Digital Commons Network^™

What Language Are We Speaking?: Marketing Information Literacy On University Library Websites, Aleksandar Golijanin

Communications in Information Literacy

This study investigates how Canadian university libraries communicate information literacy (IL) to non-library faculty members on faculty-facing web pages. A content analysis was conducted of websites from institutions affiliated with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (n = 25) to identify trends in the terminology used to describe IL. The findings reveal that the term "information literacy" appears with varying frequency across website headings, subheadings and body text, while terms like “research skills” and “critical information use” may appear in its stead. University libraries may intentionally be employing these terms to enhance faculty engagement in response to the existing …

Fused-Silica Microelectromechanical Systems For Relative Gravimetry, Ethan Doerstling

Theses and Dissertations

Gravimeters are devices that measure gravitational acceleration which can be used by the United States Air Force (USAF) in the areas of navigation and remote sensing. Fused-silica microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices offer capabilities to make inexpensive relative gravimeters with higher thermal stability than common silicon devices while maintaining good gravitational sensitivity. The fused-silica devices in this research were designed, simulated, fabricated, and tested to observe their performance as gravimeters. The devices exhibit properties of highly sensitive accelerometers but the current designs do not qualify as gravimeters. This study provides information to improve the sensitivity and stability of these fused-silica MEMS …

Visual Literacy Instruction At Scale: Developing Asynchronous Learning Objects For First-Year Art And Design Students, Jacqueline Huddle, Sarah Carter

Communications in Information Literacy

While learning modules are not new to academic librarianship, student-centered, asynchronous learning modules are an innovative approach not commonly considered within the academic librarianship literature. This article discusses the development and implementation of visual literacy asynchronous learning modules created by two librarians for a cohort of first-year studio art students. In creating these modules, the goal was to offer studio art students visual literacy instruction specific to their personal interests and future careers. Specifically, this article discusses the module design process and how student-centered learning can be incorporated into modules in order to offer deep learning opportunities.

Exploring Positional Knowledge: Using Theory To Teach Bias, Thomas C. Weeks, Melissa E. Johnson

Communications in Information Literacy

In this article, the authors explain how librarians can use positionality theory to understand how students produce value judgments around questions of bias, authority, and credibility. Librarians can help guide students to recognize the student’s own positionality when approaching issues of bias. Students are often instructed to choose credible sources for their research, which they often interpret as sources that avoid bias. Source evaluation tools and checklists, such as the CRAAP test and SIFT, also tell students to watch out for biased language. Unfortunately, many people, students and librarians alike, misunderstand bias and fail to recognize its significance in the …

Rebuilding Consent: Fear, Trust, And The Future Of Nuclear Energy, Austin Dunham

University Honors Theses

This thesis traces the cultural and emotional roots of nuclear fear in the United States and explores how those inherited anxieties continue to shape public resistance to nuclear energy in the face of a worsening climate crisis. Drawing on personal narrative, risk perception theory, and the history of nuclear discourse - from Hiroshima to Chernobyl to today - the research examines how trust, rather than technology, remains the largest barrier to progress. By analyzing the stories we tell about energy, disaster, control, and overall perceived risk, this work asks what it would take for Americans to imagine nuclear energy not …

Swarlipi: An Exploration In Devanagari Typography, Hindustani Music, And Emotional Expression, Arya Radhika

University Honors Theses

Local Indian scripts are slowly fading in favor of Latin and English due to the idolization and convenience of Western culture in post-colonial India. Unique Indic fonts and quality cultural design work are uncommon. To contribute to a small pool of design that deserves to be much larger, I decided to explore a niche topic--the emotional expression of Indian classical music, in particular the concept of time theory, and how Devanagari lettering can represent the emotions evoked by music.

