Taking Root in the Silicon Forest: High-technology Firms as Surrogate Universities in Portland, Oregon

Most case studies of successful high-technology industry regions highlight the role of research universities in fostering regional economic development. The Portland, Oregon, region managed to root a thriving high-tech industry in the absence of this critical factor. In this article, I present a case study of the evolution of Portland's high-tech industry and propose that high-tech firms can act as surrogate universities that attract and develop labor, create knowledge, and function as incubators for startups. I conclude that planners working to develop high-tech industries in regions without major research universities should attract R&D-intensive firms, maintain information on key busineses and entrepreneurial ventures, support an innovation milieu, and set realistic goals.

What is the Role of Universities in High-tech Economic Development? The Case of Portland, Oregon, and Washington, DC

This paper focuses on two regions in the United States that have emerged as high-technology regions in the absence of major research universities. The case of Portland's Silicon Forest is compared to Washington, DC. In both regions, high-technology economies grew because of industrial restructuring processes. The paper argues that in both regions other actors—such as firms and government laboratories—spurred the development of knowledge-based economies and catalysed the engagement of higher education institutions in economic development. The paper confirms and advances the triple helix model of university–government–industry relationships and posits that future studies have to examine degrees of university-region engagement.

No evidence for large differences in genomic methylation between wild and hatchery steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

When salmonid fish that have been raised in hatcheries spawn in the wild, they often produce fewer surviving adult offspring than wild fish. Recent data from steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Hood River (Oregon, USA) show that even one or two generations of hatchery culture can result in dramatic declines in fitness. Although intense domestication selection could cause such declines, it is worth considering alternative explanations. One possibility is heritable epigenetic changes induced by the hatchery environment. Here, we show, using methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism, that hatchery and wild adult steelhead from the Hood River do not appear to differ substantially in overall levels of genomic methylation. Thus, although altered methylation of specific DNA sites or other epigenetic processes could still be important, the hatchery environment does not appear to cause a global hypo- or hypermethylation of the genome or create a large number of sites that are differentially methylated.

Coastal upwelling is linked to temporal genetic variability in the acorn barnacle Balanus glandula

Dispersal and recruitment are central processes that shape the geographic and temporal distributions of populations of marine organisms. However, significant variability in factors such as reproductive output, larval transport, survival, and settlement success can alter the genetic identity of recruits from year to year. We designed a temporal and spatial sampling protocol to test for genetic heterogeneity among adults and recruits from multiple time points along a similar to 400 km stretch of the Oregon (USA) coastline. In total, 2824 adult and recruiting Balanus glandula were sampled between 2001 and 2008 from 9 sites spanning the Oregon coast. Consistent with previous studies, we observed high mitochondrial DNA diversity at the cytochrome oxidase I locus (884 unique haplotypes) and little to no spatial genetic population structure among the 9 sites (Phi(ST) = 0.00026, p = 0.170). However, subtle but significant temporal shifts in genetic composition were observed among year classes (Phi(ST) = 0.00071, p = 0.035), and spatial Phi(ST) varied from year to year. These temporal shifts in genetic structure were correlated with yearly differences in the strength of coastal upwelling (p = 0.002), with greater population structure observed in years with weaker upwelling. Higher levels of barnacle settlement were also observed in years with weaker upwelling (p < 0.001). These data suggest the hypothesis that low upwelling intensity maintains more local larvae close to shore, thereby shaping the genetic structure and settlement rate of recruitment year classes.

Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices for Treatment of Alcohol and Drug Disorders: The Role of the State Authority

The current climate of increasing performance expectations and diminishing resources, along with innovations in evidence-based practices (EBPs), creates new dilemmas for substance abuse treatment providers, policymakers, funders, and the service delivery system. This paper describes findings from baseline interviews with representatives from 49 state substance abuse authorities (SSAs). Interviews assessed efforts aimed at facilitating EBP adoption in each state and the District of Columbia. Results suggested that SSAs are concentrating more effort on EBP implementation strategies such as education, training, and infrastructure development, and less effort on financial mechanisms, regulations, and accreditation. The majority of SSAs use EBPs as a criterion in their contracts with providers, and just over half reported that EBP use is tied to state funding. To date, Oregon remains the only state with legislation that mandates treatment expenditures for EBPs; North Carolina follows suit with legislation that requires EBP promotion within current resources.