Examining directional decisions has proven easier in experiments with fish than in humans. With virtual reality, it is now easier to investigate directional decision-making behavior in humans. This remote virtual study examined directional decisions in 109 participants after watching virtual pedestrians, walking at different speeds and entering at different times,...
The purpose of this study is to name and give voice to the spiritual expression of leadership by women community college presidents. The following questions guided the research: (1) How do women community college presidents describe spirituality? (2) How does spirituality convey itself in the reflections, self-expression, and practice of...
How do organizational members socially construct the shared meaning of a mandated change in the external environment? The opportunity to address this question presented itself when President Barack Obama set forth a goal for American community colleges to increase the number of students completing certificates and degrees by 5 million...
As large-scale restorations of degraded rangelands are initiated, land managers need to
understand how decades of dominance by the invasive annual grass, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum
L.), have altered ecosystem processes. One way to assess such alterations is by observing
differences in decay rates, since decomposition is determined by factors such...
Biodiversity loss is of global concern, and is due in part to deforestation and high consumer demand for wood and wood products. The neotropical tree species Cedrela odorata (“Spanish cedar” or “cedro”) is economically valuable for its wood and faces threats of overexploitation. Due to strong similarities in wood features...
Shallow land burial in vadose zone sediment at the Hanford Site in Washington is being considered for the disposal of Category 3 low-level waste. A series of column experiments were conducted to evaluate and model the performance of the soil surrounding the trench encasement material for iodine-129 and technetium-99 by...
The Long Tom Watershed Council (LTWC) is a non-profit organization in Eugene, Oregon that serves to protect and enhance watershed health in the Long Tom River Basin. The Amazon Creek Initiative was launched by the LTWC in 2011 as Oregon’s newest Pesticide Stewardship Partner. Goals of the initiative are to...
Debris flows, common disturbances in many mountainous areas, initially scour or bury stream habitats; however, debris flows deliver vast amounts of wood, boulders, and gravel that may ultimately form complex stream habitat to potentially support a diverse salmonid assemblage. The materials deposited by debris flows would otherwise be inaccessible to...
White and grand fir are both valuable components of the mixed-conifer stand structure managed for late-successional reserves in central Oregon. However, they are often short-lived species because of high susceptibility to root diseases, defoliating insects, bark beetles, and wildfire. This study focuses on the effects of root diseases caused by...
Many development organizations now recognize the importance of culturally sensitive project design and implementation. Unfortunately most of these groups continue to disregard the significance of gender. This qualitative research examines a women's cooperative in rural El Salvador which formed in order to find a means of generating income and to...
Increased automation and computerization have led to new demands and people are quickly transitioning to monitoring automated process and autonomous machines. Human oversight of automated process is important and desired, but people often require aid to navigate information from autonomous sources. An effective way to manage this information is with...
Hyperspectral images were taken from March till October, 2018, of southwestern white pine (Pinus strobiformis), SWWP, seedlings of ten different seed-source families. Half of the seedlings were inoculated with white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola). Visual assessments of vigor coincided with hyperspectral data acquisition.
The aim of the experiment was...
Schools are continually faced with the challenge of providing students with a comprehensive system of support. Previous research based on the practices and systems of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) suggests that having effective primary prevention measures in place can help to reduce problem behavior before it occurs (Ingram,...
The evolving United States demographics, evident from the most recent census, show a steady population growth for Hispanics. Research suggests that after immigrating to the United States, first-generation Hispanic populations seem vulnerable to weight gain and development of chronic disease. Many health professionals recognize the increased need for Spanish language...
Childhood obesity has increased dramatically over the last several decades, particularly in industrialized countries, often accompanied by acceleration of pubertal progression and associated reproductive abnormalities (Biro et al., 2006; Rosenfield et al., 2009). The timing of pubertal initiation and progression in mammals is likely influenced by nutritional and metabolic state,...
Winter squash (Cucurbita maxima) grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley for edible seed, frozen foods, and fresh markets is susceptible to an undiagnosed soilborne disease. Diseased squash fields exhibit symptoms of stunting, root and crown rot, vascular discoloration, and late-season wilt, which in extreme cases can lead to total crop failure....
Degradation of watersheds is a major concern in areas where adverse climate effects and unsustainable use of the natural resources have caused extensive stresses to watershed systems (e.g., increased floods, increased droughts, worsened in-stream water quality) through the years. While considerable efforts are being made to generate technical solutions that...
Individuals who have been traumatized have the opportunity to experience posttraumatic growth, conceptualized as positive changes that result from navigating highly challenging life circumstances (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). The current model of posttraumatic growth (Calhoun, Cann, & Tedeschi, 2010) is based solely on cognitive-emotional processing yet by examining the role...
Young children with developmental disabilities (< 12 years old) participate less in physical activity (PA) and experience motor skill deficits compared to young children without disabilities (Jung, Leung, Schram, & Yun, 2018; Liu, Hamilton, Davis, & ElGarhy, 2014; Whyatt & Craig, 2012). When taking account of a bi-directional relationship between...
How can software practitioners assess whether their software supports diverse users? Although there are empirical processes that can be used to find “inclusivity bugs” piecemeal, what is often needed is a systematic inspection method to assess software’s support for diverse populations. To help fill this gap, this thesis introduces InclusiveMag,...
Bicyclist safety at urban intersections is a critical element for encouraging an increase in bicycle commuting. With bicycle injury and fatality rates rising due to collisions with vehicles at signalized intersections, increasing the safety of riders continues to be an important consideration when promoting this mode of transportation. Previous research...
Characterizing stakeholder behavior when making decisions in watershed management is a great challenge for planners, not only because plans are associated with physical uncertainties but also because stakeholders’ behaviors are influenced by numerous factors. Since stakeholders’ decision-making is linked to multiple types of uncertainty, communication of uncertainty to stakeholders by...
The low physical activity levels of children today are a cause for serious concern. When examining certain populations of children, such as children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there is a possibility of even lower overall physical activity levels. However, when exploring the current literature examining the physical activity levels...
Nearshore hypoxia within the Northern California Current (NCC) system is a seasonal phenomenon caused by coastal upwelling and occurs mainly during late-summer and early fall. The effects of low oxygen levels on fish and invertebrate communities, particularly during early-life history stages, however, are poorly known for this area. I investigated...
Climate change poses known and unknown risks for coastal communities and also challenges for university faculty and local government staff who communicate about climate sciences. Conceived as a way to move beyond traditional models of science communication, this project involved public and private decision makers in specific at-risk communities in...
Many land managers in the Pacific Northwest have the goal of increasing late-successional forest structures. Despite the documented importance of Douglas-fir tree bark structure in forested ecosystems, little is known about factors influencing bark development and how foresters can manage development. This study investigated the relative importance of tree size,...
Stored non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) could play an important role in tree survival in the face of a changing climate and
associated stress-related mortality. We explored the effects of the stomata-blocking and defoliating fungal disease called
Swiss needle cast on Douglas-fir carbohydrate reserves and growth to evaluate the extent to which...
Full Text:
. Voelker4,
Barbara Lachenbruch1 and Kristen Falk3
1Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon
The lakes, rivers and coastal waters of Oregon have long provided the state's residents
and visitors with unique recreational boating environs and opportunities. However, this popular
activity represents more than a form of recreation: boating is an important component of the
Oregon economy. Each year, boaters spend millions of dollars...
Once hunted to the brink of extinction, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Atlantic have recently been increasing in numbers. However, uncertain information on past abundance makes it difficult to assess the extent of the recovery in this species. While estimates of pre-exploitation abundance based upon catch data suggest...
African rue is a poisonous, perennial forb that readily invades salt-desert shrub and sagebrush-steppe rangelands. Information detailing options for integrated management of African rue is lacking. To date, a few studies have researched the efficacy of different herbicides for controlling African rue, but none have investigated integrated approaches to its...
