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Risk analysis (including resilience analysis) of infrastructure requires models that describe the connection of components and subsequent flow dynamics. However, the detailed information needed to define these models may not be available, especially for small‐scale infrastructure that connect to every building. In this paper, we generate location‐specific small‐scale networks using detailed data that should always be available. We propose a general framework where we generate the network topology, we estimate the resource demand at each building, and we design the network components to meet the demands. This general framework is applicable to all types of infrastructure, but many procedures are specific to the type of network being generated. This paper develops the necessary procedures to generate sewer networks and illustrates the usage for an example network in a small study area in Seaside, Oregon. The proposed sewer network generator produces realistic sewer networks as compared to the real network of Seaside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the processes by which "stakeholder" status is constructed, and the importance of sense of place to that construction in collaborative water resource governance processes. Water management often involves collaborative governance, but there can be differences between who has an interest in the outcome, and who is formally invited to participate as a "stakeholder." We examine a case study of a collaborative water governance process in Central Oregon, and found that existing models of stakeholder formation present in scholarly literature did not fully explain the dynamics of stakeholder participation. We propose a two-step "Interest-Participation" model of stakeholder formation: to be considered stakeholders, a group must not only have an interest in the outcome but must actively navigate barriers to participation. We moreover argue that collaborative engagement is an embodiment of sense of place, emphasizing the importance of competing place meanings in resource governance processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It seems probable that some form of medically-assisted dying will become legal in England and Wales in the foreseeable future. Assisted dying Bills are at various stages of preparation in surrounding jurisdictions (Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey), and activists campaign unceasingly for a change in the law in England and Wales. There is generally uncritical supportive media coverage, and individual autonomy is seen as the unassailable trump card: 'my life, my death'. However, devising a law which is 'fit for purpose' is not an easy matter. The challenge is to achieve an appropriate balance between compassion and patient autonomy on the one hand, and respect for human life generally and medical autonomy on the other. More people should benefit from a change in the law than be harmed. In relation to medically-assisted dying, this may not be possible. Protecting the vulnerable is a key issue. Likewise, not impacting negatively on societal attitudes towards the disabled and frail elderly, particularly those with dementia. This paper compares three existing models of physician-assisted suicide: Switzerland, Oregon (USA), and Victoria (Australia). Vulnerability and autonomy are discussed, and concern expressed about the biased nature of much of the advocacy for assisted dying, tantamount to disinformation. A 'hidden' danger of assisted dying is noted, namely, increased suffering as more patients decline referral to palliative-hospice care because they fear they will be 'drugged to death'. Finally, suggestions are made for a possible 'least worse' way forward. One solution would seem to be for physician-assisted suicide to be the responsibility of a stand-alone Department for Assisted Dying overseen by lawyers or judges and operated by technicians. Doctors would be required only to confirm a patient's medical eligibility. Palliative-hospice care should definitely not be involved, and healthcare professionals must have an inviolable right to opt out of involvement. There is also an urgent need to improve the provision of care for all terminally ill patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Between 2001 and 2004 a wear test was conducted in an operating Oregon paper mill. The objectives were to determine if there was a significant wear difference between two refiner alloys and to monitor and record wear while minimizing the impact on production. Four complete circles of plates were installed in a Sprout refiner. One circle was all Andritz A10 alloy, one was 17-4PH and the other two were alternating 17-4PH and A10 plates. Before installation and after removal bar height was measured with a micrometer. Wear surface replicas were taken five times during and after the test which started in August 2001 and ended in October 2004. It was found that 17-4PH wore at a slightly higher rate than the A10 in this application. The replica method of measuring and recording wear was very effective, producing data with good precision and accuracy and also minimizing disruption to the operating mill. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Climate change is expected to have long-term impacts on drought and wildfire risks in Oregon as summers continue to become warmer and drier. This paper investigates the projected changes in drought characteristics and drought propagation in the Umatilla River Basin in northeastern Oregon for mid-century (2030–2059) and late-century (2070–2099) climate scenarios. Drought characteristics for projected climates were determined using downscaled CMIP5 climate datasets from ten climate models and Soil and Water Assessment Tool to simulate effects on hydrologic processes. Short-term (three months) drought characteristics (frequency, duration, and severity) were analyzed using four drought indices, including the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI-3), Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI-3), Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI-3), and the Standardized Soil Moisture Index (SSMI-3). Results indicate that short-term meteorological droughts are projected to become more prevalent, with up to a 20% increase in the frequency of SPI-3 drought events. Short-term hydrological droughts are projected to become more frequent (average increase of 11% in frequency of SSI-3 drought events), more severe, and longer in duration (average increase of 8% for short-term droughts). Similarly, short-term agricultural droughts are projected to become more frequent (average increase of 28% in frequency of SSMI-3 drought events) but slightly shorter in duration (average decrease of 4%) in the future. Historically, drought propagation time from meteorological to hydrological drought is shorter than from meteorological to agricultural drought in most sub-basins. For the projected climate scenarios, the decrease in drought propagation time will likely stress the timing and capacity of water supply in the basin for irrigation and other uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an analysis of a 100-meter wind measurement guyed mast located in the north-western part of the United States, in the state of Oregon. Using the RFEM software [1], the influence of the wind on the mast was analyzed according to the guidelines of two standards: American TIA-222-H [2] and European EN 1993-3-1 [3]. The purpose of this work is to show the differences between the results of static computations of the mast in terms of the considered standards. Due to the limited content of the work, the icing load on the structure was ignored in the analysis and the focus was on determining the response of the mast only in terms of wind action. The author tried to describe the differences in this respect between the standard guidelines [2] and [3]. The comments and conclusions regarding the analysis of guyed masts presented in the article have some practical aspects and can be used in design practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence of its effectiveness, tobacco cessation is not systematically addressed in routine healthcare settings. Its measurement is part of the problem. A pilot study was designed to develop and implement two different tobacco tracking systems in two independent primary care offices that participated in an IPA Model health maintenance organization in Portland, Oregon. The first