Digital Commons Network^™

Chemomechanical Polymers As Sensors And Actuators For Biological And Medicinal Applications, Hans-Jörg Schneider, Kazuaki Kato, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Changes in the chemical environment can trigger large motions in chemomechanical polymers. The unique feature of such intelligent materials, mostly in the form of hydrogels, is therefore, that they serve as sensors and actuators at the same time, and do not require any measuring devices, transducers or power supplies. Until recently the most often used of these materials responded to changes in pH. Chemists are now increasingly using supramolecular recognition sites in materials, which are covalently bound to the polymer backbone. This allows one to use a nearly unlimited variety of guest (or effector) compounds in the environment for a …

Pricing In Dynamic Vehicle Routing Problems, Miguel Andres Figliozzi, Hani S. Mahmassani, Patrick Jaillet

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The principal focus of this paper is to study carrier pricing decisions for a type of vehicle routing problems defined in a competitive and dynamic environment. This paper introduces the vehicle routing problem in a competitive environment (VRPCE) as an extension of the traveling-salesman problem with profits (TSPP) to a dynamic competitive auction environment. In the VRPCE, the carrier must estimate the incremental cost of servicing new service requests as they arrive dynamically. The paper presents a rigorous and precise treatment of the sequential pricing and costing problem that a carrier faces in such an environment. The sequential pricing problem …

Shift Work In The Long-Termcare Industry : An Examination Of Organizational And Individual Factors That Influence Employee Outcomes, Kristin Elizabeth Charles

Dissertations and Theses

The long-term care (LTC) industry provides medical and social services in facility-based settings to the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled. With the aging of the United States population, the need for LTC workers is expected to drastically increase in the next decade. However, the industry faces a significant staffing shortage. One potential cause of staffing problems in LTC is working non-standard work schedules. Because of the need to provide around the clock care, LTC employees often work non-standard shifts, long hours, night work, and over weekends and holidays. Although many studies have examined health and sleep-related outcomes associated with non-standard …

Workplace Cognitive Failure As A Mediator Between Work-Family Conflict And Safety Performance, Rachel Jane Daniels

Dissertations and Theses

The main goal of this thesis was to examine the effects of family-to-work conflict on safety performance. Data were collected from a sample of 134 employees, consisting primarily of construction workers. Results found that levels of conflict from the family role to the work role negatively affected participants' workplace cognitive failure, or cognitively based errors that occur during the performance of a task that the person is normally successful in executing. Workplace cognitive failure, in turn, was a significant predictor of levels ofsafety performance, both employees' compliance with safety procedures and the extent to which they participated in discretionary safety-related …

Biosedimentology Of Thermal Features In The Uzon Caldera, Kamchatka, Russia : Implications For Biosignature Formation, Jessica Christine Goin

Dissertations and Theses

Modern hot springs serve as a habitat for microorganisms similar in metabolism, morphology, and cellular structure to the microbes that existed relatively early in Earth history. To maximize our ability to interpret evidence for these microorganisms and their communities in the rock record, we need to understand how their biosignatures form and become preserved.

This biosedimentological study of four thermal features in the Uzon Caldera (K4 Well, Ochki Pool, Thermophile Spring, and Zavarzin Pool) focused on identifying how chemical, physical and biological inputs contribute to the characteristics of sinter biofabrics. The biofabrics of K4 Well outflow channel were studied in …

Regional Travel Options 2005-06 Program Evaluation, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Regional Travel Options contracted with the Portland State University Center for Urban Studies to evaluate all program efforts over the 18-month period July 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2006. Services provided were shown in relationship to the Regional Travel Options program 5-Year Strategic Plan. The level of participation, satisfaction and the use of alternative travel options were measured where possible. Finally, the extent to which programs supported RTO objectives and connections to other regional goals was assessed. Results included auto-trip reductions. Recommendations for improving data collection were made. Each RTO-partner program is detailed individually in the appendices.

Information Technology Training In The Public Sector : Essential Planning Elements, Betty Jean Reynolds

Dissertations and Theses

Information technology (IT) has revolutionized the workplace and the provision of government services, and rapidity of change makes IT training essential. Planning, however, can be haphazard, and public sector training might not fulfill training needs. Elements that are essential to planning for the success of IT training in the public sector were identified from the literature: IT training organization structure/training provider, methods of IT training delivery, assessment of IT training needs, IT training expenditures, specific IT training needs, and strategies for improving IT training.

IT directors of Oregon state agencies and chief information officers (CIOs) of exemplar states were surveyed …

Graduate Teaching Assistants' Statistical Knowledge For Teaching, Jennifer Ann Noll

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs’) statistical knowledge for teaching. Data collection methods that enabled the exploration of TA s’ statistical knowledge for teaching include: (a) a task-based web survey administered to 68 TAs from 18 universities across the United States; and, (b) a series of three taskbased interviews with a subset of five TAs from the larger survey population. Through and Strauss, 1967), I investigated the ways in which TAs reason about sampling tasks, and how they think about teaching and student learning in relation to sampling ideas. Building on past research in statistics education on K-12 and …

Meeting Notes 2007-07-12 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Global Civil Society Finding Collective Voice In Diversity, Kristen Marie Magis

Dissertations and Theses

The research question that forms the basis of this dissertation is: "What characteristics do members of Global Civil Society define as critical to the successful functioning of coalition processes designed to generate specific policy positions?" The dissertation's objective is to develop a canon of knowledge about these critical characteristics.

