Digital Commons Network^™

Trans-Regulation Of Heterochromatin Underlies Genetic Variation In 3d Genome Contacts In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells., Haley J Fortin, Anna Z Struba, Arad Bustan, Christopher L. Baker

Faculty Research 2026

BACKGROUND: Genetic variation drives phenotypic diversity and disease susceptibility. Trans-acting genetic variation coordinates genome-wide chromatin changes, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying this distal regulation remain unclear. Here, we use the power of mouse genetics to investigate how genetic variation at trans-acting loci regulates three-dimensional (3D) chromatin interactions.

RESULTS: Using HiChIP to map chromatin contacts among regulatory elements in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J embryonic stem cells (ESCs), we identify 4,962 strain-differential interactions. Of these, 71% overlap chromatin accessibility quantitative trait loci (QTL), establishing that interaction variation is predominantly heritable. These differential interactions show coordinated changes in chromatin state and gene expression, with …

Reclaiming Narrative Authority: Gendered Violence And Feminist Reauthorship In Sharon Pollock's Saucy Jack, Jennifer Jones Cavenaugh

Theatre and Dance Faculty Publications

This article examines Sharon Pollock’s Saucy Jack (1994) as a feminist intervention into the narrative structures that have sustained the cultural authority of Jack the Ripper mythology. Drawing on feminist historiography, particularly Judith Walkowitz’s analysis of male violence as narrative structure and Hallie Rubenhold’s reclamation of the murdered women’s lived histories, the essay argues that Ripper narratives depend on three interlocking conventions: killer-centered focalization, the erasure of women’s lives, and the aestheticization of death as spectacle. Through close performance analysis, the article shows how Pollock dismantles these conventions by centering Kate, a music hall actress whose reenactments transform performance into …

Hypothesis: Ai Changes Everything—Findings From The Elite Lab, Shara W. Gonzalez

Teaching & Learning with AI

This presentation outlines an experimental, faculty-centered approach to integrating AI into teaching and learning at Miami Herbert Business School. Grounded in a strategic goal to deliver personalized, technology-enhanced education by 2029, it presents a framework built on lowering barriers to faculty adoption through targeted entry points, hands-on workshops, pilot programs, and iterative experimentation. The work emphasizes supporting instructors across varying levels of readiness, using data collection (e.g., faculty engagement and survey feedback) to inform continuous improvement. Findings suggest that structured support and experimentation can increase AI integration in course design and better prepare students for AI-influenced professional environments.

Adrenal Crisis In Aps-1 During Acute Pancreatitis: A Sepsis Mimic, Nathan Fletcher, Nora O'Byrne, Ruchita Patel

Advocate GME

Case: A 27-year-old man with known APS-1 manifested by primary adrenal insufficiency and hypoparathyroidism, with concomitant type 1 diabetes mellitus and autoimmune hypothyroidism, presented after one day of emesis and was minimally responsive on arrival. He was febrile to 39.3°C, tachycardic, hypoxemic, and profoundly hypotensive, requiring intubation, norepinephrine, and vasopressin. Initial studies showed sodium 129 mmol/L (135-145), pH 7.10 (7.35-7.45), bicarbonate 13 mmol/L (22-29), anion gap 29 (7-17), lactate 15.9 mmol/L (0.5-2.0), glucose 197 mg/dL (70-99), beta-hydroxybutyrate 4.1 mmol/L ( < 0.4), and lipase 4487 U/L (13-60). CT abdomen/pelvis showed acute interstitial pancreatitis without biliary obstruction or walled-off collection. Empiric broad-spectrum antimicrobials were started, but blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid cultures remained negative. He was treated with stress-dose hydrocortisone (100 mg intravenously then 50 mg every 6 hours), aggressive intravenous fluids, vasopressors, and an insulin infusion for glycemic control during steroid therapy. Point-of-care glucose later peaked at 447 mg/dL after treatment initiation. Endocrinology was consulted and favored adrenal crisis precipitated by acute pancreatitis. Given recent alcohol intake and markedly elevated phosphatidylethanol (PEth) 16:0/18:1 of 1894 ng/mL during hospitalization, endocrinology and gastroenterology favored alcohol-associated pancreatitis. Ketoacidosis was considered multifactorial rather than isolated classic diabetic ketoacidosis, with contributions from recent alcohol use, poor intake, severe lactic acidosis, stress, and glucocorticoid exposure. Vasopressors were discontinued by hospital day 4, he was extubated on day 5, and he was discharged on hydrocortisone, fludrocortisone, insulin, levothyroxine, and calcitriol. Clinical Lessons: In patients with APS-1, acute pancreatitis may precipitate adrenal crisis and present as a sepsis mimic. Appropriate level of care is essential when multiple endocrine emergencies coexist, allowing timely vasopressor support, stress-dose glucocorticoids, and insulin infusion to control steroid-associated hyperglycemia and mitigate risk of progression to diabetic ketoacidosis. Prompt empiric stress-dose hydrocortisone is essential in known or suspected primary adrenal insufficiency while infectious evaluation is ongoing.

