Digital Commons Network^™

The Experience Of Senior Housing For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Seniors: An Exploratory Study, Kathleen Margaret Sullivan

Dissertations and Theses

By the year 2030, 20% of the U.S. population will be 65 years of age or older. An increase in the demand for supportive health and social services is expected with the aging of the population. Demand for senior housing is expected to grow, too. This study explores what the social environment offers to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors who relocated to LGBT retirement communities. Previous research asked LGBT seniors who did not live in LGBT senior housing about their housing preferences. The present study, for the first time, asked residents of existing LGBT senior living communities to …

Faculty Of Color And Scholarship Redefined: Teaching And Learning For Intercultural Competence, Peng Fu

Dissertations and Theses

Utilizing Boyer's (1990) four scholarship functions of professorial engagement and Wilber's (1998) four frames of organizational context, this inquiry examined faculty of color's experiences at a primarily White urban research university in their pursuit of facilitating students' intercultural competence. Specifically, through narrative inquiry, the study examined institutional factors associated with faculty of color's ability to integrate an intercultural competence focus in their scholarship of discovery, scholarship of integration, scholarship of engagement, and scholarship of teaching. Results indicate that research participants are strongly committed to the teaching, learning, community engagement, and scholarship of intercultural competence. However, institutional emphasis on the scholarship …

Proactive Personality And Big Five Traits In Supervisors And Workgroup Members: Effects On Safety Climate And Safety Motivation, Michael Anthony Buck

Dissertations and Theses

In 2009 there were 3.28 million non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses. Of these injuries and illnesses, 965,000 resulted in lost days from work. In addition there were 4,340 workplace fatalities. Given the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, and the associated direct and indirect costs, organizations have sought to improve safety at work. Safety climate and safety motivation are two variables hypothesized to affect safety behaviors and safety outcomes. Safety climate refers to the shared perceptions of workgroup members, of the organizations' commitment to safety as evidenced by heir immediate supervisors' pattern of implementing safety policies and procedures. Therefore, …

Navigating The Edges: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Boundary Spanning, Social Learning, And Partnership Capacity In Water Resource Management, Stephan Edward Brown

Dissertations and Theses

This study proposes a framework for measuring and explaining partnership formation and resilience. The motivation for this study is that we currently do not understand the precise mechanism by which partnerships form or how they stay together in the face of change. The framework draws on a design view of systems to argue that partnerships manage change through boundary spanning practices that operate on multiple levels of social reality. The literature suggests that there are many different types of boundary spanning practices. Some types foster social-technical innovations called "boundary objects" while others facilitate the progressive standardization of those practices through …

Black/White Health Disparities In The U.S. The Effect Of Education Over The Life-Course, Elizabeth Melissa Withers

Dissertations and Theses

In the United States there exists a clear and disconcerting racial disparity in the distribution of good health, which can be seen in differential levels of morbidity and mortality affecting blacks and whites. Previous research has examined the role of SES in shaping racial health disparities and recent studies have looked specifically at the effect of education on health to explain the racial disparity in health. Higher levels of education are robustly associated with good overall health for both blacks and whites and this association has been examined over the life-course. This research explores racial differences in the effect of …

An Investigation On Fast And Frugal Model For New Project Screening, Antonie J. Jetter, Fatima M. Albar

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research in psychology is increasingly interested in decision-makers' use of heuristics or rules of thumb because they have accuracies close to more complex decision rules and seem particularly useful in difficult decision-making contexts when uncertainty is high and speed is of the essence. One particularly difficult decision setting is the fuzzy front-end of new product development because a large number of product ideas need to be screened to identify the few that should be developed further. This process is currently poorly supported through decision tools and mainly occurs on the basis of managerial “gut-feel”. This study explores managerial “gut-feel” by …

Haskell For The Cloud, Andrew P. Black

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present Cloud Haskell, a domain specific language for developing programs for a distributed-memory computing environment. Implemented as a shallow embedding in Haskell, it provides a message-passing communication model, inspired by Erlang, without introducing incompatibility with Haskell's established sharedmemory concurrency. A key contribution is a method for serializing function closures for transmission across the network. Cloud Haskell has been implemented; we present example code and some preliminary performance measurements.

