Digital Commons Network^™

Children's Conception Of The Social And Moral Dilemmas Associated With Drug Use, Nancy Lynn Thayer

Dissertations and Theses

The use and abuse of drugs among adolescents and adults has prompted a renewed national concern about drug abuse. Educational programs have attempted to provided factual information and create negative attitudes about drug use so that students will decide not to use drugs. Studies have revealed, however, that the drug programs have not been effective in reducing drug use.

The present research addresses two primary questions: 1) Are there developmental differences in young persons' perceptions of social and moral dilemmas associated with drug use? and 2) Are gender and race associated with social and moral reasoning about drug use?

Semi-structured …

Case Study: How An East European Student Learns To Compose In English, Ruth Steinfeld Katon

Dissertations and Theses

Since the political climate in the former Soviet bloc has shifted, there is an influx of East Europeans to the United States. As these refugees enter the U.S. educational system in greater numbers, teachers must adapt to the special needs of this population. The intent of this study is to focus on the composing skills of a Polish student who enrolled in an English for Non-Native Residents (ENNR) program at an urban university. The investigation examines the contextual framework that supports the subject's literacy experiences by means of a longitudinal case study format Several ethnographic and experimental techniques are used …

Women Who Worship Alone: The Relationship Between Marital Status And Loneliness In The Church, Judith Ann Schwanz

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the relationship between marital status, network density, and loneliness for women in the church. Participants were 144 women from several churches of the same Protestant denomination. They responded to a questionnaire which included the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and measures of the importance of the church as a social support to the individual. A one-way analysis of variance revealed that the married women who worship alone reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than did single women.

An Empirical Assessment Of The Gentrification Process In Northwest Portland, Oregon, Sabrina Oesterle

Dissertations and Theses

Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, many American cities experienced the process of gentrification, and there are many studies based on data from this time period. A first purpose of this study was to follow up on the development of gentrification in the 1980s. Northwest Portland, Oregon, is culturally clearly defined as a gentrifying neighborhood and was, therefore, chosen as to empirically assess this process by comparing the 1980 with the 1990 census data.

There is some theoretical confusion about the concept of gentrification. There is, however, general consensus on two aspects. The first is a physical renovation of …

"A Listening Child." The Language Life History Of An American Of Mexican Descent, Alexandra Guerra Alvarez

Dissertations and Theses

This case study presents the language life history of an American woman of Mexican descent. The informant describes the ways in which her two languages, English and Spanish, developed and have been used throughout her life. She narrates how living with two languages has affected her in each period of her life. The informant's language life history provides insight into the ways in which immigrants who come to the United States live and adapt to a new country, culture, and language. The informant's narrative is a testimony of a person divided between two languages and two cultures. The methods used …

Studies In Fluorine Chemistry: 13c Nmr Investigation Of Sf5/So2f Fluorinated Systems, Yoon S. Choi

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was two fold: (i) The synthesis and characterization of SF5 containing dienes. (ii) The characterization of hydro/fluorocarbon compounds containing SF5/S02F groups via their 13C NMR spectra. A new SF5CH2CHBrCH2CF=CF2 was prepared and characterized as a precursor to new dielectric polymers. This new adduct was made from the reaction of pentafluorothio bromide with l,l,2-trifluoro-1,4-pentadiene. A SF5-diene was prepared from the reaction of pentafluorothio chloride with acetylene. This reaction involves a radical addition mechanism. The SF5 group is bonded to the carbon atom carrying the most hydrogens. SF5 - dienes are capable of undergoing different reactions, such …

Coastal Crossing Of The Elastic Strain Zero-Isobase, Cascadia Margin, South Central Oregon Coast, Gregory George Briggs

