Digital Commons Network^™

High-Frequency Observations Of Riverine Inorganic Carbon Variability Using In Situ Autonomous Sensors, Qipei Shangguan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Rivers and streams actively metabolize, emit, transport and store carbon of various forms received from terrestrial environments. Our current understanding of how rivers and streams contribute to the global carbon cycle remains limited, however, in part due to high temporal variability and complexity of inorganic carbon chemistry. In situ autonomous chemical sensors provide powerful tools to observe changes in rivers and streams and enable development of CO2-specific models to quantify riverine processes. In many aspects, our ability to utilize high-frequency sensor measurements remains limited.

This dissertation aims to improve our understanding of inorganic carbon cycling through sensor technology and numerical …

Conflict And Recreation Behaviors Among Snowmobilers: The Role Of Organizational Membership, Liam Carlson Harry Mr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study explores the relationship between conflict and recreation behaviors among snowmobilers at western Montana snowmobile access sites (WMSAS) and investigates whether organizational membership influences the types of conflict experienced and attitudes towards appropriate recreation behaviors. Data were collected through an intercept survey, and responses from 250 snowmobilers were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to examine the research questions.

The findings suggest that snowmobilers at WMSAS experienced minimal conflict, with interpersonal conflict related to "hearing others" being the most observed. However, this conflict was not necessarily perceived as a problem by the majority of respondents. Snowmobilers demonstrated …

Climatological, Hydrological, And Economic Analysis Of Agriculture In Montana And The Western U.S.A., Zachary H. Lauffenburger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Many studies have addressed the impact of climate on agriculture; however, fewer studies addressed how farmers adapt to climate change, to what extent implementation of adaptation strategies mitigates economic losses or alters the hydrologic system. Analyses of how historical climate affected not only farmer decision making, but also the economic and hydrological consequences of farmers’ adaptations to climate variations, and projections of the spatiotemporal climatic regimes at finer regional scales are critical for aiding in actionable climate change adaptations. This dissertation helps fill knowledge gaps on the impacts of climate change in rural regions of the agricultural western U.S.A. and …

Fundamental Investigation On Anion Binding Employing The Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bond, Jiyu Sun

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Noncovalent interactions play a critical role in chemistry and biochemistry. Understanding how to modulate closely situated noncovalent interactions is of utmost importance in the design of functional materials, supramolecular assemblies, pharmaceuticals, and catalysts. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant surge in research and applications on halogen bonds, driven by their exceptional properties such as high directionality and unique tunability when compared to hydrogen bonds. Taking inspiration from nature and other synthetic anion-binding receptors that effectively employ multiple noncovalent interactions in a concerted manner, we have developed an innovative preorganization strategy termed the "Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen …

Impacts Of Climate And Wildfire On Western Larch Regeneration, Spencer T. Vieira

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Fire plays a critical role in forests of the western United States (US), but as wildfire and climate deviate from historical patterns, increasing fire activity may significantly alter forest ecosystems. To understand the impacts of changing climate and wildfire activity on conifer forests, we studied the impact of wildfire and annual post-fire climate on western larch (Larix occidentalis) regeneration. We destructively sampled 1651 seedlings from 57 sites within 32 fires that burned at moderate or high severity from 2000-2015 in the northwestern US. Using dendrochronological methods, we estimated germination years of seedlings to calculate annual recruitment rates. We …

Leveraging Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bonding For Higher-Order Anion Helix Formation In Foldamers, Eric Arno John

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The ubiquity of folding in biopolymers to induce critical functions like information storage, signal transduction, catalysis, and selective binding has inspired chemists to create synthetic analogs called “foldamers” as materials which emulate and complement the remarkable complexity observed in nature. The ingenuity of chemists has yielded unique methodologies to induce secondary structure (folding) for diverse applications in materials science, medicine, and nanotechnology.

Anion foldamers are a specific class of foldamers engineered to recognize and specifically bind anions through noncovalent interactions. Using anions to induce folding has unique challenges. Anions have diverse topologies, pH dependence, and high free energies of solvation …

Evolution And Diversification Of The Novel Chlorophyll D-Based Photosynthetic Apparatus, Nikea Jonelle Ulrich

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The origin of novel traits is an important evolutionary process that generates biological diversity. However, we rarely know the underlying mechanisms of diversification following the innovation of a novel trait. Over two billion years ago, the innovation of chlorophyll (Chl) abased photosynthesis by cyanobacteria sparked the oxygenation of Earth, setting the stage for the emergence of multicellular life. Chl a was subsequently acquired by diverse algae and plants, and in the process, these organisms diversified their light-harvesting systems to absorb a range of visible wavelengths (400-700 nm) (1). Due to the ancient origins of Chl a, however, it is difficult …

