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Sediment Routing Through Channel Confluences: Particle Tracing In A Gravel-Bed River Headwaters, Kurt Imhoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sediment routing in gravel-bed rivers refers to the intermittent transport and storage of bedload particles, where short-duration steps are separated by periods of inactivity. Channel morphology governs sediment routing, but morphologic effects on routing in headwater systems are not well understood compared to lowland systems. RFID tracers are a valuable tool that can be employed to characterize routing processes in headwater channels through individual particle tracking. I present research on coarse sediment transport and dispersion through confluences using sediment tracers in the East Fork Bitterroot River basin, MT. I investigate the following questions: (1) How do sediment routing patterns through …

Victims' Perspectives Of Their Roles In Unwanted Sexual Experiences When Alcohol Is Consumed, Lindsey C. Grove

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sexual violence among college students is recognized as a serious public health concern in the United States. Among college students, sexual violence is associated with high levels of PTSD symptoms and psychological consequences (Frazier et al., 2009). For ages 18 to 25 sexual violence is the only crime that is found to occur more frequently among college students than the same age group not attending college and is at its highest rate during the first year of attendance(Baum & Klaus, 2005) Research has already uncovered increased risk of victimization for young college students including heavy alcohol consumption (Messman-Moore, Coates, Gaffey, …

The Use Of Rna Interference To Mitigate Pulmonary Fibrosis In Response To Asbestos Exposure, Sarah Kinsey

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The adverse health effects of exposure to asbestos are widely known and have been well documented. When a person is diagnosed with asbestosis, a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers, few treatment options exist, none of which halt or reverse the progression of the disease. The rapidly growing field of gene therapy offers new avenues for potential treatments worthy of investigation. The detrimental effects of asbestos exposure are due to the physiological response of the lungs to asbestos fibers in the form of fibrosis, a result of excess extracellular collagen deposition. A protein called SPARC (Secreted Protein Acidic …

Resolving The Western Chipmunk Phylogeny, Erin Nordquist

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Speciation is the biological process by which new species arise. Hybridization occurs in nature when two distinct lineages produce hybrid offspring and exchange genes. Understanding these events is key to understanding the process of evolution and the origin of biodiversity. Western chipmunks are an example of a widely distributed group with possible hybridization and gene flow between presently diverging species. Past studies examining this system suggest that there has been some hybridization and gene flow during the recent, rapid radiation of western chipmunk species. However, the overall importance and frequency of hybridization between chipmunk species remains unclear. Previously, the evolutionary …

History On The Pitch: The Social And Economic Impact Of Professional Soccer In Postwar London, Shaun Bummer

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Today, the United Kingdom’s multi-billion dollar soccer industry is driven by global interest, lucrative advertising and television contracts, and sports betting. Furthermore, the creation of the Premier League in 1992 shows the sport is not just a game, but rather a way of life. Yet over a half-century earlier the United Kingdom began their recovery process in the aftermath of World War II, with London in particular in physical and emotional ruin. Given the important role soccer has played in British society throughout the sport’s history, it is crucial to pinpoint the exact social and economic role of the sport …

Developing Microbial Biomarkers To Non-Invasively Assess Health In Wild Elk (Cervus Canadensis) Populations, Samuel B. Pannoni

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The composition of the intestinal bacterial community (intestinal microbiome) of mammals is associated with changes in diet, stress, disease and physical condition of the animal. The relationship between health and the microbiome has been extensively demonstrated in studies of humans and mice; this provides strong support for its potential utility in wildlife. When managing elk (Cervus canadensis), federal and state agencies currently must rely on invasive sampling and coarse demographic data on which to base their decisions. By developing microbiome-based biomarkers that vary as a function of elk body condition and disease (i.e. microbial biomarkers), we hope to …

Do Big Beetle Larvae Run Big Thermal Risks?, Nikita Cooley

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Extremes of body size captivate biologists. In insects, the lack of extant giants has prompted the question, what is constraining insect size? While multiple physiological and ecological hypotheses have been presented, there is no widely accepted explanation. One unexplored physiological hypothesis is that large insects are unable to shed metabolic heat rapidly enough and are at increased risk of overheating. My project examines this idea using larvae of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus), chosen for their huge size, simple body plan, and underground lifestyle. Using CO2 respirometry, I measured larval metabolic rates at room temperature. Although these beetle larvae …

May You Walk In Beauty: The Decline Of Navajo Land And Culture, Jocelyn Catterson

