Many people around the world suffer from a mental illness, and too few receive the help they need. Mental illness is especially prevalent among the homeless. Homelessness is represented in all ages, ethnicities, and genders, and is especially represented among first world countries such as the United States and Spain....
Global population growth and dependence on traditional energy sources has created an interest in biofuels and other alternatives to traditional energy. The economic disparity between countries raises questions about their ability and willingness to create biofuel markets. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of specific factors...
The potential of red blood cell (RBC) and platelet damage was studied for a novel microfluidic hemoperfusion device currently in development at Oregon State University for use in treating sepsis. COMSOL 4.4's computational fluid dynamics (CFD) module was used to examine shear rate profiles in laminar, Newtonian blood flow throughout...
The opioid epidemic in the U.S. has had significant impacts on opioid overdose rates, productivity, and healthcare expenditure. Research has drawn attention to the necessity of a more integrated, biopsychosocial approach to treatment of chronic pain, and how it could alleviate the current public health emergency. Previous literature alluded to...
According to the United Nations, Iran has one of the highest percentages of drug addicts in the world, with anywhere between three and four million addicts addicted to heroin or crystal meth in a population of 80 million. At least 700,000 of these addicts are women, whom make up ten...
Physicians and veterinarians arguably uphold the same ethical principles and responsibilities for their patients in general practice. Both professionals swear to, and practice their respective oaths of non-malfeasance (to do no harm) and beneficence (to alleviate patient from suffering and promote patient welfare). Despite these similar practices, different outcomes are...
The rate of physician dissatisfaction is steadily rising. Between 2011 and 2012, the number of physicians that would not choose a career in medicine if given the opportunity to decide again increased by 15% (Adams). This discontentment has major repercussions in the midst of the rising need for physicians: it...
Social behavior such as play, affiliation, and some vocalizations of captive animals can be indicators of good welfare. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) near Otjiwarongo, Namibia are often housed in social groups with various backgrounds. Observations of social and active behaviors were recorded for a group...
HIV testing among high risk adolescents in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania is challenging due to poor access to test sites and AIDS-related social stigma. We adapted the OraQuick HIV Test, a self-implemented test (SIT), for low literacy youth with no internet access. To compensate for poor literacy, a picture instruction...
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly used in winemaking, baking, and brewing, also serves as a host for the production of therapeutically valuable pharmaceuticals. Recently, the Bakalinsky laboratory constructed a recombinant yeast strain expressing two zebrafish (Danio rerio) genes in order to produce a UV-protective “sunscreen” compound called gadusol. An antioxidant...
Conservation of natural resources has become a new watchword of the scientific community. While many terrestrial ecosystems are well protected, marine ecosystems have only recently come to the forefront. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been introduced as a means of protecting biodiversity, commercial stocks, and ecosystem services. There are many...
The Ambovombe-Androy region of southern Madagascar is one of the most water stressed areas in the country and is also notorious for having the worst quality water on the island. Before improvements and change can be made however, it is vital to know what infrastructure, quality, and access levels currently...
In response to the growing popularity of the Mediterranean Diet, it is important to understand that there are variations between the diets of the many Mediterranean countries. This is certainly true of the diets in Spain, especially among the younger generations. Therefore, should the term “Mediterranean Diet” be universally applied...
Anammox (Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation) is a significant biogeochemical process carried out by certain bacteria, generally referred to as anammox bacteria. These bacteria have the ability to anaerobically oxidize ammonium (NH4+) with nitrite (NO2-) to form nitrogen gas (N2) without an organic carbon source. While anammox bacteria are found in a...
Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a recently introduced, invasive pest in Oregon. It oviposits in near-mature and mature fruit, and thus is an important concern for the small fruit industry. A crop consultant observed that mature raspberry fruit with D. suzukii larvae do not show symptoms of molds as...
The purpose of this collection is to piece together a series of events in Argentina's history that resulted in the present day workers movements. Upon completion of an internship in Rosario, Argentina, an interest was sparked in learning more about the movements of unemployed workers through social autonomy. The economic...