Can Transportation Researchers Reuse Project Datasets And Programs?, Tyler Hayes, Lois Delcambre, Leonard Shapiro

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Data users involved in research and analysis typically invest a lot of eort cleaning and manipu- lating their data as they work. Based on this observation, we have investigated two hypotheses: 1) reuse of datasets and procedures is difficult, and 2) the inability to reuse datasets and procedures is primarily due to a lack of documentation. To test these hypotheses we conducted structured interviews with data users asking questions regarding the struggles in their work pertaining to data, their documentation habits, and the importance of documentation. The interviews revealed that the data users rarely reused data or procedures, frequently encountered …

Tropical Salvage: From Recession To Expansion, Scott Marshall, Lisa Peifer, Erin Ferrigno

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tim O’Brien, founder of Tropical Salvage, was preparing for another warehouse clearance sale of his unique, handcrafted hardwood furniture. It had been an enormously challenging year and it was important to reduce inventory before the next container arrived from Indonesia. The market for fine furniture had begun to decline steadily in early 2008 following the stock market crash of the prior September. The company survived a difficult period, but not without suffering a decline in sales. O’Brien had spent ten years building a sustainable business model based on environmental stewardship, worker empowerment and unique, high quality product. As the economy …

Relativistic Red-Black Trees, Philip William Howard, Jonathan Walpole

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Operating system performance and scalability on sharedmemory many-core systems depends critically on efficient access to shared data structures. Scalability has proven difficult to achieve for many data structures. In this paper we present a novel and highly scalable concurrent red-black tree. Red-black trees are widely used in operating systems, but typically exhibit poor scalability. Our red-black tree has linear read scalability, uncontended read performance that is at least 25% faster than other known approaches, and deterministic lookup times for a given tree size, making it suitable for realtime applications.

The Ordering Requirements Of Relativistic And Reader-Writer Locking Approaches To Shared Data Access, Philip William Howard, Josh Triplett, Jonathan Walpole, Paul E. Mckenney

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The semantics of reader-writer locks allow read-side concurrency. Unfortunately, the locking primitives serialize access to the lock variable to an extent that little or no concurrency is realized in practice for small critical sections. Relativistic programming is a methodology that also allows read- side concurrency. Relativistic programming uses dfferent ordering constraints than reader-writer locking. The different ordering constraints allow relativistic readers to proceed without synchronization so relativistic readers scale even for very short critical sections. In this paper we explore the diferences between the ordering constraints for reader-writer locking and relativistic programs. We show how and why the dfferent ordering …

A Content Analysis Of The Strategic Plans Of The Coalition Of Urban Serving Universities' Academic Libraries, Thomas Bielavitz

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

As academic libraries support the curricular mission of the university, the strategic plans of academic libraries often reflect the priorities and initiatives of the larger institution. Urban universities often incorporate concepts of community engagement in their mission. The Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (http://www.usucoalition.org), a federation of 43 urban universities, has developed initiatives which seek to establish the university and city as partners. Using the publicly-accessible strategic plans of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) affiliated libraries as a data set, the research will perform a content analysis, using Atlas.ti software, to look for evidence that the libraries are …

A Perspective On Preservation And Disaster Response Preparedness In Oregon Libraries, Alex Toth, Kristen Kern

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In this article, we will examine one collaborative Oregon preservation effort that we believe is both enlightening and instructive for the example that it provides and for the direction that similar efforts may take in the future. The initiative that we have chosen to examine is that of the Disaster Recovery Group (DiRG) established by the Portland Area Library System (PORTALS). PORTALS was a library consortium founded in 1993 to meet the research and educational needs of libraries in the greater Portland area through cooperative and creative access to information resources and services. What made the consortium somewhat unique was …

Detecting Specific Saccharides Via A Single Indicator, Soojin Lim, Jorge O. Escobedo, Mark Lowry, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

An improved synthesis of a rhodamine boronic acid indicator is reported. This compound is used in an optimized data collection protocol for wavelength- and time-dependent selectivity of sugars such as fructose and ribose derivatives. One indicator is thus used to selectively distinguish structurally related sugar analytes.

