Thesis (M.A.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-107). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community continues to experience worse health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts. Inequities in health care include low health insurance rates, high rates of stress due to systemic discrimination and stigma, and a lack of cultural competency in the health care system. Gender and sexual minority (GSM) people are at higher risk of mental health disorders, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), substance use and abuse, cancer, suicide, and other disorders/diseases. A lack of cultural competency in health care systems perpetuates these health disparities and inequities in care that burden the LGBT community. This project?s purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online educational intervention on enhancing health professionals? cultural competence of GSM health. This study used a one-group pre-, post-, and follow-up survey intervention, quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on improving health professionals? knowledge, clinical preparedness, and attitudinal awareness of GSM health. The study?s setting was at a primary care center with clinics spread across three rural counties in North Dakota with a combined population of less than 14,000. This study used convenience sampling, and the recruitment of participants included a project presentation at the health care organization where the project would take place and an email invitation. Thirty-six participants completed the pre-survey, 11 of those 36 participants completed the educational intervention and post-survey, and six of those 11 participants completed the follow-up survey four weeks after completing the educational intervention. The instrument used for the presurvey, post-survey, and follow-up survey was the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCSS). A paired sample t-test was used to compare pre, post, and four-week follow-up LGBT-DOCSS mean scores. The results indicated a statistically significant improvement in LGBT-DOCSS mean score on the post-survey (p = 0.0011) and four-week follow-up (p = 0.01) compared to the pre-survey. Additionally, the majority of participants reported that this educational intervention was valuable to their practice. This project revealed that an online educational intervention effectively enhanced health professionals? cultural competence of GSM health.

The fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) lay the groundwork for much of the innovation driving society forward. Despite the contributions of these fields to society, women are chronically underrepresented in STEM careers. Could one cause for this underrepresentation lie in how these subjects are taught in school? The purpose of our study was to explore how methods of presenting educational material may affect retention and motivation of students, especially women. We predict that by increasing the presented communal value of a scientific topic (that is, how the topic can be applied to help others), participants’ retention and scientific motivation will increase. University-enrolled participants completed online pre-tests of content knowledge and motivation, then were randomly assigned to read one of three versions of a brief scientific article: Control (basic information presented), Increased Communal Value, or Increased Communal Value with Related Images. Participants then completed a knowledge and motivation post-test. The results of this study are under analysis. Expected outcomes include a main effect for communal value on outcomes of science motivation and retention, as well as interaction effects for gender (such that communal value impacts females’, more than males’, motivation and retention).

Bakgrund: Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) är en psykisk sjukdom som drabbar föräldrar där barnet/barnen blir offer. Föräldrarna, ofta modern drivs av uppmärksamheten de får av sjukvården. Föräldrarna manipulerar sjukvårdspersonalen då de ofta blir indragna i misshandeln genom diverse behandlingar/ingrepp. Svårigheter med att påvisa misshandeln för allmänsjuksköterskan/sjukvårdspersonalen är svår då det sker i det tysta samt att kunskapen kring MSBP är liten. Vid all misstanke om att ett barn far illa har sjukvårdspersonalen anmälningsplikt och på så sätt kan barnens rättigheter enligt Barnkonventionen skyddas. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka faktorer som kan leda till tidig upptäckt av förälder med MSBP. Metod: En kvalitativ litteraturstudie baserad på case studies/case reports som innehåller narrativa berättelser som bygger på empiri och induktiv ansats. Litteraturstudien genomfördes utifrån Polit och Becks (2017) niostegsanalys.   Resultat: Fyra kategorier framkom. Vanliga symtom hos barnen, vanliga undersökningar av barnen, vanlig behandling av barnen samt beteenden hos barn respektive föräldrar. Slutsats: De faktorer som vårdpersonal ska vara uppmärksamma på är barns beteendeförändringar och förseningar i utvecklingen, föräldrar som för barnets talan, som ej lämnar barnets sida på sjukhuset samt vill ta och lämna in egna provmaterial från sitt barn. En annan faktor är familjer som frekvent söker vård för sitt barn eller varit inlagda trots att ingen sjukdom kunnat diagnostiseras eller bekräftats till följd av de diffusa symtomen som funnit hos barnen. Ytterligare en faktor är familjer som har haft många vårdkontakter och flyttar ofta. För att denna medvetenheten ska finnas behöver kunskap kring Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy spridas.