I conducted surveys and several interviews to understand how typography expresses emotion in terms of technical concepts as well as cultural …

Raising The Roof For All: Integrating Companion Planting Ecology, Policy And Community In Portland's Green Roof Future, Zoe Edelman

University Honors Theses

Green roofs, or ecoroofs, provide environmental and social benefits in urban areas. Ecoroofs manage stormwater by absorbing rainfall, reducing rooftop temperatures, supporting pollinators, and offering green space in densely developed cities. Portland, Oregon has adopted progressive policies that encourage green roof installation through incentives and building requirements. However, many ecoroofs in the city are underperforming due to poor maintenance, low public awareness, and limited access to rooftop spaces. This thesis explores whether companion planting can improve the ecological performance and long- term viability of extensive green roofs. A rooftop experiment at Portland State University tested the growth of radishes, with …

Impacts Of Parent Separation Within Siblings: A Literature Review, Araceli Tello Hernandez

University Honors Theses

Parent-child separation is a growing global issue that impacts millions of families. Although there is research on how an individual child might be impacted by separation from their parents, less is known about siblings. The importance of understanding the individual first and looking at attachment theory and resilience, its role it plays. The study serves to investigate the traumatic events of parent separation through loss whether death, divorce or immigration and seeing the gaps of literature when talking about these topics. This data relies on different literature and different research that shows how a traumatizing event can impact a child's …

More Than Hormones: Psychological Consequences Of The Medicalized Menopausal Experience, Haley Derrickson

University Honors Theses

Menopause, a transitional period that roughly half the population may experience, has a high degree of variability in onset and intensity of symptoms, one of which is depression. It is also a period in which the lives of those transitioning are highly medicalized. This literature review investigates how medicalization has increased since the term was created, and how it impacts perimenopause, menopause, and mental health.

The Impact Of Nicu Death On Bereaved Mothers, Jennie Terranova

University Honors Theses

Infant loss in the United States occurs 5.6 per 1,000 live births. This paper examines risk factors that contribute to neonatal death. Prematurity is a risk factor for NICU admission. A portion of premature babies receiving care in the NICU will die. The stressful nature of the NICU has been studied widely in journals. The impact of NICU death on hospital staff and bereaved parents has been studied less. Mortality studies suggest that bereaved mothers are at a high risk of dying within the first 5 years after their child has died. Despite the frequency of maternal death post-child loss, …

The Influence Of Ethnic Racial Identity On The Critical Consciousness Of Asian American College Students, Aliyah Sukkram

University Honors Theses

Ethical and racial identity (ERI) and critical consciousness play crucial roles in how youth of color understand themselves, contextualize their racialized experiences, and navigate oppressive social conditions. However, there has been a lack of research on both constructs in the lives of Asian American youth. Thus, this thesis aims to study the influence of ERI on the critical consciousness of Asian American college students by conducting semi-structured interviews. ERI was found to influence critical reflection and critical action but not political efficacy. The relationship between ERI and critical consciousness is understood through how youth engage with their ERI and contextualize …

Mindfulness As A Buffer Against Death Anxiety: Implications For End-Of-Life Care, Chad Alexander

University Honors Theses

Death anxiety, defined as the distress associated with the awareness of mortality, has profound psychological and cultural impacts. Western societies often respond to death salience through avoidance and medicalization, reinforcing defensive strategies described by Terror Management Theory. This project aimed to investigate whether mindfulness can serve as a buffer against death anxiety. A structured literature review was conducted using PsycINFO, PubMed, the Portland State University Library, and Google Scholar between January 2025 and April 2025. One study found that mindfulness moderated the effects of death anxiety on health-related quality of life in people living with HIV. Two experiments linked mindfulness …

American Consumer Culture And Social Media Polarization: Analyzing Twentieth Century Trends And Their Effects On Twenty First Century Politics, Max Lally

University Honors Theses

The emergence of social media as a mainstream communication technology during the early twenty first century has had an outsized impact on the United States' political system. By analyzing trends in American culture and economics beginning in the decades following the end of World War Two, the circumstances that shaped social media during its development can be tied to long term historical changes. Shifts away from traditional models of community and towards rising individualism reshaped communication with both political allies and opponents. Generational shifts in political attitudes have heightened these divisions as well, as younger and liberal perspectives challenge traditional, …

Kinetic Analysis Reveals T6a-Protein Specificity For T6a And Hn6a Trna Modifications, Cassandra Mae Harker