clinic, which utilized a paper-based charting system, implemented CPT-like tracking codes to measure and report tobacco-cessation activities, which were eventually included in the managed-care organization's (MCO) claims database. The second clinic implemented an electronic tracking system based on its computerized electronic medical record (EMR) charting system. This paper describes the pilot study, including the processes involved in building provider acceptance for the new tracking systems in these two clinics, the barriers and successes encountered during implementation, and the resources expended by the clinics and by the MCO during the pilot. The findings from the 3-month implementation period were that documentation of tobacco-use status remained stable at 42-45% in the paper-based clinic and increased from 79% to 88% in the EMR clinic. This pilot study demonstrated that Tracking Codes are a feasible preventive-care tracking system in paper-based medical offices. However, high levels of effort and support are needed, and a critical mass of insurers and health plans would need to adopt Tracking Codes before widespread use could be expected. Results of the EMR-based tracking system are also reviewed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doppler-lidar wind-profile measurements at three sites were used to evaluate NWP model errors from two versions of NOAA's 3-km-grid HRRR model, to see whether updates in the latest version 4 reduced errors when compared against the original version 1. Nested (750-m grid) versions of each were also tested to see how grid spacing affected forecast skill. The measurements were part of the field phase of the Second Wind Forecasting Improvement Project (WFIP2), an 18-month deployment into central Oregon–Washington, a major wind-energy-producing region. This study focuses on errors in simulating marine intrusions, a summertime, 600–800-m-deep, regional sea-breeze flow found to generate large errors. HRRR errors proved to be complex and site dependent. The most prominent error resulted from a premature drop in modeled marine-intrusion wind speeds after local midnight, when lidar-measured winds of greater than 8 m s−1 persisted through the next morning. These large negative errors were offset at low levels by positive errors due to excessive mixing, complicating the interpretation of model "improvement," such that the updates to the full-scale versions produced mixed results, sometimes enhancing but sometimes degrading model skill. Nesting consistently improved model performance, with version 1's nest producing the smallest errors overall. HRRR's ability to represent the stages of sea-breeze forcing was evaluated using radiation budget, surface-energy balance, and near-surface temperature measurements available during WFIP2. The significant site-to-site differences in model error and the complex nature of these errors mean that field-measurement campaigns having dense arrays of profiling sensors are necessary to properly diagnose and characterize model errors, as part of a systematic approach to NWP model improvement. Significance Statement: Dramatic increases in NWP model skill will be required over the coming decades. This paper describes the role of major deployments of accurate profiling sensors in achieving that goal and presents an example from the Second Wind Forecast Improvement Program (WFIP2). Wind-profile data from scanning Doppler lidars were used to evaluate two versions of HRRR, the original and an updated version, and nested versions of each. This study focuses on the ability of updated HRRR versions to improve upon predicting a regional sea-breeze flow, which was found to generate large errors by the original HRRR. Updates to the full-scale HRRR versions produced mixed results, but the finer-mesh versions consistently reduced model errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity owing to climate change. Individual‐level behavioural responses—notably, disaster preparedness and community helping actions (such as donating and volunteering)—supplement government efforts to respond to such phenomena, but rarely have they been explored together. Using data from a survey administered soon after the 2020 Oregon wildfires, this paper compares a range of socio‐demographic, experiential, attitudinal, and communication‐related factors associated with these two individual‐level behavioural responses. Findings indicate that respondents who reported experiencing a higher degree of harm and heightened concern about climate change after the wildfires were more likely to report disaster preparedness and community helping actions. Those who reported more frequent informal discussions about the wildfires, consulting more sources to seek information on them, and higher percentages of friends, neighbours, and community members taking actions to prepare for future wildfires also reported more disaster preparedness and community helping actions. Disaster preparedness actions were also positively associated with seeking information from formal/official sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oregon sunstone is a unique feldspar gemstone that displays a wide range of colors and optical effects due to the presence of metallic copper inclusions of various sizes and shapes. Most striking are the distinct green and red colors caused by copper particles, sometimes with strong red to green pleochroism. Recent computation work suggests that copper particles can strongly absorb and/or scatter light depending on the relative orientations of the feldspar crystal, the copper particles, and the polarization of the incident light, resulting in dramatically different appearances of the same crystal when viewed (or cut) along different directions. Common optical properties of Oregon sunstone are described and explained in detail in this paper, based on the optical theories of metallic nanoparticles in anisotropic media. Notably, it was found that the red to green colors observed can only be explained by considering both selective absorption and scattering from copper particles. The absorption and extinction spectra of the copper inclusions in Oregon sunstone are measured for different crystal orientations and polarizations. The scattering effect of the copper particles is quantified by subtracting absorption from extinction, the result of which agrees closely with the computed optical properties of spheroidal copper nanoparticles. The orientation of the anisotropic copper particles relative to the optical indicatrix of the feldspar is described. The correlation between the copper concentration profile and the "watermelon" color zoning in some Oregon sunstones is examined and discussed, along with a comparison to the color zones in treated, copper-diffused feldspar. Further studies on the diffusion and dissolution mechanisms of copper in feldspar crystals are required to fully understand the geologic processes that create these special gemstones in nature, which may provide additional methods to differentiate between treated and untreated stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tolerance for wildlife can be informed by a person's beliefs, attitudes, norms, or other characteristics. Although theoretical papers emphasize the interrelations of these multiple antecedents of wildlife tolerance, empirical studies have not tested them using a rigorous scale development process. We used psychometrics to characterize the cognitive antecedents of tolerance toward black bears (Ursus americanus). Proposed scale items were tested via web-hosted questionnaire (n = 240) and refined into 29 items representing five antecedent dimensions of tolerance for black bears. We then administered these items to a different sample of recreational trail users in western Oregon (n = 210). Second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 19-item measure representing four distinct yet related antecedent dimensions of tolerance: antipathy, connection, lethal control (damage), and lethal control (danger to self, pets, and economics). These dimensions help better explain why people may be more or less tolerant toward black bears and, potentially, other wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color, including Latinx communities. Oregon Saludable: Juntos Podemos (OSJP) is a randomized clinical trial aimed at reducing this disparity by both increasing access to testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, for Oregon Latinx community members and