Digital Commons Network^™

Westside Foodshed Hub Initiative: Farm-To-Food-Assistance Feasibility Study, Andrew Bugh, James Shelstad, Jordan Rasmussen, Kenton Marquigny, Reed Johnson

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The Westside Foodshed Planning Initiative is a feasibility study exploring how Farm-to- Food-Assistance, or F2FA, can supplement CAFE's food assistance work in Northwest and Downtown Portland. The study was conducted by Soil for Roses, a planning team consisting of members of Portland State University's Master of Urban and Regional Planning program. Through this project, Soil for Roses envisions the F2FA as a regional food aggregation and distribution hub tailored to CAFE’s goals of advancing food security and nutrition, environmental stewardship, and resilience.

Gateway: Heat Resilience Focus Area Final Report, Jill Coleman, Sletsy Dlamini, Luke Gordon, Danny Harden-Ramella, Joe Kortenhof, Devery Sheridan

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

In the Summer of 2021, Multnomah County experienced a heat dome that resulted in the tragic deaths of 75 people and caused 258 individuals to seek medical care in emergency rooms and urgent care facilities. While heat related treatment had been experienced in previous heat waves, no heat related deaths had been recorded by the county prior to the Heat Dome. Since 2021, heat-related fatalities have remained elevated above the pre-2021 baseline. Medical visits for illness and injury also remain elevated from 2021 onwards. Many of the more easily implementable short-term solutions have already been implemented in Portland, and the …

C-Tran Bus Stop Accessibility Action Plan, Grace Alston, Michelle Auster, Zoe Beckley, Noah Crawford, Ryan Gallo, Angelique Wallmann

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

Project Background

C-TRAN is the regional public transportation provider for the Clark County Public Transportation Benefit Area in Southwest Washington, providing connections to the Portland, Oregon, metro region. C-TRAN connects people to opportunities, supports economic vitality, and enhances the quality of life for the community.

The challenge - 66% of C-TRAN’s bus stops are non-ADA compliant, C-TRAN’s existing capital investment strategy lacks community input and a multi-year application.

The Opportunity - Our Bus Stop Accessibility Action Plan will leverage community engagement and social metric data to develop a long-term investment strategy.

The Historical Persistence Of Working-Class Culture: How Laborers Created The Ethical Foundation Of Western Civilization, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

This article highlights four historical events that shape our present: the world’s first industrial strike in ancient Egypt to protest workers’ health and safety; working-class efforts to improve labor conditions during the Roman Republic and Middle Ages through strikes and the creation of guilds; the social justice activism of the prophets of Western religions (all working-class folks!); and the creation of the selfie and the transition from a culture of character to our present obsession with celebrities and individualism that began during the Renaissance. Each case highlights unique features of working-class culture, working class reactions to societal changes, and the …

Investigating Potential Bias In Public Acceptance Of Restorative Justice: The Influence Of Situational And Offender Characteristics, Kiara Haynes

Student Theses

Restorative Justice has been an emerging justice mechanism in the U.S. since the 1970s that advocates are working to expand more widely throughout the justice system. Due to victims and the broader community of the offender being an integral part of the Restorative Justice process, it is critical to consider the general public's support of this novel justice mechanism, as well as the influence that social biases among the public may have on the experience of defendants going through the system. The study conducted examined the effect that social biases toward an offender's personal characteristics have on attitudes and opinions …

The Comparative Chemical Analysis Of Colored Henna, Vani D. Bhagwandeen

Student Theses

Henna, a natural dye derived from Lawsonia inermis, is widely used for temporary body art, hair coloring, and cultural decorative practices such as Mehendi. Traditional henna produces a reddish-brown stain through lawsone, a naphthoquinone chromophore that binds to keratin in skin, hair, and nails (Badoni Semwal et al., 2014; de Groot, 2013; Kumar Singh et al., 2015). Commercial henna products have increasingly incorporated synthetic dyes, pigments, and glitter additives to produce a broader range of colors and effects (Blair et al., 2004; Manso et al., 2017; Blackledge & Jones, 2007). Despite their prevalence, limited forensic research has examined the …

