Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between A Pre-Departure Training Program And Its Participants' Intercultural Communication Competence, Daniel Timothy Ferguson

Dissertations and Theses

Self-reported behaviorally-based intercultural communication competence inventories are one way to understand the relationship between a pre-departure training program and its participants' intercultural communication competence (ICC). One such inventory, called the Cross- Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI), was chosen to explore this relationship.

This research sought to confirm or reject the following three hypotheses: 1) experimental subjects will demonstrate higher levels of ICC than control subjects, 2) experimental subjects will demonstrate higher levels of ICC after they take the pre-departure class at Walla Walla College, and 3) there will be relationships among all subjects' ICC and the demographic variables involved in this …

Wapato For The People : An Ecological Approach To Understanding The Native American Use Of Sagittaria Latifolia On The Lower Columbia River, Melissa Cole Darby

Dissertations and Theses

Sagittaria latifolia Willd. was an important root food and trade commodity for the Indians who lived along the Lower Columbia River in early historic times. This plant was prolific in the extensive wetlands of the Lower Columbia from about the great Cascades to the Kalama River. The tubers of this plant were called "wapato" in Chinook Jargon, the local trade language. The wetlands, and this plant that grew there, occupied a vast extent of the Lower Columbia territory; so much so that this valley was named 'Wapato Valley' by Lewis and Clark in 1805. This thesis will provide pertinent information …

Student Perceptions Of Riots And Boycotts In Secondary Schools In Kenya's Kirinyaga District, Margaret Wangeci Gatimu

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, a number of secondary schools in the Kirinyaga district of Central Province of Kenya have experienced riots and boycotts. The major objective of this study was to understand why students disrupt the normal processes of schooling. Students' perceptions were obtained by examining their attitudes, ideas, opinions, morals, and myths about these uprisings. The study was phenomenological in nature and was informed by the symbolic interactionism (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992). Data were collected from six diverse secondary schools: three all boys schools, two all girls schools, and one co-educational school. Multiple sources of data and methods of collection …

Jitter And Wander Reduction For A Sonet Ds3 Desynchronizer Using Predictive Fuzzy Control, Kevin Blythe Stanton

Dissertations and Theses

Excessive high-frequency jitter or low-frequency wander can create problems within synchronous transmission systems and must be kept within limits to ensure reliable network operation. The emerging Synchronous Optical NETwork (SONET) introduces additional challenges for jitter and wander attenuation equipment (called desynchronizers) when used to carry payloads from the existing Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH), such as the DS3. The difficulty is primarily due to the large phase transients resulting from the pointer-based justification technique employed by SONET (called Pointer Justification Events or PJEs). While some previous desynchronization techniques consider the buffer level in their control actions, none has explicitly considered wander …

Violent Youth Gangs In Portland: A Study Of The City's Response, Debra Lynn Lindberg

Dissertations and Theses

Youth gangs infiltrated Portland's illegal drug trade in the early 1980s. By the mid-1980s, entire neighborhoods in some parts of the city were affected. Residents expressed fear that their children would be drawn into gangs. Violence between rival gangs was frightening. Citizens, law enforcement and social services personnel organized to defend themselves and adjust programs to manage the problem. City officials denied a problem existed until a gang style shooting death forced recognition. The shooting death was catalytic in that it launched an effort to respond with a continuum of services. The House of Umoja was one of the services. …

The Development And Evaluation Of Aggregation Methods For Group Pairwise Comparison Judgments, Sida Zhou

Dissertations and Theses

The basic problem of decision making is to choose the best alternative from a set of competing alternatives that are evaluated under conflicting criteria. In general, the process is to evaluate decision elements by quantifying the subjective judgments. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) provides us with a comprehensive framework for solving such problems. As pointed out by Saaty, AHP "enables us to cope with the intuitive, the rational, and the irrational, all at the same time, when we make multicriteria and multiactor decisions". Furthermore, in most organizations decisions are made collectively, regardless of whether the organization is public or private. …

A Methodology For Regional Seismic Damage Assessment And Retrofit Planning For Existing Buildings, Thomas C. Mccormack

Dissertations and Theses

Recent geologic research has shown that earthquakes more destructive than formerly expected are likely to occur in the Pacific Northwest. To mitigate catastrophic loss, planners are gathering information to make decision on implementing regional seismic retrofit programs. This research develops a model to estimate regional earthquake losses for existing buildings, and determine optimal retrofit priorities and budgets. Fragility curves are developed to provide earthquake damage estimates for a range of seismic intensities. The published earthquake damage estimates of a large group of prominent earthquake engineering experts are extended to include the combined effect of structure type, earthquake-sensitive variations in building …