Dissertations and Theses

The analysis of marsh cores from the tidal zones of the Siuslaw, Umpqua, and Coos River systems on the south-central Oregon coast provides supporting evidence of coseismic subsidence resulting from megathrust earthquakes and reveals the landward extent of the zero-isobase. The analysis is based on lithostratigraphy, paleotidal indicators, microfossil paleotidal indicators, and radiocarbon age. Coseismic activity is further supported by the presence of anomalous thin sand layers present in certain cores. The analysis of diatom assemblages provides evidence of relative sea-level displacement on the order of 1 to 2 m. The historic quiescence of local synclinal structures in the Coos …

A Cross-National Study Of Attitudes And Group Labeling: Multinational Corporation (Mnc) Workers In Canada, Brazil, And West Germany, Tobias Albert Ten Eyck

Dissertations and Theses

Many studies concerning multinational corporations (MNCs) are replete with theoretical models and case studies that treat MNCs as stand-alone entities. Very little time and effort is given to understanding the context in which MNCs operate. This context includes not only the fact that MNCs transcend national boundaries (political as well as geographical), but also the meaning of work and being part of a multinational work force for those employed within MNCs. This thesis is an effort to elucidate how the political/societal/cultural contexts of different host countries affect the attitudes of those workers most directly involved with foreign-owned MNCs. By shifting …

Youth's Perceptions Of Social And Cultural Dimensions Of Drug Use, Brett Joseph Casper

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores youth's perceptions and understanding of the social phenomenon of drugs in our society. Sixty-four students (32 fourth graders and 32 eleventh graders), selected from schools in the Portland Public School District participated individually in a one hour interview where they responded to open ended questions that probed for their perceptions of drug use. Participants were also asked to describe their feelings regarding anti-drug messages they view in the media and their comments regarding the "Just Say NO" program. The tape-recorded interviews were transcribed and half were used to develop a code that captured recurring themes in the …

Building Of A Thermoacoustic Refrigerator And Measuring The Basic Performance, Torsten Blumreiter

Dissertations and Theses

The application of thermoacoustic phenomena for cooling purposes has a comparatively short history. However, recent experiments have shown that thermoacoustic refrigeration can achieve practical significance for both every day cooling in households and cryocooling for scientific purposes due to its high reliability, environmental safety and functioning under extreme conditions.

We build a thermoacoustic refrigerator driven by a commercial loudspeaker. It was equipped with a vacuum pump and an entrance port for introducing different gases under different pressures as working fluids. It contained two thermocouples and a pressure transducer for quantitative measurements of the basic performance. The resonance frequency of the …

The Impact Of The Donation Land Law Upon The Development Of Oregon, Elwin Edward Grout

Dissertations and Theses

The social and economic structure of Oregon was influenced by the Donation Land Law. The Congressional law conferred upon early settlers to Oregon 320 acres, 640 if married (and settled before December 1, 1850). Oregon attracted settlers who desired land and were uninterested in commercial agriculture. The Oregon settlers who took advantage of the law were in a position to create their own society and economy.

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the social and economic structure created by the Donation Land pioneers and to identify their land disposition strategy. This thesis examined the fifty households that comprised …

Facilitating Independent Communication For An Adult With Severe, Nonfluent Aphasia Using A Voice Output Communication Aid, Jane Mary Stayer

Dissertations and Theses

Aphasia is an acquired general impairment of the language processes resulting from brain damage that is frequently caused by cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs). Persons with aphasia have a history of retaining important communication competencies that have the potential for helping them succeed in using augmented communication systems. Using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems by adults with aphasia has been studied, but few studies have reported successfully using AAC systems in rehabilitating adults with aphasia. New advanced technologies including the availability of devices that talk, store a lot of information, and are relatively small can give AAC the potential to affect …

The R-Stick Appliance As A Device To Facilitate The Phoneme /R/, Rosemary Leblanc

