The American pika (Ochotona princeps) finds moderately warm temperatures (>25°C) lethally stressful, and at the end of the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago was forced to disperse to cooler, "sky island" mountaintops where they are almost exclusively found today. Thirty six subspecies are recognized, all established using morphological characters, and it is uncertain whether these subspecies' designations are corroborated by genetic analyses. This study elucidates three hypotheses regarding populations in Oregon and southern Washington: 1) O. p. fumosa constitutes a subspecies distinct form O. p. brunnescens, 2) the Columbia River constitutes a barrier to gene flow giving rise to two subspecies rather than the single subspecies O. p. brunnescens, and 3) populations in eastern Oregon ( O. p. jewetti and O. p. taylori) are genetically distinct from populations in the Cascade Range ( 0. p. brunnescens and O. p. fumosa).

Focusing on the relationship between demography and sedentary behavior, this thesis explores changes to mobility strategies on the Northern Northwest Coast of North America between 11,000 and 5,000 cal BP. Drawing on a regional database of radiocarbon dates, it uses summed probability distributions (SPDs) of calibrated dates as a proxy for population change, in combination with syntheses of previously published technological, paleo environmental and settlement pattern data to test three hypotheses derived from the literature about the development of logistic mobility among maritime hunter-gatherers on the Northern Coast. In all, each of the hypotheses proposes that early peoples on the coast were foragers that utilized high levels of residential mobility, who later adopted collector (logistic) strategies. Two of the hypotheses emphasize the role of population growth and/or packing and resource distribution in this transformation, while the third emphasizes population replacement. Other issues addressed within this thesis are whether or not the forager-collector continuum, as it is used for terrestrial hunter-gatherers, can be applied to those in aquatic settings. Also explored, is the question of whether the available data is sufficient for making and/or testing claims about early mobility patterns in the region. The results of the demographic models suggest that while population levels were volatile, volatility declined through time and that there is no significant trend in either growth or decline of overall population levels throughout the region. This thesis also confirmed that significant changes to mobility, as evidenced by the emergence of semi-sedentary to sedentary living, begin to appear by ~7,000 cal BP. However, there appears to be little, if any correlation between the advent of more sedentary and logistic behavior and any of the variables tested here. Thus this author suggests, in agreement with Ames (1985; 2004) and Binford (2001) that the distribution of resources and labor organization needs within aquatic environments are sufficient without any other drivers for the development and intensification of logistic mobility. The principle analytic contribution of this research comes from the demographic modeling that relied on the construction of summed probability distributions. Though these methods have become commonplace in other settings (namely Europe), this thesis presents the first application of these methods within the time period and region covered. Moreover, this research is one of the only of its kind to address demographic histories within coastal landscapes that utilizes both marine and terrestrial 14C samples. In order to explore possible biases within the database, comparisons of marine and terrestrial SPDs were made between sub-sections of the region (i.e. Haida Gwaii, Southeast Alaska and the Dundas Islands). Though patterning between each of these areas was consistent, these comparative methods revealed an unexpected finding; a massive population crash throughout the region that began between ~9,000-8,800 cal BP and lasted till around 8,400 cal BP. Importantly, this crash was witnessed within all of the individual sub-areas and within SPDs made from both the marine and terrestrial 14C samples, though the reasons behind this collapse and verification of its existence require future research. However, finding this collapse at all further highlighted the need for use of correctly calibrated 14C dates, as the gap in 14C dates effectively disappears when using uncalibrated dates, which has been a longstanding tradition within Northwest archaeology.

No description available.

