Digital Commons Network^™

Catch My Drift? Perceptions And Experiences Of Pesticide Contamination Of Organic Crops In Montana, Sarah Rodgers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pesticide drift and inadvertent contamination pose particular risks to organic production. Some organic producers have lost their crops, certification, and/or organic markets because of contamination events. Through this thesis research, I explain the perceptions and experiences that certified organic farmers in Montana have about drift and inadvertent pesticide contamination. I conducted semi-structured interviews with eleven certified organic farmers from various regions of Montana. Along with one-on-one interviews with organic farmers, interviews with industry and regulatory officials were conducted to better understand the policies and procedures that control what happens when drift occurs at the state level. Industry and regulatory official …

A Qualitative Examination Of Teacher's Perspectives Of Social-Emotional Learning And Spirituality In The Public School Setting, Amy E. Violante

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Spirituality is not often discussed in the field of school psychology or the public school setting. However, it is understood to be a factor supporting resilience and well-being among children. Aspects of spirituality align with the core components of social-emotional learning (SEL), which relate to awareness of self and others, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The aims of the current study were to explore public school teachers’ perspectives of spirituality and SEL in the classroom, of the relationship between these topics, and of supporting spiritual and SEL development in order to promote student well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve …

A Reynolds Number Based Sampling Technique For 3-D Vector Fields In Computational Fluid Dynamic Environments, Trent James Schweitzer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Effective visualization of unsteady, time-dependent vector fields in a virtual environment is not a trivial task. This is due to the fact that most visualization techniques require the user to have a prior understanding of how the vector field will behave to set the parameters used to create the visualization. In this thesis we will take air flow data from a computational fluid dynamic simulations to calculate the amount of turbulence (represented as Reynolds numbers) to identify regions of interest. We then calculate wind pathlines that will intersect with these points sampled from these regions. We address the issue of …

Understanding Media Richness And Social Presence: Exploring The Impacts Of Media Channels On Individuals’ Levels Of Loneliness, Well-Being, And Belonging, Ashley M. Arsenault

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Loneliness is a universal part of being human and is detrimental to well-being. The need-to-belong hypothesis claims that individuals frequently having positive interactions with people close to them mitigates their loneliness. Media richness theory adds that rich media channels allow individuals to perceive higher levels of social presence and maintain those vital, close relationships. Understanding how a given media channel impacts online interactions and, in turn, the interactants is vital. This study used a pretest-posttest equivalent groups experimental design to examine if individuals who interacted with a close relationship partner over a rich media channel would have a decrease in …

Subfamily Clustering Using Label Uncertainty (For Transposable Element Families), Audrey M. Shingleton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Biological sequence annotation is typically performed by aligning a sequence to a database of known sequence elements. For transposable elements, these known sequences represent subfamily consensus sequences. When many of the subfamily models in the database are highly similar to each other, a sequence belonging to one subfamily can easily be mistaken as belonging to another, causing non-reproducible subfamily annotation. Because annotation with subfamilies is expected to give some amount of insight into a sequence’s evolutionary history, it is important that such annotation be reproducible. Here, we present our software tool, SCULU, which builds upon our previously-described methods for computing …

"Sexual Harassment Is My Job": The Impact Of Display Work On Bikini Barista Interactions, Sara R. Wozniak

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study compares the experiences of women working in “bikini” coffee stands with women working in "family-friendly" coffee stands. These stands are similar in that customers drive up and purchase coffee through a window. However, bikini coffee stands differ from their family friendly counterparts because they are staffed by scantily-clad women. This study contributes to the existing literature by comparing the experiences of service workers in sexualized and non-sexualized environments. Additionally, this study examines the understudied service job of bikini coffee. Using semi-structured interviews to examine the baristas’ thoughts and experiences surrounding their work, I find that both types of …

Facing The Fire - Challenges And Triumphs Of Western Firefighters In A Changing Climate, Mak Sisson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The American West sits at a dangerous position in the age of climate change. Wildfires burn hotter, longer, and cover more area than ever measured. Decreased snowpack, early spring run-off, a glut of built-up timber in parks and public lands, and longer droughts all build upon one another, and it just takes one spark to start a raging wildfire that devastates a community. As such, a firefighting force is needed to deal with this changing landscape.

