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DIGITAL MENTAL HEALTH: MODERATORS AND MECHANISMS OF AN ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION
(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Pettitt, Adam; Allen, Nicholas
In the last few decades, digital approaches to mental health treatment has become more prevalent and widespread in an effort to make mental health treatment more accessible to a wider range of individuals. This dissertation aimed to identify and characterize the moderators and mechanisms of a digital mental health intervention (DMHI). Because of the nascent nature of the field, much of the research that has been conducted has focused on if digital mental health interventions are effective. Much of that research has shown it to be on-par with in-person interventions. However, little research has examined the mechanisms by which these interventions are effective. Across five sub-studies, this dissertation sought to elucidate some of the underlying mechanisms for who this DMHI is effective for, how individuals interact with the DMHI, and identify the underlying mechanisms of improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants were drawn from a larger sample of individuals who participated in the Meru Health Program, which is a DMHI platform available to the public. Participants underwent an 8-week or 12-week intervention (depending on which version they were given) that focused on therapeutic techniques derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and other evidence-based therapies. Participants were administered demographic questions at the beginning of the intervention and administered depression and anxiety questionnaires at enrolment and every 2 weeks until the end of treatment. The analyses used in this dissertation were mixed-methods ranging from mixed-effects modeling to qualitative thematic analyses aimed at understanding the underlying mechanisms for efficacy within the MHP. Results from Chapter 1 Study 1 revealed that across age, gender, and race, the DMHI was effective for all groups, and in particular (from Chapter 1 Study 2) there was a disproportionate drop in suicidality within gender expansive individuals when compared with cis gender individuals. Additionally, results from Chapter 2 study 1 indicate that participants engaged in messaging with their therapist for a wide array of reasons, including rapport building and solving tech difficulties. Further analyses in Chapter 2 Study 2 revealed that, within the first week, days active within the app was the most predictive of completion of the DMHI. Finally, the results from Chapter 3 demonstrated that improvements in HRV across the DMHI are associated with reductions in depressive symptoms. The implications of these findings and proposed areas for ongoing research are discussed.
Open Access
Molecular Architecture of the Octopus bimaculoides Central Nervous System
(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Songco, Jeremea; Niell, Cristopher
Interacting with our environments requires that we appropriately integrate sensory information and convert these inputs into a perception of our surroundings to generate basic and complex behaviors. Traditionally, model organisms, such as nematodes, flies, zebrafish, or even mice, have been used in the laboratory setting to investigate neural circuit formation and function. While these organisms have furthered our understanding of how different cell types wire up to drive complex behavior, there is much to be learned from exploring the brain of non-traditional organisms. Cephalopods have the largest brain among invertebrates and have a rich catalog of behaviors, including navigating complex underwater environments and rapid body-patterning known as camouflage. While seminal work during the 1960s revealed cellular properties of neurons using the giant squid axon, recent advancements in technology have permitted further characterization of cell types and circuits in a species that is unlike many of those used traditionally in the field of neuroscience. By investigating the brain of these animals, we can begin to understand fundamental mechanisms involved in the formation and function of complex neural circuits. Unlike model organisms, there are limited tools in genetic manipulation and the field has yet to produce a comprehensive brain atlas bridging anatomical, molecular, and functional properties of cell types in these animals. Therefore, my dissertation sought to develop key resources that will serve as a foundation for such studies once it becomes technically possible. I first contributed to the optimization and usage of functional imaging in an ex vivo preparation of the octopus brain in order to characterize response properties of visually responsive cells in the optic lobe, the main visual center which is a paired brain region that comprises 2/3 of the central nervous system of octopuses. We found evidence for retinotopic organization of responses to light (ON) and dark (OFF) spots, including spatial tuning properties that may be suggestive of environmental demands. To begin elucidating the diversity of unit responses we revealed in this initial study, I focused on developing a single-cell molecular atlas of the Octopus bimaculoides optic lobe by combining single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) with multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We identified six classes of mature neuronal cell types in addition to a large population of immature neurons. Our FISH revealed sublaminar organization across the optic lobe, further characterizing the cell types that were initially identified in the 1960s based on morphology. An octopus’ ability to engage in a wide range of visually guided behaviors rests upon the various inputs and outputs the optic lobes have to other structures in the central nervous system. However, there has yet to be published a mapping of these structures as well as an in-depth understanding of the molecular landscape across the central nervous system. Therefore, I sought to develop the first brain-wide gene expression resource for cephalopods by characterizing all of the structures in this species through Hematoxylin & Eoisin (H&E) staining of serial sections of the brain, and I quantified expression for 40 genes, including functional and developmental determinants, across 20 identified brain regions. Together, this work reveals functional and molecular organization in the optic lobe as well as other brain regions, furthering our understanding of how a completely different organism can carry out complex behaviors. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished co-authored material.