University Honors Theses

Transfer RNA (tRNA) is essential for accurate translation of genetic information and plays a role in cellular processes such as lipid aminoacylation and bacterial conjugation. Base modifications help tRNA fold correctly and function properly. An important base modification, N6-threonylcarbamoyladenosine (t6A) occurs at position A37 in the anticodon-stem-loop of tRNA. This modification is crucial for decoding ANN codons. Interestingly, an Archeal organism, Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, can have either t6A and hydroxynorvalylcarbamoyl-6- adenosine (hn6A) modification at the same position on tRNAs. As Tsa proteins catalyze the formation of both t6A and hn6A modifications, this raises the question of whether discrimination between these …

Green Weave: A Textile Guide To The Future Of Fashion, Simon Braunschweig

University Honors Theses

Fashion and technology are inextricably linked. The more advanced our technology becomes, so too does fashion and our understanding of it. Fashion is also one of the top contributors to climate change. However, modern technology has the potential to change the way fashion impacts our planet, working harmoniously with nature instead of against it. This thesis investigates the connection between technology and fashion, resulting in a handbook for fashion designers who want to implement more sustainable practices into their work with the help of modern technology.

Cultural Shadows: Vampires And The Shifting Fears Of The West, A Creative Exploration Of Vampire Media And Its Reflection Of Evolving Social Anxieties, Tasha Sayre

University Honors Theses

Cultural Shadows: Vampires and the Shifting Fears of the West is a creative-critical thesis that explores vampire media as a reflection of evolving social anxieties in Western culture. Focusing primarily on film and television, with reference to key literary texts, this study examines how the vampire figure is used to articulate and dramatize recurring societal fears—particularly those surrounding women's sexuality and autonomy, queer identity, and class-based inequality. Through close readings of influential vampire narratives, the thesis demonstrates how these stories mirror cultural tensions and moral panics, transforming the vampire into a symbol of both fear and fascination. Drawing on gender …

Early-Stage Detection Of Copper Ion Release From Bronze Corrosion Using Uv/Vis Spectroscopy And Hydrogel Sensing, Hibah Khan

University Honors Theses

Detecting copper(I) (Cu⁺) release at early corrosion stages is important for preserving bronze heritage materials. This study investigated the use of neocuproine (NC), a Cu⁺-specific ligand, for simple and selective colorimetric detection of Cu⁺ in solution. NC reacts with Cu⁺ to form a Cu(NC)₂ complex, which produces a distinct orange-red color with peak absorbance at 455 nm. Solutions were prepared with varying concentrations of Cu⁺ generated by reducing Cu²⁺ with excess ascorbic acid. Ultraviolet/Visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy was used to quantify absorbance changes. The absorbance at 455 nm increased linearly across the tested Cu⁺ concentration range (6.25–200 µM) with an R² …

A Postcolonial Re-Telling Of The Life And Times Of Dr. Bethenia Owens-Adair, Lucille Marie Walker

University Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to explore the story of Dr. Bethenia Owens-Adair, one of the first female doctors in the Pacific Northwest, who wrote the bill that would one day enact Oregon's long standing eugenic sterilization laws. Utilizing postcolonial framework primarily provided by psychiatrist and political writer Frantz Fanon, and supplemental literature from historian Ann Stoler, this paper will look into Dr. Adair's life story and her eugenic efforts in an attempt to understand the colonial roots of turn-of-the-century beliefs about bodies, behavior, and will ultimately aim to question how these beliefs may still reverberate through society today.

Exploring Vaccine Efficacy And Safety For Ms Patients On Immunosuppressant Treatment In Light Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rain Pross

University Honors Theses

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative autoimmune disorder affecting approximately 2.8 million people worldwide. Despite decades of research to understand the molecular mechanisms of MS pathology, little is known about why the neurodegeneration caused by this illness occurs. For this reason, current treatments for MS target two broader aspects of the disease: relapse management and prevention via disease-modifying therapies. These treatments often involve immunosuppressive mechanisms, creating vulnerability to infectious diseases that became particularly concerning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This literature review examines the safety and efficacy of vaccination for MS patients on immunosuppressant therapies, highlighting the novel mRNA vaccines …

Surveying Management Strategies For Pediatric Autoimmune Hepatitis, Lillie Baca

University Honors Theses

Pediatric autoimmune hepatitis (PAIH) is a long-term condition that requires ongoing treatment and regular monitoring. It is characterized by its elevation of liver enzymes, interface hepatitis, and the specific presence of circulating autoantibodies. There is a general lack of consensus on appropriate measures of diagnostic criteria, treatment medication, and beneficial practices for monitoring the disease. The existing literature contains several subtle discrepancies that challenge a practitioner's judgement for care management of children with autoimmune hepatitis. This study is a retrospective chart review aimed at understanding the current diagnostics, treatment, and long-term management strategies of PAIH at a single center. Also, …