However, that force is dwindling, especially at the federal level. A reported 20% of wildland firefighting positions are vacant, and the Bureau of Land …

Where Should Conservation Draw The Line And When Should It Push Forward, Jessica L. Mejia

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Is Growing Food Wasting Water? Stories From A Surge Of Groundwater Regulations In California, Abigail Jean Lauten-Scrivner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This long-form feature story examines how the nascence of California’s new era of groundwater regulation is playing out for the farmers, families and agencies who must adapt to a sweeping new law against the backdrop of climate change.

California became the last state in the west to adopt a statewide management plan for the invaluable natural resource when it first embarked on a path toward groundwater sustainability in 2020. Known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the 20-year plan requires California’s most depleted groundwater basins to become sustainable by 2040.

When SGMA matured in 2020, California’s next drought began …

In The Landscape Of Her Life, Susan M. Sinitiere

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

To reconcile perceptions of female expectations in light of realistic outcomes, the idealized domestic space where formality and dilapidation coexist with botanicals is the aesthetic of the autobiographical context of Seeds Once Sown. The ‘home’ melds together an acknowledgement of matriarchal influence that formed my identity as a homemaker and mother, but also serves as a place of independent contemplation on a mid-life passage through a seasonal change of life, now separate from domestic adherences.

Spatial Behavior, Foraging, And Population Dynamics Of A Subarctic Ungulate, Elizabeth (Libby) Parr Williamson Ehlers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The concept of density-dependence is foundational to our understanding of the ecology and management of large herbivores. As the abundance of large herbivores increases, competition for high-quality resources increases and animals select for lower-quality foods potentially resulting in reduced vital rates that cause declines in population growth. What remains unclear is how foraging at finer scales, like the ‘bite’, translates to demography. This is difficult because it’s challenging to scale bite-level foraging to population-levels. I test the fine-scale foraging mechanisms of density dependence in a large subarctic herbivore, Barrenground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti). The nutritional landscape for arctic herbivores is …

Traditional Vs. Home-Based Phase Ii Cardiac Rehabilitation In A Rural Setting: A Retrospective Study, Cassie Marie Reisdorph

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This dissertation addresses the following questions: 1) the impact of three environmental conditions (altitude, heat, and woodsmoke exposure) on the blood oxidative stress response to exercise; 2) the effect of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programs (home-based, HBCR; traditional, TCR) on health outcomes in those who have experienced a cardiovascular event and/or severe diagnosis resulting in referral to cardiac rehabilitation. Study 1: Examine effects of lab-simulated hypobaric and hypoxic conditions on oxidative stress during a 4-hour recovery period after 1-hour of cycling (70% watts max). Exercise increased markers of antioxidant status (TEAC, FRAP) and lipid damage (8-ISO) (p<0.05). No effects of hypobaria and hypoxia were observed. Study 2: Compare the blood oxidative stress response to an exercise tolerance trial (1-hour, 50% W_peak) in hot …

Agricultural Adaptation To Climate Change: How Montana Farmers Make Proactive Changes Despite Unpredictable Conditions, Austin Schuver

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In Montana, climate change is projected to increase interannual variability and the severity of weather events like drought. To sustain agricultural production, farmers must adapt to climate change within a complex decision-making process responsive to a range of climate and non-climate stressors. This study explores how Montana farmers approach proactive and long-term adaptation, two types of adaptation which are not well studied, but are expected to be increasingly important for adapting to the impacts of climate change. To understand Montana farmers’ approaches to adaptation, I conducted 30 in-depth interviews with farmers across the state. Farmers explained how unpredictability in weather …

Invasive Earthworms In The Crown Of The Continent System And Implications For Land Management, Meghan Elizabeth Scott

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The United States contains invasive earthworms originating from Europe and Asia; the majority are European lumbricids. Direct introduction occurs primarily through human activity and, once established, earthworm populations are difficult to address. When exotic earthworms engage in bioturbation, they negatively alter subterranean food webs and nutrient cycling by disrupting soil layering systems. The most prominent form of physical alteration is the change and removal of the topmost organic layer. This disruption is associated with altered nitrogen and carbon cycling, as well as altered forest floor plant communities.

