With more and more adolescent girls having lower self-esteem due to the pressures from society to be thin and beautiful, programs have been developed to help increase young girls’ self-esteem while teaching them about nutrition and self-image as well as encouraging them to be physically active. I analyzed one of...
Sweet onions are valued for their unique flavor and praised for their health and dietary character. Onion sweetness is perceived as the degree of pungency decreases. Pungency can be quantitatively determined in onions by measuring enzymatically produced pyruvic acid. The onion industry quantifies a sweet onion as one having a...
Perfluorinated chemicals have been widely used in industry for their superior surfactant qualities. Because of their widespread usage and resistance to photolytic and biodegradation mechanisms, as well as their ability to undergo long-range atmospheric transport, these compounds have become ubiquitous in the world-wide water supplies. Of particular interest are perfluorooctanoic...
The Oregon Department of Education requires children to receive vision screening before entering elementary school, but does not require follow-up with an eye care professional after a failed screening. Whether such preventative vision care is effective at detecting children with vision problems was investigated through research from the American Optometric...
A collection of short stories in the style of flash fiction. The themes of the stories include relationships, legality, and friendship. The stories are connect by themes, cross self-referencing, repetition, fragmentation, and characters. The main unifying feature is the characterization of the narrator through his response and commentary. The styles...
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a leading cause of bronchopneumonia in infants and elderly. Knowledge of viral and host protein interactions is important for better understanding of the viral pathogenesis and may lead to development of novel therapeutic drugs. Here, we show that RSV Matrix (M) protein interacts with cellular...
Agricultural areas can be inhospitable to the attraction and maintenance of beneficial insects like natural enemies and pollinators and this can result in a decrease in the ecosystem services of pollination and pest control that these insects supply. If habitat can be created and maintained on-farm, an increase in the...
Pesticides are ubiquitous, with more than one billion tons of pesticide products used in the United States annually. These compounds are characterized by their toxic effects to the target organism; however, pesticides are also well known for their deleterious effects to non-target species. Because pesticides have ecological and human health...
This thesis explores the effects study abroad literature, specifically promotional Websites, have on
Oregon State University students when selecting a study abroad program and if the students’ choices reflect
OSU’s International Degree and Education Abroad’s (IDEA) goal of global competency for students.
To explore this, two online surveys were made;...
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF α) and interferon gamma (IFN γ) were initially recognized as inflammatory mediators produced by immune cells in response to infectious agents or foreign material. (1,5) However, over the past decade much research in mammalian species has indicated that these proteins also play key roles in...
Cancer is class of diseases that has great diversity and unfortunately is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Chemotherapy remains an important cancer treatment modality, and superior chemotherapeutic drugs are constantly being sought. Gemcitabine is an anti-tumor chemotherapeutic drug and it is the first line...
We present a model for running that combines active control with passive dynamics,
in an attempt to approach the economy and robustness of animal running. Our
work is inspired by examples of guinea fowl encountering an unexpected drop in
ground surface, with little a ect on their running gait. Previous...
Gene regulatory networks control the state of a cell. Models of such networks have been produced for sea urchin development and suggest that cell type may be defined by distinct network kernels. Such kernels are composed of a set of sequence specific DNA-binding transcription factors (SSTFs) that maintain each other’s...
The healthcare system of India can be categorized into three different sectors. The public sector can be characterized by lower cost and is financed through tax subsidies. The private sector can be characterized by diversity of techniques and niches. Costs associated with the private sector are generally larger than public...
Presented in this report is an investigation of the design, construction, and operation of scaled-up cloth electrode assembly (CEA) air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). 40 mL MFCs were designed and constructed using either single or double CEAs with carbon cloth electrodes. The MFCs were evaluated using acetate media, municipal wastewater,...
The intention of this honors thesis was to define the boundaries of the basins responsible for feeding sedimentary materials to the core sites taken for the 2007 OSU Sumatra Cruise. These boundaries were defined with the specific use in mind of tracking potential sources of material that would likely be...
The heroine of this fantasy novel is Alina who lives in a medieval-like time and place. The day before her 20th birthday, in an impetuous moment, she breaks a local superstition by standing in a sunbeam. This allows a fairy to kidnap her and take her to the fairy castle...
Although males have historically been the focus of the juvenile justice system, females now represent a quarter of juvenile arrests. Since the second wave of feminism in the 1970’s, critics of androcentric policies and programming for delinquents has shifted public attention to the history, experiences, and treatment of girls in...
Mycoplasma haemolamae is associated with mild to marked anemia in stressed, immune-suppressed, and debilitated animals, and may be found in low numbers in healthy animals. The continued presence of the organism, detectable by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay, may be associated with an underlying problem, such as stress or immune-suppression...
