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The Influence Of Dad: An Investigation Of Adolescent Females' Perceived Closeness With Fathers And Risky Behaviors, Whitney Rostad

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Substance use and sexual behaviors are prominent college campus activities, often co-occurring. An evolutionary perspective illuminates the unique impact of father-daughter relationships on substance use and sexual risk-taking. Female adolescents who experience early physical separation from their fathers or lack relational closeness with him exhibit higher rates of substance use and accelerated reproductive development. This study examines whether female adolescents’ models of father psychological presence (a component of the attachment working model) also predict risky college behavior. Eighteen to 22 year old college females were administered several scales assessing father psychological presence, sexual risk taking, substance use, impulsivity, and depression. …

The Role Of Nadph Oxidase In Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Alterations To Ampa Receptor Trafficking And Nmda Receptor Function, Phillip Howard Beske

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Following a stroke, the pathological increase in intracellular calcium arising from the over-activation of post-synaptic glutamatergic receptors has long been established as a key contributor to neuronal death. Also contributing to ischemic/reperfusion-induced neuronal death is oxidative stress, chemically defined as a pathologic state within the cell arising from the increased generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and/or a decrease in the ability of the cell to scavenge and detoxify the reactive intermediates. Strong evidence supports the notion that oxidative stress serves as an important mediator in leading to alterations in intracellular signaling events, ultimately affecting cellular function. However, few …

Spatial Drivers Of Ecosystem Structure And Function In A Floodplain Riverscape: Springbrook Nutrient Dynamics, Samantha Kate Caldwell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

On riverine floodplains, reorganization by fluvial processes creates and maintains a mosaic of aquatic and riparian landscape elements across a biophysical gradient of disturbance and succession. I hypothesized that ecosystem processes in spring brooks would differ spatially across biophysical zones because landscape position dictates severity of flood disturbance and allochthonous inputs from contiguous terrestrial and groundwater systems. Between July and October 2011, I quantified aspects of ecosystem structure and function among six streams (i.e., spring brooks) originating on the Nyack floodplain, Flathead River, Montana. Among sites large wood standing stocks differed over 300-fold (0.04 – 13.5 kg m-2), dominant particle …

The Ecology Of Parafluvial Ponds On A Salmon River, Zachary Jon Crete

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Parafluvial ponds are discrete lentic habitats embedded in the alluvia of gravel bed rivers that are formed by flooding and persist in relation to floodplain geohydrology. On the expansive flood plains of the Kwethluk River, I observed thousands of juvenile salmon apparently trapped by surface disconnection of the ponds from the river. I was interested in whether the salmon could survive until flooding reconnected the ponds to the river. I sampled ponds along the river corridor to describe habitat quantity and juvenile salmon presence, growth, and diet. Furthermore, I looked at pond hydrology, temperature regime, and the role groundwater plays …

Women's Views On Conservation-Based Income Generation And Women's Empowerment In Kwandu Conservancy In Caprivi, Namibia, Kathryn Elizabeth Khumalo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

While advocates of Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) contend that this decentralized approach to natural resource management has higher potential for the distribution of conservation and social benefits throughout civil society than conventional protected area approaches, there is limited empirical research to confirm it, especially regarding goals and claims of gender empowerment. To assess the impact of CBNRM on women's empowerment, this research selected Kwandu Conservancy in Namibia's Caprivi Region for in-depth study, an area with a relatively long and nationally-praised experience with CBNRM. The research was organized around the following two questions: how do women residing in Kwandu Conservancy …

Ph Modulation Of Fibril Dissociation And Copper Binding Properties Of The Prion Protein, Xu Qi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The cellular form of prion protein (PrP^C) is a cell-surface glycoprotein attached to lipid rafts via its glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. Conversion of PrP^C to its "scrapie" conformer (PrP^Sc, the fibrillar form) constitutes the key event of the etiology of prion diseases. Fibril dissociation is necessary for efficient conversion and continued propagation of the disease state. Recent studies have revealed that conversion occurs along the endocytic pathway. To better understand the dissociation process, we have investigated the effect of low pH on the stability of recombinant prion fibrils. We show that under conditions that mimic the endocytic …