The Competitive Advantage Of Storytelling, Jennifer V. Carroll

University Honors Theses

Ava Roasteria Company, a family-owned coffee business in Washington County, Oregon, faces the challenge of expanding in a saturated market. Despite a compelling origin story rooted in environmental remediation and community revitalization, Ava has not utilized this narrative in its branding. This capstone project applied strategic business and marketing frameworks to identify narrative storytelling as a key competitive advantage. Research shows that authentic, narrative origin stories of small businesses that align with stakeholder's values and beliefs can foster emotional connection, loyalty, and brand differentiation. Ava's history and alignment with the Portland culture of sustainability and social responsibility is an untapped …

Assessing The Challenges Latin Immigrant Populations Face In Accessing Healthcare And Proposing Solutions To Improve Accessibility, Melina Khiabani

University Honors Theses

Access to healthcare is considered a basic human right, yet many Hispanic and Latin immigrant populations in the United States, especially those living in rural areas, face significant barriers that prevent them from receiving the care they need. These barriers include language differences, cultural misunderstandings, financial hardship, fear of legal consequences, and geographic isolation. This literature review explores the challenges that Hispanic/Latin immigrants aged 19-25 in rural areas encounter when trying to access healthcare, particularly preventative services.

Drawing from a wide range of existing research, this thesis identifies how policy restrictions, social determinants of health, and systemic discrimination contribute to …

Controlling Corsets: Commerce, Dress Reform, Medicine, And Misogyny In Nineteenth-Century Women's Dress, Emily Klesch

University Honors Theses

In the nineteenth century, women's dress depended on the usage of the corset. Without it, a woman's outfit was uncomfortable to wear and largely impractical. Because of how necessary the garment was to women's clothing, it became the focus of criticism from many different angels, including but not limited to the medical field, dress reform, and businesses which manufactured and sold corsets to consumers. These criticisms, although directed at the corset, were often thinly veiled insults to the female sex, and reflected larger societal fears about women's places in society as women's liberation movements began to gain more traction. It …

Messy Kitchens, Clean Hands, Emily Camp

University Honors Theses

Contemporary industrial food systems are well-tuned towards their primary goal: the efficient production of cheap food to generate high profits. Perhaps nowhere is this more acute than in the production of industrial meat. Here, workers, consumers and animals are trapped in a system that ignores their interests in order to achieve maximum profit for shareholders. But how does modern industrial meat production remain mostly hidden from view?

This interdisciplinary art and cultural history thesis explores this question by looking to the kitchen, and more specifically, to its decor. These decorative objects both reflect and enable a complex ideological transformation. I …

Joint Analysis Of The Npod-Virus Group Data: The Association Of Enterovirus With Type 1 Diabetes Is Supported By Multiple Markers Of Infection In Pancreas Tissue, Sarah J Richardson, Teresa Rodriguez-Calvo, Jutta E Laiho, John S Kaddis, Julius O Nyalwidhe, Irina Kusmartseva, Sofia Morfopoulou, Joseph F Petrosino, Vincent Plagnol, Kathrin Maedler, Margaret A Morris, Jerry L Nadler, Mark A Atkinson, Matthias Von Herrath, Richard E Lloyd, Heikki Hyoty, Noel G Morgan, Alberto Pugliese, Npod-Virus Group

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Aims/hypothesis: Previous pathology studies have associated enterovirus infections with type 1 diabetes by examining the enterovirus capsid protein 1 (VP1) in autopsy pancreases obtained near diabetes diagnosis. The Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD) has since obtained pancreases from organ donors with type 1 diabetes (with broad age and disease duration) and donors with disease-associated autoantibodies (AAbs), the latter representing preclinical disease. Two accompanying manuscripts from the nPOD-Virus Group report primary data from a coordinated analysis of multiple enterovirus indices. We aimed to comprehensively assess the association of multiple enterovirus markers with type 1 diabetes.