Dissertations and Theses

One of the most common articulation errors made by children is on the phoneme Ir I. Treatment techniques for this sound have varied and have included the stimulus approach (Van Riper, 1972), phonetic placement techniques (Scripture, 1923), the sensory-motor approach (McDonald, 1964), the motokinesthetics approach (Young & Hawk, 1938), and sequential programming approach (Shriberg, 1975; Wood, 1988), to name a few. An integral part of many of these treatment methods is the use of the auditory stimulation. An innovative technique using a prosthetic device to facilitate the production of Ir I was used by Leonti, Blakeley, and Louis (1975), in …

Freedom As Self-Legislation: An Examination Of Rosseau And Kant, Roger L. Cross

Dissertations and Theses

Rousseau and Kant were philosophers of freedom. Both believed freedom was the essence of humanity, and both believed that "freedom is self-legislation." This thesis examines what they understood to be self-legislation.

According to Rousseau natural freedom was lost with the establishment of society. Society is an "unnatural" order and the true basis of society is simply convention. Man is free only if he is subject to laws of his own making, or at least to those laws to which he has consented. The ideal state, according to Rousseau, is the republic based on laws that have been created and adopted …

Interfacing A Computer To A Scanning Tunneling Microscope, Markus Jarasch

Dissertations and Theses

A program was written in 'C' to control the functions of an already existing Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). A DAS-1601 data acquisition card (from Keithley Data Acquisition) was installed together with its drivers for 'C' on a computer with a 486-DX motherboard. The computer was interfaced to the electronics of the STM. Images taken of HOPG (highly oriented pyrolitic graphite) were of a reasonable quality and showed atomic resolution.

The Feminine As Salvific In Hildegard Von Bingen's Letters, Marie Theresa Maurer

Dissertations and Theses

Hildegard alleged a spiritual connection with the physical world in her claim that she, a woman, was chosen by God to incarnate His Word on earth as Christ had done in the flesh years before. Woman, the embodiment of the feminine, was connected to the physical world in the medieval era. It was with this idea in mind that Hildegard attached an important significance to nature and the Virgin, seeing each as the ultimate expressions of the feminine divine on earth. However, included in the incarnation, according to Hildegard, was the Church itself along with the clergy, both men and …

Electrophoretic Studies Of Ion Adsorption To Sarcoplasmic Reticulum And Phosphatidylcholine Membranes, Andreas Schilling

Dissertations and Theses

In this study, electrophoretic mobilities of native and two types of trypsin digested sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles have been determined by microelectrophoresis using a Doppler Electrophoretic Light Scattering Analyzer to investigate the influence of hydrodynamic drag, caused by the Ca2⁺, Mg2⁺ -ATPase protruding from the surface of native sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. After the prolonged digestion (protein:trypsin ratio of 20 for 3 hours at 25°C), the ATPase was cleaved and removed from the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane as shown with SDS gel electrophoresis and an ATPase activity assay. Ionic strength and pH dependence of mobility showed a nearly pH independent …

The Particular Nature Of Long-Term Lesbian Relationships, Karen Marie Freeman

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the characteristics of long-term lesbian relationships (operationally defined as five or more years) and to compare these characteristics with prior findings on short-term or term non-specific lesbian relationships. Several studies that have been done made assumptions about the nature of lesbian relationships based on data gathered from women in brief relationships (Caldwell and Peplau 1984; Elise 1986; Gordon 1980; Krestan and Bepko 1980). This study was designed to examine whether or not lesbians in long-term relationships might have different interpersonal relational dynamics, just as married heterosexual couples have been shown to have …

Interactions Of Ruthenium Red With Phospholipid Vesicles, Dirk Voelker

Dissertations and Theses

We have studied the electrostatic and other interactions of the inorganic, hexavalent dye Ruthenium Red (RR) with phospholipid vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) or phosphatidylinositol (Pl) in various mixtures and concentrations. Experiments were based on spectrophotometric absorption measurements which compared RR concentrations in the presence and in the absence of liposomes at different dye concentrations. Multilamellar liposomes were obtained by handshaken preparations. Five freeze-and-thaw cycles of the lipid-RR suspension produced an ion equilibrium distribution at the membrane-water interface. Results are given in terms of the Gouy-Chapman-Stem adsorption theory with the linear partition coefficient and a newly introduced …