Examining News Coverage And Framing In The Context Of Environmental Reporting: Using The Sea Lion And Salmon Controversy At The Bonneville Dam As A Case Study, Tess Mcbride

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines how the construction of news stories reveals relationships among groups of stakeholders and how their views unfold within environmental conflict coverage. This study uses a content analysis of 161 newspaper articles concerning the sea lion and salmon controversy at the Bonneville Dam, focusing on source use and blame and solution frames in environmental conflict coverage. This analysis of articles published between January 2003 and June 2010 in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, and Montana contributes to research concerning journalistic norms (i.e., balance and objectivity) and news production routines, specifically within the field of environmental reporting. The findings indicate …

Riparian Wetland Response To Livestock Exclusion In The Lower Columbia River Basin, Sarah Ann Holmen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of riparian plant communities along a succession gradient of livestock exclusion in the Lower Columbia River Basin (LCRB). Livestock exclusion is an example of a passive restoration practice throughout the region. However, few studies have focused on the effects of livestock or livestock exclusion on riparian wetland ecosystems in this area. Two passive restoration sites, 3 and 13 years since livestock exclusion, and a control site with a continued livestock grazing presence were examined. It was hypothesized that native plant species richness would be lower in the excluded wetlands than …

Examining The Portland Music Scene Through Neo-Localism, Tyler James Brain

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the Portland music scene as a context in which local identity is constructed and communicated in a globalized world. Specifically, neo-localism is utilized as a theoretical lens through which the impacts of globalization were explored. Portland bands (n=8) were interviewed concerning their experiences in the local music scene. The results showed that participants conceptualized local identity as being 1) based in community, 2) culturally saturated and 3) connected to musical production. Further, results showed that participants were increasingly aware of this local identity, were aware of a global perception of this local identity and were aware of …

Freight Distribution Problems In Congested Urban Areas: Fast And Effective Solution Procedures To Time-Dependent Vehicle Routing Problems, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Congestion is a common phenomenon in all medium to large cities of the world. Reliability of freight movement in urban areas is an important issue to manufacturing or service companies whose operation is based in just-in-time approaches. These companies tend to provide high value or time sensitive products/services. As congestion increases, carriers face increasing challenges to satisfy their time sensitive customers in an economical way. Route designs or schedules which require long computation times or ignore travel time variations will result in inefficient and suboptimal solutions. Poorly designed routes that lead freight vehicles into congested arteries and streets not only …

Environmental Migrants And The Future Of The Willamette Valley: A Preliminary Exploration, Alison Wicks

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

This report reviews existing data and research on predicted impacts of climate change in the Northwestern United States, and specifically focuses on the level of preparedness to accommodate new population growth due to climate migration in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Climate change impacts in Oregon are predicted to be less severe than in other areas of the country. Generally, models project warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers in the Willamette Valley and other areas west of the Cascade Range. This will likely make the Willamette Valley a more desirable place for environmentally displaced people to locate. This report considers how …

Community Newspapers Play Significant Role In Election, Lee Shaker

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article compares coverage of the 2007 Philadelphia mayoral campaign in the city's major daily and community newspapers. The findings show that community newspapers serve as a complement to the dailies but also prove to be sources of campaign information in their own right.

Quality + Innovation: Adapting Quality Management Practices To Achieve Innovation Performance, Scott A. Leavengood, Timothy R. Anderson

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In many businesses today, focus on quality as a competitive tool is being replaced by a focus on innovation. This is not to say that quality is now irrelevant but rather that it is now seen by many as "necessary but insufficient" in today's business environment. Therefore, the task facing managers is how to achieve innovation performance in addition to quality performance. To answer this question, U.S. West Coast wood products manufacturers were surveyed about their quality management practices and performance with respect to both quality and innovation. Survey results were analyzed to identify two categories of high-performing firms: those …

Past Tense, 2011, Retired Association Of Portland State

Past Tense columns of the RAPS Sheet

January, 2011 "Pres. Ramaley champions redesign of seal"

February, 2011 "A walk through the PSU Park Blocks: Past and Present"

March, 2011 "Remembering Sharkey Nelson"

April, 2011 "Name that PSU person"

May, 2011 "From Ugly Duckling to Beautiful Swan"

September, 2011 "1976: Keith Larson garners Partners Award for PSU"

October, 2011 "The Vanguard: then and now"

November, 2011 "SBA students join the PC revolution 1981 BC (Before Computers)"

December, 2011 "Protests at PSU: Big, Small, Imaginary"

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: As new electric vehicles come to market, Portland State is helping pave the way; a generous new GI Bill is persuading some veterans to get their college degree; Lincoln Hall gets a new look; Oregon’s public universities are asking the state for more control over their finances and future; and more.