Methods: The nPOD-Virus …

The Alpl Gene Variant Project: Results Of The First 100 Reclassified Variants., Mariam R. Farman, Theodora Malli, Catherine Rehder, Gerald Webersinke, Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, Kathryn Dahir, Gabriel Á. Martos-Moreno, Agnès Linglart, Keiichi Ozono, Lothar Seefried, Guillermo Del Angel, Francesca Barbazza, Sara Shojaei, Jessica Ebner-Jahn, Florian Högler, Erica B. Nading, Erin Huggins, Eric T. Rush, Ahmed El-Gazzar, Josephine T. Tauer, Priya S. Kishnani, Wolfgang Högler

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inherited disorder that affects bone and tooth mineralization, among other body systems. HPP is caused by pathogenic variants in the alkaline phosphatase-liver (ALPL) gene, which encodes tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase. One major challenge in diagnosing HPP is interpreting variant of uncertain significance (VUS), which can create uncertainty for patients and healthcare professionals, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment or incorrect diagnoses. Since February 2021, the ALPLgene variant consortium has reclassified 100 VUS using adjusted American College of Medical Genetics/Association for Molecular Pathology criteria. Of these, 11 were reclassified as pathogenic, 62 as …

Validity And Reliability Of The Tampa Scale For Kinesiophobia For Adolescents With Heart Disease., David A. White, William R. Black, Emily Cramer, Lindsey Malloy-Walton, Mollie Walton, Laura Martis, Brandy Enneking, Kelli M. Teson, Jessica S. Watson, Jami Gross-Toalson

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: To assess the validity and reliability of a newly adapted Tampa Scale for KP for adolescents with HD (TSK-Heart-A).

METHODS: The TSK-Heart-A survey consists of 17 Likert scale items, producing a summary score (SS) ranging from 17 (low KP) to 68 (high KP). Following content and face validity, adolescents (age 12-18 yr) with arrhythmia disorders or Fontan palliation were recruited. The PROMIS pediatric anxiety and depression short forms, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) generic core and cardiac module, and a PA questionnaire for adolescents (PAQ-A) were used for criterion validity. The TSK-Heart-A was completed twice (20.4 ± 6.3 …

Diabetes-Related Distress Over Time And Its Associations With Glucose Levels In School-Aged Children., Susana R. Patton, Nicole Kahhan, Amy Milkes, Ryan J. Mcdonough, Matthew Benson, Mark A. Clements, Jessica S. Pierce

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: In a cohort of families of school-age children (8-12.99 years old) with type 1 diabetes, we examined the stability of parent and child diabetes-related distress (DRD) over 6 months and the associations between parent and child DRD and child glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over time.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We recruited families from two large pediatric hospital systems in the USA and used validated measures of parent (Parent Problem Areas in Diabetes-Child, PPAID-C) and child (Problem Areas in Diabetes-Child, PAID-C) DRD and children's HbA1c. We collected data at baseline and 6 months. We calculated minimal clinically important differences in PPAID-C …

"Sex Out Of Boredom": Key Stakeholders' Perspectives On Teen Pregnancy Prevention In Emerging Immigrant Latino Rural Communities., Romina Barral, J Dennis Fortenberry, Astrid Guerrero Avitia, Mariana Ramirez, Abbey R. Masonbrink, Claire D. Brindis

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: Teen pregnancy (TP) rates are 1.5 times higher among Latina youth than the United States national average and one-third times higher in rural counties. The Socio-Ecological framework recognizes the myriad of issues that impact TP, including four bidirectional levels of influence on teenagers' behaviors: macro, community, institutional, and interpersonal levels. We aim to fill critical knowledge gaps regarding the influence of key community stakeholders living in rural, Latino-majority communities shaping Latino/a, immigrant adolescents' TP-related environments.

METHODS: A purposive sample of 48 key stakeholders was drawn from three rural counties (Finney, Ford, and Seward) in southwestern Kansas from 2016 to …

Growing Through Grit And Grace, Roshni Mahtani Cheung

Asian Management Insights

An interview with Roshni Mahtani Cheung on how she scaled up theAsianparent and The Parentinc with resilience and a ‘community-first’ approach. How Roshni Mahtani Cheung scaled up theAsianparent and The Parentinc with resilience and a ‘community-first’ approach.