The goal of this project was to determine whether an equine business in which the sole income is from the short term retraining and resale of horses could be successful. Horses would hypothetically be kept for not less than six months and not longer than one year, and priced from...
The prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight has grown significantly in France in the past twenty years. Obesity is associated with many diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, and depression. These diseases once confined to adults are increasingly being observed in children. Thus there are...
Creating an untraditional more personalized thesis allowed me to combine my
passion for children, travel, language, and books all into one. Hans the Adventurer is
a children’s book about a young German boy who loves to go on adventures.
However Han’s has to go on the adventure alone when his...
Research was conducted to determine the thermoelectric behavior of Co₉S₈, Co₉Se₈, CoSe, CoTe₂, CoSbSexSl-x (x=O, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0), CoSbTe, AuTe₂, AuTe₁.₉₀Sb₀.₁₀, Au₀.₉₅Pt₀.₀₅Te₂, Au₀.₉₅Ag₀.₀₅Te₂, MnTe₂, MnTe₁.₉₅Sb₀.₀₅, MnTe₁.₉₀Sb₀.₁₀, CoSb₂, and Co₀.₉₅Fe₀.₀₅Sb₂. Recently discovered sodium cobalt oxide compounds have been found to have large Seebeck coefficients coupled with favorable thermal and electrical...
Aural Experiences in Ecuador – An Intercultural Dialogue Through Sound takes the listener on a unique auditory journey through Ecuador, exploring its diverse sound environment while examining how one’s cultural perspective influences how those sounds are perceived. The process of listening occurs as a mutual dialogue between the listener and...
Pesticides can often be toxic and for this reason their methods and quantities of application are extremely regulated. Pesticide applicators are at risk of permanently damaging their health from exposure to pesticides. In order to ensure that these employees have the proper information to protect themselves, they are required to...
In order to improve photosynthetic hydrogen production, initial work has begun on a flux balance analysis of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, a model H2-producing organism. The mathematical model developed includes reactions relevant to photoautotrophic growth: glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the Calvin cycle, the photosynthetic electron transport chain, the...
In recent years off the United States Oregon coast severe hypoxic events have resulted in areas of mass vertebrate and invertebrate species mortality known as dead zones. Creation of dead zones and alteration of community species composition in response to inner shelf hypoxic conditions have been observed annually from 2002...
It is hypothesized that extracting the vapor from two-phase flow in a microchannel will result in a lowered pressure drop required to drive the flow. The goal of this thesis is to construct an experimental device that will test this hypothesis by comparing a number of phase separating test conditions...
Eukaryotic cells have developed elaborate biochemical processes to counteract oxidative stress, electrophiles, or carcinogens due to environmental insults. One of these important cellular defense mechanisms is mediated by the transcription factor Nrf2 that have been shown to have decrease activity with age. While the process of which Nrf2 is involved...
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents continues to rise
and is considered a major public health problem. The aim of this investigation was to
evaluate the contributions of sport participation, and calcium intake (controlling for mean
energy intake, sex, and maturation status) on the development of...
This study examines the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on merger and
acquisitions (M&A). Using data from Kinder, Lyndeberg, and Domini (KLD) Research
Analytics and Thomson’s Securities Data Corporation’s (SDC) Platinum Database, we
empirically test if CSR scores effect a firm’s propensity to pursue M&A activity.
Specifically, I examine...
Lanthanum sulfide film was deposited on silicon dioxide substrate by pumping aqueous
LaCl3∙7H2O and Na2S∙9H2O solutions into a T-mixer. After mixing, residence time was
manipulated to adjust lanthanum sulfide deposition rate. Lanthanum sulfide films were
created on silicon dioxide substrate at room temperature, 60 °C, and at 100 °C.
Lanthanum...
The strained carbon ring, bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, was synthesized by a reaction between
1-(phenylsulfanyl)bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, prepared from propellane, and Raney nickel.
Infrared spectra were recorded at a resolution of 0.0015 cm-1, a resolution significantly
better than previous measurements, 0.06 cm-1. A single fundamental band was analyzed
to determine the ground state and excited...
This project is a short novelette told from the points of view of several different characters. The story is set in an airport and follows these characters as they wait for their flight to arrive. Each of the characters is observing the others, much like people do everyday without realizing...
Ammonia oxidizing bacteria, including Nitrosomonas europaea, are inhibited by aromatic hydrocarbons which can be found in wastewater treatment plants. In recent studies, changes have been observed in N. europaea cell size upon exposure to benzene, but not toluene. Additionally, NE 1545, a gene proposed to be involved in fatty acid...
Decades of experimental work has illustrated the high degree to which the partitioning of most elements is dependent on phase composition, temperature and pressure. In order to quantitatively describe clinopyroxene partitioning it is required to derive expressions using theoretical constraints calibrated with experimental data.