Despite progressive policies and continued advances in ocean management, numerous shifts associated with global changes have been observed in marine ecosystems in recent years, including warming, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation. As global change accelerates, science is needed to inform evidence-based management strategies for continued ecosystem services. Resilience management, in which...
Twenty years ago, the creation of a new scientific program, the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), funded by the Packard Foundation, provided the opportunity to integrate—from the outset—research, monitoring, and outreach to the public, policymakers, and managers. PISCO’s outreach efforts were initially focused primarily on sharing scientific...
A major goal of the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) has been to understand the impacts of climate change and variability on the coastal ecosystems of the inner shelf of the California Current Large Marine System in particular, and other marine and even nonmarine systems more generally....
A variety of stakeholders require information about marine systems. In the open ocean, pilots of marine vessels require knowledge about environmental conditions for safe passage and route planning. On the coastline, communities rely on information about nearshore dynamics to increase safety from coastal hazards such as nearshore pollutants, coastal erosion,...
Heavy metals, such as copper, zinc, and cadmium, are ubiquitous in stormwater and potentially toxic to aquatic organisms at low concentrations. Removal of heavy metals contamination by conventional treatment is expensive and does not always reduce metals concentrations low enough to ensure safety of all aquatic species. This research seeks...
Studies of the effects of forest harvest on streams and fish have a long history in the Pacific Northwest. Results of this work have prompted development of new forest harvest practices that are more protective of these resources, but the effectiveness of these new practices has not been fully evaluated....
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative pathology currently affecting nearly 44 million individuals worldwide, yet there are not currently any effective treatments or preventions for AD despite the rapid development in our understanding of the disease over the last four decades. The medical and sanitary innovations of the last century...
As managers of agricultural and natural resources are confronted with uncertainties in global change impacts, the complexities associated with the interconnected cycling of nitrogen, carbon, and water present daunting management challenges. Existing models provide detailed information on specific sub-systems (e.g., land, air, water, and economics). An increasing awareness of the...
The climate of the Pacific Northwest is in flux, and existing forest ecosystems are stressed and poised to shift in fundamental ways, with or without human intervention. This dissertation probes the nature of forest responses to environmental change through investigations of morphology and genetics of three species of alder co-occurring...
The portability and reduced price of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in recent years has led to a broad range of new UAS-enabled scientific inquiries, including for forestry. Small, consumer-grade UAS are advantageous for forest measurements due to their portability, ease and safety of deployment, and notably, they are currently the...
Total organic carbon (TOC) content of marine sediments represents residual carbon, originally derived from terrestrial and marine sources, which has survived seafloor and shallow subseafloor diagenesis. Ultimately, its preservation below the sulfate reduction zone in marine sediments drives methanogenesis. Within the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ), methane production along continental...
First Ladies have performed a variety of public and private roles, from presidential escort, hostess, and social advocate to policy maker and presidential advisor. The nature of the position has always been both traditional and gendered, greatly influencing each First Lady's performance. Due to the changing role of women in...
Germination of meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba Benth.) seed is inhibited by warm soil temperatures. This has led to recommendations for planting from early to mid-October when soil temperatures are below about 15°C. Objective data on the effects of planting date on stand establishment and yield are not available. These studies were...
The 8th Annual Oregon Coastal Caucus Economic Summit was held August 21-22, 2019 in Florence, Oregon. Over 600 people attended the event which promotes the economic development of rural coastal regions, promotes relationships across regional and political spectrums, and pursues a balanced approach that can unite all Oregonians. Oregon Sea...
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of forest fuels reduction on diet quality, botanical composition, relative preference, and foraging efficiency of beef cattle grazing at different stocking rates. A split plot factorial design was used, with whole plots (3 ha) being fuel reduced or no treatment (control), and...
Leaf hydraulics, gas exchange and carbon storage in Pinus edulis and Juniperus monosperma, two tree species on opposite ends of the isohydry–anisohydry spectrum, were analyzed to examine relationships between hydraulic function and carbohydrate dynamics. Leaf hydraulic vulnerability, leaf water potential (Wl), leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf), photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs)...