The advancement of the US energy grid is a necessary task to undertake as renewable energies like wind and solar power become more and more prevalent in our energy sector. However, due to uncontrollable factors such as wind speed and cloud cover, the intermittence of these energy sources continues to...
Biosphere models predict the transport of radionuclides in the environment with an end goal of assessing the possible risk to humans. Little data exists to support these mathematical biosphere models. The objectives of this work were to verify foliar uptake in biosphere models using experimental data, compare existing biosphere models...
This paper critically examines the notion of citizenship and how its construction has evolved over time. As the world becomes increasingly more globalized and connected, it becomes even more important to consider forms of citizenship that are transnational and move beyond the traditional borders of the nation-state. This is especially...
Although Latino students make up more than a quarter of the U.S. public school system, only three percent of children’s literature either features a Latino protagonist or is written by a Latino author (Machado et al.). Latinos are therefore severely underrepresented in children’s books. Additionally, studies have revealed that Latino...
At the conclusion of the novel The Healing of America, T.R. Reid challenges the American people to decide whether health care is a human right prior to any appropriate service reform occurring. From Reid’s perspective, the design of any nation’s health service system is primarily dictated by the morals of...
Every Spring and Summer, thousands of climbers attempt to summit Mt. Rainier. Many of them stop at Camp Muir, a base camp at 10,000 feet, where they can use restrooms, camp overnight, or refill water bottles before continuing their climb. Camp Muir currently uses a gas system to melt snow...
In recent years, simulated laboratory experiences have become more prevalent in educational curricula. These simulations, called virtual labs, can enable learning in ways that are not limited by physical constraints. The development of virtual labs is often ad hoc, resulting in unnecessary, repetitive work. The purpose of this thesis is...
The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) is a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that offers science-based information about pesticides and related topics to the general public, medical personnel, applicators, researchers, and regulators. The Herbicide Properties Tool project is the creation of an updated...
Rather than focus intently on the text and its infrastructure, academics treat literature as an ossuary for theoretical machinations and thus relegate art to serve as a vehicle for erudite discourse. This thesis hopes to offer a counter by underscoring the ways in which texts subvert extra-textual applications. In disavowing...
Advances in electronics fabrication, coupled with the demand for increased computing power, have driven the demand for innovative cooling solutions to dissipate waste heat generated by these devices. To meet future demands, research and development has focused on robust two-phase heat transfer devices. A confined impinging jet is explored as...
Transgenic biotechnology holds enormous potential as a tool to address global food insecurity. Transgenic food crops have been shown to increase food availability and food system security by incorporating disease, pesticide and drought resistance. Production costs of transgenic crops are lower due to the reduced need for costly pesticides and...
The consumption of alcohol has been shown to have effects on health that are both harmful and
therapeutic, depending on the amount that is consumed. Alcohol’s effects can be damaging to the body in excess but, in moderation, can act as a protectant against certain conditions. The two studies discussed...
According to The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS report of regional
statistics for HIV/AIDS from 2001-2008, Latin America has the third highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS
among children and adults in the world with about 2 million infected in 2008. Among all of these
countries, Mexico has the...
This study explored factors that affect acquisition and proper use of contraception among the college-age Latina population at Oregon State University. Interviews were conducted with eleven health care providers at OSU’s Student Health Services during the spring of 2014. Using content analysis we identified individual-level barriers including lack of knowledge...
Large equine facilities are comprised of many different departments (areas) that are necessary for the proper care and maintenance of horses. The placement of departments is often inefficient due to the slow growth of equine facilities. As a result, facility layout becomes a crucial aspect requiring explicit consideration because mandatory...
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the fourth most common cancer overall, causing an estimated 307,000 deaths in 2012. Prostate cancer is distinct from other cancers in that there are numerous treatment options, yet very few guarantees in relation to outcome. The most common treatments...
Glioblastoma, which occurs in adults primarily between ages of 40 to 70 years and accounts for 15% of all brain tumors, is a devastating diagnosis with a median survival rate of less than a year. Invasiveness of glioblastoma cells significantly reduces the effectiveness of current treatments, highlighting the importance of...
Previous research has shown that gender stereotypes are present in advertisements and in popular culture items. We conducted a content analysis of Halloween costumes to examine the presence of gender stereotypes in the poses of the models, weapons, and costume role (e.g. hero, counter authority, mythical creature, royalty). A sample...
