Digital Commons Network^™

Active Learning For Efficient Soil Monitoring In Large Terrain With Heterogeneous Sensor Network, Hui Chen, Ju Wang

Publications and Research

Soils are a complex ecosystem that provides critical services, such as growing food, supplying antibiotics, filtering wastes, and maintaining biodiversity; hence monitoring soil health and domestication is required for sustainable human development. Low-cost and high-resolution soil monitoring systems are challenging to design and build. Compounded by the sheer size of the monitoring area of interest and the variety of biological, chemical, and physical parameters to monitor, naive approaches to adding or scheduling more sensors will suffer from cost and scalability problems. We investigate a multi-robot sensing system integrated with an active learning-based predictive modeling technique. Taking advantage of advances in …

Religion, Spirituality, And Coping During The Pandemic: Perspectives Of Dementia Caregivers, Katherine Carroll Britt, Kathy C Richards, Kavita Radhakrishnan, Andrea Vanags-Louredo, Eunice Park, Nalaka S Gooneratne, Liam Fry

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Religious and spiritual (R/S) practices support individuals during difficult situations. The COVID-19 social distancing restrictions may have limited access to R/S practices for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease related dementia (ADRD) and their caregivers, affecting coping and well-being. This qualitative study explored the impact of social distancing on R/S practices and coping in ADRD-caregiver dyads from the perspective of caregivers. Interviews were conducted with 11 family caregivers of older adults with ADRD residing in nursing homes (n = 4) or private homes (n = 7). Caregivers continued individual and started virtual R/S practices which improved their ability to …

Inclusive Random Sampling In Graphs And Networks, Yitzchak Novick, Amotz Bar-Noy

Publications and Research

It is often of interest to sample vertices from a graph with a bias towards higher-degree vertices. One well-known method, which we call random neighbor or RN, involves taking a vertex at random and exchanging it for one of its neighbors. Loosely inspired by the friendship paradox, the method is predicated on the fact that the expected degree of the neighbor is greater than or equal to the expected degree of the initial vertex. Another method that is actually perfectly analogous to the friendship paradox is random edge, or RE, where an edge is sampled at random, and then one …

Differences Between Monolinguals And Bilinguals In Phonetic And Phonological Learning And The Connection With Auditory Sensory Memory, Laura Spinu, Jiwon Hwang, Mariana Vasilita

Publications and Research

Bilingualism has been linked with improved function regarding certain aspects of linguistic processing, e.g., novel word acquisition and learning unfamiliar sound patterns. Two non mutually-exclusive approaches might explain these results. One is related to executive function, speculating that more effective learning is achieved through actively choosing relevant information while inhibiting potentially interfering information. While still controversial, executive function enhancements attributed to bilingual experience have been reported for decades. The other approach, understudied to date, emphasizes the role of sensory mechanisms, specifically auditory sensory memory. Bilinguals outperformed monolinguals in tasks involving auditory processing and episodic memory recall, but the questions whether …

Fabrication And Errors In The Bibliographic Citations Generated By Chatgpt, William H. Walters, Esther Isabelle Wilder

Publications and Research

Although chatbots such as ChatGPT can facilitate cost-effective text generation and editing, factually incorrect responses (hallucinations) limit their utility. This study evaluates one particular type of hallucination: fabricated bibliographic citations that do not represent actual scholarly works. We used ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4 to produce short literature reviews on 42 multidisciplinary topics, compiling data on the 636 bibliographic citations (references) found in the 84 papers. We then searched multiple databases and websites to determine the prevalence of fabricated citations, to identify errors in the citations to non-fabricated papers, and to evaluate adherence to APA citation format. Within this set of documents, …

Feeling Analogue: Using Modular Synthesizers, Designing Synthesis Communities, Eliot Bates

Publications and Research

When Harald Bode nominally invented the modular synthesiser in 1960, it was not yet clear whether it was a musical instrument or a less-defined form of studio-sited audio technology (Subotnik 1970). Much of the technology, from the interface design to the specific parts, was shared with nonmusical test and measurement equipment. Sixty years later, hardware modular synthesis is used not just for musical creation but for noise, sound art and data sonification/visualization. Through an ethnographic study of the design and use of the Eurorack modular synthesis format, and of modular synthesis maker and user communities spread through North America, Europe …

Extreme Translation: Six Medieval Lessons For Everyone, Michelle Warren

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Whirlybird Island, Ernest Hebert

Dartmouth Scholarship

Whirlybird Island is a novel in murder mystery format about the trauma of war and how such trauma suffered by soldiers is often transmitted to their offspring and society at large. The accompanying essay, The Sons and Daughters of War, is a personal essay that details my experience with the trauma my father suffered in World War II and how such experience led to the writing of the book and essay.