Walking The Path Of Conocimiento: Understanding And Navigating Workplace Conflict Through A Chicana Feminist Lens, Elisa A. Ortega-Schultz

Dissertations

The growing presence of Latinas in the U.S. workforce underscores the need for deeper understanding of their workplace experiences. Latinas represent one of the fastest growing segments of the labor force; however, research consistently shows that this growth is not matched by equitable access to leadership, compensation, or culturally responsive workplace environments. Latinas continue to experience persistent barriers related to pay inequity, career advancement, cultural belonging, and overall well-being.

Conflict frameworks that account for the unique experiences of Latinas are needed, as dominant approaches rooted in neutrality, procedural efficiency, and Western individualism often fail to account for the embodied, relational, …

From Evidence To Action: Case For Further Investment In Family Planning For Faster Fertility Decline, Population Council Pakistan

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

For over three decades, the Population Council Pakistan has generated evidence and supported governments in designing innovative approaches to address population and reproductive health challenges. Building on evidence around fertility transition, reproductive health, and the nationally endorsed Tawazun (balance) narrative, the Population Council supported the Government of Punjab through the FCDO-funded Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan (DAFPAK) initiative and other strategic partnerships to implement scalable solutions for strengthening family planning services. This brief outlines five high-impact, proven interventions ready for institutional scale-up and provides an actionable path forward to transform routine health encounters into sustainable health system reforms.

Enhancing Soil Security In Brazilian Cerrado: Composted Sewage Sludge As A Sustainable Conservation Agriculture Strategy, Raimunda Eliane Nascimento Do Nascimento, Nathércia Castro Elias, Philippe Solano Toledo Silva, Rodrigo Silva Alves, Aline Renée Coscione, Jussara Borges Regitano, Wanderley José, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Gian Franco Capra, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Oxisols in the Brazilian Cerrado are intensively cultivated due to their strategic importance in producing a range of commodities exported worldwide. To achieve high productivity, a large amount of conventional mineral fertilizer (CMF) must be used, which raises multiple concerns. Composted sewage sludge (CSS) is a promising organic fertilizer that enhances soil health while increasing agricultural sustainability. The objective of this study was to monitor soil chemical quality at two depths (0–0.1 m and 0.1–0.2 m) after CSS applications over three agricultural years under a no-tillage system. The experiment was conducted under field conditions by applying and evaluating five rates …

Lower Extremity Muscle Activation In Elite Female Field Hockey Players With And Without Low Back Pain During A Prone Hip Extension, Madison S. Cornell

Masters Theses

Context: Low back pain (LBP) is a common chronic injury seen in field hockey players and more prominent in females than males. The purpose of this study was to identify if bilateral muscle activation differences exist in erector spinae (ES), gluteus maximus (Gmax), and biceps femoris (BF) in collegiate female field hockey players with and without LBP during a prone hip extension (PHE). It was hypothesized that individuals in the LBP group would have decreased Gmax and increased BF activation. Methods: A cohort design was utilized through a convenience sample to analyze variations in the dependent variables (muscle activation, flexibility, …

Understanding Formal Financial Access In Indonesia: Evidence From Micro Data, M. Aulia Rachman, Yozi Aulia Rahman, Maulida Dewi Pangestika, Risanda Alirastra Budiantoro

Economics and Finance in Indonesia

This study examines the determinants of access to formal financial institutions using secondary household survey data from Indonesian Family Life Survey, Wave 5 (IFLS-5). Logistic regression analysis reveals that loan amount, savings, education level, age, housing status, and internet usage are positively and significantly associated with greater access. Individuals with higher savings, higher education, and homeownership exhibit a higher probability of utilizing formal financial services. Although the significance of internet usage varies across models, it remains a strong predictor when properly controlled, particularly due to its role in enhancing digital literacy. In contrast, income and health insurance ownership do not …

