A new thermal management method for hotspots on microprocessors is under development that employs confined pool boiling with vapor extraction at pre-determined nucleation sites. Extraction is accomplished by locating a vacuum chamber constructed out of a glass tube and a hydrophobic membrane directly above a nucleation site. In order to...
In the Capabilities Approach literature “capabilities” are the real freedoms individuals possess to achieve certain “functionings,” which are the doings and beings that constitute a good life. I argue that this approach requires, or at least can benefit from, an account of the psychosocial mechanisms involved in capability limitation. The...
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a pervasive focus of organizations and is regarded, alongside sustainability and financial profit, as a key element of a triple bottom-line approach. Corporations are realizing that CSR cannot be approached compartmentally but instead must be ubiquitous across departments and operations. Therefore, it is in...
Interest in renewable energy is on the rise, in both grid-connected operations and research projects. Major types of renewable energy include: wind, solar, wave, tidal, biomass, and geothermal. The majority are variable, non-dispatchable sources, which can have a negative impact on reserve requirements. This study focused on determining the optimal...
DNA mismatch repair (MMR) plays an important role in preserving genomic stability and reducing cancer risk. Environmental exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are believed to contribute significantly to carcinogenesis. PAHs are found in food, air, water and soil and upon bioactivation can form diol epoxides which are electrophilic in...
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. Most of the people live in villages below the poverty line, and do not have access to basic health care and a primary education. Living standards are very low, and surviving day to day is a lifetime struggle. Most villages...
Optical tweezers are capable of trapping micron sized particles through the transfer of
the momentum of light. These capabilities are expanded through the use of computer
controlled holograms for beam shaping. This hologram creation is facilitated through the use of
a spatial light modulator, which is a liquid crystal device...
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...
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors are versatile devices that can be configured to sense a variety of measurands such as temperature and pressure. The potential use of surface acoustic wave devices for magnetic field detection is explored in this study. Compared to current magnetic field sensors, a sensor based on...
The present study explores the topic of Multiracial Identity Development and how parents play an important role in the identity development of children. The role of parents becomes crucial for parents of Multiracial children as they transmit cultural values, beliefs, language, and practices. Although models of racial identity development exist,...
This paper examines the recent evolution of aggrieved entitlement and social fragility in young white American males and the subsequent violent backlash that certain individuals in this group have unleashed upon women, the LGBTQ community, Jewish people, Black people, and other socially vulnerable populations. Throughout the past decade, America at...
There is a lack of research surrounding people with facial differences (FD), particularly on how their FD identity is interwoven with their other identities and how they relate to it. With a note on how it relates to their experience of stigma. This study is designed to utilize the narratives...
The purpose of this study was to determine the viability of a mobile socially assistive robot (SAR) in a children’s free play environment. The researchers hypothesized that the SAR would prompt more movement among the participants. In order to test this, the researchers utilized a matched pair study in which...
With the various options available when it comes to online clothing subscription services, there are many attributes that affect an individual's decision to purchase a product or service over another. This results in ultimately affecting the consumers’ preference and willingness to pay for a product and/or service. This paper provides...
Advancements in neurological data capturing and mapping have provided scientists with exponentially more information, allowing for more detailed analysis of neurological behaviors and their translations to cognitive, emotional, and physical function. Inspired by the diffculty in diagnosing brain damage, this project seeks to leverage statistical modeling with EEG data to...
This study sought to understand the unique challenges that housing insecurity programs faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. An anonymous Qualtrics survey, containing closed- and open-ended questions, was sent to housing insecurity programs in Benton County, Oregon. Questions focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected services and how programs adjusted to...
The nucleocapsid protein (N protein) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is known to play an essential part of the virus’ functions. The N protein can protect and package the large 29,903 nucleotide genomic RNA whilst also interacting with structural membrane protein M and the spike protein S....
It has been demonstrated that dogs form attachment bonds to their owners and that these attachments can be classified and described in ways that are analogous to attachments found between human infants and their mothers. While a secure attachment to a parent has been shown to improve problem-solving abilities in...
Intertidal herbivores, such as isopods, help regulate and contribute to nutrient cycling and organic carbon flow through the trophic levels in estuaries and coastal ecosystems. Though much is known about the microbiomes of macrophyte leaves that serve as the primary food source for isopods, and (to a lesser extent) the...
This thesis explores interrelationships between the geographical impact of recent hurricanes, rates of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis in impacted communities, and effects of hurricanes on local water infrastructure systems. I obtained quantitative data on geographical hurricane attributes, demographic characteristics of populations struck by hurricanes, and confirmed cases of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis...
With trust in the media reaching an all-time low among Americans, I wanted to explore what prompted this shift in attitude. This thesis analyzes how Americans’ perspectives on the credibility of modern-day media and the value they place on the freedom of the press are heavily influenced by their preferred...
The goal of this research was to compare team effectiveness with objective team success as seen through individual team members’ perceptions in academic and athletic teams. We hypothesized that successful teams are most often strong in team effectiveness, that individual perceptions of team effectiveness can differ among teammates, and that...
Background: Training and quality assurance (QA) are important to high fidelity program implementation in practice settings but are rarely the focus of translation research. Thus, it is important to conduct studies that specifically address training and QA.
Methods: Using the maximum variation case study method, we examined training and QA...
The purpose of this project was to optimize the biomass growth of Schizochytrium limacinum SR21. This was achieved by studying the effect of various concentrations of glucose, use of pure glycerol and purified crude glycerol as alternative carbon sources, and inhibition of cell growth with the presence of copper. The...
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Recently it has been shown that microbiota play a role in some types of cancer. Therefore, to understand whether microbes contribute in any way to the development and progress of cervical cancer, we investigated the cervical microbiome via analysis...