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English Learner Education: Examining Policy Decisions and Their Impact on Student Outcomes
(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Vazquez Cano, Manuel; Umansky, Ilana
This three-article dissertation examined how policy choices in three key policy areas – initial enrollment, service provision, and reclassification – impact English learner (EL)-classified students. The first article examined the national landscape of state statutes, regulations, and state education agencies' (SEA) guidance that support districts in implementing procedures to award credit to secondary newcomer students for prior learning experiences. The findings reveal a lack of education statutes and regulations, and limited implementation guidance from SEAs to support newcomer credit transfer. The second article zooms into Portland Public Schools in Oregon and examines the causal effect of the district’s dual language immersion (DLI) program. The study found significant positive effects of the DLI program, demonstrating a notable increase in credit accrual, high school graduation rates, and attainment of the Seal of Biliteracy among participating students. The third article investigates the causal impact of reclassification from EL services in 5th and 8th grade on high school graduation and the mediating role of course access. The study does not identify significant effects of reclassification and does not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that early access to English Language Arts and Algebra 1 mediates the potential impact of reclassification. Findings from this dissertation contribute novel evidence to EL education policy and highlight how policy decisions at different entry points can potentially shape student outcomes.
Open Access
Machine-Learning-Based Classification of Acute Partial Sleep Deprivation with Resting-State fMRI
(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Yang, Xi; Casement, Melynda
Insufficient sleep is highly prevalent. Limited knowledge has been accrued on the functional correlates of acute partial sleep deprivation in the awake brain. As resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) becomes an essential measure to investigate spontaneous neural activity and intrinsic functional connectivity, applying machine learning to rs-fMRI to classify the state of acute partial sleep deprivation remains an uncharted area. In the present study, based on sleep deprivation literature, a set of predetermined rs-fMRI region and network functional connectivity features were used to classify the sleep states (sleep deprived/well-rested) of the senior (N = 34, age 65-75) and young adult (N = 41, age 20-30) participants in an archival dataset. The best performing support vector machine model classified the sleep states of the senior adult participants with a 68% accuracy rate. During external validation, this model trained on senior adults demonstrated low transferability to the young adult dataset. Low classification accuracy were reported in models trained on young adult dataset. The theoretical implications of the findings and recommendations for future research were discussed to contribute to a multi-modal understanding of the mechanism of sleep insufficiency as a causal factor of neural vulnerability and inform neurobehavioral interventions.
Open Access
West Bend Prescribed Fire Pilot after action review
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2024-12) Huber-Stearns, Heidi R.; Downey, Jess
The West Bend Prescribed Fire Pilot Project was an ambitious and unprecedented effort in pace and scale in the area, designed in response to wildfire and climate crises, and centering public health. Overall, the project aligned with most of the five guiding principles of the PNW Regional Joint Statement of Intent. The pilot demonstrated efficient implementation of larger prescribed burns through enhanced inter-agency collaboration, improved communication, expedited timelines, and a strong commitment to addressing wildfire risks, achieving significant acreage while advancing shared goals for future wildfire management. This report highlights shared learning opportunities in public outreach, communication, inter- and intra-organizational coordination, and cross-agency collaboration. Participants identified several key areas for improvement, including enhancing inter-agency coordination, providing year-round public health support to help communities and airsheds become smoke ready, developing more aligned public health metrics to assess the effectiveness of risk reduction efforts, and improving integration of smoke forecasting, modeling, and implementation in future strategies.