An Evolutionary Simulation Of The Tragedy Of The Commons, Gretchen Oosterhout

Dissertations and Theses

In his seminal essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons" (1968), Garrett Hardin argued that unless human population growth is controlled, the tragedy of common resource destruction is inevitable. This research consists of the development of an evolutionary computer model to simulate the Tragedy of the Commons, and social and economic solutions that have been proposed. In the simulations, multiattribute decision models are used to represent the tradeoffs a variety of types of individuals make among economic and social values in an uncertain environment. Individuals in each iteration of the simulation decide whether or not to exploit a common resource that …

A Comparative Study Of Perceptions Of High School Department Chairs And High School Teachers On The Role Of The High School Academic Department Chair: The Voice Of The Teacher-Department Chair, Rachel Mae Korach

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine and compare perceptions between high school department chairs and teachers regarding the role of the high school academic department chair in Oregon, a position which has been largely ignored in recent educational reform efforts. Schools selected for the study were limited to those sharing the same qualities of size and structure as those of the high schools in the researcher's own district. A researcher-constructed questionnaire defining 44 activities comprising five categories of department chair responsibility provided data from 118 high school department chairs and 114 teachers from 34 Oregon high schools. …

An Empirical Study On The Jump-Diffusion Two-Beta Asset Pricing Model, Hongqing Chen

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation focuses on testing and exploring the usage of the jump-diffusion two-beta asset pricing model. Daily and monthly security returns from both NYSE and AMEX are employed to form various samples for the empirical study. The maximum likelihood estimation is employed to estimate parameters of the jump-diffusion processes. A thorough study on the existence of jump-diffusion processes is carried out with the likelihood ratio test. The probability of existence of the jump process is introduced as an indicator of "switching" between the diffusion process and the jump process. This new empirical method marks a contribution to future studies on …

Connection, Service And Community: An Examination Of Factors That Contribute To Student And Staff Success, Robert Vieira

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the general hypothesis that student interactions with front line staff members in higher education settings have a positive impact upon student experiences, and ultimately, their persistence in colleges and universities. This study also examined the reciprocal hypothesis that this same interaction has a positive impact upon staff job satisfaction and service quality. Several bodies of literature were reviewed as a framework for the examination of these questions, including student persistence and related factors, job satisfaction, total quality management and service quality. A quasi- experimental research design was employed to examine an intervention linking new freshmen with individual …

Hedonic Analysis Of Housing Prices Near The Portland Urban Growth Boundary, 1978-1990, Abdullah Alkadi

Dissertations and Theses

The cornerstones of Oregon's 1973 Senate Bill 100 are the preservation of farm, forest, and other resource lands and the containment of urban development within urban growth boundaries (UCB). The UCB is a boundary around each incorporated city containing enough land to meet projected needs until the year 2000. The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC), charged with adopting and implementing state planning policy, sought to keep UGBs small enough to contain urban sprawl. To avoid the potential effects of land price inflation, LCDC allowed UGBs to include more land supply than the forecasted demand. The Portland-Metropolitan region was allowed …

Solutions Of Linear Equations And A Class Of Nonlinear Equations Using Recurrent Neural Networks, Karl Mathia

Dissertations and Theses

Artificial neural networks are computational paradigms which are inspired by biological neural networks (the human brain). Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are characterized by neuron connections which include feedback paths. This dissertation uses the dynamics of RNN architectures for solving linear and certain nonlinear equations. Neural network with linear dynamics (variants of the well-known Hopfield network) are used to solve systems of linear equations, where the network structure is adapted to match properties of the linear system in question. Nonlinear equations inturn are solved using the dynamics of nonlinear RNNs, which are based on feedforward multilayer perceptrons. Neural networks are well-suited …

A Semiquantitative Analysis Of Pcb And P,P-Dde Residues In Stranded Marine Mammals Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography, David Lawrence Hayteas

Dissertations and Theses

Organochlorines are ubiquitous pollutants of the marine environment. These lipid-soluble and highly persistent compounds are found in detectable amounts in almost all marine organisms, and accumulate in the lipid tissues of marine animals. This bioaccumulation leads to biomagnification of these contaminants in higher trophic levels. Near the top of many marine food chains are found the marine mammals, in whose blubber high levels of organochlorine residues have been measured. The most commonly occurring of these pollutants in these animals are the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) and p,p-DDE, a metabolite of the insecticide DDT. These substances have been shown to cause disruptions …

