Digital Commons Network^™

Fortel, A Telecommunications Forecasting System, James Leslie Black

Dissertations and Theses

The telecommunications industry is undergoing a metamorphic change. New technologies have made possible a vast panorama of new services. Electronic newspapers, videotelephones, and computer-mediated conferences are but a few of the possibilities. In contrast to technology, most of the other factors affecting the industry (and its infrastructure) have not changed. Government regulations, for example, are based on the 1934 Communications Act. These factors (e.g., consumer behavior, corporate philosophies, energy, and competition) are beginning to change. The Congress is considering a rewrite of the 1934 Communications Act. Competition has become a dominant factor (note that the industry by and large has …

Citizen Advocacy Groups, An Intervention Strategy: A Case Study Of The Community Coalition For School Integration In Portland, Oregon, Patricia J. Rumer

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation focused on citizen advocacy groups as an intervention strategy for affecting change in the policy process. The analysis is of a specific intervention in school desegregation policy by a citizen advocacy group. The purpose of this research was to identify the conditions under which a citizen advocacy group can intervene; the constraints to a successful intervention; and the attributes of a successful intervention. The case study was of the Community Coalition for School Integration, a citizen advocacy group which existed in Portland, Oregon between 1977 and 1980. A multi-method approach was used. It involved fifty interviews with members …

The Perinatal Regionalization Policy: A Study In Form And Development, Linda Umbdenstock

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate one way in which the analytical and creative components of policy can complement one another to provide insight for understanding emergent (developmental) and cooperative systems. As a case study, this research examined a perinatal regionalization project--a new health care delivery system--to determine how it might develop from this point in its history, i.e., what form it might take. The key questions were: how do we design a workable and significant system? How much is science; how much art? Given the emergent social nature of the system, a twofold approach was required. The …

Explorations In The Development Of A Descriptive Model Of Strategic Business Planning, Laura Williamson Doyle

Dissertations and Theses

The intent of this exploratory case study was: (1)to compare a model of expected formal business plan content with the content of actual business plans developed within a single company, (2)to develop a modified model of formal business plan content which recognizes organizational influences on plan content, (3)to propose a method for evaluating business plans based on this modified model. The firm studied was Fast Delta Corporation, a "Fortune 500" multidivisional manufacturing company in a high technology industry. The business plan content analyzed in this study was produced through a planning system similar to those implemented by other multidivisional companies. …

An Analysis Of Environmental, Social And Personal Dimensions And Their Relationship To Psychological Well-Being In Late Life, Renee Tissue

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation focused on the relationship between psychological well-being and life situations of older persons. Specifically, this study examined whether life situations were different for persons whose Life Satisfaction Index scores changed over a two-year period compared to those whose scores were stable. The sample included 215 older persons living in reduced circumstances. These persons were interviewed on three occasions separated by one-year intervals. Pearson correlations, analysis of variance, and multiple regression procedures were employed to test five hypotheses. Fourteen case studies were selected to illustrate statistical findings. When the dissertation data were analyzed for each occasion separately, findings from …

Approximate Reasoning, Logics For Self-Reference, And The Use Of Nonclassical Logics In Systems Modeling, Daniel Guy Schwartz

Dissertations and Theses

This work advances the use of nonclassical logics for developing qualitative models of real-world systems. Abstract mathematics is "qualitative" inasmuch as it relegates numerical considerations to the background and focuses explicitly on topological, algebraic, logical, or other types of conceptual forms. Mathematical logic, the present topic, serves to explicate alternative modes of reasoning for use in general research design and in model construction. The central thesis is that the theory of formal logical systems, and particularly, of logical systems based on nonclassical modes of reasoning, offers important new techniques for developing qualitative models of real-world systems. This thesis is supported …