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The Navajo homeland, Dinetah, is bordered by four mountains that are sacred to the Navajo people: two in Colorado, one in New Mexico, and one in Arizona. Historically, Navajo medicine men have traveled to these mountains to renew prayers and collect medicinal herbs. Today, the mountains, which exist outside of the reservation boundaries, are used for resource extraction and various recreational pursuits. While many Navajo are fighting for the protection of these sacred lands and their traditional culture, others are disinterested. Traditional practices and beliefs are slowly disappearing within the Navajo Nation. The land-use issues associated with these sacred mountains …

Retinoic Acid Hydroxylase Inhibitors As A Novel Therapy For Alzheimer’S Disease, Isabel M. Makman

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases afflicting the modern world. As no cure for AD has yet been discovered we sought to explore a potential treatment option based on the inhibition of retinoic acid (RA) metabolism, the active metabolite of vitamin A. Beta-amyloid plaques form in the brain and decrease cognitive function in AD patients. In a recent preclinical study RA was shown to decrease these plaques and rescue memory deficits in an Alzheimer’s mouse model[i]. One key limitation is that when RA is administered to humans it induces its own breakdown, making …

Global Response To Local Problems:The Global Health Community Response To The Ebola Outbreak Of 2014, Nicole Thelen

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Health crises are often met with much support from the global health aid communities, who strive to contain the current health crisis and improve the conditions of the affected society. The recent Ebola outbreak of 2014 is no exception. Driven by public panic and media coverage, the global health community responded in force, dispatching aid organizations, monetary help, and military assistance to both assist those affected with the disease and prevent it from spreading. The World Health Organization, along with Doctors without Borders and many other global organizations, swept in to provide aid to the affected areas. This project examines …

Sexual Assault Reports To The Police: A Pilot Investigation Of The Factors That Influence Victimization Reporting And Victim Perceptions Of Police Responses, Hailey A. Powers

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The purpose of this study is to examine issues associated with the reporting of sexual assault victimization to the police and police responses to these reports. The information gathered will be used to inform best practices regarding future responses by the Missoula Police Department (MPD) and other stakeholders. The information will also be used to inform a larger investigation that will take place after the current pilot phase of the project ends. Evidence gathered from the data collected shows that many officers are conducting successful interviews with survivors of sexual assault. A majority of respondents state that detectives made them …

Crop Swap Missoula: Food Waste And The Sharing Solution, Cathryn Raan

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Rachel Botsman coined the term “collaborative consumption” to describe an economic model based on sharing, swapping, trading, or renting products and services, and enabling access rather than ownership¹. Also referred to as the sharing economy, the mesh economy, or the peer-to-peer economy, collaborative consumption models offer a more efficient use of unused, or underutilized resources. Whereas previously peer-to-peer exchanges were only practical within small networks of friends, family, and neighbors, the Internet and mobile technology have allowed us to share almost anything at any time. While there are countless examples of community exchange platforms, and more springing up …

Effects Of Phonologically Related Words On Tip-Of-The-Tongue (Tot), Sean Patrick Kavanaugh

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The “tip-of-the tongue” (TOT) experience occurs when a person cannot fully recall a word (target word) but has a very strong sense of what the word is. TOT is a common and frustrating experience that is often perceived as a memory deficit as opposed to an issue with language. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of quickly presented phonologically related words (words related in sound) on TOT experiences. Previous studies have shown untimed exposure to words that sound similar (phonologically related) to a target word reduced the occurrences of TOT (James and Burke, 2000; Meyer and …

Ancillary Challenges Within The Health System: Exploring Connections Between Low-Income Populations In Missoula, Montana And Khayelitsha, South Africa, Rachael Schmoker

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Abstract

Schmoker, Rachael, BS, May 2015 Community Health

Ancillary Challenges Within The Health System

Faculty Mentor: Peter Koehn, Political Science.

This paper outlines the research conducted and the project implementation for the Davidson Honors College Senior Thesis in a joint project with the Global Leadership Initiative Senior Capstone. This project describes the ancillary challenges of healthcare in Missoula, Montana and Khayelitsha, South Africa. Under the Montana branch of this project it is called the UM Volunteers for Global Health Access (UMVGHA). Within Missoula we are associated with Partnership Health Center; a health clinic that caters to the low-income population of …