Wayfinding, Kalani N. Padilla

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Reinforcement Learning For Optimal Control In Simulated Greenhouses, Daithi Kahele Leilehua Martin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Demands on agricultural systems will increase as the world population continues to grow. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is an old idea gaining more recent momentum due to advances in automation, lighting, and climate control. One of the fundamental challenges of CEA is optimal control of the growing environment. We present a method for optimal control in CEA utilizing Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL). DRL comprises a set of machine learning algorithms that optimize a user-defined reward function. We define this function such that the reward is high when the growing environment is ideal for crop production, and the reward is low …

Predicting Mountain Lion Resource Selection And Abundance In North America, William Connor O'Malley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The relationship between habitat quality and density is well documented in lower trophic levels but to what extent it can be extended to higher trophic levels is unknown. I tested the relationship between habitat quality, home-range size and density using a wide-ranging, well-studied, top carnivore, the mountain lion (Puma concolor). First, I created a second-order resource selection function (RSF) for mountain lions in their current North American range using GPS collar data from 476 individuals in 20 study sites and remotely-sensed landscape data. I used the RSF and home range estimates derived from collared animals to quantify mountain …

“Should Wellbeing Be The Same As Perfection?” A Case Study On Student Wellbeing In Higher Mathematics Education, Marcelo Alonso Almora Rios

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Previous research has given the impression that reticent is our hunt for optimal teaching practices, educational goals, and nature of mathematical workings. In this regard, we have (seemingly) ended up with the following inquiries:

• What could the math classroom be for? and
• What has the math classroom been for?

These two questions touch on the scary horns of two other charged philosophical dandruffs. Namely:“What are the aims of teaching mathematics?” and “What should be our objectives in learning it?”

The term ‘positive education’ refers to an educational system engendering both the skills of positive wellbeing and traditional, academic achievement (Seligman …

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: An Exploration Of Wastewater Issues And Possible Solutions In And Out Of Montana, Keely I. Larson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Larson, Keely, M.A., Spring 2023

Major:Environmental and Natural Resources Journalism

Out of sight, out of mind: An exploration of wastewater issues and possible solutions in and out of Montana

Chairperson: Dennis Swibold

Co-Chairpersons: Nadia White, Sarah Halvorson

This is a master’s project, featuring three stories, linked in theme. The first starts with a nationally scoped story about septic systems in resort towns and what happens when too many people want to visit areas like Cape Cod, the Florida Keys or, more locally, Seeley Lake, and overwhelm waste disposal methods. Often in these areas that are more remote, septic systems …

From The Green Room: Notes On A Saltwater Girlhood In The Borderlands, Izabela Garcia-Arce

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this debut book, Bela García-Arce explores what it means to reconnect with saltwater roots in tiny coastal towns across Baja California through a collection of personal essays. She starts by telling the story of her foundation—about growing up in San Diego and falling in love with the ocean, about what it was like to be a young Mexican girl with a family with no interest in the water. She leans heavily on humor to deliver playful jabs at the toxic masculine beach culture while also revealing how she played a role in combatting it. Between exploration of toxic sludge …

No Other Gods, Hubble Stark

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Old Invisible Presence: Nonhuman Intelligence And Artificial Nature In A Coast Of Trees By A. R. Ammons And S*Perm**K*T By Harryette Mullen, Miles Jochem

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Faulty Foundations: An Investigation Into Toxic Homes In The Blackfeet Nation, Kathleen Elyse Shannon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2002, a class action lawsuit came out of the Blackfeet Nation. The plaintiffs were residents of a federally-funded housing project called Glacier Homes, and they were suing Blackfeet Housing and the Department of Housing and Urban Development because their homes were making them sick. The case got some local media coverage for a couple years. But it was ultimately forgotten and the plaintiffs never got a remedy.

This long-form audio project revives this story and asks listeners to think about these plaintiffs’ arguments in a modern light. The Glacier Homes offer a lens through which to think about several …

Monstrous Oil: Theorizing Petromodernity's Monsters, Madalynn Lee Madigar

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Petroleum, a primary global energy resource, serves as a foundation of our contemporary society. However, the pervasive influence of oil as substance, commodity, and industry in our petromodern lives often goes unrecognized. In the present moment of biogeocultural crisis surrounding fossil fuels, recognizing and understanding our multifaceted engagements with petroleum is critical. This thesis contributes to the growing field of Petrocultural Studies by considering the conceptualization of petroleum through the associated tropes and figure of the monster. Through the petromonstrous, a term that encapsulates the massive scale, haunting effects, and human-other entanglements of petroleum, cultural attitudes and anxieties about oil …

Comedy, Camaraderie, And Conflict: Using Humor To Defuse Disputes Among Friends, Sheena A. Bringa

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study sought to examine the role humor plays in defusing conflict between friends from an evolutionary perspective. Although a vast amount of research exists on humor, friendship, and conflict, no single study connects all three of these concepts together. This study attempted to fill this gap by examining how different humor styles used between friends in times of conflict relate to friendship satisfaction and life satisfaction. Specifically, the hypotheses predicted that friends who use affiliative humor to deescalate conflict are more inclined to report higher relational satisfaction and improved individual well-being than friends who use maladaptive humor to deescalate …

