Digital Commons Network^™

Short-Term Wellness Program For A School Staff Comparing Levels Of Support, Wynferd Ray Chilton

Dissertations and Theses

This study conducted an experiment with 139 staff volunteers from a suburban school district (K-12) who participated in an eight-week program of exercise, nutritional practices, and stress control measures. All participants were pretested and posttested for mental well-being and physical fitness. Two treatment groups set goals, wrote contracts, and met weekly to hear speakers and share experiences, and made weekly reports to a director of the project. One treatment group was provided with leaders who organized supporting activities; the other treatment group was divided into support groups without leaders. A third group was composed of individuals who did not participate …

The Utility Of Alternate Theoretical Conceptualizations Of "Urban Environment" In Explaining Variation In Attitudes And Behaviors, John Conrad Allen Iii

Dissertations and Theses

The debate over what factors actually influence behaviors and attitudes of urban residents is the impetus which generated the idea behind this study. Urban literature suggests several explanations for attitudes including for example, alienation and anemia. These same explanations are assumed to influence behaviors such as: 1) smaller number of children, 2) involvement in voluntary organizations, 3) specialized voting behavior and 4) less kinship contact.

Rating Life Events : The Effect Of Experience And Point Of Reference, Richard John Alden

Dissertations and Theses

Life events inventories have been extensively used to investigate the relationship between stressful life events and the etiology of disease. In order to elucidate conceptual and methodological issues surrounding the use of these instruments, a Life Events Questionnaire was constructed and administered to 100 university students. Subjects indicated which of 40 events they had experienced and rated all events on a 20 point scale based on the amount of readjustment judged to be required by each event, both for themselves and for a hypothetical average person. Results of a three-way ANOVA indicated that in the majority of cases, neither the …

A Rhetoric Of Movements: A Dramatistic Analysis Of The Open Convention Movement, Gunnar Neil Farevaag

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the rhetorical strategies of the Open Convention Movement, a conglomerate of political mavericks who arose during the Democratic Presidential primary campaign of 1980. It consisted of both supporters and antagonists of incumbent President Jimmy Carter, primarily because of opposition to a proposed rule which would have required delegates to the Democratic National Convention to vote, on the first ballot, for the presidential candidate whom they represented in their state-wide primaries.

Toward A Behavioral Analysis Of Attentiveness As A Style Of Communication, Ray Alan Coker

Dissertations and Theses

Attentiveness, a variable of communication, primarily serves a stylistic function in the communicative process by providing behavioral evidence that an individual is actively involved in message reception. Past research suggests that while both verbal and nonverbal behaviors signal attentiveness, nonverbal cues are more closely associated with this construct. Among the many nonverbal behaviors of individuals in interactions, postural positions have been deemed highly indicative of attentiveness. At present however, most of the empirical evidence attesting to this notion has been established through the use of self-report measures. As a result of the felt need by this author to improve upon …

The Sovereign People, Minority Rights And State Judiciaries : An Historical Study Of Tocqueville's Majoritarian Thesis, Erica Goodwin

Dissertations and Theses

In the decade of the 1830's, Alexis de Tocqueville published a perceptive analysis of America in the Jacksonian era, which focused upon the customs, manners and intellectual habits of its citizens, and their social condition as seen through its political institutions. He advanced the proposition--a paradox of democracy--that equality of condition was as compatible with tyranny as with freedom. The social consensus, which stemmed from the wide acceptance of doctrine of equality and common wants and interests, when brought to bear upon legislator and judge, public official, juryman, and the non-conforming individual, he termed the "tyranny of the majority."

Secondary Stresses In Bowstring Timber Trusses, John F. Bradford

Dissertations and Theses

This study was undertaken in order to determine analytically the magnitude of the secondary (i.e., joint deflection induced) moments in the continuous glued-laminated chords of bowstring timber trusses. Traditionally, these moments have been assumed to be small and therefore neglected. The American Institute of Timber Construction makes no mention of these moments in their recommended design procedure.