The Neuroprotective Effect Of Cdc42 Inhibition In The G93a Mutant Hsod1 Mouse Model Of Als, Andrea Koly

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective loss of upper and lower motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, neuromuscular junction (NMJ) degeneration, paralysis, and eventual death due to respiratory failure. Despite extensive research, effective disease-modifying therapies remain limited, underscoring the need to identify novel molecular targets involved in ALS pathogenesis. Dysregulation of Rho family GTPases has been implicated in neurodegeneration, with Rac and Rho exerting opposing effects on neuronal survival; however, the role of the closely related GTPase Cdc42 remains poorly understood in ALS. In this study, the therapeutic potential of inhibiting …

Policy Solutions In The Ev Battery Supply Chain Addressing Unethical Social And Environmental Practices, Mateo Mazariego-Halpern

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

California should adopt a phased supply chain accountability framework for electric vehicles sold in the state, combining the immediate implementation of a voluntary Fair Trade Decal program with the mandatory adoption of COFFEE (Corporate Operations Free From Environmental Evil) Standards based on CAFÉ standards, by 2035. This thesis identifies a critical gap in U.S. EV policy: current federal legislation regulates where batteries are sourced but not how cleanly or ethically they are produced. The consequences of this regulatory gap are severe, with emissions simply shifting further down the supply chain rather than being eliminated, child labor and indigenous displacement going …

Mothers’ Childhood Maltreatment And Developmentally Appropriate Attributions Of 12-Month-Old Infants, Katelyn M. Lamberton

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This study examined associations between developmentally appropriate attributions (DAAs), an understudied construct, with maternal history of childhood maltreatment and maternal reflective functioning (RF) with their 12-month-old infants. The study examined if 1) DAAs at 12 months were concurrently associated with parental RF at 12 months for construct validity, and 2) higher levels of maternal childhood maltreatment were associated with lower DAAs for predictive validity. Participants were 156 mothers (40.0% White, 25.5% Latinx, 14.9% Black, 5.5% Asian, 2.1% Native-American, 12.0% biracial/multiracial) and their 12- to 15-month infants. Childhood maltreatment and RF were assessed by parental self-report at three-months and 12-months postpartum …

The Contentious Politics Of Abortion: Understanding The Black Protests And Women’S Strikes In Poland, Taubie Sanders

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

In 1993, the Polish Parliament, the Sejm, passed a law called ‘The Abortion Compromise’ permitting abortion only in cases when there is a serious threat to the life or health of the woman, pregnancy is the result of a crime, or prenatal tests show the fetus to be severely or incurably damaged. The current abortion laws in Poland are the most restrictive in all of Europe. Poland’s abortion laws have undergone much contestation in recent years. In 2016, the Black Protests erupted across the country in opposition to a proposed total ban on abortion. In 2020, the Women’s Strikes commenced …

Mild At The Bedside, Critical In The Laboratory: Adrenal Crisis With Severe Hyperkalemia Despite Reassuring Initial Bedside And Electrocardiographic Findings, Nathan Fletcher, Mitali Roy

Advocate GME

Background: Adrenal crisis is a time-sensitive endocrine emergency in which the severity of illness may be underrecognized early in the course. When bedside assessment underestimates biochemical severity, diagnosis and treatment may be delayed. This discordance may occur even in patients with known primary adrenal insufficiency. Clinical Case: A 32-year-old woman with autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 2 (primary adrenal insufficiency, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and autoimmune hypothyroidism), and chronic kidney disease presented with 12 to 16 hours of fatigue, dyspnea, anorexia, weakness, and impaired ambulation despite doubling her home oral hydrocortisone after recognizing symptoms similar to prior crises requiring admission. On …

Rapid-Prototyping Nanofabrication: Lcd-Based Projection Lithography And Physical Vapor Deposition, Sabeel Saleem Mohammmed