The Crown of the Continent ecosystem is located in southwestern Alberta, southeastern British …

Collaborating In Cattle Country: Developing A Collaborative Process To Protect The Ecological, Economic, And Cultural Integrity Of Ranching In The Northern Rockies, Emily Jochem

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper explores the creation of a collaborative group that is being convened by Future West, a nonprofit organization based out of Bozeman, MT, to address issues surrounding the loss of ranchlands to alternative land uses in the Northern Rockies. Using literature and theory on collaboration this paper outlines a framework for the development of a collaborative group that includes seven ranchers as advisors to Future West in the development of their program. This framework includes the following elements:

1. A survey that was administered to each participant to assesses their ability to represent their community, and to gauge their initial …

The Molly Hootch Schools After 40 Years: Successes, Failures, And Opportunities, Jody Lynne Drew

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This quantitative study was designed to understand the relationship between the variables of student attendance, educator experience and turnover, and student achievement at the Molly Hootch schools in rural Alaska in an effort to understand the current state of achievement according to data from 2002–2019 collected from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (AKDEED) database. Data revealed that Molly Hootch school attendance was at 90% and that proficiency among student dropped from 40% to 15% during the years under review. The researcher was not granted access to review further data that could provide more concrete answers to the …

Combinatorial Administration Of Synthetic Tlr4 Agonist Ini-2002 And Novel Mincle Agonist Um-1098 Delivered Via A-Snps Results In Synergistic Il-1Β Production In Human Primary Cells And Enhances Th1 And Th17 Responses In Vivo, Grace D. Jones, Asia Marie Stephanie Riel, Alexander Riffey, Cassandra Buhl

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Tuberculosis (TB) kills more people each year than any infectious disease worldwide with recent exception of SARS-CoV-2. Though the Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine confers protection against severe extrapulmonary forms of TB, there is no licensed vaccine for the prevention of pulmonary tuberculosis. The strongest correlate of protection against pulmonary tuberculosis is Th1/Th17 biased cell mediated immunity. Several candidates for TB vaccine adjuvants have shown Th1/Th17 polarizing capacity in clinical trials including Mincle agonist trehalose dibehenate (TDB) and TLR4 agonist monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL). Furthermore, combinatorial administration of MPL and TDB formulated in dimethyldioctadecylammonium (DDA) liposomes has been previously reported …

Traumatic Brain Injury: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Healthcare Oversight, Charles Robert Brown Gatlin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Introduction: State licensing boards (SLBs) serve as overseers to protect the interests of the public by ensuring that individuals who operate under a license to practice in a state uphold the standards of their profession. However, resolving complaints regarding unprofessional conduct for conditions that necessitate interdisciplinary care, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), may necessitate involvement from SLBs of other disciplines who are most qualified to evaluate the appropriateness of care. To date, there is no single pathway to address complaints regarding the interdisciplinary management of TBI as the mechanisms of the injury are complex, often do not address the …

The Evolution Of Morphological Diversity And Sexual Dimorphism In Stick And Leaf Insects, Romain Pascal Gilbert Eric Boisseau

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

How has the diversity of life forms come to be? This question is at the core of evolutionary biology and can be addressed at different scales: by studying the processes that drive modifications within populations of organisms generation after generation (microevolution), or by investigating patterns of changes on the tree of life over long periods of time (macroevolution). Understanding the ultimate drivers of morphological diversity eventually entails connecting microevolutionary processes with macroevolutionary patterns. My dissertation investigates the diversification of body and egg form and its drivers in a relatively small but particularly diverse insect order: the stick and leaf insects …

The Effects Humidity & Temperature Has On Dna Contamination During Storage, Samantha L. Ramey

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Studies have been conducted on DNA cross-contamination throughout the criminal investigation process in order to evaluation the possibility that DNA from one sample could potentially influence the outcome of another. However, no published studies have examined the potential for contamination during the storage of genetic evidence after samples have been taken from crime scenes or suspects. This study is a continuation of a preliminary project, which examined storage drying time in relation to cross-contamination. The current study tested temperature and humidity for the potential of cross-contamination during storage prior to extraction. Prior to storage, 50 μl of male saliva was …

Quantitative Social Science Methods, Social Networks, And Scalar Mismatches: Advancing Social-Ecological Systems Science Towards Adaptation And Transformation, Holly Kathleen Nesbitt

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The adaptive capacity of social-ecological systems to maintain resilience or undergo transformation is increasingly important for navigating global change. Although social interactions and ecological disturbances are often cited as an essential element of social-ecological systems, social interactions are often undertheorized and simplistic, and the relative effects of both social and ecological processes are rarely considered in tandem. In this dissertation, I work towards advancing social-ecological systems research by highlighting opportunities for improved quantitative social science methods, using structurally explicit methods to evaluate the mechanisms underpinning social interactions, and characterizing scalar mismatches in a social-ecological system experiencing a regime shift. In …

