Digital Commons Network^™

In Defense Of The Free-Banking Stablecoins, Ian Fong, Moin A. Yahya

Journal of Technology Law & Policy

Stablecoins, a form of crypto-currencies, have come under increasing regulatory scrutiny. The justification for this arises by analogizing the stablecoins to banknotes issued in the early nineteenth century during a period known as the free-banking era. During that era, banks in many states were free to issue their own notes with little supervision. The results, according to the critics, were an unstable banking system that resulted in the federal government printing its own money. In this Article, we examine the history of that era looking at judicial decisions from that time. We conclude that the judiciary had no qualms about …

Impact Of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement On Pain And Disability In Patients With Chronic Lumbosacral Radiculopathy: Results From An Rct, Danielle Zuzero

Student Research Symposium

Lumbosacral Radiculopathy (LR), also known as sciatica, is a common type of radiating neurologic pain in the lower extremities with an estimated lifetime prevalence as high as 43%. The goal of this randomized control trial was to determine the impact of virtually delivered Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) on patients with LR. Participants were randomized to MORE sessions or treatment-as-usual (TAU) for 8 consecutive weeks, pain intensity was collected daily via email. At baseline and follow-up visits, participants completed questionnaires of disability, quality of life, depression, mindful interpretation of pain, and train mindfulness. Patients undergoing MORE sessions had greater improvement in …

Self-Balancing Robot Leg, Ben Bolen

Student Research Symposium

Research in the Agile and Adaptive Robotics Lab involves the creation of biomimetic robots. To this end, we developed a self-balancing robot leg actuated with braided pneumatic actuators (BPAs)—a type of pneumatic artificial muscle. These BPAs, akin to human muscles, exhibit properties such as high strength-to-weight ratio and tunable passive stiffness. An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) was placed on top of the tibia for feedback and the tibia and foot were connected with a hinge joint. The orientation of the ankle joint was controlled with an Arduino microcontroller sending commands to the proportional pressure valves supplying the BPAs. Leg balance …

Systematic Comparison Of Reservoir Computing Frameworks, Nihar S. Koppolu, Christof Teuscher

Student Research Symposium

In this poster, we present a systematic evaluation and comparison of five Reservoir computing (RC) software simulation frameworks, namely reservoirpy, RcTorch, pyRCN, pytorch-esn, and ReservoirComputing.jl. RC is a specific machine learning approach that leverages fixed, nonlinear systems to map signals into higher dimensions. Its unique strength lies in training only the readout layer, which reduces the training complexity. RC excels in temporal signal processing and is also well suited for various physical implementations. The increasing interest in RC has led to the proliferation of various RC simulation frameworks. Our RC simulation framework evaluation focuses on a feature comparison, documentation quality, …

Reed Research Reactor Neutron Beam Characterization And Analysis, Vee Bartko, Jerry Newhouse

Student Research Symposium

Using neutron activation analysis of 99% pure gold foils, the authors characterize the neutron dose and shape of the neutron beam at the Reed Research Reactor (RRR). The experimental procedure followed extensive modeling in Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) and Tool for Particle Simulation (TOPAS) simulations, in which the beam was projected to be roughly collimated. The shape, defined in terms of neutron flux, was measured by placing the foils directly on top of the neutron beam cap at powers of 1, 5, and 10 kilowatts. The flux was then converted to neutron dose via the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's neutron fluence …

Exploring Speech Experiences, Cpib Scores, And Aac Assessment Experiences Of Autistic Aac Users With Intermittent, Unreliable, Insufficient, And/Or Expensive Speech, Karina Rayl, Pang Lee Herr, Brandon Eddy, Amy Donaldson, Stephanie Fuller, Alyssa Zisk

Student Research Symposium

There is growing evidence from the perspectives of speaking autistic people that augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports their self-expression and communicative agency. Despite the evidence supporting the communication effectiveness of AAC, autistic adults have reported that professionals often prioritized speech as the ideal communicative method rather than offering AAC as a communication option. This study will investigate autistic adults’ AAC assessment experiences and explore whether a modified version of the Communication Participation Item Bank (CPIB) self-rating questionnaire could be an effective tool to document the internal states of intermittent, unreliable, insufficient, and/or expensive speech. Surveys will be distributed to …