Bison Conservation In The Northern Great Plains, Michel Thomas Kohl

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Temperate grasslands are the least protected ecosystem in the world. In North America, only < 4% of tallgrass prairie, 64% of mixed-grass prairie, and 66% of shortgrass prairie are intact. Historically, grazing played an important role in maintaining prairie landscapes through nutrient cycling and the diversification of vegetation structure and composition. Within grasslands, the plains bison (Bos bison) was the most numerous and influential grazer. However, by 1900 bison were reduced to ¡Ü 1,000 animals throughout North America. Today, bison are scattered throughout their historical range, numbering > 500,000 individuals. Recent questions have surfaced regarding the success of this effort, however, because < 21,000 plains bison are managed as conservation herds (n = 62) and 8% of those herds are managed on areas of > 2,000 km2. In addition, >100,000,000 cattle now graze rangelands in the U.S. and Canada leading to questions regarding the ecological significance of replacing bison with livestock. Our objectives were to increase knowledge regarding the ecological similarities between bison and cattle, and to determine how both species can be managed to mimic ecological patterns that approximate historical bison populations. We used behavioral observations, movement analyses, and Resource Selection Function (RSF) analyses too quantify …

Capitalism, Contraception And Chemicals: A Medical Anthropological Analysis Of The Premature Sexual Development Epidemic In Puerto Rican Females, Holly Lynn Horan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

An Investigation of Etiologies: The Biosocial Exploration of Premature Sexual Development in Puerto Rico Objective: The purpose of this study was to argue for an anthropological approach in the investigation of the world’s highest recorded prevalence of precocious puberty and premature thelarche that occurred in Puerto Rico in the late 1970s. After 30 years of biomedical research, definite etiologies of this epidemic remain unknown; prompting for a more dynamic, biosocial approach in studying this pediatric health phenomenon. Methods: This research began with a literature review of mixed-methods data. Literature sources were segmented by qualitative and quantitative methods. Each source was …

College Dating Couples' Use Of Conflict Management During A Prisoner's Dilemma Task: An Exploratory Study, Kristen E. Waldemayer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Dating violence that occurs in young college-aged couples is unique when compared to other types of violence. Aggression occurring in these couples is often bidirectional, highly impacted by situational stressors, and perpetrated by both males and females at relatively equal rates. Most importantly, dating aggression occurs within a developmental context when individuals are attempting to balance autonomy and intimacy within their relationships. However, little is known about conflict management within dating couples or if conflict management processes differ substantially for aggressive and non-aggressive dating couples. Although there has been extensive research in marital processes in conflict, only recently have researchers …

Composition, Distribution, And Conservation Of The Herpetofauna Of Santa Barbara Mountain, Honduras, Alicia Marie Ward

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Santa Barbara Mountain is an important and unique ecosystem in Honduras because of its topography and high proportion of endemic species. Despite its prospects for valuable discoveries and the profusion of threats to its biodiversity, there is almost no scientific information about Santa Barbara Mountain. This study is the first systematic investigation of hepetofauna species on the mountain. Research objectives included inventorying of the reptile and amphibian species present on Santa Barbara Mountain, identifying locations and microhabitat types where each species can be found, and determining if the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis is present and in which locations. A community education …

Consequences Of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation In Steady-State And Inflammatory Dendritic Cells, Thomas Simones

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a steroid-like transcription factor that mediates the toxicity of various environmental pollutants, including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and TCDD-like compounds. Exposure to environmentally relevant levels of TCDD and TCDD congeners has been shown to cause immune suppression, yet the mechanisms underlying TCDD-induced immune suppression remain poorly understood. Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) that play an integral role in both innate and adaptive immune responses. DCs constitutively express AhR and represent a highly sensitive immune cell population to AhR activation by environmental pollutants. In a murine inflammatory bone marrow-derived DC (BMDC) model, AhR …