A Simple Guide To Responsible Management And Sharing Of Research Data At Unh, Julie Simpson, Patricia Condon, Bonnie Brown, William C. Clyde, James J. Connell, Ramonda Kindle, Nathan A. Schwadron, John E. Sparrow, Xueting Sun, Engin Taze, May-Win Thein, Anita R. Tucker, Karen T. Vangundy, James Wible

Integrity in Research and Scholarship

We developed this simple guide to help researchers navigate the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Policy on Ownership, Management, and Sharing of Research Data (“UNH research data policy”). It can be challenging for researchers to translate policy into workflows, and we recognize a need for more actionable and user-friendly guidance to help researchers apply the policy in their everyday work. The UNH research data policy outlines institutional responsibilities related to data ownership, retention, recording, and sharing, as well as roles and responsibilities of principal investigators and students. This resource was adapted from a training module intended to translate the UNH …

Covering The Care: Health Insurance Coverage In New Hampshire | 2026 Update, Deborah Fournier J.D, Erica-Lyn Plante, M.S

All Materials

Health insurance is meant to financially protect enrollees should they need healthcare services following illness or injury. However, the affordability of maintaining insurance coverage continues to grow as a concern in the US and in New Hampshire. In fact, increasingly individuals avoid necessary health care services due to unexpected or high costs among both the insured and uninsured. In 2025, nationally more than 1 in 3 adults (36%) either delayed or did not seek healthcare due to costs and nearly half (44%) said it was difficult to afford healthcare costs [1].

Exploring Capacity For Future Sustainability Of Healthy Eating Policy, Systems, And Environmental Change Strategies Previously Implemented Through Snap-Ed Programming, Carrie L. Draper, Nicholas Younginer Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Phenomenon of Interest

Analysis

Results

Soybean Plant Population Density Recommendations Across The United States, Giovani Preza Fontes, Carrie Ortel, Emma Macham, David Moseley, Shawn Conley, Chad Lee, Mark A. Licht, Laura E. Lindsey, Haleigh J. Ortmeier-Clarke, Rachel Vann, Maninder P. Singh, Seth Naeve, Jeremy Ross, Jake Mcneal, Michael Plumblee, Shaun Casteel, Eros Francisco, Michael J. Mulvaney, Nicolas Cafaro La Menza, Andre Froes De Borja Reis, Daniela Carrijo, Emerson Nafziger

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Rising production costs and declining commodity prices have compelled farmers to reassess their input and management strategies. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] seed costs, in particular, have continued to increase due to advances in biotechnology, higher-yielding germplasm, and available seed treatments, accounting for 32–35% of the total operational expenses in current soybean production systems. Optimizing seeding rate is therefore one area of consideration for improving profitability and maximizing return on investment. However, soybean yield response to plant population density is influenced by the combination of several factors, including water availability, temperature, radiation interception, planting practices, and crop growth and development. …

Evaluating Species At Risk In Data-Limited Fisheries: A Productivity–Susceptibility Analysis For Marine Aquarium Fish, Gabrielle A. Baillargeon, Alice A. Wynn, Jemelyn Grace P. Baldisimo, Michael F. Tlusty, Andrew L. Rhyne

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The marine aquarium trade (MAT) is a significant global industry harvesting millions of wild-caught, live coral reef fishes for public and private aquaria markets in the United States and Europe annually, while supporting fisher livelihoods in the Indo-Pacific. This diverse and species-rich trade is considered data-limited, creating barriers to quantifying the current and future socio-ecological sustainability of the fishery. We present a revised and expanded productivity–susceptibility analysis (PSA) that serves as a holistic risk assessment to estimate the vulnerability of marine aquarium fish to overfishing. Our global analysis includes 306 species that are actively in trade. Improvements to the PSA …

School Renewal And School Well-Being, Jianping Shen, John Lane, Patricia Reeves, Siche Feng, Xin Ma