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 1996-1997, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Urgent Care Center Location: An Empirical Analysis Of Their Locations In Relation To Demographic, Socioeconomic, And Land Use Factors: A Case Study Of Portland, Oregon, Abdullah Alfaiz

Dissertations and Theses

Urgent Care Centers (UCCs) are a recent innovation in the American system of health care delivery. The number of UCCs has increased significantly in recent years. Many researchers point out that the rapid growth of UCCs is expected to escalate during the next few decades. This growth will create more competition among providers of these facilities in the health care market, and the competition could lead to an uneven distribution of UCCs within cities. While health officials and planners are interested in attracting more patients by expanding UCC services, they are often unfamiliar with the factors that go into site …

Validity, Reliability, And Utility Of The Oregon Assessment For 3-5 Year Olds In Developmentally Appropriate Classrooms, Steffen Saifer

Dissertations and Theses

An early childhood assessment tool was developed by the author to fill a need for an observational, authentic, child assessment instrument that would include the measurement of social and emotional development, help guide teachers towards best curriculum practices, and meet common criteria for effective, appropriate, and equitable assessment. Theoretical constructs of interactionalism, multiple intelligences, dispositions, and developmentally appropriate practices were used to inform the construction of the tool. In addition, the author hoped to develop a tool that would be effective for use as a Head Start program evaluation research instrument. Research methods involved a representative random sample of 200 …

A Hermeneutic Reading Of Natalie Barney And Renee Vivien, Antoinette Sherman

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Traditional representational discourses have constructed others within Europe-women, homosexuals, the insane-as well as others external to Europe. As two lesbian women born at the turn of the century, Natalie Barney and Renee Vivien were the traditional other to their native land. In response to this, each chose expatriation and made France her permanent home, where they created a working and living relationship that would last for nearly fifteen years. Leaving one's world and culture behind, voluntarily or involuntarily, means engaging oneself in a complex process of composing one's identity and otherness. For Natalie Barney and Renee Vivien, French language and …

Scenery As Policy: Public Involvement In Developing A Management Plan For The Scenic Resources Of The Columbia River Gorge, Gordon Mathews Euler

Dissertations and Theses

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (NSA) was created in 1986 in response to a growing interest in preserving the scenic beauty of the gorge. The creation of the NSA and other areas around the country with a scenic resource emphasis indicates a growing interest in protecting landscapes with diverse scenic qualities that are not showcase areas such as the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. NSA mandates included the protection and enhancement of scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources (SNCRs) as the primary concern in the consideration of new land uses. The NSA management plan contains a complex mix of …

Lewis And Clark On The Columbia River: The Power Of Landscape In The Exploration Experience, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

During their 1804-06 transcontinental expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark expected that the Columbia River and its tributaries would provide relatively easy passage to the Pacific Coast. Instead, they encountered a formidable barrier of raging waters and disjunctive ecological zones. Continuous frustrations caused the explorers to offer harsh judgments of the landscape and some of the Indians, whom they labeled as primitive and treacherous. These descriptions contrasted greatly with their more positive portrayals of landscape and peoples encountered elsewhere during the trip.

Where Have All The Ideophones Gone? The Death Of A Word Category In Zulu, George Tucker Childs

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The first step in the discussion is to demonstrate that ideophones constitute a word class, a relatively uncontroversial claim for Southern Bantu. The second is to show that native speakers of Zulu do not share equal knowledge of ideophones and how this knowledge correlates with social factors. Measured knowledge of ideophones is evaluated against the social factors of age, sex, education, residence patterns, and rusticity, a parameter to be elaborated below. The conclusion is that just as for pidgins and creoles (Childs 1994) the knowledge and use of ideophones serves as a reliable barometer for language typing and language change, …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet January 1996, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The January 1996 Monthly packet includes the January agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held December 1995.