University Honors Theses

The semiconductor industry's continued growth, driven in large part by demand for artificial intelligence hardware, has highlighted the need for greater workforce development in regions adjacent to major fabrication centers like Oregon's Silicon Forest. This capstone project lays the groundwork for a small scale and student led semiconductor fabrication lab at Portland State University by demonstrating two of the core steps in chip manufacturing: photolithography and thin film deposition. Rather than relying on conventional fixed reticles, this work explores a unique, low cost approach to patterning that uses an ultraviolet-compatible liquid crystal display (LCD) as a programmable reticle, allowing arbitrary …

The Role Of Urban Forests In Mitigating Flooding Effects: A Case Study In Savannah, Georgia, Gillian Bush

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Flooding in coastal communities is shaped by the interaction between natural systems and urban development. Chatham County, a low-elevation region in the Savannah, Georgia metropolitan area along the eastern coast of the United States, is prone to coastal storms and frequently affected by flooding. It serves as a useful case study to better understand the factors behind flooding and the areas that are most at risk. This study uses GIS-based analysis to examine the overlap between flood risk, urban forest cover, and impervious surfaces. The results indicate elevated vulnerability along major transportation corridors and barrier islands, where high-risk flood zones …

A Point-Of-Care Hormone Monitoring Platform For Postpartum Health Assessment, Ava Mcdonald, Avary Torres, Frances Warneke

Bioengineering Senior Theses

Our point-of-care hormone monitoring device for postpartum health assessment uses paper-based microfluidics to provide an accessible and affordable hormone monitoring tool, tracking biomarkers correlated with postpartum depression (PPD). The device features a 3D-printed spring-box housing and platform containing chromatography paper testing sheets that are lined with polydimethulsiloxane (PDMS) and wax paper, embedded with specific reagents that generate colorimetric hormone readouts from saliva samples. This device was motivated by the need to address critical shortcomings in PPD care, where societal stigma surrounding mental health and reliance on self-reporting diagnostic methods prevent mothers from truthfully reporting symptoms and receiving timely support and …

Trans And Gender Diverse Experiences With Healthcare Professionals, Victor N. Soto

University Honors Theses

There is a history of state powers working against the interest of Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) people, but since the second Trump election attacks on TGD have reached a new precedent; this suggests the state is engaging in necropolitical actions to gain and maintain power. To better understand how the current climate is impacting TGD people, and add to discussions about TGD-centered healthcare research, this thesis interviewed 15 TGD students from the Portland metro area about their experiences with healthcare providers. All fifteen of the interviews were transcribed and coded. Four primary themes were found: 1) bad provider experience; …

Esophageal Innominate Artery Fistula After Delayed Recognition Of Esophageal Foreign Body., Arianne J Abreu, Rahul Sinha, Robert T Sataloff

Otolaryngology (ENT) Resident Research

Esophageal innominate artery fistula (EIF) is a rare cause of life-threatening gastrointestinal hemorrhage. This condition occurs most often secondary to an aneurysm, tumor, or esophageal foreign body. After stabilization of airway and circulation, the management options vary from open to endoscopic and endovascular repair. The initial presentation, diagnosis and management of EIF in the literature focuses on adults primarily. In this case report, the clinical presentation of EIF in a pediatric patient, secondary to delayed recognition of a foreign body, highlights management considerations in this population.

Digital Bodily Autonomy: Consent Issues, Labor Displacement, And Legal Understandings Of Ai Generated Deepfake Pornography, Mariah Barrett

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

In the United States, nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes are becoming an increasingly prevalent problem as AI deepfake creation software improves and becomes widely available. Despite this, patchwork legislation across the country is inconsistent and conflicting regarding this issue. In this paper, I explore the background of pornography and obscenity laws and demonstrate how these frameworks are not properly constructed to apply to the digital sphere. Then, I address major themes within deepfake literature such as consent issues, bodily autonomy, labor displacement, and verifiable identity as a commodity through the case study of OnlyFans. I explore current and proposed legislation within the …

Collaboration In Conservation: Examining Environmental Policy Perspectives Among Ranchers In Rural America, Adeline Braun

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Rural Americans play an essential role in environmental protection policy in the United States due to their political influence and their management of large amounts of land. This study examines what factors affect rural support for and opposition to environmental management policies in order to gain a deeper understanding of when and why rural Americans support and oppose certain environment-related policies. Data collected from interviews with seven current and former ranchers in Wyoming along with information gathered from three relevant environmental organizations is analyzed through the lenses of economics, partisan politics, rural identity, and policy framing. The findings of this …

