Digital Commons Network^™

Subjective Experience And Psychological Effects Of Participating In Adventure Experiences: An Exploratory Study, Abby Marie Kiklevich

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Adventure Experiences (AE) are used in many different types of treatment for adolescents. Two different models have been proposed to understand the different types of experiences individuals might have while participating in these activities: the Orthogonal Model of Flow (Csikszentmihalyi & Rathunde 1993) and the Adventure Experience Paradigm (Priest, 1992). This study combined these two models to assess the use of the psychological constructs of mindfulness and emotion regulation during the AE for individuals at different stages of the combined model. Participants were offered the opportunity to complete an AE consisting of a beginner–rated rock climb. Those who elected to …

Scale And Source Of Geospatial Data For Wildfire Risk Assessments: Comparing National Data With Local Data In The Deschutes National Forest, Julie Marie Gilbertson-Day

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Widespread use of geospatial data in environmental decision-making tools such as wildfire risk models has called attention to questions of availability, quality, and currency of input data layers. As wildfires are modeled with growing confidence and knowledge of how resources respond to fire is increasing, challenges must be addressed before geospatial data are acquired and used to represent resources of high value in wildfire risk assessments. Researchers at the Rocky Mountain Research Station and the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center of the USDA Forest Service employ a framework for assessing wildfire risk to a range of human and ecological …

The Development Of An Artist, Lori Jean Wheeler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The goal of my final creative project was to receive instruction in the area of the visual arts, create a body of work that would be displayed in an art gallery or other appropriate setting, and emerge publicly as an artist. This goal was important to me for two reasons. The first reason was that for many years I had suppressed my own need to create and express myself through art for various reasons: lack of instruction and fear of stepping out of the box and expressing myself creatively. My final creative project has led to an awakening of my …

What Is Orientation In Reality? A Philosophical Exploration Of Technology, Placement, Enchantment And Wonder, Patrick Maurice Burke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis gives an account of the ontological basis of the profound sense of disorientation in contemporary society and attempts to discover through a phenomenological account of orienting experience that which holds the possibility of authentic orientation in reality. Martin Heidegger’s understanding of “being-in-the-world,” the “there” of Dasein, and the epochal revealing of reality as resources in modern technological society is the philosophical backdrop for the thesis. This philosophical foundation is elaborated upon by showing that the challenging-revealing of the real as resources within the “framework” of technology results in the ontological “dis-traction” of reality. This dis-traction pulls apart the …

Population Dynamics Of The Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana Luteiventris): Inference From Long-Term Demography, Rebecca Marie Wahl Mccaffery

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Worldwide extinctions of amphibians are at the forefront of the biodiversity crisis, with climate change figuring prominently as a potential driver of continued amphibian decline. Changes in both the mean and variability of climate conditions may affect amphibian populations in complex, unpredictable ways. However, few studies have evaluated effects of climate change on individual vital rates and subsequent population dynamics of amphibians. I investigated the population dynamics of a high elevation population of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) in relation to climate variation over a ten-year period.

I documented an increase in survival and breeding probability as severity of …

"The Lawmen Faced The Outlaws, No Badge Upon A Breast:" Historical Memory And The Legacy Of Henry Plummer And The Montana Vigilantes, Melissa Poindexter Thomasma

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the winter of 1863-1864, the Montana vigilantes hanged over twenty men in and around Bannack and Virginia City, including the region's elected sheriff, Henry Plummer. The mob claimed that these men were members of a highly-organized Road Agent Gang. While no evidence of this organization of highwaymen exists, the episode endures in the popular history of Montana; this thesis explores four elements of the legacy of this episode. First, it presents a biography of Henry Plummer and brief summary of the organization and actions of the Vigilance Committee. Second, it establishes an historiography of the episode; it couches the …

