This study examines healthcare policy preferences of Oregon State University students through the lens of Political Culture Theory, as pioneered by Mary Douglas and Aaron Wildavsky in the 1980’s. The primary goal of this study is to examine the impact of cultural traits as described by Political Culture Theory on...
Organizational trust refers to the tendency of individuals or groups within an organization to trust each other. Tschannen-Moran (2004) describes trust as one's "willingness to be vulnerable to another based on the confidence that the other is benevolent, honest, open, reliable, and competent" (p. 17). The purpose of this study...
There are many benefits provided by trees in urban areas. While there are many recommendations on maximizing the returns from urban trees, there has been little research examining how these managers are prioritizing their tree species selection. A survey instrument was constructed to survey Tree City USA designated cities across...
The purpose of this thesis is to argue that LeBron James’ expressions of activism are, in many ways, perceived as insincere, hypocritical or disingenuous to his followers on the social media platform Twitter. Using the theoretical framework of Affect Theory and Plutchik’s wheel of emotions, a close reading was conducted...
Coastal communities rely on the abundant ecosystem services derived from robust conservation areas in offshore marine waters (Campbell, 2019). United Nations member states support the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework, wherein the 14th guideline asserts the importance of life under water. Protected marine environments are critical to the survival of...
Plant viruses have been instrumental in our understanding of the biophysical properties pertaining to non-enveloped icosahedral virus particles. A substantial amount of research has been performed over five decades on Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV), arguably one of the most extensively studied icosahedral plant viruses and the type-member of the...
This thesis describes the implementation of ultrasonic sensors to trigger a stimulus to increase peer interaction for children with disabilities using modified ride-on-cars for mobility. Modified ride-on-car technology has improved mobility for children with disabilities by effectively replicating the social benefits of a powered mobility device, yet there are opportunities...
Smoldering can play a dangerous role in the ignition and spread of wildfires. Naturally occurring fuels consist of multiple layers of organic materials with varying particle sizes due to differences in decomposition stages with fuel depth, yet the influence of particle size on burning behavior is poorly understood. Previous research...
Decision-making competence (DMC) reflects individual differences in rational responding across several classic behavioral decision-making tasks. Although it has been associated with real-world risk behavior, less is known about the degree to which DMC contributes to specific components of risk attitudes. Utilizing a psychological risk-return framework, we examined the associations between...
Smoldering combustion in wildland fires is difficult to extinguish, can transition to flaming combustion, and produces a significant amount of pollutants. It is necessary to understand parameters controlling smoldering in order to help predict the smoldering behavior and potentially mitigate these hazards. The wide variety of natural fuels that occur...