The purpose of this project was to optimize the biomass growth of Schizochytrium limacinum SR21. This was achieved by studying the effect of various concentrations of glucose, use of pure glycerol and purified crude glycerol as alternative carbon sources, and inhibition of cell growth with the presence of copper. The...
Background: The capability of an individual to produce force rapidly is important for performance of sporting activities and to stabilize a joint to protect against injury. Rate of torque development (RTD) and contractile impulse (CI) may be more effective than peak torque in assessing rapid torque production. The relationship between...
Robotic global navigation is often based on the assumption that the world is static. It assumes that obstacles present in maps will be there later and new obstacles will be dealt with by a local planning algorithm. When robots interact in an environment inhabited by people, this assumption does not...
In this work we propose a curve approximation method that operates in the curvature
domain. The curvature is represented using one of several different types of
basis functions (linear, quadratic, spline, sinusoidal, orthogonal polynomial), and the
curve's geometry is reconstructed from that curvature basis. Our hypothesis is that
different curvature...
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Native American traditional foodways serve as one of the most important resources for indigenous communities because these resources provide a variety of non-physical cultural assets and health benefits to Native groups through the medium of food. The demolition of North America’s foodways through colonization has had adverse effects on indigenous...
Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumor that has extremely poor prognoses with a 5 year survival rate of less than 5%. The low survival rates of glioblastoma patients is attributed to glioblastoma cells being extremely resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as being very invasive. We previously identified calpain...
Mentoring can have a great impact on students during their higher education career. This influential role of mentors can be found valuable for a wide variety of populations, and has specifically monumental influences for underrepresented students. The NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) aims to facilitate the mentor-mentee relationship for historically...
A period of over forty years (1913-1954) of gold dredging dramatically changed
the landscape of Sumpter Valley, Oregon into a rocky, uninhabitable terrain. The Defrees
Ranch LLC used cattle feeding to increase top soil, vegetation, and habitat on the dredge
tailings. This thesis investigated the use of feeding cattle as...
The behavior of small atomics cluster largely depends on their geometry,
due to the high ratio of surface atoms to interior atoms. One interesting aspect
to study clusters centers around characterizing the transition behavior between
nite and bulk materials, where the ratio of surface atoms to interior atoms is
very...
The Capacitive Touch Children’s Guitar is a fully functional electronic toy demonstrating
an application of Cypress Semiconductor’s CapSense touch sensing technology. It was
developed as a senior design project by myself and two other engineering students. I was
responsible for the guitar’s LED lights, main microcontroller and sound storage and...
Infections in hospitals account for over 100,000 deaths per year. These infections occur at the
hospital from complications following bacterial adhesion to intravenous catheters, coronary
stents and other implanted devices. Another common problem is protein adsorption to the
surface of the device and subsequent blood clotting. Methods for combating these...
The objective of this research was to determine if acupuncture can reduce bovine mammary inflammation. Lactating cows at the Oregon State University Dairy Research Center were selected based on Dairy Herd Improvement Association reports indicating a SCC >500,000 cells/mL. A California Mastitis Test (CMT) score of greater than one was...
Natural products from plants, bacteria, and fungi play an important role in society. Over the last 35 years, natural products and their derivatives have inspired over 60% of all FDA approved small-molecule drugs, and are among the top prescribed therapeutics.1-2 Fleming’s discovery of the fungal antibiotic penicillin started the “Golden...
Tourism presents a significant challenge for island economies in the Global South attempting to improve local standards of living. Due to limited resources and often low education levels of island residents, tourism development frequently becomes a tool for foreign investors to profit while local people continue to work low-income jobs....
In ¬¬¬¬2009 the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted the “Safety Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Survey” for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The survey found that, nationally, 74% of commercial truck drivers wear their safety belts at all times. In the western region of...
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...
Drone strikes have become a defining strategy in the US War on Terror. Since the first combat drone strike in 2001, the executive branch has intentionally increased the deployment of drones for counterterrorism operations throughout the Middle East and North Africa. This thesis explores the moral and legal justifications for...
This study compares the accounting standards of three different entities, the United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the domestic accounting standards of France, and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The analysis consists of a comparison between two companies, British Airways and Air France – KLM, for FY 2005, specifically...
The US industrial sector accounts for about one-third of the nation’s energy consumption and is predicted to grow twice as quickly as other sectors through 2050. International organizations such as the International Energy Agency project energy efficiency improvements will account for over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions reductions through 2040....
Collaborative governance plays a significant role in forest management on public land in the Pacific Northwest. The method of governance offers the unique ability to engage a diverse range of stakeholders to reach consensus regarding forest management action. Evaluating the dynamics of the collaborative and its members is essential to...
This work is concerned with determining whether nicotine has a role in promoting oxidative damage in human tissue, particularly in lung tissue. This follows from recent reports of a novel lung disease found in some E-cigarette users, characterized by oxidative damage and elevated levels of neutrophils (termed “vaping disease”). It...
The current knowledge on the microstructural evolutions and mechanical properties of selective laser melting (SLM) produced H13 tool steel components is limited. This research is focused on optimization of SLM processing parameters for H13 tool steel and investigation of microstructure and mechanical properties of H13 tool steel components after SLM...
The intent of this report is to provide a brief description of water quality issues in Nicaragua, Uganda and Bangladesh, and the technologies available to address these issues. The water quality parameters considered include: bacterial contamination, heavy metals and arsenic, pesticides and industrious chemicals, turbidity, radiological characteristics, and taste and...
Anaerobic co-digestion of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) for increased methane (CH4)
production has been of increasing interest to municipal wastewater treatment plants
(WWTP) due to the potential economic benefit of using the produced biogas for
cogeneration of energy. FOG loading increase must be done carefully to mitigate the
risk...