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

In this longitudinal case study, we examined school well-being during the change process. We operationalized the change process as the school renewal model and viewed school well-being from the perspective of the PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) model. We found that all elements of the PERMA model were manifested in the school renewal process and that the school renewal process was not dominated solely by conflict and tension, as the literature typically suggests about the change process. The findings of the study suggest the possibility of reframing tension as productive rather than detrimental in the school renewal …

The Educational Disconnect: How Much Do Parents Understand About The Special Education Process?, Marisa Anne Aiello Michalowski

Theses & Dissertations

People with disabilities constitute the largest minority group in the United States. Yet, they face significant barriers that often lead to lowered academic outcomes. Federal and state K-12 educational policies emphasize family engagement as a core component of student success. The problem is that parents are not always fully informed of the special education process or their role on the Committee on Special Education (CSE), which in New York State is a team of educators, specialists, and parents that help determine appropriate special education services and placements. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore the knowledge that …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2026

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Advancing Patient Centered Care Through Integration Of The Icu Liberation Flowsheet In The Electronic Medical Record To Improve Spontaneous Awakening Trial Compliance In The Icu, Amy Stafford

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

To improve spontaneous awakening trial (SAT) compliance by integrating an ICU Liberation flowsheet into the EHR, standardizing workflow, and promoting consistent, patient-centered sedation practices.

Neural Correlates Of Recognition Memory And Metamemory In Breast Cancer Survivors: An Event-Related Potential Study, Dishari Zaman Azad

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Breast cancer survivors (BCS) often report noticeable cognitive difficulties despite showing limited impairment on standardized neuropsychological tests. Some have theorized that this is simply an insensitivity of standardized testing to subtle cognitive changes (test-insensitivity hypothesis), whereas others have suggested there are early neural changes that are detected by patients but precede detection by these tests (early signal hypothesis) or that when they achieve normal performance, it is through saliently effortful compensatory processes (compensation hypothesis). The present study tested these theories by assessing metamemory and recognition memory retrieval in BCS and non-cancer controls (NCC) using both behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) …

Monsters In The Gutter: Queerness And Family In Graphic Novels, Maren Beriss

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this thesis I read two graphic novels together: My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris and Black Hole by Charles Burns. Although the stories are quite different, they mirror each other quite closely: Burns’ story takes place in a homogenous suburb; Ferris’ is set in a diverse part of Chicago. Both deal with what it means to be a monster, but in different ways. Ferris has a clear framework of the different kinds of monsters – good, bad, and villager – which is at times helpful but often too narrow. Yet reading Burns with this lens in mind …

Urban Sacred Grove: A Visioning For Collective Care, Preservation, Environmental Justice, And Resilience, Oluwadara A. Ojugbele

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My capstone explores how the concept of sacred groves—a community-based practice of conserving forest areas for cultural, spiritual, or religious purposes—can be reimagined as a framework for urban environmental stewardship and community care. Sacred groves have historically varied across time and place but consistently serve as protected spaces that honor divine forces, ancestors, and community values. In the Yoruba context, groves demarcate lush forests as abodes for oriṣas (divine forces) and spiritual beings, often containing shrines and artifacts that embody cultural beliefs. My capstone draws on the sacred grove concept and aims to illustrate how urban communities might adopt sacred …

Turning Boycott Into A Sustainable Opportunity: Leveraging Boycott To Boost Local Production And Enhance Local Market Competitiveness In Egypt, Alaa Maher

Theses and Dissertations

While existing literature largely concentrates on the consumer behavior dimensions of boycotts, limited attention has been paid to their structural economic implications for FDI and local production. This paper frames the 2023 boycott campaign as a demand shock in Egypt’s food and beverages sector. Dependency theory is applied to assess the pre-boycott stage, where MNCs’ market power created structural dependencies within the sector. Dynamic capabilities theory is employed to explain the heterogeneity in firm responses during the boycott and their attempts to acquire sustainable market share. Using a multi-case study design, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted across 16 firms in …

Practice With Purpose Policy Project: The Pediatric Ng/Og Tube Safety Hierarchy, Caitlin Roush, Christine Hajovsky, Delaney Dewolf, Elizabeth Hernandez, Giselle Daclan, Jay Barber, Kris Noel, Kristen Dickey, Lynde Craig, Madeline Herrera, Margaret Willenburg, Mckenzie Pedigo, Melynda Olguin, Myesha Vines, Rhianna Brard, Teresa Wynee

Practice With Purpose

No abstract provided.