Open Access
OIMB Fall Term Photo 2024
(2024-11-12) Maya Watts
Back row: Sophie Egan, Nolan West, Aidain Correia, Eli Warshaw, Jack Taylor, Jackson Tisdale, Lee Perfetto, George Spano, Nadia Stoker, Elizabeth Wallace Third row: Maya Watts, Kersten Schnurle, Hannah Lammens, Kara Sipes, Alex McGowan, Christine Pearson, Billy James, Gavin Wade, Aubrey Taradash, Hunter Conn Second row: Erin Jezuit, Lizzie Diehl, Claire Jenkins, Alejandra Alvarez, Alex Morrissette, Kayleigh Rampen, Kye Martin, Audrey Lillie, Phoebe Borkus, Richard Emlet, Rowan McLachlan Front row: Nora Terwilliger, Lainie Bell, Elle Hopkins, Thalia Christenson, Shjon Petersen, Mikey Thompson, Charlotte Davis, Fiona Berg-Robinson, Meredith Konig, Anuhea Furuya, Emmi Morton, Fred Prada
Embargo
Test Record 6
(University of Oregon Libraries, 2024-09-13)
Open Access
Test Record 7
(2024-09-13) Duck, Daisy
Open Access
OIMB Summer Term Photo 2022
(2024-08-19) Watts, Maya
Back row: Ytxzae Enriquez, Chloe Cummins, Craig Young, Nancy Trenamen, James Johnson, Debbie Seabright, Tristen Berry, Lisa Samuelson, Hannah Kennelly, Doug Warrick, Flynn Gorman, Catalina Rao, Patrick Baker, Gina Magro, Sherlyn Sanchez-Sandoval, Ryan McCarthy, Birch Holt, Ramona Stalick, Mia Bloom, Mya Ganzer Third row: Elijah Reed, Annika Reynolds, Logan Williams, Jim Carlton, Sebastian Velazquez, Kiana Manning, Cassandra Nelson, Isabella Flynn, Katie Mastan, Emily Rhodes, Sarah McGee, Michelle Wallace, McKenzie Lepley, Marty Mccamant, Kelly Bonnville-Sexton, Hunter Conn, Paul Cziko holding Pascal Cziko, Piper Cziko Second row: Sixto Taveras Lopez, Evangelina Schwindt, Colleen Walker, Avery Calhoun, Lauren Rice, Caitlin Plowman, Sydney Weinhardt, Alex Reichardt, Cameron Montagne, Adriana Diaz, Sarah Elden, Kai Walton, Nikita Lewis, Henry Szumski, Zane Baki, Lauren McNamara, Andy Warrick, Doris Munson Front row standing: Maya Watts, Aaron Galloway, Sof Fox, Alicia Matthew, Victoria Cardenas, Claire Warner, Anneliese Bishop-Perdue, Vithika Goyal, Maren Peng, Nadia Stoker, Kate Hurley, Keli Trudeau, Emily Nicholson, Katie Richardson, Maddy Rusk, Tessa Marquez, Tia Lalwani, Shalayna Ewing.
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TRANSGRESSING THE STAGE: FEMALE XIQU PERFORMERS AT THE TURN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Deng, Xiaoyan; Chan, Roy
This dissertation explores a previously overlooked aspect of xiqu history - the role of female xiqu performers in fin-de-siècle China. Focusing on the transitional period between the late Qing and the early Republican era (1870-1937), it argues that female xiqu actors were not merely marginal figures but played a crucial role in shaping the stagecraft and culture of xiqu, on par with their male counterparts. The study begins by examining the performances of female xiqu actors in foreign concessions in Shanghai and Tianjin during the late-Qing period. It highlights how these performers demonstrated their exceptional stagecraft, which was comparable to that of the top male performers of the time. This challenges the notion that female performers were inferior in the xiqu tradition. Moving on to the 1910s in Beijing, the dissertation explores the significant contributions of female players like Liu Xikui and Xian Lingzhi. These performers challenged the traditional sheng players of the previous generation, showcasing their talent and pushing the boundaries of gender norms within xiqu. The study then delves into the 1920s, a period when female players such as Zhang Wenyan, alongside nandan stars, formed the first star culture in modern China. This highlights the importance of female performers in shaping the entertainment industry and popular culture of the time. Contrary to popular belief, the dissertation argues that the triumph of Republican nandan stars over their female counterparts was not solely due to the male players’ alleged artistic superiority. Instead, it suggests that various forms of social prejudice against women placed the female actors at a disadvantage in their competition with male players. This sheds light on the complex dynamics of gender and power within the xiqu tradition. Overall, this dissertation aims to rectify the neglect of female xiqu performers in the study of xiqu history. By highlighting their significant contributions and challenging traditional gender roles, it seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the role of women in shaping the stagecraft and culture of xiqu during the Qing-Republic transition.