Gifted programs, designed to enhance engagement and rigor for students exhibiting talent or potential beyond their peers in the general education classroom, are not equitably identifying and serving Hispanic/Latino students. This qualitative study explored gifted programming at a Title I elementary school located in a largely Hispanic/Latino community. Very few students received gifted services at the school, despite equity measures in place. Using a framework of educational capital, this study highlighted the cultural capital and community cultural wealth of gifted Hispanic/Latino students and provided suggestions for enhancing programming for this historically underidentified population of learners. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of parents and teachers of students receiving gifted services. Questions were aligned with concepts of capital, and a priori codes were used to analyze participant perspectives. Findings identified embodied cultural capital as the dominant gifted paradigm, but inequitable opportunities to learn hinder students’ ability to embody giftedness. Also, the linguistic capital of other cultures has been unrecognized by gifted testing, impacting access for gifted emergent bilingual students. Finally, barriers to success (e.g., low levels of rigor and engagement at the school, lack of opportunity to test for the gifted program, and lack of navigational capital for parents and teachers) threaten the vibrant hopes and dreams parents and teachers have for these students. Findings support the need for increased gifted programming in Title I schools and updated gifted policy to reflect culturally inclusive values.

The ecology of female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and their broods was studied during 1988-90 on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, California. Survival of 127 radio-marked ducklings from 64 broods was 0.18 to 10 days of life, and 0.37 and 0.34 to fledging for 1988, 1989, and 1990, respectively. For the 3 years of the study, 49.2% of hens lost their entire brood; 81.2, 36.8, and 37.5% in 1988, 1989, and 1990, respectively. Ninety-three percent of mortality occurred on or before 10 days of life. No significant differences were detected in the proportion of radio-marked ducklings lost from early hatched or late hatched nests. A variety of predators consumed radio-marked ducklings; however, 49% of the cases of mortality were a result of an unknown predator. During 1989 and 1990, 3 radio-marked ducklings from 16 hens which appeared to lose their entire brood were fledged by other brood hens, and of 29 radio-marked ducklings that reached 44 days of life, 6 (20.7%) had joined other broods. Movements, home range, and habitat use were determined for 27 radio-marked broods. Relocation movements (>1000 m in 24 hrs) occurred in 12 of the 27 broods, primarily in the first week and after the fourth week of life. In 1989, significantly fewer radio-marked ducklings from broods hatching in permanent marshes survived to fledge compared to those originating in seasonal wetlands. Mean size of home ranges was 1.27 ± 0.47 km² and 0.62 ± 0.21 km² in 1989 and 1990, respectively. Most habitat selection by brood rearing hens occurred at the second order, (selection of home range area). Hens selected seasonally flooded wetlands with a cover component and avoided open or permanently flooded habitats. Estimated recruitment (females fledged/adult female in the spring population), proportional change in population size, and number of fledged young varied markedly during the 3 years of the study. Estimated recruitment was 0.31, 1.26, and 0.83 for 1988, 1989, and 1990, respectively. The estimated proportional change in population size ranged from 0.73 in 1988 to 1.29 and 1.04 during 1989 and 1990, respectively. Number of fledged young ranged from 915 in 1988 to 6,102 in 1989. Movements, habitat use, and survival of postbreeding radio-marked mallard hens were also determined. From mid-April to early August, 5,279 exposure days without the loss of a radio-marked hen were tallied. Of the 4 hens which emigrated from the study area, all were unsuccessful in rearing a brood. Unsuccessful hens moved to surveyed areas north of the study area significantly sooner than successful hens. Canals were the primary habitat utilized by postbreeding hens in 1988 while mixed seasonal and emergent permanent marsh were the most frequently used habitats in 1989 and 1990. Open seasonal and mixed seasonal marshes were the most frequently utilized habitats by incubating hens. Radio-marked hens moved a mean distance of 1,350 m from the nest to suspected feeding areas. / Graduation date: 1992

The Condrey Mountain Schist (CMS) occupies a window through Late Triassic amphibolite facies melange in the north central Klamath Mountains in northern California and southwest Oregon. The schists owe their present level of exposure to a large structural dome centered on the Condrey Mountain Window. Transitional blueschist-greenschist facies assemblages are widespread in mafic schists in the structurally lowest levels of the window; structurally higher CMS near the window margins contains medium- to high-pressure greenschist facies parageneses. An ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar crossite age indicates a late Middle Jurassic age of metamorphism. All subunits of the CMS contain evidence of progressive, polyphase deformational and metamorphic histories. The styles and geometries of minor structures in the central part of the window suggest that early folding and transposition was the result of noncoaxial deformation, and that rotational strains were replaced by irrotational flattening strains with time. Rotational strains were accompanied by the development of epidote-crossite assemblages and the growth of deerite in meta-ironstones; irrotational flattening strains were accompanied and followed by the growth of albite, actinolite, spessartine, and the Ba-silicate, cymrite. Pressure-temperature estimates, the relative ages of mineral growth and deformation, and strain geometries are consistent with, but not restricted to, a subduction zone environment. High shear strains may reflect descent and burial, whereas flattening and late, static mineral growth occur during uplift. Pressure-temperature estimates for the overlying CMS greenschists suggest temperatures similar to those in the central part of the window, but at slightly lower pressures. Thrusting of the overlying amphibolites at 150-156 Ma occurred while the amphibolites were above about 500°C. Stretching lineations indicate a movement vector of about N45W. Comparisons of the sequence and timing of metamorphic and structural events, radiometric ages, and movement directions during thrusting indicate the CMS does not represent an inlier of Klamath Western Jurassic Belt flysch but is instead an older, isolated thrust plate. Similarities with the age of metamorphism and plutonism in the overlying amphibolites suggest the two plates may be remnants of the same Middle Jurassic paired metamorphic belt. / text