The experimental database available for such...
Each year thousands of college graduates enter the business world armed with skills accumulated as student leaders, but how applicable are these skills to the business world? While there are many studies on learnable behaviors associated with effective student leadership and many studies on behaviors associated with effective business leadership,...
The intent of this thesi s is to prove whether or not simple moving averages can be
used to predict the future price performance of stocks and outperform the buy-and-hold
method of investing in the stock market. The importance of this research is that if moving
averages can predict future...
Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr) is the fungal causal agent of the disease tan spot in wheat and causes necrosis and chlorosis in infected leaves. These symptoms are caused by host-selective toxins (HSTs), molecules that serve as the sole determinants of pathogenicity. Ptr has three known HSTs, the proteinaceous Ptr ToxA and...
Studying human’s ability to estimate temporal durations could lead to a greater
understanding of our cognitive abilities as well as the processes that underlie temporal
estimation. It has been shown through previous research that time and number may be
interconnected cognitively and that the magnitude of one may alter the...
In an increasing sedentary society, it is becoming even more important to
encourage adolescent girls to participate and value physical activity. This
document provides a study grounded in scholarly research exploring issues of
importance to the promotion and implementation of programs relevant to
motivating girls to be physically active, specifically...
A financial processor is the most important component of a credit union‘s IT infrastructure. A database storing member demographic information, account balances, and transaction history, it performs financial calculations, such as interest, dividends, and maturities. It also provides a user interface, allowing tellers and financial service representatives to manage accounts...
The primary goal was to characterize the adsorption of a recombinant therapeutic protein
in the presence of selected surfactant species at the air-water interface. For this purpose,
dynamic interfacial tensiometry was used to determine the surface tension kinetics
exhibited by protein solutions containing either Tween 80 or the poly[ethylene oxide]-...
My project is designed to determine how the English major and English Studies exist at OSU, through the collection of perceptions and opinions about English Studies at OSU from students and faculty (both inside and outside of the English department) via email surveys. I used secondary research to determine how...
As an observer shadowing a physician in the Emergency Department, I witnessed many patients coming to the hospital with various diseases, conditions, mental and emotional states, and background. At the moment I am watching the scene happening right in front of my eyes, I tell myself I will never forget...
Cob is an earthen building material composed of sand, clay and straw. Though cob homes
are presently being built in the Pacific Northwest, there is no applicable building code for this
material. The purpose of this study is to establish estimates for the major engineering parameters,
including both average values...
The present study examined whether the nature of the greeting between a writing
assistant and a student influenced the subsequent rapport that developed over the course
of the writing center session. Eighteen Oregon State University undergraduate and
graduate students were greeted in one of three ways by two confederates: with...
This research focused on the accuracy of trait judgments at zero acquaintance and after five minutes of interaction. Thirty-five undergraduates judged the neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness of four to six others whom they did not know. Participants then interacted in one-on-one conversations with each target for five minutes....
Thin films of the p-type semiconductor, barium copper sulfide fluoride (BaCuSF) were deposited using pulsed laser deposition. Similar p-type conductivity in Cu2O is caused by copper vacancies. Addition of copper dopant is proposed as a method for filling the copper vacancies in BaCuSF. The films are characterized to determine quality...
This study sought to ascertain the degree to which the night sky of Corvallis is affected by light pollution by determining the limiting visual magnitude. Defined as the brightness of the dimmest star that can be seen with the averted naked eye, the limiting visual magnitude establishes a quantitative standard...
An Automated Star Tracking System was designed and built for an undergraduate senior design project. The system was designed as a portable and easy to use means of tracking celestial objects, and is usable for a variety of both personal and professional purposes. The project was built around exploring the...
In this experiment, 16 three to eight-year-old girls from the Corvallis area came to
our lab with one of their parents. After having the child play with either a Barbie Doll or
a control toy for five minutes, the experimenter orally administered a questionnaire
designed to assess activation of gender...
Seven schools of thought, varying in cosmology and age, were studied in order to
glean the ethical precepts and virtues to which each school of thought adhered. These
injunctions were put in list-form and compared with respect to both semantics and
content. The purpose of this investigation was to look...
The current generation of youth, sometimes called Millennials, has had a
reputation of political apathy. However, in recent years, youth voter numbers have gone
up. If an individual or organization wanted to continue this trend of increased youth
political participation, I wanted to explore the areas that could support or...
This thesis consists of an autoethnography of a sexual assault survivor written using poems, journal entries, annotations, photographs and song lyrics. The ethnography is a chronological record of feelings the author experienced during the day prior to the attack and emotions she navigated during the year and a half after...