Using A Spiral To Estimate Spatial Lattice Model Parameters, Geoffrey Glidewell

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This project explores the autologistic model for spatially correlated binary lattice data and uses a one-dimensional spiral to approximate two-dimensional data. An example of this type of data is the presence of disease in plants in a lattice framework. Each plant is labeled “diseased” or “non-diseased,” where the presence of disease in one plant might increase, decrease or not affect the likelihood of disease in a neighboring plant. In order to fit an autologistic model to real data, the method of maximum likelihood would ideally be used to estimate the model parameters for the entire lattice. However, the model form …

The Nature Of Disconnect: Wilderness In The Face Of Climate Change, Sarah Capdeville

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

In the midst of a congressional address on the topic of conservation and restoration, President Lyndon B. Johnson stated, “This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through . . . a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.” It was 1965. One year prior, Congress had passed the Wilderness Act of 1964, defining wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” When the founders of the Wilderness Act wrote these words, they …

Understanding Visitor Experiences At The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Jessica A. Brown

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (UMRBNM) is known for unique recreation opportunities on a wild and scenic river. Visitor’s experiences are complex and can be influenced by new management regulations, perceived conflict, and crowding, which can impact overall user satisfaction. This study examines the breadth of visitor experiences on the UMRBNM and assesses stakeholders’ satisfaction of BLM management. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth phone interviews were conducted with Key Informants. Those interviewed represent a diverse group of stakeholders including advisory council members, non-profits and friends groups, outfitters and guides, and local officials. Interviews explored visitor experiences, satisfaction with …

Women’S Voices For The Earth: A Discourse Analysis Of Gendered, Environmental Media Advocacy, Marit Olson

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE), a Missoula based, nationally recognized non-profit, empowers women to advocate against toxic chemicals that cause individual and community health hazards. There is little analysis of the intersection of women’s and environmental subjugation and how these intersections influence women’s environmental organizations. My research examines the influence of ecofeminist ideology, as framed by Karen Warren’s ecofeminist and class analysis, in WVE’s online discourse, primarily social media. To do so I apply a Foucaultian discourse analysis to WVE’s online publications, and compare that to an analysis of the online presence of Toxics Action Center (TAC), a non-gendered …

Advantages And Challenges Of Incorporating Virtual Currency Into Small Businesses, Spencer Sheehan

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This research paper discusses my findings in assisting Lake Missoula Tea Company become one of the first businesses in Missoula, Montana to accept Bitcoin, a virtual currency, as payment. First, I will offer a background of how Bitcoin technology works, and draw on notable historical issues to better understand its evolution, leading up to how it is currently used. I will explore possible economic benefits realized through utilizing Bitcoin in a business environment, such as transaction fee savings through substitution of traditional credit card processors, alleviating security and privacy issues, as well as publicity and marketing benefits. Serious roadblocks of …

A Monastery For The Revolution: Ernesto Cardenal, Thomas Merton, And The Paradox Of Violence In Nicaragua, 1957-1979, Brendan Jordan

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

In 1957, a young Nicaraguan poet named Ernesto Cardenal, recently graduated from Columbia University, entered the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani, located outside Louisville, Kentucky. There he met a prominent Catholic thinker and pacifist, Thomas Merton, who soon mentored young Cardenal. Though Cardenal departed Gethsemani in 1959, Merton continued to counsel him in spirituality, poetry, and social activism until Merton’s death in 1968. While Cardenal during these earlier years was a committed pacifist, his experiences after returning to Nicaragua in 1965 radically altered his view of social action. Cardenal established a semi-monastic community in the Solentiname islands in southern Nicaragua, and …

Expressive Arts As A Means Of Increasing Well-Being In Children, Danielle L. Barnes-Smith, Jordan Frotz, Hanasara Ito, Johannah Kohorst, Emily Vascimini

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The purpose of this research is to discover the extent to which expressive arts increase well-being in children. Expressive arts are being defined here as theatre, dance, art, and creative writing. Well-being is defined as self-efficacy and self-worth. The project was carried out in a four-week expressive arts program designed to teach fifth grade elementary school students a variety of artistic disciplines (i.e. theatre, dance, art, and creative writing). Both before and after the workshop, the students completed measures of self-worth and self-efficacy; these measures were used to identify changes in students from the beginning of the program to the …

Fatal Woman, Revisited: Understanding Female Stereotypes In Film Noir, Danielle L. Barnes-Smith

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Film noir stereotypes female characters through the archetype of the femme fatale: the fatal woman or the fatal wife. However, critics are currently re-examining the femme fatale. For example, in the second paragraph of Film Noir’s Progressive Portrayal of Women, Stephanie Blaser and John Blaser write “even when [film noir] depicts women as dangerous and worthy of destruction, [it] also shows that women are confined by the roles traditionally open to them.” With Blaser and Blaser’s understanding of the double nature of the femme fatale in mind, can one say that the femme fatale generates fear of …