The Early Miocene Eagle Creek Formation, a series of volcanic mudflows and debris flows, is exposed in the Columbia River Gorge about 64 kilometers east of Portland, Oregon. Eighty-seven samples were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis for trace element concentrations. Eleven samples were analyzed by Dr. Peter Hooper at Washington State University using X-ray Fluorescence for major element chemistry. These data were used to determine that the Eagle Creek Formation compositionally ranges from andesite to dacite.

Regular physical activity, timely medication, controlled diet, and blood glucose monitoring is crucial for any diabetic patient. Laxity on following these treatment regimens can cause severe health complexity. Moreover, A physician’s surveillance on a patient, based on the patient’s real-time progress is difficult with the existing health care system. This research aims to provide a more accurate objective data in real-time to the physicians to help both patients and providers. The data being generated is mined later to investigate interesting questions regarding diabetic care. The resultant system is a mobile healthcare monitoring system for type – 2 diabetic patients that traces patients daily progress. Although many mobile apps provide self-monitoring tools for the patient, an interactive platform for monitoring all relevant parameters of diabetes where patients and physicians both are end users is unique. The Android app is designed with 3 major modules and two submodules: 1. Carb Intake Tracker (CIT), 2. Blood Glucose Tracker (BGT), 3. Physical Activity Tracker (PAT), 4. Medicine and 5. Blood Glucose (BG) reading reminder. Since Carb is an important factor for a diabetic patient’s meals, the CIT provides a platform to record daily meals from which the patient can see the total carb intake. Through BGT, patients can record their fasting or non-fasting blood glucose reading. The PAT collects a patient’s movement data via Bluetooth from a pair of wearable insole devices, and processing the data identifies and records the current activity. The PAT can detect if the patient is active in sedentary, as well as the type of exercise done by the patient. Using BG reminder and medicine reminder, the patient can set reminders which supports the apps self-monitoring aspect. All the data collected by CIT, BGT, and PAT are stored in Microsoft Azure cloud database, an authorized physician can access the database and see graphical statistics of a patient’s diet, physical activity, and glycemic index level. The app portrays statistics of carbs taken over a period, calories burned, and Glucose level trends through graphical representation. This has two advantages: 1. Patients can improve lifestyle observing records and following reminders, 2. Physicians can prescribe actions perceiving a patient’s trends over time. This research presents unique collaborative interaction between diabetic patients and physicians to create a real time patient portal based on android APIs and wearable devices.

Denna kandidatuppsats undersöker erfarenheter av tidigare familjehemsplacerade barn angående deras möjligheter att uttrycka åsikter och påverka beslutet om deras placering, samt det arbete socialsekreterare gör för att främja detta och det rättsliga överväganden som måste göras. Genom en kvalitativ forskningsmetodologi baserad på fem respondenter, varav tre tidigare familjehemsplacerade barn och två socialsekreterare analyseras detta.   Det framkommer från resultatet att både lagliga och sociala övervägande påverkar beslutet om placeringen, med fokus på att LVU-beslut ibland kan vara svåra att uppnå trots tydliga behov. Eftersom övergången från frivillig placering till tvångsplacering kräver starka skäl och noggrant övervägande. Kraven på familjehem diskuteras och hur viktig matchningen mellan barn och familj är för att säkerställa en trygg och positiv uppväxt i familjehem.   Genom intervjuerna med tidigare familjehemsplacerade barn får vi en inblick i deras upplevelser av att vara placerad i familjehem samt graden av upplevd delaktighet. Vissa uttryckte en brist på delaktighet i beslut som rör dem vid placeringen medan andra haft positiva erfarenheter av att deras åsikter beaktats och respekterats. Barnets delaktighet under processen framhävs, med användning av metoder som Norrköpingsmodellen för att säkerställa att barnets röst hörs och att deras behov beaktas.