A Translation Into English Of The German Novel Jakob Der LüGner By Jurek Becker, Harriet Passell

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a translation of the German novel Jakob der Lugner by Jurek Becker. In my commentary I have tried to explain why I undertook the project of translating this novel from German into English, when that had already been done by Melvin Kornfeld. Kornfeld's translation, which is no longer in print, fails to do justice to Jurek Becker's style and changes a story of heartwarming simplicity, humor and psychological insight into a somewhat tedious account of the life in a ghetto during World War II.

The Work Values Of Secondary Teachers : A Comparative Study By Teaching Assignment, Charlotte Marie Klampe

Dissertations and Theses

The focus of this study was on the work values of secondary school teachers. Values have been defined in many ways. The common agreement is that values are standards, beliefs, or principles that do guide and direct a person's behavior. The values a teacher holds will influence a student due to the natural role-modeling effect in the classroom. With the advent of career education and exploration of the world of work, the values held toward work become a timely topic. The discussion of values and value clarification in all aspects of a person's life is one that is becoming very …

Pragmatic Conversational Skills Of Young Adults In Normal, Emr, And Tmr Classrooms, Jane Nicholson

Dissertations and Theses

Current language theory focuses on how a person communicates within a context (Bates, 1976a). A person's communicative competence depends on how effectively she translates her cognitive and social knowledge into linguistic forms to interact in the specific situation, following pragmatic rules (Prutting, 1982b). Thus, in order to assess a person's language ability accurately, the clinician needs to assess pragmatic skills as well as cognitive, social, and linguistic skills. A person's pragmatic development culminates in the ability to participate in a conversation (Rees, 1978).

Preliminary Study : The Effects Of Instrumentation On The Air Intake Times Of The Esophageal Speaker, Sandra I. Pasak Neuburger

Dissertations and Theses

This research examined the use of visual feedback provided by electronic instrumentation to reduce air intake times of esophageal speakers during speech management. The subjects were six esophageal speakers from the Portland Metropolitan area. Three subjects made up the experimental group and three were placed in the control group. Prototype instrumentation was used to measure air intake times and give visual feedback to the experimental group during twelve sessions of speech management. The control group participated in traditional speech management procedures to reduce air intake times without benefit of instrumentation. Rate of improvement was measured using the prototype instrumentation without …

Adult Oral Diadochokinesis Rates : Preliminary Normative Data, Carol Kafton-Minkel

Dissertations and Theses

In the clinical evaluation and management of speech disorders, a speech-language pathologist may observe disturbances in a client's motor abilities that suggest possible neurological dysfunction. One possible disturbance is in oral diadochokinesis (DIO), an individual's ability to start and stop the movement of the articulators rapidly and execute repetitive, alternating, sequential movements typically associated with speech articulation. It is often recommended that a speech-language pathologist test DIO speed and compare the performance to available norms. There is, however, a lack of normative DIO data spanning all ages of adulthood. The purpose of this study was to develop preliminary normative data …

Pragmatic Deficits In Normal, Articulation Disordered, And Language Delayed Samples, Karen Jean Lucas

Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this investigation were to identify, via the Pragmatic Protocol, the incidence of pragmatic disorders within public school articulation and language caseloads and a control group of normal students and to specify the pragmatic areas, i.e., utterance propositional, and/or illocutionary/perlocutionary act categories in which deficits occur.

The Absence Of Extrachromosomal Dna In Methanogenic Bacteria, Nancy Ann Kurkinen

Dissertations and Theses

Five species of methanogenic bacteria were analyzed for the presence of plasmid DNA. Several procedures for the detection and isolation of covalently closed circular plasmid DNA were modified for use with the methanogens.

A Population Study Of Three Iris (Iridaceae) Species Native To The Siskiyou Mountains In Southwestern Oregon And Adjacent California, Carol Anne Wilson

Dissertations and Theses

The series Californicae is a natural grouping of Iris species native to Oregon, Washington and California. Natural and experimental hybridization is characteristic of the series which has led to confusing taxonomies for some species. Populations of species belonging to this series and found on the northwestern slopes of the Siskiyou Mountains cf southwestern Oregon and adjacent California were investigated. Methods used were numerical classification techniques for morphological characters including both discriminant and K-means cluster analyses and a chemotaxonomi c analysis of flavonoid pigments using thin layer chromatography.