Of the major players in the birth and growth of nuclear technology, France and the United States are two of the biggest. Their glaring differences in culture and political regimes, therefore, have resulted in two very different attitudes toward adoption and implementation of nuclear power. Through extensive literary research, cultural...
Although an efficacious bovine herpesvirus type-1 (BHV-1) vaccine has been used for many years, BHV-1 vaccine-related abortion and respiratory disease have been occurring in a rising number of herds. To investigate whether isolates from BHV-1 vaccination with adverse effects are identical to the wild type virus or vaccine virus, regions...
In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELL) in the United States. According to the Education Commission of the States, ELLs have significantly lower achievement levels than their non-ELL peers. Further, numerous research studies report that teacher education programs lack ELL...
Madagascar, home to a high degree of endemic species and has been subject to numerous programs and organizations intent on preserving its biodiversity, which is currently pressured largely by anthropogenic causes. Protected areas, including national parks, make up a central part of these conservation efforts, combining ecotourism and restricting access...
With human activity causing increases in turbidity in coastal marine waters, it is of economic and ecological importance to understand how this increase will affect organisms living in these areas. At most risk may be predators, such as many teleosts and cephalopods, reliant on vision to detect and capture prey....
Tomato is considered to be one of the most important vegetables for its value as a source
of nutrients and antioxidants, and as a model crop for biological research, including seed
biology. In this thesis, tissue-specific gene expression and its regulation in tomato seeds
were analyzed to understand the mechanisms...
Though currently relatively unknown outside Latin America, Andean root and tuber crops are rapidly gaining interest elsewhere. Tubers are a major food and important sources of nutrition in South America and have potential in countries outside their center of origin. We conducted a two-part study on oca (Oxalis tuberosa), mashua...
Honko Mangrove Conservation and Education is a Western non-governmental organization based in Madagascar that serves as a source of public science education and caters to diverse audiences. My thesis examines barriers of culture, language and epistemology that may constrain Honko’s ability to conduct effective public education, if they decide to...
This study compared and analyzed the practice of pediatricians in Salem Pediatric Clinic, Salem, OR, USA with physicians in Hospital de Niños Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina in the treatment of acute otitis media in children. It was found that Argentine and USA practices for treatment of...
The purpose of this study was to examine pregnant Puerto Rican women’s perspectives on the Zika virus threat. Using data collected from open-ended, semi-structured interviews and observational field notes, we aimed to understand the degree to which Zika contributes to maternal stress. How concerned are pregnant women in Puerto Rico...
The proper way to order knowledge and find truth about the natural world in the eighteenth century lay in one’s ability to correctly learn and employ the quality of reason. While all had the right to seek reason, only a privileged few achieved its proper use, creating an intellectual elite...
In the beginning of her travelogue, A Motor‐Flight Through France (1908), Edith Wharton declares that “the motor‐car has restored the romance of travel.” Many scholars have taken this statement as an index to the book’s themes. However, my reading closely examines particular moments of travel (specifically Wharton’s visits to Beauvais...
Nuclear energy is very efficient and cost-effective, but the stigma attached to it hinders its expansion around the world. However, with rising concerns over climate change and the fact that nuclear energy effectively has zero greenhouse gas emissions, there is an opportunity for nuclear to be more acceptable as a...
It is well known that water transport in xylem depends on its anatomy, but recent research shows that water transport through different parts of the growth ring are affected by the water potential in different ways. The goal of the project was to learn the extent to which wood morphology...
The purpose of this meta-synthesis was to investigate why students from the U.S. receive the scores they do on the international TIMSS and PISA science exams. This work sought to shed light on the perceived disparity between science performance of U.S. students and students from other countries. To do so,...
Current human – ocean relationships are dominated by unsustainable extraction of marine resources having both ecological and socio-economic consequences. Sustainable fishery management utilizing stakeholder collaboration must become a proactive strategy to prevent or reduce further long-lasting impacts. In Oregon, USA, a newly developing fishery for gooseneck barnacle (Pollicipes polymerus) presents...