Explaining Variation In Medical Aid In Dying Policy Across U.S. States, Abigail Hopper

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This paper asks why Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) policy in the United States does not follow a simple partisan pattern between states. Existing scholarship on morality policy emphasizes ideological conflict and partisan alignment, but this framework cannot fully explain why states with similar political compositions have adopted different MAiD policy outcomes, indicating that some key mechanisms shaping the variation have been overlooked. To address this, this paper combines a national dataset of MAiD policies across all fifty states with a comparative case study of Montana, Colorado, and West Virginia, focusing on differences in institutional venues, framing strategies, and coalition …

“Three In A Jeep”: Exploring The Conditions For Successful Peacekeeping Through United Nations Special Political Missions, Audrey Duff

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis examines a specific type of United Nations peacekeeping operation, referred to as Special Political Missions (SPMs) and their progress in transitions from war to peace. While traditional peacekeeping has made advances in separating conflict and human rights development, SPMs provide concentrated specialization in areas, including electoral support, government mediation, and disarmament. Through a structured focus comparison of three unique SPM case studies, this research explores what key dimensions are involved in successful Special Political Missions. By comparing the United Nations Mission in Nepal, United Nations Mission in Colombia, and United Nations Observer Mission in Bougainville, this thesis intends …

La Poésie De Guerre - La Poésie Française Dans Les Deux Guerres Mondiales, Veronica Mayrose

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Cette thèse explore six poèmes de la Première Guerre mondiale et la Seconde Guerre mondiale, avec une concentration sur comment ces poèmes utilisent des thèmes similaires à exprimer desidées differentes. Cette thèse explore aussi comment le contexte historique influence la naturedes poèmes, particulièrement concernant les tranchées de la PMG et l'Occupation de la Francede la SGM.

Differential Roles Of Moesin And Vasp In Β-Catenin-Associated Networks During Zebrafish Heart Regeneration, Allen Rutman

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

With cardiovascular disease remaining as the leading cause of mortality worldwide, it is largely due to the limited regenerative capacity of the human heart. However, zebrafish (Danio rerio) can fully regenerate cardiac tissue following injury, providing a valuable model for studying the mechanisms of heart repair. To investigate these mechanisms, we used proteomics methods in the past. Proximity labeling is a technique that identifies proteins based on their physical proximity to a protein of interest. It can be applied in organisms and in living cells (Roux et al., 2012; Cho et al., 2020). We used proximity labeling to characterize protein …

Welsh, British, And Argentine: Identities Of Convenience In The Welsh Colonies Of Patagonia, Benjamin Welch

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

In this thesis, I examine the Welsh colonies in Patagonia (in Welsh, Y Wladfa) and how the Welsh negotiated their complex identity. Founded in 1865 as a nationalist project intended to preserve Welsh language, culture, and religion, the colony faced extreme hardships and was forced to ask for help. Drawing on British, Welsh and Argentine sources, I argue that Welsh colonists adopted a pragmatic approach to identity, emphasizing their Welshness, Britishness, or Argentinity as needed. While this flexibility was necessary for the colony to survive, it undermined the original goal of a Welsh homeland free of outside influence. Ultimately, the …

Gendered Justice: The Role Of Women’S Civil Society Organizations In Shaping Chile’S Truth Commissions, Frankie Stroud

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Scholarly literature has increasingly recognized that the inclusion of women and gender in formal transitional justice processes is essential for addressing the gendered nature of mass atrocities. This thesis seeks to contribute to the existing literature on how and why some transitional justice processes have come to address women and gender by specifically studying Chile’s Rettig Commission and Valech Commission. Several hypotheses have emerged from the literature for why the Valech Commission addressed gender to a greater extent, including that women’s civil society organizations, diffusion of international norms, and shifting domestic politics each played a role. Grounded in an anti-reductionist …

Industrial Democracy: Unionization, Power, And Control In Rockefeller’S Southern Colorado, Ava Welty

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

By 1914, democracy was clearly connected to America’s political ethos, and Wilson and Frank Walsh only amplified the term. Against this backdrop, labor and CF&I sought to define their movement as aligned with the national project of industrial democracy, despite having divergent understandings of the term. CF&I and Rockefeller built upon decades of social betterment, in addition to new ideas of company unionism to create their definition of industrial democracy, while workers returned to union recognition as a tool of power to construct their definition of industrial democracy. This paper argues that conflicting definitions of industrial democracy after the Ludlow …