“The Season Of Famine” As A Challenge To Food Security In Northern Rural Togo: Addressing Seasonal Hunger Through Household Coping Strategies, Jennifer Gorsegner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Improved understanding about food security has led researchers to develop increasingly holistic approaches to studying the effects of household food insecurity. This research, based in the remote prefecture of Dankpen in Togo, West Africa, presents insights into the lives of rural subsistence farmers, the role of population pressures, and the effectiveness of both international and national development work. Originally I wanted to identify positive deviants who were food secure living in the Dankpen prefecture. I conducted group interviews in five villages surrounding the prefectural capital, Guérin-Kouka in December 2009 and January 2010. There was combined total of 61 men and …

Assessing Effects Of An Overwinter Dewatering On The Egg-To-Fry Survival Of Brown Trout In A Montana Stream, Christa Lyn Torrens

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Natural instream flow regimes are necessary for the ecological health of streams, including the maintenance of healthy fish populations. Economic interests such as agriculture, mining, and other industries remove water from streams, which can negatively affect fish populations. Wintertime diversions of water affect autumn-spawning salmonids such as brown trout and bull trout; they occur at the critical egg-to-fry development phase, possibly reducing oxygen flow to the eggs and increasing the rate of sub-gravel freezing. This study was designed to examine the effects of a wintertime industrial water diversion on redd building and egg-to-fry survival of wild brown trout in Warm …

Assessing Macroinvertebrate Community Recovery In Post Restoration Silver Bow Creek, Montana, Sean Patrick Sullivan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Since the turn of the twentieth century, mining activities have contaminated the floodplain and streambed of Silver Bow Creek, Montana, resulting in a streambed devoid of life and severely contaminated with heavy metals. In the mid nineteen seventies, up-stream water treatment facilities were upgraded and water quality improved, bringing benthic invertebrates back to reaches of Silver Bow Creek. The extent and concentration of toxicants in and around the streams of the Upper Clark Fork River Basin resulted in the designation of over 100 miles of river as Federal Superfund sites. Since 1999 reclamation and restoration efforts have been implemented on …

Analysis Of The University Of Montana Forensic Case 29, Daniel James Haak

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The application of non-metric forensic anthropological techniques produces results that are sometimes not always scientifically valid. Using the commonly accepted techniques to produce a biological profile (age, sex, ancestry, height, pathology and trauma), an application of the methods is utilized and critiqued in the analysis of The University of Montana forensic case 29 (UMFC 29). Using the accepted techniques in forensic anthropology, UMFC 29 was identified as a Black Male with an age range of 35-65 years and a height of 5’3’’-5’6’’. Possible skeletal trauma is found on the vertebral bodies, left 4th rib, and on the left scapula and …

Chinese Classifier Acquisition: Comparison Of L1 Child And L2 Adult Development, Jiang Song Gong

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The context of this thesis is the long-debated issue of whether or not adult second language (L2) development is basically similar to child first language (L1) development. The thesis approaches the issue through research dealing with L1 acquisition of Chinese classifiers and a pilot study of L2 adult classifier acquisition. First, evidence that children acquire specific classifiers earlier than measure classifiers is discussed and explained in light of existing language learning theories. With the aim of providing comparable data regarding L2 adult classifier acquisition a pilot study was conducted in which nine adult English-speaking learners of Chinese were tested on …

A Comparative Financial Analysis Of Fast Pyrolysis Plants In Southwest Oregon, Colin Brink Sorenson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There are millions of acres of forestland in the Western United States that could benefit from fuel reduction treatments to improve forest health and reduce wildfire fuels. These treatments generate forest residues that are typically piled and burned. However, with increasing concerns about energy security, high oil prices, air quality from pile burning and climate change, there is great interest in examining ways to economically use these residues as a renewable energy source. Pyrolysis of forest biomass is one method that shows promise, though the financial feasibility of doing so has not been previously investigated. This study presents the expected …

Evaluating And Remediating Metals And Arsenic In Surface Waters Of The Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Montana, Chauncey Allan Means