Open Access
Cyborgs in the Studio: Transhuman Vocal Approaches in Gender Nonconforming Recording Artists
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Pinkham, Frances; Wallmark, Zachary
This project explores the means by which trans and gender nonconforming (GNC) artists use technological manipulations to vocal performance to signify their gender experience. The introduction and literature review (Chapter 1) situates the discussion in the disciplines of voice studies, embodied cognition, and post- and transhumanism. Chapter 2 examines three songs by genderfluid artist Dorian Electra (they/them): “Career Boy,” “Adam and Steve,” and “Ram It Down,” arguing that timbral shifts accomplished via post-production modification provide a means of “dragging” genderfluidity. Chapter 3 examines three songs by transfeminine artist Cleo McKenzie (she/her) aka TAMAGOTCHI MASSACRE: “MFW MIRRORZ :3 :P xD,” “i’m two years on hormones and i’m still sad i want a refund,” and “mirrorsong*.” I situate the analysis of these works in discussions of glitch art as politics and explore notions of embodiment of glitched sounds. Chapter 4 examines two songs by cisgender artist Merrill Garbus (she/her), “Now as Then” and “Colonizer,” which use the post-production techniques of spatial positioning, layering, and reverb to critique white femininity. I close with a brief epilogue in which I address propose a model for viewing transness through the lens of transhumanism.
Open Access
Fundamentals of Electrochemical Interfaces: Insights into Electrodes, Electrolytes, and Ion Transfer Kinetics
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Zhao, Yang; Boettcher, Shannon
Electrochemistry is a field that lies at the crossroads of electricity and chemistry, focusing on the transformation between electrical and chemical potentials, typically occurring at the electrochemical interfaces - the dynamic region between electrode (electron conductors) and electrolyte (ionic conductors) where electrons are transferred, and ions/molecules are converted. The performance of modern electrochemical technologies for energy conversion and storage, which presents promising approaches for reducing pollutants and facilitating environmentally sustainable chemical processing, relies on a deeper and more profound comprehension of the electrochemical interfaces, specifically at atomic/molecular-scale and in relation to the fundamental steps of the interfacial reactions. However, even in a simple or elementary electrochemical system, the fundamental investigation is challenging, as the processes and the mechanisms that underlie them are complex. The presence of multiple phases contributes to the complexity, which is further amplified when taking into account the interaction of numerous factors influenced by varying potential bias which results in a potential gradient across the interface and the accompanying electric fields. This dissertation provides a comprehensive exploration of electrochemical interfaces, by delving into three fundamental aspects: electrodes, electrolytes, and ion transfer kinetics, each contributing significantly to our comprehensive understanding of electrochemical systems. We illustrate the underlying operational mechanism and design principles for porous carbon electrodes in redox-enhanced electrochemical capacitors. Additionally, we quantitatively assess how thermodynamics, kinetics, and interface layers control the apparent hydrogen evolution reaction activities in water-in-salt electrolytes. Furthermore, for the first time, we experimentally measured and determined the ion-transfer kinetic parameters using a model system of Ag electrodissolution and electrodeposition. Together, this dissertation provides key insights into the fundamental mechanisms that drive electrochemical systems, potentially contribute to the future innovations in energy technologies. This dissertation includes previously published co-authored materials.