Plasma Ion Source, Nathan K. Davis

Student Research Symposium

It is well known that a plasma can be created with both high input power and ultra low pressure. The challenge is in creating these same plasma characteristics with both lower power while maintaining a higher pressure. We have developed an ion beam by careful manipulation of magnetic and electric fields. Magnetic fields are used to accelerate ambient electrons to ionize the low pressure gas into a plasma. Electric fields are used to extract the ions into a focused beam. To achieve these initial ionizations, an artificial vacuum is created to reach low enough pressures to ionize the gas. A …

Method Validation Of Metals In Environmental Soil Samples, Sofia Deangelis, Nana Nguyen

Student Research Symposium

Vehicles are a major source of metal accumulation in terrestrial environments. Green infrastructure, such as bioswales, has been implemented as a way to mitigate this damage. However, there is a limited understanding of the processes that occur in these bioswales as few go back after implementation to identify areas in the bioswale with accumulation of pollutants. Inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has the potential to be used in this type of study due to the machine’s high sensitivity and selectivity. However complications can arise while using the ICP-MS to characterize complex environmental samples. This study seeks to optimize microwave assisted …

Competing Supramolecular Forces: Boron Coordination Vs Π-Π Stacking, Sidhaesh A. Agarwal, Gonzalo Campillo-Alvarado, Nicholas Lutz, Jesus Daniel Loya, Eric W. Reinheimer

Student Research Symposium

This study explores the impact of fluorination levels in azopyridine Lewis bases on their ability to direct the formation of B←N coordination adducts or cocrystals with phenylboronic ester. We hypothesize that the degree of fluorination can be used as a tool to control the outcome of supramolecular bonding competition, thus influencing complex self-assembly.

A series of azopyridines with varying degrees of fluorination were synthesized and reacted with phenylboronic ester. Their structures were analyzed using Hartree-Fock calculations, Hirshfeld surface analyses, and single crystal X-ray diffraction to assess the impact of fluorination on supramolecular interactions.

The study reveals that azopyridines with up …

Development Of A Two-Photon Laser Scanning Microscope, Jess Hollenbaugh

Student Research Symposium

The objective of this project was to convert a Sarastro 2000 confocal laser scanning microscope into a system capable of imaging using two-photon excitation (TPE) fluorescence for the use of the PSU biology department. TPE microscopy operates on the ability of fluorophores to accept two photons each with half the energy of a desired transition in a single quantum event via a virtual energy state and then emit a higher energy photon upon relaxation. This is preferable to single-photon excitation (SPE) due to the lower energy photons causing less damage to delicate biological samples. The adaptation process included physically altering …

Respiratory-Swallowing Coordination In Motor Neuron Disease: A Scoping Review, Mariam Z. Mansoor

Student Research Symposium

Respiratory-swallowing coordination (RSC) is essential for providing efficient breathing and optimal swallowing function. Most commonly used methods of measuring RSC include nasal thermistry, and respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) to determine direction and durations of airflow. Outcome measures include swallow apnea duration (SAD) and respiratory phase pattern (RPP), i.e., direction of airflow pre- and post-SAD. The goal of the current project was to conduct a scoping literature review of RSC, focusing on the motor neuron disease (MND) population, including people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A multi-engine literature search was conducted in 2023-24 via PubMed and Google Scholar. No limitations were …

Interpersonal Experiential Learning And Cancer Research Training Designed To Enhance The Motivation Of Participating Interns Utilizing Self-Determination Theory: A Longitudinal Study With Photovoice Methodology, Alex Vazquez-Cortes, Dierdre Mckay, Connie Tran, Bridget Bugla, Tiffany Bui, Kaisa Holt, Anthony Phan, Clare Hansen, Amy Lin, Amanda Braley, Lisa Marriott Phd

Student Research Symposium

Historically, the underrepresentation of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, disabled, and diverse racial/ethnic groups in STEM fields is prevalent. Equity in stem fields allows for different perspectives and knowledge backgrounds allows for the cognitive diversity needed to tackle complex research topics. The Knight Scholars Program (KSP) aims to support underrepresented and disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students pursuing a research career by teaching them the tools they need to succeed. Spanning over three summers, KSP utilized the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) of motivation to create an inclusive learning environment and to strengthen the high schoolers' motivation to pursue research careers focusing on …

