Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Into Japan's Population: The Current State Of Decline, Joel Stewart

Geography Masters Research Papers

Japan is facing a demographic crisis. The population is aging and shrinking at a considerable pace despite the government's efforts to curtail the problem. This rapid change in the demographic structure of Japan is bound to have stark implications on the society and economy of Japan. The objective of this paper is to understand the issues that allowed this impeding crisis to come about. A thorough examination of the current literature on Japan's fertility and population issues revealed that a number of various factors are causing the impending crisis. Some of the factors determined to be affecting the population dilemma …

Socioeconomic Status And Health: Focusing On Co-Morbidity Of Self Rated Health And Psychological Well-Being, Seung-Eun Song, Hyeyoung Woo

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite the well-documented associations between social and economic positions and diverse health conditions, the necessity and urgency of exploring the social and economic consequences of an array of health dimensions together have been proposed as a critical area of research to fully appreciate socioeconomic-health inequalities. The overall objective of the present study is to estimate the variance and covariation of two dimensions of health, i.e., self-rated health and psychological well-being, simultaneously, with specific attention to the social and economic influences, utilizing the multivariate response model. We use the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. Primary results indicate that variance in both …

Bridges And Barriers To Developing And Conducting Interdisciplinary Graduate-Student Team Research, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Wayde Cameron Morse, Jo Ellen Force, J. D. Wulfhorst

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding complex socio-environmental problems requires specialists from multiple disciplines to integrate research efforts. Programs such as the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship facilitate integrated research efforts and change the way academic institutions train future leaders and scientists. The University of Idaho and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center in Costa Rica collaborate on a joint research program focusing on biodiversity conservation and sustainable production in fragmented landscapes. We first present a spectrum of integration ranging from disciplinary to transdisciplinary across seven aspects of the research process. We then describe our experiences and lessons learned …

Research Summary: Young Adolescents’ Developmental Characteristics, Micki M. Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara Jr.

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early adolescence is a distinct period of human growth and development situated between childhood and adolescence. During this remarkable stage of the life cycle, young adolescents (10- to 15-year-olds) experience rapid and significant developmental change. Recognizing and understanding the unique developmental characteristics (traits associated with human growth) of early adolescence and their relationship to the educational program (i.e., curriculum, instruction, and assessment) and to the structure of the middle school (e.g., fl exible block scheduling, advisory programs, and team teaching) are central tenets of middle grades education.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 2006, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 2006 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 2006

Interview With Greg Sawyer, Providence Builders, 2006 (Audio), Greg Sawyer

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Greg Sawyer by Amy Evangelista in NE Portland, Oregon on December 1st, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

An Examination Of Conflict Conversation In An Online Community: The Pie Fight At Dailykos.Com, Samantha Isabella Soma

Dissertations and Theses

The increasing popularity of the social web and online communities requires the attention of researchers of conflict resolution. Although there are many ways to resolve conflict offline, the ways in which conflict takes place within a native online context have not been much studied. Are any of the tools and strategies that are used to improve communication offline used successfully online, or are some other strategies taking their place? What communication patterns occur within an online community equipped with comment moderation capabilities? This research is a case study and addressed these questions by performing a qualitative analysis of comment conversations …

India’S Rise As A Software Power: Governmental Policy Factors, Tad Drozdowski, Hai Huynh, Brian Lininger, Yicheng Peng, Naruedom Sakulyong

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The Indian government’s policies toward an open, global market, support of educational institutions, and enhancement of appropriate infrastructure helped enable their software industry to become critical components of India’s economic growth in the 1990s. The Technical, Organizational, and Personal perspective (T, O, and P) model is utilized to examine different affects that each perspective, inclusive of government policies, has on a socio-technical system (Software development in India). The Indian government has provided substantial economic liberalization to support their software industries, though continued reform is necessary to ensure that they remain a software superpower.

Globalization And Genocidalism: Fictional Discourse Without Borders (For Fun And Profit), Aleksandar Jokić, Tiphaine Dickson

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this essay we explore the relationship between globalization and genocidalism. “Globalization” is understood as “freedom and ability of individuals and firms to initiate voluntary economic transactions with residents of other countries,” while “genocidalism” is defined as “(i) the purposeful neglect to attribute responsibility for genocide in cases when overwhelming evidence exists, and as (ii) the energetic attributions of “genocide” in less then clear cases without considering available and convincing opposing evidence and argumentation.”

The hypothesis that we defend here as explanatory of globalization’s “surprising” failure to live up to its often repeated theoretical promise that it is not a …

Sons Providing Care At End-Of-Life: Common Threads And Nuances, Patricia Ebert

Dissertations and Theses

Family care is common in the majority of families in the United States, the primary care providers for older adult family members most often are wives, daughters or daughters-in-law. As the proportion of the oldest old continues to expand so too will the need for family careproviders. Recent demographic changes have served to deplete the pool of available caregivers. Caregiving research has naturally evolved into investigations into the experiences of women with little attention paid to the care contributions men make.

This investigation examined the perceptions of sons who served as primary caregivers for their dying elderly parents. It was …

Interview With Janet Corbett, Warm Springs Forest Products, 2006 (Audio), Janet Corbett

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Janet Corbett by Margie Crawford at Warm Springs, Oregon on August 10th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Measuring The Influence Of Built Neighborhood Environments On Walking In Older Adults, Yvonne L. Michael, Tracey Beard, Dongseok Choi, Stephanie Farquhar, Nichole Carlson

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Examined the degree of association between perceived and objective characteristics of the neighborhood environment and the relation of each type of measurement to neighborhood walking in older adults. Participants included 105 adults aged 65-92 (mean age 75.1) from 10 neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon, participating in Senior Health and Physical Exercise (SHAPE), a randomized walking intervention. Neighborhoods were stratified by a "walking friendliness" ranking variable. This variable was derived for each neighborhood based on available social and environmental data that were hypothesized to correlate with walking and physical activity: high income, high older adult population density, high proportion of white residents, …

Expanding Responsibilities And Shifting Demands: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Migration And Employment On Immigrant Women's Negotiating Power In The Household, Kerry Greer

Dissertations and Theses

This study's objective was to examine the affect that migration and employment have on immigrant women's negotiating position within the household. Depth interviews were conducted with nine women who migrated to Portland, Oregon from Ethiopia or Eritrea. Women were encouraged to share a narrative history of their migration and employment experience. These interviews were analyzed to answer three primary questions: Who are immigrant women supporting through their participation in the paid labor market? How do women utilize gain access to employment opportunities and what strategies do women use once employed to meet competing demands on them at work and in …

Is It Just Me? Felt Hiv -Related Stigma Among Adults With Hiv, Rebecca Gila Block

Dissertations and Theses

HIV carries a significant social stigma in the United States based on the virus being contagious, incurable, visually apparent, and still somewhat mysterious to the public. People who are HIV positive, people who love them and people who work with them may all experience HIV-related stigma. The effects of HIV-related stigma vary from individual to individual; from community to community. The magnitude of feeling stigmatized and experiencing stigmatizing behaviors such as discrimination and exclusion also vary among individuals. Individuals experience stigma differently and respond to the experience in diverse ways.

The objective of this study was to explore felt HIV-related …

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: Portland State’s campaign to raise $100 million is exceeding its goal and establishing new prominence in scholarship, research, and teaching; enthusiastic engineering students are up for the challenge of high-altitude balloons; this professor puts his money in something that makes mathematical sense: poker; for two June graduates and two Vanport alumni, the university provides vastly different experiences; abuse of foreign maids in Asia and the Middle East caught Patrick Augustine’s attention—enough to make him do something about it; and more.

Unfinished Journeys: Elder Learners In An Assisted Living Facility, Suzanne RenéE Simon

Dissertations and Theses

While multiple learning opportunities exist as the aging experience unfolds, elders facing some of the most complex physical and emotional challenges are often perceived as "too old to learn." For those living in long-term care facilities (LTC), lack of consideration as learners hinders numerous opportunities for growth. However, within the contexts of aging and learning, an attempt to understand elders as becoming and conceptualize them as learners might better serve their experience in long-term care.

The purpose of this study was to record notions about learning by capturing individual voices and shared meanings of a group of assisted living facility …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet February 2006, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The February 2006 Monthly packet includes the February agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held January 2006

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet January 2006, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The January 2006 Monthly packet includes the January agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held December 2005

Curriculum Change 2006-2007, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2006-2007, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Annual Faculty Senate Minutes October 2006 - June 2007, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Annual Compilations of the Faculty Senate Minutes (Minutes Only)

Minutes of the Faculty Senate for October 2006 to June 2007.

Parents As Navigators: How Caregivers Of Children With Mental Health Difficulties Find Supports In The Workplace, Eileen M. Brennan, Marlene Penn, Katherine J. Huffstutter, Jennifer R. Bradley, Julie M. Rosenzweig

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Presentation given at the 19th Annual Research Conference: A System of Care for Children's Mental Health: Expanding the Research Base, Tampa, FL, February 2006.

Combining Linear Regression With Reconstructability Analysis: A Study Of Differences In Health Status, Renato Carletti, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

A linear regression model was used to predict variations in health status with the hypothesis that literacy level as a proximal measure for educational attainment would show a strong correlation with health status. Groups of other independent variables have also been introduced in the model to test whether the effect of literacy on health would have been mediated by other factors, or increased by them. The linear regression model did not show any strong relation between literacy and health, but pointed to other factors as predictors of health status.

Methods of data mining have been used for exploring throughout all …

Urban History For Planners, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article analyzes the conceptual and historiographic differences between the closely related fields of urban history and planning history. It reviews the origins of urban history as a distinct field and argues that work in urban history falls into three broad categories dealing with civic life, individual and group relations, and the physical evolution of urban places. It identifies topics that are particularly fruitful and generate new scholarship, and suggests ways in which each of these realms of urban history raises questions of relevance to urban planning and urban policy.

Science And Intractable Conflict, Connie P. Ozawa

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using illustrative examples, this article describes how science and other types of information often are used in an attempt to settle Conflict. Expectations for science to arbitrate differences may be misplaced, however, and such misuse of science can aggravate and exacerbate Conflict. Instead, effective resolution may be facilitated by focusing on facts that matter, acknowledging the value of varied sorts and sources of information, and recognizing scientific uncertainty.

The Heart Of The Matter: Aligning Curriculum, Pedagogy And Engagement In Higher Education, Kevin Kecskes, Seanna Kerrigan, Judy Patton

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

This essay explores the themes of curriculum and pedagogy, as outlined by the editors of this special edition, in the context of Portland State University's institutional transformation. We elucidate select mechanisms that support curricular-community interactions, known at PSU as "community-based learning." In doing so we discuss how CBL and other civic engagement strategies relate to the disciplines, departments, and interdisciplinary work as well as how these various collaborative approaches affect pedagogy and epistemology at PSU.

African American Parents In The Search Stage Of College Choice: Unintentional Contributions To The Female To Male College Enrollment Gap, Michael J. Smith, Michael Fleming

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

A serious imbalance exists in today’s African American undergraduate student population where women far outnumber men. Although at the macro level political, sociological, and economic forces frame this gender enrollment gap, scant research has explored micro level influences such as parents and parenting. This study uses a qualitative methodology and Hossler’s model of college choice to examine African American parent involvement during the search stage. The study found that the parents, who were mostly female, had higher aspirations for daughters, encouraged daughters to consider four-year colleges more often, but showed equal levels of tangible support for sons and daughters. The …

Men As Caregivers At The End Of Life, Erik K. Fromme, Linda L. Drach, Susan W. Tolle, Patricia Ebert, Pamela Miller, Nancy Perrin, Virginia P. Tilden

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Few studies have focused on men as caregivers at the end-of-life. The objective of this secondary data analysis was to examine the experiences of men involved in end-oflife caregiving, focusing on caregiver strain.

Methods: We used a random sample of Oregon death certificates to telephone survey family caregivers of Oregonians who had died 2 to 5 months earlier in private homes, nursing homes, and other community-based settings. Measurements included single-item indicators and embedded scales to measure caregiver strain and perceived decedent symptom distress. For the 25 husbands, sons, wives, and daughters who reported the highest levels of strain, we …

Issue Brief: The Impact Of Cost Sharing And Benefit Changes To Oregon Health Plan Beneficiaries: Results, Two Years Later, Bill J. Wright, Matthew J. Carlson

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study was launched in 2003 and followed a representative sample of OHP enrollees through the redesign of the program (OHP2) to gain a better understanding of the impact of those changes, including increased cost-sharing, cuts to benefits and stricter rules around payment of premiums. The objectives of this ongoing study are to assess the short and long-term impacts around five main outcome areas: health insurance coverage, access to care, utilization of care, individuals’ financial well being and health status. The key findings from the second round of surveying are detailed in this brief and reflect impacts approximately 18 months …

The Frequency And Use Of Lexical Bundles In Conversation And Academic Prose, Susan M. Conrad, Douglas Biber

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In using a frequency-driven, fixed-word approach to identifying multi-word sequences, we follow Altenberg (1993, 1998), who carried out initial work of this type with spoken texts in the London-Lund corpus. Butler (1997) applies this approach to Spanish. In the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (Biber et al. 1999, chapter 13 ; hereafter the Longman Grammar), we emphasized the structures of lexical bundles, and discussed the structures' associations with various discourse functions. Here we summarize major findings of that work and then extend it, presenting an initial classification of the lexical bundles into functional categories. We continue to adopt …