Fesko, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Bleak transition outcomes for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), coupled with the surge in incidence, has led to the need for focused and innovative transition strategies. While structured community service reveals promise, documentation of how community service experiences contribute to building employment skills for youth with intellectual/developmental disability (IDD), including those with ASD, is under-researched. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of a community service on employment skill-building for youth with ASD. Findings from 23 qualitative interviews with a range of stakeholders showed positive perceptions in the areas of career exploration, self-determination, and social skill …

Full Issue 11.1

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Assessing Landslide Susceptibility With Gis Using Qualitative And Quantitative Methods In Knox County, Nebraska, Christian J. Cruz

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis assesses landslide susceptibility using data from LiDAR DEMs, land cover, and soil surveys. Data were assessed quantitatively through Bayesian logistic regression within a geographic information system (GIS) and statistical software to produce a landslide susceptibility map. The study area exhibits moderate relief where bluffs along the Missouri River valley gradually recede into rolling loess-mantled hills further to the south and southeast in Knox County. The six factors used to determine susceptibility to landslides are: land cover, parent material, slope aspect, slope curvature slope degree, and soil series. My findings show an increase in slope is the most significant …

Dynamic Nearest Neighbor Queries In Euclidean Space, Sarana Nutanong, Mohammed Eunus Ali, Egemen Tanin, Kyriakos Mouratidis

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Given a query point q and a set D of data points, a nearest neighbor (NN) query returns the data point p in D that minimizes the distance DIST(q,p), where the distance function DIST(,) is the L₂norm. One important variant of this query type is kNN query, which returns k data points with the minimum distances. When taking the temporal dimension into account, the k NN query result may change over a period of time due to changes in locations of the query point and/or data points.

Viewing Heaven: Rock Crystal, Reliquaries, And Transparency In Fourteenth-Century Aachen, Claire Kilgore

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

This thesis examines reliquaries and objects associated with medieval Christian practice in fourteenth-century Aachen. The city's cathedral and treasury contain prestigious relics, reliquaries, and liturgical items, aided by its status as the Holy Roman Empire's coronation church. During the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (r. 1349-1378), reliquaries, pilgrimage, and architecture reflect late medieval interests in vision, optics, and transparency. Two mid-fourteenth century reliquaries from the Aachen Cathedral Treasury, the Reliquary of Charlemagne and the Three-Steepled Reliquary, display relics through rock crystal windows, in contrast to the obscuring characteristics of earlier reliquaries. Not only do the two reliquaries visually …

Spill Your (Trade) Secrets: Knowledge Networks As Innovation Drivers, Laura G. Pedraza-Fariña

Notre Dame Law Review

Theories of intellectual property take the individual inventor or the firm as the unit of innovation. But studies in economic sociology show that in complex fields where knowledge is rapidly advancing and widely dispersed among different firms, the locus of innovation is neither an individual nor a single firm. Rather, innovative ideas originate in the informal networks of learning and collaboration that cut across firms.

Understanding innovation in this subset of industries as emerging out of networks of informal information-sharing across firms challenges traditional utilitarian theories of trade secret law—which assume trade secret protection is needed to prevent excessive private, …

Ending Rape: Effective Strategies For Reducing Sexual And Relationship Violence On A College Campus, Seth Quam

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This capstone was done in conjunction with the Maxwell Citizenship and Civic Engagement program (CCE) and consists of a CCE Action Plan conducted in Spring 2017 as well as this accompanying essay. The action plan created a program called “Don’t Cancel That Class” that encourages professors who would otherwise have to cancel class to instead have the Office of Health Promotion (OHP) use the time to conduct a training session on sexual and relationship violence prevention. As part of the action plan, I worked with OHP to develop a webpage where professors can easily request a program. Don’t Cancel That …

Crow's Nest, May 1, 2017, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The May 1, 2017, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Research & Strategic Partnerships: Quarterly Review, Volume 4, Issue 1, Portland State University. Research & Strategic Partnerships

Portland State Research Magazine

This issue focuses on international research and scholarship, and highlights faculty and students from a number of our colleges and schools. Included in this issue are stories of PSU faculty working to better understand how the relationships between society, culture, and the environment affected disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal in 2015. Stories about how PSU researchers are working with collaborators in China, Israel, and New Zealand to improve water management practices and protect some of the world’s most stunning landscapes. And stories about PSU faculty, students, and alumni working in …

Contested Spaces: Spatial Discourses And The Struggle For Power In The Early Modern English Empire, Emily O'Hara

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This project examines how early modern English spatial discourses can be used to understand power relations at the beginning of American colonization. Through analyzing John Smith’s A True Relation, Smith’s Generall Historie of Virginia, Ralph Hamor’s A True Discourse of the Present Estate of Virginia, and William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, I argue that, despite English attempts to highlight their abilities to exert absolute control over peripheral spaces, English writers ultimately reveal within their texts that the English are unable to definitively control spaces throughout the empire. These spaces include peripheral regions far from English centers of …

When The Ultimate Goal Is Running Yourself Out Of Business: The Extent To Which For-Profit Strategic Management Tools Apply To The Nonprofit Sector, Haley Mcdonnell

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Competitive advantage is important to any entity committed to success in its respective space. However, competitive advantage – and competition in general – becomes a complex concept when applied to a context like the nonprofit sector so often marked by cooperation and collaboration. This research explores the gap in availability of applicable strategic management tools, like competitive advantage frameworks, between the for-profit and nonprofit realms. This research draws on 20 interviews conducted with nonprofit executives around the United States and compares the findings with literature currently available about the nonprofit context and competitive advantage. A framework of nonprofit competitive advantage …