Pulse Modulation In Braided Pneumatic Actuators Mimics Contractile Behavior Of Biological Muscles, Mohamad Elzein

Student Research Symposium

Advancements in robotics and bioengineering aim to emulate biological muscle systems through robotic actuators, blending mechanical strength with biological adaptability. A lesser-explored aspect is mimicking the pulse-like control characteristic of biological muscles, which contract in response to action potentials from motoneurons, with muscle contractile force relying heavily on the timing between these potentials. This study explores the effect of pulse lengths and the gaps between pulses on braided pneumatic actuators (BPAs), which mimic the nonlinearity and dynamic response of biological muscles. It hypothesizes that artificial muscles utilizing pulse-based control will exhibit a similar force dependency on the intervals between pulses …

Evaluation Of Sleep Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury In Children Using Questionnaires And Actigraphy, Connie Tran, Sydney Weese, Cydni Williams Md

Student Research Symposium

Traumatic brain injuries are the result of a sudden external blunt force to the brain and can result in long-term complications or death. In pediatrics, it is the leading cause of acute and chronic sleep wake disturbances, as well as cognitive deficits, which can lead to a reduction in the quality of life. These impairments can later result in lowered performance in work and school settings or decreased psychosocial function. Although there is sufficient evidence that traumatic brain injuries contribute to is that it is unknown whether or not sleep wake disturbances contribute to an increase in the mentioned cognitive …

Deriving Analytical Design Constraints For Absolute & Relative Encoding Schemes In Functional Subnetworks, Cody W. Scharzenberger-Braet, Alexander Hunt

Student Research Symposium

As neural networks have become prolific solutions to modern problems, there has been a congruent rise in the popularity of the numerical machine learning techniques used to design them. While they are highly generalizable, numerical methods tend to produce networks that act as inscrutable “black boxes,” making it difficult to interpret their behavior. One solution to the problem of network transparency is to use analytical techniques, but these methods are underdeveloped compared to their numerical alternatives. In order to enhance the viability of analytical techniques, this work extends previous efforts to quantify the impact that non-spiking neural encoding schemes have …

Second Language Impacts On First Language Processing, Natalie Robison, Sarah C. Creel, Sarah Elkington, Judith Kelholt, Amy Lin, Carolyn Quam

Student Research Symposium

This line of research investigates attrition (loss of fluency) of native Mandarin language (L1) proficiency with increasing proficiency in English. English uses pitch to denote intonation (e.g., “it’s there?” versus “it’s there!”), while Mandarin uses pitch to indicate word meanings; e.g., /he/ means “drink” with a high, level tone, or “river” with a rising tone. The present study delineates between two alternative explanations for the prior finding (Quam & Creel, 2017) that English proficiency correlates with attrition of Mandarin tones, but not vowels. This pattern could be explained by 1) language assimilability (L1-L2 Assimilability Hypothesis), or 2) by tone being …

Recovery Of Black Carbon Concentrations In Burned Forests, Monica V. Zapata Villegas, Kelly E. Gleason

Student Research Symposium

Forest fires shed light absorbing particles (LAP), such as black carbon and burned woody debris, into snowpacks, darkening snow surface albedo, and advancing snowmelt timing and snow disappearance patterns for decades following fire. Although the role of LAPs in seasonal snow has been extensively studied in recent years, the spatiotemporal variability of LAPs and contributions to snowmelt relative to years since fire and burn severity is still unknown. In the Triple Divide region of western Wyoming, the headwaters of the Colorado, Columbia, and Missouri rivers, we quantified the spatiotemporal variability of forest fire effects on snow albedo, using geochemical analysis …

Toward The Development Of An Ultra-Fast, Bright Photoelectron Emission Source Using Tip Enhancement, Pei-Hsiang Yen, Erik J. Sanchez

Student Research Symposium

With the advancement of technology, people are pursuing even higher-resolution analysis results from metrology tools. When results are provided with temporal information, one can add a new dimension to the results. This research involves the development of a new temporal electron source by utilizing tip enhancement, which necessitates the creation of a novel type of emitter that emits electrons on a femtosecond (fs) time scale. Due to the nature of the electron’s mass, under the influence of an electric field they move quickly. To achieve our goal is the design of a resonant nano antenna (or known as a nantenna) …