Analysis Of Market Demand And Quality Of Infant Toddler Care Programs In Missoula, Montana, Jennifer A. Keller

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

In order to test the hypothesis that there are not enough high quality infant toddler care programs in Missoula to meet the demand of the market, creating an opportunity for a local child care provider to open a high quality infant toddler program as part of the child care services that they offer, an observational study of the current infant toddler care programs in Missoula, Montana was conducted. Spirit at Play, a child care center in Missoula, Montana, is evaluating the current child care market in Missoula to see if, and how many, quality infant toddler programs are being offered …

Do Families Inspire, Joel Davison

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Does having children or being married inspire an artist to create more valuable works? This question stemmed from a recent article which suggests that when artists travel, they create more valuable art. After researching how having children or being married affects professions similar to artists, either in work process or wage type (like published researchers or the self-employed), it seems there is a connection. I then decided to apply economic models to evaluate art with regard to families. I gathered biographical data regarding artists, corresponding art auctions from 2013, and connected them on a yearly basis to determine if they …

The Influential Role Of The Secretary Of State's Office In The Pacific Northwest, Hailey P. Duffin

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The purpose of this research is to provide a cross-state comparison of the role that the Secretaries of State play in their given state as well as the influence it has on national politics. In order to evaluate the role of the Secretary of State, this research will examine states in the Northwest region of the U.S. (i.e. Pacific Northwest) to determine how their formal and informal powers affect their role in their respective state. The driving research question is: what role does this position play in impacting state and national electoral politics in the U.S? In an attempt to …

Ipic: A Business Model Analysis, Jordan Lunsford

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

iPic is a luxury movie theater chain gaining momentum in the U.S. in recent years. This paper will cover three aspects of iPic's business model. First, iPic's Blue Ocean Strategy, and the resulting value proposition and customer segments. Second, a comparison of iPic's activity map next to competitor, Carmike Cinemas. Finally, an explanation of iPic’s ability to scale and the potential Achilles heel of its business model.

Truth Commissions And Collective Memory In Latin America, Mona Schwartz

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Human rights violations have an enormous effect on future generations and have the potential to divide or unite society in their wake. My research examines how a national, collective memory is formed after human rights abuse occurs, and how the work of a truth commission contributes to this process. My hypothesis is that when a truth commission is instated after an experience of human rights abuse, a nation will be better able to reconcile conflicted memories and experiences and to create a unified, collective memory of that human rights experience. More specifically, my hypothesis is that, in order to be …

Wolf-Cougar Co-Occurrence In The Central Canadian Rocky Mountains, Ellen Brandell

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Cougars and wolves are top carnivores that influence the dynamics of an ecosystem, including prey behavior and dynamics, and interspecific competition. Studies about the interactions between wolves and cougars typically find wolves are dominant competitors to cougars. We examined single-species, single-season occupancy models and co-occurrence models of wolves and cougars in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains to understand interactions between these two species on a grand landscape. Data was collected from 2012-2013 using remote wildlife cameras and separated into seasons. Naïve occupancy estimates were larger for wolves in both seasons, but both species had smaller ranges in winter. There were …

Why Do Caterpillars Whistle? Acoustic Mimicry Of Bird Alarm Calls In The Amorpha Juglandis Caterpillar, Jessica Lindsay

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Caterpillar species possess a range of anti-predator defenses, from regurgitation to sonar jamming. The North American walnut sphinx caterpillar (Amorpha juglandis) produces a variety of whistling noises when pinched. Limited observations indicate that this causes avian predators to retreat, leaving the caterpillar alone. However, it is unknown why this whistle is such an effective deterrent. Interestingly, the A. juglandis whistle is acoustically similar to the “seet” alarm call that many bird species produce in response to their own predators. We propose that the A. juglandis whistle is a form of acoustic mimicry, in which the caterpillar protects itself …

This Is Not A Trend, Michael T. Workman

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

ABSTRACT

Workman, Michael, B.F.A., May 2015 Art

THIS IS NOT A TREND

Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Dove

This is not a trend is a multi-media art installation that examines the valuation system of contemporary art by creating an absurd situation that mimics a real commercial experience. The manner in which value is placed on art is artificial. Both the monetary and intellectual value of art is decided mostly on the reputation of the artist, their fame, and how well their work is marketed to the public. These characteristics are marketed to art consumers in order to sell them an authentic “art” …