Notices, Editorial Office

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

The Pacific Sentinel, January 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Wednesday & the Challenges of Adaptation
• First Impressions: A Newcomer's Guide to Portland
• Ooligan Press's Comic Debut
• The Land, the Water, the Sky
• Notes From Behind the Bar
• A Chat with ChatGPT
• Measure 110 & the Roadblocks of Negative Perceptions
• Pre-Covid: It's a Jungle out there. Post-Covid: It's a Jungle in Here

Employing The Houseless As Corporate Social Responsibility, Nicholas A. Smith, Larry R. Martinez, Shi (Tracy) Xu, Anna Mattila, Lisa Yixing Gao

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

Many hospitality organizations see the benefits of engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR), which can take many forms. This study aims to examine one relatively unique form of CSR: hiring individuals experiencing houselessness. This research aimed to investigate the impact of hiring individuals experiencing houselessness on customers’ behavioral intentions, attitudes toward an organization and perceptions of CSR actions.

Design/methodology/approach

Across two experiments, this study investigated the impact of employing individuals experiencing houselessness on customers’ perceptions of the employee and organization using organizational legitimacy theory.

Findings

Results demonstrate that employees known to be houseless elicited more positive employee and organizational …

The Daily Association Between Affect And Alcohol Use: A Meta-Analysis Of Individual Participant Data, Jonas Dora, Marilyn Piccirillo, Kelly Arbeau, Stephen Armeli, Marc Auriacombe, Bruce Bartholow, Adriene M. Beltz, Shari M. Blumenstock, Cynthia Mohr, Multiple Additional Authors

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Influential psychological theories hypothesize that people consume alcohol in response to the experience of both negative and positive emotions. Despite two decades of daily diary and ecological momentary assessment research, it remains unclear whether people consume more alcohol on days they experience higher negative and positive affect in everyday life. In this preregistered meta-analysis, we synthesized the evidence for these daily associations between affect and alcohol use. We included individual participant data from 69 studies (N = 12,394), which used daily and momentary surveys to assess affect and the number of alcoholic drinks consumed. Results indicate that people are not …

Conspiracy Theories And Ebola: Lessons Learned Important For Future Pandemics, Shawn C. Smallman

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The public health campaign against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo faced serious challenges, some due to conspiracy theories and denial. These beliefs were so powerful that they even caused repeated attacks upon health care providers and medical centers. These conspiracy theories were nothing new, as they are a common feature of all frightening epidemics, such as HIV and COVID-19. These narratives also circulated during the 2015 West African Ebola outbreak. Addressing conspiracy theories during an epidemic requires a coordinated campaign involving not only local leaders but also the cooperation of social media organizations

Network Effects Of Disruptive Traffic Events, Juan Medina, Xiaoyue Cathy Liu

TREC Final Reports

Current traffic management strategies are based on expected conditions caused by recurring congestion (e.g., by time of day, day of week), and can be very effective when provisions are also given for reasonable variations from such expectations. However, traffic variations due to non-recurrent events (e.g., crashes) can be much larger and difficult to predict, making also challenging efforts to identify, measure, and forecast their disruptive effects. This project explores a proactive approach to deploy a tool for managing non-recurrent congestion by identifying and quantifying the effects of disruptive traffic events at a microscopic level using a comprehensive set of data …

Subito 2023, Portland State University. School Of Music & Theater

Subito: Student Voices from Portland State University School of Music & Theater

Issue 6, Spring 2023

Multiple articles from the new History of Hip-Hop course, faculty spotlight with School of Music & Theater Choir Directors Ethan Sperry and Coty Raven-Morris, analysis and commentary on multiple musical scores, tips for conductors avoiding injury, and so much more.