Describing Shen & Shen Ming Via A Hybrid Quantum Computational Model, Alex M. Cullen, Johnny Lemau

Student Research Symposium

Definitions for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) terminology within the context of quantum biology (QB) have recently been proposed. These definitions aim to elucidate concepts such as qi meridians in TCM. Our study presents a hypothesis that seeks to provide an operational definition for Spirit (Shen) and Bright Spirit (Shen Ming) in TCM via a scoping review. We propose that Shen represents physical, phenomenological proto-consciousness/consciousness in the forms of computation, such as singular particles/bits/qubits, computers, organisms, or computational strategies, whereas Shen Ming may refer to emergent, quasi-physical meta-proto-consciousness/consciousness formed by coherent relationships of multiple orchestrated/integrated units of computation; manifesting itself as …

The Influence Of Soil Composition On Stormwater Retention And Runoff In Green Roofs At Portland State, Manuel Edrozo, Lily Green, Mitchell Mcdonald, Nicholas Olmos

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this study is to determine what soil composition is best for green roofs at Portland State; we aim to compare the current soil to the original substrate, to measure which composition retains the most water, and which filters out the most pollutants in stormwater runoff. Five different soil compositions were tested — original, current, layered mixed, solid mixed, and potting soils — and 1,000mL of high and low intensity rainfall (in/hr) was simulated for each of the mixtures. Water was allowed to filter through the soils for a predetermined time (10min for a high application rate and …

Relationship Between Trunk Cross-Sectional Area Growth And Water Stress In Garry Oaks (Q. Garryana): A Species Of Conservation Concern, John Cochrane

Student Research Symposium

In the Pacific Northwest, Quercus garryana (Garry oak trees) support over 627 native species. Garry oak natural habitat was originally maintained by indigenous practices but has been reduced to 5-10% of its range due to change in land management strategies. To support oak conservation, we need to understand heat and water affect the growth and physiology of this species. In this study, we created a fixed linear model of trunk cross-sectional growth with water stress (Ψ), photosynthetic water-use efficiency (δ¹³C), and leaf Carbon-Nitrogen ratio. We collected branch samples from the canopies of 47-64 mature Garry oaks in the …

Story Of Your Lazy Function’S Life: A Bidirectional Demand Semantics For Mechanized Cost Analysis Of Lazy Programs, Laura Israel, Nicholas Coltharp

Student Research Symposium

Lazy evaluation is a powerful tool that enables better compositionality and potentially better performance in functional programming, but it is challenging to analyze its computation cost. Existing works either require manually annotating sharing, or rely on separation logic to reason about heaps of mutable cells. In this paper, we propose a bidirectional demand semantics that allows for reasoning about the computation cost of lazy programs without relying on special program logics. To show the effectiveness of our approach, we apply the demand semantics to a variety of case studies including insertion sort, selection sort, Okasaki's banker's queue, and the push …

Promoting Student Engagement In Research In An Undergraduate Language-Development Course, Mitchell Kloer, Isabelle Trujillo, Teresa Roberts, Carolyn Quam

Student Research Symposium

This presentation will provide student perspectives on benefits of incorporating inclusive research activities within an undergraduate Speech and Hearing Sciences course. In Speech and Language Development in Children (SPHR 372U), instructor Quam incorporates a research project focusing on an issue of equity, inclusion, and social justice. One overarching goal is to reduce barriers of access to scientific research and increase engagement for college students, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups. The project is segmented into 3 steps that mirror literature review, critical analysis, and proposal. The project is collaborative, iterative throughout the term, and each step in the research process …

Stem Students And Faculty See Value In A Classroom Belonging Exercise, Kaisa S. Holt, Elizabeth A. Runkel-Baez

Student Research Symposium

Enhancing belonging in undergraduate STEM classrooms are pivotal for student success. This study examines a belonging exercise's implementation and impact in multiple STEM courses from 2017 to 2019. Faculty perspectives were gathered from a survey of 92 respondents, indicating a high level of perceived benefit (92%). Coded responses highlighted shared experiences and diversity mindset promotion. 30% explicitly mentioned benefits for both students and instructors. Additionally, 76% of faculty saw potential of belonging exercises in their own classrooms. It is important to promote using belonging interventions and also understand how STEM students perceive their value and utility. Three focus groups with …