Wheat breeders must effectively maintain and manage existing genetic diversity in order to continue the development of superior genotypes. It is therefore fundamental that the genetic relationships and diversity within the germplasm pools be thoroughly characterized and understood. Recently, DNA-based markers have provided powerful tools for genetic diversity analysis. This study investigates the usefulness of nuclear and chloroplast simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in characterizing Pacific Northwest wheat (Triticum aestivum) breeding germplasm, and explores the patterns of genetic relatedness revealed by these markers. The 15 chloroplast SSRs were effective in differentiating between B-type, D-type, and barley (Hordeum vulgare) cytoplasms. Genetic distance estimates were determined for each pair of lines studied and analyzed using UPGMA clustering. The markers revealed five plastomic types within the B-type cytoplasm studied. Several lines of wheat in this germplasm, including important PNW cultivars like Madsen, were found to contain D-type cytoplasm rather than the B cytoplasm of wheat. Nuclear SSR assays using 24 markers revealed three major clusters of germplasms: PNW soft white winter wheat, Western European-derived lines, and Great Plains accessions, as well as two clusters of more distantly related lines and genetic stocks. The primary defining characteristic of these clusters was regional adaptation. Subgroups of these major groups often clustered together on the basis of pedigree and market class. When nuclear and chloroplast SSR data was combined in analysis, the primary defining characteristic of the dendrogram became the type of cytoplasm rather than regional adaptation, with secondary divisions based on pedigree relationships. Cultivars released prior to 1950 were found to have a minimum of 20% of alleles in common for nuclear and chloroplast data combined, despite being unrelated via pedigree information. Heterogeneity was 2.3% for all marker/variety combinations. Overall, these sets of markers were found to be effective in characterizing the genetic relatedness of PNW wheat breeding germplasm. / Graduation date: 2003

This study sought to understand how post-secondary students experience and process issues of diversity, to discover what those views of diversity are, and how those views might change. The two issues that participants felt most strongly about were homosexuality and scholarships for students of color. Their views on homosexuality ranged from admitted homophobia, to ambivalence, to tolerance, to full acceptance. Religion seemed to play a part among those who were ambivalent, but not for those who were homophobic. Views were not static, but shifted depending on the circumstances. A participant who might object to a homosexual serving in the military might have no problem having a homosexual as a neighbor. Regarding scholarships for students of color, some of the 27 White students agreed that this was fair, while others seemed to resent the idea and questioned its need. Two of the four multi-racial students were somewhat sympathetic to the latter view. A high degree of acceptance on one diversity issue did not necessarily mean high acceptance on other issues. A participant who advocated for gays to have equal admittance and acceptance in the military was against scholarships for students of color. Participants' views were most influenced by their personal experiences. Interventions such as coursework, workshop, panel presentation, and social contact seemed to have a less influence than personal experiences. Those pivotal moments, as discussed by Young Y. Kim, seemed to have caused stress, adaptation, and growth, which resulted in a greater awareness of an issue, of themselves, and of others. The rejection of experiences and interventions might be explained by encapsulation, as proposed by C. Gilbert Wrenn. Encapsulated individuals seem to choose to reject information or experiences that might challenge their views. The implication for educators is to provide more opportunities for students to have personal experiences involving diversity that might lead to pivotal moments. Thirty-one undergraduates at a small, liberal arts university in the Pacific Northwest were interviewed three times over an average of seven weeks. All had participated in a nationally known diversity workshop and had also participated in regular courses that addressed diversity issues. / Graduation date: 2002

This phenomenological research study focused on educational change as perceived by 16 Liberal Arts faculty members at a Pacific Northwest community college. Research data were collected through in-depth dialogic interviews and a follow-up dialogue session with six participants. The principal guiding research questions comprised the following: 1) What is the context of the community college? The institution is facing severe budgetary restrictions, widening diversity of students, the implementation of new technologies and distance learning, changing faculty and administrator roles, competition from the private sector, and the redefining of the community college role. 2) What is the background of the faculty participants? In the past, faculty have experienced a collegial culture and a shared sense of purpose, which no longer seems to exist. Their values are deeply connected to the social responsibilities of education and student needs, which they feel is at odds with the trend toward commodification of education. 3) What are faculty's perceptions of change and its effects? Change is constant; and instructors adapt incrementally. Mandated changes are seen to have fuzzy meanings and hidden agendas, which sometimes go against the core values of higher education. 4) What do faculty want? Faculty want to wrestle with the issues and solutions for dealing with change collaboratively, and they need the time and space to do so. They also want administrators to hear their voice, and to include faculty priorities in educational decision-making. Faculty participants had clear ideas on ways that would make the implementation of change more successful and meaningful in their lives and in the future of their community college: 1) Make change for a worthy or merited purpose. 2) Listen to what faculty have to say. 3) Allow faculty to wrestle with the challenges. 4) Provide faculty with support and recognition. 5) Keep student needs as a central priority. 6) Maintain the human values and social purpose of education. Most important, faculty feel that the human element cannot be discounted or forgotten in the rush to transform higher education, for faculty are the ones charged with the implementation of most change initiatives and they must deal with the consequences. / Graduation date: 2002