New Lidar System Pinpoints Pedestrian Behavior To Improve Eficiency And Safety At Intersections, Taylor Li, Sirisha M. Kothuri, Xianfeng Terry Yang

TREC Project Briefs

Pedestrian safety is critical to improving walkability in cities. To that end, NITC researchers have developed a system for collecting pedestrian behavior data using LiDAR sensors. Tested at two intersections in Texas and soon to be tested at another in Salt Lake City, Utah, the new software created by a multi-university research team is able to reliably observe pedestrian behavior and can help reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles at signalized intersections. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is already working on implementing this new LiDAR system to improve data collection at intersections.

Unexpected Wins: Curating Comics And Teaching Manga From The Dark Horse Comics Collection, Elsa Loftis, Jon Holt

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

A familiar staple of entertainment for a wide variety of readers, the comic book has not always held a regular place in the academic library. Concerning themselves with collecting more traditional expressions of scholarship, libraries have not historically dedicated much of their acquisitions budgets to this area. Therefore, the comic book or graphic novel was largely relegated to someone’s personal collection and would more likely be found on the shelves of a comic book store than the shelves of a university library.

Fast-forward to the present day, where library collections more commonly provide access to comic books, either in regular …

The Magnetic Pull Of American Discovery: Second Thoughts About American Exceptionalism?, Richard L. Marcus

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Vaccination Mandates—An Old Public Health Tool Faces New Challenges, Dorit Rubenstein Reiss, Lawrence O. Gostin, Michelle M. Mello

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Misinformation And Covid-19, Dorit Rubenstein Reiss

Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on our world cannot be overstated. One of its noticeable features was the prominence of misinformation generally, and anti-vaccine misinformation more specifically. This article provides a breakdown of the five major themes of antivaccine misinformation and the way they were used to create fear, uncertainty, and doubt about COVID- 19 vaccines. Long before the pandemic, anti-vaccine activists argued using a five-part playbook. They argued that (1) vaccine preventable diseases were not really dangerous, (2) vaccines were dangerous and ineffective, (3) there were alternative treatments that were better than (dangerous and ineffective) vaccines, (4) there was a …

The Dog That Didn’T Bark: Looking For Techno-Libertarian Ideology In A Decade Of Public Discourse About Big Tech Regulation, Jodi L. Short, Reuel E, Schiller, Susan Sibley, Noah Jones, Babak Hammatian, Lee Anna Bowman-Carpio

Faculty Scholarship

The internet was built on the techno-libertarian ideology that “information wants to be free,” and that ideology has played a prominent role in academic and policy debates about regulating the internet and the big technology companies that dominate it.2 Techno-libertarian ideology has generated a constellation of claims about tech and regulation—from the suggestion that regulation will stifle innovation in the complex, dynamic tech sector, to the assertion that the large platform companies are literally not regulable. In this article, we explore how much traction such claims and ideologies have in the broader public discourse about big tech and regulation. We …

Regulatory Managerialism As Gaslighting Government, Jodi L. Short

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Uncertain Future Of Restorative Justice: Anti-Woke Legislation, Retrenchment And Politics Of The Right, Thalia Gonzalez, Mara Schiff

Faculty Scholarship

As diverse forms of anti-democratic and anti-inclusionary politics escalate in the United States, public education is increasingly a site for retrenchment and contestation with targeted efforts to silence and erase civil rights victories for equity and access. Addressing a critical, yet unattended issue at the intersection of education law and policy and civil rights, this Article joins with the growing discourse interrogating the “parental rights” movement and racially regressive legislation. Employing a case study analysis of social movement activism and education policy legislation from 2018–2023 in Florida, it aims to provoke critical praxis emanating from essential inquiry— what is the …

Rights Violations As Punishment, Kate Weisburd

Faculty Scholarship

Is punishment generally exempt from the Constitution? That is, can the deprivation of basic constitutional rights—such as the rights to marry, bear children, worship, consult a lawyer, and protest—be imposed as direct punishment for a crime and in lieu of prison, so long as such intrusions are not “cruel and unusual” under the Eighth Amendment? On one hand, such state intrusion on fundamental rights would seem unconstitutional. On the other hand, such intrusions are often less harsh than the restriction of rights inherent in prison. If a judge can sentence someone to life in prison, how can a judge not …

Effects Of Landscape Configuration Metrics On American Barn Owl Nest Box Occupancy And Hunting, Samantha D. Chavez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Harnessing ecosystem services, broadly defined as the benefits nature gives to people, is one approach to minimize the widespread negative impacts of agriculture on wildlife and biodiversity conservation. Conservation biological control is one such service that aims to use natural enemies to reduce crops losses from pests without the use of harmful pesticides, including rodenticides. In Napa Valley, California, human-made nest boxes are deployed on wine grape vineyards to attract barn owls (Tyto furcata) that depredate and remove thousands of rodent pests throughout the nesting season. However, the provisioning of this ecosystem service depends on whether a box …

Examining Educator Burnout And Classroom Outcomes As Correlates To Teaching Pyramid Implementation, April N. Frazer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Teaching Pyramid is a research-based socio-emotional framework created for implementation in early childhood education programs. It is designed to support children’s socio-emotional development and decrease persistent challenging behaviors. Challenging child behaviors have been linked to early educator stress. Job stressors in early childhood educators have been previously linked to educator burnout.

This study examined fidelity of implementation of the Teaching Pyramid framework as well as experience being trained and coached on the framework in 21 early childhood educators. It evaluated how these variables correlated with educator burnout, children’s socio-emotional development, and observed quality of care in nine Head Start …

A Test Of Subjective Versus Objective Language Proficiency: An Investigation Of Age Of Acquisition And Exposure In Multilinguals, Anastina B. Steiber

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research used the BEST dataset gathered in 2017 by de Bruin and colleagues, which contains information gathered from 650 multilingual participants (435 female, Mage = 25.02) from the Basque Country at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL). Multilingual individuals may have different levels of proficiency in each language they speak, and there are various factors that can influence proficiency. Such factors include the age at which they begin learning a language and how much exposure they have to the language. Proficiency can be assessed both subjectively (personal perception of proficiency) and objectively (observed and/or measured …

Factors Contributing To Legacy Hardwood Mortality Following Prescribed Fire, Heather D. Rickard

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Interruption of Indigenous stewardship has resulted in hardwood decline along what is now known as the middle Klamath River in northern California related to adverse effects to Tribal food sovereignty and community wellbeing. The survivors of a “legacy” of Indigenous stewardship are highly valued by the Karuk and neighboring Tribes for a myriad of culturally beneficial ecological associations and sources of traditional staple foods. Prescribed fire, following a century of fire exclusion, has resulted in unanticipated mortality of legacy tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), California black oak (Quercus kelloggii), and madrone (Arbutus menziesii), warranting further investigation. …

Extremism In America: Explaining Political Extremism Using Uncertainty-Identity Theory, Natasha A. La Vogue

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Navigating a post-pandemic society, climate-change, political conflict and international wars have become part of most people’s daily existence. These crises are sources of societal and personal uncertainty. An effective method of uncertainty reduction comes from people’s entrenched group memberships (e.g. nation, political party). Unfortunately, groups with extreme norms and ideologies provide rigid structures that aid in uncertainty reduction. From white nationalists to anti-fascists, the political arena is tumultuous to the point of explosion. These eruptions can be violent, even deadly, and are becoming too familiar and recognizable. Extremism poses both international and domestic threats. There is no nation or society …

Socio-Economic Comparative Analysis Of Front-Of-The-Meter And Behind-The-Meter Microgrids For Panamnik, Olivia C. Amann Mcshea

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In Northern California, the Karuk Tribe is feeling the effects of climate change on inadequate energy infrastructures leading to unreliable power supply. Improving energy reliability in a way that also increases energy sovereignty is necessary. Renewable energy microgrids have emerged as a pathway forward.

Modeling ownership structures and cash flows for different microgrid configurations can support the Tribe’s implementation of a microgrid in Orleans, CA that maximizes community benefits. This thesis considers a front-of-the-meter (FTM) and behind-the-meter (BTM) configuration, both approximately 2 MW solar PV and 3 MW/12 MWh battery energy storage. Cash flows including capital costs, operations and maintenance …