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Located in southeastern Montana, the Northern Cheyenne Reservation sits within the Powder River Basin energy development boundary. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe (Tribe) has had a long history of resisting energy development on the reservation. The Tribe has also opposed off-reservation development that impacts reservation water, air, and cultural resources. Current coal bed methane and coal mine developments near the reservation threaten the quality of life for the Northern Cheyenne people. Trace metal content of the surface waters on the reservation have not been adequately studied. Providing baseline data for future reference for the Tribe will be beneficial for their future …

Evaluating Population Estimates Of Mountain Goats Based On Citizen Science, Jami J. Belt

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Citizen science programs that use trained volunteers may be a cost-effective method for monitoring wildlife at large spatial and temporal scales. However, few studies have compared inferences made from data collected by volunteers to professionally collected data. In Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, I assessed whether citizen science is a useful method to monitor mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations. I compared estimates of mountain goat abundance by volunteers at 32 sites throughout GNP to estimates by biologists and raw counts from aerial surveys at a subset of 25 and 11 sites, respectively. I used multiple observer surveys to calibrate the …

Marine Applications Of An Autonomous Indicator-Based Ph Sensor, Sarah E. Cullison

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Currently, the lack of accurate in situ pH measurements limits our understanding of natural pH variability. In order to predict future pH changes in the oceans, quality high temporal resolution pH data are needed. This work used the newly developed Submersible Autonomous Moored Instrument for pH (SAMI-pH), a fully autonomous, in situ spectrophotometric pH sensor, to study oceanic pH variability. The three main goals of this research were to: determine the field performance of the new SAMI-pH, establish the utility of combining SAMI-pH data with in situ pCO2 data to characterize the entire inorganic carbon cycle and establish pH variability, …

Discourse, Identity, And Culture In Diverse Organizations: A Study Of The Muslim Students Association (University Of Montana), Burhanuddin Bin Omar

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examined the relationship between discourse, identity and culture within the diverse membership of the Muslim Students Association, University of Montana. Previous organizational identity research has discussed how identity is fluid, how identity regulation occurs between the organization and membership, and that identity is formed through discourses. Additionally, the literature also shows us how these identity influencing discourses are themselves influenced by culture. This study expands the literature through an exploration of the identity formation of organizational members who share Islam as a religion within a culturally diverse MSA. This study utilizes a poststructuralist lens to explore the discursive …

Establishment Of Physical Assessment Percentile Ranks For Junior Alpine Ski Competitors, Jennifer Anne Stielow

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT Stielow, Jennifer A., M.S., May 2010 Health and Human Performance Establishment of Physical Assessment Percentile Ranks for Junior Alpine Ski Competitors Chairperson: Dr. Steven Gaskill STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: While there is adequate literature on elite alpine skiers there is limited reporting relating to fitness in junior alpine skiers or the validity of testing related to performance in junior alpine skiers. PURPOSE: To investigate the physiological and anatomical characteristics in junior alpine skiers in order to establish performance standards and percentile ranks using the current USSA Physical Assessment protocol. METHODS: 1319 junior alpine skiers (761 males and 558 females) aged …

The Effectiveness Of Trout Habitat Restoration In Eustache Creek, A Formerly Placer-Mined Stream In Western Montana, Emily K. Thompson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Thompson, Emily, Master of Science, July 2010 Environmental Studies The Effectiveness of Trout Habitat Restoration in Eustache Creek, a Formerly Placer-Mined Stream in Western Montana Committee Chair: Dr. Daniel Spencer Aquatic ecosystems in the western U.S. have been severely degraded over the last century by anthropogenic activities such as mining, logging and grazing. Habitat heterogeneity in streams of the western United States has been lost as a result of both in-stream activities (i.e. dredging and straightening channels) and riparian zone activities (i.e. logging and vegetation removal). A commonly stated objective of stream channel restoration projects is to restore stream habitat …

The Influence Of An Ecosystem Engineer On Nutrient Subsidies And Fish Invasions In Southwestern Montana, Magnus Mccaffery

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Streams and associated riparian zones are among the world's most highly valued yet threatened ecosystems. Interest in using the ecosystem engineering behavior of beaver tomeet watershed conservation goals is becoming more pervasive, owing to substantive work documenting the physical effects of beaver impoundments on freshwater ecosystems. However, it is unclear how beaver modify ecological processes linking abiotic factors to changes in the surrounding biotic community. I investigated how beaver impoundments influence local food web processes, as well as impact native fish species threatened by nonnative invasions.