The Dna Sequence Required For The Maximal Transactivation Of The Vp5 Gene Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, Shin Chen

Dissertations and Theses

A regulatory element involved in the transcriptional activation of the major capsid protein (VP5) of herpes simplex virus type 1 was identified and characterized in this research project. Gel mobility shift assay with nuclear extracts from both uninfected and HSV-1 infected HeLa cells identified two major protein-DNA complexes involving the VP5 promoter. No viral specific complex found. DNase I and orthophenanthroline-Cu⁺ footprint analyses in the same laboratory revealed that the two complexes involve a single binding site, GGCCATCTTGAA, located between -64 and -75 bp relative to the VP5 cap site. To determine the function of this leaky-late binding site …

Rain, Eco-Net

RAIN: Journal of Appropriate Technology

Volume 14, Number 4

Inside: Car Co-ops; Grassroots Bolivia; Berlin's Eco-Villages; Christopher Alexander's Latest

RAIN began in October 1974 as a publication of ECO-NET, an environmental education network funded by the Hill Foundation and an Environmental Education grant. Its office was based in the Environmental Education Center at Portland State University. With a focus on the Pacific Northwest, particularly Oregon, RAIN originally described itself as a “bulletin board” with an “emphasis on environmental/energy related and communications kinds of information” and interested in “the evolutionary possibilities of inter-disciplinary connections.”

The Use Of Faceplate Assemblies As Facsimiles Of Custom Hearing Instruments, James A. Fenwick

Dissertations and Theses

Custom-designed hearing instruments comprise the majority of those dispensed in the United States today. Because of their custom nature, there has been no means of evaluating them until they have been completed. There would be advantages to evaluating custom instruments prior to their completion. This study investigates a means of evaluating custom instruments prior to their final assembly into the customized shell. This is done by having the subject listen to the circuitry of the instrument while it is still mounted on the faceplate, which is accomplished by coupling the faceplate assembly to the subject's ear with foam earplug. To …

Hermann Hesses Unterm Rad: IdentitäTssuche Eines Jugendlichen, Martina Mangan

Dissertations and Theses

Hermann Hesse's reflection on youth is one of his most popular themes. In his novel Unterm Rad (1906), Hesse explores youth and their search for identity. The author not only accuses the German educational system of at the turn of the century, but also the teachers and parents, of standing in the children's way in developing an individualized personality. According to Hesse, this development, however painful, is the primary responsibility of the adolescent.

Hermann Hesse feels strongly about becoming a personality, namely the privilege to feel, act, and think independently of the masses. Every individual has an obligation to follow …

Homoeroticism And Thomas Mann's Death In Venice, Thomas Winston Morgan

Dissertations and Theses

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, previously unpublished portions of Thomas Mann's diaries were released for publication. These excerpts contained passages that removed all previous doubt as to Mann's sexual proclivities, affirming his homosexual inclinations. It had been suspected that Mann was homosexual before this time, but there was no conclusive proof until the release of the now-famous (or infamous) diary entries. Now that there is written proof of Mann's sexual orientation, literary scholars can more persuasively argue the often overlooked or circumvented homosexual aspects of his writings.