The Disproportionate Impact Of Legal Deserts: A Policy Proposal To Address The Legal Needs Of Rural Nevadans, Madelyn Wold

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Despite the large number of attorneys in the United States, the disproportionate concentration of attorneys in urban areas leaves rural residents to navigate the complex legal system on their own. This uneven distribution creates ‘legal deserts’, or areas where residents lack access to attorneys. The Southwestern United States has especially dire legal deserts, and Nevada is no exception. While defendants in criminal matters are guaranteed legal representation, parties in civil legal issues are not granted the same right to representation. Civil legal issues largely impact vulnerable populations and can have profound impacts on individuals’ family, economic circumstances, and physical wellbeing. …

Universal Communications Module: Converting Ieee2030.5 Xml Files To Ansi/Cta-2045, Wyatt Bilodeaux

University Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis is to discuss the method and organization of the Universal Communication module capstone project. This project was part of the Portland State University Electrical engineering degree program. While this thesis is part of the University honors curriculum. This thesis goes into detail about team structure and how a 9 person engineering capstone project was managed and organized. It looks at how we broke down the project into sections to be able to properly distribute our resources. This was one of the earliest and most important challenges that this capstone team had to tackle. This was …

A Novel, Embedding-Based Approach To Longitudinal Survey Data Imputation, Julia Rezvani

University Honors Theses

Longitudinal surveys are ubiquitous in the social sciences as a means of tracking changes in behavior and opinions with time and identifying potential causal mechanisms. These surveys are frequently plagued by missing data and semantic drift, both of which limit their effectiveness and scientific utility. Imputation algorithms allow researchers to fill gaps in collected survey datasets, imperfectly reconstructing lost data. Although deep learning algorithms have been used in imputation to great success, approaches which simultaneously leverage the semantic and temporal structure of longitudinal surveys have not yet been developed. We propose a novel imputation architecture which is capable of leveraging …

Antimicrobial Susceptibility And Targeted Molecular Detection Of Methicillin Resistance Determinants In Staphylococcus Spp. Isolated From Broiler Bco Lesions, Woro Wulandari Kalanjati, Chrystalee Ailani Alvarez, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Adnan Ali Khalaf Alrubaye

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Staphylococcus spp. associated with poultry production is an emerging concern with implications for animal and public health. This study aimed to characterize antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and detect targeted methicillin resistance determinants in Staphylococcus isolates recovered from broiler chickens affected by bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO). Methods: A total of 200 bacterial isolates were evaluated, of which 167 were confirmed as Staphylococcus spp. Species identification was performed using presumptive phenotypic characterization followed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed using disk diffusion, while presumptive methicillin-resistant phenotypes were evaluated using oxacillin screening and CHROMagar MRSA. …

The Dynamics Of Beta Mean Reversion, Dimitry Afanasenko

Finance: Undergraduate Distinction Theses

This thesis examines whether firm-specific characteristics help explain cross-sectional variation in the speed of beta mean reversion among large-cap U.S. equities. Using WRDS market-model betas based on trailing weekly returns, the study constructs non-overlapping annual June beta observations for a stable sample of 190 firms that remained continuous constituents of the S&P 500 from 2000 through 2024. The analysis proceeds in three stages. First, pooled and fixed-effects panel regressions test whether beta mean reversion exists in the sample overall. Second, a firm-specific persistence parameter, gamma, is estimated from rolling ten-year windows of annual betas in order to measure differences in …

Semantic Directing: A Human-Ai Workflow For Interative Virtual Cinematography, Lejie Liu

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis presents AI Director, a Unity-based prototype for semantic directing in virtual cinematography. The system enables creators to describe cinematic intent in natural language, receive editable shot-strategy plans generated by a large language model, and refine specific shots through text and visual references. By separating semantic planning from deterministic camera execution, the workflow keeps user authorship centered on shot intent while making the resulting camera plans inspectable, editable, and executable in real time. This work explores semantic directing as a human-AI workflow for iterative cinematic authoring in dynamic 3D scenes.

Sediment: A Magical Realist Road Novel, Nicolas Victor Rago

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This magical realist novel follows G and Louie, two strangers, as they road trip west to east across the continental United States. As they travel, they drift through time, exploring historical and personal pasts through surreal atmospheric prose.