Government Policy And Private Organizational Forms: Analysis Of Refuse Collection And Disposal In Three Metropolitan Cities, Thomas Wright

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores refuse collection as a municipal service using qualitative methods to examine how government makes decisions about residential refuse collection services in Portland, Gresham, and Beaverton, Oregon. The study explores the history of refuse collection in these three cities to identify factors that influence bureaucratic behavior and decision making when selecting a municipal service delivery option for refuse collection. Public choice and public policy analysis theory are used to discuss those non-monetary considerations present when government makes decisions about service arrangements. Qualitative data was collected from public officials and private haulers involved in refuse collection in the three …

Impact Of The Medical Library Assistance Act Of 1965 On Health Sciences Libraries In The Pacific Northwest: An Interorganizational Approach, Leonoor Swets Ingraham

Dissertations and Theses

Since the 1960's, the number of publications has increased at a phenomenal rate, and the introduction of the computer has resulted in greatly expanded technological advances in information processing and information access. The information delivery component of health sciences libraries has been transformed; and concomitantly, their interorganizational relations have been altered. This research investigates the impact of a federally mandated information program. The Medical Library Assistance Act was passed in 1965 to support the escalating information needs of health professionals. Also, a computerized access system for biomedical literature was introduced by the National Library of Medicine. This study focuses on …

A Policy-Independent Secure X Server, Kirk Joseph Bittler

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis demonstrates that a secure X system can be designed and implemented to be independent of a particular security policy. The advantages and costs of a separation of security policy and enforcement are examined by developing a large scale application, the DX windowing system, on a DTOS platform. DTOS is a high assurance operating system that isolates policy decisions in a Security Server. A security conscious process, such as DX, eliminates policy considerations from the code. The process instead consults the Security Server and enforces the decisions that server derives from the policy. The DX architecture is described and …

Value Measurement For New Product Category: A Conjoint Approach To Eliciting Value Structure, Roland Helmut Heger

Dissertations and Theses

Ability to measure value from the customer's point of view is central to the determination of market offerings: Customers will only buy the equivalent of perceived value, and companies can only offer benefits that cost less to provide than customers are willing to pay. Conjoint analysis is the most popular individual-level value measurement method to determine relative impact of product or service attributes on preferences and other dependent variables. This research focuses on how value measurement can be made more accurate and more reliable by measuring the relative influence of selected methodological variations on performance in prediction and on stability …

Characteristics Of Administrators' Leadership Style In Quality Child Care Centers, Katherine Ann Bobula

Dissertations and Theses

The utilization of center-based child care services by working and student parents has increased dramatically over the last two decades, and has been accompanied by an equally strong interest, among the public and researchers alike, in the establishment and maintenance of quality caregiving in center-based care. This study addresses the leadership characteristics of administrators of quality child care centers. The intent of the study is to add to the existing knowledge concerning the role that the child care center administrator has in maintaining the delivery of high quality child care by the teaching-caregiving staff. Two factors were investigated: the leadership …

Unrelated Business Enterprise And Unfair Business Competition Issues Facing Nonprofit Organizations, Larry Glen Scruggs

Dissertations and Theses

Unrelated business enterprises have been an appropriate way for nonprofit organizations to generate income since the first income tax was enacted into law. The Internal Revenue Act of 1950 clarified this opportunity and enacted the Unrelated Business Income Tax to ensure that fair competition existed between nonprofits and for profit organizations. Nonprofit organizations conducting unrelated business enterprises are faced with a dilemma: it is legal for them to conduct such enterprises but if they do so they face potential litigation from for profit business for unfair competition and/or potential loss of tax-exempt status for operating outside of their exempt function. …

Oregon's Carry Concealed Weapon Laws: A Historical Review Of The Right To Personal Protection, Richard Meek Bash

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis reviews many of the historical, constitutional and legal factors behind today's gun control policy and how they relate to the laws governing the carrying of concealed firearms within the state of Oregon. Many legal cases are explored for their impact on the carriage of concealed weapons. A thorough examination was made of the Oregon legislative history behind HB 3470, sponsored by then-House Speaker Vera Katz, which was enacted in July 1989, was effective January 1, 1990, and became the kernel of the snowball passage of CCW (carry concealed weapon) laws within the United States. Statistical tests were conducted …

Salesforce Involvement In New Product Predevelopment Activities Of High Technology Firms, Candace Petersen

Dissertations and Theses

The strongest correlate of new product success is understanding of market requirements early in the new product development (NPD) process. This is true in high technology environments where rapid change and chaotic market conditions prevail. Although a firm's salesforce is viewed as one of many sources of new product ideas and market information, the involvement of salespeople in NPD activities varies widely across firms. This study examines salesforce involvement in a firm's NPD predevelopment activities, i.e. idea generation and screening, preliminary market assessment, and concept evaluation. Because of the limits of existing research in this area, a two-phase research design …