This thesis is an investigation of the homoerotic elements in Thomas …

Soviet Evangelical Students In Adult Esl Classes: A Case Study, Patricia Ann Wiggins

Dissertations and Theses

Soviet Evangelicals (a term inclusive of Pentecostals and other Christians of evangelical persuasion from former Soviet countries) are members of one of the most recent refugee-status groups to come to the United States. Being refugees, they are guaranteed, by the U.S. government, a degree of English language instruction. As a result, since 1989, adult ESL classes in the Pacific Northwest have had a large influx of Soviet Evangelical students. Because of the scant research as yet conducted on this student population, most ESL educators have had to rely on intuition and observations to interpret Soviet Evangelicals' needs, desires and behavior …

A Linguistic Needs Assessment Of A Latino Community, Cybele Marie Higgins

Dissertations and Theses

Latino communities frequently face barriers in the midst of largely English speaking and mostly Anglo-American culture surrounding communities. These surrounding communities often may be somewhat resistant to adjusting to their changing populations.

This case study is a linguistic needs assessment of a Latino community in a small city and neighboring town in the Northwest. Discussed are experiences, needs, and opinions of thirty Latina mother participants in regards to living in this community. Participants, all of whom were monolingual Spanish or limited English proficiency recent immigrants, were recruited through a social service agency serving low income Latinos.

The study used observation, …

English Language Teaching And Curricula In The People's Republic Of China, Kirsten Nadia Ngan

Dissertations and Theses

Since China's open-door policy of 1978, an increasing number of Western language teachers have entered the People's Republic. Numerous reports criticizing Chinese teaching methods, books, curricula, and students have been written by teachers of English, the cause of which can, in many cases, be related back to teachers' different expectations about language curricula.

Dubin and Olshtain's (1986) curriculum framework was utilized in this study to examine the premises of language learning and teaching in China. A questionnaire was sent to teachers and students at seven schools in the People's Republic of China. The questionnaire included a brief needs analysis and …

Math Anxiety, Coping Behavior, And Gender, Sandra Joy Grossmann

Dissertations and Theses

Non-math majors enrolled in lower-division math courses at an urban university were surveyed on their math attitudes, coping behaviors, and math anxiety (MATHANX). The Revised Ways of Coping Checklist (RWCC), Revised Math Anxiety Rating Scale, and other questions were presented to 30 men and 32 women.

Hierarchical regressions showed that after controlling for attitudinal covariates, emotion-focused coping behaviors (EMOTFOC) were strongly associated with MATHANX (F(5,54)=18.66, p < .0001), but problem-focused coping behaviors (PROBFOC) were not. The RWCC subscale most highly correlated with MATHANX was Wishful Thinking (r = .70, p < .0001). Ss were then dichotomized on PROBFOC and EMOTFOC, providing four behavioral groups. An ANCOVA controlling for attitudinal covariates showed behavioral group membership significant with respect to MATHANX (F(3,58)=6.07, p < .001), and an ANOVA revealed that students who reported high EMOTFOC coupled with low PROBFOC experienced the greatest MATHANX (F(3,58) = 12.66, p < .0001).

Males and females reported virtually identical MATHANX (M=36.30 for males, 36.44 for females), and the only significant gender difference was for avoidance coping, which was used more by males (F(1,60) = 5.43, p < .03]. Results from this study suggest that fewer gender differences may exist in MATHANX and coping than have been found in the past. Additionally, this study identifies the need for future research to determine whether EMOTFOC is the behavioral component, or one of the determinants, of math anxiety.

1994 Commencement Program, A. Gary Ames

Commencement Archives 1990-99

The program for the Portland State University Spring Commencement ceremony on June 11, 1994.

A. Gary Ames, communications executive and Portland State alumnus, received an honorary degree and delivered the commencement address.

The Design, Realization And Testing Of The Ilu Of The Ccm2 Using Fpga Technology, David W. Foote

Dissertations and Theses

Most existing computers today are built upon a subset of the arithmetic system which is based upon the foundation of set theory. All formal systems can be expressed in terms of arithmetic and logic on current arithmetic computers through an appropriate model, then work with the model using software manipulation. However, severe speed degradation is the price one must pay for using a software-based approach, making several high-level formal systems impractical.

To improve the speed at which computers can implement these high-level systems, one must either design special hardware, implementing specific operations much like math and image processing coprocessors, or …