Internationalizing General Education From Within: Raising The Visibility Of Heritage Language Students In The Classroom, Evguenia Davidova

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article analyzes the findings of a pilot project conducted in 2008–2009 as a partnership between University Studies, Portland State University’s interdisciplinary general education program, and the University’s Russian Flagship Language Partner Program. The project proposes a new approach of integrating non-English speakers’ language skills, culture, and life experiences into classroom activities of general education courses. By engaging the students as facilitators in the exploration of their own cultures and languages, the project offers a model of enriching collaborative student teaching and learning that could be applied to various interdisciplinary courses.

Re-Interpreting The Past: Shifting Perspectives From A Commercial Archival Fond In The Bulgarian Historical Archive, Evguenia Davidova

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article offers a historiographical interpretation of an exceptionally rich personal archive; namely, fond Number 6: “Tŭrgovska kŭshta [Commercial Company] ‘Khristo P. Tŭpchileshtov’”, kept in Bŭlgarski istoricheski arkhiv (Bulgarian Historical Archive), Narodna Biblioteka (National Library) “Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodiĭ” in Sofia. The analysis is organized around three issues: the biography of the archive’s founder; the acquisition of the archive by the National Library; and the ways the archival material has been interpreted in the Bulgarian historiography. More specifically, I am discussing the ideological motivation behind the arrangement of the documents and their multiple uses in the historical studies during …

Structuring Expert Input For A Knowledge-Based Approach To Watershed Condition Assessment For The Northwest Forest Plan, Usa, Sean N. Gordon, Kirsten Gallo

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Assessments of watershed condition for aquatic and riparian species often have to rely on expert opinion because of the complexity of establishing statistical relationships among the many factors involved. Such expert-based assessments can be difficult to document and apply consistently over time and space. We describe and reflect on the process of developing a computer-based decision support application from expert judgments for assessing aquatic and riparian conditions over the 100,000 km2 managed by the US federal government under the Northwest Forest Plan. The decision support system helped structure and document the assessment process and provided consistency and transparency to the …

Towards A New Ethnicity: Canada’S Western Plains First Nations, John W. Friesen

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Although social scientists have for a long time refrained from employing the term "ethnic" when describing First Nations cultures, recent developments in those communities have necessitated a second look at this practice. If the ethnic designation is applicable to any group of people typically related through common filiation, or blood, and whose members also usually feel a sense of attachment to a particular place, a history, and a culture (including a common language, food, and clothing), then Canada’s First Peoples may also be considered ethnic. The educational implications of this reality are that the needs of Indigenous students are more …

“I Feel Fairly Confident…”: Investigating Literacy Candidates’ Self Confidence Through An On-Line Standards-Based Survey, Sharryn Larsen Walker, Janet Finke, Carol Butterfield, Judy Backlund

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article presents the perceived self-confidence of teacher education candidates who were pursing certification in elementary education or elementary education with an endorsement in reading. Using the state standards toward a reading endorsement as the basis for the statements, each candidate completed an on-line common core survey stating her/his confidence in teaching to the standard. To further support her/his selfrating, these candidates also added comments for each of the six common core standard areas. Results indicated that those pursing an endorsement in reading viewed themselves as more confident than those who were not. Additionally, the data provided strengths and weaknesses …

Using A Smartboard Smartly: Considering Digital Tools For Interaction, Collaboration And Storytelling, Susan Crichton, Jennifer Mccaffrey, Barb Brown

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper shares a book project completed in an urban Grade 1 school. While the project itself is not unique, the authentic use of multiple technologies to support the process to develop it is. The terms interaction, collaboration, and student ownership are often used to describe inquiry-based teaching and learning, and the project described here illustrates what they might mean in actual practice. Further, this paper situates the book project within the literature of Information, Communication Technology (ICT) and arts based instruction, providing an example of classroom-based technologies to enhance teaching and learning.

Town Center Vision, Caroline Chapman, Jacqueline Gruber, Neil Riordan

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

In December 2010, City Council passed Resolution 2261 which directed the City’s Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI) to prepare a more formal action plan for smart growth and sustainability. Emerald Solutions, a team of Portland State Master’s students, was tasked with furthering these efforts by completing a Sustainability and Smart Growth Pilot Plan for the Town Center Pilot Area (TCPA). The plan works to develop a complete concept, structure, and community outreach process that will guide the City in the creation of a broader, citywide plan. This project was conducted under the supervision of Sumner Sharpe and Ellen Bassett.