I showed that beaver impoundments enhanced aquatic resource availability to terrestrial consumers. Beaver impounded …

Conformationally Gated Electron Transfer Studies Of Iso-1-Cytochrome C, Swati Bandi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Protein folding is important because all proteins must fold to achieve their active conformer. In many cases, misfolding is the cause of disease and thus, understanding folding may lead to cures for disease. This thesis focuses on the dynamics and thermodynamics of partially unfolded states of proteins that lie near the bottom of a folding funnel. Various studies have provided evidence that partially unfolded proteins can be key intermediates in metabolic processes and in aggregation diseases. Partially unfolded proteins also provide insight into the types of structures that guide/misguide the process of protein folding. Less is known about how stability …

The Postmortem Interval: A Systematic Study Of Pig Decomposition In West Central Montana, Hillary Renee' Parsons

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The postmortem interval (PMI) is an important piece of information used by forensic and criminal investigators to help investigate crimes and other unattended deaths. Time since death estimations assist law enforcement in providing a reference with which to compare a suspects alibi, identify victims of crime, and solve cases. Studies of decomposition have been conducted at the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research Facility in Knoxville, TN; however, decomposition at high altitude climates characterized by colder temperatures and arid conditions is poorly understood. Further, the lack of postmortem interval studies in west central Montana has hindered the investigation and identification of …

The Social Benefits Of Wilderness, Michael Joseph Aloi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Modern culture has not yet learned to live in harmony with the rest of the natural world. This is largely because we are afflicted with inadequate institutions and personal habits. These habits and institutions are also responsible for many social ills – sexism, homophobia, etc. In particular, “the imperium” is a way of thinking and acting which encourages us to practice a heavy-handed form of standardization; it encourages us to ignore particularity. These habits and institutions – the imperium – are a result of, and reinforced by, our interpersonal interactions. The standardization of these interactions drains the wildness out of …

Glacier Monitoring In Ladakh And Zanskar, Northwestern India, Martin Edward Byrne

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Glaciers in the Himalaya are often heavily covered with supraglacial debris, making them difficult to study with remotely-sensed imagery alone. Various methods such as band ratios can be used effectively to map clean-ice glaciers; however, a thicker layer of debris often makes it impossible to distinguish between supraglacial debris and the surrounding terrain. Previously, a morphometric approach employing an ASTER-derived digital elevation model (DEM) has been used to map glaciers in the Khumbu Himal and the Tien Shan. This project aims first to test the ability of the morphometric procedure to map small glaciers; second, to use the morphometric approach …

Investigating The Relationships Between Seventh And Eighth Grade Science Teachers' Background, Self-Efficacy Toward Teaching Science As Inquiry, And Attitudes And Beliefs On Classroom Control, William T. Joern

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

An important component of science reform is the teaching of science as inquiry. Many barriers toward teaching science as inquiry have been documented but the list is incomplete. This study utilized a non-experimental correlational design to examine middle school science teachers' background and the relationships this has with teacher efficacy toward teaching science as inquiry and teachers' attitudes and beliefs toward classroom control. Because science inquiry activities involve greater classroom control skills by the instructor as opposed to teacher-centered instruction, the relationship between teacher efficacy toward teaching science as inquiry and teachers' attitudes and beliefs toward classroom control were important …

Forest Habitat Improvement Planning On The Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area: A Case Study In Multiple Criteria Decision-Analysis, Christine Ann Paulu