Exploring Visitor Experiences Along The Going-To-The-Sun Corridor Of Glacier National Park, Elena Nikolaeva

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Visitor use on the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) corridor is one of the most critical issues that Glacier National Park faces. According to the park’s General Management Plan, it should be addressed to safeguard the quality of park resources and the visitor experiences. 80% of park visitors travel along at least some part of the road, which is the primary park experience and one of the most spectacular highlights of the park. The road was built in early 1930, and now brings almost 2 million visitors annually into the heart of Glacier NP. Increased number of cars on this narrow historic …

Forgotten Sepulchers: The Uninscribed Tombs In The Valley Of The Kings In Luxor, Egypt, Roselyn Campbell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The elaborately decorated tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, have captured the imagination of scholars and tourists alike for thousands of years. Yet despite the attention lavished on these tombs, they are outnumbered in the Valley of the Kings uninscribed tombs that have been largely ignored. Excavations in several of the uninscribed tombs have demonstrated that although their walls may be bare, the tombs are certainly not empty, and a variety of finds ranging from scattered funerary objects and human remains to several nearly intact burials of high officials have been uncovered. This thesis will assemble …

Heat Acclimatization During Seasonal Wildfire Suppression, Brianna Lui

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine heat acclimatization across a 4-month fire season in the western United States. Methods: Wildland firefighters (WLFF) (n =12) and non-WLFFs (n =14) completed a 60-min heat stress trial (treadmill walking at 50% peak VO2) in a climate controlled chamber (43.3°C, 33% RH) prior to and following the fire season (May through September). Peak VO2, body composition, core (Tc) and skin (Tsk) temperatures, heart rate (HR), physiological strain index (PSI), plasma volume change, sweat rate and perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the heat stress trials. Results: Average peak VO2 was similar …

Impacts Of Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak On Biogeochemical Cycling In A High Elevation Whitebark Pine Ecosystem, Megan Keville

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Ecological disturbances can significantly impact biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, but the effects of the current widespread mountain pine beetle outbreak on ecosystem processes like carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling are poorly understood. This is especially true in high elevation whitebark pine (WbP) (Pinus albicaulis) ecosystems of western North America. WbP has been described as a keystone species, providing a critical food source and regulating hydrologic regimes. However, widespread WbP mortality caused by the mountain pine beetle drives structural and physiological changes in WbP forests, which could result in shifts in pools and fluxes of C and N within …

Improving Patient-Provider Communication In The Health Care Context, Charlotte M. Glidden

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The following study focuses on ways in which health care providers seem to competently breaking bad news to patients that are college age (18-25yrs old). Breaking bad news is an inevitable and daunting part of working in the health care profession. Delivering this type of news to college age students could occur more frequently than with other cohorts. Buckman (1992) presents methodology for teaching breaking bad news to health care providers in the form of the SPIKES model, which are similar to the identified “essential elements” of communication in medical encounters described by communication scholars (Makoul, 2001). Several interviews were …

Mathematical Modeling And Disease Related Applications: A New Method Of Estimating Bacterial Mutation Rates, Dynamics Of Killer Yeast In A Chemostat, And Other Problems, Nicholas Fitzgerald Mcclure

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Among the main mechanisms of evolution we find adaptation, genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, natural selection and speciation. The following thesis explores bacterial mutation rate, mutants, mutators, and how competition acts as a driving force of adaptation.

In chapter 1, the system used in reference for mutation is the devolopment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibacterial resistance in the Cystic Fibrosis patients. Current methods for determining mutation rate are quite involved mathematically or complicated experimentally. A new method for estimating mutation rate is discussed and compared with two other widely used methods.