Impact Of Testosterone Therapy On Voices In Trans-Masculine People: A Scoping Review, Samuel E. Hedine, Jeff Conn, Deanna Britton

Student Research Symposium

Treatment of trans people by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) dates back to at least the 1980s. However, the majority of early research on the voices of trans people focused on trans-women. More recently, the field of speech-language pathology has garnered more interest in the effects of testosterone therapy in trans-masculine individuals. The goal of this project is to review current research, and compile the known effects of testosterone therapy in the trans-masculine population on common acoustic indices of voice production, including fundamental frequency (pitch), decibels/sound pressure level (dB SPL; loudness) and cepstral peak prominence (voice quality). A scoping literature search was …

Multiscale Variability Of Heavy Metals In A Western U.S. Snowpack, Kelsey Hefner

Student Research Symposium

Natural and anthropogenically sourced particulates are deposited from the atmosphere to landscapes via dry and wet deposition, making frozen winter snowpack a natural archive of atmospheric elemental composition. Wildfires in the Western United States are increasing in extent, duration, and severity, especially in alpine regions. Severe fires remove forest canopy and can impact how atmospheric elements are dispersed and stored across snow-dominated watersheds. We evaluated Al, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, As, Zn, Se, Mo, Cd, and Pb concentrations in 394 winter snow core samples. We collected samples in 2019 and 2020 from a chronosequence of eight forests that burned …

Computationally Assisted Mechanistic Analysis Of The Protonolysis Of A Pt–Me Bond, Clement Dasilva

Student Research Symposium

Mechanistic study of the protonolysis of (cod)PtMe2 could give insight into the activation of C-H bonds by platinum because it is the microscopic reverse reaction. Two possible mechanisms for the protonolysis of dimethyl platinum complexes have been proposed, with experimental and computational data supporting the single step, SE2, over the multistep, SE(ox) mechanism. New experimental work from our group supports a multi-step mechanism with multiple acid molecules. In this work, the SE2 mechanism as well as a proposed SE(ox) mechanism were computationally modeled with a single equivalent of acid, TFAH, and two equivalents using density functional theory. The modeled pathways …

Reducing Switching Noise And Losses In Two-Stage Electric Power Converters, Abhijeet Prem

Student Research Symposium

Advancements in semiconductor devices are enabling the design of better electrical power converter systems. Wide Bandgap (WBG) switching devices from Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride can operate at high temperatures, voltages, and frequencies with faster turn-on/off periods, improving converter performance over silicon devices. However, WBG technology is still new, and the rapid switching transitions of these devices lead to issues such as voltage overshoots, ringing, and electromagnetic interference, which need to be addressed for widespread adoption. This work introduces a new control method for reshaping the switching voltages, which overcomes the disadvantages of fast transition time without increasing the system's …

Impact Of Intersecting Vulnerabilities On Functional Outcome And Health-Related Quality Of Life After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Cohort Study, Rekesh Subedi, Tatiana Hoyos-Gomez, Luis Tinoco-Garcia, John Cervantes Cervantes

Student Research Symposium

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a critical public health issue that disproportionately affects select vulnerable populations, including race/ethnic minorities, low-income individuals, and those without health insurance. Despite high incidences of TBI and its considerable impact on morbidity and mortality, research is limited in addressing how the intersectionality of vulnerabilities contributes to outcomes post-TBI. This literature review aims to synthesize existing knowledge regarding Social determinants of health (SDH) on TBI outcomes, focusing on functional recovery and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study will use a prospective cohort research design where TBI patients at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) will …

Exploring Factors That Contribute To Stem Transfer Student Sense Of Belonging, Brittney R. Gallant, Cate Pocitari

Student Research Symposium

There is an ongoing disconnect between the number of students who enter college intending to earn a STEM degree and the number of students who persist to degree, this is particularly true for transfer students. Sense of belonging has been named as a STEM persistence factor, yet how that belonging develops for transfer students is largely unknown. Here we used a mixed-methods design to explore the experiences of STEM transfer students at PSU (n=38). Participants completed a survey prior to participating in an interview. The survey and interviews explored their science identity, sense of belonging, and involvement in STEM-related activities. …