Aesthetics should be emphasized as much as possible in a design project without
exceeding scope, budget, or schedule to satisfy the stakeholders involved. There
is a rising trend of increased emphasis on aesthetics. This trend of using various
techniques to help structures blend in or contribute to the surrounding
environment...
The method of gas-phase electron diffraction is a very useful tool for determining
the geometry of a molecule in the gas-phase to a high degree of accuracy. In this thesis,
the structures of tropone and tropolone, which are similar molecules that are both based
on a 7-carbon ring, were investigated...
The present study examined if having an older sibling was significantly related to stronger selfregulation and achievement, in a sample of 74 preschool children participating in a selfregulation intervention. It was hypothesized that children with an older sibling in the fall would have higher self-regulation and achievement scores than children...
The health care system of post-Apartheid South Africa suffers from an epidemic of
HIV/AIDS and TB with a number of mitigating factors that have caused these diseases to spread.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes of the epidemics and to provide a macro and
micro perspective...
In the days following Oct. 5, 2007, the staff of The Daily Barometer - the student newspaper at Oregon State University - was left scrambling for understanding. The paper published a image of a man wearing black face paint for an event called "Blackout Reser." That black face paint looked...
The marathon is well noted for the extreme stress it applies to the body and mind. The
physiological aspects of marathon training were investigated and examined for someone
unfamiliar with the field. Several training programs were investigated within a
framework provided by the popular Daniels' Running Formula. By the Formula's...
Volcanism is an agent of major disturbance in many parts of the world. While the effects of volcanic disturbance are fairly well-known among some groups of species, few studies have been performed in bird communities. Likewise, few studies have attempted to compare how communities in temperate and tropical biomes respond...
The nature of engineering work requires that ethical considerations are taken into account while making decisions surrounding topics such as technology, equal distribution of cost benefits, and consumer risk. In order for engineers to make ethical decisions in their careers, it is helpful if their engineering education provided them with...
During summer and fall 2007, I traveled across Europe and studied in Spain. My experiences abroad shaped my reading of certain literary texts as I gained insight into the cultures and settings in which they were produced. In my thesis, I recount some of these experiences and show how my...
The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is between the United States and Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. CAFTA was decided in Costa Rica by a national referendum in 2007, after years of delay that left Costa Rica as the only country to have...
BACKGROUND: The association of vitamin D with heart attack and stroke remains unclear.
METHOD: Using data from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS), we collected
dietary vitamin D data from 5,995 participants and serum (25)OH vitamin D from 1,606
participants. The association of vitamin D with prevalent heart attack...
Objective: To explore the controversial issue of the safety and use of mercury in
amalgam dental fillings. Methods: Using a variety of scientifically oriented studies,
overall trends and conclusions were analyzed. Relevant articles include Children’s
exposure to Amalgam, fetal exposure, environmental mercury, occupational exposure,
and mercury and Multiple Sclerosis. Additional...
Two different types of Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomers (PMOs) were used to
inhibit growth in pure cultures of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium and in mouse
macrophages infected with S. typhimurium. Both PMOs were 11 bases long and
complementary to bases 6-16 of acyl carrier protein mRNA. A membrane-penetrating
peptide, (RXR)4XB, was...
Methane hydrates and biohydrogen are two disparate subjects that are of interest in the growing field of alternative energy research. However, before commercial use becomes a viable option, each has challenges that need to be overcome. Methane hydrates require large investments of time and capital to locate. In this thesis,...
Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a naturally occurring halophilic pathogen, is seasonally abundant in marine and estuarine environments. It is also the leading cause of gastroenteritis in humans world-wide. Numerous outbreak incidences associated with the pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus contaminations in oyster products have raised public-health concerns as well as economic challenges to the...
The push towards higher performing and more sensitive mixed signal circuitry has required the parallel development of increasingly more complex and sensitive test and calibration harnesses. Current off-chip methods of test and calibration may require higher pin counts or induce unwanted parasitic interference.
In this thesis, the design of a...
Microbial activity within elevated CO2 and oxygen depleted environments changes with
density driven stratification overturn in the seasonally anoxic region of Devil’s Hole,
Bermuda. The temperature gradient developed during the summer months creates a
natural laboratory to study bacterial and virus population density and microbial
community dynamics in the anoxic...
Microbial activity within elevated CO2 and oxygen depleted environments changes with
density driven stratification overturn in the seasonally anoxic region of Devil’s Hole,
Bermuda. The temperature gradient developed during the summer months creates a
natural laboratory to study bacterial and virus population density and microbial
community dynamics in the anoxic...
Designing and building a home Media Center can be a daunting task given the multitude of available options and configurations. The goal of this project is to build a home Media Center, and in the process, create a guide that a less technically knowledgeable person could use to build their...