studying the effectiveness of health and behavioral health interventions on turnout and health outcomes. OSJP established SARS-CoV-2 testing events at sites across Oregon. A critical early question was how to locate these sites to best serve Latinx community members. To propose sites in each participating county, we implemented an algorithmic approach solving a facilities location problem. This algorithm was based on minimizing driving time from Latinx population centers to SARS-CoV-2 testing locations. OSJP staff presented these proposed testing locations to community partners as a starting place for identifying final testing sites. Due to differences in geography, population distributions, and potential site accessibility, the study sites exhibited variation in how well the algorithmic optimization objectives could be satisfied. From this variation, we inferred the effects of the drive time optimization metric on the likelihood of Latinx community members utilizing SARS-CoV-2 testing services. After controlling for potential confounders, we found that minimizing the drive time optimization metric was strongly correlated with increased turnout among Latinx community members. This paper presents the algorithm and data sources used for site proposals and discusses challenges and opportunities for community-based health promotion research when translating algorithm proposals into action across a range of health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of agricultural conservation trends have gained and lost favour throughout the years, with farm bills in the United States often influencing which conservation practices are implemented. This paper explores the consequences of a set of conservation techniques loosely defined as "no‐till agriculture," focusing on their implementation and adoption since 1985, at which point such approaches began to be explicitly encouraged under US Farm Bill soil conservation mandates. We begin by noting a core contradiction that has characterized these approaches in the Fifteenmile Watershed of Wasco County, Oregon, where despite high rates of farmer enrollment in no‐till programs, both no‐till agriculture and sustained tillage have led to the increased use of herbicides and sustained sediment runoff. Using a critical physical geography framework that integrates intensive physical field data collection, spatial analysis, social surveys, and interviews, we address the biophysical and social factors collectively driving changes in herbicide use and variable erosion estimates. We draw particular attention to how farm bill support for no‐till has enrolled farmers in a vaguely defined and underregulated conservation practice that may ultimately undermine environmental quality. Key Messages: No‐till has been broadly used to describe many conservation tillage practices, which has led to inaccurate erosion estimates.Variations in no‐till practices have coincided with unprecedented increases of herbicide.Processes of neoliberalization have influenced the sustainability of no‐till. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive pest species that causes significant economic damage to many crops. One of the crucial aspects of management strategies rely on understanding the biology and life-table parameters of H. halys. Here, we described the temperature dependent life-table parameters of H. halys from New Jersey and Oregon. In addition, comparison with previous data was performed to provide up-to-date information. Altogether, the current data and previous reports were employed to determine developmental thresholds and estimates of optimal temperatures for H. halys population development. Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a generalist pest that causes serious injury to a variety of crops around the world. After the first detection in the USA, H. halys became a serious threat to growers resulting in significant crop damage. Understanding the effect of temperature on H. halys development will help to achieve successful control by predicting the phenological timing of the pest. Here, life table parameters (survival, development, reproduction, and daily mortality) of H. halys were evaluated for New Jersey and Oregon populations in the US. Parameters were determined from field-collected and laboratory-reared individuals. The results indicated that New Jersey populations had higher levels of egg-laying than Oregon populations and exhibited higher and earlier fecundity peaks. Survival levels were similar between populations. Linear and nonlinear fit were used to estimate the minimum (14.3 °C), optimal (27.8 °C), and maximum (35.9 °C) temperatures where development of H. halys can take place. An age-specific fecundity peak (Mx = 36.63) was recorded at 936 degree days for New Jersey populations, while maximum fecundity (Mx = 11.85) occurred at 1145 degree days in Oregon. No oviposition was recorded at the lowest (15 °C) or highest (35 °C) trialed temperatures. Developmental periods increased at temperatures above 30 °C, indicating that such higher temperatures are suboptimal for H. halys development. Altogether the most optimal temperatures for population increase (rm) ranged from 25 to 30 °C. Survival rates of H. halys at suboptimal low temperatures of 8 °C (i.e., 61%) is comparable to previous reports. The present paper provides additional data and context from a range of experimental conditions and populations. Such temperature-related H. halys life table parameters can be used to provide determine the risk to susceptible crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Axial Seamount is a seafloor volcano with frequent eruptions and periodic cycles of inflation and deflation. Seafloor pressure gauges monitor vertical deformation with time, but inherent instrumental drift complicates and biases geodetic interpretation. A drift corrected pressure recorder was deployed on Axial Seamount on 6 July 2018, at coordinates 45° 57.29′ North latitude, −130° 0.56′ East longitude, depth 1,535 m. This system includes two independent quartz‐resonant pressure gauges, which nearly continuously observe the seafloor pressure. At regular intervals, the gauges are calibrated in situ with a modified deadweight tester at a pressure within 98% of the nominal seafloor pressure. Using the calibration data, the drift of each gauge has been modeled as a simple linear plus decaying exponential function of time. The two estimated linear sensor drift rates are 0.45 ± 0.12 and 0.36 ± 0.08 kPa/year; the modeled sensor drift represents a significant error if uncorrected. The standard deviations of the drift model residuals are of order 0.06 kPa or 6 mm depth equivalent. Once calibrated, the difference between the two seafloor pressure timeseries exhibits a RMS deviation of ±6 mm at the 90% confidence limit and a linear trend less than 1 mm/year. A time series from July 2018 to December 2021 tracks the inflation of Axial Seamount with differing inflation rates over different time intervals. Plain Language Summary: The seafloor undergoes movements due to earthquakes and volcanoes, but seafloor motions are difficult to measure with conventional methods. One approach is to use pressure gauges to monitor changes in seafloor depth, but unavoidable gauge drift complicates the interpretation. This paper describes an instrument that can measure and remove gauge drift, providing a precise and unbiased measurement. This instrument also uses the power and data infrastructure of a seafloor instrumentation network, which allows for longer measurements and continuous monitoring. Axial Seamount is west of Oregon and undergoes repeated cycles of uplift due to magma injection, followed by submarine volcanic eruptions and deflation; a new cycle of magma injection and uplift begins anew. This instrument can be used, along with other sensors, to monitor the pattern and rates of deformation. Key Points: A pressure logging instrument with in situ sensor drift correction was deployed on Axial SeamountA 42‐month pressure gauge time series, converted to equivalent vertical displacement, demonstrates internal consistency at the sub‐cm levelThe drift corrected uplift time series is measuring uplift of the Axial volcanic system [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, electronic circuits' time to market is essential, with engineers trying to reduce it as much as possible. Due to this, simulation has become the main testing concept used in the electronics domain. In order to perform the simulation of a circuit, a behavioral model must be created. Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) are semiconductor devices found in a multitude of electronic circuits, and they are also used as power switches in many applications, such as low-dropout linear voltage regulators, switching regulators, gate drivers, battery management systems, etc. A MOSFETs' behavior is extremely complex to model, thus, creating high-performance models for these transistors is an imperative condition in order to emulate the exact real behavior of a circuit using them. An essential parameter of MOSFET power switches is the ON-state resistance (RDSON), because it determines the power losses during the ON state. Ideally, the power losses need to be zero. RDSON depends on multiple factors, such as temperature, load current, and gate-to-source voltage. Previous studies in this domain focus on the modeling of the MOSFET only in specific operating points, but do not cover the entire variation range of the parameters, which is critical for some applications. For this reason, in this paper, there was introduced for the first time a novel ON-state resistance modeling technique for MOSFET Power Switches, which solves the entire RDSON dependency on the transistor's variables stated above. The novel RDSON modeling technique is based on modulating the transistor's gate-to-source voltage such that the exact RDSON value is obtained in each possible operating point. The method was tested as a real-life example by creating a behavioral model for an N-channel MOSFET transistor and the chosen simulation environment was Oregon, USA, Computer-Aided Design (OrCAD) capture. The results show that the model is able to match the transistor's RDSON characteristics with a maximum error of 0.8%. This is extremely important for applications in which the temperatures, voltages, and currents vary over a wide range. The new proposed modeling method covers a gap in the behavioral modeling domain, due to the fact that, until now, it was not possible to model the RDSON characteristics in all operating corners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting accessibility and expanding transportation options are at the center of many livability programs. Using the 2017 Oregon Livability Survey administered in three regions in Oregon, this paper studies the livability impacts of accessibility and transportation options in the broader context of residential preferences and choices. Findings show that residents valued accessibility and transportation options in both livability conceptualization and their residential choice process within a similar a hierarchy of preferences. Expanding accessibility and transportation options can enhance livability, but its effectiveness is limited if other situational factors critical to residents' residential choice are not adequately addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has two purposes: First, we describe the components of the Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety (SOARS) framework in the context of the literature on school safety. Second, we offer outcomes from a pilot study testing the framework's impact on student perceptions of: (a) school belonging, (b) sense of personal safety, (c) level of disruption, (d) level of delinquency, (e) responsibility for school safety, (f) engagement in victimizing behavior, and (g) sense of being victimized by peers. We conducted a study with two conditions, intervention and control. The study was conducted in Oregon and Illinois. Four high schools participated in the study. Two high schools received access to the SOARS framework and two high schools served as controls. We collected usage data of the Advocatr app, the central components of the SOARS framework, as well as survey data from students. We examined Advocatr use by overall frequency as well as across student race and gender. Survey data were analyzed using an ANCOVA analytic approach. Almost all outcomes were in the desired direction. Intervention effects on student-reported school belonging, sense of personal safety, and level of disruption reached statistical significance. Effect sizes ranged from small to medium, with the largest effect in students' perceptions of personal safety. We contextualize our study in the literature on school safety and describe the alignment of the SOARS components with existing recommendations for increasing students' safety at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate risk analysis requires representative mathematical models of infrastructure. One of the main challenges in developing mathematical models of infrastructure is selecting the modeling resolution from multiple candidates for the required analyses, each candidate having different computational cost, accuracy, and possibly ability to provide information. The goal of selecting the model resolution is to allocate computational resources to the model that best delivers the desired information with the desired accuracy level. This paper proposes a mathematical formulation to select the appropriate resolution for the modeling of infrastructure. We formulate the model selection as an iterative process until a tradeoff is achieved among accuracy, simplicity, and computational efficiency. To select the appropriate level of resolution, we propose novel metrics that measure the level of agreement between estimates of the quantities of interest computed using different levels of resolution. Specifically, we propose global metrics of accuracy that inform if a model is sufficiently detailed or oversimplified. Likewise, we introduce local metrics of accuracy to inform which parts of the model (e.g., spatial portions of the infrastructure model) need refinements. We illustrate the proposed mathematical formulation by selecting the level of resolution of the water infrastructure of Seaside, Oregon, for the purpose of assessing its functionality after a seismic hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the high market values of natural sunstones in Oregon, a kind of artificially diffused red feldspar exhibited at the Tucson Exhibition at the beginning of this century, whose color origin is the same as that of natural sunstone (copper nanoparticles). However, the details of the artificial diffusion process are less disclosed, there is no systematic method to obtain such gemstones. In this paper, we developed the high-temperature copper diffusion process for the surface recoloring of faceted labradorites, which are partly buried in the diffusant. By optimizing the experimental parameters of high-temperature copper diffusion, we successfully recolored the faceted labradorites to red and light red. The gemological and spectroscopic characteristics of the recolored faceted labradorite were further characterized. The red and light-red faceted labradorites exhibited the unique surface plasmon resonance absorption peaks of copper nanoparticles near 580 nm, which is the origin of red color. The typical inclusions formed in the faceted labradorite is in the shape of "fire cloud". The interface of red and light-red faceted labradorite that is in contact with the diffusant is less contaminated, we believe that the contamination could be further reduced or eliminated by optimizing the high-temperature copper diffusion process. The way that the sample is in contact with the diffusant partly is versatile and promising in the surface treatment of materials that have already been processed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a detailed morphosyntactic investigation of free relative clauses (FRs) in Kiksht, an Indigenous Native North American Language spoken at the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. A type of headless relative clause, FRs are embedded clauses that bear formal affinity to wh ‑ interrogative clauses yet carry no interrogative meaning and distribute like arguments and adjuncts. Two FR types are attested in Kiksht: maximal FRs, which behave like definite expressions, and existential FRs, which behave like indefinites. A third type of non-interrogative clause is also discussed, which is similar to a free-choice FR but also bears likeness to wh ‑ correlatives and wh ‑ conditionals. All FR types in Kiksht are formally indistinct, their type and meaning being contextually determined. Kiksht free relatives are also unlike headed relative clauses in the language. Typologically, orienting to Kiksht is relevant because there is little documentation of FRs in Indigenous Native North American languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Place is central to the marketing of wine. In the twentieth century, the French developed the appellation system to classify wine on the basis of its ‘terroir’—the combination of soils, climate, and topography that produce a unique wine taste, or its ‘typicity.’ The United States, recognizing the value added by such a system, established American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in 1978. These are wine producing areas delimited on the basis of their environmental characteristics. It is argued that the AVA system is an example of fictive place making: an economic strategy that involves the recreation of places on the basis of their physical and cultural characteristics that is then used to generate economic value. This paper tests that hypothesis in the context of the Willamette Valley, analyzing the content of 162 winery websites to search for place-specific typicity and terroir narratives that would justify the creation of AVAs and the price premiums they generate. The study found that individual winery websites did not present a unified understanding of their AVA’s terroir. Defining characteristics, present in formational petitions, such as soil type and the influence of a cooling Pacific breeze, were shared between multiple AVA member websites, precluding their ability to denote geographical uniqueness. Finally, the language used to describe wine did not generate a coherent wine style within any AVA, yet a price premium exists for wine produced from grapes grown within a small AVA, making them fictive places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeology on Oregon's Coast has been largely limited in scope and has lacked the holistic viewpoint of Indigenous coastal history. Investigations began in earnest around 1930 with avocational archaeologists like Marcus Seale interested in expanding their "trophy item" collections. The male dominated field of professional archaeology began to evolve in the 1940s and 1950s with investigators from varying backgrounds, like Luther Cressman who began studying the material culture of the Oregon Tribes as if they were an extinct group. The 1970s push for federal recognition brought increased Tribal involvement and collaboration with archaeologists such as Richard Everett "Dick" Ross. Unfortunately, Tribes remain largely uninterested in archaeology as Indigenous individuals and communities continue to be left out of the narrative. Cultural resource professionals at major institutions continue to curate "cultural material" under the aegis of science and resource protection while arguing against the repatriation of material based on either lack of skeletal components, or a misguided understanding of "affiliation" and of Native views of sacredness. We explore the legacy of our predecessors and how we as archaeologists must take a more comprehensive Tribal perspective approach to understanding Oregon coastal history and more respectfully manage legacy collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Washington Archaeological Research Center (WARC) was established in 1972 at Washington State University (WSU) to serve the six four-year universities and colleges, the state, and thus the public. WARC served as a clearinghouse for government contracts. Project assignments were made through a Scientific Committee of archaeology faculty. Dr. Richard D. Daugherty directed WARC until 1980, when the Administrative Board, and the Scientific Committee, redirected WARC away from contract coordination. Dr. Dale R. Croes was appointed Director, and WARC was tasked with maintaining the state's site records and contract/research reports library. WARC was also directed to create the first computer database for survey projects and site records. WARC goals grew to include: facilitating research, training students, and conducting public outreach. WARC soon created an Advisory Council representing a broad collation of private contract archaeologists; professional archaeologists from Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, Canada; Native American Representatives; Federal/state agencies; and Archaeological/Historical Societies. In many ways it was an effort to work together, using our limited resources, to promote archaeological interests (especially beginning to digitize, standardize, and update our paper-based archaeological site forms)--a coordinating of our discipline, in a form of communitarianism, based on the idea that those involved in archaeology were essentially cooperative ("good") people who wanted to work together for our common goals. The WARC newsletter, The Thunderbird with the distribution of 68 issues, serves as the basis for outlining a chronology of our history between 1980 and 1988. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examination of Empirical Bayes method on Low-volume roads in Oregon. • Crash history is less important in estimating the EB expected number of crashes. • Roadway risk factors are major contributor to EB expected number of crashes. • HSM calibrated crash prediction models ineffective on Oregon's low-volume roads. • Empirical Bayes method performed well in estimating the number of crashes. Introduction: This paper investigates the Empirical Bayes (EB) method and the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) predictive methodology for network screening on low-volume roads in Oregon. Method : A study sample of around 870 miles of rural two-lane roadways with extensive crash, traffic and roadway information was used in this investigation. To understand the effect of low traffic exposure in estimating the EB expected number of crashes, the contributions of both the observed and the HSM predicted number of crashes were analyzed. Results and Conclusions: The study found that, on low-volume roads, the predicted number of crashes is the major contributor in estimating the EB expected number of crashes. The study also found a large discrepancy between the observed and the predicted number of crashes using the HSM procedures calibrated for the state of Oregon, which could partly be attributed to the unique attributes of low-volume roads that are different from the rest of the network. However, the expected number of crashes for the study sample using the HSM EB method was reasonably close to the observed number of crashes over the 10-year study period. Practical Applications : Based on the findings, it can still be very effective to use network screening methods that rely primarily on risk factors for low-volume road networks. This is especially applicable in situations where accurate and reliable crash data are not available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing devolution of climate policy-making to sub-national levels has prompted growing interest in policy entrepreneurship by individuals who are politically and technically creative and institutionally resourceful. This paper investigates the case of the materials-management programme in the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality which has emerged as a national and international leader by focusing on the role of household consumption in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Two noteworthy innovations involve the development of a consumption-based GHG emissions inventory and introduction of policies aimed at facilitating construction of small homes (so-called Accessory Dwelling Units, ADU). The case traces over several decades the higher order learning processes within the group and their entrepreneurship toward affecting broader changes in emission accounting and climate policies in Oregon. The paper identifies the enabling factors for these innovations, and considers: how to create the conditions for learning, experimentation, and policy entrepreneurship; how to reproduce these conditions in different locales; and how to recognize and foster innovations that arise outside the established mainstream 'climate community'. It also stresses the benefits of breaking down the barriers between science-based analysis and policy. The two questions frequently raised in the climate policy debate – how to bring researchers and practitioners together to develop efficacious policies; and how to replicate successful programmes and policies across different communities, jurisdictions, and locations – should be re-examined. It may be more appropriate to ask instead: How to create conditions for learning, experimentation, and