In chapter 2, a microarray data set of different strains …

Diagnosis Threat In A Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Population, Haley Gail Trontel

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The present study examined the effect of diagnosis threat on neuropsychological test performance. Forty-nine participants with a history of mTBI were randomly assigned to either a Diagnosis Threat group or a Control group. The Diagnosis Threat group was told that they were selected to participate based on their history of head injury and that they might expect to perform more poorly on testing. Participants in the Control group were told to perform to the best of their ability. It was hypothesized that individuals who had a history of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) made salient prior to testing (Diagnosis Threat …

Effects Of Biotic Interactions On Climate-Growth Relationships Of Douglas-Fir And Ponderosa Pine, Gunnar Carnwath

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Plant processes depend on the interplay between intrinsic characteristics (e.g., photosynthetic capacity) and external variables, such as light, temperature and water availability. However, these factors are often tightly interconnected and vary significantly among species with different life history strategies and within a species across environmental gradients. Moreover, plant-plant interactions may directly affect both intrinsic variables and local environment through direct effects on resource availability and habitat structure. Yet, despite general scientific agreement that the relative effects of abiotic stress and competition are directly linked, relatively little is known about the effects of competitive interactions on climate-growth relationships of trees. This …

The Effect Of Photocycle On Self-Control In Betta Splendens, Kathryn Gwen Lamp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The present study examined the effect of varying light cycles on self-control in Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). The subjects included 16 male Betta splendens, and instrumental choice trials were run. A subject began each trial in the start box and, when a guillotine divider door was lifted, entered one side of a divided terminus. The checkerboard side of the choice door represented either the smaller, more immediate choice (SS) or the larger, more delayed choice (LL). When the subject had entered one side of the goal box, the guillotine divider door was lowered and the subject was given food …

History, Ecology And Restoration Potential Of Salmonid Fishes In The Umpqua River, Oregon, Kelly Crispen Coates

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Salmonid populations are decreasing across their historic range in the Pacific Northwest, and throughout the lower 48 states. This study incorporates a retrospective analysis of historical literature, traditional ecological knowledge as well as current ecology to determine historic salmonid abundance in the Umpqua River, Oregon and current conditions for salmonids in the context of wild salmonid restoration. Results for the Umpqua were compared to other Pacific Rim Rivers. The history of the basin and impacts to the river including settlement, agriculture, logging, mining, dam building, hatchery supplementation and non-native species introduction were reviewed. Decreases in runs were compared to impacts …

Psychometric Evaluations Of An Acculturation Scale And An Acculturation Stress Scale With American Indian University Students, Michael Brian Trahan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Acculturation and acculturation stress are constructs studied with various minority groups. This study tests the factor loadings for both the Native American Acculturation Scale (N.A.A.S.) and the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturation Stress Scale (S.A.F.E.), as well as the reliability of these measures with American Indian undergraduate and graduate students in a university setting. The first hypothesis was that the factor loadings of the N.A.A.S. with this sample would not resemble the original factor structure found by Garrett and Pichette (2000). It was also believed that the N.A.A.S. would exhibit robust reliability with this sample, based upon a previous, …

Resource Selection, Predation Risk, And Population Dynamics Of Woodland Caribou, Nicholas James Decesare

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) have experienced population declines and local extirpations across North America. Human disturbance has caused caribou declines indirectly through changes to apparent competition dynamics within the predator-prey community. Apparent competition occurs as a negative indirect interaction between prey species, mediated by their direct interactions with a shared predator. I first review apparent competition, and show that across many endangered species including woodland caribou, human disturbance often causes an asymmetric tilt to the balance among prey species.