Success Expectancy In Depressives, Marilyn Frances Barnowe-Meyer

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis was an attempt to investigate two important cognitive aspects of depression: expectation of success, and changes in this expectation. Recent studies in these areas have yielded inconsistent results. It has generally been concluded that subclinical depressives do not differ from nondepressives in initial expectation of success, though they do at times exhibit smaller changes in success expectancy following personal experiences of success or failure. Two main cognitive theories of depression have attempted to account for this difference between the two populations. Beck (1967) has proposed that depression results from specific negative cognitive processes, among them a denial of …

Psychodrama And The Terminal Patient : Concepts And Application, Marilyn Jacobs Bohan

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the concepts of psychodrama and dying, death and bereavement that effectively meet individual needs for working through grief. It is the premise of this thesis that the working through grief to foster acceptance, self-worth and dignity, in the final st.age of life, is facilitated by psychodramatic methods of "acting through" the problems of the situation.

The Place Of Arminianism In Protestantism, Ottathengil E. Abraham

Dissertations and Theses

The author's background is not either Calvinistic or Arminian. This study was undertaken because the author felt the need of a better understanding about Arminianism and its place in Protestantism in relation to his future work. The author recognizes that the controversy between Arminianism and Calvinism goes back to the sixteenth century and still continues among Protestants today.

Nordic Immigrants In Portland, 1870-1920 : The First Fifty Years, Janet Lynn Baisinger

Dissertations and Theses

Portland, Oregon had the potential in the 1870s to become the center of Nordic immigration to the Pacific Northwest. It was the primary urban center of the area, and the headquarters for Scandinavian mission work. In the 1870s, Nordics began to establish churches, clubs, lodges and newspapers. After the first fifty years, however, Portland's Nordic ethnicity was not as evident in the city's character as mere numbers might warrant.

Comparison Of Scores Obtained On The Ppvt And The Ppvt-R, Jennie L.M. Choong

Dissertations and Theses

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) is a widely used receptive vocabulary screening tool, but it is not without its limitations, such as inadvisable I.Q. usage and a standardization procedure that lacks scope. A revision of the PPVT, known as the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) was published in 1981, and contains a more complete standardization procedure as well as some structural changes of the test itself (Dunn, 1981). Speech/language pathology, whose diagnosticians most commonly use the age equivalent value, is a profession that would gain from information which deals with the equivalency of the PPVT-R to the original PPVT. …

A Study Of Leslie Model Under Stochastic Environments, Kamran Shaukat

Dissertations and Theses

The prediction and analysis of changes in the numbers of biological populations rest on mathematical formulations of demographic events (births and deaths) classified by the age of individuals. The development of demographic theory when birth and death rates vary statistically over time is the central theme of this work. A study of the standard Leslie model for the demographic dynamics of populations in variable environments is made. At each time interval a Leslie matrix of survival rates and fertilities of a population is chosen according to a Markov process and the population numbers in different age classes are computed. Analytical …

Theodor Storm's Der Schimmelreiter And The Realism Of The Supernatural, Regina Berrit Braker

Dissertations and Theses

In interpreting Der Schinmelreiter by Theodor Storm, the deconstructive method always leaves room for more interpretation; a deconstructive interpretation may simply acknowledge a variety of critical opinions, not necessarily considering one more valid than another, but arguing that all of than together are necessary to form a collective interpretation. I have examined traditionally important views of Storm's work, those of Stuckert and Silz, who argue for a positive heroic example in the main character Hauke Haien, and who consider the supernatural in a less structurally important light, but attribute it to Storm's personal views and geographic background. Ellis, Findlay and …

The Metabolic Cost Of Behavioral Thermoregulation Of Body Temperature In The Northern Alligator Lizard Gerrhonotus Coeruleus, And How It Affects The Classical Concept Of Eurythermality, James Dudley Campbell

Dissertations and Theses

The effect of total metabolic cost expenditures on the precision of behavioral thermoregulation was investigated for the purportedly eurythermic Northern Alligator lizard (Gerrhonotus coeruleus). An operant apparatus was designed to test metabolic output at different heat reinforcement magnitudes. The mean T_B reflected in each trial was positively correlated to the length of reinforcement. The shuttle rate during each trial was inversely correlated to the length of reinforcement. The standard deviation and total metabolic costs did not vary significantly between trials undertaken at the same ambient temperature. Eurythermality in G. coeruleus is caused by fluctuations in preferred body temperature and …