Irrigation In The Western United States: Occurrence, Impacts, And Sustainability, David Granger Ketchum

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Irrigation represents our greatest intervention in the hydrological cycle, accounting for over 80% of extracted freshwater in the Western U.S. Despite its economic and ecological importance, irrigation’s spatial and temporal occurrence, magnitude, impacts on streamflow, and response during water shortages has not been characterized in our region. The major objective of this dissertation was to systematically assess irrigation over the Western US to answer the following questions: 1) Where and when does irrigation occur within the study region? 2) How has the intensity, area, and distribution of irrigation changed over the course of the past 35 years? 3) What impact …

A Dual-Function Filamentous Pf Bacteriophage Protein Modulates Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Virulence Potential, Caleb Michael Schwartzkopf

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that often plagues hospitals. More than half of P. aeruginosa isolates are infected by temperate Pf bacteriophage. Pf virions protect bacteria from antibiotics, promote biofilm formation, and modulate animal immune responses in ways that promote chronic infection. These virions can be produced without lysing P. aeruginosa, but lysis may occur during superinfection. Superinfection is the process whereby virions of the same or similar phage infect an already infected host. Temperate phages typically encode superinfection exclusion mechanisms. Here we elucidate one such mechanism in Pf phage. We observed that superinfection-surviving P. aeruginosa were transiently resistant …

In The Weeds, Bianca J. Jensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Recommendations For Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences In Mathematics, Rommel J. Miranda

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have benefits for course instructors, undergraduate STEM students, and underrepresented students. CUREs consist of five essential components which include the use of science practices, discovery, broadly relevant or important work, collaboration, and iteration (Auchincloss et al., 2014). Over the past decade, a broad range of CUREs have been developed within and across STEM disciplines. However, resources to assist instructors to develop CUREs in mathematics are limited. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the extant literature on course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), especially in mathematics, to provide future directions for reforming …

A Mathematics Pipeline To Student Success In Data Analytics Through Course-Based Undergraduate Research, Kristin P. Bennett, John S. Erickson, Amy Svirsky, Josephine C. Seddon

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This paper reports on Data Analytics Research (DAR), a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in which undergraduate students conduct data analysis research on open real- world problems for industry, university, and community clients. We describe how DAR, offered by the Mathematical Sciences Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), is an essential part of an early low-barrier pipeline into data analytics studies and careers for diverse students. Students first take a foundational course, typically Introduction to Data Mathematics, that teaches linear algebra, data analytics, and R programming simultaneously using a project-based learning (PBL) approach. Then in DAR, students work in teams …

Undergraduate Research In An Applied Probability & Statistics Course, Michael Smith

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The author modified a course entitled Applied Probability and Statistics to engage students in performing their own hypothesis tests in a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). This paper discusses the structure of the course, what it does to encourage undergraduate research, and changes one could make to tailor this experience to their own institutional needs.

Math And The Mouse: Explorations Of Mathematics And Science In Walt Disney World, Elizabeth L. Bouzarth, John M. Harris, Kevin R. Hutson

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Math and the Mouse is an intensive, collaborative, project-driven, study away course that runs during the three-week May Experience term at Furman University and has many of the attributes of a course-based undergraduate research experience in mathematics. We take twelve students to Orlando, Florida to study the behind-the-scenes mathematics employed to make Walt Disney World operate efficiently. Students learn techniques of mathematical modeling (mostly resource allocation, logistics, and scheduling models), statistical analysis (mostly probability, clustering, data collection, and hypothesis testing), and ow management (queuing theory and some beginning ow dynamics) in an applied setting. Through planned course modules, collaborative activities, …

Guest Editorial: Reflections On Course-Based Undergraduate Research, Diana Cheng, John Gonzalez

The Mathematics Enthusiast

No abstract provided.

Graph Theoretical Modeling Of Dna As A Vehicle For A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience, Amanda Harsy

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This paper outlines a mathematics course centered around the interdisciplinary topic of modeling self-assembling DNA which was used as a venue for a mathematics course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). The structure and logistics of designing and teaching such a course in addition to suggestions and student feedback from the course are also included.

Experimental Mathematics – A Course-Based Research Experience In Machine Learning, Mathew Gluck

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Efforts to expand the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) work- force have been topics of United States policy action for more than 50 years (Hira 2010). Unfortunately, among U.S. undergraduate curricula, STEM has one of the highest attrition rates (Tinto 1993) with less than half of students in the U.S. that enroll in an undergraduate STEM program ultimately receiving a degree in a STEM field (Hayes 2009). Naturally, the high rate of attrition is a topic of persisting concern. Many programs have been designed and implemented to model best practices in retaining students in STEM disciplines. One retention strategy …

November 2022 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Montana Kaimin, October 27, 2022, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.