The relative lack of research on the question of the internal organization and operations of GCS coalitions necessitated the use of inductive methodology. Three sources of data were utilized; interviews with knowledgeable persons in Global Civil Society, a conference of GCS experts, and papers commissioned for the conference. The data were …

Focal Point, Volume 21 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

Evidence–based programs produce positive outcomes for consumers, providers, and the greater public. However, not all evidence–based programs have been proven to work with diverse groups. This issue of Focal Point features programs that have been developed specifically to meet the needs of underserved youth such as immigrants, rural or homeless youth, and those from racial or sexual minority groups.

Healthy Eating And Active Living In North Portland: Asset Mapping With G.I.S., Arthur Aldridge, Susan M. Anderson, Mike Aspros, Lisa Barnes, Matt Bergstrom, Ambra Bingham, Ernest Bork, Sara Cottam, Jeremy Crawford, Shawna Graber, Jonathan Jubera, Patrick Louisel, Rebecca Symonds, Eric Wright

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

Making community development as democratic as possible has long been a challenge for urban planners and municipalities alike. A number of obstacles stand in the way of greater community participation in the planning process and consequently communities who are best served by their design. Visual Preference Surveys (VPS) are a tool planners can use to increase participation in the design process within the communities they serve. This can result in community plans that more accurately reflect the wants or needs of its members. Relying heavily on image driven content, VPS offers communities a straightforward methodology that asks participants to rate …

Improving Arterial Performance Measurement Using Traffic Signal System Data, Michael Wolfe, Christopher Monsere, Peter Koonce, Robert L. Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The characterization of the performance of freeways in real time and on a historical basis has been successfully achieved for many years. The ability to characterize arterial performance has been more elusive. Currently numerous applications of traffic management and traveler information systems include freeways but lack the ability to extend their operation to major arterials. This paper describes methods for quantifying arterial performance using data from signal system loop detectors. Included in the array of metrics are traffic density, total delay, predicted travel time, and signal coordination effectiveness. Methods for determining performance in these areas are adapted for use in …

Nature-Inspired Interconnects For Self-Assembled Large-Scale Network-On-Chip Designs, Christof Teuscher

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Future nanoscale electronics built up from an Avogadro number of components need efficient, highly scalable, and robust means of communication in order to be competitive with traditional silicon approaches. In recent years, the networks-on-chip (NoC) paradigm emerged as a promising solution to interconnect challenges in silicon-based electronics. Current NoC architectures are either highly regular or fully customized, both of which represent implausible assumptions for emerging bottom-up self-assembled molecular electronics that are generally assumed to have a high degree of irregularity and imperfection. Here, we pragmatically and experimentally investigate important design tradeoffs and properties of an irregular, abstract, yet physically plausible …

The Changing Paradigm Of Emergency Management : Improving Professional Development For The Emergency Manager, Robert Edward Grist

Dissertations and Theses

Throughout its short and remarkable history, emergency management has been subjected to a vast array of fast-moving and radical changes which have presented significant challenges to the men and women in this emerging profession. This study was designed to help determine the adequacy of their professional development to meet those challenges.

The study is framed within an environment where emergency managers face the pressure to professionalize; explore the world of risk, trust, and the distribution of power; confront revolutionary changes; and concern themselves with the social impact of disasters in their own communities. This study asks: "Do Emergency Managers feel …

Meeting Notes 2007-06-14 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Revisioning : A Theoretical Model Of Teachers' Career Choices, Wendi Bain Laurence

Dissertations and Theses

The steady flow of teachers exiting the profession continues to serve as an empirical reminder that we have not yet found ways to effectively support teachers as they proceed through their careers. This study identifies elements of teachers' career decisions. Qualitative methodologies were used to integrate research from multiple disciplines to address the need for a theoretical model of teachers' career decisions. Three perspectives for viewing the decision making process emerged from the analysis of the data set: Component, Experiential, and Integrative. These three perspectives provide a filtered approach to understanding a complex and multi-tiered decision making process. The findings …

Sensitivity Analysis For Hierarchical Decision Models, Hongyi Chen

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, a comprehensive algorithm is developed to analyze the sensitivity of hierarchical decision models (HDM), which include the well-known analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and its variants, to single and multiple changes in the local contribution matrices at any level of the decision hierarchy. The algorithm is applicable to all HDM that use an additive function to derive the overall contribution vector. It is independent of pairwise comparison scales, judgment quantification techniques and group opinion combining methods. The direct impact of changes to a local contribution value on decision alternatives' overall contributions, allowable range/region of perturbations, contribution tolerance, operating …