Open Access
Daring to Define Televisual Defiance: Investigating queerness, trauma, and identity on the CW post-2016
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Caprioglio, Teresa; Chatman, Dayna
In 2016, the CW network series The 100 came under fire for the on-screen death of a lesbian series regular, immediately following a queer sexual encounter. In the aftermath, fans, trade press, and even network insiders themselves made statements seeking an alternate mode of engaging queerness on television, ever more distant from the “Bury Your Gays” trope of queer death. In this dissertation, the question is: what, if anything, has changed?This queer- and trauma-theory-focused critical analysis of three separate case studies, including five different superhero and speculative fiction CW series for whom all or the majority of their episodes aired post-spring 2016, investigates the ways in which queer identity and trauma are interwoven in the development of queer characters and queer storytelling. Often subject to similar modes of investigation and necessary confession as a facet of characterization as sexuality and the ever-present coming out narrative, trauma and recovery form key identity categories for TV characters—and, this dissertation asserts, queer characters especially. The act of claiming these identities is key to the character-focused style of primetime drama, connecting the confession of trauma with the confession of sexuality and the experience of trauma with the possibility of queer identity. Despite the otherworldly and occasionally universe-altering content of these speculative fiction series, existing tropes of queer representation, queer trauma, and queerphobic violence are utilized alongside more open, nuanced queer identity markers in a way that both reinforces and suggests routes of possibility outside longstanding industrial queercoding, queerphobia, and queer death for queer characters and queer storylines on television. However, even in constructing these new forms of meaning making, additional intersecting pressures of racial stereotyping, classism, and sexism enact restrictions on the possibilities of constructing new articulations of identity, self, and family. This dissertation posits that the spaces between these historical industrial norms and new horizons for queer storytelling are a result of integrative, nearly defiant representative strategies, which provide for the pushing of boundaries while largely retaining existing norms. The lack of profitability that the CW has apparently experienced, however, suggests that this integrative representation as an industrial strategy is not a sustainable one. Nevertheless, continuing to link queerness, trauma, and speculative fiction demonstrates an unfortunate baseline of queerphobic violence and queer trauma as “to be expected” or otherwise key to forming a queer identity. While the spaces for defiance have been opened, this dissertation contends that there is still considerable work to be done, largely in refiguring and reimagining what slow-changing, conservative industrial structures concede to producing.
Open Access
ESSAYS IN ECONOMETRICS AND MACHINE LEARNING
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) O'Briant, Colleen; Miller, Keaton
This dissertation aims to enhance transparency in AI systems by integrating methods from Machine Learning and Econometrics, specifically focusing on Dynamic Discrete Choice (DDC) models. In Chapter 2, I compare the Nested Fixed Point (NFXP) algorithm from Econometrics with Max-Margin Inverse Reinforcement Learning (IRL) methods from AI/ML, using Monte-Carlo experiments to demonstrate that preference shocks from Econometrics can resolve fundamental identification issues in IRL. The simulation results show that while Projection IRL is slightly less accurate than NFXP, IRL significantly reduces computational demands, requiring 20 times fewer dynamic programming problems to be solved. Chapter 3 investigates the practical applications of these methods by analyzing publicly available 2013 taxi data to compare IRL and NFXP in estimating payoffs for New York City taxi drivers during the morning commute. The analysis highlights that IRL’s flatter objective function has the problem of allowing a broader range of acceptable payoff functions, however its feature expectation matching technique provides valuable feedback on the smoothing parameter for kernel density estimation of the transition probability function. This chapter offers recommendations and identifies potential drawbacks of using IRL, thereby deepening our understanding of the real-world performance of the algorithm.In Chapter 4, the dissertation explores how small business owners may misattribute noise for profit signals using an instrumental variables approach and a rich dataset of product ordering decisions by Washington State marijuana dispensaries over the first three years of recreational marijuana legalization. The study examines whether entrepreneurs’ predictions about product profitability are influenced by exogenous weather shocks, assessing if owners with previous retail experience make more informed decisions, if attentiveness improves over time, and if living further from the dispensary increases the likelihood of conflating weather shocks with profitability signals.