Revetment Clearing, Its Influence On Riparian Mammal Communities, Robert E. Willis

Dissertations and Theses

Over 115 miles of rock revetment have been constructed in the Willamette Basin to protect river banks. This study examines the effect on riparian mammals of maintaining these revetments by vegetation and debris clearing. Differences between cleared and uncleared revetments were measured using a canopy coverage method of vegetation analysis; mammals were studied by trapping, by direct observation, and by noting such signs as scats, tracks, etc.

Preliminary Inventory Of Lifeline Systems And Evaluation Of Seismic Hazards In Reno And Sparks, Nevada, Barbara Priest

Dissertations and Theses

The Reno-Sparks community is in a seismically hazardous area. Recent research indicates that a Richter 7.0 or greater magnitude earthquake could affect the area. Many of the emergency and essential facilities are situated in dangerous geological locations and are housed in outdated structures which could be severely damaged in the event of a major earthquake. Detailed site evaluations need to be made with respect to location of new structures and of existing building safety. The 1979 Unified Building Code seismic provisions should be adopted without exception; Nevada Revised Statute 278 .160 needs to be revised to require a seismic safety …

Alternative Agencies: An Exploratory Study, Linda Crane

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the research project was to try to get some insight into the actual operation and structure of what are commonly called alternative agencies. The project was viewed as an exploratory study, designed to try to understand if some of the commonly held assumptions about alternative agencies seemed to be reflected in actual practice. The research team's first task was to try to develop a working definition of an alternative agency.

The Portland, Oregon Asap: An Evaluation Of Treatment Effectiveness, Joan M. Wildebush Berry

Dissertations and Theses

The Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP), in accordance with its goals and directives, determined, in 1980, the need for an evaluation of its services. In response to that need, the present study was conducted between April and October, 1980.

The initial step in this evaluation is a review of the relevant literature. The review includes literature in the areas of: treatment evaluation methodology, follow-up studies of alcohol treatment, and management of drunken drivers. In addition, the history and current organization of the Portland ASAP are discussed.

The study employs a one group pretest-posttest design and utilizes the Oregon Quality of …

Geophysical And Geochemical Analyses Of Selected Miocene Coastal Basalt Features, Clatsop County, Oregon, Virginia Josette Pfaff

Dissertations and Theses

The proximity of Miocene Columbia River basalts to the "locally-erupted" coastal Miocene basalts in northwestern Oregon, and the compelling similarities between the two groups, suggest that the coastal basalts, rather than being locally erupted, may be the westward extension of plateau basalts derived from eastern Oregon and Washington.

The local-origin hypothesis is based largely on the interpretation of coastal dikes and sills as representing vent areas; however, a complex mechanism, as yet unsatisfactorily defined, would be required to cause the eruption of virtually identical magmas simultaneously from source areas 500 km apart.

This study, therefore, has investigated the coastal basalt …

The Ductuli Efferentes In Macaca Mulatta: Electron Microscopic Evaluation Of Changes After Vasectomy, Loyal Douglas Marsh

Dissertations and Theses

After vasectomy, the passage of sperm antigen through the epithelium of the efferent duct in the rhesus macaque probably results in immune complex deposition. Immune complexes can be visualized in the thickened basement by fluorescence microscopy. Subsequent electron microscopic evaluation, with the appearance of electron-dense deposits in the basement membrane of the efferent ducts, substantiates these findings.

A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach To The Control Of Dream Content, Gary Nick Dean Lehto

Dissertations and Theses

A cognitive-behavioral technique for developing dream control was examined. Twenty paid subjects were randomly assigned to either an attention-placebo control group or a cognitive-behavioral training group. Subjects met in the respective groups for a total of three hours of "training." Subjects in the actual training group were presented with a self-instruction sequence to practice and use in attempting to manipulate dream content. The control group subjects met to only discuss dreams and dreaming and were given no specific instruction in content control. After completion of the training, each subject individually spent two consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory. The first …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 1980, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 1980 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 1980.