Family-Friendly Workplace Culture, Flexibility, And Workplace Support For Dependent Care : The Perspectives Of Human Resource Professionals, Katherine June Huffstutter

Dissertations and Theses

Integration of family responsibilities and employment demands is challenging for all families, but particularly for those families with extraordinary care requirements of children with mental health disabilities. Utilization of workplace supports, such as flexible work arrangements, has been identified in the work-family literature as an important indicator of organizational responsiveness to employee's family needs (Allen, 2001; Eaton, 2003; Hammer, Neal, Newsom, Brockwood, & Colton, 2005; Secret, 2000). A better understanding of which organizational conditions may improve utilization of available family-friendly supports by employees caring for children with mental health disorders can improve work-life integration for these families. This study examines …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2007, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 2007 Monthly packet includes the June agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 2007

From Prison To The Community : The Role Of Citizen Participation In Female Prisoner Reentry, Dana Roderick Torrey

Dissertations and Theses

Growing attention is being given to the design of programs for female prisoners to assist their successful reentry into the community upon the completion of their incarceration. However, current programs have been largely designed and implemented with the goal of seeking parolee compliance through mandatory rules and practices. Little emphasis is placed on preparing inmates to assume their duties as citizens and active participants in the lives of their community. In short, existing programs pay little attention to the importance of creating what I call for purposes of this study, “citizen participation”.

This study tests the importance of developing a …

Evaluating And Adaptive Signal Control System In Gresham, James M. Peters, Jay Mccoy, Robert L. Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cities and Counties are faced with increasing traffic congestion due to rapidly increasing population. Like many agencies, the City of Gresham has struggled with how to manage the increasing congestion with limited funds for major roadway widening projects. Gresham has recognized the need to optimize existing system capacity to get the most out of their current transportation system infrastructure investment.

In 2005, the City of Gresham, in cooperation with numerous agencies in the Portland metropolitan area, evaluated a variety of signal control systems including traditional time-of-day coordination, traffic responsive, and adaptive signal control systems. Based on that evaluation, the steering …

Systems Metaphysics: A Bridge From Science To Religion, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

'Systems theory' is familiar to many as the scientific enterprise that includes the study of chaos, networks, and complex adaptive systems. It is less widely appreciated that the systems research program offers a world view that transcends the individual scientific disciplines. We do not live, as some argue, in a post-metaphysical age, but rather at a time when a new metaphysics is being constructed. This metaphysics is scientific and derives from graph theory, information theory, non-linear dynamics, decision theory, game theory, generalized evolution, and other transdisciplinary theories. These 'systems' theories focus on form and process, independent of materiality; they are …

Active Recreation In Parks: Can Park Design And Facilities Promote Use And Physical Activity?, Lynnette Renee Weigand

Dissertations and Theses

Current research is examining the link between the built environment and regular physical activity to improve public health. As communities become denser and individual lots become smaller, locally accessible parks will assume more importance as places to promote physical activity and individual health outcomes.

To determine if park design and facilities can promote use and physical activity, I examined five neighborhood parks in three newer developments near Portland, Oregon (Fairview Village, Sunnyside Village and Orenco Station). I used a multi-method research approach that included interviews with relevant public agencies and developers, field inventories of the parks and surrounding context, observations …

Meeting Notes 2007-05-24 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Analysis Of Hybrid Control Systems, Anca Georgeta Williams

Dissertations and Theses

Hybrid Control Systems are increasingly investigated as models for control systems where the interaction between continuous and discrete processes is tightly integrated. As yet, there is no general agreement as to what constitutes a canonical hybrid system. Rather various subclasses of systems combining continuous evolution and discrete event characteristics are analyzed for each application. In this dissertation we first unify the presentation of hybrid systems with a rich model which encompasses most examples of interest. We classify the available results and show how they fit together within the different subcategories. In the main part of the dissertation we prove that …

The Portland Spectator, May 2007, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Crystal Joele Rea

Articles in this issue include: Spotlight on Oregon: The truth about panhandlers; Theology: Faith and religion; World view: Combatting climate change; The Northwest: e West Colombia Gorge Humane Society; World view: Into Latin America; Theology: Wrestling with Karl Marx.

Meeting Notes 2007-05-10 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Having Something To Say, Christopher V. Hollister

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

Information Literacy At Augustana: A Programmatic Approach, Nancy E. Goebel, Paul J. Neff

Communications in Information Literacy

Information literacy programs, and the factors that influence their development and structure, can vary significantly from institution to institution. Credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses are a rare and valuable component of an undergraduate educational experience and form the basis of Augustana's information literacy program. This article provides an overview of the development, implementation, successes, and drawbacks of the credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta (Camrose, Alberta, Canada). Additional program components including Augustana's annual information literacy workshop, information literacy awards, information literacy DVD, and marketing/branding, are discussed.