Grizzly Bear Attractant Policies In Montana: How Regulations, Recommendations, And Resources Differ Among And Between Recovery Areas, Kenneth J. Edmo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Edmo, Kenneth, M.S, Autumn 2022 Resource Conservation

Grizzly bear attractant policies in Montana: how regulations, recommendations, and resources differ among and between recovery areas

Chairperson or Co-Chairperson: Alexander L. Metcalf & Chad J. Bishop

Abstract

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) are a keystone species and play an important role in their environment. After near extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service implemented a recovery plan of six recovery zones to increase grizzly populations. Although these efforts allowed grizzly bear numbers to increase, so too have human-grizzly bear conflicts, significantly challenging agencies in charge of bear management. A concern …

Understanding The Underidentification Of Autism In Native American Students, Emily A. Brooke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

School psychologists are called upon to promote nondiscriminatory practices that ensure equity and fairness for all youth, including racially minoritized students. Despite being overrepresented in almost every other disability category of special education, Native American students nationwide are underrepresented within the category of autism. The current study focuses on factors within educators that might lead to the underidentification of Native American students with autism. In alignment with the cultural humility model, and the tripartite model of multicultural competence embedded within it, the current study explored 36 educators’ attitudes, knowledge, and skills as they relate to the culturally responsive assessment of …

"It Costs Us Something": Mike Mansfield And The Effort To Evaluate The American Foreign Aid Program In South Vietnam, 1953-1960, Kristin D. Gates

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Toward A Dialectical Account Of Nature, Georgia Rae Grimm

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The protection of nature has been a central aim of environmentalism for well over a century. However, the concept of nature has been subjected to abundant critiques in recent literature, threatening the conceptual tenability of this goal. In this paper, I discuss why I find the concept of nature too valuable to dismiss and offer an account of nature that I believe remedies existent critiques. In Chapter 1, I recount arguments for the protection of nature and illustrate their dualistic underpinnings. In Chapter 2, I discuss issues with dualistic accounts of nature and demonstrate why Steven Vogel’s monistic alternative is …

Applying Resource Selection Probability Function (Rspf) To Understand Floral Resource Use By A Common Bumble Bee, Bombus Vancouverensis, Rebekah Brassfield

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Bombus) are important pollinators in temperate ecosystems worldwide with seasonal caste variations involving queens, workers, and drones. Like all organisms, they must meet their nutrient requirements for successful growth and development by using several floral resources over time. When resource use is in greater proportion to its abundance on a landscape, that use is considered selective. To examine resource use within the context of abundance, a resource selection probability function (RSPF) was applied to examine floral resource use through a flowering season by a common bumble bee, Bombus vancouverensis. The RSPF framework was used to examine 1) …

Using Bone Biology To Enhance Forensic And Paleoanthropological Dna Analysis, Keith M. Biddle

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

We know that the optimal site for DNA extraction from human skeletal remains lies primarily in the petrous portion of the crania, and secondarily in the dental pulp, but we do not know why. As for the optimal location in the post-crania, targeted extraction sites are based on experience or inference, not empirical data. So, where to sample for DNA when only post-cranial elements are available? There are many instances where the petrous and/or teeth are not present or cannot be sampled. The three main goals of the project are 1- develop our foundational knowledge of the underlying cellular and …

Traversing Paradigms: An Environmental Journey To Body And Mind, Martin Ceja Mejia

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Traumatic life experiences altered the way I perceive the world. As a result, I embark on a journey to reshape my relationship to self, the built and natural world; to environment. In this thesis I ask: How do I want to relate to the environment? Considering I am a doubly colonized agent, I also aim to decolonize my relationship to environment along the process. Therefore, this work aims to formulate a new, personal, relationship to environment through academic literature, history, psychology, Indigenous knowledge and science, and literary studies, among other fields of knowledge. This work is interdisciplinary in nature; life …

Bertolt Brecht And His Play - The Good Woman Of Setzuan, Min Sun

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

“The Long Arm Of The Dreaded B.I.”: The Bureau Of Investigation And The Origins Of The Federal Surveillance State, William Schuman-Kline

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis looks to analyze and understand how U.S. government officials created the first domestic intelligence agency in the United States: the Bureau of Investigation (BOI). In so doing, this paper examines how intelligence collection functioned within the U.S. prior to the creation of the BOI, what domestic and international concerns prompted the creation of a centralized institution like the BOI, and how the press, congressmen, and public opinion constrained the creation and early years of the BOI. This paper argues that from its onset, the Bureau of Investigation dedicated significant time and resources to surveilling American citizens for threats …