An Evaluation Of A Talking Machine: The Hc 120 Phonic Mirror Handivoice, James Joseph Oggerino

Dissertations and Theses

This study sought to determine the basic intelligibility of synthesized speech as produced by the HC 120 Phonic Mirror Handivoice. It involved 48 male and female subjects divided into two groups. Group 1 had 40 subjects ranging in age from 18 to 44 years. Group 2 had eight subjects ranging in age from 18 to 33 years. All subjects were screened for normal hearing. Testing for normal hearing was done in an audiological suite at Portland State University. The study was designed to determine the degree to which a group of normal hearing college students could recognize words and phrases …

Electrostatic Tem Studies Of Magnetic Domains In Thin Iron Films, Hideaki Karamon

Dissertations and Theses

An electron microscope with electrostatic lenses was used for high resolution studies of magnetic domains in thin iron films.

Observation methods used to determine the directions of local magnetization in iron thin films were the Lorentz method and the Foucault method.

We studied how Bloch line-crosstie pairs and crosstie main walls behave in applied, in-plane magnetic fields. We found that crosstie main walls remain unchanged until crosstie density goes nearly to zero when the field is applied perpendicular to the main wall. A twisted type of domain appears where crossties disappear.

Kykloi: Cyclic Theories In Ancient Greece, Hubert Wayne Nelson Jr.

Dissertations and Theses

It is both curious and frustrating, given the perennial popularity of the cycle concept in Ancient Greece, that there has not been a single book written devoted to the wide variety of philosophic and historical conceptions bound up with that loosely descriptive designation. This study was originally undertaken to satisfy my own curiosity on the subject. Herein I intend to survey the entire history of the cycle concept in general from about 700 B.C. to the time of Polybius in the second-century A.D. It is intended to be a descriptive as well as an analytical report.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 1980, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 1980 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 1980.

Portland State Perspective; November 1980, Portland State University

Portland State Perspective

A quarterly alumni newsletter. In this issue: PSU Loses Its Biggest Fan; Alumni Notes; 1979-1980 Annual Report; Calendar; In the News.

Geochemical And Biogeochemical Interactions In A Hot Spring, William Delis Knox

Dissertations and Theses

Southeast Harney Lake Hot Spring and its effluent channel were examined for spatial and temporal variations in the concentrations of several chemical species, viz. dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, phosphate-phosphorous, nitrate and nitrite-nitrogen, conductivity, chloride, flouride, temperature, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Phosphate-phosphorous and nitrate-nitrogen both exhibited downstream increases in concentration. pH and alkalinity increased also, mainly due to CO₂ evolution and temperature mediated carbon species redistribution. The diurnal pH and alkalinity curves exhibited depressions during the daylight hours due to the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate within the pool and effluent stream.

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Role Behaviors Pertaining To The Roles Of Student And Professor, Kathryne Jeanne Nadal

Dissertations and Theses

Communication theory involving the role concept has shown that role expectations and differing evaluations of role behavior can lead to communication breakdowns between persons. Literature pertaining to relations between professors and international students indicates the presence of unfulfilled expectations between them as to how they perform their respective roles. It was therefore hypothesized that some difficulties international students face in the academic world may be due to factors such as differing role expectations. As the literature provided no methodologically based cross-cultural research in this area, the researcher undertook to discover if professors and students evaluate the roles of student and …

An Analysis Of Gravity Surveys In The Portland Basin, Oregon, Janice C. Perttu

Dissertations and Theses

The geologic setting of the Portland Basin is ideal for gravity surveys because of the large density contrasts between geologic units. The Portland Basin consists of a north-northwest-trending syncline in the Columbia River basalt overlain by Pliocene to Recent alluvium. This study was undertaken to define structures in the Portland Basin which are obscured by the alluvium.

An areal gravity survey of the Portland Basin covering approximately 450 square kilometers was conducted for this study.