policy entrepreneurship; and how to reproduce these conditions in different locales. Key policy insights Using a consumption-based greenhouse gas emission inventory instead of a sector-based inventory radically changes climate policy priorities, shifting the emphasis from technological fixes to curbing household consumption. Policy innovations thrive in teams that combine technical and scientific competencies with: a commitment to addressing societal problems; interest in inquiry, experimentation, and learning; entrepreneurship; and strategic and political savvy. These qualities require breaking down artificial barriers between science and policy. Transformative policy ideas can originate within institutional nodes that operate outside of an established community of expertise and authority; and these should be identified and fostered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of major fires spread across eastern Washington and western Oregon starting on 7 September 2020, driven by strong easterly and northeasterly winds gusting to ~70 kt (1 kt ≈ 0.51 m s−1) at exposed locations. This event was associated with a high-amplitude upper-level ridge over the eastern Pacific and a mobile trough that moved southward on its eastern flank. The synoptic environment during the event was highly unusual, with the easterly 925-hPa wind speeds at Salem, Oregon, being unprecedented for the August–September period. The September 2020 wildfires produced dense smoke that initially moved westward over the Willamette Valley and eventually covered the region. As a result, air quality rapidly degraded to hazardous levels, representing the worst air quality period of recent decades. High-resolution numerical simulations using the WRF Model indicated the importance of a high-amplitude mountain wave in producing strong easterly winds over western Oregon. The dead fuel moisture levels over eastern Washington before the fires were typical for that time of the year. Along the western slopes of the Oregon Cascades, where the fuels largely comprise a dense conifer forest with understory vegetation, fire weather indices were lower (moister) than normal during the early part of the summer, but transitioned to above-normal (drier) values during August, with a spike to record values in early September coincident with the strong easterly winds. Forecast guidance was highly accurate for both the Washington and Oregon wildfire events. Analyses of climatological data and fuel indices did not suggest that unusual preexisting climatic conditions were major drivers of the September 2020 Northwest wildfires. Significance Statement: This paper describes the meteorological conditions associated with major wildfires in eastern Washington and western Oregon during September 2020. It was found that unusual, extreme winds from the north and east played a critical role in initiating and supporting the fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigating the harms of gentrification to communities of color is a pressing challenge. One promising approach is preference policies that enable long-term residents to remain in or return to gentrifying neighborhoods. This mixed-methods study evaluates the City of Portland's "Preference Policy," which provides targeted affordable rental housing to residents displaced from a historically Black neighborhood. This paper draws on survey, interview, and focus group data to explore resident motivations, changes to well-being, and recommendations for improving the policy. Findings suggest preference policies can enhance well-being, and underscore the need for comprehensive strategies to advance racial justice in gentrifying neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the criticism faced by Dean Hal Salwasser of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon, for his leadership during the controversy over research by graduate student Dan Donato and colleagues on the ecological effects of salvage logging. Salvage logging is the practice of removing timber after a major forest fire. The forest industry sees salvage logging as a good way to encourage regrowth and reduce fire risk. However, the paper found that the heavy equipment used to remove dead frees in one southern Oregon forest had killed seedlings and left woody debris that increased fire hazard. The paper attracted national attention when other OSU researchers claimed that the work was deeply flawed and asked the journal "Science," to delay its print publication. The conflagration exposed a deep divide between departments with different perspectives on forest management. Colleges of forestry, including OSU, have been historically dominated by departments that favor active management to increase harvests and spur regeneration after fires, including salvage logging. OSU derives 12% of its budget from taxes on the logging industry.

Enumerates several research papers recognized at the Student Paper Awards during the 66th annual meeting of APCG in Portland, Oregon in September 2003. Award categories; Award recipients; Research topics.

This paper examines how home care workers in Oregon, a predominantly female, geographically dispersed, and economically undervalued workforce, were brought together to engage in collective action and extend their reach beyond the local union to civil society. Drawing on qualitative interviews with union staff and member activists, along with archival data, it documents how home care workers used social movement unionism to improve their working conditions in the early 2000s. The lessons from this case are especially relevant today given the growing demand for in-home care as a means to avoid being placed in institutionalized settings and the shortage of workers to meet the rising demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As climate change increases the frequency and severity of disasters, and population and social changes raise the public's vulnerability to disaster events, societies face additional risk of multiple disaster events or other hazards occurring simultaneously. Such hazards involve significant uncertainty, which must be translated into concrete plans able to be implemented by disaster workers. Little research has explored how disaster managers incorporate different forms of knowledge and uncertainty into preparations for simultaneous hazards or disaster events, or how front-line disaster workers respond to and implement these plans. In this paper I draw on ethnographic research working as a wildland firefighter, interviews with firefighters and fire managers, and state and agency planning documents to examine preparations for two events occurring in Central Oregon in August 2017: (1) the height of wildfire season and (2) hundreds of thousands of anticipated visitors for a total solar eclipse. I find that different qualities of risk, hazard, and uncertainty across these two events were central to the development and implementation of disaster plans. Agency leaders devised worst-case scenario plans for the eclipse based on uncertain predictions regarding hazards from the eclipse and the occurrence of severe wildfires, aiming to eliminate the potential for unknown hazards. These plans were generally met with skepticism by front-line disaster workers. Despite the uncertainties that dominated eclipse-planning rhetoric, firefighters largely identified risks from the eclipse that were risks they dealt with in their daily work as firefighters. I conclude by discussing implications of these findings for conceptual understandings of disaster planning as well as contemporary concerns about skepticism and conspiracy theories directed at government planning and response to disaster events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oregon's Public Mental Health System includes a continuum of small community - based residential programs offering mental health treatment and 24/7 personal care support for adults experiencing severe mental illness. A team of several mental health paraprofessionals working under the direction of the facility administrator and the Master level therapist strive to gently challenge residents to set personally meaningful goals, practice functional skill and slowly take charge of their lives in the community. The author asserts that the manner in which daily operational and behavioral challenges are resolved by the team, affects residents' lives not less than strictly therapeutic interventions. This paper has a twofold aim: 1) To characterize leadership, organization