Open Access
The New Black Press: An Examination of Black News Podcasts and Networks in the Context of Black Media History and the Evolving Media Ecosystem
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Quick, Rachel; Chavez, Christopher
This dissertation critically examines Black news podcasts through the lens of Black media history, political economy, and platformization, highlighting their socio-economic role and the emergence of Black creators in the digital media ecosystem. It explores the historical progression of Black news organizations from the Black Press to Black news podcasting, and the current economic practices of Black news podcasts, emphasizing its socio-political relevance, cultural impact, and funding strategies. By utilizing innovative models like crowdfunding, these platforms prioritize community engagement over profitability, challenging conventional media paradigms and advocating for media diversity and cultural autonomy. This dissertation poses questions on the impact of ownership and digital platforms on narrative control, funding and sustainability of Black podcasts, and their role in political discourse and representation. This inquiry contributes to understanding Black podcasts’ economic viability and social impact, enriching discussions on media’s political economy and Black media’s future in cultural production and representation.
Open Access
A Modified "Talk Aloud Problem Solving" Intervention to Improve IEP Decision Making in Pre-Service Special Education Teachers
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Quinn, Sarah; Machalicek, Wendy
In this randomized multiple baseline across participants single-case design study, pre-service special education teachers received a modified Talk Aloud Problem Solving (TAPS) intervention to improve their use of problem-solving verbal behavior and reasoning skills when making instructional decisions. Special education teacher candidates may have limited opportunities for meaningful practice with the problem-solving required to synthesize various information about student strengths, needs, and current performance into high-quality instructional decisions. This is evidenced in the field by IEP analyses that consistently demonstrate poor quality documents that lack evidence of strong instructional decisions. In this study, instructional decisions include a goal, an evidence-based instructional practice that will be used to reach that goal, and modifications or accommodations based on the student’s needs that ensure access to the general curriculum. Dyads were trained using the TAPS curriculum to use effective problem solving and active listening language when presented with a student vignette. Visual analysis, Tau-U overlap analysis, and a between-case standardized mean difference effect size were calculated. Overall, the TAPS intervention improved the use of problem-solving language but an effect on decision-making quality could not be established. Implications and future research are discussed.
Open Access
In a Dark, Dark Wood: Morality, Politics, and Ecological Inaction In Russia
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Listrovaya, Liudmila; Norton, Matthew
This dissertation delves into the complex socio-environmental issues that lay at the intersection of natural resource governance, environmental injustice, and environmental discourse in Russia—a nation with an economy profoundly reliant on revenues from natural resources. Employing environmental sociology as its core analytical framework, this dissertation provides an analysis of the Russian case-study, underscored by a deep-rooted history of settler colonialism and extraction politics, diverse ethnic demographics, and centralized environmental governance. This dissertation consists of three empirical chapters that are written in the article style to be able to serve as standalone research projects while building upon one another to form a cohesive narrative that helps understand the state environmental affairs in an authoritarian Russian state. Using mixed methods—ethnographic fieldwork in the Russian Northwest, critical discourse study of the federal newspapers, and statistical analysis of the Rosstat and Census data—the three dissertation chapters provide a comprehensive analysis of forestry, politicization of environmental discourses, and the increasing role of extraction in shaping environmental disparities across the Russian regions. This dissertation aims to serve as a starting point for an academic conversation about the largely overlooked by environmental sociology Russian case-study, and it further calls for the much-needed development of this area of research.
Embargo
Memory, Whiteness, and Right-Wing Opposition to National Heritage Areas
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Ford, Sophia; Pulido, Laura
The political right is most often associated with defending statues and monuments honoring colonizers, confederates, and enslavers. An example is the 2017 'Unite the Right Rally' in Charlottesville, Virginia, where activists violently protested the removal of a confederate monument to Robert E. Lee. Despite this known inclination of the right defending memorials, tensions rise as white, right-wing landowners across the United States vehemently oppose the expansion of National Heritage Areas (NHAs), framing them as a “federal land grab.” Established in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan and overseen by the National Park Service (NPS), NHAs receive federal funding to maintain historic sites, museums, monuments, and other public memorials. This dissertation examines the right’s growing resistance to NHAs, focusing on a case study spanning Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. I explore the right’s support of historic commemoration through ethnographic methods, archival analysis, and fieldwork. Central to this study are questions such as: Why do people support or oppose National Heritage Areas, and what discourses do they use? What groups oppose NHAs, how are they funded, and who are their alliances? To what extent does whiteness play a role? What kind of relationship, if any, to the past, do opponents want? Overall, I find an increasing emphasis on local management of commemorative sites, aligning with broader right-wing movements characterized by a sense of white masculinist entitlement to private property. Additionally, prominent right-wing organizations, including the John Birch Society, American Stewards for Liberty, the Heritage Foundation, and Protect the Harvest, leverage these sentiments to advance their interests, particularly within the oil and gas industries. By examining the complexities of resistance to NHAs, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersections between historical commemoration, political ideology, race, gender, and class.