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The forests of western Montana were historically characterized by mixed-severity fire regimes, which have been mostly absent due to fire suppression policies of the 20th century. This has changed stand structure and forest composition, resulting in a high risk of wildfire, loss of heterogeneity in forest types, and loss of valuable wildlife habitat. As a result forest stewardship, or holistic forest management, and long-term planning have been used widely by forest managers and landowners to improve forest health, to use resources efficiently, and to satisfy stakeholders. This case study shows how one agency, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP), could …

Coping With The Death Of A Family Member: An Exploration Of American Indian People's Experience, William Henry Shunkamolah

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Most studies exploring bereavement/grief have focused upon the US’s majority culture. These study findings have contributed to the existing bereavement theories regarding grief and coping by providing broad and general information to researchers and clinicians. Previous research has found that an individual’s experience of grief and ability to cope with death is affected by a combination of situational factors (e.g., anticipated death vs. sudden death), personal factors (e.g., age), and interpersonal factors (e.g., availability of social support). The literature suggests that understanding cultural differences among bereaved clients should be considered by clinicians. Despite such cautions few studies without theoretical preconception …

Identification Of Tree Species In Mixed Conifer Forests Using Laser Altimetry, Agus Suratno

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Airborne laser scanning data is used to discriminate between Douglas-fir (.Pseudotsuga menziesii), ponderosa pine (Pirns ponderosa), lodgepole pine (.Pinus contorta), and western larch (Larix occidentalis) in a mixed coniferous forest of western Montana, USA. Laser-derived structural and intensity variables are investigated to classify tree species at individual tree and plot-level dominant species. Linear Discriminant Analysis is applied to discriminate between species, and in combination with Maximum Likelihood Classification, used to map species across the landscape. Oneway ANOVA tests indicate that proportions of first and single returns and mean intensities are significantly different between species (p-value < 0.001) at both individual tree and plot-dominant species levels. A single variable in the Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), e.g., mean or standard deviation intensity, can produce classification accuracy ranging from 49-61% at the dominant species level and 37-52% for individual trees. The accuracy can be improved to 95% and 68% respectively by using multiple variables, including proportions of return type, intensities, and canopy heights. Adding proportion of return-type improves classification accuracy at the dominant species level, but not for individual trees. The inclusion of both mean and standard deviation of canopy heights produce higher accuracy at both levels. Validation of the landscape classifications is performed using a stand database consisting of predominant and secondary species and with gridded, fixed-area plots. Assuming that stand homogeneity is at least within dominant species criteria (>70%), the application of intensity …

Age Estimation Of Fetal Skeletal Remains From The Forensic Context, Jennifer Ellen Sanders

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study tested the efficacy of the traditional method (Fazekas and Kosa, 1978) of aging fetal remains from the forensic context against ultrasound (Chevernak et al., 1998)and radiographic (Sherwood et al., 2000) methods to determine which was most accurate. Two data sets were used in this study. The first consisted of measurements from historic (1902-1917) fetal remains of known age. The second consisted of measurements from modern fetal remains of known age from the forensic context. Using these samples in the different prediction models for aging fetal remains, the accuracy of each was determined.

Native American Tourism In Montana, Vicki Ann Plemmons

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This professional project is composed of three magazine articles on the topic of Native American tourism in Montana. The first article is about Blackfeet artist Leonda Fast Buffalo Horse, a successful porcupine quill artist over the past 15 years, and the prospect of cultural tourism in Browning. The second article explores three Native American groups and how they are using tourism to create changes on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations. The third article examines German tourists, the largest group of overseas visitors to Montana, and the irony as to why several groups are making a profit from the German …

Root Infinitives In Child L2 Spanish, Sandra Patricia Cano Garcia

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis aims to develop an understanding of the Root Infinitive (RI) phenomenon in child L2 Spanish. Previous research has investigated this phenomenon in Spanish first language acquisition and in adult L2 Spanish, but much less attention has been given to this phenomenon in children learning Spanish as a second language. This thesis focuses on whether children learning Spanish as a second language go through a RI stage. It also examines which morphological forms and types of predicates appear in the RI stage of these children. The data for this study were collected via natural production in oral and written …