and staff communication as building blocks of the collaborative, person-centered and strength-based residential treatment; 2) To show how clinical and administrative processes must interplay to create a spirt of recovery and optimism in the home-like community residential facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obsidian, originating from the Rocky Mountains and the West, was an exotic exchange commodity in Eastern North America that was often deposited in elaborate caches and burials associated with Middle Woodland era Hopewell and later complexes. In earlier times, obsidian is found only rarely. In this paper we report two obsidian flakes recovered from a now submerged paleolandscape beneath Lake Huron that are conclusively attributed to the Wagontire obsidian source in central Oregon; a distance of more than 4,000 km. These specimens, dating to ~ 9,000 BP, represent the earliest and most distant reported occurrence of obsidian in eastern North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proponents of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia (PAS/E) assert that mentally competent terminally ill patients experiencing 'intractable' physical and/or existential suffering with no means of alleviating this suffering should be afforded the right to end their lives at a time and place of their choosing. A significant obstacle to legalising PAS/E has been the slippery slope argument that posits that gradual abuse of PAS/E is inevitable, leaving vulnerable patient groups of patients susceptible to its use. To distance this practice from the slippery slope, proponents of PAS/E proffer the concept of "Medical Aid-In-Dying" (MAID) that boasts of strict criteria for its use and forward evidence that its use in Oregon and the Netherlands has revealed no evidence of vulnerable patients being coerced into having PAS/E. This paper assesses the position and the assertions brought by proponents for the legalization of MAID in Singapore using an evidenced based socioculturally sensitive approach to contextualise these arguments. Socioculturally, prevailing Confucianinspired family-centric practices hinders informed consent and creates coercive influences upon the decisionmaking process that will hinder effective consent for MAID whilst clinical evidence highlights inherent inaccuracies within determinations of prognosis and intractability that compromise legitimate application of MAID. This paper highlights the need for socioculturally sensitive, evidenced-based evaluation of all extrapolated data to consider the impact of prevailing mores and laws upon its application within the local scene. Singapore's culture, clinical practice and laws do not support use of MAID locally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a flowchart-based methodology for describing the movement of foster youth in and out of placements of differing types and durations. This longitudinal methodology is designed to be sufficiently simple to appeal to policymakers and administrators seeking to chart the movement of groups of youth over time and the sequencing of their placements, and sufficiently descriptive to be of use to researchers seeking to predict the placement trajectories of subgroups of foster youth. The paper provides an example of the use of the method drawing upon state administrative data from a large study of preadolescent and adolescent youth in foster care situated in Oregon. Implications for the application of the methodology to different issues of interest to researchers, policymakers, and administrators are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) has been widely adopted in the US States in the last decade. Early research on this innovation suggests positive consequences for diversifying and increasing voter rolls and voter turnout (McGhee and Romero 2019; Gronke and Seljan 2020). This paper examines an additional, unintended consequence: effects on party registration. Examining the state of Oregon, a state with back-end AVR, we document a significant decreases in partisan voter registration rates. We achieve a causal estimate of this decline by making use of a natural experiment: due to historical statute, individuals with even birth years are more likely to be registered via AVR in even-numbered years compared to individuals with odd birth years. In addition to calculating a negative effect on partisan registration, we track voters registered by AVR over time to gauge the extent to which the absence of party registration is corrected over subsequent years. The conclusions of our paper have significant implications for participation in closed political primaries as well as wider partisan mobilization efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its creation in 1975, the Legislative Commission on Indian Services (LCIS) has been Oregon's key 'table' for discussion of state-tribal issues. The goal of the 'seat at the table' approach is to promote discussion designed to minimize detrimental state action and help coordinate positive and effective interaction between state and tribal governments, whenever and wherever possible. This paper will focus on the history and statutory responsibilities of LCIS. It will touch on areas in which LCIS plays an active role in areas related to tribal cultural issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Heterogeneity in means and variances is explored. • Temporal stability of injury severity determinants is examined. • Head-on collisions are pronounced at RTU horizontal curves. • Elderly drivers are prone to severe injuries in horizontal crashes. • Presence of curve signing can reduce severe injuries. Introduction: Safety of horizontal curves on rural two-lane, two-way undivided roadways is not fully explored. This study investigates factors that impact injury severity of such crashes. Method: To achieve the aim of this paper, issues associated with police-reported crash data such as unobserved heterogeneity and temporal stability need to be accounted for. Hence, a mixed logit model was estimated, while heterogeneity in means and variances is investigated by considering four injury severity outcomes for drivers: severe injury, moderate injury, possible injury, and no injury. Crash data for the period between 2011 and 2016 for crashes that occurred in the state of Oregon was analyzed. Temporal stability in factors determining the injury severity was investigated by identifying three time periods through splitting crash data into 2011–2012, 2013–2014, and 2015–2016. Results: Despite some factors affecting injuries in all specified time periods, the values of the marginal effects showed relative differences. The estimation results revealed that some factors increased the risk of being involved in severe injury crashes, including head-on collisions, drunk drivers, failure to negotiate curves, older drivers, and exceeding the speed limits. Conclusions: The hypothesis that attributes of injury severity are temporally stable is rejected. For example, young drivers (30 years old and younger) and middle-aged drivers were found to be temporally instable over time. Practical applications: The findings could help transportation authorities and safety professionals to enhance the safety of horizontal curves through appropriate and effective countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wave energy resources have high, yet largely untapped potential as candidate generation technology. In this paper, we perform a data-driven analysis to characterize the impact of wave energy integration on bulk-scale power systems and market operations. Through data-driven sensitivity studies centered on an optimization-based production cost modeling formulation, our work characterizes the inflection point beyond which wave integration starts impacting power system operations, considering present day transmission infrastructure. Furthermore, our analysis also considers the joint effects of wave energy integration and system-wide transmission expansion. Finally, potential resilience scenarios such as wildfire-driven transmission contingencies and heat wave events are investigated, whereby the contributions of grid-integrated wave energy in alleviating the effects of the resilience events are analyzed. As our demonstration test bed, we consider a reduced-order network topology for the U.S. Western Interconnection with wave energy generation integrated at carefully selected sites across the coastal areas of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. Our