Open Access
A Critical Feminist Semiology: De-naturalizing and Re-Politicizing Patriarchal, White Supremacist, and Settler-Colonial Systems of Meaning
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Ring, Annalee; Stawarska, Beata
This dissertation de-naturalizes and re-politicizes patriarchal, white supremacist and settler-colonial systems of meaning through creating a methodology of critical feminist semiology. This methodology is built from the contributions of many thinkers’ works in semiology, phenomenology, philosophy of myth, feminist philosophy, and critical philosophy of race. I return to the emergence of semiology in Ferdinand de Saussure’s work to show that it has been more political than the dominant reading takes semiology to be. My reading of his work emphasizes the importance of studying politics, history, institutions, colonialism, and geography in the study of signs as a part of social life. I critique Roland Barthes for depoliticizing the method of semiology while acknowledging his many contributions, especially in the study of myths. Barthes’ emphasis on the operation of myths to naturalize and depoliticize politically motivated contingencies is a major contribution to the method of critical feminist semiology. This project turns to Simone de Beauvoir’s work The Second Sex and reads it as a semiological phenomenology. Beauvoir’s work closely considers signs as a part of social life through demonstrating the contingency of the myth of the eternal feminine as well as its political, economic, social, and ontological operations. She shows how this myth shapes lived experiences and how it might be resisted. This chapter demonstrates that the myth of the eternal feminine operates as a part of a patriarchal system of meaning. The dissertation then turns to the field of Black feminist thought, which considers how myths sustain and reinforce race and gender oppression in a more collective manner than the semiologists previously considered. This chapter identifies clusters of myths that support one another and that support what I call the meta-myth of white supremacy. White supremacy is both a singular myth and a meta-myth that is supported by clusters of myths. To dismantle the meta-myth of white supremacy, it is vital to understand how it is supported by and supports clusters of myths; that is, treating it as an individual myth is insufficient. This dissertation then engages with Indigenous and decolonial scholars to show how clusters of myth sustain settler colonialism. The cluster of myths considered in this chapter also supports the meta-myth of white supremacy. Decolonial scholars demonstrate the importance of purging mythologies that contribute to the material success of settler-colonialism. Throughout the dissertation, myths are considered material; rather than treated as abstractions alone, myths have significant impacts on material conditions and as such should be given moral scrutiny.
Embargo
A Comparison of Exercise Training and Heat Therapy for Improving Blood Pressure in Adults with Untreated Hypertension
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Kaiser, Brendan; Minson, Christopher
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, represents a primary yet preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, kidney dysfunction, and cognitive impairment that impacts nearly 50% of United States adults. Physical activity is the primary lifestyle recommendation to lower blood pressure, but many people are unwilling or unable to engage in exercise training. Heat therapy, in the form of hot water immersion, dry sauna, or far-infrared sauna, has gained attention in recent years as a potential therapeutic alternative to exercise for improving blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk, with secondary benefits for multiple organ systems, including the renal and cerebral circulation. While both exercise and heat therapy have been demonstrated as effective in a variety of populations, there are no studies that have directly compared these interventions for lowering blood pressure in adults with untreated hypertension. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of heat therapy and exercise training for improving blood pressure, renal function, and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease among adults with untreated hypertension. 41 adults were randomized to complete either 30 sessions of aerobic exercise training (n=20) or hot water immersion (n=21) over 8-10 weeks, with a battery of in-clinic and ambulatory assessments at baseline (PRE), after 15 sessions (MID), and after 30 sessions (POST). The impact of both interventions in this population was equivocal among outcome variables of interest, including both ambulatory and in-clinic blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, as well as biomarkers of renal function, cognitive function, and Alzheimer’s Disease. These findings help to inform future lifestyle interventions aimed at improving blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk among adults with untreated hypertension.