The “why” of any situation is one of the most important questions to ask. Inventors have ideas every day. Some ideas are the brilliant ideas that lead to a better tomorrow. To protect these ideas, inventors turn to patents, a governmental grant of the right to stop others, for a...
Over the last two centuries, Pilsner beer has become a symbol of Czech national identity. Originating in the Western Czech town of Plzeň, the unique color and flavor spread globally, with new styles further branching off the Central European stem. It is with great pride that the Czech people are...
YouTube has turned creating, watching, and interacting with videos into a mainstream activity and has substantial impact on modern society as the most popular video sharing site in the world. However, there is a lack of published research using statistically designed experiments which can aid content creators in making and...
This full research paper explores two factors of increasing importance for first-year university engineering curricula: sustainability and diversity. Over the past fifteen years, many universities in the United States have adjusted their engineering programs in response to these two values expressed by industry, professional organizations, and the Accreditation Board for...
This thesis is one part of a study to compare and contrast 10 different proposals and finished projects for microgrids, and the associated community perceptions and response. It has been posited that microgrids have the potential to improve the resiliency and reliability of the electricity grid. In recent years, there...
This paper seeks to assess the merits of “Vote With Your Dollar” (VWYD) strategies for consumer and investor activism as a model for changing corporate behavior. A novel framework was constructed to group VWYD strategies and campaigns under shared attributes. To assess one such group, the boycott, the research gathered...
Pawpaw is the largest indigenous fruit in North America, native to Ontario, Canada and 26 midwestern and eastern states, yet its high value as a niche crop has been met with limited cultivation in Oregon, Washington, northern California, Idaho, and western Montana (Jones & Layne, n.d.). Cultivation of Pacific Northwest...
Many pollination studies with honey bees have examined the effect of colony density on crop yield and yet overlook the effect of variation in the population size of these colonies. High colony density in northern highbush blueberry has been met with concerns from beekeepers who feel higher densities will intensify...
The legal landscape surrounding the prosecution of white-collar criminals has changed drastically over time, as has the media’s rhetoric, but the resulting sentence lengths have been inconsistent. This study utilizes historical newspaper articles to review the changes in media rhetoric over time and how this relates to the sentencing of...
The Walt Disney Company is one of the most recognizable and pervasive sources of children’s entertainment worldwide and has carefully crafted an image of childhood innocence. This wholesome image is contradicted by Disney’s consistent use of racist and sexist tropes, as well as its record of covertly using political themes...
Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) like trichloroethene (TCE) were mostly used to replace drying cleaning fluids which contained hydrocarbons like benzene, and were highly flammable. Through improper disposal, storage, and spills, TCE and its downstream products, like cis-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC), leached into groundwater and threaten human and environmental...
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux is an important mechanism to convey soil carbon (C) from aboveground organic debris (litter) to deeper soil horizons and can influence the formation of stable soil organic carbon (SOC) compounds. Aboveground litter quantity and quality was manipulated for 20-years in an old-growth Douglas fir forest...
In response to climate change and limited resources this paper reviews cohousing as a possible option for sustainable development. Sustainable design practices that incorporate economic, environmental and social issues need to be present in our neighborhoods. Other development methods incorporate one, but not all three, of the triple bottom line...
In the United States, the state of housing and the lack thereof has been
declared a national crisis. In response, cities have taken measures to police behaviors
that are associated with what they perceive to be disorder and decay. These behaviors
are also commonly associated with houselessness. Laws that criminalize...
Participation in school garden programs improves health outcomes in K-12
student and is an effective tool for experiential learning. Although most schools in the Corvallis School District have a school garden, none are currently integrated into the curriculum. Using a cross-sectional,online survey, I learned that the majority of parents of...
Five solvents were used to resolubilize the fungal pigments of Chlorociboria aeruginosa and Scytalidium cuboideum, two common fungi used in the spalting of wood pieces. These solvents were tested as a replacement for dichloromethane in the pigment application process, via analysis of their ability to increase internal color coverage inside...
Polystyrene thin film surfaces are commonly used to study the interactions of macromolecules, such as proteins, with surfaces. Polystyrene films oxidized in UV light become more hydrophilic, however these surfaces have a limited shelf life because they are reduced over time. Experiments were performed to determine the effect of radiation...
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....
The State of Oregon possesses a tumultuous relationship with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and currently experiences one of the lowest participation rates in the country despite attempting several policy reforms. The State of Washington has exhibited a comparatively similar relationship. However, it has adopted a distinctive policy supplementation...