results indicate that over a representative year of operations, wave energy integration systematically reduces locational marginal prices (LMPs) of energy and price volatility, especially during periods of high wave resource availability (winter months for the U.S. west coast). Average, maximum, and minimum of hourly LMPs over a typical year of operation was reduced by 2.95, 51.28, and 1.13 $/MWh respectively (over a baseline scenario with no wave energy integration), when the selected network model had a total of 5000 MW wave power installed capacity during the representative year of study. The effects of wave energy integration can remain localized with existing transmission infrastructure (identified to be most pronounced in the Pacific Northwest region in the example we studied). However, with concurrent transmission expansion, the impacts of wave energy integration are likely to have a higher geographical spread. Our results also indicate that wave energy may be able to assist power system operations during resilience events such as major transmission contingencies and heat wave events, although such benefits might be dependent on factors such as proximity of affected area to wave resources, availability of adequate resource potential and adequate transmission capacity. • Production cost model of a bulk power system with wave power is developed. • Sensitivity studies to infer impact of wave power on grid operations at varying capacities. • Wave power reduces electricity prices during periods of higher resource availability. • Wave power benefits can percolate inland with system-wide transmission expansion. • Wave power can have added benefits in resilience events like transmission outages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study conducted by a team of researchers led by John Brigande, a developmental neurobiologist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, on the significance of genes control in hearing development. The study revealed that in mouse embryos in utero, transferring the Atoh1 gene, a transcription factor, into cells that will become the cochlea creates additional working hair cells that form connections with nerve cells.

Validity evidence based on test content is critical to meaningful interpretation of test scores. Within high‐stakes testing and accountability frameworks, content‐related validity evidence is typically gathered via alignment studies, with panels of experts providing qualitative judgments on the degree to which test items align with the representative content standards. Various summary statistics are then calculated (e.g., categorical concurrence, balance of representation) to aid in decision‐making. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach for gathering content‐related validity evidence that capitalizes on the overlap in vocabulary used in test items and the corresponding content standards, which we define as textual congruence. We use a text‐based, machine learning model, specifically topic modeling, to identify clusters of related content within the standards. This model then serves as the basis from which items are evaluated. We illustrate our method by building a model from the Next Generation Science Standards, with textual congruence evaluated against items within the Oregon statewide alternate assessment. We discuss the utility of this approach as a source of triangulating and diagnostic information and show how visualizations can be used to evaluate the overall coverage of the content standards across the test items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The College of Optometry at Pacific University in Oregon began operations in 1945. This paper celebrates the 75th anniversary of Pacific University College of Optometry (PUCO) by discussing its history, its accomplishments, and its current activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue‐Green Infrastructure (BGI) is recognized as a viable strategy to manage stormwater and flood risk, and its multifunctionality may further enrich society through the provision of multiple cobenefits that extend far beyond the hydrosphere. Portland, Oregon, is an internationally renowned leader in the implementation of BGI and showcases many best practice examples. Nonetheless, a range of interdisciplinary barriers and uncertainties continue to cloud decision making and impede wider implementation of BGI. In this paper, we synthesize research conducted by the "Clean Water for All" (CWfA) research project and demonstrate that interdisciplinary evaluation of the benefits of Portland's BGI, focusing on green street bioswales and the East Lents Floodplain Restoration Project, is essential to address biophysical and sociopolitical barriers. Effective interdisciplinary approaches require sustained interaction and collaboration to integrate disciplinary expertise toward a common problem‐solving purpose, and strong leadership from researchers adapt at spanning disciplinary boundaries. While the disciplinary differences in methodologies were embraced in the CWfA project, and pivotal to providing evidence of the disparate benefits of multifunctional BGI, cross‐disciplinary engagement, knowledge coproduction, and data exchanges during the research process were of paramount importance to reduce the potential for fragmentation and ensure research remained integrated. Research Impact Statement: Interdisciplinary research in Portland, Oregon USA, provides an enhanced evidence base to justify adoption of Blue‐Green Infrastructure (BGI) for sustainable flood risk and stormwater management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis is traversing an extraordinary journey from an illicit substance to a legal one, due in part to an unprecedented wave of bottom-up law reform through successful citizen ballot initiatives. Yet, even in states that have legalized recreational cannabis, there is substantial geographic variability in support of cannabis legalization. Geographic variability in voter support for cannabis legalization is impactful (e.g., county moratoriums/bans) yet poorly understood. This paper demonstrates the consequences of county-level population demographics, sociopolitical factors, and community differences in experience with criminalization of cannabis possession for understanding county-level variation in support of recreational cannabis law reform on (un)successful ballot measures in California (2010), Colorado (2012), Washington (2012), and Oregon (2014). OLS regression analyses of nearly 200 counties indicate that differences in racial and ethnic composition (% Black, Hispanic), political affiliation (% Republican), past criminalization, gender composition, and higher education level of residents all predict county-level variation in support for liberalization of cannabis law. Stronger Republican political leanings and/or higher percentages of Black or Hispanic residents were associated with reduced support, whereas higher education, male sex composition, and greater past criminalization were associated with increased support for cannabis legalization across counties. Religiosity and rurality were inconsequential as predictors of county-level voting patterns favoring recreational cannabis. The substantial geographic variability in voter support for cannabis legalization has significant implications for policy implementation and effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The joint analysis of spatial and temporal processes poses computational challenges due to the data's high dimensionality. Furthermore, such data are commonly non‐Gaussian. In this paper, we introduce a copula‐based spatiotemporal model for analyzing spatiotemporal data and propose a semiparametric estimator. The proposed algorithm is computationally simple, since it models the marginal distribution and the spatiotemporal dependence separately. Instead of assuming a parametric distribution, the proposed method models the marginal distributions nonparametrically and thus offers more flexibility. The method also provides a convenient way to construct both point and interval predictions at new times and locations, based on the estimated conditional quantiles. Through a simulation study and an analysis of wind speeds observed along the border between Oregon and Washington, we show that our method produces more accurate point and interval predictions for skewed data than those based on normality assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]