Despite many investigations genotype by environment interaction remains one of the least understood factors in plant improvement. Understanding genotypic differences responsible for such interactions could assist in making more informed breeding decisions. The components of yield being less complex than grain yield per se may be useful for selection to improve adaptation of genotypes and enhance grain quality. However, the potential compensatory response among the components of yield could compromise their usefulness as selection criteria. To evaluate this aspect fifteen cultivars, including Soft White, Hard White and Hard Red wheats, were planted at three diverse locations over two growing seasons. Genotypes were ranked based on measurements for specific traits in each environment. The genotype by environment interaction for grain yield, protein concentration and hardness were investigated according to the AMMI model. Influence of environmental factors and genotype by environment interactions on associations among selected traits were determined. The results of this study showed that genotypic differences in adaptation to the Pacific Northwest and resistance to Septoria spp. were responsible for interactions for grain yield. However, no consistent patterns of response were found among the similar cultivars for quality traits. Those environments that favored expression of biomass and grain weight potential provided for enhanced performance of the adapted cultivars. The environments with suppressed biomass accumulation and grain filling interacted positively with the unadapted cultivars. A large compensatory relationship between tillering and apical growth was detected. No or low compensation was observed between grains per spike and thousand kernel weight. Two different strategies were proposed for improvement of Soft and Hard White wheat cultivars under the conditions of the Pacific Northwest. Both strategies accentuate importance of increasing biomass while maintaining harvest index. When selecting for higher yielding Soft White cultivars, plants with larger leaves, stronger stems, larger spikes and heavier grains should be emphasized. For Hard Whites - higher number of tillers and grains m����� is desired, as they provide for harder grains with higher protein content. / Graduation date: 2000

About 7,000 years ago two major tephra-falls blanketed the Pacific Northwest in volcanic ash. These two tephra-falls, identified as the Llao and climatic tephra-falls, were a part of the eruptive events that led up to the collapse of Mount Mazama to form Crater Lake in the southern Oregon Cascades. The tephra-falls occurred about 200 years apart at around 7,000 years B.P. and 6,800 years B.P. for the Llao and climatic eruptions respectively. The effects of the tephra-falls on the flora, fauna, and people of the period have been characterized by different researchers as ranging from minimal to catastrophic. In an attempt to better understand the affects of these two events on the flora, fauna, and people, a model is presented to help organize the various lines of research into a coherent whole and to suggest profitable areas of research which have not yet been completed. The model is based on ecological and anthropological theory with a strong reliance on analogy with modern ecosystems and volcanic hazards research. The model makes use of the ecosystem concept as the framework for the interaction of the abiotic, or nonliving habitat, with the biotic, or living system. The biotic organisms are adapted to the characteristics of the abiotic habitat and in many respects the composition, frequencies, and distributions of biotic organisms are determined by their tolorance levels to these characteristics. Tephra-falls act as environmental disturbances which change the abiotic habitat of the ecosystem. Therefore, any changes caused by such a disturbance in the abiotic characteristics that are not optimal or are outside of the tolorance limits of the biotic (flora and fauna) components should cause changes in the composition, distribution, and frequency of organisms within the ecosystem. The changes brought about by the tephra-falls may be described by successional and evolutionary processes through analysis of pollen and faunal remains, population demography as described by mortality profiles, and research into the reaction of specific flora and fauna within adaptational types to the properties of tephra-falls and the tephra as a soil body. The state factors used to describe the abiotic component of the ecosystem are: time, distribution, material properties, climate, and geomorphology. The state factor of time involves the determination of the occurrence in time of the event(s), the duration of the event(s), the season of occurrence of the event(s), and the residence time of tephra in the ecosystem. This state factor is used to define the specific point in time and duration of the effects of the tephra-fall(s) for individual ecosystems. The state factor of distribution describes the aerial extent and thickness of the air-fall deposits. This state factor determines the extent of the initial disturbance. The state factor of climate describes the specific components of rainfall, wind, and temperature which control ecosystem composition and development, and the changes to the climate which may have occurred due to volcanic aerosols associated with the eruption. The state factor of geomorphology describes the location of tephra and nontephra bodies across the landscape and through time as the tephra is reworked by wind, water, and gravity from the initial air-fall positions. The determination of the long term distribution of the tephra is important in determining post-event influences on ecosystems as described by the material properties of the tephra. It is argued that most people were not greatly harmed by the Mazama tephra-fall events themselves, but instead may have been greatly affected by a loss of food resources during and after the events. Changes in food resource availability and exploitation locations due to the tephra-falls may have resulted in changes in both settlement and subsistence activities. Changes in settlement and subsistence activities may be seen in a corresponding change in differential frequencies of functional tool types across space and time. The kind and amount of expected changes in settlement and subsistence systems are linked to distance from the source of the tephra, the stability and compostion of pre-disturbance ecosystems, the types and intensity of resource exploitation, and the amount of variability in subsistence and settlement traits which were available to the sociocultural system. / Graduation date: 1988