The Geology Of The Floras Creek Area, Curry County, Oregon, Jon Dudley Bounds

Dissertations and Theses

The Floras Creek area, east of the town of Langlois, near the southwest Oregon coast, includes Colebrooke Schist (a klippe of metamorphosed pelitic sediments of Jurassic age), Jurassic Otter Point Formation (a melange complex), and lower the middle Eocene Roseburg and Lookingglass Formations, part of a sandstone-shale sequence occurring more extensively in other areas. The Colebrooke Schist occurs in the south-central part of the area, bounded on the Otter Point and Roseburg. The Lookingglass is exposed as a small (1.5 sq. km) block in the north-north-west part of the area. Two major structural trends are found in the Floras Creek …

A Geophysical Study Of The North Scappoose Creek, Alder Creek, Clatskanie River Lineament, Along The Trend Of The Portland Hills Fault, Columbia County, Oregon, Nina Haas

Dissertations and Theses

The Portland Hills fault forms a strong northwest trending lineament along the east side of the Tualatin Mountains. An en echelon lineament follows North Scappoose Creek, Alder Creek, and the Clatskanie River along the same trend, through Columbia County, Oregon. The possibility that this lineament follows a fault or fault zone was investigated in this study. Geophysical methods were used, with seismic refraction, magnetic and gravity lines run perpendicular to the lineament. The seismic refraction models indicate the near surface basalt is broken in many places, with 15 - 30 meters (50 - 100 feet) vertical displacement, down to the …

The Effect Of Dwarf Mistletoe (Arceuthobium Americanum) Upon A Portion Of The Carbon Budget Of Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta), Nancy Ellen Broshot

Dissertations and Theses

Arceuthobium americanum is a vascular plant which is parasitic upon Pinus contorta var. murrayana. Its documented effects include reductions in host growth, vigor and wood quality. The specific physiological changes that occur in the host are, for the most part, unknown.

In an attempt to understand the manner in which the mistletoe alters its host's carbon budget, a model is proposed which states that the host plant has priorities for carbon allocation. The model proposes that the parasite will access the host's carbon initially in terms of carbon intended for storage, next, in terms of carbon intended for growth, …

Burt Brown Barker: His Role In Historic Preservation In Oregon, Mark Fredric Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

The field of historic preservation has undergone· extreme changes in recent years. Only in the last few years have schools, businesses, and the public been interested in preserving historic sites. Prior to this involvement, historic preservation was accomplished by a few individuals and patriotic groups. Since the field is relatively new, little has been researched and written regarding the early efforts of preservation. One man who emerged as a leader in the preservation movement in Oregon, for over thirty years, was Burt Brown Barker.

This thesis, through research of the files associated with five different preservation projects, examines the role …

Involvement, Social Class And Attrition In Higher Education: The Case Of The Stop Out, Terrence Scott Daugherty

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis tests the validity of three theories purporting to explain the attrition of stop outs -- why students interrupt their studies with the intent to return to school. Data were gathered at two schools, Portland State University and Reed College. Two theories, those of social class and involvement, were tested at each school as contending explanations of attrition by path analysis of parsimonious models derived by factor analysis. These theories were found to explain little of the variance of attendance pattern (less than 4.3 percent) at either school. No particular lines of causation could be demonstrated at either school. …

Attitudes Of Mental Health Professional Groups Toward Mental Health Treatment Modalities As Measured By The Semantic Differential Technique, Gene Stanley Morrill

Dissertations and Theses

The present research was conducted in order to ascertain whether differences in attitudes exist between the three main professional groups which are presently the major providers of mental health care -- psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and social workers -- with respect to six treatment modalities: Individual Psychotherapy, Individual Counseling, Family Therapy, Group Therapy, Psychiatric Medication and Psychiatric Hospitalization. Modalities evaluated include treatments appropriate to a variety of individual, social and biological concepts of mental health/pathology. It was assumed that any such attitudinal differences might reflect biases in the provision of mental health treatment and therefore be an important concern for consumers …

The Effects Of Overt And Covert Observation On The Clinical Behavior Emitted By Untrained Clinicians, Carol L.K. Middleton

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the effects overt and covert observation of live clinical sessions have on the number of social/ neutral verbal behaviors emitted by untrained speech clinicians and their respective clients enrolled Summer Term, 1980, in the Articulation and Language Clinic at Portland State University, Speech and Hearing Sciences. The Boone-Prescott Interactional analysis System (Boone and Prescott, 1972), a numerically coded system, was used to record clinician-client interactions. Data were obtained for a randomly selected five minute period from each of forty clinical sessions.