Ebp-Rc Practive With Purpose: Blood Specimen Collection, Katelyn Clark, Sarah Ritchie, Hinal Gandhi, Brady Franklin, Hailey Holt, Melanie Hubbard, Joshua Mckay, Zan Jayroe, Beena Oommen, Dhanu Bhandari, Erin Bullock, Gabriella Wiemann, Janelle Heygster, Juli Nascimento, Olga De Leon, Sharley Magaan, Tara Gunther, Thi Phan

Practice With Purpose

No abstract provided.

Ebp-Rc Practice With Purpose: Blood Specimen Collection From Piv, Katelyn Clark, Sarah Ritchie, Hinal Gandhi, Brady Franklin, Hailey Holt, Melanie Hubbard, Joshua Mckay, Zan Jayroe, Beena Oommen, Dhanu Bhandari, Erin Bullock, Gabriella Wiemann, Janelle Heygster, Juli Nascimento, Olga De Leon, Sharley Magaan, Tara Gunther, Thi Phan

Practice With Purpose

No abstract provided.

Volumetric Differences Of Thalamic Nuclei Are Associated With Posttrauma Psychopathology, Nick Steele, Ahmed Hussain, C. Lexi Baird, Courtney C. Haswell, Delin Sun, Leonel Rangel-Jimenez, Chadi G. Abdallah, Michael Angstadt, Geoffrey May, Hannah Berg, Jennifer U. Blackford, Josh M. Cisler, Judith K. Daniels, Nicholas D. Davenport, Richard J. Davidson, Maria Densmore, Seth G. Disner, Wissam El-Hage, Amit Etkin, Negar Fani, Jessie L. Frijling, Evan M. Gordon, Daniel W. Grupe, Ryan J. Herringa, Anna R. Hudson, Neda Jahanshad, Tanja Jovanovic, Anthony King, Saskia B.J. Koch, Ruth Lanius, Amit Lazarov, Gen Li

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Background: Previous investigations of whole thalamus and thalamic nuclei volumes in posttrauma psychopathology have been sparse and limited in scope and have yielded inconsistent results. To address this, volumetric estimates of whole thalamus and thalamic nuclei were obtained from structural brain magnetic resonance imaging scans from 2058 participants across 20 worldwide sites in the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) working group. Methods: Thalamic volumes were compared in trauma-exposed participants with PTSD (n = 238), major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 184), and comorbid PTSD+MDD (n = 618) and in trauma-exposed control participants (n …

John Kodenkandeth V. Upmc Health Plan Inc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Alterations Of Cerebral Extracellular Vesicle Microrna Profiling Potentially Disrupts Brain Homeostasis Following Myocardial Infarction, Md Monowarul Islam, Shouyi Liang, Lijun Sun, Guoku Hu, Neha Dhyani, Lie Gao, Tara L. Rudebush, Xue Xu, Jinpeng Liu, Irving H. Zucker, Changhai Tian

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Cognitive impairment (CI) is prevalent among heart failure (HF) patients. Although the brain injury in HF is multifactorial, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are common pathological features of neurological disorders and are increasingly recognized as key mechanisms underlying CI. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are well-established mediators of biological signaling in myocardial function and are widely recognized for transporting a variety of microRNAs. However, whether myocardial injury alters the miRNA profiles of brain EVs, potentially contributing to cognitive impairment (CI) by disrupting brain homeostasis, remains poorly understood. Using a rodent myocardial infarction (MI) model, we isolated brain EVs and characterized their miRNA profiling …