Landscape disturbance such as forest harvest and energy development have created early seral-stage forests and linear features across the landscape …

The Importance Of Water-Based Ecosystem Services Derived From The Shoshone National Forest, Christopher Aden Armatas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There is a wide range of goods and services being provided to humans by water resources (e.g. hydropower and recreation), but there is also a diversity of stakeholders that require or desire these benefits, also known as water-based ecosystem services, for everyday life. Land managers working for the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service in the semi-arid Rocky Mountain Region are tasked with the difficult job of managing scarce water resources in the face of competing human pressures and natural forces (e.g. climate change). Water management decisions on public lands can potentially impact the availability of a wide range …

What Predicts Terrestrial Invertebrate Subsidy Use By Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) In Headwater Streams?, Matthew Kestrel Wilson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Spatial subsidies provide critical resources for organisms in receiving habitats, particularly when production in those habitats is low. While it is clear that terrestrial invertebrates provide a critical subsidy for trout, including eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), we have limited understanding of what causes input and use of these subsidies to vary among streams. Among the watershed characteristics that may influence input and use of terrestrial invertebrates, I predicted that forest succession stage would be especially important due to differences in terrestrial invertebrate biomass in early and late successional habitats. To test this prediction, I measured terrestrial invertebrate biomass, input …

What They Consider, How They Decide: Best Practices Of Technical Experts In Environmental Decision-Making, Cassandra J. Hemphill

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Drawing from qualitative data gathered from environmental management professionals, this paper describes best practices for decision-making in environmental clean-up. Technical experts are knowledgeable about both cultural and technical rationality and employ both, as appropriate, to achieve more robust decisions. Experts use active, passive, and interactive communicative strategies to reduce uncertainties and manage tensions. Deliberation is used to achieve robust decisions. The analysis suggests that organizations can improve acceptability of decisions by authorizing experts to incorporate cultural rationality early in the decision process.

Wilderness, A Spiritual Antidote To The Everyday: A Phenomenology Of Spiritual Experiences In The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Ian Foster

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore, describe, and explain the phenomena of spiritual experiences in wilderness. The motivations for the research included: growing interest in empirical studies on the relationship between spirituality and human health, increasing concern over human’s loss of spiritual relationships with nature, and personal curiosity about the wild and spiritual nature of wilderness experiences. Research was focused on overnight visitors traveling by canoe in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of northeastern Minnesota. Data from thirty-two semi-structured interviews was used to question, update, and improve understanding of the phenomena. Phenomenological interviews (interviews that situate comments …

Dysfunction, Anna Kirsten Lemnitzer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

dysfunction examines how we perceive normalcy and in turn, differentiate those who are abnormal through visual metaphors of the interior structures and features of the home. My thesis exhibition explores psychological disorders through installation, painting, drawing, sculpture and performance. The viewer’s interaction with the installation, which references an individual’s domestic and very personal spaces, allows a physical awareness and appreciation of another’s personality and psychological characteristics. This is done in order to create a more in-depth understanding or empathy of abnormal psychology and various mental states, such as intense anxiety or anger, which exist within all of us.

Effect Of Lower Limb Compression (Normatec) On Glycogen Resynthesis, Nathan Alan Keck

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pneumatic compression pants on post-exercise glycogen resynthesis. Methods: Active male subjects (n=10) completed two trials consisting of a 90-minute glycogen depleting ride, followed by 4 hours of recovery with either a pneumatic compression device (PCD) or passive recovery (PR) in a random counterbalanced order. A carbohydrate beverage (1.8 g.kg-1 bodyweight) was provided at 0 and 2 hours post exercise. Muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) were obtained immediately and 4 hours post exercise for glycogen analyses. Blood samples were collected throughout recovery to measure glucose and insulin. Eight finger stick …

Consequences Of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation In Crohn's Disease, Jenna Marie Benson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor present in many immune cells, can trigger immunosuppressive responses through the generation of regulatory cells. Several AhR ligands exist in the diet including environmental contaminants, such as its prototypical ligand 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-pdioxin (TCDD), and natural sources, such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and indirubin. Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory state of the gastrointestinal tract, affects millions worldwide; however, the exact cause is unknown and treatments do not cure the disease. The role of the AhR in mucosal immune responses is not well understood to date so we aimed to understand the consequences of …