Effects On Electrolytic Cells Of Magnetic Fields Applied To Single Electrodes, Craig Allen Cousins

Dissertations and Theses

The primary goal of this research was to investigate the effects associated with the application of magnetic fields to single electrodes.

Aspects Of Anuran Metabolism: Effects Of Chronic Hypoxia On Maximal Oxygen Uptake Rates And The Fate Of Lactic Acid, Thomas Charles Solberg

Dissertations and Theses

Some aspects of anuran metabolism are examined, with special emphasis on possible limitations to aerobic metabolism and the effect of chronic hypoxia acclimation on maximal rates of aerobic metabolism and the metabolic fate of lactic acid accumulated after anaerobic metabolism.

The Effect Of Causal Attribution And Self-Evaluation On Mood, William N. Werner

Dissertations and Theses

The present study was designed to test the causal locus hypothesis, and to develop and explore the self-evaluational hypothesis. The causal locus hypothesis is based on attribution, which is a person's perception of cause. The hypothesis holds that persons making internal attributions (self-caused) for failure end external attributions (not self-caused) for success experience more negative postoutcome mood than persons making external attributions for failure and internal attributions for success. The hypothesis was derived from major theories or attribution, but was not experimentally tested until recently (Wollert et al., 1981).

Anuran Activity Energetics, Scott R. Landrey

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents two separate experiments concerning aerobic and anaerobic amphibian energetics. The first study (Part I) investigates differential alterations in the kinetics of the anaerobic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase, in nine species of anurans with varying natural histories. The second study (Part II) studies changes in different anaerobic and aerobic physiological parameters in a single species (Rana catesbeiana) after six weeks of chronic exercised, unexercised-captive and for field frogs. The common theme of these two experiments involves the potential for physiological changes due to environmental stress. Part I examines different species to infer a possible evolutionary relationship to …

Log Structures: Criteria For Their Description, Evaluation And Management As Cultural Resources, Margaret L. Glover

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis discusses mining cabin sites from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as cultural resources. Special attention is given the concept of "description" in regards to discussion of the resource category, history, and physical attributes of the sites. Evaluation and management suggestions are presented for this particular resource category. To aid in the process of identification of log cabin notching, a typology of notches is developed and presented within the context of the thesis.

Congressional Power And Presidential Prerogative: The War Powers Question, Gerald Michael Worley

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a study of the formulation of American foreign policy in general terms and specifically how hostility is initiated. War powers and who controls this authority is an age-old question. One can not simply look to the Constitution for direction. An intricate formula is necessary and the evolution of the nation must be understood.

Factors Affecting Thyrotropin Secretion In Superfused Rat Anterior Pituitary Cells, Frederick Scott Bartlow

Dissertations and Theses

The use of static in vitro pituitary cultures has been indispensible for examining the regulation of anterior pituitary hormone secretion. While the static cultures have shown the effects of various chemical stimulators of hormone secretion, the dynamics of such secretion has not been assessed before in vitro. The in vitro superfusion method, which partially stimulates in vivo physiologic conditions, allows for the observation of the dynamics of pituitary hormone secretion.

Hemisphere Side Of Damage And Encoding Capacity, Margaret Ellen Davis

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to examine whether normal information processing does engage both hemispheres of the brain regardless of sensory channel (i.e., auditory or visual), and whether an opportunity for dual encoding (verbal and visual) was advantageous for patients with unilateral brain damage. It compared memory for verbal material presented in the visual and auditory modalities among three groups: right hemisphere brain damaged stroke patients (RBD), left hemisphere brain damaged stroke patients (LBD), and neurologically intact control subjects.

Only control and LBD subjects benefited from the visual presentation compared with auditory. Controls did generally better on both modes than either …