There is a widespread problem with looting and vandalism of cultural resources in the Pacific Northwest. To combat this problem law enforcement must have the assistance of the archaeological community. To be able to assist law enforcement, archaeologists and cultural resource specialists must have the proper training in cultural resource law and crime prevention. The focus of this study is to investigate the preparedness of archaeologists and cultural resource specialists within the federal government, specifically the United State Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, to assist in the investigation and prevention of cultural resource crime. To answer this question a survey was sent out to all of the aforementioned subjects within the Pacific Northwest. This survey asked for data concerning types of cultural resources affected by crime, prevention methods, training, opinions on quality of training, and demographic information. The respondent was also asked to reply to various fictitious scenarios concerning cultural resource crime, and the answers compared to a control group made up of law enforcement personnel. Information obtained from this survey showed that there is a lack of training among both of these agencies. A large percentage of the respondents feel that their training was either nonexistent or was lacking in depth and quality. The ability of the subject group to make decisions concerning the fictitious scenarios was closely analogous to those made by the law enforcement group. However, from information obtained from the respondents and from analysis of other data these scenarios may not have been a good indicator of the preparedness of the subject group. To improve their abilities at preventing and assisting in the investigation of cultural resource crimes, all archaeologists and cultural resource specialists need to have the opportunity to have access to quality training. These persons must also take it upon themselves to protect the resource using methods that are allowed by their respective agencies. / Graduation date: 1994

The increasing inter-cultural communication in China has led to a growing interest in how the ethnic minorities cope with the encountered main stream (Han)culture of China. The present research compared Tibetan and Han college students studying in a Northwest China province, examining how Tibetan college students acculturated into Han cultural environment concerning their thinking styles, emotion regulation, acculturation strategy, academic performance, and psychological well-being. The present research was composed of a pilot study and a main study. The pilot study was conducted among 105 Tibetan and 147 Han college students studying in a teacher-training university in Northwest China. It aimed at validating the measures that were to be used in the main study, exploring the possible effects that culture might have on thinking styles and emotion regulation, as well as tentatively investigating the relationships among the variables of interest. The main study involved 483 Tibetan students from two nationality universities and 265 Han students from a teacher-training university who responded to the same set of questionnaires validated in the pilot study twice, with an interval of seven months. The quantitative procedure was followed by a qualitative one in which five teachers (one Han and four Tibetans) and eight students (Tibetans who participated in the questionnaire surveys) in the three sampled universities were interviewed. Both the quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to answer three research questions:1) How and why do the Tibetan students’ thinking styles and emotion regulation change as they study in Han cultural environment? 2) What are the relationships among Tibetan college students’ thinking styles, emotion regulation, and their acculturation strategy? And 3) What roles do thinking style, emotion regulation, and acculturation strategy play in Tibetan college students’ academic performance and psychological well-being? The results suggested that the Tibetan and Han college students did differ from each other in their thinking styles and emotion regulation. Longitudinal data supported that the Tibetan students’ thinking styles, emotion regulation, and acculturation strategy, as well as the relationships among these variables changed across time. Thinking styles, emotion regulation, and acculturation strategy were all found to have direct effects on their psychological well-being and academic performance. The effects of some of the thinking style and emotion regulation variables on psychological well-being and academic performance were also found to be mediated by either or both of the two dimensions of the Tibetan students’ acculturation strategy (i.e., ethnic and dominant society immersions). Meanwhile, the four acculturation strategies (i.e., integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization) were also found to moderate the effects of the thinking styles and emotion regulation on the psychological well-being and academic performance. With the support from the literature and interviews, the quantitative findings were discussed. The findings of the present research would not only provide valuable information on assisting in understanding the development of people’s thinking styles, emotion regulation, and acculturation, but also provide helpful information for the higher education institutions to improve their teaching and management of the ethnic minority students. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy